Christmas Comes

But Once A Year...

 I'm going to put off Mod Mix Monday till next week.

Because...Christmas comes but once a year.

And I can't do it all. I can't even do a small part of it.

I didn't post Sunday morning because I thought my internet was down.

We had a giant ice storm and yesterday afternoon I realized I had no internet.

But I still had cable...which was odd.

So I thought I'd just wait awhile and surely it would be back up.

Sunday morning I went to church services at my Mom's church.

She sings in the choir and was very very happy that I came.

After church Mom and I went out to dinner and then I went to visit my sister, 

my brother in law and all their dogs.

When I got home...I still didn't have internet.

Time to call my cable provider and ask if it was out in my area.

So I call technical support and they tell me to look at the back of my modem

"Look for a gray wire," he says.

I find the gray wire and realize it's been chewed in two!

I was like...

"is it the skinny one?"

And he said, "No", that would be your phone.

Me: "that would be why my house phone has not worked in 6 months"

Yes, I've been paying for a phone that does not work for at least 6 months...hey, maybe a year.

Not smart.

So he tells me to check the other wire or cable and it is loose on the back of my computer....

problem solved. 

So actually, my internet was never out.

Things are always going wrong with all these dogs around.

Anyway...after that....

I was just about to lose light for taking more photos of my Christmas.

Yesterday's photos were not the best because I was losing light then too...but I snapped a few to share anyway.

I'll try again tomorrow.

One of my newer putz houses. A friend gave me this one a few years ago.

Some of you noticed the new wall color in the living room.

I am totally loving it! It's just the perfect color.

Windows are still not painted and neither is the dining room.

Here is another reason why I didn't get many photos done...Franklin.

He was running loose in the room. He and Harvey are insisting upon helping me decorate.

Light quality is not great...but I snapped this good pose of him in front of Xmas pillows.

He seems thrilled with all the Christmas going on in the room.

 There's Franklin's tail as he explores.

 Another putz house...yes this one is the same as the other.

Shannon doesn't know she gave me two alike but that's ok.

They don't sit next to each other and I love them lots.

I keep thinking I'll change one of them up but I haven't done it so far.

So hopefully, I'll get more photos shot tomorrow...and I can show you the rest...

but you never know how things are going to go...do you?....

because this is how things go here.....

Got a love him anyway.

He doesn't like pooping on icy grass.

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Loving

Christmas Putz Houses

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Just sharing a few pretty putz houses from my Christmas Putz House Pinterest Board today.

I got all of mine out last night. I have a new church that was given me last year for Christmas.

So excited to set it up.

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I finished decorating my tree last night and almost finished the mantel.

Now I have to pull the room back together and put all those tubs away.

Yuck...I hate that part and the last two hours I was decorating I was being barked at constantly

by Harvey.

He had had enough of me being in another room.

I wasn't letting him and Franklin in because they'd get into everything.

Although they both did come in the night I took all the lights off the tree and 

put new lights on.

It was very sweet. They laid next to me on the ottoman while I cursed the tree.

They were very sympathetic to my ordeal.

Once I finally got the tree lit they jumped off the ottoman and started running all over the room.

I guess they sensed my relief that the job was done.

They also seemed pretty impressed with all the lights. They stared and stared at the tree.

So I know they were wanting in again last night but I was too busy and there was too much stuff everywhere to let them in.

This made Harvey mad! 

His barks were getting louder and louder and more insistent. 

He tried to break down the baby gate several times but I had it rigged where he couldn't.

I have to say since Harvey has lost weight...he has become much more bossy.

And he gets into things more.

I'm almost tempted to fatten him up again.

Not really...but he gets in to trouble now where he used to not because all he did was lie around.

Ok, back to Christmas....

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My dining room still has to be decorated.

I'm not very excited about it since I did not get the dining room repainted, yet.

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But oh...I am loving the color of my living room now. 

Sherwin Williams Shoji White

It looks so good with all my Christmas stuff. It looks good with everything.

You'll see.

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I went to take photos tonight and found my camera dead and I was out of batteries.

Bad Blogger... Yep, that's me.

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So tomorrow I'll take some photos.

I've just about missed all the Christmas home tour link ups.

Yet, again.

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I just can't seem to get my act together. 

I did get the garage door to close today.

I'd had to leave it open an inch the other day when it quit on me but

it still won't open.

It stops at about three inches off the ground.

So I'm afraid the outside of my house looks pretty lame.

I did put out some red lanterns I filled with white lights but 

I couldn't get all my greenery out of the garage to do the job right on the porch.

There is always next year...right? 

I did make some new vintage looking bottle brush trees the other night and 

you'll see them as part of my mantel.

Let's just pretend I have two weeks still before Christmas instead of just a few days.
There....I feel better.

Last night I was just decorating to my heart's delight and listening to my favorite Christmas music
and trying not to think about how this all should have been done two weeks ago. 

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Christmas in the Dining Room

Not So Merry....

These are photos of my dining room this Christmas. 

I was very excited about decorating it this year.

What you don't see in these photos are the empty storage boxes I photographed around.

I can't show a long view because there is stuff strewn all about.

Sometimes in spite all your best efforts and plans....you have no control over how things go.

I only finished my decorating Saturday night...Sunday morning I was up and getting ready

to move all boxes to storage when I got the call that my friend Shannon

was at the hospital.

A call a few minutes later told me she was gone.

GONE

She died at home shortly after waking this morning.

Just suddenly gone. 

I was dazed....stunned.

I'd spoken to her several times the day before.

I'd spoken to her the night before.

We were to plan our Christmas Eve meal.

It was to include lobster bisque.

