My life is to make everything around me beautiful.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

I Looked Out My Window and What Did I See?

It wasn't apricots growing on an apricot tree. It was snowy branches through lace curtains. Lights reflecting from our eaves into the bushes below it. Dormant bushes and trees waiting patiently for next spring. Sidewalks steeped in snow. Awakening neighbors out shoveling their driveways. I can hear the crunch of the snow and ice of vehicles coming down the street.



And then the roses in the house call to me to show you. ;-)

I have a massage appointment this morning and am sooooo looking forward to it. I need it badly.
~*~

Random Thoughts:

Monday nights are Jack In The Box nights for us. Their grilled chicken salad. I love it but I get mine crispy. I love their balsamic dressing.

Anyway, we were recently there and that's when I realized that husbands and wives are the same the world over. Another couple was sitting at the next table. They were Hispanic and chatting with each other in Spanish probably about the day's events like Love Bunny and me. Then I noticed the husband just grunted like most husbands. She'd talk and he'd just say, "Hmmmh" or "Uh huh." Quite cute actually to know we're all the same as couples the world over!
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I am always telling, and will forever tell, people our age who decide to build bigger houses because their kids are grown, married and gone but come home for holidays: That's what hotels and motels are for. Why keep a 4 or 5 bedroom house with 3500+ s.f. for just 2 people whose families only increase during the holidays? Makes no sense to me.
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Fridays are our "expensive" dinner nights. We eat at Outback, Applebees or Olive Garden those nights, if you'd call that expensive. Monday at JITB: less than $10; Fridays at other places: around $40.

I pretty much stick to Fettucini Alfreco at OG but hubs varies his entree. His favorite is the Apricot Chicken, but sometimes he'll try something new. Whenever we order the waitress or waiter will invariably say, "Good choice. I just tried that the other night and loved it." Is there nothing they haven't tried when we order? Sure makes me wonder why they've "just tried it." I'm not the type to roll my eyes, but I always feel a great pull at my optic nerves that I've not experienced since puberty!
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It's been my experience that children are dressed according to their mothers' temperature. Mummies will put a sweater or coat on them when they—mummy—feels cold. The kid probably is dying from the heat most of the time. I always let my kids decide if they were too warm or cold. They certainly wouldn't die from hypothermia in my house!
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This happened recently at an event I didn't particularly want to attend but got dragged to by hubby. There are times I have decided that broaching the subject of what's on my mind at some parties would qualify me for poor socializing. ;-) I pretty much keep my mouth shut and for ME this is truly hard to do. But you know what I mean. We've all been there when the person we're talking to has 2 brain cells—one for breathing in and one for breathing out. Sigh...

Until next time, my sweet chicks.
~*~

Monday, December 20, 2010

Pretty Offices and Randomness Thrown In

Randomness today.

Hubby and I have a Secret Santa. Whoever they are, they've gone to a lot of trouble to get us these gifts as the bags are adorable. I'll show you more as they come along, but this was the first bag along with a tree. Each night we've received an ornament and a candy bar (squeeeeeal, but I'm becoming so sick of candy I can barely look at it at the moment!). This little bag had to take quite a bit of effort.

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This shiny ornament I received as a surprise gift from Pat at The Urban Chic. She's just a sweet hearted gal!
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This is a calendar our granddaughter gave us this Christmas of Miss Caroline, her daughter. I've made just a few scans of it to show you. What is more beautiful than a newborn's baby fuzz...

or the tiny little eyelashes on her when she's so fresh from Heaven?

Her darling big blue eyes that just fascinate her Nana (me)!

Her mummy put her in one of my baby dresses so we can see the difference of almost 70 years.
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My favorite sandwich is chicken salad. I'm pretty fussy about my food but especially my chicken salad. My recipe is my favorite, and it's so very simple: chopped up chicken breasts sprinkled with Mrs. Dash roasted for about a half hour in the oven, pecans (they are sweeter than any other nut), mayonnaise, sour cream and celery. Then put on bread with cream cheese and a leaf of lettuce. Best sandwich in the world according to me and hubby. Ham salad is my 2nd favorite and then just plain ham sandwich is my 3rd favorite. Here is a lunch hubs and I had recently: chicken salad sandwiches and red potato salad. Yuuummm!

Can you see the layer of cream cheese? Ooooooooo!!!!


I saw these boots on a website advertisement and though you'd like seeing them. Idahoans take their boots quite seriously, ya know!

