Happy New Year

Happy New Year

To all my dear family and friends.

Home Alone

 (As always.)

Let 2013 come on in

I will be in bed before it arrives.

2012 In Short Review

2012 is close to ending

It has been a good year for me.

I have had some changes,

But they have been good changes.

I hope that 2013 can be as gentle and good to me

As 2012

My biggest change has been that I moved.

Not far from where I was living.

I moved to a much nicer, roomier cottage condo.

And I love living here.

Here are a few of my projects.

(only a few)

This little beauty is my pride and joy.

I had a beautiful hutch, but when I down-sized

I gave it to my son and daughter-in-law.

I know they enjoy it so much.

I now live in a place that I could

Again have a hutch.

I love this piece!

You are going to think. . .Another hutch!

Yip! This one is in my craft room.

I found it at DI (thrift store)

It looked terrible.

Well you know me, I brought it home

Painted it and now it is a little beauty.

I love this one too.

My hands are constantly busy.

Many crochet projects have been completed.

This is just a tiny bit of the many things I have

Done in 2012

I hope you will continue on the journey with me

As I move on to 2013

K

More Projects

I am already thinking of projects for the

New Year.

My friend Sue, and I went to the local

JoAnn's to look at 

Yarn (our favorite) and Fabric.

I was actually the fabric looker. .. 

Sue is a fabulous crocheter.

You can see Sue's beautiful work and her patterns

At

Felted Button

Now on to the yarn sale that was screaming our names.

Oh, the colors, the textures. . everything about yarn I love!

I love coming up with new things to crochet.

And I do have some new projects I am excited to start.

I love most colors, but this time I was drawn to the

Pastels, the blues, the pinks, the greens . . 

It is "eye candy" to me.

I think I touch every skein I see!

Look at the texture of this yarn!

I haven't come up with an idea for it, but I will. .. 

I also found some fabric I wanted. . 

I have a few great ideas for it.

Can't wait to get started so I can show you 

What I have done with the yarn and the fabric.

It is a cold, snowy day here in Northern Utah

I am going to put a good movie in and crochet.

Be sure to come back and see what I have done.

K
I am linking with
At the Picket Fence/Inspiration Friday
French Country Cottage/Feathered Nest
The Charm of Home/Home Sweet Home

Changes

I have been having a wonderful

Christmas Celebration. . 

As I close this month of December

I want to show you the changes

That have gone on in my home.

One thing for sure life is full of changes.

And my life has always been full of 

Change.

The is the Summer and Spring look. . 

In the late summer I made a change

I moved to my lovely little cottage home.

My little home had some changes

For Autumn

Of course my December (Winter) Changes

Are all about Christmas!

 

So, I hope you will come back tomorrow. . 

I will show you more

Changes

Around my little home.

K

I am joining
Shabby Creek Cottage/Transformation Thursday
Savvy Southern Style/Wow Us Wednesday

Merry Christmas

I want to wish everyone a

 Merry Christmas

I will be spending my time with my dear family and friends.

I will see you back here

After December 25th.  

Be safe

Smile

Remember how precious you are

And above all

God Bless You

The Reason for The Celebration

It is a beautiful time of the year

Everyone is scurrying to find just the right 

gift for someone special.

Homes are decorated and filled with the

Smell of home backed treats.

Travelers are rushing to get to special places

To be with special people.

All is Merry and Bright!

We do all this for a Reason. . 

In celebration of a sacred event more than 2,000 year ago

The birth of Jesus Christ

The Savior of  The World.

I hope that the center of my

Celebration is Jesus Christ.

In my home it is not the tree, nor the Christmas vignettes.

I want to focus on 

It is the

The Nativity. 

 I believe the baby Jesus is the Christ

I believe He is the Son of God

I believe in His Birth and His Atonement. 

 I believe an angel appeared to the Shepherd's.

And I believe the Wise Men came to worship Him.

 I Believe In Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the Reason for the Celebration

May we all turn to Him in holy reverence not only

At this time of year, but always. . .

K

Christmas In The Kitchen and Red Cardinals

Hello dear friends!

