Merry Christmas, to You!

We’re down to the wire now!  Are you excited?  Overwhelmed?  I’m a bit of both, to tell you the truth.  I am attempting to squish my natural Mary personality, and trying to follow Martha’s example instead! 

I’m really into decorating for Christmas this year!  I can’t stop!

For this go round, we have a full sized tree and another small one in our foyer, a full sized one in our “music room” and the largest in our family room. 

Do you wonder why there aren’t any gifts under our trees?  Because I haven’t wrapped any yet!  More on that later…

 
This is the mantle in our family room, which came from a home built in the 1800’s.  I often wonder what were Christmases like for those who gathered around it in olden times.

Mostly, I keep the decorating classic, but there are a few whimsical touches. 

I placed several odds and ends on a mirrored tray that used to sit on my mom’s dresser - a glass container of brightly colored Christmas bulbs, a lighted Christmas village house, a Yankee Candle, and a snowman snow globe, warms the foyer powder room in an unexpected way.   
 

A mohair teddy bear makes us girls happy.  He’s all nestled inside a Christmas stocking hanging on French doors which open up to our Christmas memory tree.  It’s full of keepsakes that we hold dear from many past Christmases.

One year when my youngest was outgrowing toys, but at that in-between age, we gave her a large collection of Christmas village items, which graces our kitchen this year.

 
She delights in setting it up each December, and it all gets more special to us with each passing Christmas.

Thus far, the moments spent relaxing with the family, or curling up with a cozy Christmas book and a stack of Christmas cookies have been the most special.

Now about those unwrapped presents - we’ve ordered a good many gifts online for each other, so a pile of shipped packages have arrived.  Trouble is, none of us can sort through or open them without potentially ruining surprises because we don’t know which belongs to who…  We didn’t think of that, but obviously should have!  :) On the bright side, the laughs about our predicament will add to our memories! 

And on the brightest side, not the packages or decorations, not the traditions or lights, not even the fond memories could compare to what we are celebrating – who He is and what He did.

 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Well, dear reader, “although it’s been said many times, many ways,” 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!!

Hey Ya’ll!

I should be ashamed, and I am!  It has been way too long since I’ve posted.  I have missed interacting with all of you!  So a little catching up…

Christmas day will be our 10th anniversary in our homemade house.  So this year we’ve been sprucing up.  At this time, nine years ago, we were laboring heartily on our woodsy haven of oak and pine, trying to get the building, painting, and staining complete.

We had an unexpected opportunity to visit our first little house that we lived in more than 20 years ago.  When my oldest was a little fellow, I painted a Peanuts mural stretching from one side of the room to the other in his room.  To my surprise, it is still there!  Were we ever excited to get to see it again, and show it to my 16 year old, whom had only heard about it. 
 

I didn’t like the paneling in that room, so this was one way to distract attention from it.  I painted the whole gang, being that I am such a fan and all.  This collage is a snippet of the scene. I still wonder what made me brave such a task!  But I had fun doing it.  The paint has aged, but I was tickled that the owners left it there.  When we pulled up in the driveway to see the house, it was like stepping back in time.  Our neighbors on each side of us were outside – both families!  We had an awesome visit with both, reminiscing of days past.  Now I just have to believe the Good Lord had a hand in that evening!  Have you ever gotten to go visit a house you used to live in?  There is something so special about doing that!

We’ve been refinishing our floors and in the process, we learned a few things.  Lesson number one - an industrial buffer will sling a fellow around like a ragdoll.  Ladies, don’t try it!  Men folks, be prepared.  And make sure your health insurance is in good order!  And have a video camera rolling!  Lesson number two - I don’t like a glossy finish.  Now it may just be me, but it looked more like a gym floor than a home.  So more sanding…more work…more waiting 3 day before resuming traffic on the floor.  What an ordeal this has been.  And we still have more to go.  Although just a little.  But we haven’t figured out the logistics - since it is our stairway and hall to our bedrooms - we kinda need to have access to those floors…  This pic was with the gloss finish…

Well, me being so clever and all, I had a notion to paint the walls too, since most all of the downstairs furniture was out of the house.  It sounded reasonable in my head, but that was before we decided to change to semi-gloss.  In actuality, there wasn’t a single thing reasonable about my plan.  And in the midst of it all – (sorry instagram friends for the repetition), our hot water heater broke, and washing machine, and we flooded our laundry room.  This week, it was our dryers turn to break.

We have also done some traveling, which turned out to be more of a fiasco than fun, albeit memorable.  Here’s a snapshot of a moment while on our crazy trek.  What do you think – sunrise or sunset?

