My Happy Holiday Home Tour

Hello and Welcome to my happy home

all dressed up for the holidays.

Last night when I was taking these pictures, a gentle rain was falling.

Our holiday lights combined with those of our neighbors made the gloomy evening much brighter and cheerier.

Welcome in.

Feel free to hang your coat.

I've got my hat & scarf parked here with high hopes that we will see at least one snowfall this winter.  Fingers crossed.

Could I interest you in a cup of hot chocolate?

The foyer table is dressed up for the holiday season.

It will come as no surprise that shades of blue feature prominently throughout my home.

Across from the foyer table is the living room.

The tree in here features my parents collection of ornaments.

This is where I start my day with the tree lights on, a warm cup of coffee and often a cozy Christmas book to peruse.

Just past the living room is the large island that is kind of a central point in the house.  In the fall I purchased this large wooden tray and enjoyed decorating it with pumpkins and gourds.

Here it is all spiffed up for Christmas.

In the background you can see the kitchen.

You've seen it before, but I'll take you in to see a few little vignettes.

This wooden tray was found at the thrift shop.

I added a bit of vintage whimsy and tucked it into the corner where it brings back memories of childhood Christmases.

While doing the dishes, this is the view.

Christmas cards seem to dwindle more each year.

I do appreciate those that I still receive and enjoy seeing them and being reminded of the special people who sent them.

Just past the kitchen is the dining table and hutch.

Everything on the table was thrifted, including the table runner which looked brand new and couldn't be more perfect for the color scheme I was working with.

Finally we make it to the family room.

Christmas music is playing and the fire is lit.

The presents are wrapped and soon it will be time to gather together and make new memories.

Thank you for visiting today.

As you leave through the garage door, my whimsical snow couple and I would like to wish you

A Very Merry Christmas

and

All Good Things in The New Year!

Happy To Be Home

A beautiful day in sunny Florida.

Judging by this picture one might get the idea that we enjoyed a tropical vacation.

The main reason for our trip was to move my mother-in-law into assisted living from the apartment she has been in since 2014.

We drove down on Thanksgiving day.

Not knowing what would be open, and in an effort to save time, we packed lunch and ate at a rest stop.

Turkey Jerky, sweet potato chips, homemade pumpkin muffin and clementines were my attempt at making this somewhat unusual Thanksgiving still seem festive.

The traffic was light as we had hoped.

We arrived at our first destination in time to celebrate with our son and his family.  Thankfully we were able to visit with them for a few more days.

Jaxson loved going on walks with his grandparents and showing us the best views in his neighborhood.  Grandma wanted a picture by the pretty poinsettias.

When grandpa was ready for a rest, Jaxson found a palm frond and used it as a fan.

😄

Soon it was time to head further south and begin our work.

We spent 6 days going through my mother-in-law's belongings.

She is in a much smaller place now so everything had to be dealt with in short order.  Like so many from her generation. she was a saver.  I was amazed to come across her high school scrap book filled with crumbling corsages. Boxes and boxes and boxes of photos made me glad that we now store them on our devices for the most part.  We brought back what we could fit in the car to be distributed to various family members.  We lost count of trips to the donation center.

Once the jobs were done, we enjoyed a celebratory dinner and visited her in her new home.

In her room with her daughter and yours truly.

Our last day we visited during "happy hour".

Mother & son enjoyed the Christmas carols being played on the piano and a nice conversation.

Somewhat teary goodbyes are always hard.

At 95 years old she is in remarkable health.

Prior to her move she had a few falls and it became clear that she couldn't live alone anymore.  Convincing her of that was interesting (to say the least).  After an adjustment period she is now doing very well in her new home.

We are now back home and Christmas seems to be coming way too fast.  The smartest thing I've done in a while is ...

putting up my trees and all Christmas decorations prior to leaving.

After a very busy few weeks and a long drive home it was so nice to walk into our home all lit up for the holidays.

Merry Christmas to me :).

