The "Crap" Room

In between all the holiday festivities we've been working on the basement. We pretty much have the guestroom done, except for some furniture painting and putting stuff up on the walls. So we've turned our attention to the craft/sewing/other guestroom. The mister is getting good at hanging drywall. He also did the electrical and the baseboards and trim. We painted it a light aquaish color that I sort of copied from here. When the sweetpeas come to visit they'll sleep in here. We have an iron daybed that was their mommie's when she was a little girl. They also love to do "craps" so we'll have a place to spread out and get creative.

I was thinking about putting tile on the floor but it's pretty cold down there so we're trying carpet. Meet my new friend the carpet installer.I've been unpacking and sorting and organizing.I've found things I haven't even seen in 4 years. I've still got a lot of putting away to do. I'm looking for some cute storage. Any ideas?I bought this tree at the after Christmas sale at Target. The prelit tree and all the ornaments came to $16.00. I should be taking down my Christmas stuff, and I have a huge mess in there, and it's after Christmas, and I'm putting up another tree. It's a sickness, I tell you.

The Holidays in a Nutshell

I can't believe Christmas is over. December just flew by. I guess time goes by faster when you're busy and having fun. Here's the holidays in a nutshell....

I did some baking and candy making. This toffee is very good, you can get the recipe here. This was my grandma's pot. It's made of aluminum and it's probably toxic but nothing sticks to it. I make candy and jam in it and I love it.

Caramel corn in cellophane bags for neighbor gifts.I downloaded these tags from Better Homes and Gardens dot com. Aubrey, my new friend, told me about them. Thanks Aubrey.
I did a little sewing. Two Christmas stockings for the newest cupcakes in the family.
A Merry Christmas embroidery for my daughter in law.

Some wrapping and shipping.

I made another banner. The letters I downloaded from here. Love her blog.

Makes a statement, don't you think?


Plus a lot of cooking, cleaning, home touring, and finishing up the craft room. I'll show you that work in progress tomorrow.

Sunday Sayings

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. Carl Bard

Home Tour IV

Hope you all had as wonderful a Christmas as I did. Lots of food, family and fun. The kids all got together and bought the mister and I a Wii. It's very fun. I love the bowling and baseball. We spent a couple of hours playing on Christmas Night. The next morning the muscles in my arms and shoulders were sore. How out of shape am I? Wow!! Anyway, the last of the home tour pictures. This is the home of my friend Kay. They live in an old English cottage style house. She has a huge collection of primitive furniture. Her husband is an artist and he has a studio in the back yard. See the angel above the fireplace? He carved it. Those are his paintings too.This is Kay's laundry room. She has the best collection of antique linens and toys.And sewing notions, and everything cute... like little red chairs that hang on her walls.

Her darling living room where she hooks rugs and embroiders in the cutest chair right next to a cozy fireplace.

She has a collection of china doll heads, did I mention she has five boys? All of them grown with families of their own.

Our last stop was Emily's. She lives in a home that was built in the 1870's. Her husband is a house painter so he knows how to refinish woodwork!

OK, I think I'm done with the home tour. So much fun. Thanks again for the pictures, Aubrey.

Merry Christmas

This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love, and then speak it again.
Howard W. Hunter

Home Tour III

I hope you're not getting too bored with my home tour pictures cause I've got a bunch more. Stop here if you are, if not, here we go. My friend Lorraine lives in a house that was built in the 1800's. They bought the house about seven years ago and added a large family room, office, laundry room, and master bedroom suite. They did a wonderful job renovating the old part of the house. This was the back porch right off her kitchen, now she calls it the "dish room". I need a dish room!

The living room in the old part.

The renovated kitchen.

The master bath. They did a really good job blending the new with the old.

The laundry room in the new addition. Love all of her old sinks, this one she found in a field behind her son's home.

Guest bedroom.

The next home was built in the 1800's too. I loved all of the old molding, high ceilings, and quirky steep stairs. Kirstan was an art major in college. Loved all her holiday touches.

Don't you love this family picture collage? I love it!

I need to thank Aubrey, my new blogging friend, for bringing over a CD with all these pictures. I was having major problems with my camera and she was kind enough to share her pictures with me. So thank you so very much Aubrey. She also brought over a little plate of orange fudge that was to die for. Notice I said was, it's all gone, I ate most of it all by myself! Thank you for the new addiction, Aubrey! It was delish.

Sunday Sayings

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2

Home Tour II

The next house we visited is a new house, only a couple of years old. I wish I'd gotten better pictures but I was talking and looking and before I knew it I was out the door on the way to the next house. But here's a few...

The powder room, I loved that stitchery over the potty. She had a huge collection of all kinds of hand work, a lot of cross stitch and embroidery, framed and hung on her walls.

These yo-yos were made by her grandmother. She had them framed and they were hung in her craft room.

Some cute projects she's working on.

Now for the sad part. This was the last house I got any pictures because my camera's battery would not hold a charge. It's been giving me headaches but I've been babying it along. I was so annoyed. The mister took pity on me and took me to Costco the next day and here's my Christmas present a little early. Thank you honey. Now I can no longer blame poor picture quality on the camera. Oh, the pressure.

Holiday Home Tour Part I

We had such a good time on our home tour last night. The weather was good, cold but not snowing and the homes were so charming. Every one of them different but beautiful in their own way. It was so fun to meet a couple of blogging friends, Nicole and Aubrey. Nicole even brought her mom and sis. They were all as cute as could be. This is the darling Tif's house. She has a Christmas colored house to begin with so everything looks so festive. I wish the pictures turned out better but here it is... See that sofa over on the right? Tif and her MIL made a slipcover for a couch she got at the thrift store. I don't know why I didn't get a better picture.Isn't that the cutest grinch tree?Her family room, see the glisten banner? Target $2.50 trees in red.More family room. LOVE the scrapbook paper covered letters on the tree. She made one for each of the members of her family. She has twins and another baby due in July.She even let us look in her bedroom. I just noticed no lampshade on that lamp. Did I mention she has 3 year old twins? Her cute kitchen.

More cute homes tomorrow.
OK, I'm a dork. I can't figure out how to delete this extra picture. Please just ignore....Mimi