Still Decorating....

Kitchen Blackboard

Dining room mirror

Yes, I'm STILL decorating! ...but who isn't?  I finally got around to making my kitchen holiday blackboard.  My theme for the kitchen (besides chickens) is " Eat, Drink & be Merry".  Thought that was appropriate for the Christmas kitchen.  Last year, I found wine glasses ( $ store) and mugs and a plate with it all written on them.  When I was in Hobby Lobby yesterday, I came across this pretty little mirror with a cardinal on it.  Since it was on sale for 50% off and I hadn't really bought anything new to decorate with this year, I decided we needed it hanging in our cardinal dining room.  Maybe I'm done decorating and then again.....maybe not.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.....

My favorite room......the dining room 

A quilt I made years ago.  It just happens to have
Christmas trees with cardinals on it. 

Table all set for a late Christmas dinner

Dollar Store plates that are now worth $14.99 each. 

I made this in the 1970's.
Replaced the colored lights for white ones
a couple of years ago.  I left the red
cardinals on it. 

Our tree....decorated by Michelle 

Mantel with Carolers

Kitchen Chicken Tree

Christmas Hen

Eat, Drink and Be Merry 

  Most of the house is decorated for Christmas.  It's wonder with how busy Chuck and I have been with finishing up " Studio 22" and turning the old studio into a guest room.  It has consumed our time and our bodies.  Yes, there will be pictures of it all, down the road.   We have to work in " Christmas Parties, cookie baking, present buying/wrapping, card making and everything else that pops up in the next few weeks. It is a Merry time at Brambly Pines.  I can't believe that it's been five years since we moved up here and lived in the TT without water or electricity for so long.  I feel like I have lived here forever!  Merry Christmas everyone....from Brambly Pines.

Six Months and Counting.....

Michelle and Vivienne 

How did it become Thanksgiving so soon?  Where has this year gone? Why is time flying by?  I know Michelle will be glad to have these next couple of months over with so we all can meet our little "Vivienne Pieper" and our lives will be changed forever.

Alabama Baby Shower

Pretty Invitations

 Beautiful  flowers always makes a
tea party fun. 

Special Coffee Cups for Breakfast

So True!!!!

Presents! presents! presents!

Pretty, girly  decorations.  

Crowning the new Ya Ya Mama

Wonderful! Fun! tea party with our Alabama Family!

Best Friends before they were born.

Michelle and her Alabama Mama Gene

A great present for sure!

A much needed present....

Michelle said....
" I have to do WHAT to get this thing out?"

Grand daughter # 3!

The 25 yr in the making... quilt

The center of the quilt that " Great  Grandma"
(my mom) made...25 yrs ago

Two very close little girls.......all grown up.

Michelle was honored at an Alabama Baby Shower down in Cecil. It was hosted by Gene, Becca and Melanie.  It was held at Gene and George's hunting lodge.( it used to be Gene's parents house)  What a wonderful place for it.  There were bedrooms for everyone to spend the night.  The kitchen, living room and dining rooms are all open so there was plenty of space for such a party. The lodge was decorated with such pretty little girl decorations and there were presents galore! Beautiful little girl clothes....a swing....baby towels, baby spoons, a sterilizer, pretty blankets, decorations for the nursery, diapers, hand knitted hat, oh...I can't even remember them all.  There were presents dropped off at our house from people who weren't even going to the shower.
    Around 25 years ago, I started a quilt made from some of the fabric that I had made Michelle's baby/little girl clothes out of.  My Mom and I were going to make a whole quilt from the fabrics.  I was sewing the pieces together on the machine and she was sewing them by hand onto the blocks.  Only four blocks got completed before Mom got sick and died.  I took those four blocks and hid them for 25 years from everyone.  Chuck didn't even know I had them.  I knew in my mind that some day it was going to be up to me to surprise Michelle and finish the quilt.  When we found out that we were going to have Vivienne in our lives, it was time to pull the blocks out and turn them into a quilt.  As I was working on the quilt  it gave me a warm feeling inside, as I looked at the blocks that Mom had worked on.  I just wish she could have seen how the quilt turned out. She would have loved it since she was a quilter, herself.  Yes, Michelle was surprised and cried.  So did I when I was explaining the quilt to her. It took a couple of minutes for it all to sink in for Michelle but then,  Becca and her started naming the clothes from the fabric pieces.  At that moment, it really made the quilt special to me because it was fun watching the two girls, remembering growing up together.     I was so happy to be able to give Michelle something so special that she will pass on to Vivienne's children.  ...from Great Grandma and Grandma.
.    The tea party had two different teas and so many pretty sweets and tea sandwiches to fill your plate with. It was so much fun.
       Melanie, Gene and George made dinner for the whole gang, Saturday night.  It was a wonderful tasty treat of Boston Butt and tons of yummy roasted veggies.  Of course the " Auburn" football game was on the TV afterwards and we all sat around in our PJ's having the best time.
   Chuck and I hosted the Sunday morning breakfast of bacon, french toast, fresh fruit, coffee and juice.  Kellet made the best blueberry tart that we all had ever eaten!
  We want to thank everyone for such a great time that have turned into memories already.  We know our little "Vivienne Pieper" will be loved by so many people as we are.  Our Alabama family is " the BEST!"

Lavender of Course!

Down stairs floors....done

Putting the upstairs floor down
Tough on the bad knees though.

Almost done

Half wall book case

going up.....the white bead board will
cover the wood at the top of the picture. and
I will paint the risers ( when Troy puts them on)
white also. 

going down on the gray steps

Antique lavender glass globes ...light that
Michelle gave me for my birthday.  

One of the two AC/Heater units

Studio 22 is almost done.  It has light lavender ceilings and a shade darker for the walls.  It's really pretty.  Looks a lot different in person than in the pictures.  Chuck finished putting the wood floors down today.  Two days ago, he made the half wall book case for upstairs.  He still has to put the white  bead board on the back of the book case.  You will see it when you come up the stairs.  He hung the pretty antique lavender glass globes, light that Michelle gave me.  It's soooo pretty!  The two AC/Heater units are working great with the cold weather we have had already. Tomorrow, the white built in unit will be installed down stairs.   We are waiting to hear back from Troy to see when he can come out to put all the trim down.  ....base boards, window trim, bathroom door and the risers to the steps.  Sure hope it's soon so I can get it all painted and start moving in.  Won't that be a happy day at Brambly Pines!!!!

Chicken Copy Cat

Dottie/Gary's chicken shelf

Our copy cat shelf

Not only did I have a great time in the mountains at Dottie/Gary's house, I came home with some new ideas for our house.  One of them was a long shelf over their breakfast room windows that held a collection of chickens.  I fell in love with it!  Melanie and I both thought it needed to be in our kitchen over the windows.  I'm not too sure Chuck thought it was a good idea but he did go ahead and built it for me.  After testing it with a gallon of water and a couple five pound bags of sugar, he declared it safe for me to put all my chickens up there.  I certainly didn't have to go out and buy chickens for it.  I just went around the kitchen and the rest of the house and collected enough to fill the shelf.  A lot of them were gifts from people.  Now I can enjoy them all from anywhere in the kitchen.  Thank you Dottie/Gary for a wonderful idea!