Christmas Happy Shelves!

I always say first things first, so when I am decorating for each season the first thing to be decorated is my "happy shelves" and Christmas has some of my very favorite decorations! PIXIES and ELVES!
I love all of the red, green and white on my shelves!

Isn't this such a feast for the eyes???

It's so much fun unwrapping all these "friends" after a years time.

Every time I spot a pixie or elf at yard sales, estate sales, etc.. if it's at all affordable, it's mine!

Several of the things in this cabinet I've had since I was a child. But, that doesn't make them antiques, does it!


Is anyone else having a problem with blogger posting code instead of the photos when you are composing a new post? It's kind of annoying!
Anyway, hope you have a great day!

There's a Mouse in the House!

Actually there are two mice in the house!

Back last spring I bought a huge stack of old craft magazines from the 1960's and 1970's. I do have an issue with anyone who says that they are old magazines, because they were around when I was a kid so they really aren't old, are they?

Anyway, I decided to make these little mice from a 1974 Holiday Crafts magazine. The picture of the mice was in black and white and the instructions were kind of vague but I muddled through and here is the result:


And yes!!! That is a Christmas tree beside them! I put up my beautifully tacky aluminum tree this past weekend! I only have red and green balls on it with multi colored lights. I wish I had a color wheel like the one we had when I was little, but alas, they have proven too expensive to purchase.

Do you see what my little mice are sitting on? That would be my trip back into my childhood with the purchase on the minature kitchen set! There is the stove with the door that opens, the refrigerator that has a painting of "fake" food inside the door and a washing machine that agitates and spins!


I am still pulling out Christmas decorations and working about to make the house all festive and Christmasy!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Linda

Haul Out The Holly!!!

It's that time of the year again!!!

Last night Yngwie and I stuffed all the Halloween decorations into the attic, then pulled all the Christmas decorations out!!

I know it's early, but I love Christmas so much that I like to see my home decorated as long as I can. So now my house is upside down with all the boxes and trimmings and decorations!! I have already started putting my figurines, pixies and elves into my "happy" cabinet and it is looking so good!!! I hope to have it completed this weekend.
All of the photos you see are of "new" decorations, that I have bought over the past year. YIKES! I had no idea I had gotten so many cool things. All bought at yard sales, estate sales, some at antique stores. That big headed Santa belonged to my grandmother. But I had put it away last year and couldn't find it. Finally found it this summer in with some dishes that I had.See that little striped pencil with the doll head on it?? I had one of those when I was a kid that had a elf head on it. I was so proud of that pencil! But, the teacher took it away from me because the elf's hat had a bell on it and it made noise when I wrote. She never gave it back!
And see that handsome young man below??? That is our son Yngwie who turned 18 last night at 7:10! I have taken a picture of him every single year at 7:10 p.m. He's the light of my life! I am so proud to have him as my son!

I have a busy, busy weekend ahead with all the decorating to do. I can't wait. Hope everyone has a great weekend

Blessings

Linda

Halloween Fun!

Hello Everyone!

Hope y'all had a safe and fun Halloween!

Yngwie and friends had a Halloween party at our house Saturday and they had so much fun. Everyone came dressed up. Here is Yngwie, who is dressed as "Hugh Hefner" with three of his friends, a strawberry, a referee, and a lady bug.

Here is the winner of our costume contest.

Of course there was plenty of food:

So, this week we will be De-Halloweening the house and getting ready for Thanksgiving and getting down our Christmas decorations!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Blessings

Linda

Hello Again!

I have a terrible habit of disappearing! Well this post is going to be long so pull up a chair, get you some hot chocolate or coffee, and grab a couple of the chocolate chips cookies that I made today, and get comfy.

We have spent almost ever spare minute this fall out on the lake. The trees are so pretty reflecting in the water.

Yngwie has been very busy with his Senior year in high school. I didn't realize how much went into applying to colleges, SAT'S, ACT's, etc... We have had senior photos (that I need to upload), we have gone to several meetings at school explaining tuition (ouch!) etc. This past weekend we headed east to Williamsburg, VA to visit The College of William and Mary.

The college is just beautiful! It was founded in 1693 and is the second oldest college in the country. This is Wrenn Hall that was built in 1693. Unfortunately, it was drizzling rain, breezy and about 40 degrees outside and the tour was two hours long, mostly outdoors. While Yngwie liked the curriculum and the campus, he didn't exactly like the location. What I thought would be really cool, to be in Colonial Williamsburg's backyard, is really what we didn't like about it. The traffic is maddening! There is no parking, tourists are every where! On campus and off. Colonial Williamsburg is truly, just over the fence! Also, to get from SW VA to Williamsburg you have to either go through Richmond, the state capital, or bypass it and get caught up in the traffic heading to Washington DC. And it's 4 1/2 hours from home. So, while he is still leaving it open as a maybe, we will be looking at other colleges. Next on our list is University of Virginia in Charlottesville. That is only 2 hours from home and Momma likes that!

After our tour of the school, we visited several of the shops right outside of the school. I was freezing and chilled to the bone so we decided to eat at the Trellis Restaurant. Let me say if you are ever in Williamsburg, you really need to eat at the Trellis! It was so good! After 5 cups of coffee, I was finally warm enough to enjoy my meal.

For dessert we had the restaurants signature dessert....Death by chocolate! Oh my heavens!!! Words cannot even begin to tell how delicious this was!!! I wasn't able to eat even 1/4 of mine. DH and Yngwie got through about 1/2, but they kindly boxed up the rest and we dined on it the rest of the weekend. I forgot to take a photo of our dessert, but here is a photo I found online: Can you believe that!!!! Absolutely delicious!

