Better Not Pout...

 

 Still alive...still haven't had much time to sew...the last 6 weeks or more have been a blur of activity.

 

The Christmas theme is inescapable at our house (and this ain't the half of it)...in fact I was told last night that Mr. Christmas wishes to do more so we can get it all out and reorganize it! This is what happens when you help do a Toys for Tots benefit boutique for several years!
Oh well...Christmas started at Thanksgiving when Vet Girl was home and will still be going when Oldest son is back in town at New Years.
New ornies keep finding their way onto the tree...found two 1/2 price Dachshunds at Cracker Barrel the other night...hadda hav'em...the Baby's First Christmas ornie is front & center directly in line with the big skiing bear. 

 

The quilt, High Strung, is a couple of years old...already!
The tree is sort of a Santa with his Animal Friends theme...along with whatever is pertinent that year...our ginormous stuffed reindeer haven't found their way upstairs yet...I usually try to find a sturdy tree with some gaps for them to tuck into. This is the first year we've had an artificial tree...I bought it on clearance last year knowing that Vet girl would be home at Thanksgiving which was too early for a cut tree.   We have large windows in this 104 year old Money Pit...so most of them & the french doors have a lit garland, each with it's own theme.

Still lovin' this quiltand the awesome quilting job!  I changed the sign on the napping snowman to say "Flaked Out"! Someday I should really make the companion quilts that go with it & hang it with something other than clippy pant hangers!

We need more wallspace!!!

Santa Bear and several of his friends have lived with us for years...and years...and years. Grandpa has been faithfully adjusting the nose on the advent snowman every evening! Even old dudes like toys!  Shhh...that old dudes comment is just between you & me!

The old window frame was gleaned from Hubby's brothers (in-laws?) shed over 30 years ago...I knew I'd do somethin' with it someday...just took me a little bit to decide...Love that it has some remnants of old red paint on it! I could so become a picker...'cept I don't really like to dicker, or climb through cobwebs...or mouse poop...oh I digress!
Our new green shelf went up the night before Thanksgiving. The window frame looks lie its leaning forward onto it in this picture but it's really tilted toward the wall...just took the picture at a weird angle.  The nice deep shelf is holding all the stocking hangers and stockings...should have thought of it years ago! I miss having a fireplace and mantel this time of year.
Hubby loves hand painted Santa's...driftwood...gourds...and we've had this guy for years, usually hanging on the inside of the front door...I love how he looks with the old window and the bittersweet garland that I dug out of a box on the fly.

We half expected Vet Girl to stuff this old homemade barn in her car when she was here...she always loved it! A certain cute little boy loved that there were Moose's peeking out of the doors.

 We have more rustic trees like this one & I think another will find it's way into our old copper boiler!

(No Sue...I hear you...it will only be placed in the boiler...not cooked for Christmas dinner!)

Our version of Elf On The Shelf...He's been hanging around here 15+/- years keeping an eye on our every move!  Vet Girl dreamed up this game of moving him around to unexpected places (often times hanging upside down from a bent knee) to entertain "the babies" (who are now 22 & 23 years old) & rest of us, loooong before we'd ever heard of Elf on the Shelf. We think our guy is much less creepy...I bought this one at a boutique but also have the pattern & have since created several more for good little girls and boys, with specs so they can really see what we're up to!

I think all the kids have claimed him as part of their inheritance...eventually they'll all have their own to hopefully keep the fur from flying...and them winding up with nothing but coal & switches in their stockings. It's heartwarming to know that the Elf game that Vet Girl started all those years ago is continuing on with the little ones at our oldest sons house.

 

More goings on...Vet Girls house in California was burglarized last week.  According to the neighbors statement, she missed the guys by only about 20 minutes...thank you Lord for keeping my baby safe.  Sadly both their iPads are gone and have as yet not been turned on to allow the tracking to work.  Her beautiful crystal shamrock tiara from her wedding is gone as is the diamond necklace she wore with her gown.  In addition to numerous pieces of birthday gifts of irish silver jewelry ...trinity knots, shamrocks, claddaughs, and Connemara marble.  If you're toolying around eBay or Amazon or a Pawn Shop in California, Oregon or Nevada and spot something that just might belong to a heartbroken girl...let me know!

 

On the good side of the news which is always the best place to end...we have another college graduate as of Friday morning.  She has earned her Bachelors in Business Administration, Human Resource Management & is looking toward Law School, and practicing Business Law.

We didn't get many pictures as it was raining cats & dogs...or were those Boise State Broncos?

(there's Blue Turf just behind that wall!)

 

~Merry Christmas and Keep Being Good!

Nancie Anne