Christmas Cozy

It has been raining and raining here. Where do I live again? It is nice though. I love rainy days. Perfect weather for decking the house out in Christmas decor. What evokes cozy more than dark days and sparkly Christmas lights?

This year I did my village a bit different. Threw out the messy old snow and layed down a runner and backed it with an old  lighted garland to hide the cords. I had to untangle and re-string the lights but no money spent. I love it. Never decorate the same two years in a row. That is half the fun of it.

The front room with our tree is going to be more woodsy and in more prim colors this year. Each of the kid's rooms has a tree now with all their ornaments. Not sure how they would take this but hey, hubby and I deserve to decorate the tree the way we want for once in 23 years.

Of course it is dark and not great for photos but the kitchen will always be for my bright red and whites. That  Santa was my mom's. She had it always. I treasure him. I just decorate using things I have.

Sharing with Tweak It Tuesday, Tabletop Tuesday,  Creative Cain Cabin and Down Home Blog Hop

Sunny Simple Sunday

I have been a busy Christmas elf. I am looking forward to a morning at my favorite store, Country General Store. They are having their Christmas open house. I don't need anything but my girlfriend and I are going just for the love of it.

Now onto some favorites from last week:

Cozy Little House shared how she chases off the winter cold with flowers and candlelight. I never ever tire of  her photos.

Pembrokeshire Lass shares her thoughts on living in the moment. Her words are very true.

Looks Like White shared the loveliest serene Edwardian cottage. You have to see the bathroom. My dream!

Hope you all enjoy this first weekend in December now share what you have been up to. Link up!!

Succulents in a Fountain

I had an unused fountain that I wanted to do something pretty with and was inspired by Ricki Jill of Art @ Home to plant it with succulents. That was last spring. I want to invest in more plants to fill lots of my patio pots. Succulents last a long time but require very little water. I maybe splashed water on these every two weeks.

I love how it has filled out and grown so beautifully. And this wall just bakes in the summer sun.

You cannot beat the color and texture of succulents. My new favorite plants. Here we can keep them all year as we do not have frosts very often.

Sharing with:
A Favorite Thing
Sat. Night Special

A Most Wonderful Day

Yesterday was one of those wonderful days where you put your mind to something and with little distraction you get loads of stuff done. I LOVE those days. I do NOT get many of them but that is okay. I love the hum of my busy family and would rather be mom than anything else.

My hubby is out of town for six days. Too long. I miss him so. I decided I would really get the house cleaned and hit the decorating. Usually we do it together but I don't want his one day off this week to be spent working. I want it done and nice for him when he comes home. I just feel so content after a productive day.
Walking in my kitchen, all decorated for Christmas, the glowing lights just fills my heart.

I love Christmas. It is magic time. I think my grandma started it all for me. She would come and visit and sleep in my room and just spoil me with attention. She was a grand lady.

My littlest is at the magical Christmas age. She is so excited and wondering every day if it is Christmas yet. Wanting to know how on earth Santa is going to fit down our chimney. The lies I am spinning to answer her questions but the joy I feel at the magic she sees with all the lights. Each house we drive by sends up the words, "Oh mommy look at this and that." Just magic. Turn off all your lights except the Christmas ones and you will see the magic too.

Sharing with:
Down Home Blog Hop

It's Started

I usually wait till December to start the Christmas decorating

 but I brought in one box and have started trimming the house.

This is my favorite wreath bought at a craft sale several years ago.

Of course the shelf has yet to be adorned but it is coming. My interior decorator is away for work this week. I rely on him to do most of the arranging. The wreath I could manage.

Here's is a  tour of my kitchen last Christmas.

Sharing with:
Home Sweet Home
Fantabulous Friday
Show and Tell Friday
Farm Girl Friday

Backyard Projects

We decided to use some items we had to fence in the chickens. Not the prettiest but free. We may put up something more permanent if we like this set up. Having them corralled is so nice. No poopies all over the patio. They seem content and they have plenty of room.

See this mess? Imagine it covering half my yard. We trimmed two big trees a couple of weeks ago. We were  so beat but we figure we saved hundreds of dollars doing the work ourselves. This is the last pile. Each week I tie up bundles to be picked up. I just chipped away at it several days a week. Plus think of all the exercise I got.

I mowed the back lawn today and hosed everything down and cleaned up toys. We are expecting rain so tomorrow I will work all day in the house. I love rainy days. See that bent part in the chicken wire? The first day I found my big dog, my ten year old dog, in the pen with the chickens. She jumped that fence and then jumped right back out when I yelled at her. She just wanted to check things out. She pays the chickens no mind so I am thankful for that.

The oranges are ripening and we still have flowers blooming. Our season is long here. Soon we will be making O.J. in the mornings.

Homemade Pie

Picked up this homey little sign on clearance. Thought it would match my clock perfectly and it does.

