Christmas in "My" Living Room.

Hello and Merry Christmas My Dear Friends.

I have taken some pictures of "my" living room. I will do a post tomorrow and show more pictures of the rest of our home at Christmas.

I hope you enjoy your visit here.

Would you like a glass of champagne or rum and egg nog or mulled wine?

This old radio cabinet houses my stereo and cds. The photo is of me and my Dad summer 2006. The felt mice on the windowsill are special; Mom made the chubby one many years ago, and the tall skinny one my daughter Alyx made about ten years ago.

The lamp was my mothers. It is from the 1940s, I think.

I have a bluebird on my windowsill, also!

 

This is my pink tree. It has pink decorations, balls, china teacups and teapots. One set is from Connie @

http://ceoriginals.blogspot.com/

The other set my children gave to me years ago for Christmas.

I also have golden birds and angels, a porcelain doll and vintage brooches and other special baubles and bling! The satin roses were made by my friend Lynn from Teacup Stitches!

Candles are aglow!

Lynn from

http://lynn-teacupstitches.blogspot.com/

shared a beautiful vintage Christmas image last week and this is one of the things I did with it. I copied it and framed it in this lovely old frame ( the glass is convex). The Royal Vienna plate in the stand was my dear mother-in-laws. I picked up the silver bride's basket at an auction about a month ago. The guy who bought the joblot that it was in did not want it, so he GAVE it to me!! It is exquisite and he did not want it!!! (I still cannot believe my goodluck....or is it GODluck!!)

I have had the oil painting since we were newly married, around 1983/84. It is signed and dated 1877. I love the greens and the reds in it and usually hang it above the mantle at Christmas time. The silver centrepiece is from before 1900 and is made by the world renowned Walker & Hall Silver company from England. I bought it at the same auction where the man gave me the bride's basket. The bride's basket is unsigned, but it has the same frilly lace edge that this centrepiece has, so I think that it is a Walker & Hall piece, too.  The youing couple to the right is me and my baby Christmas 1981. It was our first Christmas dating.  Our son's graduation picture from highschool is on the left.

I'll be back tomorrow evening with more pictures. Please drop in for another visit.

Love and warm hugs, Laura

Finished the TREE!!!!!!

                                                 PHEW!!!!  I finally reached the point where I had to say "ENOUGH!!" I still have a couple hundred glass balls to hang on the tree, but I keep having to remind myself that I used to decorate three trees and all will not fit onto one tree!!!  So here "SHE" is.......TAADAA!!!

                                
                                                     

She is my "Memory Tree".  So many years, so many memories, so much love!

I'll be back soon to show you pics of the house!

Merry Christmas!!!

Love and warm hugs, Laura

I'm getting there!!!!! decorating continues............

Well..................Like I said..................I'm getting there!

I was up at 5 this morning. I knew that I had a lot of work ahead of me if I wanted to get all the decorations up today.

It took me a while to wake up enough to get working.

I started with the bins of wreaths and garlands.

It took me four hours to "fluff up" three lengths of 18 foot garland, one length of 9 foot garland and four large wreaths which we hang outside on the windows.

I had green stuff all over the family room!

On the right in the picture below you will see a riding burro. My Uncle Manley gave it to me for Christmas 1962.

Bins full of decoration.

The lights work!!

Oh Ya!!

Last year I bought a pinata at the dollar store.  I copied some pics off the net and printed them and then cut them out and pasted them right over the existing pic on the pinata.

Viola!!

I decorated Honey, too!

The hat stayed on for approximately forty-five seconds. Just long enough to take some pictures.

She was NOT amused!  But I was!! LOL!

I have my little tree decorated in my living room and the big tree in the family room has only about a quarter of the decorations on it.

 But I have hit that proverbial wall! You see, as I unwrap each decoration and discover what is wrapped within the tissue paper, memories flood in and make me a bit melancholy as I recall who gave me the decoration, or what was happening in our lives when I bought the decoration. Many of them belonged to my Mom and Dad. My Mom always made Christmas magical. I miss them both all of the time, but I feel their absence keenly at Christmas time. So, I am going to get a goodnights sleep tonight and finish decorating the tree  and the rest of the house tomorrow.

Night-night!

Love and warm hugs, Laura



I found a tree!!!!!

Happy Saturday my Blogging buddies!!

One week until Christmas!!

Gasp!!

I have been busy cleaning and tidying and making room for the TREE!

I started pulling the bins of Christmas decorations out of the garage.

I store the large wreaths and garlands in large garbage bins (pic below).

They have wheels so are easy to move from the garage to the house.

Tucked safely inside away from mice, chipmunks and squirrels!!

My Mom gave me the wreath below in 2005. It is quite large and hangs from the ceiling. I hang it in the garage throughout the year so it doesn't get crushed.

Christmas bins stored in the garage.

More bins!

Earlier last week I looked for a tree at the local country store. I had picked up a nice one there last year, but this year they were very short (less than six feet).

I grew up in an old Queen Anne Victorian house which had a large bay window. My mother's mission was to fill that bay window with the largest tree that could be found. She always had a spectacular tree!!

I inherited that desire for a large tree. One year the tree I picked took up half of our livingroom! It was a beauty!!

I stopped at the Salvation Army store on Thursday and noticed that Christmas trees were being sold across the street. I drove up to the lot and found THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BALSAM FIR TREE!!!!

