“Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart.” ~ Zig Ziglar

Last night I was lucky enough to be involved in the Lynden Pioneer Museum's Celebration of Volunteers evening. It is a very special night where the staff gets the opportunity to say a huge thank you to all the volunteers who make it possible to have such an incredible museum open to the public six days a week all year long!

While I am not on staff, my dear husband is the dedicated director/curator and he is endlessly dedicated to this museum, the community, and the idea of protecting and preserving history. I am honored to help out when I can at the museum and most especially at this particular event. Tami (who is terribly gifted in all areas of entertaining) and I spend days/weeks/all year brainstorming/shopping/decorating in order to make this event special for all the wonderful volunteers.

I would like to say a big thank you not only to the volunteers but also to the wonderful staff at the museum.

“After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.” - Sophia Loren

So, I finally filled up the hutch. I was (a bit more) inspired after I got out my regular kitchen valance which matches the napkins and place mats (above). I needed bright and cheery just like you all said (you all are SO smart! Thank you for your input.).

I fooled around while taking pictures, different settings, flash/no flash...Then when I looked at the photos I realized that none of them were very good, but really didn't want to go back and take more so you get to experience my experimentation.

One of my favorite things to do is put photos in little places through out the house. I find a photos and tuck them in places. I move them around...so many photos so little time. That's my Papa Bud up there in the gravy boat (that just sounds silly).

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. I bought these for my Grandma about 25 years ago. When I went to Minnesota as a child there was this Paul Bunyan park with a HUGE Paul that could talk and when I walked in he said, "Welcome Jerrie from Bellingham, Washington." It freaked me out. A lot. It took my grandpa quite some time to calm me down.

Well there it is. It's finished. Well almost. I like to move things around all the time so it's constantly evolving. And I'm thinking of making a little banner for along the top that might be fun.

It's a chilly day. I'm bundling up and heading out to run some errands.

Happy Day!

“Vision is not enough, it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs.” - Vaclav Havel

This is my hutch. This is what it has looked like since I took down Christmas decorations. It's just a big piece of furniture taking up space.

The problem is I have no vision. At least not for the hutch. For other things yes, but for decorating - not so much lately. Just hasn't felt important.

I did put those little do-dads on the top and move that mirror from my bedroom. That was it. Maybe I'll take off the upper doors and make it more open. Maybe. I don't really want to do a seasonal thing...maybe just fill it with my fiesta ware. Maybe kick it to the curb...

Ideas? Anyone?

(and no, I'm not painting it...it was $25 made of press board and that paper-y stuff on top...gah).

Happy Wednesday!

“The soul was never put in the body to stand still.” - John Webster

The tree is up. Finally. I delayed the set up because I thought Tik would destroy it. However, it hasn't happened. Thankfully.
However, Spazzy Jazzy has tried bringing the tree down a few times. Go here and check out her first Christmas tree experience. She is trying to recreate it, yet she can't because she is 'slightly' larger than she was three years ago. Notice in the photo above she looks very concerned about what Troy may be doing to "her" tree.
Perfect weekend - movies, baking, decorating, being lazy yet getting *stuff* done, "talking" to a dear friend for a bit (you know who you are!)...Love these low key weekends!

And...a big Happy Birthday to Tami in the Stone House! Hope your day was as wonderful as you are...and by the way the snow was my present to you (haha)!

"When you look at a cupcake, you've got to smile." - Anne Byrn

Sometimes you just want a cupcake. No, need a cupcake. And a cupcake with shiny sugar sprinkles is even better. Lovely.
Have a great week friends. Eat cake (cupcakes that is)!

"So this is Christmas

And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight"


Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
(ornament close-up was Archer's new pick for the year...I think he picked well!)

"Home is not where you live, but where they understand you." - Christian Morganstern

I am a simple girl. I live in a small house and I like it. I am thankful for what I have, a fantastic family, good friends and my stuff. Ya, I like my stuff. My fiesta ware is the tops. I like my little knickknacks, my books, you know my "stuff."

