From the Everyday Occasions family~

Have a blessed, fun and safe

Merry Christmas!

My In-Laws were in the news...

We got a call from my MIL today saying that the house next door to theirs had a fire around 4:30 this morning. I thought she meant something small.....

Well, it wasn't small. It totally engulfed the house the fire started in, caused damage to my in-laws, and caused a renter in the house on the other side to lose everything.

No one was hurt, I'm deliriously happy to say! Although, I know my MIL and FIL were quite shaken up, we're just happy that the damage wasn't any worse....and it easily could have been if the multiple fire departments that it took to put out the blaze were any later in showing up.

(That's their house to the right in that second picture.)

My FIL was interviewed on the news and the last comment he made was quite surprising coming from him...

"I'm not really a religious man, but it makes you think. Thank God they were able to save it."

Indeed, Thank God.

Is it possible to wrap gifts while asleep?

Oy, I feel like a juggler on speed! With the completion of the kitchen, things have kicked into high gear in the Everyday Occasions crib. We've just about finished decorating for Christmas and for the Bubs's birthday/Holiday lunch this Sunday. Now, if I could magically get someone to tackle the bathroom so I don't have to.....

I figure if I'm cooking someone else can clean the john. I'd surely "apreeshyate" it!

Anyway, I hope y'all are keeping safe as you take care of your Yuletide errands. People are drivin' like maniacs! I have the urge to roll down my window and loudly inform them that Wally World ain't goin' anywhere!

I must confess that this year the Christmas cheer that I normally have has been difficult to drum up. It's the first Christmas without Mom and she always made things so special....I'm feeling some pressure to make that happen for my family now. The Hubs would tell me that I'm bringing that pressure on myself. He's prob'ly right, the stinker. In any case, I accept that this Christmas will be difficult for all of us but there are still moments of joy to be had and have them, we will.

The Kitchen is Finished....Finally.

Okay, I know I've been procrastinating on putting up photos of the new kitchen but, hey, the place was a wreck. Pictures were NOT an option, folks.

So, I just ran in the kitchen and snapped a few quick pics.

Dining area....and David hiding from the camera. The rescued mantle is finally in its new home. I'm looking forward to hanging Christmas pretties on it in a few days.

This is the view from the dining area into the kitchen. It's been rearranged so that we have more counter space and (drumroll please) a functional working triangle. The fridge is to the right where the new pantry cabinet is.

We also had new sliding doors installed because the old ones were no longer keeping the out, um, out and the in...in.

Anyway, thanks to the wonderful workers and some great sales people at the local home improvement stores we were able to get a kitchen that works beautifully and that we can entertain in with ease and in comfort.

Special shout out to the Hubs who helped me keep the finances/my nerves straight and to Dad for taking us out to eat and cooking Sunday dinners.

P.S. Before and after pics of the 70's hot tub room turned art nook are coming soon....no, really!

Christmas Likes and Gripes

I'm gonna get the Gripes out of the way so I can end on a kinder note with my Likes.

Gripes~

* Is it just me (or where we live) or do people forget traffic rules and parking lot driving etiquette this time of year?

* Elbowing me out of the way to get to something in the store aisle.....soooo not cool.

* Taking children anywhere near a toy section and then daring them to say anything.

* When people act snotty and ungrateful after receiving a gift. Adult people who know better.


Likes~

*Watching my boys discover the wonder of Christmas...and the true reason for celebrating it.

*Christmas music. Especially live performances.

*Decorating and finding new ways to use what we already have.

*Hot, sweet drinks on cold, blustery days.

* Colorful scarves....and laughing when one of the boys tries to steal them to play with.

*Making plans with the Hubby and conspiring about holiday fun and surprises.

*Christmas baking....now if I could just snag an elf to do the clean up when we get through!

*Reading about all your holiday adventures.

Holiday Decorating...The Essentials

Holiday decorating fever is upon most of us...and why not? Break out those pretties and deck those halls!

I love decorating around our house and, over the years, I've come to rely on a few essentials when I get ready to trim the tree....and anything else I can get away with trimming.

Green craft wire or floral wire is one of my top essentials. Yes it's a must for those wreaths and garlands, but it also comes in handy for attaching ornaments to the tree...to keep little hands and feet safe from broken ornaments. Instead of just using a hook to hang my glass ornaments, I loop a piece of floral wire through the ornament's hoop and wrap the ends around a branch. When it's time to take everything down, I leave the wire on the ornament for the next year.

Ribbon and lots of it! It's reusable year after year and can be used in so many ways. Wreath hanger, gift wrap, tree garland, the usual bows........I've even hung a length of ribbon and paper clipped my Christmas cards to it for a card display on the cheap.

I looove these things! I use them to hang stockings, wreaths, seasonal art, garland, etc. I grab a few throughout the year whenever they're on sale and stock up for the holiday season. They're especially great when you're trying to keep your decor up and out of the way of little hands.

Then there's the less practical, but no less neccessary, item to add to my list of decorating essentials. Fireside coffee. Yum!

Mom found this part coffee, part hot cocoa recipe a few years ago and shared it with me. It's become a winter time staple in our house and it goes wonderfully with holiday bedecking.

There you have it, a few of my must haves for decking our halls. Do you have any?

More artful ventures...and a kitchen tease

I haven't drawn or painted faces in so long that I was nervy about how to do this piece.

While she isn't perfect, I like her quirkiness....and her paper flower barret.

Um, forgive the mess in the background.

This piece has become one of my faves and was inspired by....well, by Family. I've had this floating around in my noggin for a while and I finally figured out a way to to it. Pressed, dried leaves from our yard were used to get those leaf shapes in the background. By painting around the edges, the shape of the leaf came to life on the canvas.

I know. I used nature to cheat......but it was sooo much fun!

And now a little Kitchen Remodel Tease~

I took that mantle that my In-Laws so graciously helped me save from the side of the road and used a pickling technique on it. The pickling lightened it up while letting the wood show through. Hubs had the brilliant idea of using it in the dining area of our kitchen like a shelf since there'll be no room for a buffet, etc.

This is the light fixture that will hang over the table. It took me a while to find a fixture that wouldn't break the bank but didn't look "chinchy"....well, I don't think it looks cheap, anyway.

Chinchy? Another way of saying cheap.

Southerners and their funny ways of talkin'.