Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to drop in to say Merry Christmas to all of you!  This is the first time in several days that I have had  "down" time!  All of the gifts are opened, the kids are happy, everyone enjoyed a ham dinner and I get to relax for the evening.  Yay!

Here are a few pictures of some of my ornaments around the house.  I decided to  post tonight because I am "that" person that takes down all of my decorations the day after Christmas and declare my life back to normal :)

This is the baby tree in my kitchen.  I decorated it with vintage Christmas cookie cutters held on with twine, a set of vintage measuring spoons and a super cute star Christmas ornament that looks like a cookie.

This is our Christmas tree with a couple of close ups on some of our ornaments.

Here is the mantel in the video game room where I hung my kids stockings.

A gingerbread house that the kids made a few years ago.

A Santa door knob hanger.

I made the wooden coat hanger that is behind my front door.  It holds my baptism dress from when I was a baby all year long and during Christmas time I add some greenery.

Some Christmas garland randomly hung around the house.

Christmas decorations on the front porch.

A snow shovel (I will never need to use this thing being I live in Southern California, I guess its a good thing....I wouldn't know how to use it anyways)  hanging out with my grandfathers canes.  

And lastly....Meet Ellen.  My beautiful niece that is in high school always thinks of me while making things in her ceramics class.  Ellen was an amazing gift from her one year and I adore her.

Thanks for stopping by.....Enjoy the rest of your evening and have a Very Merry Christmas!

Some new things to share

I love Christmas but can't stand the hustle and bustle about it!  I wish things just happened on their own with no effort on my part so that I can sit back and enjoy the important things in life....like spending time with my family.

Between decorating, shopping, and wrapping gifts I have managed to have spurts of time to attend Christmas functions at my kids schools.

Here is my youngest daughter Gabi.....this pic was taken just minutes after her dance routine in the school Talent Show.....trust me she has more guts than her mom :)

So on Saturday I made it to a newly opened antique shop in my area.  I'm very happy with my finds.

I got this wire/wicker lantern thing for $10!  Its hanging in my bedroom, and it looks great!

I also got this mini candle holder for $3.  The dealer told me that back before we had Christmas lights, people actually used the clip part to attach it to their Christmas tree branches. They would then lite the candle that it held to achieve the beautiful glow on their Christmas tree.

I have it clipped on top of a ribbon holding a roll of burlap together.

I collect the letter "D"...This one is in my bedroom on top of a roll top desk.

This "D" is one of my newest ornaments.

This is my big trunk that sits in my living room.  I use it to hold black and white family photos.

This is my bakers rack that is in my kitchen.  I like the simple look for the holidays.  I also have a cute tiny Christmas tree in my kitchen that is not quite ready to show.  As soon as I am done with it, I will post a picture.

And  lastly....do you remember the vases I got at a yard sale for $1???  Here is how I used two of them along with a candy dish Gabi gave me for Christmas last year.

Until next time,

Josie