Size matters.

When I was younger, I'd jokingly tell my mother that

the older a person gets, the smaller their Christmas tree gets.

That is how I interpreted what I observed in our family.

Google Images

My Baba had the traditional lighted ceramic tree.
 No fuss, no muss.

Google Images

My mother displays a mid-sized tabletop model. 

Still a tree, but easy to manage.

Me?

Yes, I've still got the full size, too big for my house number.

If you knew what I go through every year to get that tree up and shining, you'd

truly be amazed!  In fact, the contestants of Survivor ain't got nuttin' on me!

Tree Retrieval Process at 911

After I descend into the Mancave, I'm forced to enter a very narrow

closet housing the 220 degree steam pipes.  I shimmy past those, while sucking

in my...... well, everything in fear of being burned.  And believe me,
I've got a few scars from past encounters!

Google Images

 If I make it safely past the hot pipes, I duck down to enter
the Hobbit Closet, which is a term that loosely describes the small space
 under our basement stairs where our tree spends the majority of the year.
 Unfortunately it's also the spot where I pile all the things
 I didn't know what to do with for the past 11 months.

 Yes, my tree is under an avalanche about to happen.

Wikipedia

When I finally get to the zippered bag and bins that hold the three parts

of my tree, I've got to carry the whole works out over my head!

It's the only way to get past the hot pipes.

And......

I have to accomplish this entire task without getting between the

cave dweller and his massive television!!!

Whew!

Every year I'm optimistic that I've found the perfect spot for

Too Large Tree.  I may as well come clean about what happened

last year as I was manhoovering (term used by youngest offspring to

describe how she had to park the big ole' car we gave her for college)

the furniture around to make way for TLT.

I blamed it all on those mischievous elves when it was actually.....

The Manhoover Maneuver

that broke the leg off my 22 year old couch!
I was dragging it across the rug and snap!

It has been repaired, but now that I've come clean, I'm hoping

Santa will deliver a new couch to 911 this year.

Although.......there is the curbside theft find incident. 

I'll be better next year, Santa.  I promise!

So, there really is a mathematical equation to figure out

what size Christmas tree your house should be sporting

and here it is:

Upper body strength + hip circumference x closet size - bank account % age = tree size

By my calculations I've still got a few years of tree hauling ahead of me, but

I'm planning for the future, and the trees pictured below are lookin' mighty fine!

mattjessicapope.blogspot.com

I've shown you mine, and now I want to know,
How big is yours?

Vickie

I'm dreaming of a white.....

I'm dreaming of a white.....

Photo from Country Living

.....and red bedroom with green accents.

It's been almost 2 years since I started tearing apart the

Sweet Sixteen bedroom on January 19, 2011.

I had hoped to be finished with the room by the summer of

that very same year.  Silly me.

  Well, now that the dust has settled from the floor refinishing,

the end is in sight.  We've painstakingly chiseled out all the cracks in

the plaster and taped and mudded until we couldn't see straight.  THAT

was the holdup.  All that dust combined with my OCD is not a good combination.

Two hours of sanding = eight hours of cleaning up dust. 

The walls are painted white and the baseboard trim needs some touch-ups

after the sanders did their damage.  I've got a vintage chandelier

waiting to be hung and the wall sconce to be remounted.

Here are just a few of the goodies I've picked up

for the room over the past 2 years:

I'm keeping the same iron bed, dresser, and vanity pictured in

the original post.  The vanity and dresser will be painted in a creamy

white color and the shelf will be hung next to the bed in lieu of a nightstand.

Of course, every guest room needs its own phone!

The pillowcases will be my winter embroidery project.

The barn will be placed front and center since this bedroom is

where our grandchildren sleep when they visit.  I'm going to add a light to the

 interior to use as a nightlight to ensure sweet dreams.

Here are a few more inspirational photos I've found.

(House Beautiful)

We've already got plantation shutters on the bottom half

of our double hung windows, and I could stitch up two roman shades

like the ones pictured above.  I love the giant rickrack trim.

Or....

Oley Valley Antiques

I've got plenty of glass in the basement and all the supplies and

equipment to make windows like this to hang in front of the upper sashes.

The only thing I'm lacking is time.

(Better Homes and Gardens)

I'll be looking for some red & white transferware

plates to replace the pink flowered plates I took down.

Seabold Vintage Market

Maybe a red cross pillow or two to add a little funk to the room.

