Sunflower Christmas Tree

Now this is a tree that I like.
All sunflowers and beaded fruit.
I am especially fond of the twine garland one of my co-workers crocheted for me last year.




I had such a busy day at work today. I forgot I had some League of Women Voter Ladies coming in to discuss a convention in 2007. That took up a good hour of tree-triming time. Then I had 4 hockey team meals booked for next weekend and a hospital Christmas party to do contracts for, and numerous phone calls getting menus, etc. for other Christmas parties. The day just flew by. Needless to say, I only got one tree done again.

I came home, changed clothes and immediately started making my two pumpkin pies. They are in the oven now.

It is a cold, snowy day here. It would have been a perfect day to stay inside and cook Thanksgiving items all day long instead of having to rush, rush, rush.

Is Everyone Getting Ready for Thanksgiving?

I am.

I just cooked my sweet potatoes to get them ready for a casserole I will do on Thursday.

I do have to go to work on Thanksgiving (as I have said before, there are NO holidays off in the hospitality industry--while many get a 4-day holiday, most hospitality workers will be slaving away to make sure the guests enjoy their Thanksgiving). It's just the way it is. Our restaurant does a big buffet and is usually very busy on every holiday.

I will probably only work a couple of hours in the early morning as my job does not require I be there except to count the money and do the labor from the previous day. Then I will come home and finish my contributions to the dinner we will enjoy with my parents. My Mom is doing the turkey and dressing.

I am making a pumpkin pie with a cream cheese top layer. I have had a craving for pumpkin for the past two weeks. I hope it turns out good.

What are you all doing for the holiday?

Hydrangea Tree

My sister and I had a nice weekend away and are now back to the old grind.


I have begun decorating the Christmas trees at work. Today I did this hydrangea tree (referred to as the "fru-fru" tree by my boss. He only likes trees that "look like Christmas").

I used to be able to do 4 of them in one day, but today I was lucky to get this one done.

I am either getting too old for this or just plain tired of doing these trees.

I am off now to get my nails done.
(Decorating trees is hard on the manicure!)

It has finally happened.....

A 6:00 a.m. surprise










It does look lovely this morning.

All I want for Christmas is..........................

DH and I are at a point in our lives where we pretty much have everything we need or even want. (we are not all that materialistic and really don’t want as much as most people seem to these days).

Two years ago, at my request, we stopped buying each other gifts. No Christmas gifts, no birthday gifts, etc. While it was quite nice not having to strain our brains to come up with silly little gifts for each other, it also made for a pretty dull Christmas morning.

So this year, we decided to go back to giving a few gifts. I have been making notes of little items I might like as I come across them. I decided to post them here. These are all unnecessary items, but things I just might enjoy having.

A silicone muffin/cupcake pan


I have the original silpat baking sheet liners and they are just wonderful! Nothing sticks to them. I like to make muffins and cupcakes without liners (because I think they look nicer), but sometimes they do stick and then their appearance is ruined. With this little marvel, they fall right out...(so they say, I have not yet tried one).

A chef's torch.


This would most often sit collecting dust in my cabinet. But every now and then, it would be quite handy. I might want to make creme brulee or brown the meringue tips on the little cupcakes I am envisioning making in my silicone cupcake pan....I have actually never put meringue on cupcakes, but I might if I had this little treasure.


Cheap Gold Charger Plates


What are charger plates?
Just larger-than-dinner plates than go underneath the dinner plate. Not only are they decorative, but they sit ready to collect any drips that may fall from your utensils(before they hit the much- more-difficult-to-clean tablecloth). For someone like me, who loves to set dinner tables, this is a nice gift. I have a nice set of silver colored chargers, but often I could use gold to go with my color theme.

At the moment this is all I can think of. Surely I must want MORE - LOL.

High winds, falling trees across the roadways, temperatures dropping into the 20’s with cold rain turning to snow later this afternoon. It’s a good day to stay inside in Northern Michigan.

I hope we get all the bad weather today and tomorrow.

On Friday afternoon, my sister and I are leaving work early and heading further north to the upper peninsula for a “girl’s weekend” away. We are going to a casino for two nights of blissful pampering….no cooking, no beds to make, no dusting, no vacuuming, no dishes to do…..just play time. We did the same thing last year and it was quite fun. It is melding into a tradition. Maybe this year we will even win some moolah….the perfect topper to the weekend.

