Putting The Holiday Away

A few years ago I started condensing all my holiday decorations into plastic tubs.  Some are limited to one tub and I plan to keep it that way.  My Christmas and Fall/Halloween tubs however are another story!

I gathered all the smaller things and loaded up the table with them.  I emptied anything I hadn't used for the holiday this time and put everything on the table so I could do some editing.  All the little things get put in some kind of protective plastic.  I chose a couple of things to give donate because the pile was too big for the container.  As you can see my assistant Teddy was ready to jump in and help!

I keep the silk florals in a different area and table linens go in their own area too so I didn't have to try and fit them in here.  It's my goal to keep the patriotic pile just big enough to fit in here and no more!  Gee if I could only convince myself to do that with my Christmas and Fall/Halloween stuff! 

Put away for another year!  That's my St. Patrick's Day tub and Valentine's Day tub to the right.  

I had my patriotic decorating up since late May so I'm ready to move onto another look! 

I'm plotting ideas for the little table and plate rack.   I snapped a shot of a store magazine because I was inspired by this table with the metal pitcher on plates.  We'll see what I come up with!

What are you up to with your holiday deco and how do you store it?

Looking Forward to 2016

Christmas 2015

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Unfortunately 2015 ended poorly for our family.

My brother in law passed on Dec. 23rd so our family Christmas was difficult to say the least.  We all felt like we were on auto-drive and just going through the motions. 

Rest in peace Jim- you will be missed.

The funeral was yesterday.  There was a wonderful turnout and lots of love and support for my sister and her girls.  After a gathering at the American Legion Hall we left for home in Traverse City which is a good 3 hr. drive.

We came home to a snowy wonderland.  Nearly got stuck at the end of our driveway but we made it in!  When the county plow goes by they leave you with a nice fat ridge of snow and we kind of sunk in but thankfully Dan was able to "rock" (reverse-forward-reverse) the car and get it to move.  My snow tires are the best thing!

We had to shovel a bit to get in and then we found out our furnace had quit!  Yep… the icing on the cake you might say!  Fortunately Dan was able to get it running and determined what was wrong.   The house was down to 49 degrees and took a long time to feel warm.  We have a call in for some repair work but for now we're okay.

Before we had left I took this picture because I wasn't sure if I'd still see my amaryllis blooming when we got back.

To my delight when we got inside I found my amaryllis was still blooming.  I imagine since the house was cool it helped keep them from blooming too fast.

The amaryllis was supposed to be a deep red color but turned out to be orange!  Though it's not what I expected it's beautiful and I enjoyed having it bloom.

Not to end my year on an entirely sad note.  While our son and daughter in-law were visiting we took a day for ourselves.  We had lunch and walked around exploring the stores of my hometown Rochester, Michigan.  This window made my day at the bakery.  Of course we went inside and found some irresistible goodies too!

Kevin

Stuart

Bob

I'm ready for 2016- bring it on!

Wishing you all a Healthy,

Loving, Prosperous and Happy New Year!  

Friday Quick Notes and Ideas #6

I hope you are all ready or nearly ready for Christmas!

I sat in the guest room wrapping gifts all afternoon on Tuesday.  Unfortunately I still have a bit more to do!  I didn't really think it would take so long.

Last year I bought wrapping paper from Ballard's when it went on sale.  I really like the quality- it's heavy like craft paper.  I also like the ribbon and gift tags they offered.

This link takes you to a page with all their wrapping paper and ribbons "Ballard's Wrapping Paper"

I used some of their satin ribbon and tied a knot in the center.  I added one of those curly ribbon bows like you often see for a gift bag to the center under the ribbon.  Then I grabbed some of the curly pieces and pulled them under the ribbon and tossed them around to cover the knot and I like how it came out.  I like things easy!

 I went to T.J.Maxx the other day and found some fabulous ribbons, bows and gift bags.  I also found some great wrapping paper although I restrained from buying much of it since I still have a bunch of the Ballard's paper. 

There are three curly bows on a card.

 These are big- about 5" across.  Loved the finish on them.

Now don't smack me but I already bought something for Valentines Day!

Yes they are already getting things in for Valentine's Day at T.J.Maxx.  I decided to grab it since LOVE is universal and could be used anytime!  I don't really decorate much for Valentine's Day but this might be fun to include in my kitchen area for VD.

Bad news on the home front… my brother in-law isn't doing well and I'm concerned how next week is going to go.  I may be heading down to see the family sooner than expected.  

