Birthday Month

I consider myself very fortunate to still have 2 living grandparents.  Both of these ladies have February birthdays.

I wasn't able to be with Grandma on her birthday, but was there the day before.  She's all dressed up in her favorite color with her hair done for her big day.

Grandmother's birthday follows about a week later, and I was able to go for hers.  We had a great time!

 Love these ladies!  A day spent with them is always fun, no matter what we're doing.

February Projects

Warning.  This is a post about curtains.  It's boring. ;)

I decided to decorate for President's Day this February rather than Valentine's Day, and I thought this little Abe Lincoln pillow was the perfect addition.  It's a Chestnut Junction pattern.

 I have searched and searched for curtains for the back door.  We took down the very heavy (and unattractive) blinds down when we moved in and replaced them with curtains that hung on either side of the door.  That was fine, but 10 years and two dogs later, those were looking pretty grungy, especially on the side where the door opens.

 So, I used the old curtains (the larger plaid) and some new fabric to make some shades based on some that my mom has.  It wasn't the easiest sewing project I've undertaken, but I love how they turned out, and I learned a lot!

 The new Riley-proof curtains are Riley-approved! 

 The kitchen window was another spot in need of a curtain face-lift.  I found this one, still new-in-package on eBay.  It matches the one above the kitchen sink.  It started life with a 3 inch ruffle on top and it was just too...something.  Victorian?  Frilly?  Something.  A few straight lines later, I had a 1.5 inch ruffle and like it a lot better.

Snow Day!

The forecast was for a little snow, but the weatherman wasn't too confident.  I was sure surprised when I got up at 4:30 to see how bright it was outside.  One look out the window revealed this:

4:30 a.m.

 7:20 a.m.

 9:00 a.m.

It's the first snow on our new pine trees.  I think they look right at home in the snow!

Happy New Year!

Kevin came down just before New Year's for a visit.  Todd, Kevin, and I had a great day antiquing at some of my favorite places in Ozark, and found a new favorite.  The best find of the day for me was at the last place we went - a box of vintage ornaments marked down to $1 each and a bag of ornaments for $1.  I really liked this tree before, but with the addition of a few (or 20) new-to-me ornaments, I really love it!  Hated to take it down today.

 We celebrated New Year's Eve at Todd's cabin at the lake, where we watched the dogs, listened to a Jimmy Buffett concert, played a few games, ate, drank, and watched a few fireworks over the lake.

 And...maybe took a silly picture or two. ;)

 By New Year's Day, the dogs were worn out from chasing each other and tennis balls.

It was a great way to ring in the New Year!

Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas!  Christmas Eve dinner was just the two of us, but I still managed to use every pot and pan to make us a turkey dinner.

 David surprised me with two beautiful new Adirondack chairs with a table and footstool.  I couldn't believe it!  They're so pretty and very comfortable.  I'm looking forward to warmer temperatures to really enjoy them.

 We celebrated Christmas Day with Mom, Dad, Grandmother, GW, and a visit to see Grandma.

 I wish I'd taken this sooner - it might have been our Christmas card for this year.  Act surprised if it shows up in your mailbox next year!

 The day after Christmas, we took a drive in the rain to look at some camping spots for Spring.  It'll be here before we know it!

Catching Up

I need to give you a tour of my new sewing space that David generously shared with me, but here's a preview.  The space where the table is used to have a twin bed that was seldom used.  It's so nice to have this space and not have to clear my stuff off the dining table to eat dinner.  

 I've been using my space to make a few Christmas gifts.

We enjoyed unusually warm weather for the Christmas parade this year!  Some folks are missing from our hastily arranged picture, but we had a big and fun group.  

Mom, Dad, Con, and I saw Love The Coopers, which was a cute (if a little dark) Christmas movie, and Christina and I have done our annual homes tours.  The weather has been strangely warm which is making it seem not very Christmasy, but it's coming up fast!

I Did, I Do, I Will

This week we celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary.  Time truly does fly when you're having fun, and I can't believe it's been 8 years already.

 We celebrated twice - dinner out at a yummy Italian restaurant last weekend and steaks at home on our anniversary.

 Eight beautiful roses for eight wonderful years.

Happy anniversary, David!