Another thing. Almost all of our furniture has been aquired as hand-me-downs. And that is okay. I like our furniture for now. One day my dream is new stuff in the living room. Well, maybe not "new" but not what we have, however, for now, it is fine.

All I ask of my used furniture is to work. Such as when I want a shirt out of the bottom drawer of my (hand-me-down) dresser all I ask is for said drawer to open. And if it doesn't open after a few minutes of fighting I might a) bang around loudly early in the morning to let Troy know I am pissed at my dresser, b) swear, c) cry, d) all of the above. Depends on the day.

After a few (consecutive) mornings of being woke up by my banging/swearing/crying/all of the above (after all I have had this problem for YEARS) Troy said, "Why don't we get you a new dresser?" After some discussion and me saying no a hundred times because of the lack of resources (read: money) we decided to start looking. Troy browsed online to show me he could find something in a reasonable price range. Then he mentioned the new/used/discount furniture store across town behind Safeway. I said there was no store there. I should know. I go to Safeway - a LOT. Um...FYI there is a store there. Who knew? Troy maybe, but I think only he knew, it was hidden from the rest of us.

So, we go. We shop. We find great dressers out of our price range (and some couches and chairs too...must start saving money - I hate saving money!). Then, in the back, under a pile of rolled carpets we find the perfect dresser. We paid our hard earned dollars then left, without dresser as we drive a car that won't fit a dresser.... And if you think, 'great they went and got a big truck and picked up the dresser' you would be correct. If you think it was easy...hahaha!!! When we got there Troy realized he didn't have the key to the lock on the back. He asked the guy at the store for a hacksaw - they had one, did NOT work.

Listen, this is an OLD, diesel, pain in the ass to drive much less back and forth across town, truck to drive. So I think, 'I will call Cheryl.' She will come get us to get the key which is at the museum. And she did. Thank you Cheryl. She takes us to the museum. Troy goes in to get the key(s) - he has a LOT of keys - not sure which one of hundreds it could be...Troy had left his car in front of the museum so our thought is that we would take our car and Cheryl could go on her merry way. WRONG! Neither of us brought keys to our car. We are on a roll. As Cheryl is pulling away I am waving her down to stop (she hadn't actually GONE anywhere just pulled out of the parking spot) and she, LAUGHING, drove us back to the furniture store. Once again, thank you Cheryl. From there Troy tried all the keys, none worked, so ended up cutting the lock off with bolt cutters (which he grabbed in case NONE of the hundreds of keys worked). By the way we had great conversations in Cheryl's pimp-mobile (mini-van) that cannot be shared with you here...

In conclusion (as this feels like an essay) the dresser is home. It is in the bedroom. The drawers ALL open and shut ALL the time.

Lessons learned: make sure husband has keys to locks before actually leaving the house, better yet get him combination locks; keep friends on speed dial; always take car keys even if you aren't driving a car (go figure); there is a furniture store behind Safeway; and said furniture store ROCKS!

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exists, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy." - editorial by Charles Dana in the New York Sun, 1897, responding to a letter from 8-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon

The tree is up and decorated. At least for now. I could still add some ornaments here and there you never know. Feels good to have that complete.

When the Santa lamp gets plugged in it really feels like Christmas. I LOVE him. He is by far one of my top three favorite decorations. He brings back all those childhood memories, those excited childhood feelings. Do you have anything that just makes it feel like Christmas? 
I have my Christmas/winter books out. I love to sit in the glow of the tree (and the Santa lamp of course) with a cup of tea or cocoa and a stack of beautiful picture books. It is even better when I can convince the boy to sit with me - doesn't usually take much convincing...he still loves to listen to stories and enjoy the illustrations. I love it.

Enjoy!

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could." Ralph Waldo Emerson

The tree is up. No decorations yet. I don't like to rush things...it is a whole process...

Ok...I guess the banner is big on some people's computers...it is okay mine - I will work on it.

Happy December tomorrow!

cute Thursday

I thought you may like a few "cute" pictures for this almost-Friday!