It is deer hunting season in MI. The “big hunt” is almost a state holiday here. Even the schools close on opening day. Hunting season lasts for two weeks, which means I will be very slooooowwww at work. Hardly anyone has a banquet during this time (because everyone is out to their hunting camps). Next week the banquet rooms will sit empty for three days straight (a rare occurrence). I have decided to put off doing the trees until then.

No Space for A Christmas Tree?

Then this might be for you:

The 7-Foot Upside-Down Pre-Lit Christmas Tree
Evoking a 12th century Central European tradition of hanging a tree from the ceiling at Christmas, this unique 7' pre-lit fir is inverted to ensure a smaller footprint for less-spacious areas, and allowing more room for the accumulation of presents underneath.


They had it on the morning show and it really is not bad when decorated.



Hmmmmmmm.....I can see possibilities.........

It's $599.95.
If you just love it and want it, go here:

http://www.hammacher.com/publish/72376.asp?source=google&keyword=upside%20down%20Christmas%20tree&cm_ven=NewGate&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Holiday%20Preview05&cm_ite=upside%20down%20Christmas%20tree

One Year Old Today

appy





logoversary to me!








ne year ago today I started this blog. The year has gone by so fast! I blindly found my way through the set up instructions and was quite amazed when it actually worked. For quite a while I thought nobody would find my little cyber space home. But one by one visitors drifted in until finally I was getting a few daily readers. It has been so much fun getting to know all of you. I hope you find something worthwhile when you visit me -- I know I enjoy posting and I hope to continue for a long time to come.

....As Visions of a Foot Massage Dance in Her Head....

I had to take a break and sit down to rest my aching legs and feet. We just finished eating a roast chicken dinner and I am taking a break before I go clean up the kitchen.

Today I put up my large Christmas tree. All that climbing up and down the basement stairs and from chair to chair to reach the top of tree has left me pretty much exhausted. I put chairs all around the tree so I can walk completely around it to string lights and do the top.



There is a reason for my pre-season madness (other than I really do like Christmas trees). Every year I do mine very early so that I get them done before I do the trees at work. I like to do my own when I still have the energy and spirit. Once I finish all the trees at work, I don't want to see another Christmas tree for a long time!

I won't actually light mine until the day after Thanksgiving.

I usually do three trees in my home (more if you count the 2 or 3 little 2-ft trees I usually put on top of the china cabinets). I will do the other two during the week.

I did the main tree in a gingerbread theme (surprise, surprise). I used white lights, with a touch of red and gold. The gold lights are very hard to distinguish from white lights once they are all lit. I am glad to get it done as my countertops were getting pretty cluttered with all the ornaments I made during the past two weeks.

So here is what I did with all the little crafts I have shown you over the past two weeks:



And here it is with the lights on:



A closer view of the top. A friend from work made the wooden candy canes for me quite a few years ago. They make a great tree top. I have used them often with different centers. I added some tree branches to give more dimension and texture.




I also put little picture frames with pictures of my son's childhood Christmases on the tree. Nothing to do with the gingerbread theme, but every tree must hold some of your precious memories.

The Lightbulb Turned Into......................

Drumroll, please........
taaaaaaa daaaaaaaaaaa...................



A snowman!
(Alice you were correct in your guess)

Don't throw away those burned out lightbulbs!

I am not missing gardening at all. After over four months of complete dedication, I am enjoying not having to do any garden work. Now that it is cold and nasty outside, I don't even have to consider clean-up chores. Whatever is not done (and there is a lot) will now wait until spring when I will be eager to get back outside.

I have been plenty busy with work and making Christmas decorations.

See this box of burned out lightbulbs?



Yes, they are burned out lightbulbs. Most (sane) people would throw them in the garbage...but NOT me. I have saved these to put on my Christmas tree. Your thinking the woman is nuts, aren't you?

Well, you may be correct. :)

Can anyone think of what might be made from these lightbulbs? Take a guess and I will show you tomorrow what I made from them.

Victorian Christmas Tree

Every year when I am getting ready to do the trees, I have to look back through pictures to see what I have to use and get inspired for this year. Have you ever seen a pink Christmas tree?

