it is going to be a busy month........

Yep, the holidays add so many extra things for us to do. I have found myself in the past ten or so years, dreading all of the extra work. I am doing better this year by being more in the spirit of things. I have enjoyed the buying gifts so far and can't think of too much more that I need to buy. Thank God for on-line shopping. ha-ha. I have also run in to a few bazaar types of things while on outings the past couple of weeks. I always find some neat things at these places.

I have a spare bedroom that over the past couple of months had been becoming filled with either houseplants or Christmas gifts. With the bay and garden windows finally in, I have begun finding new homes for all of the plants. Some of the containers are dirty and I have been washing them before placing them back. This has taken a bit of time the past two days and I still figure I have another couple of days work to get things in their permanent homes. I have also filled two plastic grocery bags with dead stems and leaves.

After the plants are moved from the room I will be able to attack the gifts that I have been buying for months and get them wrapped and packaged. I can't wait to get the spare room straightened out. I have been looking at piles of things in there for months. It seems that for about ten years now, I always seem to have one junk room going on where ever I live. I find it very bothersome, but haven't yet figured out how to stop piling things. Oh, about two years ago, I moved from a 2,200 sq. foot home to an 1,100 sq, foot. But even with the bigger house, I had a junk room too. Go figure.

Is everyone else getting ready for the holidays and all that is involved? Want to talk about it? I hope that everyone will have a good and also productive weekend.

Ruby

Another early riser Ruby?? LOL I'm just beginning to think of the holidays :( I dread the "extra work" and have found myself becoming more and more like my father, who used to wait until 2-3 days before Christmas to do all his shopping! Of course, that was years ago and it would be next to impossible to do that now - heck it would take all day just to find a parking spot to get close enough to the stores! Unfortunately the holidays come at the wrong time of the year for us - at the same time we're trying to get everything buttoned down at the nursery we're supposed to be thinking about Christmas presents - leaves me with a somewhat Scrooge attitude around the first of December, but it's usually gone just in time for the holiday! :)) I am extremely thankful for all this nice, warm weather we've been having - sure makes working outside pleasant when we're so busy! The wind yesterday, however, was not so kind - and looks like the temps will be dropping and feel more like December soon. That's when I head inside and start my shopping online :)

Here's a good place for online shopping. Everything is $14.99 or less and they often have a free or low shipping deal going. Lots of cute things and the quality of everything I've gotten from them was terrific. (I highly recommend the set of four Santa hat chair covers. Very cute and very well made.) Be sure to check out their sale items too and I've also gotten the grab bag - three items that are normally $14.99 for $14.99 - and been really pleased with what I got. You might get an Easter or summer item in the mix but it's a terrific deal.

http://www.collectionsetc.com/

Yep, already order from them. Was looking at catalogue I received in mail the other morning while waiting for an appointment and making a list to buy. I guess that I need to finish the list and get the order out soon. I too have been pleased with the items I have received from Collections.

Thank you for thinking of me hart. Have a good rest of the weekend.

Ruby

Good Morning! Ruby, how are you feeling? That window may have boosted the spirit some....gives you a different look to the outside? Know what gets me into the mood? MUSIC! (could ya guess?) I've been playing Christmas music for several days....I still have to find somemore Lycopodium. There's not any on my lil acre, so I will be going up behind the school the middle of next week. And the tree...that will come this week end, we cut our own ~ so much fun! I had tought of getting an artificial one (cuz it would last longer), but it's just no the same! And besides there's no smell! Gotta have the smell! :-D

Have a Great Day!

Joey

Joey,
I seem to be following you around this morning. Touching all the bases. LOL
Ruby,
I have a 4 bedroom house so that means I have 2 junk rooms and you would think with the kids moving out I’d have less stuff. Go figure.

Today is my day. First gather up all the Thanksgiving/Fall decorations and pack them away then clean and move the houseplants to the upstairs bedroom. Big pain in the (you know). Carrying them all up the steps and the 2nd floor bath is being remodeled so there is no water on the second floor. Which means I’ll be carrying a lot of water up those steps for the next month.
Then I get to house clean and do the windows.
But then the fun starts getting Christmas tree this afternoon and starting to decorate the house. Can’t wait to start making wreaths and getting out the old decorations and the old memories that come with them. Next weekend is my birthday husband Ric will put out a delicious buffet, turn on the Christmas music, my parents will come to visit and the kids will all come over and help me trim my tree. One of my favorite traditions. Holly

Time to say goodbye.

