Santa addiction ~

I'm not sure how it happened, but my Santa collection has grown and grown over the years. Tonight I'll share some of them with you. Here's a Santa gourd I bought years ago at a craft show.
Santas on the jelly cupboard. I'm not sure about the Santa in red on the left, but all the others are imports.

A celluloid wind up Santa and reindeer. I purchased this with the original box and key. I believe it to be from the 40's.

I've had this tin sleigh for many decades. My mom painted the ceramic Santa.

I purchased this little guy in Paris. My sweetie took me there for my last milestone birthday. Lucky me :-)

The two taller Santas were purchased at craft shows many years ago and were locally made. The Santas on either end were gifts gotten years apart from two dear friends. The original Santa painting was purchased on eBay a number of years ago.

A full view of the top of the jelly cupboard in the dining room.

Santas on the baker's cupboard in the living room. My sweet niece Elise got me the polka dot Santa in Door County, Wisconsin a number of years ago. My dear friend Wink gave me the cone Santa MANY years ago.

This great patriotic Santa is sitting in an old dovetailed box surrounded by blue spruce. {{ouch!}}

The top of the baker's cupboard. I didn't realize my pantry boxes needed straightening...lol! That's a part of my snake plant in the lower left.

A small, cheesy vintage plastic light-up Santa in the bathroom. He looks so much better in person, so come on by if you'd like to see him up close and personal!

Thank you so much for stopping by and please come again soon. I have many more Christmas goodies to share with you!
Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Oh Christmas Tree ~ Tree ~ Tree

WELCOME! Thank you for stopping by.

Tonight I thought I'd share a few of my trees with you. This is the "big tree" in the living room. I just can't get a good picture of it. It is very eclectic and has everything on it from an antique Santa ornament to the paper ornaments my boys made in preschool (25+ years ago). The tree itself has seen better days and every year I tell myself I must get a new tree because this tree loses more needles than a live tree! It is just very different because the branches are not all evenly spaced and it has pine cones and grapevine tied to it. Many of my ornaments are big and heavy, and this tree can support the weight.
I received this Nativity in the first grade (and that was a REALLY long time ago). The manger lost its star long ago but I still cherish it.

Here's the tree in the dining room decorated in a more "country" style. I love the tacky lighted plastic Santas at the base of the tree.

There's a great story behind my devil's head ornament. About twelve years ago when my DSO was still living in Michigan, we went to a Restoration Hardware Store about an hour from his place. I had never been to one before ~ in fact I had never even heard of it. (Now I love that store!) When we walked in they had an entire tree full of these ornaments. I wanted one but would not pay the twelve dollars or so they were selling for. After I returned home, that dear sweet man drove back to the store only to discover there was not one left on the tree. Luckily he inquired and was told they pulled them all due to customer complaints. People did not realize (or care) that the ornament was based on an antique. It is one of my most prized ornaments.

Here's my patriotic tree on the small landing part way up to the second story. (This is one of Eema's favorite hiding places when she knows she is going to be put in the crate. Too funny!) Patriotic Santas on antique cupboard.

More patriotic items in the small cupboard. (I opened the door to avoid the glare of the flash.)

I hope you have enjoyed the pictures. I have many more to share with you in the coming days.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

YUMMY make ahead potato recipe ~

~ ~ ~ WELCOME FRIENDS ~ ~ ~

I thought I would share a yummy potato recipe with you. I like this recipe because it can be made a day ahead and baked the next. I've been making this for years to rave reviews.

DOUBLE BAKED MASHED POTATOES

12 potatoes, cooked and mashed

8 oz. cream cheese, cut in cubes

1/4 c butter

1/2 c sour cream

1/2 c milk

2 eggs

1/4 c finely chopped onion

1 t salt

White pepper

To potatoes, add cream cheese and butter. Beat well until cream cheese and butter are melted.

Add sour cream.

Beat together milk, eggs, and onion.

Slowly add milk-egg mixture while still beating potatoes.

Add 1 t salt and white pepper to taste.

Beat until smooth.

Put in greased 9 x 13 inch casserole.

Refrigerate until ready to bake. (Can be refrigerated overnight)

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 - 60 minutes.

Enjoy!

Thank you so much for stopping. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Favorite Reindeer ~

I finally feel as if I'm getting things done. I've finished the "big tree" in the living room and that is MAJOR! It normally takes me two days to decorate ~ this year it took four because of busy evenings. About the only decorating I have left to do is to put the wreath on the door and the garland on the banister. Tomorrow I hope to do the Christmas cards and then I'd better think about working on the hooked rug that needs to be done in four or five days (hahaha!). Oh, and finish shopping so I can get my packages mailed.

I thought I'd share some pictures of my favorite reindeer. Here's my grandson Jake ~
~ and Loocie. She looks so thrilled :)

Eema, my foster pug.

This is my younger son, J (as in Jason), last year. (I'm sure he'll be thrilled to know he made the blog again.)

My dear Mom, last year, at 88. I'm lucky to have her here for one more Christmas.

Thank you all for stopping by.

I'll post some pictures of the house soon.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

I've fallen off the wagon ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ the hooking wagon ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ I was doing so good at this ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~but then this came ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ and niece and family from Chicago ~ ~ ~
(That's actually my older son. I guess I didn't get any family
pictures with my niece's hubby.)

~ ~ ~ and now I'm in the midst of this ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ and somehow I have a rug to finish by next week .

It's about 15 x 23 and I'm not even 25% done.

I don't know how I'm going to pull that one off :(

Perhaps the recipients will get a big apology

and an IOU.

I'm still decorating.

The big tree isn't even started.

No cards have been written.

And here I am blogging.

Is there something wrong with this picture?

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Knee deep ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ in Christmas boxes. I've got boxes everywhere. I'm the traditionalist who does not start decorating until my Thanksgiving company leaves on Sunday, but oh, how I envy those of you who are already decorated! My goal each year is to finish the Christmas shopping before turkey day, and this year I've failed miserably :( I have barely started hooking one rug that must be done the week before Christmas and my plans for other hand made gifts have gone up in smoke...lol. Maybe I'll do better next year. (Geez. I think that's what I said last year....and the year before that....and the year before that! Do you detect a pattern here?)

Here is one little area at the base of my stairs that is done ~ decorated with all my snowmen.

The display on top of the antique cherry washstand. I love the way the stars shine on the wall.
A little hanging cupboard with antique mirror to the left.

A Lori Brechlin design. I've punched a couple of these, but this one was needle punched by my BFF Belinda.

Please stop by again soon. I'm a Christmas junkie who will have lots more to share with you.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Redwork Sampler ~

Welcome and thank you for stopping by ;-) I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and had much to be thankful for.

My niece and her family are safely back in Chicago and my house is back to its normal quiet self. My son from Las Vegas is still in town. It has been so good to have him "home"!

Tonight I thought I would share with you one of my antique samplers. I believe this unframed redwork sampler to be British because of the crown. I purchased it because my intials are LF. I have it pinned to a piece of an old coverlet hanging on the back of an antique Windsor chair, next to a stepback cupboard in the dining room.

This evening I started to haul the Christmas boxes down from the attic and hope to start decorating soon. The weather has been so unseasonably mild on Ohio's north coast, it has been hard to get in the Christmas spirit. I hope I get the spirit soon.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren