Happy New Year

Let the countdown to a memorable year begin!

Hoping  your new year shines with  peace, happiness and surrounded  by love of family and friends.   

Gail

A Christmas Message from Me to You

 

Coffee Cozies as Christmas Gifts

Thanks to Robin at All Things Heart and Home, I made the perfect gift!   Back in October, Robin posted a tutorial on coffee cozies.  I knew then, that I would be making some as gifts for Christmas for those in my family who keeps WAWA, Sheetz and Starbucks in business.

 

I even made myself one….a gift to me from me. 

With a gift card attached and a loaf of homemade pumpkin bread, I think it makes for a nice Christmas gift.   

With all the shopping done and presents wrapped, all I   have left to do is finish my baking for Christmas.

`Tis the season to wrap the world in joy and love. 

Gail

Santa’s Little Helpers

Yep……Santa has little helpers and they have been busy making M&M stockings for all their pre-school classmates.

“Santa’s Little Helpers” working so hard to fill the stockings with M&M’s. 

Grandma cut the stockings out of scrapbook paper and sewed organza fabric to the front of each stocking.   We all embellished the stockings with ribbon , holly leaves and little red berries. 

So proud of their M&M stockings. 

This was such a fun project to do with my grandsons.  They really enjoyed making them and believe it or not they didn’t eat one M&M!  

Thanks for stopping by and my Blessings to you and your family this Christmas season. 

Gail

Our Home For Christmas

Greetings from our home to yours!  Today I thought I would share with you a glimpse inside our home for Christmas and we’ll start in the kitchen.  

The entry wall leading into the kitchen.  

An old teapot that belonged to my grandmother is part of the kitchen table centerpiece.

Kitchen place setting. 

 

A countertop vignette.

A kitchen vignette.

Our family room.

 

The Nativity is  a family  heirloom.

Grandma’s pride and joy.

Dining Room

     

Front entry

Staircase 

Our grandsons’ stockings.

A little Christmas in the powder room.

May this season and the coming year bring you the best of everything.

Our sincere wishes to all of you for a Blessed Christmas and New Year.

Gail 

Linking this post to:

A Stroll Thru Life

Bobbypin’s Boardwalk

Blue Cricket Design

No Minimalist Here

Savvy Southern Style

All Things Heart and Home

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Funky Junk Interiors

Sending Christmas Cheer To Our Soldiers

Our son, Jordan, is with the US Army in Afghanistan.  He is serving at a remote forward operating base with 30 other US soldiers.  We have sent Jordan packages every few weeks containing various items that he may not be able to get over there. 

Now that it is Christmas time, we wanted to send a little something to his fellow soldiers.  So, I made “soldier stockings”.  We bought thirty pairs of warm weather thermal socks and stuffed them with various small items.  I wrote them a little note of our thanks and tied the “stockings” with a bow.

Hopefully they will receive our package by Christmas time so Jordan can play Santa and distribute them to all of his fellow soldiers. 

Thanks for stopping by and my Blessings to you and your family this Christmas season.

Gail

Christmas Cloches

Today I’m joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for her Christmas Cloche Party.  Here are a few of the cloches that I have scattered throughout my home. 

In my dining room this cloche is sitting on  my buffet.  

Keeping with the color scheme on the buffet, I used a silver finial with pine, holly leaves and added two silver jingle bells.   

 

In the kitchen I have a lantern sitting on the countertop.     In front of the lantern I placed a wicker basket that has faux pine and goodies in it.  I tied a burlap bow on the handle. 

I filled the inside of the lantern with a lighted strand of woven balls, greens, pinecones and berries.

On the shelf in the kitchen is my bird cage. 

I placed greens with little red berries in it and added a candle.  

On the entryway table in the kitchen, I have another cloche.  I made this one. 

Keeping it simple,  I just added pine and three red jingle bells. 

 

The apron you see hanging is another sentimental keepsake of my Mom’s.  It was her Christmas apron that she wore many times on Christmas Eve.

Thanks for stopping by and my blessings to you and your family this Christmas season.

Gail

Our Christmas Tree

Our Christmas tree has pretty much stayed the same as last year with the exception of adding a few new Christmas ornaments to the tree.

I made all the bows for our tree last year. 

I have two of my favorite Christmas ornaments that have some meaning to me.  The first one is the Silent Night Christmas ball which has been in our family for many many years.  My Mom had it on her tree as a little girl.  It’s the only one left and I’ve had it for about 25 years.  The second is the heart.  It is our  first Christmas ornament together as husband and wife.

Growing up, we all had Christmas balls with our names on them.   It was our family tradition that when we decorated our Christmas tree, we would all put our Christmas ball on the Christmas tree. As we married and the family grew, each and every family member would have a Christmas ball with their name on it.  And it was still a family tradition that you put your Christmas ball on my parents’ Christmas tree.   Now that both my parents are gone, I now have my childhood Christmas ball on my Christmas tree.    Charlie’s Christmas ball was added to my parent’s Christmas tree in 2002 and now his Christmas ball is also a  part of our Christmas tree.  

I now  have  Christmas balls with all of our children and grandson’s names on them placed upon our Christmas tree. 

 

Christmas will be different this year as it will be my first without my mom and then without our son Jordan.  Jordan will be spending his first Christmas away from home in Afghanistan and Mom with our heavenly father.     

 

Thanks for stopping by and my blessings to you and your family this Christmas season.

Gail 

Linking this post to: 

Coastal Charm

Thrifty Decor Chick