IT IS NINE FEET TALL!!

AND SOOOOOO BUSHY!!!!!

Here is my baby! I told him to smile and show his teeth!!

He did!!

I love you Babe!

This is the corner where the tree will be.

This is the best tree bucket that I have found. See the whole where water can be added?

I place an old towel on the floor then cover that with a plastic garbage bag to protect the floor.

Tim is holding the tree while son, Wes, screws the screws into the tree trunk.

Tim had to make some adjustments so they switched jobs.

Tim used some wire and anchored the tree to the wall as well. I have many antique and vintage decorations that would disintigrate if the tree fell over.

Tim the tool man and Wes!

Many years ago I invented a hose apparatus to fill the bucket.

At the time, Tim said that I should patent the idea. I didn't. Years later I saw "my" design being sold in stores!!

Tim models the first prototype. It is a piece of garden hose with a funnel attached. Stick the hose end into the hole of the bucket and fill through the funnel end. Very neat and tidy!

Here "She" is!!!!

Is she not beautiful??!!!

She smells sooooo fabulous!!

I am going to let "Her" rest overnight so her branches will settle down. I'll put the lights on her tomorrow and begin decorating, too!

Stay tuned!!!

I'll post again tomorrow!!!

Take care!

Love and warm hugs, Laura

Preparations for Christmas continue......Polishing Brass!...I've added more pics!

It's Tuesday December 14th, 2010! Ten days until Christmas! I think I'll make it in time!!! LOL!

I fell last night after my hot bubbly tub (wet feet on the ceramic tiled kitchen floor!!) (I was on my way to dry by the fireside) I bashed my right knee, elbow and wrist into the floor. I am feeling banged up a bit, so I am not going to move furniture today!

I have a collection of antique and vintage brass that I have collected over the years. I have scored some fabulous pieces at yardsales and thrift stores. People get rid of it because they don't want to polish it. BUT!!!  I don't mind polishing it at all!! 

When I was a kid, a few weeks before Thanksgiving, Mom would clear the kitchen table and cover it with newspaper. Then she would bring out a bunch of soft rags and small saucers. She would pour small amounts of Silvo for the silver and Brasso for the brass and copper into the saucers. She and I and sometimes my brother, Bill, would then begin polishing her collection of brass and silver. It was a happy time, because we knew that our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner tables and table tops through out the house would be resplendant with bright shining accents!! We would break for tea and fresh cookies. Those times are sweet, warm memories to me!

So everytime I dig out my silver and brass polishing supplies, I am transported back to my childhood days.

I quickly took a few photos this morning to give you an idea of what I use and how I set up for this little task.

Like I said, I use "Silvo" for the silver and "Brasso" for the copper and brass.

It has been a few years since I have polished the brass so it is beginning to look kinda grunggy.

I have placed a large garbage bag on the top of the kitchen island then layered newspaper on top of that. I have shown the old metal can that Brasso used to come in and also the new plastic bottle that it now comes in in the picture below. I wear old crappy clothes, 'cuz I always get some gunk on my clothes. I also wear a work apron and rubber gloves (buy them at the dollar store, when the chemicals begin to kill the rubber, just throw them out and grab another pair). Music on the stereo is a must!!!  I am listening to Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits!

On the right you will see an English brass candle stick with a green candle in it. That is "before". On the left you will see the mate; it is covered with the polish. I used 0000 steel wool and a small wire brush to get into all the nooks and crannies.

*****WARNING!!!!*****

******DO NOT USE STEELWOOL OR A WIRE BRUSH ON YOUR SILVER!!!!!!******

When I have removed all the tarnish gunk, I then wash the item in hot soapy water. This removes the gunky polish.

Next I get a soft rag, old flannel peejayjays ( I love that word.....I think I made it up....I haven't seen nor heard anyone else use it!)  work best, but old tee-shirts and towels will work, too. I cut them into about ten inch square pieces. I use one rag to hold the item and another to do the polishing. Holding the item with a clean rag prevents regucking up the piece while you polish it.

Here is another candle stick in the "to-be-polished" lineup.

(As you can see in the background my kitchen is a total disaster area!!!  It will be tidied up AFTER I get the polishing done!!

Below on the left you will see the finished product.

It is sparkly and bright!!!

Gotta get back to polishing so I can take pics by Friday!!!


I have been busy, busy, busy polishing brass.
The candlesticks below with candles have been polished.
The ones without have not been polished.

 Del Shannon has been singing and I have been rockin'!!!

All polished and alight!

Gotta go and tidy the kitchen and make supper. Baked ham, baked yams
coleslaw and green beans!

Take care,



Love and hugs, Laura

Rebecca's Give-Away and I am deep in the process of decorating!!

Good Monday Morning My Blogging Friends!!

My friend Rebecca at

http://rebecca-gatheryeroses.blogspot.com/

is having a Christmas Give-Away!

She has made the above pillow and is offering it on her blogsite.

You can click on the link in my sidebar to go directly to the Give-Away post.

I have finished the redecorating of the upstairs hallway and stairway and have spent a number of days cleaning and tidying the house.

I have started decorating for Christmas so I have uploaded a few pictures to tease you!

I will be back later this week, hopefully by Friday! to show you our Maplethwaite Manor at Christmas Time!!

Take care my special friends!!

Love and warm hugs, Laura