The hotel concierge of every single hotel that we stayed in will tell you that this, most assuredly, is NOT a sunrise.  Being that every day and every hotel with the exception of one, saw my husband dragging up to the front desk each morning, requesting an extra hour before we checked out.  This family of five adult sized peoples, squished in one room, sharing one facility when accustomed to four, all of which are morning showerers (is that even a word?), not to mention late risers, don’t make for great organization nor punctuality.  I kept thinking that my in-laws somehow knew of our lateness, even though they weren’t with us, and were shaking their heads with disapproval since they are usually on the road by 4:00 a.m. when they travel.  But shhhh….don’t tell them.

Well, we were glad to return home, and our menagerie was glad for us to return.  We had quite a greeting from all of them. 

       I think they missed their beds,

and our beds…

And I was glad to see my waking view that I love so in the fall.  

So that is a little peek into the window of our lives.  What have you been up to?

Spring Ramblings…and Explosions…

Is it just me, or does it seem as if we all only recently took down our Christmas trees, and here it is already April!

Time is flying by, yet plenty is happening.  Warm days and cold, bright days and stormy…

My dear Uncle from my mom’s side died unexpectedly.  It’s still kind of hard to believe.  He died on the exact day of my grandmother’s death (his mother) 16 years before, which was really something.  We will miss him, terribly so, but we can also rejoice because not only has he gone to be with the Lord, and his mom and dad, but also his much loved son that lived only 20 years.  You might recall mention of them in my post “My Cousin had a Pet Alligator.” 

On a more cheery note, a dear friend gave birth to a sweet baby girl.  Several households of us sat up all night waiting with anticipation.  Grandmamma and Auntie kept us all informed with text and Instagram.  My oldest daughter was in another household a couple of hundred miles away, yet we all still got to share the excitement.  Oh how we breathed a sigh of relief when we got word that Mom and Baby were safe.  She is such a little doll and bringing much joy!

Another dear friend got a big surprise with the discovery of their fourth little one on the way.  I believe God loves to give His children surprises, just like we love to surprise our children with special gifts!

This is a birthday season for us, so there has been lots of surprises and gifts in the works around our household.  I’ve also found some great little surprises at thrift stores recently.  This vintage Betty Crocker Cook Book was one such treasure that I couldn’t pass up.

And also, for my youngest daughter’s hope chest, 36 cups and 36 saucers featuring delicate little roses in her favorite shade, violet, were a fun find.  All for only $20! 

 

Children do grow up so fast.  Since she turned 16, she got to try her hand at driving…DRIVING…MY BABY!!!

Have I mentioned that I’m not READY!?

We all got a little surprise while we celebrated her birthday when the candles on her ice cream cake were lit.  We I didn’t pay attention to the packaging, so…   

It went like this:

“Uh Mom, why are my candles sparking.” 

“Oh, it’ll be fine.  Look at me,” I casually said as I snapped pics. 

More sparks…then lots more…as if she had sparklers on her cake…
Wait, what?…

Blow…blow….BLOW… by several of us without success as another grabbed for candle packaging and read…

The packaging may as well have said FOOLED YOU!  But it didn’t exactly.  Only it was clearly labeled “trick candles,” which I failed to notice, AND, in addition it said “no more than 10 candles per cake…” 

She had sixteen, being that it was her 16th birthday and all… WHOOPS!

Hubby grabs them ONE at a time and runs to the kitchen sink…with HOT fingers, I might add.

You can imagine how quickly he was moving, but to the rest of us it seemed as if he were in slow motion while her cake flamed and sputtered.  One at a time wasn’t getting it, since the sink wasn’t right next to the cake.  But none of the rest of us had the courage to grab them so we just all stood and WATCHED…   

Leave it to me to nearly catch the house on fire on a very special birthday…

But not all was lost…

And the icing on the cake - well not the fire hazard ice cream cake (good thing she had two cakes this year and believe me, no trick candles on the second one!) - was that with her birthday money and a significant amount of work saving up, she finally got to buy her much anticipated laptop.  My diligent girl is good at saving. 

And she can cypher too!

And much to my delight she has already finished up her physics book for the school year.  At this rate, she will get to enjoy a good amount of time off for summer break.  Although her pencils usually need sharpening, and last week her history textbook seemed to have dropped off the planet, I have not one doubt that she will still get the job done.  My little history buff, she is!

She got a chance to attend a Civil War reenactment several weeks ago which she always loves. 

And if you ask me, she was the bell of the ball at the reenactment ball, in spite of our last minute attempt to throw together an 1860’s costume with no plan whatsoever…

The cannons at the reenactment weren’t the only explosions happening.

No cannon balls came flying through the windows, and nope, not from the trick candles;  

just the furniture…  Who knew that my baby getting a laptop would somehow cause us to need to rearrange our entire house!  Does that ever happen to you?  I mean one tiny thing leads to another and another…

The desktop computer found a more discreet location in a different room with the arrival of her laptop,

which caused the TV to move to a better looking spot in the family room,

which caused a few chairs to be relocated,

which caused curtains and chairs to clash,

which caused… I could go on but I won’t. 

