VINTAGE CHRISTMAS MONDAY

I am joining Joan at Anything Goes Here for Vintage Christmas Monday. This is a fun event that Joan is hosting every Monday through Christmas. You can visit all the girls participating by clicking on Joan's button on my sidebar. Thank you, Joan for hosting this event!!
These little angels are from The Vermont Country Store, which has a marvelous catalog and website that sells all things from the past. A lot of items like old fashioned sweets and confections, home and beauty products, and my favorite, old fashion flannel nightgowns for our cold Midwestern nights. Heaven! I remember these little candles from when I was a little girl. My mother had them and I think she may have gotten them at Woolworth's. She didn't drive and the closest town was about 10 miles away. So we walked, my mother leading her six little ducklings to a corner along the highway where a bus would pick us up and take us to this town. I remember that besides Woolworth's, there was a Sears where we bought our appliances, and a Fannie Mae, which was not on the itinerary. After shopping in Woolworth's for things like socks, underwear and toiletries, we were rewarded for good behavior by having lunch, which was inevitably grilled cheese, or hot cocoa at the snack bar. I think of those days when I see my little angel candles. In fact, I ordered three more because the head broke off one of them. She is not looking too appealing headless.

I also have these reproduction ornaments that are just like the ones hanging on my Dad's tree now, only his are the real deal. Again, I remember examining all of the ornaments on the tree once it was up and just loving the glittery pictures and script. Weren't the ornaments of our childhood just so fascinating? I took these pictures last Christmas as alas, I have not even brought my boxes upstairs yet. And...I am going to do a thorough cleaning of the house before I do. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with so many thing to be thankful for, but I had a lot of cleanup to do afterward. I got Abigail off to school yesterday (sniff sniff), and today I will keep busy with the cleaning and the boxes. Friday I will go buy our tree. :-)
Christine, my good friend from Christine's Home And Travel Adventures had a Pay It Forward Giveaway, and I was one of three people that won. Above you will see the gifts she so generously sent me. How I love getting packages in the mail from my blogging friends and you know, I got to meet Christine last April when she was in Chicago. We had such a fabulous time and I am so hoping we will get together again soon. She sent me a set of four gold chargers and you can see the ornate detail along the rim. The little gold ornaments are actually place card holders. How elegant!
Here you can see a pretty silver box with a verse on it that I love. Inside were these pretty peace dove ornaments that I believe you can put a picture in. Well, I will try. The crochet doily is also from Christine and in the back you can see a gold wreath she made that I put a candle in. It can be hung of course but I think it looks so pretty this way. All of the winners will receive the wreath. She also gave me a cute little ceramic candle holder with two birds on it and it got cut out of the picture. Sorry! I will post it another time...it's SO cute!
And finally these cute letters. Gosh, I hope I smiled enough when I met her...I know I had a great time!
In my last post, I rambled on at the end about the progress of my kitchen at the lake. I had my new knobs and pulls put on. Well, I forgot to post the picture. I don't think anyone noticed!! So here it is, better late than never. As I said, my counters are full of stuff, but I don't stage too often, and I am a clutter bug. I was just sitting there one evening and it looked so pretty with just the pendant lights on, so I took some pictures. Anyway, you can read my ramblings below in that post.

Now I want to tell you that it is my turn to do the Pay It Forward. The first three people to comment on this post will win the PIF. I will send each person a gift(s) and in turn they will have a Pay It Forward and do the same. It is a lot of fun. I have to say that I will probably not get the gifts out until after the new year because of the congestion at the post office, but as you can see from the package I received from Christine, it will be well worth the wait! Now off I go to visit all the people in Vintage Christmas Monday and then I have to clean (ugh). I hope everyone has a great week!! :-)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING & A GIVEAWAY WINNER!

