Mostly photos and an update

THANK YOU EVERYONE for your wonderful comments and e-mails last week for my two sons – there were so many and I wasn’t around and so it was overwhelming to get back to each of you so a huge THANK YOU HERE. 

The boys are doing wonderfully and I do believe Darren will finally get the use of his right arm back again after 3 years.  Last Monday without even thinking about it he picked something up with his right hand and started to unscrew the top – could never do that before….so it will come back again.  Brett says he doesn’t want to talk about how he feels because he doesn’t want to jinks the good feeling…lol.  He is able to drive now which is wonderful…for the June surgery it was a lot longer.  But for both boys it will be a long road to healing and getting back to normal – not sure what the norm is for them but certainly getting rid of the pain they have both suffered.
Prayers are so powerful and there were many.  You are just the greatest group of people who really care.  They both thank you as well.
MaryAnn took a picture of Darren’s surgery – it’s a biggie!!!

Remember you can click on the pictures to make them bigger.

Yesterday (Saturday) was a horribly sad day – we took Lola into the Vet to be euthanized – she was a little trooper. Dr. Beth gave her a shot to relax her and she became a little limp noodle – so I held her for about 10 minutes and then the dr. came in and took care of her so gently I was amazed at her concern for Lola.  She petted her and petted her.  I honestly think she fell in love with Lola over the times we have taken her in there.  So now she’s gone and I’m okay with it.  Had my moments when we first found out 2 weeks ago.
Doug snapped this picture just before I wrapped her up to leave.  Sorry for the rugged face…crying doesn’t always leave one looking refreshed!

Remember the lady who ordered the 6 chair backers awhile back…well she sent me a picture of them in her home.  They look wonderful and I just may have to make some for myself.  Thanks Susie for sharing your photo!

And so on to a livelier post…just needed to get these things posted because many, many of you cared so much.  Bless you all.

Just photos now -  I promise – the finish of decorating.

A few weeks back I purchased some vintage ornaments from a shop near us and yesterday we stopped again and they had tons of them on several of the display trees.  I wanted them all but chose only the silver, gold and mottled ones to match what is already on our tree.
 

My good friend Renea brought me this gold and silver teardrop ornament on Thursday when she came for lunch.  She said she didn’t know what to get me – she couldn’t have gotten a more perfect gift.

I’ve tried over and over to get a full shot of the tree with the lights on but it always comes out blurry so here are a few individual shots of the tree/ornaments.  I bought a total of 12 new vintage ornaments this year…some are on the dining room tree.
 

 

 

See the long teardrop one on the right…it’s glass and has gold in it and there are some silver ones too.  I bought them after Christmas last year at a local shop.

 

On Thursday a group of former co-workers came over for lunch – I made a simple one of pulled beef, layered salad, cole slaw, strawberry whip and baked beans.  For dessert I made toffee bars and an angel food raspberry cake.  The center of the angel food cake is filled with whip cream and raspberries and then covered in whipped cream. I use strawberries sometimes but being there was a strawberry Jell-O whip I wanted this different.

 

I made huge batches of Cranberry/Walnut Bread and gave them as the guests left (along with leftovers)

So again on to the decorating.

I think this is my favorite this year.  It’s the hallway between the kitchen and den
 

DEN

 

FAMILY ROOM
After posting this and looking at this picture the tree on the left on the mantle is really wonky – there’s a parchment paper on the front of it (with words on it) that is making it look like a weird face…sorry – I don’t know what happened there.
 

 

KITCHEN

 
And some decoration in the kitchen that didn’t stay was this pile of real pine boughs wrapped in a sheet that BABY decided was going to make a wonderful and aromatic bed.  I left it until our company came on Thursday.

 

DINING ROOM
I bought this basket in PA in October with the idea of doing just this.  Lots of birch twigs, Winter Berries, pine boughs and lighted twigs.  It looks like what I had in mind which surprised me – I had no idea if all of it would fit and it did.  It’s in front of the stairway in place of having greens/lights on the railing.
 

The candle in this basket is a Flicker Flame Candle from Primitives By Kathy’s – it’s the most realistic looking candle I’ve ever seen…I have two of them now.  Look at the flame…it wiggles back and forth like a real flame.  I get tickled by the simplest things don’t I?  lol

DEN

Last Christmas my friend Linda from PA sent this wonderful realistic battery candle for Christmas – it flickers way down in like a burning candle.
It’s much larger than it looks in the picture – so yesterday when we were shopping I bought another one.
 

BEDROOM

EXTERIOR – back (but our main entrance)

On front porch.  I bought this fabric reindeer at a local shop hand made by a local artist
 

Woaaaaa!  I guess I had enough pictures didn’t I….well the heading told you that, so if you are still THANK YOU….

Okay, I need to tell on myself and I’m not proud of this.
Last week I washed a load of red things and one of them was a red plastic table cloth that had grease on it so in the washer it went…well, I was not in my right mind I just know it…no surprise though for what all has been going on but I guess after 50 years of washing clothes one would have know….nope, not me.  It melted the tablecloth onto the back of the dryer. Now this dryer is only 2 years old so I’m really sick about it.   So far I’ve washed rugs and another load of reds/darks that didn’t really matter but to no avail…it won’t budge.   This morning I’m in there with a scraper and elbow grease trying to pry some loose.  Got a few pieces but nothing will move.  Now I’m afraid to do laundry and it’s starting to build….what to do!!!
 

I am all caught up with orders and will not do any more until after the first of the year as I’m not sure what the outcome will be with my dr. apt. on Monday when I find out if they can even do surgery.

Hope you are all ready for the Christmas holiday and have time to take just for yourself…like I said it has been years for me and it feels good and it will continue.  I most likely will have time for visiting my friends blogs now…so see you around.

Blessings to all….see you next week with a report and more photos.  For some reason I had many, many things built up waiting to post so I’m putting it in two different posts….this one is long enough.
Karen