This afternoon is my eye injection appointment and then I'm off the computer for a few days.  Can't wait to have a minute to sit and catch up on blog reading.

In November

Is it really November 21st?

I feel like I just posted about Halloween and next week it will be Thanksgiving.

Today we had blue skies and sunshine until about 3:00 when a noticeable darkness descended in the house.  Odd as we aren't expecting rain.

I took a look out my office window and appreciated the sunlight illuminating the trees with that dramatic dark sky in the background.

I love when that happens.  November seems to be the month for those lighting conditions.

I feel like if we're paying attention, Mother Nature is putting the spotlight on the beautiful autumn colored trees and, in this case, birdies suggesting we take note of their unique beauty .

Around here we are still awaiting our first significant frost.

We had a light frost this morning, but not enough to cause any damage.

The leaves have begun to flutter off the trees.  Although there is still a lot of color to appreciate.

My pansies are happy.

The camellias are blooming beautifully.

Inside the Thanksgiving cactus are just about to bloom.

Since we will be traveling for Thanksgiving, I am hoping that we will be able to see them in full bloom.

How has your November been?

Is it flying at a rapid pace for you too?

🦃🦃🦃

Halloween Greetings

The morning started on a foggy note.

I went trick or treating for my morning cup of coffee.

The trees are well into their autumn color change.

Once the fog cleared, the patio made a nice spot to begin Halloween morning.

Living in a 55+ community means there will be no kids trick or treating at our door tonight.  

Yesterday I was feeling a bit nostalgic so I dug out photos of my boys in their trick or treating days.

Once again I am reminded of how quickly the years fly by.

Instead of passing out candy tonight, I will be meeting some friends to play Mexican Train.  Before I go I'll light up the jack o' lanterns to send their cheerful Halloween greetings into the night.

Whatever your day holds, I wish you a 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

Gourdgeous Fall Days

Luckily that frost I was concerned about in my last post didn't happen.  So, my houseplants are back on the patio enjoying these  gourdgeous  gorgeous fall days we are now having.

I had some jobs I wanted to tackle indoors today.

Although it was hard to be inside on such a lovely day, I opened the doors and windows and got busy.

First on the agenda was cleaning under the kitchen sink.

I find the best way to do this properly is to empty everything out,

wipe the cabinets, edit what is lurking under there and then put things back in an organized fashion.

All done.

A few things got tossed and the remainder is now better organized.

The hardest part of this task was getting up and down from the floor.

:D

I discovered a container of stainless steel wipes under there and decided to shine up the fridge, dishwasher, microwave and oven.

Thought briefly about cleaning out the inside of the fridge and freezer and decided that job could be for another day.

Before the sun set on this day I wanted to get outside and see what was happening in the garden.  Couldn't resist snipping these late hydrangeas as the variation of color is so beautiful.

Prior to getting started on my cleaning tasks I brought out a couple of kitchen helpers.  A new to me soup recipe is simmering away in the slow cooker while a loaf of potato bread is baking in the bread machine.  

It's such a nice feeling to know that when dinnertime rolls around, all we have to do is serve ourselves.

All in all it was a most satisfying day in the kitchen.

It's Getting a Little Chilly Around Here

This bud on my hibiscus plant is contemplating whether or not it will open fully.  The warm temperatures that it prefers have vanished this week.  Tonight they are saying we might even see a touch of frost.

Because I'm not ready to take the chance of frost jeopardizing that bloom, we've pulled all of the tender potted plants onto the covered patio for the night.  Before I go to bed, I'll drape a sheet over them and hope they will be protected from frost damage.  

The houseplants that spent the summer on the patio are having a sleepover in the garage tonight.  In a week or two they will be moved back into the house.  After tonight the temperatures are supposed to be well above the freezing mark.  To be on the safe side we will be monitoring the weather closely in case something changes and we need to protect them again.

This morning we had all of the windows washed and believe me, they needed it.