Good news though our daughter, son and daughter in-law are coming home for Christmas!  We'll all meet at my mother's place to save some extra driving for them.  

Christmas long ago...

That's me on the left!  I was about 2 1/2 yrs old.  My sister Jen on the right is 2 yrs. older than me.  See that metal saucer/sled behind her and the wheeled horse behind me yee-haw!  I get a kick out of these pictures.  Dig the slippers I have on and how I'm strapping on my new skates!  I have a feeling I was one of those kids that raced through opening my presents- what do you think??  LOL… 

Christmas 2013

According to the extended forecast it doesn't look like we'll have any snow for Christmas.  In a way that's ok because we have to drive 250 miles to see everyone. Perhaps a little dusting would be nice!

Have a great weekend!

Friday Quick Notes and Ideas #5

PEACE ON EARTH

Wishing everyone peace- we all need it.

Let There Be Peace On Earth  

We sang this in choir when I was in elementary school.  It's always been a favorite song for me.
I know there are many versions of this but my favorite is through the voices of children.


NOEL

Noel- Latin- Birth- Jesus

The first real reason for the season we celebrate.

JOY

Wishing you much joy throughout the season!  Dig down and find it if you can't feel it- it's a good thing!

14 Days 'til Christmas!

Labor Day Weekend Fun and Family Time

On Sunday we took a drive over to the Arcadia Bluffs overlook rest area which offers a beautiful view of Lake Michigan.  It was a nice day (though hazy) early on but later that evening it started to rain and continued on and off until today when everyone was gone (of course)

  We toured Glen Arbor after that and then dined at Harrington's By The Bay before going home.  I used a picture from their web site.  It's hard to make out but there are a couple of boats hanging above, fishing rods, boat motors and two fireplaces on opposite ends.  It's very lodge like.  Love it!

On Labor Day my sister and her husband drove up from a campground they were staying at and we had a great meal.  Rib-eye steaks, potato salad, corn on the cob, baked beans, chips, cucumbers, carrots and celery sticks- which we drizzled the dressing of our choice on. My sister Jen brought some pineapple slices and made a Cherry Cream Cheese pie that my Mom made frequently when we had family gatherings.  It's an easy recipe from Eagle Brand as seen "here". Let's just say there wasn't much left!  I kind of ran out of energy so I wasn't too fancy about the tables I set.  My day began at 7 a.m. prepping food so I could be ready to go later on.  You know how it is...

Though it was raining on and off all day Tuesday we didn't let it stop us.  The kids wanted to visit one of the newer distilleries that we have called Grand Traverse Distillery.  We took a little tour and the host explained some details about how they came about and how the process works.  A worker was cleaning out one of the tanks while we were there.  I didn't partake in tasting their products but my son said their cherry vodka was wonderful. 

Bonobo Winery

We drove up on Old Mission Peninsula to visit a couple of wineries.  Bonobo Winery is a very new one and is owned by Carter Oosterhouse and his brother.  If any of you watch HGTV you may know who Carter Oosterhouse is.  He grew up here in Traverse City, wed his wife actress Amy Smart up here and has opened this new winery with his brother.  It's only a couple of years old so they have a ways to go yet to be well established.  I liked a few of their wines because they were very delicate in flavor so I brought some home for another rainy day!

Carter Oosterhouse and Amy Smart

Brys Estate

Next we visited Brys Estate Winery

This is my favorite one.  I enjoy their wines and the interior/exterior of their winery.  They also have private tasting rooms one of which has the wine barrels that I snapped a shot of.  In the summer there are tours that travel the area to visit all the wineries in our area.  This link "here" is an example of how many there are now.  Some are quite elaborate and some are very simple but it's fun to tour and see all that's out there.

We ended the day with an evening meal at the Red Ginger restaurant which specializes in Asian dishes and Sushi.  My son,  daughter in-law and hubby went for the sushi but I had a tenderloin steak, potato gratin with stilton blue cheese and applewood bacon, and a shiitake truffle pan sauce- it was fabulous!  The place was loaded which I thought was pretty great for a rainy Tuesday night.  I used a picture of theirs for the restaurant overview but the sushi pictures are from our table.  They ate every bit of it too! 

I hope you all had a nice Labor Day weekend.  This is the first time our son and daughter in-law have been home for 3 yrs. 

 Our daughter came by on her way home from her kayaking and camping weekend.

We packed in as much as we could and it was great.

I'm a happy Mom today!

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