Painted Santa's

I promised pictures of Mom's Cypress Knee Santa's that she hand paints. These pictures were taken by Jason Anderson the Texas Country Reporter's photographer. He sent several pictures of the Santa's but none of the ladies painting them. I wanted some of them actually painting the Santa's but maybe he will send more. The episode will air in the Spring and I'll let you know when the exact date will be when we get that information. They are coming back to film the area where the cypress stumps are cut. My Dad goes to the river or creek and the cypress knees are along the bank area where the trees grow. He cuts them with a chain saw and then my mom brings them home and boils a large pot of water and places the cypress knees in the water. This loosens the bark so that she can remove the bark for a smooth surface to paint the Santa's. It's really a long process but so worth the results. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

I have been busy working on some of my small projects and my giveaway that is coming up soon. I will post pictures and instructions of those "little goodies" soon. The sun is out for the first time in a long time so I am going to take a walk and soak up a few "rays" and then back to the new sewing machine!

Christmas Get Togethers

We celebrated Christmas Dec. 20th with my Mom's side of the family. My Aunt has a beautiful home on the lake and we all met there and had a wonderful meal and we visited with relatives that we don't see near enough. And then on Christmas Eve we went to my Mom and Dad's and had another great meal.

I received the giveaway that I won from Bluebird Quilts and it was such a treat! I can't wait to make my Plum Pudding Pin Cushion. Lyn also included several cute pieces of fabric, a tape measure, really cute quilt labels, and an embroidery pattern. It was Christmas all over again. I am working on my giveaway so when I get to my 100th post I will start the giveaway so be sure and sign up when that day arrives. I hope you had a great holiday!

Kitchen Makeover

I am finally finished with my Christmas Shopping and I only have a few more to wrap. We are planning a family gathering tomorrow at my parents house. We decided to have Mexican food instead of traditional food. We will have chicken enchiladas, Mexican rice, Charo beans, salsa and chips, and creamy jalapeno dip. After eating Turkey and dressing for Thanksgiving and Christmas we wanted something different.

As some of you know we have been working on our kitchen for several months and we are coming closer to the end of this project! Mother and I made the curtains last week and I have decorated one wall with a shelf and art. I am shopping for a clock for one of my bare walls but haven't found the one I want yet. We still have to put trim above the cabinets and purchase a new refrigerator but that will come later. The man that was going to do the trim did not keep his word on coming and doing the job. I think my husband is going to do the work himself. I am going to paint my chairs black and probably the dining room hutch black. The weather has not been fit for painting. I am really pleased how everything turned out in the kitchen and I can't wait to completely finish the project. I bought the curtain fabric at "Interior Fabrics" in Austin and I also purchased the rings that I clipped to the top of the curtains from "Interior Fabrics". Each bag of Curtain rings comes with 5 rings in them. I thought that 10 rings would be plenty to hang the curtains but I had to go back and purchase 2 more bags. If you like to make your own curtains "Interior Fabrics" is a great place to buy fabric, lining, and all the hardware. I am posting a few before and after pictures of the kitchen. Have a Merry Christmas and a warm Holiday!

Hustle and Bustle......Christmas is just around the Corner!

I love this time of year but it always seems to get here before I'm ready for it. I have been trying to get all my decorations up and get the house ready for Christmas. I think we may get it all together before Christmas actually gets here. My husband is still working on the lights for the kitchen and I think he is almost done. The new light fixture above our dining room table is prettier than I expected. I ordered all the lights from Pottery Barn and I am very pleased with them. My mom and I made the curtains for my dining room but I need a few more rings for the top of the curtains before I post pictures of them. The only thing left to do in the kitchen will be the trim on top of the cabinets and a few decorations on the walls. Besides the busy schedule I won the "plum pudding pincushion" from Bluebird Quilts.. If you haven't visited her site I invite you to visit. She is very talented and has beautiful quilts and other hand made items.This is my first win in the blogging world! I am planning a give away when I reach my 100th post which will be soon. I need information on how winners are drawn. I know some of you print the entries and draw, others of you have various methods of drawing. Please share with me the quickest and easiest way to draw a winner? I hope to have more time to post when I'm caught up with the Christmas rush.

A lil snow, but only for a lil while!

We had a little snow today but only for a short while. Since the roads were icy they pushed school back to 10:00 a.m. and boy was I glad for that because I needed the extra sleep. There is a cute giveaway on the blog site Bluebird Quilts I have her link on the sidebar if you haven't visited her site you might want to take a look. She has some really cute things. You can go to her website and join the giveaway by just leaving a comment. She is giving away a cute "Plum Pudding Pincushion" kit.

We went to Lowe's tonight and bought a Christmas Tree. This is always such a chore for me. But tonight we found one that will fit perfectly in our den and the price was even better. I took some of the decorations out of the closet and started decorating this afternoon. So it's beginning to look a little like Christmas around this house. Last year my sister, me and Mom went shopping the day after Christmas and we decided to go to The Strand in Galveston. There is a neat shop that sells really pretty ornaments and we bought quite a few. I love shopping those after Christmas sales. Well have a great day and stay warm.

UT Graduation and a New Sewing Machine

We had a fantastic weekend of fun and celebration! Matt's graduation was really nice and the meal afterwards was superb. We ate at Fonda San Miguel. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. So if you are in the Austin area you should give it a try.

While I was in Austin I also purchased a new sewing machine. I bought the Bernina 730E and I can't wait to start sewing some of my projects. I took Mom to some of the quilt stores in Austin and we bought a few things to add to our fabric stash! We also shopped at Interior Fabrics which is one of my favorite stores when I'm looking for decorator fabrics. Christmas is just around the corner and I really need to get busy with gift wrapping and decorating. Have a great day!

Packing for the Weekend

After the big meal some went to sleep!

I just finished packing for the weekend. Mom and I are leaving tomorrow afternoon and my Dad and husband will be coming up on Friday. We are looking forward to good food and fun. The men are planning a shopping trip to Cabella's and the women will be doing their fair share of shopping but not at Cabella's! We will hit the quilt shops and thrift stores. And of course we will eat our favorite food....Mexican Food. I will take plenty of pictures to share later. I leave you with a few pictures from our Thanksgiving dinner.

Back to Normal

Well things are back to normal (whatever that is) here in our little neck of the woods. I had a great time visiting with my kids and family over the holidays. The girls and I went to Canton on Friday and had a fantastic time. The only let down was that it was raining and cold and I didn't get to look around on the grounds where all the good stuff is! But we shopped the Arbors and Trade Buildings and found some goodies. After a long day of walking and shopping we headed back home to rest up for the rest of the weekend. On Saturday we went to the movies to see "Four Christmas's" and it was hilarious. And then on Sunday we went to Church and enjoyed ribs and potato salad afterwards. This week is really going to busy because Matt is graduating from U.T. and we are going to Austin for the weekend to attend his graduation. I am really hoping to buy that new Bernina sewing machine this weekend. I haven't sold my Elna yet but I'm getting a little anxious! Santa may have to come early for me this year!