Those are nice Tanksgiving decorations, HollyAnn. Well looks like hubby is home with the groceries, need to see what he bought. Bye.

Chris

Hi There - Joey, Holly Ann, Chris, Hart And RCN. Joey, I bought a small artificial tree about three years ago and will be using that again this year. It is only 4 ft tall and so I sit it on a table. I don't think that we have any Christmas music. Maybe I will put that on my shopping list this week and have it for when we decorate the tree.

Debbie, I find myself from time to time the past few days, getting a Scrooge attitude too. It is still not as bad as in years past though. I have some very good reason to be giving thanks this season. I have some stressors going on, but am so much better equipped to handle stress these days vs. when I was younger. I am not especially fond of growing older, but the wisdom that comes along with the aging, can't be beat.

I am doing the same thing as Holly Ann in terms of house plants. I had them all in the spare room while the window installation was going on. That tied things up for about a month because the first window that was delivered was the wrong size. As I began bring them out to put at the new window, I noticed that there was much work to be done to almost every plant. That is slowing me down. Until I have the plants in their new homes, I cannot put the tree up or do anything thing about wrapping gifts. I am going to aim for this week for getting tree up.

Chris, I hope that hubby brought you something good to eat. We are having pork chops, mashed potatoes and corn for dinner. Should I open a can of Pillsbury Grand Biscuits? Uh oh, my mouth is watering.

I hope that everyone will have a good week coming up. In between all of my doctor visits, I will be chugging along.

Ruby

Well, Ruby ~ take care! & good luck on all the "visits"! :-D

Joey

I didn’t get quite as much done as I hoped. But I am well on my way there. My son came by and dropped a little something off earlier and that kinda held me up a little. But we did get the tree with help from the little something my son dropped off. ;}
Ruby, I know what you mean about getting older. I am still trying to do things like I was 35 and my body keeps telling me I’m not. But I have a great attitude about life. Hope you're feeling better.
Thanks Chris, I took ceramic classes for years it was a lot of fun and very relaxing. Just a group of ladies sitting, talking and painting at the local ceramic shop making whatever we wanted.

I've gotten so lazy in my old age, I have an artificial tree even though I can go up to my woods and cut all the cedars I want. I put the tree up last weekend but I haven't put any decorations on it yet. I did manage to get the fiber optic lights on it working.

I have all my shopping done except for one gift but I'm crocheting ponchos for several people so I've been a crocheting maniac every evening. I have one finished, one almost finished and one half done. Two more to do after I get these done.

I have my tree in the kitchen. Sounds goofy, well, heck it is goofy but I like it. I spend more time in there anyway and with the aquarium and birdcage in the living room here at Animal Central, I really don't have a good place to put it in the living room any more.

LOL Hart! :-D I really get a chuckle when people admit that they do "goofy" things! But that's quite allright! It makes for an interesting world! I do "goofy" things, myself! (laughing at myself) Never a dull moment. My son is always laughing at me & tells me I'm crazy...my response is "It would be boring if I weren't!" :-D & he agrees! I hope I get to do a little shopping when my Aquaculture class goes on our field trip to Gardner, Pa. tomorrow. We'll be spending the night with several hours to kill....may find something unique!

Joey

My ex used to accuse me of being eccentric, but then he was so stuffy. LOL

Where's Gardner PA, Joey? Have fun on your trip.

Thanx for the wishes Hart ~ "stuffy" is Not where it's At!;)
Gardner is just southwest of Harrisburg....I'm ready to go Shoppin'!
We'll probably be at the Zeigler Fish Feed plant for a couple of hours (must take notes for a paper) & then we're on our own! :-))

Yep, I'm in the "mood". :-D

Joey

And yet another great pic from our friend Music. This one is so pretty. Is it real or just made for decoration. The snow on the ground looks to be real. If I were a card sending type of person, this what I would want my card to look like. Hmmm.....just wondering if you do any professional photography or is it just for yourself? Aren't I nosey?

Hart, I had to laugh when you said that you could walk out the back door and cut down any number of cedars on your land. That is my story too. But, I told all the guys at my place that wanted a live tree, that I never see them cleaning up the litter for the two or three months after the dry tree is taken down and taken outside.

I just brought in the table that mine will sit on, I now need to move the half table that is sitting in the tree spot. Someone will need to go to storage shed and get the tree and sit it on the table, and I will be the one decorating it when I have the time.