This will be a short post because I, like everyone else, am getting ready for Thanksgiving. I know some of you are much further along then me, but I'm just trying to BE in the moment. I picked Abigail up from school on Friday. That was a great day in spite of the long drive. I get motion sleepiness really bad, and that's okay if I am a passenger. Not so good if I am the driver. So I drove for over 2 hours with the radio blasting and the windows down. Thankfully it was an unseasonably warm day. She was so excited to see me and come home. So today we are off to buy the rest of our goodies for Thanksgiving dinner. We are having dinner here at home and then meeting up with the O'Hara side of the family for dessert. It is going to be a wonderful day. I know every one has different holiday traditions. We have our dinner about 3:00 p.m. The men are usually watching football, Emily is helping me set the table and set everything out and Abby is sticking her fingers in all the food. I thought I would give you my menu since I know geographically we all have a different one. Maybe mine is the usual Midwestern fare, maybe it is based on what my mother had with a few little twists...

22 lb. turkey basted with butter and lemon
Herb stuffing with sausage
Mashed potatoes with sour cream, cream cheese and gravy
Sweet potatoes with butter and brown sugar
Corn
Brussels sprouts
Celery stuffed with cream cheese and green olives
Cranberry sauce
Dinner rolls
Chocolate cherry cake

Now you know why we all take long naps after dinner!
We went to the lake this past weekend after missing 3 weekends in a row. Talk about withdrawal! And above you will see the BIG thing I was talking about in one of my recent posts. I finally got my Hoosier cabinet!! After searching high and low, in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, where did I find it! Right here in a Chicago suburb! I am so in love with it. The owner of the antique store said it was probably from the 30's or 40's and it has the original flour bin and sifter. I rubbed this baby down with furniture oil and put a few pieces on it and in it. I'm still not sure what I will display with all of my favorite things spread out amongst both homes. You can see that monstrous Philomena Philodendron found a new home. I have my ironstone tea set outside and my new (old) French dishes inside. I can't wait to decorate it for Christmas!

And finally I took an updated picture of the kitchen because I now have my pulls and knobs on. Wow! Progress. Still a long way to go. Pardon all my stuff on the counters. Nothing staged and I say somewhat embarrassed, this is just me. I am a clutter bug. I have to have my small appliances out where I can see them and use them. The Husband just bought the new crock pot because he wants some nice warm meals cooking away on Sundays, the aroma drifting through the house. I like that too. And it frees me up to do whatever I want without worrying about dinner.
Finally I want to announce the winner of my giveaway. I pulled the number out of the proverbial hat and the winner is Lou Cinda of Tattered Hydrangeas! She will be receiving the note cards by Karen Harvey Cox of A Scrapbook Of Inspiration as well as some other goodies I will be picking out. Thanks everyone, for leaving their comments over the past two weeks.

Here is wishing everyone a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

COLD & HUNGRY

The weather has been cold and rainy and windy all week long. The sort of weather that makes you want to go to bed early and wear woolly socks all day long. It is not close to how cold it will get this winter, but sometimes the first couple of days or weeks are hard to get used to. In this kind of weather, my mood swings back and forth between "Do I want to stay inside, all warm and cozy, read a bit, watch a little television, bake or make a big dinner?" to "I am losing my mind, I need to get out of this house, I don't care if it is to go to the post office and look at Most Wanted posters." Today was one of these days. I already feel the walls closing in, probably due to my ever enlarging bum. Why do we head for the refrigerator every time we are bored? It is a known fact that people do it mostly during commercials on television, so obviously, when there is a break in the action, time to head for the fridge. I do it in the evening when I am lying on my bed reading. I get a little cramp in my side from my changing of positions or I reach the end of a chapter and I think, "Well, let's go see what is happening in the kitchen/refrigerator." (same thing). This can go on all evening long and since I am a well known 'Night Eater', all it takes is a snore or shove from The Husband and I am wide awake, wondering what is going on in the refrigerator. The kids used do do it quite a bit when they were young, the boredom/looking in the fridge thing. I didn't have the affliction back then, being quite skinny from chasing their little butts around all day. But it irritated me because I was in charge of the meals. So after the fifth time one of them would stand letting the cold air out, I'd say, "Nothing has changed since the last four times you looked." (And they usually muttered, "That's because we never have any good food.")
So back to my specific boredom/foodie problem, I thought about putting a lidded jar in the refrigerator with little notes inside such as 'Clean me!' or 'Fold the laundry!' But those are more like commands. I need something like 'Play with the dog' or 'Ask The Husband if he has heard any good jokes'. Nooooo...this would never work. I'll have to think about this.


