The Countdown Begins

Are you ready?

To You and Yours....

 



I Think This Is true

Saw this in a shop window.....

Vermont

This is beyond peaceful....one of the first snowfalls in Vermont this year.

I am sharing this photo with you from G Bakes ....and I thank her for sharing it with us!

Arlington at Christmas

I had no idea this was done.

 

I thought you might want to see.

 

 

These wreaths -- some 5,000 -- are donated by the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine. The owner, Merrill Worcester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers the trucking expense as well. He's done this since 1992. A wonderful guy. Also, most years, groups of Maine school kids combine an educational trip to DC with this event to help out. Making this even more remarkable is the fact that Harrington is in one the poorest parts of the state.

Morrill Worcester initially brought 4,000 surplus wreaths from the holiday decoration company he owns to adorn gravesites at Arlington in 1992. Every year since then he has set aside several thousand wreaths especially for that purpose, driving to Arlington in December with a trailer full of decorations and dozens of volunteers to distribute them throughout the cemetery. As Mr. Worcester told an Air Force reporter in 2005:

 

 

 

"We couldn't do anything in this country if it wasn't for the people who gave their lives to protect us. It's a great honor to be able to come here and pay our respects. That first year, there were just a few of us, and it took us five or six hours to get them placed. This year, we had extra help and got done in about an hour."

The lights, the glittery ornaments, the fancy cookies...all part of a holiday most cannot wait to celebrate. But while you are out shopping for your special ones, enjoying something warm in front of your fire or getting together with friends and neighbors, let's not forget the ones that make all of this possible. Please share this post with those that are meaningful to you...there were lots of people taking virtual Holiday Home Tours this week...ask them to stop by here, too.

Holiday Hoopla Re-Visit

 

As much as I love this time of year and all of the good things it brings, and even though I promise myself every year that I will be ready in plenty of time, it never works out that way. Shouldn't be all that hard...Christmas is the same date every year, the date doesn't change...don't know why I can't get it together.

But...beyond that, I am fine and I do so appreciate those that stay in touch and are keeping watch over me ;)

Holiday Hoopla: 12 Random Things About Me and Christmas.

1. The neighborhood I grew up in was a new neighborhood when we moved there and I was just 5 years old. The people next door became my second family and we did everything together, including holidays. They were (and still are) Jewish. One of my favorite memories is of the two boys coming over to help us decorate the tree. This was huge for them and we all had an exact number of ornaments to hang, and my Mom just let them do whatever they wanted. Then we always had some kind of cookies or cake and we would turn off all of the living room lights and just sit and look at the tree. She would usually re-do just about all of it (even mine) but for all of us, it meant the kick off of the Christmas season.

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2. The story goes that when I was 3 years old, I woke Mommy & Daddy and told them that I had heard Santa's reindeer on the roof. Now, this has been repeated so many times that I am not sure if I actually remember this happening or not. But, to this day, my Mom will ask "Do you beleive in Santa?" and I will answer "No". "Then who was on the roof?" she asks....and I always answer "Santa". She loves it.

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3. I have a pretty big Christmas pin collection. Most are handmade, but I've been lucky enough to score some wonderful vintage pins...and earrings to match. They are some of my favorite things.

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4. From the time I was very small all the way through High School, we always went to Midnight Candlelight Service. They passed candles to everyone with those round paper holders to catch the dripping wax. I always wanted to sit in the balcony, so I could look down on the candles when they were lit. One year, my sister was in the Nativity Play and at the end when the kids were all singing she yelled out, "Happy Birthday, Jesus!". Amen.

 

 

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5. There are so many great Christmas movies, but my absolute favorite (and it isn't Christmas 'til I get a chance to watch it) is the 1953 version of "A Christmas Carol" with Alistair Sim. Those old black & white movies with crappy special effects are magical to me.

 

 

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6. When my daughter was in kindergarten, her very brave teacher put together a holiday program for the parents. Everyone was made to feel so special and given some very important job to do. The responsibility must have been too much for this one kid named Ryan...he went nuts at the end of the last song and knocked over the tree and kicked the head off of the snowman. This was a signal to all the rest of them to throw the cotton ball snow at each other and run all over the stage like maniacs.