Needless to say, after a while, hubby and son looked about like the reenactment guy that is playing dead in my picture above. :)

Well, it’s a wonder that Pinterest hasn’t exploded, with the pinning rampage that I have been on lately (you can find me here)!

That just about sums up life in the Smith household this spring, I think.  What you been up to?

Poodles in Wonderland

I’ve been wanting to tell you about a project, and just in case you thought that I might have dropped off of the planet, I thought today might be a good day to post!

This embroidery project was inspired by my daughter’s darling little gray poodle that LOVES cookies better than any critter that I have ever seen!

 

So when I saw this vintage 1950’s Vogart pattern, I knew it was just the perfect project to make for my gal. 

It stitched up so easy and was a lot of fun.  The hardest part was choosing floss colors!  Stitching it went quickly and I was able to surprise her, giving it as a little Christmas gift.

It was so hard to get myself to actually cut the vintage pattern that was still in mint condition, and even though I mustered up the courage, turns out that it wouldn’t iron on well due to its age.  So, I ended up tracing it.  NEXT time, I’ll know better, and not cut! :)

It framed nicely in an 8 x 10 frame, matted with a 5 x 7, although the fit was just a little tighter than I wanted.

Another Christmas gift for her was this 1930’s typewriter!  It wasn’t a surprise, since she spied it at a local antique store before I did, but it was a delightful, unexpected find just the same!

 

We discovered that ribbon is still available for it.  When we get some, she is going to type a few lines of Alice in Wonderland on vintage looking paper to display in the typewriter, because of another recent find.

At a rummage sale one day, I found these collectors plates.  She is such a fan of Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland that I couldn’t pass these up.  I was so happy that it was the full set, and their condition was perfect.

They’re a little busy, kind of wild and creepy really, but much to my surprise, they looked cute in her room - her sunny, bright room that matches her oh so sunny disposition!

It’s a crisp, sunny day here and we’re recovering from the flu.  It has taken forever, it seems, to get back on our feet, but I think the worst is behind us.  I hope you all are staying warm and well!  Have a wonderful day, my friends!

Liebster Award Fun!

Many thanks to Chrissy at Mom Loves Freebie for nominating me for the Liebster Award!

What fun!

The Rules:

1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you.
2. Share eleven interesting facts about yourself.
3. Answer the eleven questions provided by the blogger who nominated you.
4. Come up with eleven questions for your nominees.
5. Nominate eleven other bloggers!

My Eleven Interesting Facts:
(Ha! I use the term “interesting” rather loosely, but I think that is what I’m supposed to say here!)

1.  My family stays amused at my delight over little things that aren’t often typically noticed.

2.  I LOVE pine straw and leaves scattered across lawns far better than manicured landscapes.

3.  Yesterday was our 28th wedding anniversary.

4.  I love seniors.  They have so much wisdom to impart.  

5.  I’m quiet natured in groups, but I can talk the ears off of a Billy goat when I am comfortable in a one on one situation.

6.  I don’t exactly have a good singing voice, so I try to keep it as quiet as possible in church, but I love to sing, so that’s difficult!  “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord…” it says in Psalm 100.  I think that verse is written to folks like me – joyful “noise” rather than joyful music. :) 

7.  If you have read my post labeled 20 Random Things that You Might Not Know About Me, I mentioned that I don’t like using the word “I” so much, so this list is a little challenging for me.  Let’s see, does that count as one?  Just in case not, here’s a short one – I’m excessively cold natured.  I would freeze to death where some of you live!

8.  I have extremely fond memories of my early years growing up on Lake Conway in Orlando, Florida.  I spent many hours swinging on a homemade swing hanging from a giant tree that overlooked the lake, and had a neighborhood full of children to play with.  Here is a picture of some of those kids:

That’s me in the front on your right.  Those were the days!  Such an easier, more innocent time in our nation. 

9.  I have a vivid memory, that goes way back, even to some toddler times.  But yet, I’m a bit scattered.  I find it challenging to keep up with my shoes, rings, and keys, especially.  ;)

10.  Due to sentimentality, I keep almost everything.  The most treasured item that I have from my childhood, is “Mrs. Mouse,” a little Remco vinyl doll.  My little childhood friend Tracy, which is the one pictured above on the front left with short hair, gave me Mrs. Mouse, in her sweet, loving effort to keep me from crying for my mom when she was going out for the evening. 

