so...it's friday evening. the whole glorious weekend lies stretched out in front of me... now if i could only find my christmas tree lights i could commence with the tree lighting! i just saw al roker light up the tree in rockefeller plaza and it was spectacular. my poor tree is so dark, so dreary...so "unlit". i'm looking in a few more spots and then i am headed to town to buy lights. my tree WILL have lights ~ and soon.

i've mentioned before that i like crowns and this little snow face above wearing one is so sweet don't you think? i had a fabulous idea last night and plunked the big ol crown off the top of my piano and set it on top of my tree and i LOVE it. i'll shoot you a picture if and when it gets it lights on it~ maybe it will look like this?

but maybe not...that's enough lights for the rockefeller tree right there in that living room.  : )

awwww....how cute is this little guy in his baby picture? i hope santa sees how good he is.

all that glitters is not gold, it can be silver too...and tiaras and crowns can be simple. if you have a young'n check out the simple toilet paper roll crowns. all you need to add is some paint, glitter and a rubber band or two.

 

let's go now & make crowns and decorate trees~~ hey let's wear them while we

decorate our trees. and then if we feel like it, let's throw some fake snow and glitter up in the air and declare

  "come on Christmas!"

 after all, when you read this it

will be DECEMBER~

 

let's be merry!

 

XO, beth

 

 

* wishing my sissy a quick recovery from her foot surgery today*

 

*excited that the number of times my blog has been viewed is now over 10,000!

 

love you for spending part of your week with me!!!!

 

 

w.h.i.t.e

                                                            **** white ****

 

***

 

  *** white ***

 

 

                                                    ******************************
                                                             almost white


if you like this look and live somewhere where you don't have snow in december- get yourself a can of flocking or white spray paint and get busy. i am going to try and decorate my house with just silver and white this year. oh i may have to throw in some gold here and there too, but i'm going to dig out my collection of old silver pieces and use white candles and rock salt  and sparkly things that are white~oh and there will be fresh greens too.. i'm not sure i can do it, but i'll keep you posted ~ b.

ideas galore....

       there are so many reasons to love the holiday season.

 the lights popping up everywhere are making this girl happy. driving home from a couple hours west of here last night i was amazed at all the outdoor lighting already shining from roof tops and fences in rural areas. i wonder if our unseasonably warm weather didn't get Christmas lovers out in droves, hanging lights for all of us to enjoy? our tree is standing proudly in our living room, naked as the day it was born (or sprouted)...but smelling yummy and waiting for me to light it up. i even have some gifts bought.
 *last year i coerced my girl into doing all my wrapping, hmmmm~ that was GENIUS. i may be creative, but wrapping more than about 2 gifts makes me cranky. wonder what i can bribe her with this year?

well, enough about me-  :  )   

here is the first of several posts of things i've found and LOVE that are all about Christmas.

                                              did you ever make these as a child?
                                                             i love them!!!!

                      i took this photo in our backyard and added the text on picmonkey

how stinkin cute are these? really pretty easy too if you can find the glittery sprinkles~

                                                           simply simple

i love boxwood, love, love, love it!  i even tried planting a whole hedge of it by my
front sidewalk....it didn't even make it through one winter- guess i should just try a
wreath like this for my front door. speaking of front doors- i also am going to paint ours
a different color in the spring. i mean it. remind me if i forget will you? spring is a long way off.

this is just plain deliciousness...antique glass ornaments. oodles and oodles of them. if i had
them in these great quantities, i'd fill big clear glass vessels with them and line them up on my piano!

                                              well that's what i've got for you
                                         tonight, stay tuned for more as we turn the
                                            calendar to december. the month goes so
                                            fast that even if you're not excited yet-
                                         go ahead~  get EXCITED with me will you?
                                           

                                                                  xo,   b.

here's what Thanksgiving looked like at our house this year~ the day started with
lars hanging Christmas lights. he was going to do it friday but after hearing the temps
would plummet 25 degrees, he got busy thursday morning.

                                 it always starts and ends at the table right?

there was a well worn path to the salted in the shell peanuts before dinner. if you wonder why there are no pictures of our turkey it's because we had ham.

there was a lot of bustling and shuffling as the fam crowded in my tiny kitchen helping clean up. don't be fooled into thinking everyone helped cook though----oh no- mama was pretty much alone getting it all made- but there were quite a few willing workers to help after we were done eating. (there was also one disgruntled helper- you know who you are- and what was that all about? disgruntled?  you owe me, after all i gave birth to you.  
(that's a great word disgruntled- try using it in a sentence today and tell me if i'm right).

it's almost a guarantee that if you have a small kitchen EVERYONE, including all dogs and chimpanzees will want to be with you in there. they may not be helping, but they will be making you laugh!

we'd barely finished getting our "oink" on when i whipped out the rolling pin and announced that i was ready to start making cut out sugar cookies...now i had some fabulous volunteers. if frosting is involved these two + me equal the three musketeers.   :  )

 

my oldest made a cameo appearance- dude- you should maybe wear a hair net on your face!

making these is a labor of love i tell you- but it's all worth it when you see them lined up and taste a couple or three. it's no fun doing it alone, but my girl and grandson were there for the long run- love them~ they got to eat as many as their hearts desired. you've read the story of the little red hen right?