So in the spirit of keeping myself from going stir crazy this afternoon, I went to Borders. I really didn't need to buy any books, but it sure beat the post office. I'm in the middle of one book and have a small stack. I cannot go to the library as I have, er...abused my card. So, I parked as far away as I could to get exercise, which I personally think would have added up by now and I could just jog to the book store. The whole time I chanted under my breath, "Just one book. Just one book." I don't do well with rules, especially ones I make myself, for myself. But I was determined. Like eating from the fridge when I am bored, buying books is like feeding my appetite another way. However, I did really well. I picked books up, read the front, back, inside jacket, about the author, the reviews, and then judiciously made my decision. And above is the prized book. This is a debut novel written by an author from Jackson, Mississippi, who went to the University of Alabama and now lives in Atlanta. And it has to do with a young woman who graduates in 1962 and comes home to find that her beloved maid is missing. The story also involves two other black maids living in hardship and "...Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk....because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times." One of the reviews called this book a "...button pushing , soon to be wildly popular novel." So I think I did well. And sometimes when your appetite is big, you just have to have one thing, but make it the best. I will let all of you know what I think of the book if I have it finished by next week. But I'll give no hints to ruin it!
My appetite for books was also fed this week with the arrival of the above book and an email from my good friend, Brenda, at A Cozy Little House. She is just the best. I don't think she knows how much I enjoy reading cookbooks! And this is a good one to read because I did spend a bit of time going through it. And I saw it displayed at Borders today, so it must be new and selling well. Thanks so much Brenda!!
And finally, I won a giveaway that I am so pleased with. Sandi from Small Town Living At It's Best pulled my name out of the hat and I won a copy of Mary Carol Garrity's, O Christmas Tree! How excited I was! Best of all, you can see, the book is autographed by the author! How cool is that? Sandi did the tour of Nell Hill's last summer and had two copies signed. She is SO generous! So I have a lot of reading on my hands, a lot to whet my appetite. Now if I can just stay out of the refrigerator...

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS: FRENCH COUNTRY FLAVOR

I was reading the November issue of Country Living when I came across a DIY project that, yes...even Blondie could do. As you know from last week's post, Kathy of Kathy's Cottage is hosting an event called Handmade Holidays. I'm seriously not a crafty person, but I was able to participate last week and I was pleasantly surprised that everyone seemed to like it. (I say that humbly). So, feeling ambitious, I decided to try this project over the weekend. As you can see, it is a table runner. For those of you reading this that can sew, please know that I have had a brand new sewing machine for several weeks and I haven't yet figured out how to thread it.
Visit Kathy and see the list of all the ladies participating in this event. Find all sorts of ideas for thrifty holiday crafts. And if I can do something simple, anyone can.
This is a picture of the tablecloth in Country living. Unfortunately, I have a round dining table, so I decided to take the easy way out and make a runner. I think the 'easy' part of this would have flown right out the window if I had had to hem a round tablecloth by hand. As of yet I have not learned how to use my new sewing machine, but my sister~in~law has promised to help me. If you would like to enlarge the picture from Country Living, click it on and you can skip my directions below.
The project calls for a canvas drop cloth, grout tape and fabric paint. Off I went to our local hardware store and for some reason I asked the man for caulk tape. He searched and searched and had another man help him and I really had them scratching their heads for awhile. When they gave up the search and gave each other 'knowing' glances, I meekly grabbed a roll of masking tape and the drop cloth. I then went to Hobby Lobby for the red fabric paint. When I got home I realized the drop cloth was about 1000 yards long. My table is 46' in diameter. So I now have enough fabric to make curtains for the whole house and reupholster all the furniture. You must wash and dry the drop cloth about three times to soften the fabric. It came out gorgeous. I then measured according to a runner I already had and added 2 inches to all sides for the hem. I then taped where I wanted my stripes by measuring from the middle out. I just eyeballed the space between the stripes. The masking tape worked just fine but to be sure, I ran a warm iron over it so the paint wouldn't bleed under. Then I just dabbed the paint on lightly. After four hours I removed the tape (this is according to the directions on the fabric paint) and then I hemmed it with fusible webbing and pressed it with an iron. Voila!!
I even took a picture of it with the grapes like it is in the magazine picture!! I was really happy about the look of shock and pleasure on The Husband's face when I was finished. While I was working, he kept walking by and shaking his head. He asked me where I was getting these crazy ideas. He sounded like my mother! He was also surprised to learn the fabric was a drop cloth. Before the project started I said I might make some pillows because I had so much fabric and he said, "I'm not lying my head on drop cloth!" Well, we'll see about that!! Please visit Kathy after you leave a comment and have a happy week!! :-)