I've also got a primitive cupboard waiting for a coat of

green paint (like the one pictured above, source unknown) 

before it's tucked into a cubby behind the door.

This year was to be our year to host Christmas Eve

on December 24,  but life has a way of changing the plans we've made.

Our oldest daughter Julie, born on Christmas Day herself, is due to

have their second child on December 28, so once again we've postponed

our celebration until late January when we can all get together.

Depending on when the blessed event happens, we may be together

on Chistmas Eve after all!  Only time will tell!

Last year, I found that almost 2 full months is waaaay too long to keep our

Christmas decorations up, so I'm taking my sweet time unpacking them this year. 

 Which leaves me some extra time for ........

finishing the bedroom?

I've left the paint and paintbrushes out for the nightshift workers.

Dreaming of a finished guest bedroom,

Vickie

One for you, three for me.

One for you, three for me.

  

We've all played that game when divvying up candy
 between friends when we were children.

Haven't we?

Well, after winning not 1, not 2, but 3 blog giveaways in the past

few weeks, I'm feeling a bit like a greedy child hoarding all the candy!

We finally had our bedroom floors refinished this week, and even with the windows

cracked open, the smell of varnish has permeated our house. 

My latest (and final) win could not have come at a better time!

I won this set of soy based candles from Kelly at Coastal Cottage Dreams.

Lucky for me, I chose a Pumpkin Souffle scented candle.

Now, at least our house will smell like Thanksgiving, even though I'm
not the one baking the pumpkin pies!  I also chose a lavender scented
candle that I'll use upstairs when the dust settles.

Kelly's home.

If Coastal Cottage Dreams sounds familiar, it's because Kelly's beautiful living room
 was featured just this week at Savvy Southern Style.  Kelly has recently

relocated to Beaufort, SC.  She's left the corporate world and started her very own

 organic soy candle company Palmetto Wicks.  Be sure to stop by to check out
 her candles and get a peek at her gorgeous house while you're there!

Thank you, Kelly!

Well dust or no dust, I gave in and dug out the cornucopia.

Of course I have an old truck for every occasion.

This green truck is custom made for hauling candles.

I know my family will find this hard to believe, but I do watch the Food Network!

Most folks get inspired to improve their cooking skills.  Me?  Well.......

I got inspired by Alton Brown to stamp "Good Eats" on my poster board leaves.

Good eats.  If you say it, it will be so.  That's my motto this Thanksgiving!

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I've been looking through cookbooks for

 new dessert recipes and found one I haven't made yet, but I think sounds interesting.

  It's a Christmas recipe that was published in a local centennial cookbook,

but I see no reason it couldn't be served after Thanksgiving dinner.

 If you make it, please let me know how it turns out!

Now for some sage advice during this holiday thyme,

"Don't bake and drive!"

And one more little peep before I sign off.

Our little country mouse turned two today!

Happy Birthday Finley!!!

(xxoo, DeeDee)

 Happy Thanksgiving y'all! Paula Dean inspiration.

Vickie

*I purchased the felted mouse ornament at Three Rooms in Edina, MN.  I was
able to locate them online, but they come in a set of 6.
http://store.heavensgatehomeandgarden.com/rotrmoorsenf.html

I like big butts.

Say what?!

Oh!  I like toy trucks, too.

I thought you said.......oh, never mind.

I've suffered with some minor hearing loss for several years, but the past few months
 I've noticed it's been markedly worse.  I can laugh about it at times, but it's gotten
 to the point where I needed to seek medical attention.

My ENT thinks it's highly likely that allergies are compounding my problem, so I had
blood drawn for allergy testing last week.  I peeked at the list of allergens and was vastly
relieved to see there was no category for vintage junk.  Whew!

But (just one t here) I am being tested for allergies to

dust mites. I live in fear of what will happen if I'm allergic to dust! 

*Will I be sent to Cleaning Camp?!#

*Will I be told to remove all dust collectors from our house?

*Will I be ordered to stay away from antique stores????

I'll be on pins and needles awaiting my fate.  Until I hear the verdict,

I'm going to enjoy the life of a junker, which brings us to my latest find.

 

Yes, the truck is mine!!!

Ever since our good friend Martha showcased her collection of Jadeite dishes,
 the price of anything in that shade of green has skyrocketed! 