Saturday morning I saw an ad in the paper for an estate sale that sounded pretty good and since we were going to Lowes anyway, we swung by. It really wasn't much of a sale but I got his beautiful deviled egg dish. I love teal glassware, it looks so lovely with the light from the window shining through.

Of course I had to put it to use and made deviled eggs today!!

I promised last month to show some more of my Halloween decorations and finally made some pictures today.

For those of you who read my blog, you know that in my kitchen I have a bookcase/whatnot case that I call my "Happy Shelves". I decorate them for every season and Halloween is one of my very favorites!

I really don't think I can squeeze one more item in here!

The two Kelly dolls are new for this year.

The glittered silver skulls are a Dollar Tree find this year. I bought my sisters Mary Moo's at her yard sale and you can spot one of the little fellows over on the left.

I also have put up my Halloween tree:

I got it last year at Michaels and it is PURPLE GLITTERED!!! You really can't improve on that in my opinion! Purple and glitter!!!

My dear friend Nancy from "more than enough" sent me this beautiful fairy lady that for some reason I keep calling a witch. She is not a witch!! She just have a hat that reminds me of a witch, so I hung her on my tree. However, she is going to stay out all year, because I really like her!

I picked up these adorable Peanuts figures at the thrift store a couple of weeks ago, and I know there isn't anything remotely "Halloweeny" about them, they are under the tree too! There is no rhyme or reason to some of the things I use to decorate under my tree. You might also spot one owl salt shaker, a turkey, and a little squirrel.

Other than that, we have been busy doing this:

Why oh why did I ever tell Yngwie he could have an aquarium?? We had an old one up in the attic and he drug that down and set it up and put a few fish in it. Then his friend told him that his grandma had a bigger tank that she wanted to get rid of, (I wonder why!) and that he could have it. So now we have this monstrosity in the den! He has a loche (that came with the tank!!), a few sharks, a pacu (not the biting kind), some tetra and some bright yellow fish. This thing has so much maintenance! Fortunately, he has taken care of it since he has had it and the fish are kind of fun to watch.

So, have I bored you to tears yet??? I'm not promising I will post more often, but hopefully since we aren't out on the lake so much, I will get around to it more often!

Blessings

Linda

Fall has arrived at our house!

Well last weekend I decided to take the plunge and pull out my fall decorations. When I got into the attic I found that I had put Halloween in with the fall, so I just pulled them out too. I sure don't want to dig through that hot attic again in a month!

So let me take you on a tour through my house. First off you will come onto my front porch. The table was made from an old school desk. Now on through the door which is decorated with this fall wreath that I got from the thrift store for $3.00! You will want to take off your light jacket here in the foyer where this antique mirror is wearing it's fall decor. The little banner to the right I made from pretty fall colored fabrics. I have never been able to get a very good photo of this mirror. On to the kitchen where it seems everyone wants to hang out. This is the center island in our kitchen. The crock has a picture of our house painted on the front of it. I got it from LL Bean several years ago. This is the wall opposite the island. On each side of the Fiesta plates are pumpkins made from silk flowers. I thought they were so cute! I made the banner on the plate rack. It says BOO.

This little vignette in the corner features my Brambley Hedge luncheon plate, cup and saucer that my Grandmother got me. The little basket on the right is Longaberger.

Let's take our snacks into the dining room, where the jack o lantern that I bought 29 years ago, the first year I was married, is reposing with it's pretty autumn arrangement.

My dining room has way to much furniture in it, but I like it, so I keep it. This is a small table that holds a clock that my husband made. The beaded pumpkin came from a fall swap last year. This picture really doesn't do it justice. It is so pretty. This has been a very versatile piece. We originally bought it as a baby changing table when Yngwie was born. Now it serves as our side board. Don't you just love those white craft pumpkins!

I will share a few more pics in the upcoming weeks, but I will leave you with my craft of the week. This little candy dish was loosely based on one I saw in the Better Homes * Gardens Holiday Magazine. So easy to make and I really liked how it turned out.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Linda

Welcome September!

While I have had a wonderful summer, I am so ready for fall! I love what I call "sweatshirt/shorts" weather. Not cold, but nippy enough to need the sweatshirt. Of course here in VA the really nippy, cool weather doesn't arrive until sometime in October, some of the September nights are cool enough to pull a blanket up on your bed.

I got the most wonderful mail yesterday from my Secret Sista, who calls herself Mary Jane Sugarpie.

In my package was the tea that was inserted into that cute little teacup card that says "relax", 3 beautiful fall colored dish cloths, and that adorable bird spreader! I have the best secret sista in the world! So last night I made my self some tea in one of my favorite teacups that I only use for very special occasions.

It is called Bramby Hedge and my grandmother bought me the teacup and saucer and a luncheon size plate many years ago. Then I fixed some cream cheese crackers with my homemade jalapeno pepper jelly, got me one of my vintage "Good Old Days" magazines and flopped down in my lazy boy chair and read. Friends, that is my idea of a perfect ending to the day!

Oh, I almost forgot! I finished my Candy Corn mouse last night! I got the pattern for him out of the newest Better Homes and Gardens Holiday magazine. If you don't have it, run to the book store or grocery store and get it! It is full of the cutest crafts for Halloween through Christmas. I do need to do some touch up on the paint. His candy corn was still a little wet when I took this picture.

And by the way, the beautiful woman in the first photo is my late grandmother. It was taken on her farm in Giles County, VA.

Have a great day!

Linda