A Little Something for One of My New Friends.

When I first entered this blogging world I won a couple of drawings. Boy was I excited! Then I started making friends and receiving such sweet comments. Boy was I really excited and it does not matter in the least that I have not won a thing since. Well it seems as though the giveaways are to celebrate something special when I sign up for them. Well most of the time they are. Here is my Little Something:
These are two of the ornaments that I painted last year for Christmas presents. I did not give all of them and most of my friends and family have a set. So on Friday morning I am going to pull a name out of the hat and gift them to one of my followers. Have to say I don't like the term follower as much as friend. But if you follow and you are interested in a chance to get this little gift just leave me a comment by 7:00 A.M. Friday morning. Hubby gets up to walk down the hall to his home office for work at 8:00 A.M. that is when the drawing will be. Have to make it a short time for you to leave your comments because I have no idea how to keep this at the top of my blog, so no new posts for me until Friday. I might get some projects finished! And Friday is a little special, I'll let you know why then.

Vintage Christmas Monday

I have joined the Vintage Christmas Monday party at "Anything Goes Here" hosted by Joan. You can join in the fun by visiting Joan's site here.
http://thepottingshed-anythinggoeshere.blogspot.com/2009/11/vintage-christmas-monday-blog-party.html
I have been unpacking boxes since Friday morning and here are a few of the vintage things I found.
A book I had as a child. And I am old enough to make it vintage.


























I got this out every year and read it to my girls when they were growing up. I continue to get it out each year for our
grandchildren.



I found both this celluloid Santa ornament and the Santa figure at antique or vintage shop. I have had them for a few years so I am not sure exactly where.

I did not find the light that fits in the back of the Santa yet and he will be sitting elsewhere when I have. He was just hanging out for his picture.












The last items I have this week are some Christmas cards. The card with
the carolers was given to me by my piano teacher sometime in the 60's and the Santa card was sent to me by an Aunt/Sunday school teacher. It is a Hallmark card and looks as though my mother poked a hole in the back and added some floss to hang it in the tree. I usually stick both of them in between tree branches.

Sunday Morning from Our Home in the Woods

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:1-2

Day Two Christmas Decor

I stayed home another full day. I am enjoying my home, I really am. I've carried boxes up the steps and back down again. I rearranged furniture and dusted. Should I have done that before Thanksgiving? No one noticed. And by mid afternoon I had a mess.














Here is the tree in the Great Room (that is what my husband calls it).



















I was hoping to get the walls painted in this room before the holidays but the time got away from me. It was already getting dark when I was taking pictures so I had to turn the lights on which caused quite a problem for me when I was trying to take the pictures. I took quite a few and tried quite a few different settings before I got this one. I would love to have tons more ornaments to pile on this tree, but alas I don't. I bought this tree before we moved into this house. It was close to the ceiling at our previous home, but this house has high ceilings. So Jeff built a wooden lift and put it in the bottom of this container to get us at least an extra foot of height. Pretty smart that husband of mine.














I love jingle bells. I like the look and the sound they make. Of course these don't get rang unless the grand kids are jumping a lot.



















This door hanger make a great noise when someone comes through the door. One more day off from work. I might have to brave the stores and start my Christmas shopping tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for coming by!

Day One Christmas Decor

I did not get up and do the Black Friday shopping. I am wondering where I have been. When did everyone start calling it Black Friday? When I was younger and wanted to brave those crowds we just called it the day after Thanksgiving shopping. I guess that does not have the same ring to it. I got up early yesterday to start the turkey and all the rest of the the dinner that we had here at our home. And since I get up at that time Monday through Friday for work I quite enjoyed sleeping in until almost 8:00 this morning. I did start putting out my Christmas decor though.














I started collecting Fontenini nativity pieces that are made in Italy years ago. Jeff built the manger for my birthday the year I bought the holy family. I have thought about staining it or painting it but I have always liked the raw wood (I think it is cedar) and expect it might possibly just color as it ages. I might change my mind one year, I've been known to do that.
It usually looks just like this the day I set it up. Then we have little guests.
















And And it quite often will look like this.














I have been known to search the house for baby Jesus during the month of December. If you have not seen this nativity before they are hand painted on some kind of molded plastic. That is actually why I started collecting them. I had a small nativity set when my children were little and I had to glue some pieces back together a couple of times. So I don't mind the touching, it gives us a chance to tell the Christmas story to the little ones.

I also decorated one of my smaller trees. This one is in my living room. I hope you are all enjoying your holiday weekend!

Sunday Morning from Our Home in the Woods

Whatever you do,

whether in word or deed, do it all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God
the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving day with all your families!

Brenda

A New Room for Three Boys

My middle daughter has four boys. The two middle boys are ages 3 and 4. They had a nice bedroom downstairs but did not like sleeping down there. So my daughter and her husband decided to take the smaller bedroom upstairs and move the two middle boys in with the baby. This was a lot of work in itself. But they wanted to give the room a new painting and decor for the the boys, so I thought I would show you how talented my daughter is.








Her husband painted the walls and got the first coat of paint on the tree then my daughter took over. She has been working on this for about two weeks. As you can imagine with 3 boys four years and under it is taking her a while to get it done. There is another wall that she has not started on yet and a few things that need finished in these areas. But I took these pictures when I stopped in the other evening and could not help but post them.

My oldest daughter is an illustrator. You can see her art work on her blog at:
http://lizseelye.blogspot.com/

And my youngest daughter is our chef. She has always loved to cook and bake. She makes some lovely cakes for family birthdays.

I am proud of all of my daughters they have grown into wonderful young ladies.