Um...CUTE! I found these little witch duckies when I was in Bellevue.
What happens sometimes is when you make orange hot chocolate and you look at the cute ducky sitting there just minding its own business is this. You think "now this ducky wants to swim in my orange hot chocolate" and the ducky says "take my picture." And you do because really if a rubber ducky talked to you you would probably do whatever it said. Which is how this cute picture came to be!
And the little ducky's friends they sometimes get sad because they are too big to go swimming in orange hot chocolate, but mostly they are happy. And when you look at them you are happy because...really...look at those faces!

(tall, standing lamp is my oldest Halloween decoration. He was my mom's and was a fixture at Halloween - my mom's favorite holiday. The pumpkin bucket was mine when I was a child. It still has my name, in my mom's handwriting on the bottom -love that! The mugs are adorable and from Starbucks last year.)

And then...You wake up on a chilly, September morning only to notice a sweet kitty looking longingly at you from outside the back door. You open the door because "oh poor kitty has been outside all night with the big bad nighttime outside scariness" and the kitty runs in eats and curls up on a chair and falls fast asleep. Then your son thinks she is so cute that he tucks her in before he leaves for school with his favorite fuzzy blanket (because she isn't fuzzy enough) and she sleeps and sleeps and sleeps (and has been for the past 3+ hours).
Sleep tight sweet kitten (who isn't a kitten anymore...but she is MY kitten so I can call her kitten if I want especially since she doesn't know her name...whatever!).

Hi Friends!

It has been one week since my last post. I wish I could hop on here and say "I'm back and I feel great!" However, I don't feel great and it sucks.

I miss certain things (besides breathing) - going in public, talking to people outside of my family, Starbucks. You know those little things. I love being at home. I am a homebody, right now, however I want to go out - out anywhere. I did go to the bank yesterday. And Hallmark (which is next to the bank). Dropped a card I found at Hallmark off for Tami. Wow! What a traveler I was. Today? Bed. The kitchen. A trip to the laundry room. Used all my energy yesterday.


This is my picture of the day from yesterday. It is the beginning of my Spring hutch. I haven't gotten very far - this is a start.
While sick I have looked at a lot of magazines (my attention span has been too short for a book). I received the Oriental Trading Company catalog yesterday. I have grand ideas for DeAnne's graduation party - I am getting excited. I am thinking luau! Stay tuned!

Love!

I completed these cute LOVE frames today. I bought them on New Years at Treasury of Memories. To see another version (the black frames) look at Tami's blog from a few days ago. Tami is all Valentine's Day-ed up, while I am finally putting away the last of my Christmas decorations. I think I have my Christmas stuff put away, with the exception of a few snowman things that can stay out for awhile longer. Love my snowmen.
In other news - Archer had an eye appointment today. Last month (?) Archer got "the letter" about his vision. He has never received "the letter" before - even without glasses - so when "the letter" came home I was a bit surprised. Being the wonderful mom that I am I said that I wasn't taking him into the eye doctor until his next scheduled appointment. Well...after realizing I didn't win mom-of-the-year last year I thought I should get a start for this year and actually checked when his next appointment was (March) and decided if he is really having a problem maybe I should make an appointment (duh). So, we went today. He needs a new prescription, his eye sight is becoming progressively worse, yet the good news is his focus is improving! So, watch out ladies I am SO in the running for mom-of-the-year! Hahaha!

True.

When I went out with Lorinda over the weekend I picked up this vinyl transfer at the scrapbook store. I love it. I love living in a small house. I am not saying that living in a small house is always easy (it isn't - especially with 2 guys, 1 bird, and 3 cats), but I wouldn't have it any other way - at least not right now. When we do eventually move we will probably move into a bigger house (pretty much anything will be bigger than this...well I am sure there are smaller houses - just not by much!).

Anyway. I really love this saying. I put it on the wall next to the front door.

Today

Today - I already went to the grocery store - I think we are all set for Christmas and if we aren't all I have to say is "oh well!" We may be going into my mom's to play The Band with the family! We are like the Partridges I tell you! The whole family loves Guitar Hero and Alex just bought The Band - should be fun. Taking it easy today. Will worry about cleaning and such tomorrow.

