Christmas 2010

Just a few scenes from our Christmas season...

Grace made the sugar cookies all by herself and then everyone joined in for the decorating.


Christmas Eve


Early Christmas morning.


It didn't take long for everyone to wake up!


For dinner, I made roast beef and stuffed shells.


Phillip's mom brought over beautiful antipasto platters. We had pumpkin pie, mini cheesecakes, cookies and tiramisu for dessert.


I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, as well!

Weekend Chit-Chat

Hello! This week has gone by so quickly and we still have plenty to do for Thanksgiving, next week. A few evenings ago, the girls had a friend over and they surprised me with a homemade spaghetti and meatball dinner.


They even set the table, folded fancy napkins and lit candles. Oh, and loaded the dishwasher! Everyone finished up their schoolwork and are looking forward to a week off.


Progress is being made on the patio. The 3 underground drains are finished and the next step is to fill in the entire area with cement.


I found new fabric for the patio furniture cushions. Now, I just need a sewing machine. Any recommendations for $150.00 or less?

I'd also like to finish up my kitchen deep cleaning and organization. Thank you for stopping by for a visit and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Back Patio - Before and After

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Hello! I hope your November is going well. We've started a new project at our house. Some of you may recognize this as our back patio, fairy garden and water garden area, except it's not looking as nice as it did 2 years ago.

It all started when we had the rusty and leaking gutters removed and the house painted. We discovered that the wall to the left had so much damage that the ivy and flowers had to be removed and most of the wood replaced. I was about to start over when we found termites and the company recommended that we get rid of the dirt and wood chips up against the house.


This past week we called the company that converted our garage to completely re-do this area. The plan is to do put in a better drainage system (that is what the ditch is for) and stonework from the back door all the way out to the gate. Most of the area in the picture will be a patio table and lots of flower pots.

I'll be sure to share progress pictures once the rain stops. While all this work is going on outside, I'm about to clean and organize the kitchen from top to bottom. Just in time for Thanksgiving!

Until next time...

Autumn Decorations

Happy November! Today, I would like to share my fall decorations, starting with the front porch.


A few of my favorite things: a picture my mom painted, Indian corn, and corn husk dolls.


If you would like the make your own, the instructions are HERE.


Since having the garage converted to the family room, the living room is for relaxing and reading.


My mom sent the white mini pumpkins from Rhode Island.


Thank you for looking at my fall decorations and I hope you have a wonderful week!

~November~
Now the autumn days are gone
Frost is sparkling on the lawn,
Windows winking cheerful lights
Warm the cold November nights.

A Double Rainbow

We've had some much needed rain for the past two days and were especially happy to see a beautiful double rainbow!

I hope all of my US and Canadian friends (especially PEA!) have a wonderful long weekend!