TABLESCAPE THURSDAY: LUNCH IN PARIS

I am a worrier by nature. I bought a set of six salad/bread plates from an estate sale a while back. And they have sat for a long time. But I have not stopped thinking about them for one second. You see, I wanted to do a tablescape with them, but sometimes the creativity light bulb in my brain just remains unlit. I knew what I didn't want to do. Now, why is that so easy to figure out? Think about it. It is the figuring out exactly what we want to do that is the hard part. And that may be my problem in the world of tablescaping and why I do it so little. God knows I have enough dishes... So I was lamenting to Fidd (Future Interior Design Daughter, who's progress in school I am going to bring you up on later in this post) and she (also known as Emily) said, "Mom, let me do a tablescape with the stupid dishes." To myself, I was thinking, hee hee, that doesn't mean I am going to take pictures of it! So she began to assemble things.

I am joining Susan at Between Naps On the Porch for her event today, so you know that a successful table setting was laid. Fidd does have a lot of creativity. She needs that to make up for a bit of sloppiness, but that is where this blonde control freak person comes in. The problem was, the dishes were black and white and very French. I didn't want to do a black and white tablescape for reasons I don't even know... and due to the unlit light bulb, I didn't have a clue what sort of color combination or type of centerpiece would work. So she got to work. I sat drinking my coffee, averting my eyes every time she looked my way. When she left the room to gather up napkins or glasses, I ran over to the table and thought, oh no, what is she doing??

Another problem with the black and white dishes was making the table look fall~like. I mentioned that to her. "No problem." She replied. I told her not to mix two white plates on a cream color charger. A roll of the eyes. I didn't like the napkin rings. "Get out of the room!"

She came from the craft room/office with this floral arrangement before setting out the gold tinted wine glasses. By now I was ready to hide my camera and disassemble the laptop so I couldn't be forced to blog about this disaster. Then she finished things up and I sat looking, then nodding my head, and then I gave her a big hug. When she said, "I bet everyone is going to say this is your best tablescape ever," that's when the Kodak moment ended.

I admit I fiddled and tweaked. She is too impatient to learn how to fold a napkin or position the silverware correctly (or like perfect soldiers, the way I tend to do it). I switched out the napkin rings and lit a candle. By then she was in the shower, all was forgotten. So here we have it. She did a great job, didn't she? The black and white mixes in well with the white china and off white capiz shell chargers and napkins. She mixed in some gold fall colors with some silver serving dishes. And she tied the dessert/bread plates in with a whimsical touch, a small trifle glass filled with black and white buttons.

These are close-ups of the plates. They look like French combat scenes to me. For anyone that can speak or read French, click on the picture to enlarge, there is some dialogue going on and it could be meaty... The markings on the back are H.B. surrounded in a circle that reads: 1/2 Porcelaine De Choisy~Le~ROI.

One plate has a tiny chip on the edge that can be sanded, otherwise they are in excellent condition. I love them. I am making cabbage rolls for dinner tonight. Should I serve them here? Does cabbage go with black and white?

The chargers and wine glasses are from Pier I. The dinner plates are from HomeGoods. The napkins and rings are from Target. All of the silver is from my thrifting adventures and the faux flowers are from Michael's. The geraniums in the window are from this summer. They are still going strong so I brought them in. Aren't they pretty?

