January-Projects in Process

I think I am making January the "finish my projects in progress" month.  

No I am not talking about the remodeling projects we have.

I have a feeling those will be going on ALL year.  We still have so much to do and work on.

So a few projects I need to fish up...

I started this one back in the summer.  It was for the log house we were (and now eventually are) going to build.  I had/have all sorts of ideas for it.  When we moved to the place we live now, I knew I would have plenty of time to finish it up.  

I hand carved the background and the letters.  I am wood burning all of the letters, the pine cones and branches.  

I am working on the border.

And I still have a lot left to do.  I just have to find my wood burning kit.
I have seen my kit somewhere since we moved.  I think.

My next project to finish is some knitting.
I am ashamed to say that I started it almost 2 and a half years ago.

I am working on this throw.  

I have two more skeins of yarn to go.

I think I will take this with me next week when my mother has her surgery. 

 I can work on it while I sit in the hospital with her.  

It is my goal to finish up my projects that I have close to being finished before I let myself start any more.

So my first little goal of 2011 is to finish up those unfinished projects.

A Retrospective

This past year has been both a challenge and a blessing.  My mother had two heart surgeries and then a heart attack.  We sold our lovely brick home with a pool  :(  and moved to a foreclosed property so we would be beside of my mother and father and be able to take care of them.  My mother was diagnosed with cancer twice.  Melanoma and rectal cancer. After her heart attack I was lucky enough to be able to bring my Mom home from the hospital and take care of her while she recuperated.  

This past year my daughter Jess became engaged!  She is getting married this coming May to a sweet young man that we love. She just graduated from college and got a good job before she even got out of college.  My daughter Jenn got a job this past year too after graduating last December.  I am blessed to have two wonderful daughters that I am proud of.

Blessings for me this past year include having a lots of great friends, a roof over my head and food on my table.  And we were lucky enough to have a white Christmas this year.

I have only been blogging for a few months now and I love reading your blogs and get to know some of you through e-mail.  I hope this next year I can show you more of the remodel of the place we are living and share some projects.    And get to make more blogging friends!  

Ideas from Ikea

I had my first trip to Ikea yesterday and I loved it!   I came out with so many ideas.  I have been trying to decide where to put some of my coffee cups and saw this.  I had shelves in all of my windows in the house I had before this one so I have tons of shelves in storage.  The shelves I have are all stained brown so a little white paint could spruce them right up.  

So I am thinking a trip to the storage unit is in my near future to retrieve some shelves.

I really like the cluster of white lights.  So light and airy.  I am thinking of doing something like this in my guest room this summer.

This is so pretty.  I want to keep this idea for my cabin.  

Can you tell I have a love of light fixtures?

I can't wait to go back.  It is about an hour and a half trip from where I live so it is not in a town that I get to go to often.

I also found a down comforter that Mr. Fix-It offered to buy us.  My daughter and her fiancée will be going that way on Friday and I am sending her by to pick it up for me.  I can't wait to snuggle under it on some of the cold Southern nights we have been having here lately.

Christmas Snows are Magical!

We had a magical Christmas.  We were lucky enough to have a pretty good snow for our area.  We got about 8 inches on Christmas day and I loved it!!

The snow stuck to every little twig, leaf and limb.  

My deer in the front yard.

My driveway...if you have ever looked at my blog you know I love my driveway.  I like the way it is hidden in the woods.  If you were coming to my house you would never know it is there.

This is the garden are looking out toward the road.  

I just like the way the tractor looked all covered with a blanket of snow.

And last but not least my Maggie Girl loves the snow too.

The sun going down on a magical day.

I did make a little arrangement for the kitchen the night before Christmas.  You know me...I will use what I can find to make what I want.  

I hope all of you had a magical Christmas day!

Wishing each of you a blessed holiday season!

Christmas Time's A Coming!!

Yesterday and today has been such a wonderful couple of days.  I have finally started getting the final details of my Christmas decorations finished up.  Trying to get it all ready for the big day.  I love Christmas...I really do but can I just say that I am ready to have my house back to normal.  I think this year the decorations and tree will go out of the house at a lot quicker pace than they came in.  I am just ready to have my house back to the somewhat normal way I had it before the festivities started.  

The weatherman is calling for snow here on Christmas day!  That I am really excited about!!  I would love nothing better than to be able to get out and walk with my mother on Christmas day in a beautiful Christmas snow.  That would be a special gift!  

I am working on getting my table together.  My table is done in teal blue and red.  It is a festive combination and it is the first year I have tried it.  I really like it but I don't have a lot of teal to use for decorations.  Just means I need to hit those after Christmas sales!!  I did finally find some square silver chargers after much searching.  I found them at a World Market store.  I am still looking for some square plates with silver snowflakes.  I am sure sooner or later I will find what I am looking for now that I have a plan.  But here is my simple little table design for this Christmas. :)  I know it needs some work and I only put out 1 wine glass and 1 coffee cup for the picture.

I have to start cooking for a small party that we will be having here on Saturday lunch and then for cocktails here on Saturday night  with my best friends (since high school).  One of my favorite things to fix during the holidays are roasted pecans.  

If I had to pick one thing in the world that I had to eat for the rest of my life it would be nuts.  I have never met a nut I didn't like.  

(that is why I have such great friends!!)

Around here I am known for my homemade fresh coconut cakes.  I  have to get one made asap.  It needs to sit for at least a day before cutting it.  It gives the sugar time to melt in the icing.  If you eat it too soon, the icing is a little gritty with the sugar.

Oh, that reminds me...I need to get the coffee station set up too.

I better get off of here and get to work.

Joining the Party at Between Naps On the Porch

You better watch out, You better not cry, Better not pout...

You better watch out, You better not cry, You better not pout, I'm telling you why, Cause Santa Claus is coming to town.

Oh Miss Maggie Mae is so mad at me right now.  She will not even look at me when I call her name. 

"Maggie, look at Momma so she can take your picture."

She is definitely p--o--u--t--i--n--g!!

I shaved her this evening and gave her a good bath to get her ready for the holidays. 

(I had to learn how to shave her to save money a few years ago when my husband lost his job.)

I guess I will let her go to work with me tomorrow to make it up to her.  LOL!!  

Nah, she is not spoiled at all. 

:)

You better watch out, You better not cry, You better not pout, I'm telling you why, Cause Santa Claus is coming to town.