Book Signing

My mom in law and I drove into Grand Rapids Wednesday evening to go to a book signing by Debbie Macomber. She was there promoting her book, One Simple Act, which I bought along with her children's book, The Truly Terribly Horrible Sweater That Grandma Knit. It is a very cute book with a sweater pattern in the back. I do not knit, although I have always wanted to learn how. I am a crocheter. I bought the book for something new to read to our grandchildren when they come visit. The other book is non-fiction. I have started reading it and I am really enjoying and understanding it. I may even buy more copies for Christmas presents. The sub-title is Discovering the Power of Generosity. I was hooked after the first chapter and think I will actually start a gratitude journal like she talks about in the first chapter. I think I have read or listened to all of Debbie's books on CD and have enjoyed them. I am not one to pick up a non fiction book, except the Bible, but I would and probably will recommend this book to everyone.
I get caught up in what is going on around me and forget to take pictures. I did not take one of my beautiful mom in law and wish that I had. I have not finished any of my projects that I thought I would this week but I have some pictures of my grandson's bedroom that my middle daughter has been working on at her house. I will work on a post to show what a talent she has sometime this weekend. I hope everyone has a great weekend, I know I will! Thanks for stopping by.

Ladybug turns one.

Today is Ladybug's birthday. I thought about taking a picture of my dear one but she needs a haircut and a bath. I've had a long day at work and it's Monday. I'm always extra tired on Monday's. So no picture. I asked Jeff when I got home from work today if she was acting any older. He just commented that she was a good girl. That just means she did not get into the bathroom trash and shred it all over the house or dig a hole to China in the yard. We had company this weekend. My guess is that she is tired from being her normal crazy self that she always is when we have visitors and did not have the energy to be naughty today. So Happy Birthday Miss Bug!

Sunday Morning

The Lord Lives! Praise be my Rock.
Exalted be God my Savior.

Psalm 18:46

Pink is the color of my creative space.

I started out with a wallpaper boarder that I truly loved and thought it looked somewhat retro.

Then I picked out paint to match. Which included a couple of different pinks and a green. Jeff built three work areas for me that included a:
Sewing Area.

Scrapbooking Area.

And a Painting Area.

I like to see what I have to work with so he built some shelving towers and added shelving over all my work space for storage.















Paper Storage.

Stamp Storage.

I love to store crafting items in mason jars.



I also like these retro metal racks. I spray paint them to match whatever area I am using them in.

I found this little spice rack at a resale shop minus its containers so I re-purposed it with baby food jars.

This is a bulletin board I use in my sewing area to remind me of projects I want to work on soon.

I really enjoy my space and would love to have more time to spend in it. I would like some new flooring. I have my eyes on some white and black squares. What do you think?. Right now it still has some carpet tiles that came with the house and they do not really match the color scheme so I have cropped my pictures to take the floor area out. I'm linking up to Funky Junks Saturday Night Special Anything Goes! Go check out all the other participants!

REDnesday

So we had that wonderful 70 degree weather on Sunday and this is what Jeff and I worked on. The hen house is now red. It is hard to tell but it actually has a little rose tint to it. Jeff was unsure about it, but it is mostly in the shade so it mainly looks red. Did not think we would get this done before spring but here it is. The trim is still primer gray. But that is ok because we are both pretty excited about getting this done.


This quilt came out of my grandmothers attic when she passed away. No one seems to remember if it is one she put together or not. No matter, it was hers at some point and now it is mine. It does have some brown spots that seem to lessen after I have soaked it but reappear later.


Does anyone know what pattern it might be?


I am linking up to REDnesday over at It's a Very Cherry World! Take a look at what everyone else is showing tomorrow.

http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/
Hope everyone is having a great week!

13 is not an unlucky number.

Jeff and I were married 13 years ago today. Of course we do not look quite the same. My hair is much shorter and I am a few pounds heavier. Jeff shaved for the wedding day but soon grew back his goatee which is mostly grey now. Of course you are thinking, only thirteen years? Doesn't her info say they have six grandchildren? It is my second marriage and my daughters and I could not have been blessed anymore than the day this man walked into our lives. When we married my daughters ages were 10, 13 and 16. Jeff referred to them as his daughters from that day forward.


We celebrated yesterday when the weather was so gorgeous. We walked to the back of our property and sat by the back pond and had cheese, crackers and wine. Jeff pointed out that we possibly might not ever have 70 degree weather in November for our anniversary celebration again. We did work together outside on another project most of the afternoon but I will post about that tomorrow.




Samantha, our middle daughter brought us this beautiful bouquet of flowers and some of the cheese and crackers we had. It was a day to remember. I hope everyone else had a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

A Happy Halloween Birthday

As happy of a birthday possible when not feeling well. Our youngest grand daughter turned three on Halloween. Unfortunately her and older sister had that awful flu last week. The birthday girl had developed an ear infection and her older sister has pneumonia. Our daughter had kept them home most of the week from day care by staying home from work along with myself and my older daughter taking turns with her. The youngest came down with it Monday and then the oldest one Wednesday. They seemed to be getting better then turned worse. I am mentioning this because I wanted anyone that is reading this to know the pediatrician told my daughter that there seems to be a complication of some sort following this flu for many children. So keep an eye on them it happens very quickly. On a happy note. Although there was no Trick or Treating for the girls our daughter still managed a small birthday party for our little one. Here are a couple of pictures of the girls in their costumes. Mommy decided it would be a good idea to let them dress up for the birthday celebration.

The birthday girl!

Sis Cheesing

Grandpa telling a story.

Ladybug's, ladybug costume. She was not very cooperative. This was about a four minute modeling session. She was too funny.
I was hoping to have pictures of the four grandsons from the party, but they were unable to come since we did not want to spread this bug through their home also. My daughter is suppose to get pictures to me soon! I might be able to post some later.