There is a thread somewher either here at DG or at Better Homes and Gardens website for posters to show a pic of their tree. I saw several when looking at them yesterday that had red bows all over the tree along with other decorations. I went to the dollar store earlier today and bought about 50 very small ones to put on mine. On Saturday, while shopping the half price sale at Joanne's Fabrics, I bought some silver glitter hard plastic icicles. Last year I had purchased a set of small ornaments that I did not use on tree and am looking forward to using them this year. This is the first time in years and years that I have had new ornaments for the tree.

Okay lovelies, I need to scoot and use the vacuum that has been sitting out for about six hours waiting for me. Hey, I had shopping to do first. ha-ha.

Have a great day, all.

Ruby

Ruby, You're not too! Nosey ;) Haha! I found that pic on NG last year for wall paper. I use it as a desk top pic, but at the moment I have this one on screne....

And I'll use this one when it's Jan. or Feb. & am wishing for more snow!

Just gorgeous. They bring a smile to my face. Thanks for sharing.

Ruby

Hart nothing wrong with a tree in the kitchen. Here is my little kitchen mini tree, it has cookies, candy,tea pots and kitchen utensils on it.

I have snow, took this pic out of the kitcken window, not very good through the glass and screen but... this is the weeping cherry, I have blue and white lights on it. I'll leave them on all year it is very pretty in the summer sitting by the watergarden at night.

Enjoyed the pics Joey. Very Christmasy!

Aw, Chris, that's so cute. Back when my daughter was small, I made sugar cookies cut with cookie cutters (I had over 100 cookie cutters) and decorated with royal icing, oodles of them, and hung them on our big Christmas tree in the living room. The neighborhood kids really enjoyed picking an ornament and eating it. I made all the neighbor kids their own large gingerbread boy or girl with their name on it too.

I was a baking dervish back in those days. LOL I made a gingerbread house most years from scratch, all kinds of other cookies and stollen every year.

Hart - I have an idea. Just so that you can stay in practice, you ought to make a stollen for me this year. ha-ha Just kidding. My brother's ex-wife's family were great cooks and this was one of their specialties. I always loved having it at Christmas.

I looked up a cookie recipe that my mother used to make each Christmas too and made a copy. If I have time this year I will try making Cherry Winks. They are a cookie dough recipe that is rolled in crushed corn flakes and a quarter of a maraschino cherry in the middle. I loved those things. She would always make a huge batch and would freeze them, so we had cookies for a couple of months past Christmas.

Chris, I love your kitchen tree. It is really cute. Yesterday I was in our attic looking for Christmas stuff to bring down. Boy, I could open a store with all the stuff that is up there. I have a tendency to buy things after Christmas when on the great sales and then forget them. I found stuff yesterday that I am sure I bought for certain people, who I have already bought for recently.

I will have fun going through all this stuff later and seeing what all I actually have. I left more in the attic than I brought down, and I brought down quite a bit of stuff. I put my tree up on Monday evening. So far I have only put the colored lights and an angel on the top of it. I have ornaments and red bows and icicles to add later on.

Nor sure if I will get to decorate today or not. I have a front tooth pulled at 8 this morning. Not sure how I will be feeling.

Chris, If I ask real nice will you try to take a pic of your weeping cherry at night when the lights are on? I am asking in my nicest voice. Please........

Alright everyone......have a good day.

Ruby

Good evening Everybody! I'm back from Gardner & enjoyed the trip. 'Didn't get to go shopping (we stayed until after dark), but learned a lot. I want you all to know that I thought about you ~ wondering when I was passing Hart's house, thinking that here is where you turn off to go to Ruby's, & Chris ~ I thought of you wondering how long it would take to get to your house & thinking of you again when they gave the weather report for tomorrow! Seems as tho you are in for a considerable amount of snow up there!
Hart, do you live far off of 81? Just wondered if I could have seen you in your yard.
Ruby, my mom used to make Cherry Winks, too. What a great idea! But I must admit...I used to pick the cherries off, eat them, & give the rest of the cookie to my little sister! We actually thought that we were being "sneaky", but mom never said a word!
Chris, I love the little tree in your kitchen ~ I see absolutely nothing wrong with where you have one, the main reason is why we put one up in the first place! And I would like to see your tree all lit up, too. (Pretty Please?)

Have a Good Evening! & Stay Warm!

