November 11, 2008 – 10:46 am
My sister Genny and DD did a lot of the decorating in the kitchen this past weekend while I worked on other things. Brooke had helped me on Friday and we put up new garlands as the old ones were shedding terribly. I made each one long enough to fit each window so they will be easier to store and put back up next year than the two long ones we were using before. So Genny and DD were able to hang ornaments after DH put lights on the garland.
DD thinks this is fun because she gets to climb on the kitchen counter to hang snowflakes and icicles.
I spend a lot of time in our kitchen so I have opportunity to enjoy the snowflake collection more than other ornament collections I have. This year, we put blue and white LED lights on the garlands. The new LED white lights are really white, not gold or yellow or ivory colored. Makes a big difference in the way the room looks. Love my snowflake curtains, too. Thanks, Laurie! 🙂
~~Rhonda 🙂
November 10, 2008 – 3:35 pm
The tile installers have been here all day. I took a few pictures while they were at lunch.
The tiles are installed in the downstairs bath, but not yet grouted.
Upstairs, they have just started putting down the tile.
They will be back tomorrow to work on the third bathroom. I’ll be glad when the hammering and sawing are done!
~~Rhonda
November 10, 2008 – 2:33 pm
Saturday morning, my sister and I took about four hours to string popcorn and six bags of cranberries for the living tree. DD helped for a little while, too.
This is not quite half the strings we need for a 9′ tree.
The 9′ tree sits on a 2′ box, making the top 11′. I put the garlands on the tree as far as I could reach, then DH took over.
~~Rhonda 🙂
November 7, 2008 – 4:21 pm
Last evening I put lights on the middle tier of the 9′ living room tree and today I spent three hours finishing the lights on the bottom tier. Looks great! And it should. I used twelve boxes of commercial grade, 200 count light strings. This tree sits on a revolving stand and makes a beautiful display. The cats came to watch. I guess they got bored. Taking naps was more their speed. Buttercup settled down near the fireplace and Happy took up residence under my chair.
Happy took a long nap next to the warm glow of this light string.
My sister Genny is coming this evening to spend the weekend helping with the Christmas decorating. DH couldn’t find fresh cranberries in town last night, so Genny is bringing eight bags. It takes six to make enough popcorn and cranberry strings for the living room tree.
I’m moving on to the office tree. It needs one light string replaced and then we can finish decorating it. More later. 🙂 ~~Rhonda
November 6, 2008 – 6:38 pm
The twins went home on Monday, but before they left, we had an early birthday celebration.
Panda didn’t seem to care for that first bite of almond flavored frosting, but she got into it.
Tabby, not so much.
Now they are a year old! 🙂 ~~Grandma
November 6, 2008 – 5:54 pm
Yesterday, DH brought lots of boxes down from the attic. There are fifteen boxes just for the living room. This is the part of decorating for Christmas that looks like chaos to the untrained eye. 🙂
It’s all organized by box and by room. Each box decorates a particular part of the room. For the living room, two boxes hold the decorations for the top of the old square grand piano. One box has the mantel decorations in it, two have garlands for the arches, and there are four boxes of ornaments for the tree.
DH also brought down the living room tree. I put lights on the top part of the 9′ tree. DH will have to lift it onto the trunk, then I can begin on the middle branches. Last year, we decided this was the year to put all new lights on the tree, as several strings were very old and faded.
The lights on the top of the tree will stay on the tree when it goes back into storage after Christmas. The rest of the branches come off (with lights removed) and are stored in large black garbage bags. We have a room in the attic dedicated to the storage of the trees and branches. DH takes some of the trees to storage intact (with lights still on and decorations removed), but the 9′ trees are too wide and too heavy to take up the stairs and through the doorways.
I’ll put more lights on the tree this evening. It takes about six WOman hours to put all the lights on each of the two 9′ trees, one in the living room and one in the library.
Today I make chocolate creams, chocolate raspberry truffles, and baked Sugar Cookie Crisps. I also painted two coats on the laundry room door. One more coat and it can be installed.
~~Rhonda
November 4, 2008 – 9:16 pm
The new tile in the bath was grouted yesterday, in the midst of getting our son and his family packed and on the road. The tile guy did a great job. The medicine cabinet goes back up tomorrow.
The tile goes around the window, over to the tub.
The view out the bathroom window…the trees are beautiful.
Next Monday, the floor tiles will be installed. We’re making progress! ~~Rhonda
November 4, 2008 – 1:31 pm
DH make the eagle from the Great Seal of the United States. Ummm…riiiiight…. He didn’t add the extras…arrows, leaves, banners. You get just the basics with DH’s pancake art. ;-D Those other things are "dots," which DD always asks for.
Now that you’re inspired…get out there and vote!
~~Rhonda 🙂
November 2, 2008 – 1:12 pm
The twins have been angels this week. A dream to take care of. They’ll be heading home tomorrow, which is sad for us, but happy for them and their mommy and daddy.
~~Grandma