I am a little slow on posting for this week.

I had a small accident a couple of days ago

So I have been taking it easy.

That darn "BLACK ICE". . 

I slipped and fell and landed on my knee.

And of course the rest of my body took the impact.

I am so afraid of falling. . .

I am so very grateful that I didn't have any broken bones.

I know I was being watching over.

Those sweet Angels cushioned my fall. . .

I am dong ok, just moving slowly, and resting a lot.

I wanted to show you a few more things from my home.

 My kitchen/dining are is all ready for the 

Jackson Family Christmas Eve Party

17 of us this year. . one grandson is serving a 

Mission in Tampa Florida and won't be with us this year.

 I am loving this cute wooden tray that I found at JoAnn's

70% off!

I decorated it for fall and now it is my

Christmas center piece on the table.

The table cloth I found many years ago at K-Mart

It is Martha Stewart

(I miss Martha Stewart when she was in K-Mart. . she was cheaper!)

 I recently added the mirrored shutter wall hanging.

Do you notice the red cardinals on the ledge?

They are salt and pepper shakers.

Of course there is a story behind them. . .

Did you know that Utah doesn't have Red Cardinal's

I don't know why. . .guess I better look that up.

But we don't see them here.

When my granddaughter was in Virginia visiting her cousins.

She went to an Antique shop. . . she wanted to find me 

Salt and Pepper shakers to give me.

She found an adorable set. . but her little cousins

(from her other family)  also wanted

To also send Brissa's Grandma some salt and pepper shakers. . 

They wanted ones that represented Virginia. . 

They picked out these antique  Red Cardinal salt and pepper shakers.

I think they are beautiful. . .and they have such 

a special story behind them. . 

Nothing fancy. .  

But lots of joy and fun. . 

Showing you my humble home

At Christmas time. . 

The big day is just around the corner. . .

K

I am linking with . .

French Country Cottage/Feather Your Nest

The Charm of Home/Home Sweet Home

My New Hutch

I have to confess!

I have a new (to me) hutch!

Yep. . .I do.

I bought it on pure emotion.

My sweet Auntie Carol had one just like it.

I saw it in an antique shop in March

The sweet lady that owned the shop let me make payments.

I brought it home in October.

But, I waited til now to have her

Grand Showing!

This hutch will never be painted. . .

She is made of solid maple wood. 

Just a beautiful piece of craftsmanship.

I believe she is an Ethan Allen piece

From the late 1950's 

My Aunt bought hers in the 1960's

She has been so fun to decorate for Christmas

Love, love this beautiful hunk of wood!

At the antique shop I spotted these

Red Transfer-ware plates. . 

Well, I had to have them.

Perfect for the hutch.

I also show-case my Christmas salt and pepper shakers.

Love the snowmen and the santas

My Aunt was so dear to me. . and every time

I walk in my kitchen and see this beautiful hutch it 

Reminds me of her.

I am a sentimental person. . I guess you would call me

A Memory Keeper.

Sorry to have so many pictures. . .But

I just had to show-off my 

Hutch.

Hope you will come back for more. . .

Christmas decorating at my home.

K

I am linking with these blogs

Be sure to visit them. . 

French Country Cottage/Feathered Nest Friday

My Romantic Home/Show and Tell Friday

The Charm of Home/Home Sweet Home

Coastal Charm/Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

A Stroll Thru Life

In The Hollow of His Hands

I pray for the safety and protection of All our children.

At times the world can be a very scary place.

I pray for children

who sneak popsicle before supper

who erase holes in math, work books

Who can never find their shoes.

And I pray for those

who can=t bound down the street in new sneakers,

who never Acounted potatoes,@

who are born in places I wouldn=t

be caught dead in.

who never go to the circus

who live in an X-rated world.

I pray for those

who never get dessert

who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,

who watch their parents watch them die

who can=t find any bread to steal

who don=t have any rooms to clean up

whose pictures aren=t on anybody=s dresser

whose monsters are real.