Joey

Ok all! I had a full day today. Had to be at my Herceptin IV today which is 1 hour away. After 1 1/2 hours of sitting with the IV running. My husband & I stopped at Kohl's for some shopping, (he is not a shopper!) we had to pick up a wedding gift for a friend of ours and I also got a gift for my boss and co-workers for Christmas. Then stopped for lunch/supper then back home. Got home and started making my yummy "glazed Italian Sausage Balls" which I freeze for the office Christmas Dinner (we all bring something) as the balls were simmering I went outside to take night pictures as per request of some on this board ; ) and to cool off from the kitchen heat.

Yea, I know you wanted to see the cherry tree .

Darn that wasn't the shot I wanted. This is the one.

Joey, I'll be getting up a bit early tomarrow to see if we get that snow they are talking about. It can be anywhere from 1 to 8 inches depending on how it comes off Lake Erie, I'll leave myself extra time for the drive to work, there is not much traffic to way I go, I'm just greatful we didn't get it today, with the drive to the Cancer Center.

Ruby, I hope you are feeling ok after your extraction. I know those front injections hurt, I've seen grown men cry. Take care, Honey.

Have you guys tried the Hershey's Kisses with the Cherry Cordial Cream filling? They are to die for!!!

Here is a picture of my deck decked out for the Holidays!

Joey, please know that if you are ever traveling through my neck of the woods, that you are invited to drop in for a cup of coffee or hot cocoa. If it is summer, the offer is mint tea or pepsi. I hope that you will be able to get a rest from classes during the holidays and go back next semester refreshed and ready to learn some more. I admire you going back and taking classes and working for a degree. You go girl.

Thank you so much for the pics of tree Chris. Thank you also for showing us the picture of your deck too. I haven't decided if I will decorate outside or not this year. Last year I had three small trees that were lit and sat on my front deck. I didn't see them when I was in the attic on Tuesday and I don't think that I want to make another trip back u pthere. I might just end up putting a string or two of lights around my "new" window. ha-ha..

Yeah, the tooth hurt early on during the day buy by about 8 last night I was able to eat some chicken noodle soup with crackers in it. Haven't had that for a while and it was pretty good. No, didn't even know that Hershey made a cherry cordial kiss. Will have to find some and try. Thanks for the tip. I am always up for chocolate. Yummy!!! Wonder if my love of candy has anything to do with the current condition of my teeth? Yep, yep, yep.

So far this morning my mouth is not hurting. I will continue to take it easy today in order to not stir things up with it. Thanks for asking.

I want all you ladies to have a great day. And Chris, be careful if driving in the snow.

Ruby

Helluu!
Chris, love the pix of the lil tree & your deck! Thanx! ~ Very neat, but I want some of those sausage balls! I love those things ~ but I tend to make a pig of myself. :-D It's like I have a vitamin deficiancy for them! ;-) I'm glad that you didn't have to go for your IV treatment with snow in the road! It would make me a nervous wreck! knowing that I had an appointment to be there with snow on the road. Be safe & take care.
Ruby, thanx for the offer! Don't be surprised if I show up! I love All those drinks you have offered! And thanx for the words of encouragment. I have been given this opportunity & am determined to see it thru, altho sometimes I get discouraged ~ all I have to do is to remember Who gave me this blessing!;-)

Stay warm & take care!

Joey

Nice try Ruby. LOL Actually I'm not going to make any stollen this year but I could post my recipe if anyone wants to try it. It's not hard, basically a sweet yeast bread with candied fruit and nuts in it. A much better use of candied fruit than fruitcake. LOL

Joey, I'm nowhere near 81. I'm in a valley inside the valley and there's mountains between me and 81. It's about 15-18 miles from here via road, maybe about 8 miles as the crow flies. (Or via the really scary dirt, hairpin infested road that goes directly over the mountain that I will not drive.)

Chris, are you up to your eyeballs in snow today? I hope not. I had to laugh about the chocolate. I've noticed my German ("Valley Dutch") relatives up here all have a terrific sweet tooth. Maybe you have a little Pennsylvania Dutch in you. I assume it's something in the blood since my relatives on my mom's side, from southside Va., don't have that extreme sweet tooth. LOL

LOL on the vitamin deficiency, Joey. I think that one is catching.

Hi, guys. I went too work in the snow, took my time getting there. Sometimes there were white-outs, not many folks on the roads. Our patients in the afternoon canceled out so we all left about 12:30 for home. It was slow going but made it home safely.

My wild birdies were glad I got home early too, the feeder was empty, they have been chowing down all afternoon since I filled it.

