Holiday Homes Tour 2011

Welcome to the 2011 Edition of the Holiday Homes Tour. Please, take a walk up the path and join me in my little storybook cottage.

I try to do something different with the wreath every year. This year I went with the traditional woven Scandinavian Hearts. It was a pain to make them so tiny!

I never really have a theme. I just put the same old things in new places.

We have my vintage elf collection.

Now I have a tree collection! The tree on the left I've had since I was young. The candleholder tree I found at a thrift store last year. The matroishka tree was a gift from a friend. And the pinched clay tree is a masterpiece by young Frank.

I have to display my favorite holiday photos. Look at how cute the dandelion fluff Ernest's hair is.

The nutcracker collection has grown since last year.

Frank was instrumental in lighting and decorating the tree.

He chose a cat to top the tree. It has been The Year of the Cat around here, hasn't it. Yes, that is Chewbacca underneath.

He picked out the ornaments most similar to Homer and Francine (Fifi).

But you can never have too many cat ornaments. So I hung the rest of them in the powder room  Gallery of American Vernacular Cat Art.

Last year's creative masterpiece, the Recession Wreath, has new life as a tree skirt for the Charlie Brown tree.

And the Recession Tree itself? I saved the whole thing. Stuck it in the closet, lights and all, ready to use again this year.

I went a little wild on the piano, with the leg lamp and disco balls.

Why yes, that is a theremin. Doesn't everyone have a theremin?

The tomato cage Recession Tree so inspired me last year, I painted another cage and hung some of my overflow ornaments on it. I kept it up through Valentine's Day, redecorating with a red, pink and silver motif. But wouldn't you know, I didn't take any pictures of either version.

This year I gave the extra tree a theme -- my bubble lights, which are older than Frank, and all the cute home made ornaments. We've got the jigsaw puzzle piece and cotton ball frames, the cardboard angels, and some other assorted semi-hand made wooden pieces.

I've got another tomato cage painted. I'll decorate it if I can just find a place to put it!

Thanks for visiting! Stop by any time. (If you'd like to visit prior years, here are the links:

2008 2009 2010 )

Chchchanges

I changed to the Facebook timeline. Same old sh-- arranged differently. Big whoop.

Blogger has changed too. I think I like it. Pictures are easier to work with.





What's changed for you lately?

See you on the Holiday Homes Tour tomorrow!

I Ran Out of Apples

I'm sure the family is happy that the apples are gone and I have stopped making strange food with them.

I have to confess, I had a small rebellion on my hands when I told Ernest I wanted to make meatloaf with apples in it. "Please Mom, make your regular meatloaf. I love it," he begged. So I did. But a week later I was tricksy and made Claudia's Friend's Grandma's Apple Meatloaf on a night when he wasn't home. It was deliciously different. I guess I was forgiven but they are stuck in a rut and don't want me to mix up the meatloaf ever ever again. Sigh.

The last of the apples went into the Thanksgiving pie, thanks to Frank the pie man. That is a turkey outlined on the top.

The Handy Husband's birthday is this weekend. I was all set to make a fancy cake, but then Frank offered to make the traditional cheesecake. There's no bucking tradition in this house. Cheesecake it is.

So, meatloaf and cheesecake.  Two traditions I can't mess with.  What traditions are cast in stone at your house?

Say Hello to My Little Friend

We are often entertained by a pair of squirrels who scurry along the fences and up the trees. I wish his tail was showing. It's bushier than the cats'.

Christmas Project Previews

I've been hoarding collecting holiday-ish fabric and embellishments for years, intending to make a whole bunch of Christmas stockings. But somehow I never got started.

I have a couple planned.

That's going to be a snowflake, believe it or not, and I think this one will have a tree motif.

But I got sidetracked from those because I decided I needed to make Lego-themed stockings for two very special legomaniacs. Do you know how hard it is to find Lego fabric? Hello, Lego? You could make some money there. I eventually came across Spoonflower and there it was.

Those stockings are actually finished, as in completely sewn together, but I want to put names on them. Rather than use glitter glue, I thought I'd sew the names on with sequins, which can be easily ripped off if the recipients wish to re-gift.

Don't ask me about a pattern. Pattern? We don't need no stinkin' patterns here. A little free-form freezer paper is all it takes. And some special spatial engineering skills, to get the loops coming out of the cuffs in the right place!

I'm delighted to have finished something! What has delighted you today?

Previews

Well, this is what I have to work with.