After the job was done, I was going around putting things back together and dusting off the window sills.  It was a sweet surprise to see this vivid blue hydrangea in bloom outside the window next to the bathtub.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that old Jack Frost keeps his hands off the hydrangeas.  This blue one barely bloomed all summer.  It now has several blooms and buds eager to do their thing.  I hope they are successful as I'd love to be able to cut one last bouquet.

The mums on the front porch don't mind the chilly temperatures.

I think it will help them last longer than if it was very warm like it often is at this time of year.

🍁🍁🍁

Has frost visited your garden yet?

Hello October

Hello and Happy October to you!

Although I am listening to the air conditioner humming away outside the window, I know that it won't be long until it won't be necessary to run it anymore.  I look forward to those crisp autumn days.  Have they found their way to you yet?

On this first day of October, I found it a temporary distraction to spread a touch of fall decor around the house.  That would be a distraction from the news stories covering the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.  As you are probably aware, the western mountains of North Carolina were hit particularly hard.  Through the years, Brett & I have visited the area several times.  Fall was often a time we would schedule a short getaway into one of the small towns in the mountains.  The scenery was beautiful and we enjoyed exploring the apple orchards and little pottery studios and art galleries along the way.  

These past few days we have both been comparing videos we watch (in disbelief) of the devastation.  It's hard to imagine the conditions so many people are dealing with right now.  Not just in North Carolina, but South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia as well.

My heart goes out to everyone who has been impacted by this.

Adding a touch of fall to the kitchen counter.

I have been looking for something to put on the kitchen island that was proportionate to it's size.  I think this long dough bowl is the answer.  I filled it with fall items I already owned.  When Christmas rolls around I'll replace the gourds with greenery and maybe some candles.

A little spot by the window to enjoy those warm fall beverages.

🍁🍁🍂🍁🍁

Taking Notice

Since my last post, two additional eye "issues" presented themselves.  One was quickly resolved with a laser procedure.  The other came on quickly while I was reading a book.  A huge floater appeared followed by showers of additional floaters.  This all happened in the eye that had received the injection two weeks prior.  I would be less than honest if I said it didn't startle me greatly.

Of course it happened on a weekend so I was scrambling for just what to do about it.  With the macular degeneration diagnosis being so new, I wasn't sure if I was soon to lose vision in the eye or just what was going on.

I called the number for the eye care center and, fortunately, could leave a message for the doctor on call.  When he returned my call, he asked some questions and said it sounded like PVD.  He explained what it was and said it isn't considered an emergency, but it is necessary to be seen to make sure it didn't cause a retina tear.  That was another visit to the retinal specialist who numbed the eye and performed a test involving pushing my eyeball every which way while shining a very bright light into the eye.  Not exactly my idea of fun, but the good news was no retina tear.  

Apparently these PVDs are common as we get older.  The eye doctor said most of us will get them.  When Brett and I were talking about it afterwards, we couldn't think of anybody we knew that has had them.

All of these eye issues happening at once have given me a new appreciation for my eyesight.  I suppose it is one of the many things in life I have taken for granted until something like this makes me sit up and take notice.  I occasionally try to imagine life with vanishing eyesight and quickly stick my head back in the sand.  I am thankful for doctors who specialize in this field and for the medications that may prolong my vision.  

I must say while I've been trying to limit my computer time. I have been paying better attention to the beautiful sights around me like the butterflies and this cloud formation that was right outside my door the other evening.

July was very dry here.

August has been making up for it with plenty of rainfall and even the remnants of Tropical Storm Debbie.

The first rainy evening I lit the patio table candles and just sat out there watching and listening to the glorious raindrops as they gave my garden the hydration it so desperately needed.  My best efforts with the garden hose are no match for plentiful rainfall.

Well, what do we have here?

I see you through the Japanese Maple.

Please don't eat the black eyed susans or the crape myrtle blossom.

Well, that's the low down on my eye issues.

It's been taking up a good part of the summer.

Now, I hope to carry on with "regularly scheduled programming".

Thank you for your caring comments and prayers.

I sure do appreciate it!!

💗💗💗