It can't possibly be almost 2010

Lots of company, too many parties, lack of sleep, too many laughs, lots of snow, and way too much food...I'll be back soon!

Guess who is going to be in my Christmas stocking?

Carter's coming to see Nana for Christmas - the best gift I could wish for:And here's hoping that all of your Christmas wishes come true, too.

The Griswalds.....

I love to drive by houses that have a gazillion lights, blow-ups, animated figures, fake spiral trees, and so on. Our old neighbor's house reminded me of the "Griswald's" and it made me chuckle every time I drove by...however I decorate very simply outside:

This year we have a new home and we put candles in all 16 windows. I have boughs under the candles in the front, wreaths in the back all with simple red bows.

I also have a small porch to decorate where the trees and sled are protected from the wind and snow.
And of course hubby's reindeer (yes, the very same that the kids rearranged on Thanksgiving Day).

I'm ready for the whole clan to arrive, everything is ready - gifts are wrapped, house is clean, dinners are planned and most importantly, the wine is chilled. I may not have the Griswald's decorations, but there have been times I have referred to the family as the "Griswalds" (if you know what I mean!!)

Martha's Yule Logs

My favors at the Christmas dinner table are "Jane's snowmen" for the women and I am making "Martha's yule logs" for the men. The yule logs are made from toilet paper tubes and a pre-printed paper design downloaded from Martha's website:
The yule logs are so easy to make and will compliment my dinner dishes (Syracuse China). I only wish I had found this idea earlier so I could have made 16.
I plan on tucking a few treats and a lottery ticket inside.

Jane and Martha are just too clever for me!

I am joining Metamorphosis Monday today. Jump over to Between Naps on the Porch for some other ideas

A Perfect Day...

Central NY is known for gray winters. We all lack Vitamin D because the sun rarely shines from November til spring (and then it's sketchy!).

But TODAY it is beautiful - the sun is shining, there is a bit of snow on the ground, and it is cold and crisp - a perfect winter day.
And I can happily say that the coastal storm missed us. Only a very few snowflakes in the air, glistening with the sun, quite like my Swarovski snowflake tree.
Just a lovely day!

Quick Monogrammed Ornaments

I got the inspiration for these ornaments from Embellished Bayou. I needed a few little gifts for some coworkers so I bought some clear ornaments, pulled out some green paint, paint markers and ribbon:
I gave the ornaments two coats of green paint and then painted polka dots all over. I used a paint marker to outline the dots - I hung them from pencils to dry:

I then used a black marker to write an initial on each, and added a few more dots and a bow to finish it off:
I packaged them in little gift boxes with shredded krinkled paper.

I went to Goodwill and bought some gold ornaments and dolled them up, too. This was actually much quicker as they already had a base coat of color. I sat in front of the TV and whipped up 6 in no time at all - a very relaxing craft for me to do because I love to doodle!!

Last Minute Gift

Here's a quick idea for a last minute gift:
Buy an inexpensive jar with a flat lid (This one is a Libby jar). Remove the wire stem from a pick and glue it on the lid, adding some ribbon loops or bows - or take the pick apart and glue on pieces to create your own arrangement:
I used a glue gun to adhere:
Wrap a piece of ribbon around the side of the jar and add a loop or bow:


Add some homemade or store bought candy and DONE! It can be made as quickly as reading these directions!

Visit Leigh at Bloggeritaville to link to other Thrifty Thursday participants.

Christmas Candy

I would much rather make candy during the holidays than bake cookies. One of my favorites is Peanut Brittle.
For years I made brittle on the stove top until I found this really easy recipe for "10 Minute Peanut Brittle"
And the fun part of making candy is the wrapping and packaging...and of course the "tasting".
10 Minute Peanut Brittle
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup lt corn syrup
1/8 t salt
1 1/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts
1 T butter
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
Combine sugar, corn syrup and salt in a 2 qt bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir in peanuts. Microwave for 5 more minutes, stirring at 2 and 4 minutes. Stir in butter, vanilla and soda quickly and stir. Spread onto a buttered cookie sheet to 1/4" thickness. Cool. Break into pieces. ENJOY!

Gift Wrapping Day

Sunday was gift wrapping day...and believe me when I say it lasted all day! This was my kitchen counter around 10:00am (I wont even show you what the floor looked like)
And I wrapped til about 3:00. Christmas music was playing in the background, and a pine candle was burning.

I love a beautifully wrapped present and sometimes I hate to open a gift that is presented so lovely....so here are a few I wrapped:
This one has some linens from the Carribean, rather than a bow (a bookmark to go with the books and a square doily to go with the platter).
A special gift from the Yankee Store in NYC for "hubby":
And a surprise for Ray:
So, a productive day and now I am ready to just sit back and enjoy the holidays!

A busy weekend...

Yes, it is going to be a busy weekend, so this is all I have for now!