Now you have.


Dianne, it has a Victorian feel don't you think?
I believe I made everything on this tree, except for the beads...glass balls embellished with lace, angels, mice, pink-striped candy canes, crocheted hearts (my mom made those), and lots of dried baby's breath. It was a fun tree to do. Sorry, I don't have a better picture, but it was prior to my digital camera days.

We didn't get any snow yesterday after all--just rain. I hope it waits to snow on the weekend when I am home to enjoy it. I like to bake when big snowflakes are falling.

Where does the weekend go?

I have had a busy weekend working on Christmas decorations. Remember all those styrofoam balls I was going to toss out, but saved...just in case? Well, I thought of something to do with them. I tore up wrapping paper















and used decoupage glue to adhere the paper to the balls. They are still wet here which is why they have a milky color. I will put a few more coats of glue on and will show them to you when (if?) I decide to use them.











I worked a bit on the big wreath for work. I am just not really into doing that...it is huge and I just can't seem to get enthused with it.

Last night my refrigerator decided to die. Ever had pepermint stick ice cream turn to liquid and fill your freezer? Let me tell you, when you open your freezer and see pink sticky liquid all over, it is not a pretty sight. Water was running out on the floor, too. I wasn't surprised as the refrigerator is old. It served me well during its long life. Today we went out and bought a new one which will be delivered tomorrow.

This afternoon I threw away all those plants I brought inside last month. I don't know what ever possesed me to bring them in. I know I can't stand the mess of dead leaves falling all over and water drips, etc. I was just going to water them today and then I thought I would take each one outside and shake off the dead stuff. When I went to take them down, I noticed water on the top of my china cabinet. I must have overfilled a few of them. I decided then and there that I had had enough of caring for them. What a mess I made hauling them outside....dead stuff all through the house...had to vacuum every room again. I also tossed a catcus I have had for about six years. I never did like it, but it was a gift from one of my customers so I felt I had to keep it. Six years is long enough....it's gone now,too.

We went to a birthday party/dinner for my 11-year old niece today. When we got home I had to clean up the mess in the kitchen (from the crafting)so it would look decent when the delivery guys bring the refrigerator.

Now I am going to spend an hour or on the computer and then its off to bed.

Tomorrow we are supposed to get our first snow. Probably only flurries.

Hope all of you had an enjoyable weekend.

Salt Dough Ornaments

A few days ago I decided I needed some more gingerbread men and begin cutting fabric, sewing and stuffing. I wasn't having all that much fun -- too time consuming and my stitching lines were not all that straight so the men were turning out with some quirky figures. "There must be a better way," I said to myself. Wouldn't it be so much easier to just bake cookies and paint them? Hmmmmm...off to the net I went in search of a recipe for dough ornies. I found a salt dough recipe and gave that a try. It didn't take very long to whip them up and put them in the 175 degree oven the directions indicated.

The recipe said to bake for 2 hours. They were no where near done in two hours. I baked another 2 hours and finally had to remove them so I could go to bed. The next day they still did not feel hard enough so I put them back in the oven for another 4 hours--yes, I had to bake them a total of 8 hours!

The next day I painted them brown before I left for work (5:00 a.m. and I am painting cookies!). When I got home they were ready for the "frosting" (Scribbles paint). Today I put the little bow ties and buttons on them and here they are completely finished.

The little pinwheel ornaments in front of them have just received a coat of Modge Podge to stiffen them up. I found them all in a box of Christmas crafts. I must have made them a couple of years ago and forgotten them. Maybe I never used them because the fabric was too flimsy to stand up on the tree. I will see what happens when the Modge Podge dries. I may find a tree for them this year.

Blue Jean Stocking Ornaments

Here is the box of ornaments I made this weekend. Brit left a comment that she could not see the picture and was interested, so I decided to do an entire "how-to" post.








Step One: Trace a stocking pattern on the front side of some old jeans. You will cut right on the line you draw.


Step Two: Stitch about 1/4 inch inside your cutting line. Leave the top edges open.


Step Three: Clip all around the edges (including the top edges). Be careful not to cut through your stitching line. This will become your fringe.