 

 

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7. I'm pretty sure everyone knows that we love Alaska. After our first trip, I just couldn't shut up about going again and The Hub gave me a Christmas surprise! He puts a stack of 4 boxes in front of me and says I must open them in that order. The first is a pair of ear-muffs. Now, I had also been yakking about a trip to New England so I thought those were a clue for that. The next box was an 8x10 picture of Mt. Mckinley, covered in snow and the words "We're Going Back!!" across the front. The next box was a small photo album with pictures of all the things that we were scheduled to do on our winter tour...see the Iditarod, ride in a sleigh, ride a snowmobile, stay in a log cabin etc. And, in the last box was a list of all of the clothes we needed to get together to accomodate -30 degree weather! Great surprise. Great trip. Great Hub.

 

 

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8. When I was 8 years old, one of my gifts from Santa was a wedding dress and everything a bride needs to get married right away..including those high heel shoes that were made of some kind of glittery, clear plastic that clacked on the floor like real high heels and stayed on your feet with 2 elastic strips, like 2 big rubber bands. It just so happened that my best friend Judy also got the same set and we made a deal that we would both wear our new high heels to church. My Mom went along with stuff like that, but Judy's Mom didn't. Ah yes, I clacked all over the sanctuary...just me, not Judy. Just me.

 

 

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9. I spent several Christmas holidays as a single Mom and lights and decorations are quite exciting to a little girl. The Daughter was about 3 years old and I was desperately searching for something to do that was close to home and didn't cost too much money. About 1/2 mile from our house was a very nice neighborhood that was always done up in tons of lights and each evening, cars would just be lining the streets to look at everything. It started as a drive by, but one night we stopped and got out to walk around and things were never the same. The owners would hand out candy canes and they had all kinds of moving decorations...way before anyone really did that kind of stuff. Anyway...we were there, just the two of us, every single night until they took the decorations down. And this became our tradition...we were there for the next 5 or 6 years each Thanksgiving night when they turned them on for the first time and every night after, until they took them down for the year.

 

 

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10. One of my biggest dreams is to visit New York City at holiday time. I want to see the big tree, see the Rockette's, see the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center and see the department store windows. I can't explain my interest in all of this...but, it's something I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember.

 

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11. My Dad passed away, very unexpectedly, a long time ago...29 years. Sometimes it seems like forever and sometimes it seems like last week. His favorite Christmas song was "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and it reduces me to tears every time I hear it. I was in the grocery store and it began to play and I began to cry. I miss him everyday but I really miss him at Christmas time.

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12. And...my Dad loved to drive around and look at everyone's Christmas lights. I don't know if people that have snow do this, but here in the South, it used to be a very big deal. I mean we would even plan dinner so that we could be out in the car just after dark. He tried to drive in different areas, but he always included the 3-4 blocks closest to our house. We just drove very slowly and took it all in. I don't know of anyone that does this anymore.

 

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Wishing all of my dear friends the Happiest of Holidays!

Did I Say I Needed Help?

What made me think I could put the lights on the tree by myself?

             Jake, the Christmas Kitty.  

For You....



I'm Not Quite Ready .....Yet!

I know we will be getting our decorations out sometime in the next few days...but I saw this today and I'm not quite ready yet!  

Look At This....

Seriously.....

Made from old book pages.    Love it.

How About Some Gingerbread Men?

I know, I know....it's Fall.  But, it's never too early to start thinking about Gingerbread Men!

There is a special going on for just 2 days at The Old Glory Company and thanks to Dawn, from When Pigs Fly, you can get the absolute cutest pattern for Gingerbread Men at a very special price!

Please take a minute and visit When Pigs Fly and let them know that you are visiting from Mockingbird Hill...and head over to The Old Glory Company and get your Gingerbread on!



Thank you dear friends...enjoy every minute of the week ahead!

Let's Get Ready For Half-Time....

One of the sounds that makes me the happiest is: Marching Bands.  Love the big bass drums and the snares, love the cymbals and the trumpets, love the tubas and trombones.   I mean...it just sounds so happy!  And, I've only seen the movie, "Drumline" about 100 times.

As luck would have, our Granddaughter is part of the marching band at her high school and believe it or not...she plays the bass drum!  No kidding, she is a great drummer and what a treat we had watching her...and the rest of the Panthers...do their half time show.