That was the only thing we knew for sure.

I was going to shop for it today.

Instead I was at her home with her husband and friends mourning our loss.

Before I went to her home...to sit with her husband...

I took photos of my Christmas mess.

Which truly is what it is now.

A big mess. Life is a big mess.

I should not have even bothered this year.

Now I have it all to put away on top of everything else going on and 

my Mom's fastly approaching surgery.

But...I thought I might as well show what I've done...or it will all be to waste.

But...I think I'll just say I give up.

For now...I just give up.

I'm not going to try any more.

I plan and work and try and hope and wish...

and 

it does no good.

I may not post for awhile.

I hope you all have a nice Christmas...for me

it has turned out just something to get through again

in spite of my best efforts to make it merry.

My friend Shannon was the sweetest, kindest most thoughtful person ever.

She was always trying to figure out what she could do for others to make their lives better.

The last few months we talked a lot about how good things would be

when she was better.

How good next Christmas would be and that we'd make the most of this one.

I was going to make it good - no matter what.

She and her husband surprised me with a new tv last year for Christmas when I was so down

from losing my best friend, Shelly and Newman, also.

It's a good thing we cannot know our future for if we'd known then how 

she'd be gone this Christmas...it would be impossible to go on.

Her husband was everything to her and she everything to him. 

He will need everyone's prayers to keep him going.

He has lived for her for so long.

She has always been his first priority.

There must be something better after this life...she so deserves it.

If anyone ever deserved heaven...it is her.

I'll check in and let you know how my Mom is...but I may not 

do any serious posting for quite awhile...not till my Mom is better.

I just feel like not trying any more.

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Christmas Surprises

Yesterday when I got home from work...I had an email from

Belinda my Oklahoma friend who I met through blogging.

She said she'd left me a surprise on my porch.

Belinda doesn't have a blog...but she's a great pinner...you'll want to follow her on Pinterest.

Belinda on Pinterest

I went out to find a package wrapped in adorable snowflake cellophane.

(I must create something with that)

Inside were what looked to be a bunch of little white trees.

Upon taking them out, I realized it was a white feather putz fence.

The sort of fence you'd put around your cardboard putz house village under the tree!

I was beyond thrilled and couldn't believe she'd bought this for me.

Isn't it precious? It has four sides. I just set it up on the coffee table for now...

I'm sure it will be getting a place of honor. Not sure where...but somewhere.

I immediately wrote her to thank her and ask where she'd found such a thing.

Get this.... she found it at a Thrift Store for $2!!!!!!

What a find!!!!

I can't believe she snatched it up for me instead of herself.

It is like brand new too. Amazing...

Another Christmas surprise is that I made these twisty pipe cleaner things for my tree.

I really wanted something to add some whimsy to the tree this year but everything 

I found to stick in ...was way out of my price range.

When poor...you have to get creative. So it occurred to me that I could make something out of 

pipe cleaners to stick in my tree.

This involved twisting the pipe cleaners around a long skinny brush handle...and I had my whimsy.

Let's see my other Christmas surprise is....

My Mom is having open heart surgery on December 27th...we weren't expecting that this year.

That is why I have been lacking in Christmas posts...

I've been working and

going to doctors with Mom and you know....just stuff.

I'll be back tomorrow showing more of my Christmas.

I should have just blown off decorating this year...but I just didn't want to.

So it's all being done last minute and in a rush...but that is ok.

See you tomorrow....

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Christmas Mantel 2012

Sugar Coated Christmas

I finally got my tree and mantel decorations up yesterday.

This post is devoted to my mantel.

My tree and dining room will follow later in the week.

I wanted to do something different this year on my mantel.

Somehow it developed into a house and trees scene again but totally different than what I've done in the past.

I used a putz house given to me by my good friend Shannon H.

She gave it to me last year for Christmas. It's surrounded by bottle brush trees.

Sit back and view - lots of photos showing the details.

I put up my white tree again this year...and so I HAD to use white garland.

Luckily I have lots of it I bought on sale one year at Target after Xmas.

The sparkly garland I bought years ago also super discounted at Michael's.

This is the first time I used it.

I never intended to use it on the fireplace but I found it in my stash and on a whim 

hung it and loved it.

I originally was just going to use the large icicles.

These were also in my stash of Christmas stuff I haven't used in a very long time.

I pulled them out of my stuff that was put away in the garage.

I was planning on doing a more streamlined design this year....but so much for that.

I just kept adding stuff to it.

The wreath has been years in the making.

I keep adding more ornaments to it each year - all vintage shiny brite.

My blogging friend, Valorie Hart aka The Visual Vamp sent me the precious

little box decorated with a porcelain pup.

She said it just looked like me when she saw my decorations two years ago

and popped it in the mail to me after Christmas.

I was thrilled to get him.

Like I said...I just kept adding to the mantel decor.

The little bottle brush stars came from Pier 1 last year...my friend Petra came in one night

and I told her I loved them but would not be getting because I wasn't even putting up a tree.

One night she brought me a sack of them.

I couldn't wait to use them this year.

Those bottle brush snowflakes came from Target several years ago...after Christmas...super cheap.

I thought I couldn't like my Christmas mantel any better than the one I did in 2010

but I like this one more.

See last year's here...

Yes, I love this year's more.

Totally inspired by this putz house.

This pillow is really the only new thing I bought this year and it came from....Pier 1...where else?

I wanted it last year but we sold out before Christmas.

I made sure and grabbed one early this year.

I bought the pom pom fur throw there last year.

All my posts this week will be about my own Holiday decor.

So be sure to come back...oh...I'm having fun now.....

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