Happy New Year!

 

Happy Anniversary, Mike!

Wrapping up sixteen years...May year seventeen be our best ever!

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

Misplaced but not Forgotten

As I have aged, I've noticed that I misplace things more frequently than I used to. I am very guilty of putting something away for later and then forgetting where I put it. I've done that a quite a lot this past few years. My thought was that I would put something out of the way and then deal with it when I retired and had more time for dealing with things around here. Well, I've been retired for a year and those put-off-till-later things have not all been addressed - yet.

What's the rush? I mean, I have for the rest of my life, right?

During this first year of retirement, I also told myself I wouldn't wait till the last minute to get things done for Christmas. Well, I did do a lot better than I have in the past. In fact, I got a pretty early start this year. I had been scrolling through blogs, or Instagram, or some such online community and noticed an adorable umbrella. I had just thrown away a broken one at the ball park a week before. Plus, I think all of my umbrellas have that one prong that is broken or the clip has been lost or something. So, the umbrella has the one spot that is not rounded and umbrella-ing. Instead, it is a bit wonky - not a total loss and works in a pinch but a bit beyond faded but still serviceable. So, I ordered the cute umbrella and got a deal because it was on sale! Ding! Ding!

The new umbrella arrived and immediately, I knew that I had to know somebody else who could use such a cute umbrella. So, I decided to order one for each of the daughters and daughters-in-law. I discovered that the cute umbrella had been marked down a dollar or two more. So, I decided to order one for each of the high school granddaughters. I clicked the place order button and sat there a moment. Then, decided I'd order one for the three younger granddaughters as well. That was early in May.

When they arrived, I stood them in the den waiting for Mike to come in and see them. After dinner, he walked in there and shouted, what are you going to do with all these birds? Imagine eleven of these staring at you when you walk into the den...

We chuckled about them and I told him they were future Christmas gifts. He snickered and told me that I would forget about them in that length of time and asked me where I would stash them so the girls didn't see them if they popped in. I confidently told him I'd put them in the back bedroom closet. 

So, I have had those in the back of my mind all this time. Then, one day this past week I was wrapping up all my gift preparations and went to the closet to get them out. I couldn't find them. I poked all around in the junk stashed in that closet and could not find them. So, I went to the other guest bedroom closet. Not there, either. On to the primary bedroom closet. No sign of them there. Downstairs I went in my search. Still no umbrellas. How could I have lost an entire flock of flamingo umbrellas? 

When I returned upstairs, the neighbors had dropped by for a visit. I walked in the door and Mike asked me if I found my flamingos. Then, of course, I had to explain to the neighbors that I had misplaced an entire flock of flamingo umbrellas. After the neighbors left, we prepared and ate dinner and were chatting and it hit me. I recalled that the box was too big and wouldn't fit in the closet. So, I slid it under the bed. Mystery solved. I went right back there and drug the box out. I took a quick snapshot and sent it to the neighbor so she could rest in peace that my flock was not lost.

I stood there and thought about how I might wrap such a gift. Then, I decided that they needed nothing to be a cute addition to the gift pile. So, here is how the gift pile looks for this Christmas.

We are looking forward to all eighteen of the children, in-laws, and grands to pile in here. We will share a meal together, tear into the gift pile, and the children will run, rip, and play, and the adults will catch up on all the news with one another. We hope you have a wonderful holiday and time of fellowship with your loved ones. Merry Christmas!

Tweaks, Adjustments, Modifications and a Change of Direction

I had planned to jump on the dehydrated orange bandwagon this year and add those into my kitchen Christmas decor. Before Thanksgiving, I ordered a garland of dried oranges, expecting them to have a brighter, fresher look than the slices I had dried a couple of years ago. They didn't look much different from my own dried efforts. So, I tucked them away for kitchen decorating later. Granddaughters, Luci and Lydia, were a godsend on the weekend after Thanksgiving and drug our big tree and tubs of ornaments upstairs for me and decorated the tree in the den beautifully. I added the stockings and a few other touches of Christmas after they left and called the den festive enough.

The next week was when I tackled the kitchen decorating. If you are guessing that I don't know where that garland is, you are absolutely correct. So, maybe dried oranges will be a thing for me next year. I always loved the smell of the oranges we sprigged with whole cloves when I was a girl and thought I could add those into the mix but after the creeping crud hit our household, DIY efforts and decorating sort of went out the window. Maybe next year.

I did add some more fresh oranges to our grocery order because Mike has been trying the added vitamin C regimen to see if it will help him move beyond the creeping crud. I have some in the fridge and I added some to the mixing bowls sitting on the left of the Granny Cabinet.

Decorated Granny Cabinet 

I just got the grocery order and this is how the Granny Cabinet surface is decorated right now:

Fighting the Creeping Crud

When I ordered the orange garland, I also ordered a couple of boxes of faux greenery, some red berry picks, and  bundle of cabinet wreaths. My plan was to add springs of the greenery to the orange garland and drape it across the mantel, the vent hood, and on the Granny Cabinet. 