I do have some German in me, never pass up chocolate or baked goods, I have made stollen, but I have a Poteca (nut roll) that's out of this world. And I love a good fruit cake!

Chris

Snow, Snow everybody's got snow but me!!!!
I got my plants all moved upstairs they are looking pretty good and the furniture is all polished. Next is the windows and floor then we can move the tree in. I have family comming over on Sunday so Friday and Saturday are going to be busy. My son is in charge of putting up the outside decorations. I bought a lightup train for the yard this year. The grandson will love it. Holly

Hi ladies - Joey, I am serious about anyone traveling nearby being invited to stop by and see my place. Hopefully, I will see some of you great folks at the spring swap. Don't forget to bring your camera if you decide to come Joey.

Hart, I would love to have the recipe for stollen. Not sure if I will get around to making it this year or not, but do want to try making it at some point. Reading the description of where you live, reminds me of a place that I have heard of....it is called The Boonies. ha-ha ha-ha

Chris, there is nothing more lovely than watching birds eat, while it is snowing. Last summer we had a little tit-mouse stand on the rail of our deck during a ferocious wind storm. His feathers wear flying every direction. That little sucker just stood there and John and I were laughing our heads off. Last winter was my first one to have bird feeders. I really enjoyed the three I had. I enjoyed them so much that I went out recently and bought a larger one for front deck.

Holly, now it is my turn to go waaaaaaaaaa.......I want my houseplants to be in their winter home spots and my furniture polished. I learned a lesson with having my windows installed or any other type of construction work during November.
November is too late to have work going on because for the life of me during this busy time, I can't find the time to finish arranging the new plants that I brought in for the winter. One reason why moving these plants is such a burden, is that while finding homes, I am tending to the plants and the containers that they are in. I don't want to put dirty containers and ragged plants on display.

Anyways.....gonna scoot along here and begin some chores. I will be checking in here from time to time. Unless there is some sort of emergency, I will be staying inside where it is warm. Have a good weekend all.

Ruby

Where I live:
http://www.helenjeansmith.com/gallery/fullsize/4-5.gif painting by a local artist of a farm down the road

http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/lee/recreation/day_use_areas/images/woodstocktower/Woodstocktower_view.jpg my house is in this picture somewhere. fairly straight up from the v but not the one next to the grassy area. You can click to zoom

http://2000.shenandoah.com/262.html http://2000.shenandoah.com/713.html
also down the road from me

I'll dig out the stollen recipe to post. And maybe we can entice Chris to post that poteca recipe. Sounds wonderful.

Diane, Do you know what you'll be getting into? I use to get up early Monday morning to make hubby breakfast the first day of deer season, and then get started on the poteca, it has to rise several times so I would do some holiday decorating and cleaning inbetween doing the poteca, it makes 2 large loaves. Sometimes I'll make 4 smaller loaves. I would wrap them in foil and plastic wrap and freeze them. I think they taste better after they are frozen. My recipe is the only one I have found with sour cream in the dough. One year I had forgotten a loaf and we had it for Easter morning, now that was a treat.

It's really good reheated in the oven so the butter melts into the warm slices.

Now you know; if I post it you have to make it!

Chris

Hart, I live in a farming county & that is a gorgeous place! I love the rolling hills with the farms in among the forests. Thanx for sharing your surroundings. :-)
Chris, I don't know what poteca is (assuming a bread), but my granny's homemade yeast bread took her all day, too & she would do all kinds of things in between the times she needed to "punch" it down....Yummmmmmmm!
Ruby, Thanx for the offer ~ I will remember it! So don't be suprised if I do!

This is the valley I live in...shaped in a "v". It has higher "hills". :-)) The mountain in the distance is Peters Mountain & I live at the bottom.

Joey

Chris: So what is the recipe for those good looking meatballs????

I'm going to start a thread for holiday recipes. That sound okay? Then they'll all be in once place easy to find.

Chris, several risings doesn't scare me. LOL Please post the recipe.

lso want to announce that I slept until 8:30 today. Yippie!!!! I have been having sleep problems for most of this year. I am sure that my body and mind are sleep deprived, so sleeping this late is good. It always takes me a few hours to feel like getting up and moving about though, so all the chores are gonna definitely be way behind today.

Sorry to come and vent, but need to do it somewhere. Otherwise, I might blow my top at an inopportune time. I hope that things are going much smoother for all of you folks. Have a good Sunday and a good week coming up.

Ruby