Paisley

Leopard skin with roses! My favorite. And they come in Wellies also.



And they come in psychedelic for you aging hippies.
~*~

Just some offices I like. Now, they may not be your style, but you can certainly adept these offices to your own style and budget. Get ideas from the accessories and the styles.




Curiously enough, this one is my favorite. Ooh, I'd change some things but I just love this one and it doesn't look like a huge space either. The light is another thing I love about it.
~*~

Friday, December 17, 2010

Pink Saturday 12/18/2010

Welcome to Pink Saturday once again. To view all the other participants pink things, hop on over to Beverly's How Sweet The Sound by clicking on the logo below:

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This is a corner in a boudoir where the lady of the house might keep her accounting books or write to her children away or invite dear friends to visit for a lovely weekend in the countryside.

I love these chairs but I'm afraid the wicker bottoms wouldn't be advantageous to my leg. But I'd sure love to have the slipcovers over the chairs at the bottom of this blog.

Yummy French and Red all over.


If only my bedroom were big enough to have a desk or bench at the end of my bed I'd fall over in glee. Truly I would.



A pretty little French country bedroom that you could probably find in most bed and breakfast inns of France.


These are the chairs I hope to get very soon. I need something padded like this for my injured leg, so how can Love Bunny deny me? Hmmmmmmm??!!
~*~

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Christmas Tree 2010

Caution: this is photo heavy! But I can make my jpgs very small in pixels so it should not take long to load for anyone, but I'm just warning you that there are about 40 photos, which is not my regular amount. I only do it for special parties on the blogs.

As most of you who read me regularly know, we're empty nesters. We usually stay home for the Christmas season unless we can be absolutely sure we can get over the Sierra mountains to go back to California to visit kids or head off to Seattle to visit our granddaughter and her family. This year we're staying put! But we don't decorate the house like most people with little children do. It's just too hard on me, not HIM, to do it anymore. So he puts up lights and decorates outside and I just do a tree in the house.

I've been feeling unmotivated for a couple of months. Yeah, that's a good word—unmotivated. It took me a long time to decide if I would participate in Sherry's Share the Decor Party. So yesterday I had Love Bunny put up the tree. Let me deviate here for a minute.

Last year we had a green tree that we got 2 years ago so we wouldn't have to keep putting money out for something we were going to throw out. I dreamed about a white tree but didn't think Mr. Scrooge (hubs/love bunny) would spring for it since he's a traditionalist. Lo and behold, 2 weeks ago he suggested we get a white tree because he knew I was lusting after one! I demurred but he would have none of that. What a sweetheart he was when he put the white tree in the cart at WM! I guess he's a keeper. Anyway, it is now decorated and I'm going to just comment on a few of the photos for those of you like me who love the romantic, shabby chic, froufrou decor.

I don't do a traditional type of tree. For the most part I add things friends have given me or what I make. I have a few bulbs here and there but for the most part...well, you'll see what I mean.

I start with putting the lights on the tree and then using yards and yards and yards of netting and then yards and yards of pink and white organza ribbon to wrap it, I tuck and pouf for the most part.

I made these little faux cupcakes and put a few on the tree.

I added pine cones I've painted pink and added roses to.

I added 40 snow flakes to which I've added pretty papers and ribbon roses.

I add as much bling as I can and then put little faux candies in the netting.

Little paper flowers I crafted and stuck in the netting.

I made this tree topper with a wreath, paper roses, bling and faux pearls and just wrapped and tucked it also.

Very few balls on the tree, but I couldn't pass up these polka dot ones.



More faux candies tucked into the netting.


More scrunchy flowers I made from paper.

A little beaded angel sent to me from Pat at the Urban Chic.





One of the very few bulbs I've added this year.

Another cupcake I made a few years ago and tucked into the netting also.

Little birds I've tucked into the tree.




A little silk embroidery give to me by a member of my eBay group I've had for about 4 or 5 years now.





As I said, being unmotivated lately, I simply added a ruffle to this felt tree skirt. I wanted to buy one but I can't find a single shabby roses one now! About 3 or 4 years ago you could find them all over eBay but none now. I wanted to make one but I just got lazy and didn't. So I simply stuff yards and yards and yards of pink netting under there to tone down the red.

A little faux cake tucked in the netting nice and tight.



Almost finished here.


Wrap around and tuck.

And pouf and pouf and pouf.


After adding the lights and netting.

And the finished tree. I tried my best to get good pix in this room but it was an overcast day so this is the best I could do.
~*~