New Year Greetings to All My Wonderful & Sweet Friends!!

You all are the best! :)

Do you hear that? Christmas gently whispering its farewell 'til next year......

So I'm sharing the last few pictures of our dining room as it looked for Christmas this year....

I'm glad Valentine's Day will have lots of pink too!

Happy 18th Birthday, Brad!!

Eighteen years ago today, I received one of my greatest blessings, a little blue-eyed baby boy with a headful of blonde hair.

Here's to you, my fun, crazy, loveable, talented son!!

Vintage Planters with sweet old Christmas corsages and bottle brush trees.

A Return to Pink.......

I've been featuring more of my red and green Christmas decor lately, so I thought I'd shift the focus back to pink and shabby for today!I've kept my pink rose dishes in the dining room china cabinet, adding some pink Santas and reindeer. This one with the tree in his sack was a gift from my mother.

Merry Pink Christmas!!

Some closeups of my Christmas village. I painted the pink Sweet Shoppe and the blue church years ago. I also painted a pink and green cottage but don't have a closeup of it for some reason. I have some more of these houses that I haven't painted yet. Maybe this year (?) -- wait, didn't I say that last year? :)

Thank you from Chris for those that wished him a Happy Birthday. And thanks to those who took the time to listen to Brad's band performing Carol of the Bells. You would think I was proud of that kid or something. ;)

In the post below this one, I have added a performance of Carol of the Bells by Midnight Son, the band in which my son Brad plays (some of you might recall they were on CBS this summer). They are now performing a Blues Christmas show, and this is an amateur video of them at one of the malls. I stress amateur, because it's nothing like seeing it in person (sound quality), but you can get the idea. After the first minute or so of play, it really starts to ROCK!!

EDITED TO ADD: My son Brad is the one on the right in the hat. He plays bass guitar. :)
They are three high school friends, all seniors this year.

Also, today is my dear husband Chris' Birthday, so I posted one of his favorite ornaments..... his great-grandfather owned a Barber Shop, so I got him this special ornament one year.

Happy 41st Birthday, Chris!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carol of the Bells (Midnight Son)

Oooooooooooo, my all-time favorite movie is on tonight!!!!! Can you guess what it is?

:)

Going to turn the lights on the tree, cuddle up with the kitties, and enjoy!

After all, It IS A Wonderful Life!!

...And God Bless Us, Everyone!!

Brad and his band have been playing a Blues Christmas Show at area malls. Tonight, he had new attire for the event, and I just thought he looked so nice and Christmas-y I had to share. Some of the songs they play are "Merry Christmas, Pretty Baby", "Blue Christmas", and an absolutely awesome version of "The Carol of the Bells".
Hope you are enjoying lots of Christmas music in your life too!! :)

What I Love About Our Holiday Home....

I love the big old fashioned lights that remind me of my childhood and the lights people decorated with then. We didn't put up outdoor lights on our home when I was little, so I especially enjoy them now. We also add light-up Santas, snowmen, soldiers, candles...... Some might call it tacky, I call it FUN!!
I love that we have a fireplace and a mantel to decorate!

And precious pictures of Christmases of our childhood, such as this one of my husband Chris, with his siblings visiting Santa..... I love vintage ornaments that transport us back in time.....
I love happy face snowmen that make me smile......

I love displaying my Christmas village..... It's like peering into a tiny perfect world..... I love decorating the kitchen with gingerbread men, and baking holiday treats for my loved ones... But what I love MOST OF ALL about our holiday home........
those with whom I share it.......
My greatest blessings.


Happy Holidays from Our Home to Yours!!

Thank you for visiting. Please come back often, as I am posting Christmas pics/decor every day this month through Christmas!!
Also, be sure to check out Karla's blog for a complete list of all the participants in "What I Love About My Holiday Home"!

Merry Christmas!!

* I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus*

When I was a little girl, we had this song on a record (a "45" -- remember those?)

I remember being appalled -- what on earth was that child's Mommy doing kissing SANTA CLAUS instead of Daddy?!! I thought it was absolutely scandalous.

Of course, years later I "got it" and have been able to smile at my sweet childhood innocence. There is no doubt that I truly and completely BELIEVED.

The very best ornaments....... made by small little boy hands for mommy...... hang proudly on our family room tree. I'll treasure them always.

Have Yourself a Merry Vintage Christmas.....

Baby's First Christmas

In case you're wondering who that little one is in my new profile pic, it's me on my first Christmas! I was eight months old, and this was probably my first dolly, which started a pattern of getting a dolly every year for Christmas until I was ten or so. I loved my dolls (apparently I was protecting this one's eyes from the harsh flash!! :)

I don't know what happened to her or to the panda, but I still have the yellow bear, which I, in later years, named "Orange-y". How clever was I; she wasn't really even orange -- and looks more like a boy bear now that I think about it, with that blue outfit!

Hope you all are enjoying this wonderful season!

A suitcase filled with vintage Christmas goodness.......

Must get back to decorating...... where does the time go?

:)

Hope you are enjoying the season!!

More Pink Cones and a GIVEAWAY WINNER announcement!!

I participated in a pink ornament swap hosted by the Pink Christmas Flickr group of which I'm a member, and here is what I made......

We were to make five ornaments to exchange (and one to keep). I have received three of mine from my swap partners so far. When I receive them all, I'll take photos to share with you. They are all beautiful. Lots of talent out there in blogland, that's for sure!!

And now, for the Giveaway Drawing ........ (for which I used a random number generator for the first time -- wow, those things make it easy!)

The winner is Lana of Honeysuckle Lane!! Lana, please e-mail me privately with your address, and I'll get your pink Christmas cone on its way to you to enjoy this season!! :)

Thank you all for participating and leaving your kind comments!!

Merry Christmas!!

Today is the last day to sign up for my Pink Christmas Giveaway! I will pick the winner sometime tomorrow, from everyone that left a comment on that post!

Here is a picture of our bedroom mantel from a previous Christmas! I must confess it doesn't look like this right now! :)

Christmas VignettesLittle touches of Christmas.........

remember the angel I found at the Junk Shoppe that was half off? She is happy to be here at Christmas (above).

The birdcage gets its own tree this year (vintage pink bottle brush) with a vintage angel standing by, and an ornament suspended above them.

I found these old pastel lights last year..... husband hasn't checked the wiring, so I use them for display only. I love the colors and facet of them!

Our living room is decorated for Christmas!!
I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway if you haven't already!!
Thank you for visiting; and please stop by again!!