Mrs. Mouse became my treasured companion.  I kept her with me, all the time, that is, when I could get away with it.  She traveled wherever I traveled, and as quirky as it may seem, ‘til this day you will find her packed in my luggage if we take a trip.  Here, I’ll show you…

Yes, I realize, she may look a little creepy to you.  But to me she’s beautiful!  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, ya’ know! :)       

11.  And that leads me to this one – I love old pictures.  This generation is more creative with photography, but somehow, old photographs are far more charming to me.  Are they to you?

My Eleven Questions from Chrissy:

1. What do you like most about blogging?

Getting to visit with people that I normally wouldn’t get to meet.

2. If you could have any pet in the world what would you pick?

I’ll cheat a little here, because I can’t pick just one.  I would love to have a pet monkey – that is, as long as it was clean and had clean habits. :)  Life wouldn’t be worth living to me without my little doggie friends, and I love horses.  But I wouldn’t mind having a pet elephant, either!  I just love animals!  So much that I can’t wait to see what the animal kingdom will be like when we get to Heaven!  Maybe we can even have tigers for pets!  Wouldn’t that be awesome!

3. What are you really good at doing? Or a talent you have?

Uh oh, on this one!  I’m not good at anything! :)   I take that back…when I look at my kids I think I must be good at mothering, but it is probably more of a case that they are WONDERFUL kids!  Talent…humm…I probably could have been good at piano if I had had lessons growing up, and I love to decorate, if that accounts for anything. 

4. What were your favorite subjects at school?

School, goodness, that was a long time ago!  Language arts, because it was the easiest to me.  But now, history would absolutely be my favorite.  I just didn’t realize it then because memorizing facts and dates deterred me from discovering my passion for old times.
 
5. What was your life like before kids? Or if you don't have any, what do you think it would be like with kids?

You know, I always longed for the time that I would have children.  Motherhood was what God had planned for me.  Once I had my third child, I discovered a completeness that I had not yet known.  But to directly answer the question, childhood was in part, fun, adolescence was turbulent and scary, and then I married at 22 and became a mother at 24.   

6. Do you like to read? If so, what type of things?

I like to read.  Okay now, don’t shoot me, but I’ll add, sometimes.  I’m a little complicated on that subject.  I enjoy reading books that are beneficial spiritually.  As for fiction, I go through stages.  Sometimes all I want to do is read, yet at other times I cycle in not reading a lot of fiction, especially when my kids were little and life was plenty full of adventure! :)    

7. What do you consider to be a bad habit of yours?

Eating cookies for breakfast.  Today it was chocolate chip.

8. What is your favorite type of music?

Piano music!  I LOVE the piano!!  And nothing is better than Peanuts music by Vince Guaraldi, in my opinion!

9. If you could spend a day with any famous person, living or deceased, who would that be?

Well, no doubt about it, Jesus, but the wonderful thing is, we can spend every day with Him!  So, I’ll give a second answer.  Wow, that’s food for thought.  I’ve never explored that thought before…Okay, I’m thinking… and in the meantime, I’ll go to the next question…

10. Do you like to clean or hate it?

Love it!  I hate it!  Hee hee!  It’s kind of one of those love/hate things!

11. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you make that dream come true?

That’s easy – a mom.  As a child, I was obsessive about dance too, and wish I had pursued it.  I would love to have a little dance studio by my house where I could teach girls classical ballet and Irish dance.

Now back to #9.  I think I’ll go way back in time and say the apostle Peter.  You gotta love Peter!  I’m pretty sure he was fun, funny, and a mess!  Just imagine the stories that he could tell us!  But I would also love to sit down with Corrie ten Boom or Elisabeth Elliot, gleaning wisdom from their experience with God. 
  Eleven Questions for My Nominees:

1.  Do you live where it is common to have winter snow and do you like snow?
2.  Do you decorate your Christmas tree with a theme, or do you decorate it with an eclectic collection of sentimental decorations?
3.  What are some fun things that you plan to do this Christmas Season?
4.  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
5.  What was a favorite childhood toy that you had?  How did you acquire it and do you still have it?  
6.  Do you like to watch old movies, and if you do, what are some that you especially like?
7.  If you could live in any time period, when would that be and why?
9.  Would you describe your decorating style as being  fun & cutesy, charming & rustic, elegant & ornate, or classic and sophisticated?
10.  Green acres is the place for me; how about you – if you had your druthers, would you prefer city or rural living?
11.  If you could open up a door and climb inside the world of a fiction book, what book would it be and why? 
 

My Nominees:

Life on a Back Road
Across My Kitchen Table
Little Birdie Blessings
The Enchanted Rose
A Sheltering Tree
An Artful Mom
The Writers Reverie
Afternoon Coffee and Evening Tea
Blessings and Sweet Tea
Ms. Redo
Sunny Skies and Sweet Tea

Thanks for taking the time to visit today!