I Can't Believe It's Two Days 'Til Christmas

more than that. i can't believe it's two days til christmas and i'm not in stress mode. the gifts have been bought and wrapped, food planned and groceries purchased, the house is decorated (not lavishly, but decorated). today is floor cleaning day and tomorrow is food preparation day. granted, i didn't have a lot of gifts to get and the house isn't perfect, but i'm enjoying the season, and looking forward to all of us being together. isn't that what it's all about anyway? celebrating the birth of our Savior with people you love?  christmas eve service tomorrow night, church sunday morning, family (husband, kids, grandkids) here together the rest of the day, extended family on monday at my sister's house. now all we need is snow. 
i took some pics of the kitchen. it is very difficult to photograph because it is dark. or else i'm just not a good enough photographer. probably the latter. 

i'm pleased with my centerpiece. it came together rather quickly using things i've gathered over time. the base is a rectangular footed beveled mirror from rescue mission for $4.  the bowl, a 99 cent goodwill find and the birds were meme mose's. i set the bowl in an artificial wreath to which i added fresh christmas tree clippings. the balls and candlestick holders were other flea market and yard sale finds. the only things bought new were the candles, artificial snow and silver snowflakes (an inexpensive box of them from walmart). the pinecones are from our property and spray painted silver.

i do have to say something about the tablecloth. i am so not a plastic person, but i found two large rectangular 'lace' tablecloths at a yard sale this summer. it wasn't until i actually touched them that i realized they were vinyl. they look so real. it's a very soft vinyl, the lace is cut out and the surface is textured like cloth. i've never seen any like them. they were in perfect condition and 50 cents each. i couldn't pass them up.

photo taken standing on a stepstool. aren't you impressed?  : )

a few more closeups...

that beautiful glass angel was a gift from my husband years ago. the blue and white snowflakes are boxes purchased a few years ago from walmart. the snowflakes are starched crocheted ornaments.

 

i love my china cabinet. gary bought this for me the first christmas we spent in our first house, back in 1978. he bought it from a friend he worked with at the time who dealt in antiques. it was in two pieces, had no back and was missing a drawer. he put on the beadboard backing, built a drawer for it, put it together, sanded and stained it...all as a surprise for me. all i did was add a coat of paste wax. i love this special gift. 

 

i've since added to this tree, possibly getting to the point of overdo, but i still like it. this darling little bird is a memento from my williamsburg trip in november. so special.  

i am planning on redoing my kitchen this year. i am ready for new colors, a brighter room, cleaner lines....but a part of me still loves the old country farmhouse look so i'm sure much of it will remain the same, just a little updated hopefully. 

 

The Tree Hunt

thirtyseven years ago, on december 11th, 1973, i had my first date with the man i would marry. the date was to find a christmas tree we could cut down ourselves. ever since, that is what we have done each year. as the kids came along they looked forward to that yearly tradition. it continues now with grandkids. we have changed locations several times as the trees disappear or get too big. i think next year we will have to again find a new location, as the tree farm we've been going to has not replanted and trees are getting scarce. however, we were able to find a pretty one...and it was $10 less because the selection is limited. cool. a beautiful day, too. 

my daughter erin is not taking a pic of my tree.  look closer.

part of the day's entertainment was watching my daughter andrea get her tree loaded onto her car. 

mem-ries, light the corners of my mind...sung ala tom hanks in "big". 

A Thanksgiving Picnic

we had mild weather this year for thanksgiving. for both celebrations. my extended family gathered on thanksgiving day at mom and dad's house. 33 in total if i counted correctly...an ever expanding family. awesome! 
it was such a beautiful day. nice enough to be outside watching the entertainment.  kids and leaves.  can't beat that combination.

a little fall football...

cousins catching up...

big kids get involved, too...

my grandson and grandnephew wave hi...

our immediate family celebrated thanksgiving on sunday. i had big plans to set a beautiful table...good china and crystal. i was ahead of the game with the food. i did most of it on saturday and just left the turkey to cook while we were at church. but the tablescape just wasn't happening. i was running out of time. i was trying to decide how to fit everyone at our table. i walked outside, enjoying the even warmer day than thursday, reminiscing about how bitterly cold it was this time last year, thinking that today was warm enough to eat outside....
holy cow.  it's warm enough to eat outside! 
which was exactly what we did. i put two pretty lace tablecloths on the picnic table and the round glass topped table, ran an autumn leaf garland down the center, brought out some inexpensive glass plates, stuck flea market gold colored napkins into my flea market turkey napkin rings, and we ate outside. we built a fire in the fire pit for atmosphere. it was wonderful. a thanksgiving picnic. a first. 
of course, i forgot to take pictures. oh well. 

now let me think here a minute...
we had an earthquake this summer, snow on halloween, and a picnic on thanksgiving....hmmm....

Autumn Bliss in Williamsburg

i recently returned from a perfect time in williamsburg, spent with two wonderful friends. just us girls.  shopping, talking, eating, sightseeing, and drinking in the beauty of God's magnificent creation. we were blessed with three days of the most ideal autumn weather you could ask for.

sunday after church, with the car packed full, we were off.

ronda was our hostess, sharing her and her husband's beautiful time share with goldie and me. 

this was the view from the back balcony. a pond with a fountain...what more could you ask for?

we spent the first day shopping...all day. we hit the outlets, specialty shops, a tuesday morning, and even a goodwill. it was great. we were tired when we got back to our rooms, but still had enough energy to enjoy a delicious meal and watch some cooking shows on the food network.


the second day, a little more shopping and some sightseeing. ronda forced us to stop at a stamping and scrapbooking store. hehe

we ate lunch at "old chickahominy house", a lovely place with delicious southern food,

a gorgeous mantel in our dining room, 

and a beautiful gift shop... all decked out for christmas.

we spent the rest of the day in old williamsburg. we visited a garden and nursery, learning a lot from the gardener and getting to sample a variety of herbs. 

i love the wonderful buildings and beautiful tree lined streets.

and those inviting garden paths....sigh......

a few more shops at the end of the day. dusk comes early now.

such a totally lovely time. it went too fast.