Step Four: Now you need to wash your ornaments to make them fray. Find an old pillowcase or something that you can sew into a big pouch.


It should be something that you can throw away when finished. Throw all of your completed stockings into this and double fold over the top and pin it. Make sure to pin it or you will have a big mess of fuzz in your washing machine! You don't need to do a separate load of wash, just throw the pillowcase in with a load of jeans. Throw them into the dryer (it takes about an hour to dry these).

Unpin and remove. See all the lint?


And I only had six in this batch. It is nice to remove them outside so you can shake off all the lint. I did three loads, shaking out the pillowcase in between. After the last load, I just tossed it out because I have a lot of old 'rag' cases if I ever need another one.


You will need to iron the stockings. Then stuff a small amount of fiberfill in the toe area and fill them up with whatever you desire. Hot glue on a bow if you want to.
They are super easy (although messy!) to make.




Here they are on the blue jean/gingerbread man tree:


If anybody decides to make some, be sure to post a picture so I can see what you decide to do with them. If you do a denim-themed tree and also have a blue jean quilt (Brit, I am thinking of you!), the quilt would make a great tree skirt around the bottom. I am still working on finishing my blue jean quilt. I doubt that it will be done by Christmas.

My Garden Today

I am still Alive

Blogging is a lot like exercise. You miss a few days in a row and it is very hard to get back in to it!
I have been busy working on Christmas ornaments. As I mentioned before, I am the chief Christmas decorator at the hotel where I work. I have to do 5 trees and a big wreath to hang over the fireplace. I have to start thinking about what I want to do in October as I usually decorate in mid-November (we usually start with Christmas parties right after Thanksgiving). Very often I make ornaments to add to the things I already have, which is what I have been doing the past couple of days. I am making more blue jeans stockings . This year I am adding a raffia bow and filling them with a candy cane instead of the mouse. They will go on a very country-themed tree with sunflowers, garland made of twine, red-checked burlap, lights that look like red/green peppers and lights that look like bottles of BBQ sauce -- and I am thinking of putting a cloth chicken doll on top! (Our restaurant has a BBQ theme and is decorated with a lot of sunflower items). I love to do the 'different' trees! I will be sure to show you a pic of what I actually end up doing.

I also added hooks to some cinnamon star-shaped cookies I made a few years ago. The hot glue I used to hold the wire did not stick very well, so I am trying a different glue.

I also went to Joanne's and bought a bunch of artificial floral pieces for the wreath. The tree I do in the lobby will have hydrangeas on it and I need something to coordinate. I have not been inspired to start working on it though.

I went to Wally's World and they had the cutest gumdrop garland. I bought two 9-foot packages, but have not yet decided if I will keep it for myself or use it at work.

I am leaning toward keeping it myself and doing my own tree in gingerbread men, cookies, and candy. We shall see. I made a lot of gingerbread men a few years ago, which are just too cute on a tree. I am planning to make more tomorrow. They are much more work than the blue jean stockings, so I need to get started. Oh, good, I found a picture to show you what they look like. The tree even has the star-shaped cookies on it.

Is anyone else starting to think about Christmas decorating?

Cute Halloween Idea

I just made this little Halloween candy container. Each side is a different character and it will hold about 5 miniature candy bars. I thought it would be cute to make a few and take them to work Monday for some of my co-workers. I found it at Martha Stewart's site
You just print it out on your printer, cut it out and glue the sides together. Very quick and easy. You do need Adobe Acrobat Reader as it is a pdf file. Just thought I would share in case anyone else wants to make some. It can also be used as a votive candle holder (although I am not too keen on using paper for a candle holder).

Happy 51st Anniversary, Mom & Dad

October 23,1954


Wishing you a wonderful day.



Since I am leaving for the weekend, I am posting this a little early. The anniversary is actually Sunday.









Last year my 3 siblings and I gave Mom and Dad a 50th anniverary party. These pictures are from the party.






We think they look even more beautiful today!
















Getting the room all ready for the 100 guests



















Mom with her wedding dress









I made candy bar favors for all the guests to take home








The cake was made by niece. She did a great job.

I Hit Upon a Winner

This meatloaf was a big success! I did not have a recipe--just winged it. It is fancy enough for company, don't you think?