Who doesn't love homemade pie?

Linking to:
Wow Us Wed.
Heart and Home Link Up

Organized Baking

I have a daughter who is blessed with an organized mind. I strive for it but let's just say I have had to teach myself how to function in an organized manner. Some folks are lucky enough to be born with the gift. I love to watch her bake.

Whatever is on the menu, she always makes sure the kitchen is cleaned of all dirty dishes and then gets out everything she needs for the recipe.

As she uses each item she will put them away. No big mess when she's done.

She even manages to keep things tidy with a little taste tester in her way.

Down to how she stores the cookies when they are done, she moves in such an organized fashion. I am jealous but I am also always watching her and other very organized people I know. Watching how they do things can teach us less organized folk how to accomplish tasks in a better way.

Sharing with:
Tweak It Tuesday
BNOTP
Tabletop Tuesday
Backyard Farming Hop

Sunny Simple Sunday

 Happy Weekend! As usual we are hanging our lights or hubby is and it is 85 degrees. Not very Christmassy but hey I ain't complaining. How ready for Christmas are you? I need to get shopping. Hope to knock a bunch of it out this week.

Now for some great blogs of note from last week.

High Point Circle

It's All Connected

Kathe with an E

Now let's see what you are all up to this week:

Post Thanksgiving Wrap Up

Thanksgiving is in the books. The kitchen is cleaned and scrubbed and dishes all put away. This year really was my most relaxing yet. I did several dishes on Wednesday and just heated them on Thursday, the girls each made a dish and it was just generally quiet. Hubby's nephew was dropped off from a friend's house as his folks were gone. The family he was with had the flu. If we are plagued with that this week I am not going to be a happy girl. Oh well what are you gonna do?

Yesterday we solved this problem. The girls are now in a run in the back corner of the yard. No more poop on my patio. That was not a good part of free ranging in my small yard.

All the fall decor is packed away. So now onto Christmas. Outside lights go up this weekend.

 
Tonight is turkey soup. Do you ever make Bisquick drop biscuits? Just add some grated cheddar cheese and yummo! The family loves these with soup.

One last look at at the table pre-feast.

Happy Thanksgiving from Q!

Sharing with A Favorite Thing Saturday

Happy Thanksgiving

A Little Sign in My Kitchen

The stuffing is made and the sweet potatoes cooling. Next is my husband's favorite apple pie. I am deep in prep mode for tomorrow. It is just us at home but I make a ton of food and we eat it for days. Life is very full right now as we have been hustling to get my daughter's forms in as she found out she was accepted for advancing her nursing degree. She will start next semester. She will work full time and do the program. I of course felt she should take time off but she does not want to waste time and wants to get it done. Truly a child that pushes herself (too hard at times). But I am thankful she was accepted. Also my first born baby is moving out. Yes, I cannot believe it. Times they are a changing around here. She is so grown now and just itching to get out on her own and will share a little house with one of her friends. 

We have been trimming our own trees so I have been working each day trying to cut up the branches. Sometimes I feel I am too old for such labor but then again I am too cheap to pay someone to do it so I look at it as good exercise.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving if you live in the U.S. I am truly blessed and cry during Thanksgiving grace each year. I am such a sap. I will be back Friday. No shopping for me except online. I hate crowds. I do more and more online. Love shopping in my jammies. Blessings to you all.

Thanksgiving Check

I am all set for Thanksgiving except for a trip to the store this morning.

I literally have a fear of crowded grocery stores and avoid them like the plague.

So for as far back as I can remember, I have always done my Thanksgiving grocery run the Monday morning prior.

No crowds and everything well stocked. I do enjoy this shopping though. Everyone with their Thanksgiving fixins tucked in their carts. Such a wonderful family holiday.

So are you like me and an early shopper or do you like the hustle and bustle of last minute?
Sharing with Tweak It Tuesday and Tabletop Tuesday and Home Sweet Home

Sunny Simple Sunday

This has been quite a week and now sadly my laptop has died. I am struggling to use a very ancient desk top computer we still have. Let's hope my baby can be saved. Hope you all are having a great pre-Thanksgiving weekend. I am so looking forward to Thursday. Love that meal and all the traditional fixins. I will do features this week as I figure out how to do things on this old dinosaur.

Thankful Times

Last night we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving performance and Q's preschool. Here she is marching in and clapping. We little kids performing is one of my favorite things in life. How can you  not smile. They are so funny.

I am thankful she was able to go to school this week and take part as this was her last week sick as can be. Finally had to get her to the doctor but after the weekend she was right as rain. Below was a shot of  her asleep at the table. Couldn't get her through lunch. The doc says it is preschool and they will have about a good six months of getting every germ that comes through until they build up their immune system. Not sure I will survive three more months of the plague.

 Sharing with a favorite thing Saturday at Mockingbird Hill Cottage.