Happy New Year!!!

We received a foot and a half of snow here!!!  

It is so pretty.  

Especially with blue skies and sunshine :)

Today I will be snowshoeing.
Tonight I will be drinking hot cocoa beside my toasty wood stove and ringing in the New Year.

I hope your evening is wonderful and the New Year is all you hope it to be.
Enjoy :)

Christmas Bites

It's not really about the baking...

It's about being together...

and making memories...

that they will carry with them...

for the rest of their lives...

and hopefully share with their own children someday...

Create some memories of your own.
I hope your night is magical :)

Throughout The House

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
My Christmas cactus is blooming...

A jingle bell wreath adorns my entertainment center...

Sugar cookies have been made (and eaten :)...

Santa's elf is visiting.
He's a happy elf...
He really is :)

DJ put my handmade aluminum foil star on the tree this year :)

and my Christmas tree is ready for presents to be placed under her.

It's just about time!!! 
My daughter will be home tonight.
Tomorrow there will be shopping, baking and most importantly visiting :)
It is snowing here on this first day of winter 2012.
All is good.
Enjoy your night.

This and That

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I know that we did.  We could not have asked for a more gorgeous day.  In fact, I think we may have broken the record high temperature that was previously held in 1947!!!
My house was decorated festively...

I love these figurines...

They greeted my guests as they entered the side door :)
The day consisted of the usual...

Nana

early morning walks with the puppies...

Snoop and Violet

watching the Macy's Day Parade, of course...

preparation of the turkey...

Dave and DJ

hors d'oeuvres...

Pumpkin bread and my favorite - cream cheese topped with hot pepper jam.

Banana nut bread and pepperoni, cheese and crackers

good conversation :)

Yes, Nana and Violet are howling at each other :)

and a wonderful meal that left us feeling like this...

Snoop in a turkey coma :)

or, in my case...

The Pillsbury Dough Boy

this :)
Enjoy the rest of your weekend :)

A Before and After

My daughter will be arriving Tuesday evening and spending Thanksgiving with us.  I can't wait to see her!!!  I haven't seen her in FOUR months!!!  The only thing she requested for this visit was that I redo her bedroom.  Redo her bedroom?  Have you ever seen her bedroom?

Yep, that's it (in all its glory :)  Granted, I was in the midst of painting the closet.  However, it was ugly and messy - broken louvered closet doors, a dirty bed (because Violet thinks of it as the BIG doggy bed), dust pretty much everywhere, holes in the walls and dirty windows.  No more, however.  Gone are the louvered doors and dirty white walls of the closet...

The doors were taken down last month.  They made for a pretty amazing bonfire :)  I took out all the clothes and miscellaneous items (three bags worth) and gave to my friends, family and Volunteers of America.  I washed the walls and painted them Eddie Bauer Ochre in a satin finish, Dave stained the wood pine planks maple.

The bedroom is painted Eddie Bauer Pine Needle (again in a satin finish) and I love it.  The paint brand is Valspar  (it goes on like a dream).  I placed her dresser in the closet which made the room seem a lot bigger, centered her bed, put clean bedding on it and then I placed one of my favorite paintings above it...

I had DJ get the sewing machine stand that I purchased at a church sale years ago for $8.00 out of the barn, cleaned it up and placed a few of Alexandra's favorite photos on it.  I put a beautiful fall wreath that I bought at Dollar General several years ago above it :)

An old rotary telephone stand that held my daughter's papers in the closet was cleaned and is now a plant stand.  My spider plant and Christmas cactus are very happy, indeed...

as they will be exposed to the sun all day long...

I am very happy with my efforts.  I hope Alexandra is too :)  The only money spent on this project was for the paint.  Everything else I already had.  I just re purposed it :)   I am huge proponent of making do with what you have.  You'd be surprised what you can do with a little imagination.
Now if you will excuse me I still have many things to do.  Tuesday night is going to be game night at my house.  Probably at least half a dozen kids will be over.
You know what that means don't you?
Marcia's baking.  That's what that means.  Nothing makes me happier :)
I hope you have a great night and week :)

TGIF

For the past two days, we have been experiencing Indian Summer here in Western New York.  Yesterday actually felt hot to me (temperatures were in the 70s).  The sun was out, the sky a bright blue and the few leaves left on trees were gorgeous.  I spent the afternoon at Letchworth State Park with my nephew Daniel taking his senior pictures.  We had so much fun:)

At home, I enjoyed looking at my Halloween decorations that I brought out last Sunday.  Boo came out of the barn and is excited about his favorite holiday being less than one week away.  I bought him at Ames (my most favorite store ever) close to 20 years ago and I will never, ever, ever get rid of him.  He's not scary at all.  He's just happy.   

I didn't put up as many Halloween decorations this year, and that's OK.  I am enjoying nature's splendor instead.  I will be taking advantage of today as it is supposed to be the last day of Indian Summer here in my neck of the woods (big cold snap tomorrow) and doing some major walking tonight when I return home from work.

As for the weekend, who knows.  Tropical storm Sandy looks like she may be headed straight for us.  That means time spent indoors cooking, cleaning and decorating.  Just might be the perfect weekend to get ready for painting someone's bedroom...  Now there's an idea :)
Have a great weekend!!!

Another Beautiful Autumn Day

"If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere." - Vincent Van Gogh 

Enjoy your afternoon :)

His Eye Is On The...

Normally, His eye is on the sparrow :)

Today, however, His eye was on the...

the little, bitty, bitty tufted titmouse...

that flew into the kitchen window...

but I know He watches...
I know He watches...
over me.
And you too :)

One Saturday Morning

Our wood stove is stoked and warming the house nicely.  I have candles burning, a pot roast in my crock pot and an already half eaten coffee cake sitting on my kitchen counter.

There is something very comforting to me about coffee cake. 
It's one of life's little luxuries (like the Sunday edition of The New York Times).
If interested in the recipe, you may find it under my recipe tab.

The dogs and I have gone for a walk already.
The sun is bright...

and the air crisp...

making it necessary to wear a coat...

on this Saturday morning in mid October.

Friday Night Lights

This past Friday night I went to my nephew Daniel's last football game of his high school career.  It was also the beginning of Homecoming Weekend and Senior recognition night.  You knew I had to be there :)

I went early and took before game pictures of the coach giving his pep talk...

 

of Daniel being recognized as a Senior and his Mom being there to support him...

of the team removing their helmets and paying respect to our country's national anthem...

I watched my nephew support his team from both the sidelines...

and on the field...

His team played a good first half and returned after halftime with determination...

Unfortunately, they lost.  However, as I always say, "It's not whether you win or lose that matters.  It's how you play the game that matters most."

On that note, I want you to know that I could not be prouder of my nephew not only as a football player, but as a wonderful young man. 
Can I hear a POUND IT Daniel?