Mannheim Steamroller ~ Christmas Album

Salt and Pepper Collection

I started collecting Christmas salt and peppers a few years ago. Here are a few of them..

Its a fun collection and brightens up our kitchen. I put them on the wide window sill we have now. I got most of them on Etsy so if you like them, that's a good place to look. One hint, go to new sellers as they usually list them at a lower price. Most of these I got for $5.00 or under. Some on sale too after the holidays.
I have others but these were all that fit on the shelf.

I also decorated our washboard....it was inherited by Alan's mom and he put a box on the bottom for decorations. I do it every season.

As Alan's mom loved cardinals, I was able to find some to accent the box.

I figured out how to post some music..hope you enjoy it. 

Christmas Decorating

I have negelected this blog terribly, I know. Its been a rough few months, this year has been very tough.

Losing our house was only one of a series of trials and our health is something we're dealing with. Getting older isn't fun. Alan's diabetes, acid reflex and IBS tend to rule our lives some days. My aching arthitic knees don't help either.

I decided to get an exercise machine for my knees and try to work out every day on it. The workout does seem to help somewhat. Its only been a couple of weeks but I can see and feel the difference. in a good way.

Meanwhile, we're getting ready for Christmas. Our living room is small so we decided to get a smaller tree. Its a four foot one and I put it on a round table we had.

It quite colorful and has LED bulbs so it really cheers up the room. The tablecloth is a barkcloth old one that I inherited and the red topper was one my grandmother (my mom's) embroidered. Not the best photo I know. Our regular star for the top of the tree is too large so we'll be looking for a smaller lighter one.

This pinecone wreath was done by my grandmother around 50 years ago. She made one for each of her children (my dad) and I've kept it all these years. She always said you can make something from nothing. The back is  just heavy cardboard, some of the cones are wired in and many are just glued. It has a wire on the back for hanging. If you click on the photo, it really shows how pretty this is.

I put this raggedy runner on the coffee table. It was made by my good friend, Nancy Huggins. The candle holder is vintage also, from the 60s. Its very pretty at night when lit.

This little angel music box was one I bought at the Lawerence Welk resort when I worked in the gift shop there.(1980s) It plays Joy to the World. and I have red candle holders thoughour the book shelves. They reallly brillant at night.

We did have a beautiful nativity set we put out every year however it was destroyed when we have our fire. We had bought it when we were young. Sadly, we haven't had the funds to get another one, maybe one day.

If you're a young person reading this blog, don't fault us old folks if we surround ourselves with old things. Many of the decorations are family and bring us closer to those loved ones who have passed away. Especially at Christmas time, we think of all those Christmases years ago when our parents and other family members were still with us. I think its ok as long as its not overdone. We don't want to live in the past but we do want to honor, remember it and them.

Hope as the Christmas season gets underway, you are blest with family, good food and fun. We're going to a White Elephant Party this coming weekend and look forward to it every year. Some very good friends of ours hold it at their house every year. If you've never been to one, they are alot of fun.
Its the highlight of the year for us.