Happy New Year!

Here's hoping that 2008 brings you everything you desire! I hope each of you have a wonderful, happy, safe, healthy and prosperous new year! Don't forget to eat some pork, black eyed peas, and cabbage for luck and wealth this year! I have big plans for this new year, and you'll be hearing about all of them in the coming days.

I don't make new year's resolutions, I set goals. I've learned over the years to set a big goal, then break it down into mini goals or steps. I'll be listing those goals and steps right here in the days to come! Stay tuned and stay healthy!

In the meantime... WHOO, PIGS SOIEE!! Go Razorbacks, beat Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.

Gotta go...it's almost game time!!

Dinner

For some reason, the link wasn't included in the last post. It's www.dinneratthehamlet.blogspot.com.

Dinner at the Hamlet

I'm working on a new blog entitled "Dinner at the Hamlet" My intention is share recipes, entertaining plans and ideas and decorating ideas for parties. Since Lynn and I host a monthly family breakfast, I'll have at least one chance each month to post something! My goal is to post recipes 2-3 times weekly, but don't hold me to that standard! Eventually, I'd like to get in the habit of posting a new recipe every day. However, that is going to require being organized, so....here's hoping! Just remember, this is still a work in progress!!

Flea Market Fun

Today, I discovered that a fellow flea market lover lives in my house! Jacob, my 15 year old son, and I hit a couple of local markets today, and he said the same thing I ALWAYS say when I go to one of those great places-"I have to come back when I have more money". We had a ball looking at all the cool stuff...vintage Christmas ornaments were in abundance, due I'm sure to the time of year, as well as other things that we drooled over. Jake bought 4 vintage VHS movies-he got a new VCR for his birthday a couple of weeks ago, remember. He found a whole booth of old comic books and vowed to go back and buy some as soon as he saves his allowance to do so.

I found a few things that I"m mulling over...a fabulous pair of red ceramic boots with gold "laces", a little kitten heel and high tops...very ooh, la la! I am going to pair them on top of the linen cabinet in our bathroom with a gold handbag and a sweet hat. Very, very cute in my mind...let's hope it works out that way in real life!! Also, I found my newest burning desire to collect...whimsical, vintage rabbits. I found a great Peter Rabbit sitting on an egg, a cute little brass bunny shelf sitter and a darling ceramic bunny planter, along with a momma and two babies cast in concrete. I just hope I can remember where they are when I get ready to purchase them. Today was a research trip!

I really am researching for an article I'm trying to write for Vintage Indie, a cool website that has great stuff. I hope to get it done in a couple of weeks or so. In the meantime, I see lots more "research" in my future! We only were able to hit two today, and didn't even get all the way through one of them! We'll be going back, soon!!

Gotta love a 15 year old that not only will spend an afternoon with his ancient mother, but will do it flea marketing!!

Catching up, Part II

I managed to wrestle the Christmas tree out the door this morning, and have almost everything down that screams "Christmas". However, I will leave the kitchen decorated through February, it's mostly just wintery, not Christmasey. I did manage to get some pictures downloaded this evening, so here goes:



This is "Big Red", the horse I received for Christmas. He is part of a series called "Trail of the Painted Ponies". I love him.




This is the hand-carved angel weathervane that my brother in law, Jimmy, made for me. She's a replica of one in a museum in Mercer, Pa. Ironically, my church sponsors a mission in Mercer. Hopefully one day soon I can visit the mission and the museum!




Here's a picture of a plate that my mom made for me for Christmas. She has made a ton of them, and is taking orders. She makes them with paper or fabric or photos...whatever you want on a plate she can likely do it...if you want to see more of her work, contact her at franjane@sbcglobal.net.

One of my projects for 2008 is to redo my kitchen, especially the tops of the cabinets. I know that the plate above will be on the wall by the windows. Here's some other elements that I know I'll be using somehow...




This is my painted candlestick that I mentioned in one of the first posts. I added this Christmas ornament for the holidays, but I like it and think I'll leave it.



This is a sweet little teapot Mom got me for Christmas. I love it's curves and the great handle. I think it's so French looking! I'll certainly be using this!



This is the top of a great pedestal cake plate Mom got me for my birthday. It's lovely and Frenchy also...another piece that I will be using.



I'll post pictures when I get it done, but it will likely be a few weeks before I get it finished. Stay tuned!

The Day After...

We had a Christmas Fiesta for our dinner last night. Mom prepared a feast of our Mexican favorites. We had cheese dip, 7 layer dip (with beans, guacamole, cheese, sour cream and lettuce and tomatoes, scooped up with a tortilla chip), enchiladas-beef, chicken and cheese, tacos, burritos, tortilla soup, chili, rice and cheesecake for dessert. It was so good, Lynn and the boys and I went back up there for lunch today! Nothing like Christmas leftovers to make a great lunch.

I managed to get some laundry done, and a few decorations put away today. I leave the snowmen and snow village up until spring, but I'll take the trees down and put the Santas away. I put my Christmas dishes away and pulled out the snowman plates. It was sleeting while I was doing it, so it felt right! I only wish we would get some accumulation instead of everything melting on contact.


Santa was good to us, as usual. The boys got genuine carbine Red Ryder BB guns (I know, I know, they'll shoot their eyes out...thanks, "Christmas Story"), fishing gear and a bunch of John Deere stuff. I don't even know what all.

Jacob got an MP3 player, not the WII he wanted. Santa made a stand about that last year and told him he had to buy his own, and is not going to back down from that. I hope.

I'm planning lots of winter projects to keep me busy. I am planning to redecorate the kitchen, using the stuff I have, along with a few thrifted and gifted items. I love that phrase...thrifted and gifted. Mom gave me a beautiful black teapot for Christmas, and I have the hand-carved angel weather vane I already told you about. I know those two elements will be involved! I'll post pictures when I get some work done on this project! I also want to paint the bedroom and possibly the living room, but don't tell Lynn about that yet!!

I haven't forgotten about the pictures of the angel and the Christmas horse-just haven't taken the time to download them. I'll do that soon.

I hope you had a peaceful, happy, blessed holiday. What's up for New Year's Eve? I imagine we'll stay home, as usual...the Hogs have a 10:30 kickoff in the Cotton Bowl, so I need to be fresh and alert for that!! I think we'll have breakfast snacks for the game-breakfast sandwiches of bacon, ham and sausage on biscuits, hashbrown patties, and cinnamon rolls or coffeecake, along with juice, milk and coffee to drink. Take out that you don't have to go out for!

Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night!

It's 2:30 pm on Christmas Eve, and I have everything wrapped and waiting for Santa to put under the tree, my meatballs are done, waiting to gently warm in the spaghetti sauce simmering in the crockpot, the eggnog/donut bread pudding is steaming in a water bath in the oven and the floors are swept! I only have to toss the salad and bake the bread for dinner to be ready. I am about to set the table for dinner. I won't be posting again today or probably tomorrow, so I am taking this moment to wish you a a very blessed, peaceful, blissful and Merry Christmas along with a prosperous and happy new year!