The difficult part for me is I have too many ornaments, too little tree.

The easy part for me is totally humiliating the cat.

And how is your holiday decorating coming along?

Don't forget to sigh up for Jen's Holiday Homes Tour!

Sign up by the 19th, the tour day is the 21st!

Pink Saturday: NHRA

I know this isn't holiday related, but I meant to post it a few weeks ago. Whoops! Next week with the holiday theme.

So you might be thinking "What does Drag Racing have to do with Pink?"

Well, here you go. One of Ashley Force's cars.



And we must not forget the great Shirley Muldowney, of course.

My husband is not a big sports guy, but he does love cars. Drag racing in particular. We've been down to Pomona numerous times as the season starts and finishes there. Sometimes he's been able to score tickets for one of the tower suites, courtesy of one of his company's suppliers, but he's always taken someone else, not me! This year I was wily. I'll go with you if you get Cooner Wire tickets, I purred. And he did.

So there we are, on TV. (Behind the glass above the word WIRE. What, you can't see me?)



Here's our view.



And the view 50 years ago.

It was a lot of fun. Not only because there was free beer and food in the suite!

Pink Saturday - Beverly at the blog "How Sweet the Sound" hosts Pink Saturday. Let the colorpink inspire you!

Fine Print

When the Handy Husband had LASIK last month, we were offered 0% financing for 24 months. Take it, I said! In perusing the fine print on the paperwork, I noted the fact that if you took longer than 24 months to pay, the interest went up to a WHOPPING 26.99% Scary. I made sure to read all the fine print when we got the first bill.

If you pay only the minimum payment ($143.00) you will pay off the balance in 15 years and will pay an estimated total of $10,411.00. If you pay $157 you will pay off the balance in 3 years for a total of $5,655.00. (The interest rate is not actually 0%, the 26.99% is deferred for 24 months keps on adding up.)

We only financed $3800. That requires a payment of $158.34 for 24 months. I'm going to pay it off as soon as I can.

When you think something's too good to be true, you're probably right.

Strike A Pose

The olive boy had short days last week because of Parent/Teacher conferences, so he came over to my house a few times. We had Board Game Day, Cookie Baking Day, and Craft Day. Although he didn't want to do any crafts, I got my Christmas Wreath assembled. No pictures of it yet -- I'm saving it for the Holiday Homes Tour.

Anyway, Mr. Thomas showed off his new haircut.

And Frank had a haircut as well.



Strike a Pose!

Traditions

It was a good Thanksgiving, highlighted by the fact that I got my traditional "boy with olives on his fingers" picture. The boy is growing! Good thing I bought the jumbo olives.

He has short days this week because of school conferences, so I am a lucky auntie to have him visit. Tuesday we played board games: Battleship, Candyland, Operation (its 10-year-old batteries still worked), and Don't Wake Daddy. We tried Whack-a-Mole, but it didn't work correctly. I'm sure the moles were relieved.

During today's visit, we are going to bake cookies. His idea. Frank was a little sad that he wouldn't be around, since he is our champion cookie baker, but he is letting us use his recipe. Don't forget the special ingredient, he said. He said it's cinnamon. I think it's the cookie scooper. Or maybe it's just love.

Fireplace Cozy

I'm slowly picking away at some long unfinished projects.

For years, my husband's been using an old blanket to cover up the fireplace when we're not using it in the winter, to keep cold air out. And for years I've been intending to make something nicer instead. A fireplace cozy.

This fabric predates our cats by several years, but what do you know?

Here's Homer!

And here's Francine!

Thanksgiving Greetings

Happy Thanksgiving from me and my family.

May you never be on the wrong side of the door.

Skirting the Issue

I'll just come right out with it and say: I made my son a skirt.

Technically this is for changing in and out of those tight spandex shorts at bike races. You can do it under a towel but you run the risk of the towel dropping at an inopportune moment. I could have said, go borrow your brother's kilt but I wouldn't want it to get wrecked. His coach has something like it.

So Ernest asked me to make him one. I offered to make it of something plain and neutral, like denim. No, Ernest wanted some funky fabric. Out of several choices from my stash, he picked Cat in the Hat fabric. He'll make a bold statement at his next race.

Hiding

It rained on Saturday and Homer disappeared after breakfast. I couldn't imagine that he went outside on a day like that. He was not in his usual post of alertness when I cooked the bacon. Usually he is at BaCON Level 1 (maximum readiness to mooch bacon). I was worried and called and called for him. You worry what your neighbors will think when you go outside in jammies and call out, "Homer! Bacon!"

