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.

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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.

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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??!!

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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.

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