I revised my plan, since I have no idea where I stashed the orange garland. I added little sprigs of the greenery and cabinet wreaths to items already decorating the kitchen and I'm really glad I did. A bowl beside the mixing bowl of oranges is sprigged with greenery and berries and brought the Granny Cabinet into the season. 

I had planned to tie the wreaths onto the backs of my new dining chairs. Then, I noticed that the back of a couple of the dining chairs always seem to have a hooded sweatshirt or a flannel shirt draped across them when Somebody is in the house and I decided that I didn't want to fight that battle. Since the wreaths are so pretty and I love them, I began looking around for other places to use them. I knew I didn't want to put one on the front of each of my kitchen cabinet doors because that would have just been way too much - about 20 upper cabinet doors. Nope. So, I hung one on the Granny cabinet and added a little of the ribbon used last year and my decorating began. I was just a little ahead of time with the plaid ribbon and a Ralph Lauren look last year, I guess. I try to use the same ribbon for a couple or three years and it works well this year, too. 

Decorated Kitchen Mantel

I swagged the preserved boxwood garland across the mantel again this year, tied with the plaid bows. Then, I added another of the cute little faux cedar wreaths in the center below it. A few sprigs of greenery and berries and the tall, slender Santas I painted years ago as a college student and greenery and berries poked into a cream pitcher and the mantel is festive!

Holiday Cheer atop the Fridge

I removed some fall sunflowers from one of the pitchers atop the fridge and added some greenery and berries there as well. When something is working for you, why make changes?

The Kitchen Storage Corner

The storage corner of our kitchen got a little glow up for the season as well. When I stored away the beautiful turkey platter I had displayed at Thanksgiving, I just replaced it with one of my favorite blue and white treasures. 

A Favorite Blue and White Platter

The high-rimmed platter was an inexpensive vintage find I stumbled across one afternoon after Mike and I married. It features a beautiful snow scene and is rimmed with fruits. I usually place it in the center of the lazy Susan on our dining table but this year I decided this was it's home. I love how the under-counter lights sort of seem to spotlight it. Again, added a few sprigs of greenery and berries.

A Crock of Rolling Pins with a Seasonal Touch

The old crock sets on the counter holding our heirloom rolling pins. A couple of them belonged to Mike's grandmothers, one of them was a gift to me by a neighbor and the other is the one my Granny gave me when I set up housekeeping as a young woman. I wanted to add a little silvery look to the area without using glitter or metalics. So, I draped a lamb's ear garland within the rolling pins, added some greenery and berries, and called it decorated. 

Hard-working Kitchen Area

Now, over to the hard-working side of the kitchen. The cooktop and sink live over there and seem to be in constant use, especially during holidays. Above is a quick cell phone snap of that corner dressed up for the season.

Vent Hood Shelf with Seasonal Decor

The dried orange garland didn't make it to the vent hood but I love the look it does have. A few sprigs of greenery and some berries peeking out of the ceramic pitcher I painted more than forty years ago is just right for this year.

A Bright Little Corner

A beautiful cake stand is a perch for some flickering candles, a couple of cabinet wreaths, and some berries. It looks great beside my gifted canisters and my Granny's vintage spice rack. For some reason, years ago I couldn't throw out the old amber vanilla extract bottle and it sets on the rack with some egg timers. Funny that I notice the bottle since this year I am experimenting with making my own vanilla extract for baking and gifting as well!

Season Decor on the China Cabinet

On the opposite side of the kitchen, I tucked away the Easter bunny salt shakers that were still smiling out from a stack of plates in the china cabinet. (Yes, the bunny and egg were still there and nobody had said a word!) The dough bowl is carved from one of the logs that served as a floor joist in my parents old home and I added a beautiful strand of red wooden beads and some greenery to the Chinoiserie balls gifted by my bonus daughter-in-law. 

Dining Table Centerpiece

I washed the scarf that was on the dining table and just returned it to the center of the lazy Susan. I also left the beautiful dish garden there and wound garlands of eucalyptus and lamb's ear around it. I tucked in a couple of hurricanes with flickering candles tied up with some ribbon as well as a couple of antler sheds that Mike found behind the barn. I added the left-over berry sprigs and I think it is naturally beautiful. 

The Kitchen Tree

The little kitchen tree holds all the ornaments collected throughout the years that hold memories of children's crafts, gifts from friends no longer with us, and ropes of red wooden beads. It is over in the corner and has had a rough life. As soon as I got it set up and decorated, I bumped the perch it is set upon while plugging in the lights and knocked it to the floor. I thought I had it stabilized, redecorated it, and gathered up the tubs and empty boxes to return them to the basement storage area. I bumped it with the wagon and it tumbled to the floor once again. With frustration multiplied by two, I stabilized again, redecorated it, and set about my business. Then, while cleaning the floor, I bumped it just this past week and knocked it over a third time. So, it is now taped, wired to the blinds and set askew. The ornaments are flung onto it willy-nilly.  I am reminded of the Christmas morning that Mama threw our cedar Christmas tree out the back door - decorations and all - after it fell on my sister and I playing with Santa's gifts. Daddy came to the house from the milk barn an hour or so later and just grinned. I think he knew better than to say a word. Mike has sort of done the same thing. He came in the back door after one of the tumbles with a big grin on his face and said, "You're not going to let it whip you are you baby?"