Finally he appeared from under the table.

He slept under the table most of the day. Oh, let me be honest, all day. I mean, he sleeps all day anyways, but usually it's out where we can see him. Maybe the darkness and wetness of the day made him want to cocoon and hibernate.

On Sunday the sun came out and Homer was back to normal. Bacon, bacon, why isn't there bacon today? Why isn't there bacon flavored cat food? Oh well, I'll accept a little cream cheese.

Strange spider

I caught another strange spider around the house...

Actually, Ernest is drying his cycling shoes after a ride in the rain yesterday. I learned last year that in a pinch you can stuff the shoes with newspaper -- it wicks up the water and you keep changing the paper. But these shoe dryers are a little easier.

Today the sun is shining and 3 out of 4 of us have the whole week off.

Whoo-hoo!

What's the whoo-hoo for you today?

Tuesday Tidbits

It's another foggy day and I'm going to curl up with a blanket and my first cup of coffee.

Love how I got both the portapotty and the jumping deer sign. I hope the deer don't run into the potty. One night on the way back from picking up Ernest at Hogwarts a deer ran into the side of my husband's truck, in just about this spot.

Apparently today is Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day. I usually clean mine (i.e. throw out what's rotten and spoiled) on Thursdays, since our garbage is picked up on Fridays. I've had great success in eating our leftovers, thanks to a week of homemade soups for lunch. All made with leftovers. Cream of broccoli soup plus 3 kinds (chicken, beef and pork) of spicy tortilla soups, sans the tortillas because I didn't have any. This week's leftovers include quiche and enchiladas, which are still attractive enough for others to take for lunch.

Frank and I are going through marathons of tv shows on Netflix. We've watched Warehouse 13, Heros, and are on Firefly now. I vote for Buffy the Vampire Slayer next, what do you think?

What's happening in your world this week?

Moonlight

The moon was so bright last night. I took this photo at Hogwarts around 6 p.m.

Later I woke up to light streaming in through the curtains and assumed it was almost time to get up. Wrong! 4 a.m. Sigh.

Eyes

No, I'm not watching A Clockwork Orange.

The Handy Husband had lasik yesterday.

I'm still squeamish but he's pretty happy with the results. He hated glasses, and hated contacts too, so it was a good choice for him.

Pink Saturday: iPad

Homer says he fits in very well with Pink Saturday -- ears, nose and pads or should I say iPads.

He enjoys sitting on my reading material, no matter whether it is paper or electronic.

How appropriate that he is sitting on the FOOD section.

Pink Saturday - Beverly at the blog "How Sweet the Sound" hosts Pink Saturday. Let the color pink inspire you!

Socks and Shoes

There's a nip in the morning air now. I find I have to put on socks in the morning, although I end up taking them off and going back to sandals in the afternoon.

For the longest time I wore white socks. I confess, they were hand-me-downs that my sons had outgrown. Sad but thrifty. But then a sock store opened in town. And they have the most irresistibly cute socks...

But it was so cold and windy yesterday, I had to resort to wearing real shoes.

Which was good timing, because my beloved leopard slides have come undone. (Thanks to Jen, I now realize it is more like cheetah but it says leopard on the box and I've called them leopard for so long now I just can't stop.) I tried mending them once but my knot came untied. I guess I'll try to fix them again.

Although they are not the best shoes for today's weather -- a whole 1/8" of rain. Whoopee!

What are your tootsies wearing today?

Emoticons

It was difficult enough to shop for Frank's birthday, so I'm already starting to worry about Christmas. He just doesn't want things, so we end up giving him things he needs. Like underwear and coffee mugs.

But since his birthday coincided with Talk Like a Pirate day, he was bound to get some kind of pirate merchandise.


Frank's new coffee mug was a little...

shocked?

If you were an emoticon, how would you look today?

/:-/ This is me, frowning, because Ernest is running extremely late. No wonder the water bill is so high.

UPDATE at 7:25: Ernest just informed me that he is not running late...he has free period first and there are no jobs this morning so he doesn't have to be there till 8:30.

;0

The Daily Drive: Fog

The fog was thick this morning. I should use my time wisely and take more pictures while Ernest is driving.

Now he's discovered the "sport mode" on my car. Actually we can blame my husband for that. He told Ernest about it last night. "Mom, it's like turning the car up to eleven. But your car's already an eleven."