                                      
                                                    ********************

it was a good day. my favorite kind. all of us cooking, playing games, watching movies, tripping over each other and just being us- with such an abundance of food that my stomach kind of hurts just thinking about it. this weekend my sweet little niece has invited us to her house to do it all over again! i can't wait~


                                                          xo, beth

listen to this voice~

                                   if you have time today, watch this beautiful video.

                                                       ***************************

   i want to wish each of you a thanksgiving

holiday that reminds you "outloud" of all

the ways you are loved and appreciated.

 

let the holiday season begin-!

 

x beth o

homemade bread

well friends here is something to be LARGELY thankful for...

warm bread. warm bread that requires no kneading and can be on your table from start
to finish in under 2 hours- heck maybe even one hour if you don't count the cooling part!

have you seen it in the grocery store? I've tried the italian herb- but there are 3 other varieties i will be buying.

all you do is pour the dry ingredients in a bowl, add water, stir and plop it on a pan (preferably an old stained one so people don't think you are all perfect and stuff) and
wait for it to raise.

                                                  the baking begins ...

the warm, aromatic finished product. make yourself some soup- and some of this
bread. eat. you will be happy and well nourished.  and together we can say "thank you fleischmanns."  :  )


                                        *only 2 days till Thanksgiving, are you still
                                                 counting blessings with me?

                                                          xo, beth

have you pinned today?

                                                               rope lights

have you discovered pinterest? it is addicting. if i didn't already have a blog i'd start one just so i could share my favorite things with you.     :  )

what do the rest of you do with the fantabulous ideas you "pin"?

here's are some recent favorites~

                                              um hmmm. it is minnesota after all

                                           could this really be real? for real?

 want to wow your friends and relatives next Thursday? whip this up and then slap

                the hands of anyone who has the audacity to mess it up!

                            i knit.  would any of you like one of these for Christmas?
                                         

                this is a bit of heaven for a ring-lovin girl. i am one of them. i love rings,
                              but i have a rule: no more than 3 at one time. any
                                        more than that and i feel overdone.
                                        like a turkey- left in the oven too long.
                                           or like lady ga-ga living in suburbia.

 i love this so much i want to run to target s.t.a.t. to look for supplies to try it!

                   i couldn't even help myself. i had to post a christmas idea.   that's what pinterest does to you- it gets your brain just humming.

           it draws you in and you waste

        a whole bunch of time and...well, frankly i can only look

          at it a couple times a week.

                                o.k. i don't want to overstimulate you and keep you
                                  up tonight, so control yourself beth-that's all for now friends.

                                                                   xo, me

o.k. here's what i've got for today's blessings....

 

all the incredibly positive people in my life- they lift me up

 

 

faith and the people who wear it well, like

my daughter, sister and nieces with their

matching tattoos

 

 

skies that never look the same way twice.

like snowflakes-proof that we are all so much

alike, and yet so different

 

ridiculous

random things

 that make me laugh

 

laughing feels good. it's cheap therapy  : )

 

do you hava a pet? would he/she let you put hats like

this on him? hehe if so- pleeease take their picture and

send it to me!

 

 

 

                                   and i'm happy for these last days that resemble fall.
                                    in the last week the temperatures have fluctuated
                                     over 50 degrees- but we're going to squeeze out
                                                     a few more warm (ish) days
                                                          before winter blows in

                                                       thank you mother nature!


                                          * what gave you reason to smile today?

 

 

one of my "thankfuls" for today is that my 2nd and 3rd born watched a movie together in the basement  last night...and every so often they would both burst out laughing. i was upstairs, but i could hear them & it put a smile on my face. :  )

 is there anything more heart warming that seeing your adult children enjoying each other? it's why we gave them siblings...putting up with yet another pregnancy and the sleepless nights and their teenage angst.

all along we were hoping for this. siblings that would grow up and want to hang together- who would choose to be friends.  oh don't get me wrong~ they've had their moments but....

i am thankful my children like each other.

p.s.  i like them too, and just like when they were little i like them the absolute  BEST  when they are sleeping!  hee hee

what made you thankful today?

xo~ beth

let's count together....

it's just two weeks till Thanksgiving. What a wonderful, wonderful holiday. Thanksgiving is all about gratitude. and food.
and counting our blessings. there is always, always something
to be thankful for. let's count it down together shall we?
                        
let's use these two weeks before Thanksgiving to list our blessings.
             you can make a short list- like one a day,
        or you can go bananas and start a list that keeps
              on going long after the holiday is over.

a holiday that requires no presents is something to celebrate.
*(although i'm a big believer in bringing your hostess a little something if she's invited you over). 

this gratitude tree is a darling visual reminder to make with your
kids or if your kids went and grew up like mine did- make it yourself!

i'm starting my list with pumpkin pie. i made it for the fam on sunday. with real whipped cream. yummmmmmmm  (why do we only make it
in the fall?)

 

************

                
                                                                      xo, beth