This is a cutie snowman given to me (and made by) my sweet friend Susan! I think he belongs here with the snowman family plates.
Found these Charles Dickens ornaments at the LC store for 50¢ - thought they were too cute (and too cheap) to pass up!
Enjoy your weekend before Christmas.

Peace. Love. Joy.

Pretty girl

Look at our pretty girl (notice the pink collar) who was so nicely trying to blend with the decorations - not knocking them over in her attempt to be queen of the t.v.I love the pretty bulbs - wish I could keep them up all year!

Hiding Horton and Shiny Snowflakes

Yesterday I looked down as I was walking by Troy's desk and noticed an odd sight. I actually had to do a double take. It was Horton in and among all Troy's stuff! I am not sure how he got in there, but watching him get out was interesting. If you have ever seen Troy's desk area you know how messy that area is - I just ignore it, evidently Horton decides to cuddle down in it.
This morning I hung these snowflakes from the curly willow that is hanging in our living room. We have had the branches for about 9 years (moved it from our apartment to the house even), so it may be a surprise to you that this is the first time I have decorated it for the winter holidays (I have done cobwebs at Halloween - or maybe the cobwebs were already there...hmmm). I always think about hanging bulbs or stringing lights, but have never done anything -until now!!!! I think I am need of some new branches - quite a few have broken this year.

eye candy

Picked this book up at the library today. I have seen it on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble...It took all my will power not to buy it. I love books with pretty pictures. This one is wonderful eye candy!

in lights

When I was in Bellingham with "the girls" yesterday we drove by my parents house to see it all lit up! My parents always have such a pretty house all decked out for the holidays. I will try for a better picture...But you can probably tell how pretty it is. (FYI- the Baby Jesus is still in the manger...)

Proof that I was there seeing the lights first hand. funny.

More Christmas Here!

So, I know you need a bit more Christmas! Here are a couple things that are making me smile now.

I found this pillow at WalMart. Normally I am not much of a WalMart shopper, however on occasion I go there with Cheryl and find something great (usually school supplies). Anyway, I was walking down one of the Christmas isles and saw this pillow. I had to have it...it goes with my Eiffel Tower collection (which happens to be in storage right now - whatever...). Cute, no?
This little spot in my house is seen by everyone! Okay, my house is very small and most of it is seen by everyone...but this spot needs a little cheer. I got the cute towel at Country Furnishings (I am a sucker for place mats, towels and napkins). Love Country Furnishings. The potpourri is from last year. I put it in a sealed baggie last year and it still smells lovely.

So, can you guess where this spot is in my house? And is this spot in your house decorated for Christmas? If it isn't you should get on that! haha!

Merry & Bright

Here are a few "scenes" from our home right now. I am still in the process of decorating. I like to take things nice and slow and savor this time. I know some people put everything up all at once, I however take my own sweet time - actually I would have to say my Christmas decorating is much like any other time of the year...constantly evolving - a tweak here, a little move here, adding something, putting something away...constant process.
One of my all time favorite decorations is this Santa light that my mom passed down to me (I have a Jack-o-lantern one too). This guy was always in our house at Christmas as I was growing up and I love him! He is dated 1968 and may be my oldest decoration. Definite heirloom piece!

The tree as it is so far. I need a few more things and it needs to be tweaked a bit (I am constantly moving ornaments around), but it is perfect right now and I love to sit by its glow drinking my eggnog and reading a book.

The scene outside this morning. Oh I am sad that it is raining and turning slushy. Love the white in winter. Snow = cozy!

Cuddlin' with the kitten. Such a lover. Look how she has her paws around his arm. Darling.

My new sign. Love it and added the snowflakes today. Thank you Lee for the beautiful snowflakes!

My JOY frames (as seen in an earlier post).

It wouldn't be Christmas without the basket of Christmas books. Some old favorites and some new. Some that are "too young" for Archer, but he loves anyway...Never too old for a feel good Christmas story. And the Santa train...Love it. We have had it since Archer was two and it is adorable (everyone needs a train around the tree right?).

Enjoy the season. Keep things Merry & Bright!