Pages

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year!



I'm not sure if it's the egg nog, the hot apple cider or the warm fire but I've been on vacation mode and it feels quite good.

Here's what we've been up to...first, this is Hubby reading, "The Joy of Cooking" in hopes to discover a fabulous new Christmas Eve recipe. See those 'crumbs' on his pocket? Well, they're not from Christmas cookies, those are tree crumbs from splitting and hauling in so much wood for our fires.



We also went cross country skiing up around Mt. Hood. It was a beautiful blue bird day. Note: Lucy is still smiling!



And there's been lots and lots of cozy time in the house....with lots of accompanying warm beverages...like hot cocoa.



Green tea.



And hot apple cider - something I've consumed a lot of this past week.



There's also been a lot of Backgammon (shhhh, I'm on a winning streak).



And a lot of sitting in front of the fire enjoying the Christmas tree lights.


And the warm glow of the fire.



The new furniture is proving to be very comfortable and conducive to lazy day snuggling.



I love how the cabinet glass reflects all the light in the room.

Nate over at Laurel Street nominated me for the Homies 2009 Award! Wow, huh? I'm absolutely honored but also, feel a little shy!

Happy New Year!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Giveaway Time!

Guess What ladies... I have a surprise giveaway! I was given the oppotunity by living room furniture to do this. I went to their site and handpicked an item for my beloved readers!! I posted it on my sponsor's page, so head over there and check it out. You won't be disappointed.

By the way I am working on a project right now and I am going to post it on Friday. So, be sure to come back to see what I have been up to. :)

AFTERMATH ..........

I'm feeling a little bit full and bloated at the moment and I think that I'm in need of ..........
.......... some of this ..........

.......... and a touch of this, 'cos I've had too much of ..........


.......... THIS !!!!! ..........

.......... AND THIS !!!!! ..........


.......... AND THIS !!!!! ..........

and rather too many of these, nice as they were, so I'm in need of some of ........

.......... THIS ..........

..........AND THIS although,


we will be counting down the minutes to midnight tomorrow and there will be ..........

.......... Fireworks and , OH NO ..........

.......... more of THIS !!!!! Detox will have to wait a few more days !!!!!

Wishing all of my blogging pals everything that you wish yourselves and your families for 2010.
Many thanks for all of your wonderful comments and your support and I look forward to reading and commenting on your posts in the coming year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR


Jackie














Monday, December 28, 2009

Good Things Happen to Those Who Wait

This is Monday morning and I am still in my pajamas sitting in front of the computer. This doesn't usually happen because, I have things I have to do or places I need to be. Today, not so much and I am loving it.

The kids are playing with the toys they got for Christmas, everone is happy... so, I decided to update my bloy post now, instead of waiting till tonight.

Sometime before Christmas, I did my usual stop and look at a thrift store and guess what I found...


A book by Martha Stewart! To tell you the truth I didn't even know about this book, but I was really excited! The book is in perfect condition, and when I looked through the pages, there were so many great tips and advice for what to look for when you are looking for collectable items (like glass jars, Milk glasses, plates... and so on) at a flea market; how to clean and take care of them and ideas for decorating the house with those finds. The book is just perfect for someone like me, who loves thrift stores and yard sales!

The second item that I found was this:



Actually, I have been wanting to buy these molds for several months, I have kind of gotten back in to baking, so I wanted to make beautiful tarts. At William Sonoma, of course, they were expensive, so I have decided to wait a while.

I decided to check the silverware and bakingware section just in case, and this little red box was sitting right on top of everything!! What are the odds? In my mind, I was thinking to myself, "Is that what I think it is? No, I don't believe it. Don't get your hopes up so high Sachiko...". Isn't that funny I was several steps away but I was thinking all that. Also, I was acting calmly, so other people wouldn't see me acting unusual or the direction in which I was looking and find the box before I could grab it. It is a total rush to those who shop at thrift stores.

The box was a little dusty, but everything was in perfect mint condition. It had a little sticker saying $2.oo! Each of the molds were sparkly clean and I can tell they were never used. Finding something is nice, but finding something you have been looking for is DESTINY! I felt like angels were floating around me and making holy sounds, ahhhhh. Look what happens when you try to live each day honestly and work hard. Good things happen! :) (However, I still haven't quite figured out humility.)

I am looking forward to using them for the first time and making mini tarts.

That is why I can't stop going to those stores. My curiousity "what if..." or "just in case" has helped me to find some pretty nice stuff in the past. If you never have shopped at thrift stores, you might want to try it, you never know what you will find.

By the way, I am participating in these link parties today, there are many wonderful posts, I highly recommend visiting them! Have a fabulous day everyone.

The DIY Show Off
Making

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Trimming the Tree



It's beginning to look more like Christmas around here. We hung our stockings...



...and Hubby built us a warm toasty fire.



We also put our Christmas tree up. I was in the kitchen when he called to me, "is this straight?"



We straightened it out and found all of our favorite ornaments to hang. Hubby's parents made it a tradition to give each of their six children (Hubby is the baby of six in his family) an ornament every year so there are lots of ornaments on our tree with a strong Hubby theme. By far, my favorite, and the one ornament I'm sure to hang most prominently on our tree, is the ornament I call, "Hunk of Love."



Here it is being showcased with careful consideration that plenty of light is cast its way. This ornament was given to him when he was in high school. He was on the basketball team, hence the basketball themed ornament. How cute is that!

You want a closer look you say?



Well I'm glad you asked because the very first Christmas we spent together, I made a larger copy in order to better appreciate all the fine details. The mullet (business in the front, party in the back), the 1980's tank top and the best part, the teenager stare... are what makes this ornament so special. I can't help but smile each time I look at it! Hubby finds this very amusing and always asks, "what mullet?"

Do you have any favorite childhood ornaments?



It was so nice to sit by the tree last night. Hubby read some David Sedaris holiday tales and we played several rounds of Backgammon in front of the fire. Hubby loves Backgammon, and I'm more of a Scrabble girl. So I'm sure we'll be playing lots of both over the holidays.

Happy holidays!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

CHRISTMAS at ' HOME '..........

Welcome everyone to a little glimpse of Christmas at ' HOME '
Come on in and make yourselves at ' HOME ' !!

This is the hall. Every year I always decorate the stairs with eucalyptus, a few baubles and, this year, a little bit of gypsophila ...............




Here's a bit of a closer look .........

.......... this is the hall table ..........

............... and now, come on into the lounge..........

This is my favourite fireplace. All of the fireplaces in our house are Art Nouveau and they are all original too.........





I must try and hide that wire. Not very attractive. These chandelier cystals have lights in them but I'm not sure if I like them lit up. I rather like them as they are. What do you think ?











This is our breakfast room. This room is next to the kitchen and breakfast room was a term used by the Victorians.



This is our dining room........





.......... and finally, a glimpse at the Christmas tree..........

I can never seem to take a decent photograph of the Christmas tree. Can anyone help me with this ? It always comes out too dark, the lights never show up and it looks much better in real life !!!!



I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their wonderful comments on my posts over the last few months and the chance to get to know so many of you.
Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas and many happy times in the New Year.
Jackie
X

























Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...