Wellllll!

 I am back but I am still right in the midst of another one of my "if you give a mouse" episodes. I'm not really sure how I get into these situations but in it I am! More about that later but for now, why don't we head into the kitchen and see how it is decked out this year?

I'm loving my new "Magnolia" tea towel that my brother and sister-in-law brought me from their visit to Waco and the Silos. 

I went ahead and put my cookie and candy molds back out this year along with my pot holder made by my sister-in-law and plates made by my daughters and grand children. I love that old carpenter's box. I also added a few bottle brush trees to the tray that holds the oils, etc.

 The sleigh on the window sill is an antique given to me by my mom. She wasn't really into antique hunting-at least not that I knew of-but she seemed to find me something special each year just because she knew how much old Christmas things mean to me. The sleigh is pretty roughly made-definitely not something done by a skilled wood worker but I love it. And, it is just the right size to hold one of my favorite Santas. The small Santa and bag on the shelf are salt and pepper shakers and another antique gift from her.

 

I still love those small Santa drawings that I bought wholesale years ago when I was involved in a small country store. My friends and I would go to wholesale shows and buy the things we liked...sometimes some of them even made it into the shop...but mostly, into our homes. Lol

The tree plate on the left was a wedding gift 58 years ago. I got married 2 days after Christmas and this is probably one of the only wedding gifts that still survive-other than silver. Because of this gift, I took to giving a Christmas item as wedding gifts for others over the years. I remember the people that gave that to us every year that I take it out and I hope that the recipients of my gifts are thinking about me as well!

And there you have the kitchen for this year. Not sure when I will be back. I am in the middle of my "mouse" chaos. Since the rooms were all emptied for the carpet cleaning and the drapes were down for cleaning as well, I decided that before I moved any of the furniture back, I needed to clean everything else as well. I am in the middle of putting clean sheets on all of the beds, washing all of the throws, blankets and throw pillows as well as "beating" and plumping all of the furniture cushions. I figured this was the best time to get it done. And, of course, the furniture is all going back and I'm trying to de-clutter some of the stuff going back into it all! Every bone in my body hurts-even ones I didn't know I had! If you are ever going to come visit me, do it now because I am pretty sure my house won't be quite this clean for a long time to come! I am trying to get it all done today as my first faux tree-sob-is supposed to be delivered tomorrow. But, I haven't received an update on the delivery since the day it was shipped so we shall see! Fingers crossed I will be decorating it soon-and that it sort of resembles a tree! Lol

Off I go to rehang the drapes, etc., etc. Stay safe and stay tuned!