So, when I found the green truck peeking out from under a blanket at an antique mall
 in Hinkley, MN, I held my breath as I turned over the price tag.  

Can it possibly be? Did a zero fall off the end of the price sticker? 

Nope.  That's the price all right.

Sold!

What is it about this particular shade of green that has stood the test of time?
Just look at this vintage cabinet painted in Miss Mustard Seed's Luckett's Green Milk Paint
 by Kristen of  Sophia's blog.  Top it off with the red and green goodies inside and what can I say?

I'm in love.
 ( Kristen's got lots more to see on her blog, Sophia's, so be sure to check it out! )

I played around with Picmonkey and made a few collages filled
with green and red eye candy for your viewing pleasure.

With the exception of the the baby bootie ornaments I made last year,
 all images above are from Google Images.

Not that I change things out much from my autumn decor,
but I'm not going to bother decorating for Thanksgiving this year.
We're (fingers crossed) having the rest of our old wood floors refinished this week,
so I don't think I need any cornucopias around to
collect more dust, do you?

I like big butts.

I said I love my truck!

Thanks for stopping by!  I've got a hot date with my Swiffer.

Vickie

I've got the blues.

Last Saturday was cold, gray, and dreary 

until the mailman delivered.....

this!!!

I've been on a winning streak the past few weeks!

In my last post I showed you the cloth napkins I won and now

you're here to see the vintage Belgian beer bottle I won

from Laura at 52 FLEA.

She kicked off the opening of her new Etsy shop with the chance

to win this bottle in a pretty shade of teal blue with a porcelain stopper

and etching on the glass.  As soon as I saw it, I knew just where it

would go in my house.  And lucky me, I won!!!

Photo from 52 FLEA blog.

If you haven't visited Laura at 52 FLEA, you're missing out! 

 When I need a junk fix, I just pop on over to her blog to see photos of the

latest flea market or antique shop she's visited.  She picks the most interesting

and sometimes unusual items to share on her blog.

Photo from 52FLEA blog.

She also takes you along to visit the most enchanting homes

of her friends.  Her photography skills make you feel like you're turning the pages

 of a decorating book.  Trust me, you'll be oohing and aahing, too. 

So be sure to stop in and visit Laura at 52 FLEA and

see what she's got for sale in her new Etsy shop.

Thank you Laura and  congratulations on the

opening of your Etsy shop!!

I told you I had just the spot for the bottle, and here it is.

It's joining some old  friends on a shelf in my bathroom.

Our bathroom is still wearing the beige sponge paint look wallpaper applied by the previous

 owner, but I'm not yet ready to open the can of worms that the wallpaper camouflages.

We got rid of the oak vanity and cabinets and replaced the fixtures with a period medicine
 cabinet, white toilet, pedestal sink, and white wall cabinet.  I would have chosen
 white subway tile for the walls and black and white tiles for the floor,
 but I'm stuck  so very fortunate to have neutral beige wall and floor tile.

 I chose turquoise blue as an accent color when I found the old truck pictured above.

I carried it around the house until I found a spot to park it on top of the bathroom cabinet. 

*To date, it's one of my favorite finds.

The deal was sealed on my choice of accent color when I finally had a spot to display

 this charming couple who once belonged to my great-grandparents.



If you look closely, you can see that the little girl has been working very, very hard

by the smudges on her cheeks and clothes while the little boy looks relatively clean. 

* Just an observation by an innocent bystander.

I found this baby powder tin at an outdoor flea market

and it's the perfect color for my bathroom.

This rusty dustpan hangs over the bathtub faucet.

Of course blue canning jars have a place of honor on this shelf over the tub,

 and my new prize fits right in.  The letter "V" is a movie marquee letter that I removed red paint from to reveal the silver toned metal underneath.  Just to clarify, V is for Vickie.  :@

I found the fabulous old Venetian glass mirror at an estate sale

 down the block just a few days after we moved into this house.

It was bargain priced and nobody else wanted it because

 there's a small crack in the lower border that I've hidden behind the jars. 

 I love rejects!

This chippy old stool isn't blue, but it is in the bathroom and
it's too cute to be left out of the photo shoot.

 The blue colors in my bathroom are all slightly different,

 but they work well together

in my eyes.

Thanks for stopping by to see the

blue in my loo.

Vickie

*I'm joining the parties at:
Knick of Time Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday
Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday
Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Nite Special