SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE NICE...

You find a tree you like even better at a thrift store for $6.00.

I swear, this tree looks real. I love it.

It isn't pre-lit like my other one was but I had these old bubble lights and ball lights and they look great.

My little camp trailer is very happy in her new tree.

I GAVE MY TREE AWAY

But that's okay for a couple of reasons. Someone with children needed it more than I did and it gives me a chance to use my favorite tree.

It also gives me more room to put up more stuff.
(And you all know how much I love stuff!)

NATIVITY ADDICTION

I've been collecting Nativities and manger scenes for years. Some have come and gone but I still have plenty. (Way toooo many!) I thought I would share a few.







Bekah has her eye on this one so it might not be around too much longer.

My Mother-in-Law loved
Avon and this is a set she gave me.

I found this in a clearance bin once for $2.00. The head of the shepherd is missing and so is a leg of one of the camels but the kids love to play with it

This is a sweet little lamp that I got at a garage sale once for $1.00

My Mother-in-Laws Humel set. It went through an earthquake and it has a few little cracks.

I found these in Washington DC . They are stocking hangers.

This is a musical one and the figures move. I love it but it drives me nuts!

Look close and you will see that one of my grand-dogs enjoyed this one.

This one is the one I let the kids play with and organize anyway they want. It has lots of different parts and leftovers from broken sets.

One year for some reason I wanted a set with darker skin. I looked everywhere and finally found this at the dollar store.

I made these ornaments by the dozens one year and gave them to friends and neighbors.

I got this one from my Mom years ago.

An after Christmas sale for $3.00

Another garage sale find. It's amazing what people sell in the summer months when they are not thinking about Christmas.

My favorite thrift store find for a dollar.

Another after Christmas sale for $5.00 at Desert Book. It's my favorite.

THE VILLAGE IS UP

This year I decided to permanently mount my village. Every year it was the same old problem.. where to put it and how to place the buildings. So I took a piece of plywood and painted it white, screwed the train tracks down, drilled holes for the electrical, put some blocks under it to raised it up so the cords could all run underneath and then put everything in it's place.

It fits perfectly on my dining room table and since it is all on one board, we can just pick it up and put it on the coffee table if we need to use the table.

All the lights are plugged into one power strip so I only have one cord to plug in.

I covered the board and the raised parts with a really thin batting I already had.

I used the Styrofoam molds that the buildings came in to make the tunnels and raised parts.

I love the ocean and light houses so I had to have this little scene.

I grew up in Vancouver and went ice skating on the lakes with my Dad in the winter so this little scene brings back lots of fun memories.

Once again, my poor attempt at pictures of lights. It looks so pretty all lit up at night.

WELL, I DID IT!

Remember this SNOWFLAKE CEILING POST? I know all my followers (the two of you) have been waiting with baited breath to see what I would do.

Well, LOOK what I did.

I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.

I still can't figure out how to take good shots
of lights but you get the idea.

I'm still looking for some stars to add to the snowflakes but my
budget is thrift store or less, but don't you worry, I'll
find some somewhere.

Now on to some other project!

IT'S DONE!

OR OVERDONE,
but you know me,
"It's not done until it's overdone!"









My deck and pond area

The whole shebang! Believe me it looks much better in real life.

How do you take pictures of lights at night? I'm not much of a photographer. I have this really fancy camera but don't know how to use it.

At sunrise.

My favorite, a momma goose and her babies.

CUTTING DOWN THE TREE

No not the Christmas tree, the dead quakie in the front yard.

Josh and Caleb got it

down and cleaned
up in just a few hours.

This brought back memories of Josh and his red wagon when he was little. He loved it so much and it got stolen so we had no peace until we went and bought him another one.

I was out shopping
when they started
so it was down and
in pieces by the time
I got home.

I was able to rescue
some though.
Hummm, What should
I do with these?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

About 5 years ago, I started the tradition of having Thanksgiving Dinner on Wednesday night. I was tired of sharing my married kids with the in-laws or trying to coordinate times for dinner.

We had a great time plus we celebrated Alyssa's birthday. Fun times and lots of food. Today I am going to two other Thanksgiving dinners so I'm going to be one fatter, happier Grams!

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

SNOWFLAKE CEILING

I found this picture on line somewhere and fell in love with it. Of course my family would think I had totally lost it if I dragged in branches and hung them from the ceiling. Then again I think they think I'm pretty much gone anyway so maybe I should go for it.

So this is my totally toned back version.

It's really hard to
get a decent picture.

I really don't think it is "OVERDONE" enough!
What do you think?

GOT HOLES IN YOUR WALLS?

Well I do and heaven help me if I were to fix them. (You know, all that mudding and sanding and stuff)

Nope, not me, I just cover them.







These are left over from the old
doorbell and swamp cooler control.

Actually, I don't want to loose
them because I might want
the electrical sometime.

So I just hung my mirror up over the lower one

.

Then I took an old cupboard door
and painted it black and screwed
a doorknob and plate to it and
hung it over the top hole.

There you go, no fuss, no muss!

I'VE BEEN WAITING ALL YEAR

Last year on the day after Christmas, we headed off to Burbank to visit my husband's Dad.While there he decided it was time for me to have the Johnson's Brothers "Friendly Village" china that my Mother in Law had promised me before she died. Needless to say, I was ecstatic.

When we got home I bought an old china cabinet. It was brown and ugly. See this post.

I can't really figure out

how to display it all.

(That's also her high chair
that she used as a child.)

There is tons of it.
I think at least 25 place settings.

I also got the little Hummel nativity set from her. Too cute!

I can't quit stopping and enjoying it whenever I walk
past the dining room.
Thank you Grandma Z.