Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

Welcome!

Let me turn the music down so we can visit.  I've got speakers wired into
our kitchen so I can play all my favorite Christmas tunes while I bake.
I think it's my favorite place to be at Christmastime.

You've seen the wall above numerous times, but this winter it feels warmer
in the room with the stenciled wallpaper.  Our big window faces north
 which tends to give true whites a chilly bluish cast during the winter months.

 

Since our kitchen wears red and green all year long, decorating for Christmas

takes just a few minutes.  I keep the few things I put out in a small basket
 on a little used upper cabinet shelf, so I don't even have to leave the room to decorate!

 

I moved this set of coasters way up high and out of reach of little fingers.

There are only 2 smiling faces left and I want to preserve them.

Do you hear that Maggie, our little climber?
Future firefighter perhaps?

Note to self:  Hide my ladder.

It's nice to be able to add small pops of color on my open shelving.
The ( Holt Howard?) salt & pepper shakers I've had forever
are a favorite of mine and that's why they're on the high altitude shelf. 

I finished painting the remaining kitchen walls a slightly warmer white

as you can see under the bakery sign.  Leftover kitchen "greens" and a pine cone wreath
decorate the space above the coat rack in the back entryway.

I've now got enough Santa nut cups to fill my sterilizer cabinet.

The reclining elf-on-the-sewing-machine-drawer-shelf is joined by
 vintage mushroom candle holders that I found on clearance after Christmas last year.

This is the room where we coffee drinkers like to hang out,
the kiddos eat breakfast and lunch, and the cooking happens,
so a few holiday accents bring a festive feel without taking up valuable space.

FYI, the chalk painted table and chairs finished with MMS clear furniture wax

are holding up nicely, and clean up easily with a mild vinegar and warm water solution.
Kid tested, grandma approved.

One tiny change here is the red & white crocheted romper pot holder

on the wall above the green scale.

Once again, the boss man keeps an eye on what's happening below.

View from the dining room before the baking starts.

Now it's time to crank up my Christmas tunes and bake some cookies!

This year's Christmas selfie (gift bought for one's self) is the set of 3 bowls
for only $5.99 at Walgreens, of all places!  I could not resist.

For years, I've marveled over the pretty gingerbread houses
and beautifully decorated cookies displayed in Scandinavian kitchens,
so today I made time to bake and decorate my own.

OMG.

They are way more labor intensive than one would think,
so of the 5 dozen cookies my recipe made, this is as many as my
stiff slightly arthritic hands could decorate at one time!

Unfortunately they will not be hanging in the windows and strung across shelves.
  They will be locked up tight in covered containers.

Have you read KariAnne's story about her disappearing gingerbread men?
(If not, click on her name for the lowdown.  Let me tell you, it's all
 fun & games when you're reading about somebody else's house.)


 Much to my horror and dismay, we discovered a pair uninvited guests
  stirring in our house this holiday season.  Eeek!!!!
  Let's add a few more !!!!!!! to let you know how I really feel about them!!!!!


 They've now been "escorted off the property", so to speak, and I don't think I'll be
 inviting them back in any time soon for biscuits and tea.

To all creatures, great and small, Merry Christmas!

Vickie

Do you remember the rhyme from your childhood that goes like this....

Group:  Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

   Mousie stole the cookie from the cookie jar!

Mousie:  Who me?
 Group:  Yes you!

 Mousie:  Couldn't be. 

Group:  Then who?

 Mousie:  (insert name here) stole the cookie from the cookie jar!

Repeat until everybody in the bus has a turn.

I'm joining:
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