Emily is more than half through with interior design school and getting her degree. She just finished up a grueling semester in which she had two classes, each having her design a hotel lobby and a townhouse, respectively. It is so much more than floor plans. She has to design and plan everything down to the electrical and lighting system. The design school she goes to is year round with 2 week breaks between semesters, so she will complete her degree in less than 4 years. Next year she plans to take a real estate course and get her license and attempt to combine the two fields. I think this is a really smart decision. You go, Fidd!!

Hey...if you enlarge this picture you will see Nina, the parrot, in her white cage off to the right. Probably waiting for the cabbage rolls. You might also see the door to the china closet open wide also. So much for staging. I want to remind you all about the giveaway. Tell your friends! My blog button is on my sidebar if you want it. It's new and I am proud of it, of course. This weekend I am going to the lake after missing 2 weekends in a row. I am going nuts. And I have something big there that I am going to tell you all about when I get back!

Have a great weekend!! :-)

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS & A GIVEAWAY!!!!

Today is the first day of a new event, and a timely one, called Handmade Holidays, hosted by Kathleen of Kathy's Cottage. This is your chance to post about gifts and decorations that come from the HEART!! Things money (well, not a lot anyway) can't buy. And what a better time. Make this year THE year to spread 'handmade' joy!! Visit Kathleen to comment on her wonderful handcrafted and thrifty idea for the holidays. Spread the word around about this event that will take place every Tuesday. And remember, there are only 6 more weeks until Christmas!

This is a very simple craft that even Blondie can do. Okay, I underestimate myself...but I really didn't think I had it in me. Plus, I bore easily and I have to confess, I really enjoyed making these letters/words. I bought the unfinished letters at Hobby Lobby at $2.49 a piece. They are approximately 5 1/2 inches tall. Use a nail file to smooth out the rough edges. Trace the letter on to the back of scrap booking paper. Paint surface and sides of letters with white acrylic paint. When dry, coat with Mod Podge smoothly over the surface and sides of letter and adhere scrap booking paper to letter, smoothing out with fingers. Let dry and add 2nd coat of Mod Podge and sprinkle with silver glitter. I used Martha's super fine glitter. Voila!!

I had some bubbles, but keep working them out to the sides. And if you are using paper with lettering , words or a design, make sure it is right side up. My 'Happy Holidays' is upside down (it takes a brave soul to admit their mistakes!)

I have the letters propped up for now but I am going to attach ribbon to hang them somewhere...a mantel, balcony or from some garland. You may notice that I didn't use really bright colors. My home is on the pastel side so I kept the colors and patterns cohesive with my decor. But I saw so many sheets of scrap booking paper, I was going nuts. And a tip: stock up on the letters, the O's were almost depleted.

And that is my craft for this week. I am not very crafty ;-} but I hope to come up with something for next week. Visit Kathy and the girl's participating in this event and leave a nice comment. Think of all the ideas you will get and all the hours of fun!

This week I was given the Kreative Blogger award from both Linda at Coastal Charm, and Lou Cinda at Tattered Hydrangeas. Thank you to both of these sweet girls. The rule is that I am to name 7 things about myself that you may not know. That will be close to impossible if you are familiar with how much I can chatter. Then I am to pass the award on to 7 bloggers.

1) My favorite vacation was on Martha's Vineyard.

2) My cat had kitten's in one of my dresser drawers.

3) Both of my daughter's weighed 5 lbs. at birth.

4) I love chocolate and hate beets.

5) My mother's maiden name was Doll.

6) My husband is 8 years older than me.

7) I live on a lake but can't swim.

Now I need to pass the award on. I don't have the URL's but I will let you know. If you have received the award already, you can take a pass if you want. You can take a pass no matter what, but I am personally nosy by nature and like to know as much as I can about everyone.

