A Few of my Favorite Things...

The fire cleanup crew finished up yesterday.  They were in our home for 2 weeks.  TWO weeks!  During the time I use to decorate the house for Christmas.  ::whew::  Can you say "added stress" to an already busy time?  :-)  But they were lovely people, and did an amazing job.  They re-painted the ceilings and walls of:  Our kitchen, dining room, living room, family room, the hallway, our bedroom, master bath the guest bath, up the stairway, and the hall upstairs.  The cleaning lady part of the team scrubbed our kitchen cabinets and took everything out of them, cleaned INSIDE of them, cleaned the items and put them back!  She vacuumed the whole house, even under our bed, and cleaned our bathroom. We were very impressed.  

Our mantel is decorated now.  Santa and his team of reindeer are flying across it.. stockings are hung with care.  I crocheted the two knitted looking ones.  I made the patchwork one, too.  Things are looking bright!

The tree below is one of my favorite things.. my daughter-in-law Kristi made this beaded tree for me and picked out all the little miniature things out that are under the tree.  

Notice the Scrabble game in progress?  I love Scrabble!  I play it on Facebook a lot.  The lever on the package turns on the twinkling lights on the tree! :-) 

We got the Dickens Christmas Village set up on the baby grand piano, and the skating rink is going.  The grandkids are fascinated by the skaters that go around and round. 

The twirl around, having so much fun! :-) 

A year or so ago I got this Swarovski crystal ornament and hung it in the center of our wreath. 

Jim Shore Santa.. he makes the coolest stuff! 

My small collection of 4 vintage cherubs from Italy made by Fontanini.  And my porcelatin ornaments with shell motifs by Margaret Furlong.  And my own crocheted hearts.  I have written up a pattern for them - free - click on my side bar to get it. 

I had to get this glass barn ornament.. it reminds me of ours, there is even a tractor on the side of it. 

I crocheted this little stocking ornament, this one for Dayle, and I've made one for each of my kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids.  But I can't find the one I made for me! 

A Jim Shore ornament.. patriotic. 

This is a train lantern ornament I got to support a fund raising effort to build some barns for the historic steam engines that a local group has restored.

I just opened the box of these neat hand made vintage inspired snow globes - I want to put them in my family antique Hoosier cabinet.  These are made by a blogger and Etsy seller named Judy Clark - to visit her shop, click HERE. 

I snapped this photo of my cat Lucy, she actually spends a lot of time curled up on our pellet stove!  Isn't she cute?

I am about ready to head off to Multnomah Falls to volunteer.  I hope you're having a nice week.

❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉
*M*E*R*R*Y* *C*H*R*I*S*T*M*A*S*!*
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((hugs)), Teresa :-)