I know that every year I tell myself that our Christmas home looks the prettiest ever and each year I am correct. We don't really need picture-perfect or glitzy and fancy. Sometimes reused ribbon and tumbling trees are really what makes the holiday decor the best ever.  Welcome to our kitchen where love abounds, old tales are shared, and you will always find something tasty to munch on when you are hungry.

Ornaments as Gifts

I try to do a little bit of Christmas gift shopping throughout the year. Sometimes there is something that pops up and an idea will hit me that it would make a good gift for the daughters and daughters-in-law. At others, I will see something that might be good for all the granddaughters. Then, there are little bits of inspiration for the grandsons or sons and sons-in-law. It might be a handy tool or a kitchen gadget or something for their hobbies and interests. Some of my favorite gifts are the ornaments I pick up each year.

When the youngest two granddaughters were born, they were infants at Christmas time. So, I included a beautiful Wallace Sleigh Bell as part of their gift. Each year I have added a new bell as a part of their gifts. I wish I had done something like this for the other grands but I didn't think of it at the time. Of course, I also wish I had landed on something less pricey for those two now that they are youngsters and have ideas of their own about what a good gift is and it doesn't really include a silver bell for their Christmas tree! Someday, I know, they will be thrilled that we included these keepsakes each year and appreciate their collection but now it is not really at the top of their wish list.

I do try to include an ornament in the other eight grandchildren's gifts these days even though I didn't think of giving them such each year from birth. Sometimes I stumble across something beautiful and sometimes I find something that might be meaningful relating to their current interests or accomplishments. This year, for example, the boys are each getting an ornament shaped like the animal they exhibited in livestock shows. 

     

One year, I ordered ornaments made from photographs of them on the ball field or in the show ring.

     

Both options have been fun ways to commemorate their efforts and accomplishments. For Luci, I try to incorporate the word joy into the ornament because her middle name is Joy and she truly is a joy in our lives.

Those have been whimsical and beautiful and fun to search for each year. For the older girls, I generally try to find something unique and beautiful. (Photos below are linked.)

     

This year I really was excited when I got the sparkling ornaments I'd ordered for them. I wish I had ordered one of each for my own tree! They are beautiful, faceted, crystal ornaments. 

As I am sitting here thinking, I just realized that I could have selected a different ornament with a lily flower on it for Lillie or one relating to a saxophone for Lydia. How fun would that have been? 

I guess I am thinking nostalgically about the different ornaments we have hanging on our tree and how I treasure each one. There are ones that are orange and relate to The University of Tennessee - I am an alumni and Mike is a rabid sports fan. There are ones with cows and a Santa in overalls relating to our farm and the many friends we have made during our involvement in livestock shows. There are all sorts of deer relating to the wildlife around us or gifted from long-time family friends. There is one with a piece of copper that was once part of the roof of the Library of Congress and one from Ellis Island that I picked up while traveling. Each of them were either gifted or purchased as a way to connect us to a memory from the year gone by. 

Sometimes a simple ornament is really a thoughtful and lasting gift that brings a smile to our face and makes us recall those who have passed through our lives leaving an imprint and a smile.

Today I noticed...Little Phrases of Encouragement.

I've been popping cough lozenges like a kid who just discovered M&Ms. If I don't have a cough drop in my mouth, I'm coughing - and sometimes even if I have a drop in my mouth, I'm coughing as well. Mike still has some respiratory congestion and coughs in the evenings. I'm just coughing constantly. I don't feel very congested - just a cough and general yuckiness. Plus, I'm T.I.R.E.D. from coughing in a chair instead of sleeping in a bed. Enough whining...

As I was peeling the wrapper off one of my lozenges, I noticed that there were some words other than the brand label on them. Little phrases of encouragement are printed there for those who are miserable like me, I guess. Here are some I've seen:

• Don't waste a precious minute.
• Flex your "can do" muscle.
• It's yours for the taking.
• Keep your chin up.
• Bet on yourself
• Buckle down and push forth!
• Get back in there champ!
• Power through!

I guess I should have noticed that right from the start and I would have been more inspired to get better. Instead, I spent at least a week or more trying to be a good nurse. I sort of felt impending doom the entire time I was stirring up the chicken noodle soup or adding honey and lemon to his teacup or wiping down the last thing he touched or washing all the clothes, coverlets, and linens Mike was coughing and moaning and feeling yucky in. I would sit across the table or the room from him and would swear I could see that green cloud of germiness depicted in television commercials each and every time he coughed. I knew what I was facing and tried to prepare but it came upon me anyway. 

We are finally wearing it out - I hope! Here's hoping that you don't have to waste a precious minute with the creeping crud and can flex your "can do" muscle to make the holiday the best ever. After all it is yours for the taking. Keep your chin up and bet on yourself! Get back in there champ. Just  buckle down and push forth! We are still powering through!