1) BJ @ Sweet Nothings

2) Elaine @ Cafe Chatelaine

3) Cindy @ Applestone Cottage

4) Mary @ Across The Pond

5) Melissa @ Melissa's Heart And Home

6) Lori E @ Family Trees May Contain Nuts

7) Karen @ A Scrapbook Of Inspiration

FINALLY!! I am having a giveaway!!! Keeping with my Blonde roots, I missed my own 100th post and 100th follower! LOL!! I do have a one year anniversary coming up at the end of this month (can't remember the date~see what I mean?) so I thought I would have a giveaway. I had such a fun time with the Ugly Rooster Giveaway, I thought I would do something a bit more normal. One of the gifts is a package of note cards painted by Karen Harvey Cox. She so generously sent these to me specifically for the giveaway. All of you know how I love her work. If you haven't been to her blog, please visit. You will love it. The rest of the giveaway remains a secret and once I choose the winner, I will attempt to customize it just for you. The rules are the usual. Leave a comment for one entry, become a follower for two and blog about my giveaway with a link for three entries. I have a blog button on my sidebar. The deadline is Friday, November 20, 2009. Good luck ladies!!

Karen's Note cards

Have a great week!!

Should Have Gone To South Haven

Today I am particiapting in Sunday Favorites with Chari at Happy to Design . This was one of the first posts I ever did. After you have left a comment, visit Chari to see the other partcipants today. Enjoy!!


In my last post I spoke of going up to our Lake house to check on the progress of our renovations and then drive up to South Haven, Michigan and stay overnite at the Old Harbor Inn. South Haven is a quaint little town with lots of antique and gift shops, an excellent kitchen store where I bought my first pasta roller (you had to see the long strands of pasta draped over the dining room chairs drying. Wish I had a camera for that!). Anyway, Saturday morning I awoke at 6:30 a.m. to the above. Yep, that's my car covered in snow. I was too busy Friday night eating popcorn and watching holiday movies to put it away. We called our resident carpenter (and I mean resident-he lives in the lake house while he does said renovations. He is currently putting in hardwood floors throughout the house with the exception of the kitchen, and that is the reason we were going to stay in South Haven, no floor.)and he said the snow was worse there. The husband and I threw a few logs on the fire and sipped our coffee while contemplating our alternatives now that we were fired up to get away. Hence, the following pic.





Downtown Chicago. Yeah, Christmas shopping!! We booked ourselves in the Whitehall Hotel which is quite a historic building in it's own right, but I was just thrilled to be a block from the Magnificent Mile, better known as Michigan Avenue. The Fifth Avenue of Chicago. The rival of Rodeo Drive. One of the GREATEST PLACES TO SHOP!! I was in Heaven. Until The Husband lost his credit card in Macy's which was having it's biggest SATURDAY SALE IN HISTORY. Granted, we have other credit cards, perhaps too many, which some of you can identify with. C'mon, admit it. The problem was, The Husband insisted on searching for said card in Macy's, all 11 floors. After being accused of losing said card (he supposedly handed it to me in a very uncommon moment of shyness) in the lingerie department. I was instructed not to leave, not to move from my spot in the lingerie department. So I did what any normal blonde would do, I purused the bras and sexy undies and (gasp) thongs (ouch). Apparently while I was purchasing a sensible pair of flannel jammies, he came looking for me and as a typical male, probably made a quick sweep through the place and left. After smoking a cigar out on the street he traced my imaginary steps back to said historic hotel. Not finding me in the room of course, he made full use of the facilities, read the paper and smoked another cigar. Upon returning to Macy's he finally found me riding the escalators, hot and mad as all get out. Two hours in the lingerie department with no desire to ever see a thong again in my life. No credit card was found, but The Husband did manage to find the bag of expensive candy we bought and his gloves. I'm glad I was wearing the parka I purchased earlier or he would have lost that too. So much for our big shopping trip, It was 6:00 p.m. it was 10 degrees and the wind had picked up off the lake. As I hunkered down in my new parka I managed to see some yummy shops: Jimmy Choo, Juicy Couture, Bebe, Cartier. Oh sigh of sighs. We went back to the historic hotel and ate cashews.
I wish you all warm weather, good shopping days and please avoid the lingerie departments as a favor to me.
Lots of love,
Jane