I pray for children

            who throw tantrums at the grocery store 

who like ghost stories

who shove dirty clothes under the bed,

who never get visits from the tooth fairy.

who never get a kiss goodnight

And no one reads a story to them.

I pray for children 

Who do not know who God is

And have never gone to church.

And I pray for those

whose nightmares come in the daytime.

who will eat anything

who will never see a dentist

who aren=t spoiled by anybody.

who go to bed hungry

who cry themselves to sleep,

who live and move, but have no being.

 I pray for children who want to be carried

and for those who must.

For those we never give up on

and for those who don=t get

a second chance.

For those I smother with love... 

And for those who will grab the hand of anybody
kind enough to offer it.

God Bless The Children.

Christmas Characters

I just adore my little

Christmas Characters!

These little fellows bring a smile to my face. . .

Fritz, Floyd and Lloyd

That's what I have named them

My little Christmas Characters are part of the display on

The table you see when you first come in my house.

Joining the Christmas Character are my

Fritz and Floyd Christmas salt and pepper shakers.

Oh, let me tell you I have a collection of shakers.

I will show you more in later posts.

Cute little matching shakers to the characters

Can you believe I found this lone shaker at the DI?

I couldn't believe anyone would give a

Fritz and Floyd shaker to the thrift store. .. 

I don't care if he was a loner. . .He came home with me!

Oh how they bring a smile to my face and cheer to my heart.

My little Christmas Character are brimming with

Christmas cheer. . 

I am kind of drawn to characters. . .maybe it is because

I am surrounded with real live "characters".

I hope you enjoyed visiting my home and meeting

My Christmas Characters!

Please do come back for more. . .

K

I am going to link up with

A Stroll Thru Life

Savvy Southern Style

PJH Designs One of a Kind

At The Picket Fence

Cherishing Memories

Oh, boy! Let me tell you

I am slowing down!

My decorating is nothing like it use to be

When I was much younger.

But, none the less, the Christmas decorating

Is finally at an end. . .

At least for now.

Here is just a short showing of what I have.

Welcome to My Home. . .

I downsized a few years ago to a table-top tree!

I know I am bad. . .BUT

I just couldn't do it anymore. . .

I honestly stressed over a  big tree. . 

My grand kids just can't understand. . 

But, hey you do what you have to do. . 

My Home is not a McMansion. . it is simple and cozy.

And I like it that way. . 

When decorating for Christmas I always think. . 

Hmmm. . . . What goes up must come down!

I am still not a minimalist. . No sir not me!

One of my favorites is my wall grouping.

You may notice the picture of the two little girls on the right.

I gave that picture to my Auntie Carol. . many years ago.

I told her that I thought it looked like her and my Mom

My Auntie being the little blond girl and 

My Mom the little dark headed girl. . .

My Aunt kept this picture on her wall all the time.

Not just at Christmas time. . 

My Auntie passed away last year, and my cousin gave me

Back the picture. . .(I had given it to Aunt Carol in 1993)

I can almost hear the choir of little angels.

 I think Christmas is about the cherished memories of the past.

And  hope for the future. . But always delighting in the present.

Be sure to check back for more Christmas scenes from

My Home.

K

Christmas Pillow

I would love to show you my

Christmas Wreath I made. . 

But. .. 

The wind is blowing here so hard

That I had to take it off my door 

So it wouldn't get blown away.

 Instead I want to show you a beautiful

Christmas Pillow.

My cousin Louise make the most beautiful pillows.

I have been so blessed to receive her pillows as gifts.

She does the most delicate embroidery 

So much time and talent goes into her beautiful

Handwork. . .

I am always so happy to receive one of her

Beautiful embroidered pieces. . .

Isn't it nice to have wonderful friends and family

Who share their talents with us.

Each year when I bring her pillows out to decorate with

I think of my cousin, Louise. . .

Oh, and yes there is a new Christmas Afghan. . 

This is what I have been working on.

Be sure to come back. . .

I have a lot to show you.

Tis' The Season

For a lot of projects and a lot of 

Making Home a Happy Place.

I am linking to
A Stroll Thru Life
Made to Treasure/Christmas Pillow