I GIVE UP!

I've been trying and trying to get my home in order so I could take wonderful pictures and share my Christmas house with you but when you live in Grand Central Station it is impossible.
So welcome to my home. Please come as you are because I certainly am as I am???? You might have to step over a toy or two and excuse the finger prints because I enjoy them for a while before I wipe them away.

This is my old suitcase filled with Christmas books and treasures and my happy dog Missy. (She does not like living in Grand Central Station.)

The kitchen window. (Did you know that if you open and close the shutters as fast as you can about fifty times, the wreaths fall off.)







My mantel and fireplace. I'm sorry I don't have a warm fire going but little curious fingers get burned. (And I'd have to go outside in the snow to get wood) Please note that the top of the manger scene is laying beside it. I guess someone was concerned that the starlight couldn't shine on the baby Jesus if it there was a roof in the way.

Here it is in the dark. The star on the top of the tree took a nose dive (hey I have 5 little boys that come to visit) and if you look close you can see it's only 17 degrees this morning.

My front window. I started out with the tree here but after one day with a 20 month old little guy running around I decided to move it to the corner.

My nesting Santas and a few of the stockings I made one year. I think I made about twenty different ones that year.

My front door. (Don't leave yet!)

My carolers. (My sweet Caleb bought me these when he was about twelve with his paper route money.)

My kitchen cabinet. Josh made the plate rack on top in wood shop and I made the cabinet part about 20 years ago. (Yes I am old!)

My island top. (Don't click on this one because you will see my messy table.)

A wide shot of the kitchen. (It looks better in the dark!)

And last but not least, my dining room.
Remember now,
"IT'S NOT DONE UNTIL IT'S OVERDONE!"

I hope you have enjoyed your visit. MERRY CHRISTMAS.

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?