The band is pretty big and she is the smallest drummer.

 

 





 

You can see the cheer mat down in the lower right and in the lower left a lot of kids in dark shirts.  Just so happens that our Grandson was playing drums too, as part of a guest band.  He's in Middle School, so this was a very big deal, to actually play with the High School kids.

 

 

 

 

 

They also have a dance team and their half time show has something to do with Aladdin or Genies or whoever it is that wears harem pants.

 

 

 

It was very exciting and tons of fun....you just know that all of these kids think that this is the absolute biggest thing that will ever happen to them.  If they only knew, right?

 

 

And, what a perfect ending...fireworks!!  The High School is just across the street from Universal Studios and this is the park's closing night display. 

 

 

 Lucky us...and, welcome to living in Orlando.   Have an amazing week!

How Could I Resist?

So....yea...it's Fall in Florida!  There's a breeze and the humidity is low and people are out and about.  How could I resist this....



Look at this basket of treasures!  Very cool old frame and you know the oval ones are tough to find in one piece.  And....love the ticking pillow.  How Farmhouse!

 

 



But, my absolute fave...these teeny ornaments in their original box!  A couple are missing, but the colors are just so right.  They jumped right out of a box as I passed and asked if I would take them home.  Done!

 



We were lucky to have such a beautiful day...hope you are able to enjoy the rest of your weekend...whatever you do!

It's a Florida Thing

If you are a native Floridian (yes I am), or if you have lived here for a few years, you will totally get this:

 



This Looks Familiar

So...lots of great movies on TV lately...you could have a marathon if you like to watch some things over and over.  Not everyone gets that, but if there is something I like I can enjoy seeing it many times over.  Just in the last week, the listings have shown some good Fall sports movies..."We Are Marshall"  (and I'm not even a Matthew McConaughey fan, but he is really good in this)



and "Remember The Titans".  Yes...that's right...they dance their way onto the field.  I asked the coach at our school if our team could do this sometime.  No such luck.  



Since these actual events took place in the late 60's and early 70's the soundtracks are stellar.  


I also caught the last few minutes of "Pretty in Pink".  Right at the end?  When Blaine reaches out to shake Duckie's hand....my favorite part!



Jon Cryer....where oh where did you get all of that hair?

Anyway....I also watched "The Birds"... and was very aware of something going on around our neighborhood for a couple of days after...

 

 



Crazy, right?  See the big nest on top of this pole?  That's a Florida Osprey nest....I don't know how they stay balanced like that!

Hope you all had a spectacular weekend....have a great week!

31 Days

My dearest friend passed away one month ago today.

 

 

 

I miss you, Jilly.

 

And that's all I have to say about that.



Almost September?

Yes....Fall is probably my favorite season...even in Florida, but I cannot believe it's almost here!  Every store is decked out in Fall Finery and the Fall catalogs are arriving every day.

As you probably know, When Pigs Fly in Mt. Dora is our family shop....with my uber creative and brainiac sister Dawn at the helm.  She re-opened just over a year ago and has done the most amazing things.  The shop is wildly successful and she has been invited to set up at the very prestigious City Farmhouse Barn Show in Tennessee this September.  She and her hubby also have their own Organic Milk Paint line, The Primitive Life, and this has also taken off!  Retailers throughout the US and someone told me that FOLK magazine will be working with them soon. (shhhh)  So very proud of them and excited to be on the fringe of it all!

So...When Pigs Fly has already had Fall Open House, which is lovingly called "Harvest Home" and it was fantastic!

This is the "scoop it yourself" area...parched corn, cinnamon sticks and rosehips potpourri, and some little jacks to use as a filler anywhere.

 

 

I want that box on top of this mule trunk...the one with the little drawers and white knobs?  And, throw that pumpkin guy in while you're at it....

 

 





This is what you see when you walk in from the front porch.....


Besides Harvest Home, I am back at work full time.  Summers are great...4 days a week, 8-3 or so, but once school starts those pesky 5 day weeks come roaring back.  It is great to see all of the returning kids, the new kids and have teachers returning.  We even won our first football game!

Enjoy the last days of summer, my friends!

Love This!!!!

So....do you love this?  Beautiful primitive pie safe from When Pigs Fly in Mt. Dora!

Looking forward to a great weekend...wishing you all the same!