Friday, December 12, 2014

still decorating my tree

Opened the 2nd box. Some of the same, Bronco stuff, etc.

Two Santa's on white discs. One is fishing through a hole the other is ice skating with Rudolph who is also on skates - they are holding each other up - or dancing. A silver pinecone, more red, green, gold, pink, blue balls, in small medium and large sizes. The Goldilocks and the Three Bears china figurers that belonged to my Grandmother Celestia Burt. When She had them she said they were her Fathers. Just Woolworth's china, but precious. They are miss matched and never looked like bears to me, but I treasure them. A 2002 Olympic Snowflake this has the official design where the balls have the one we used in the bid processes. I bought this a the store in the Village as I worked The Olympics. Glittery pearl angle on a swing, heavy, she is surrounded by a circle of flowers and birds! She gets her own nail.
Lots of after Christmas sale goodies. I have a wonderful decorator Store, Modern Display, their sales are real and the mark downs are worth waiting for. I have 1000 bulb indoor - out door light sets, small wooden red shinny boots with white fur cuffs hanging on the tree. balloons on 4 inch wire 'strings' so they stand up on the branch. I could not have afforded them not on sale. Silver garlands and pearl garlands also sale finds.
A yellow pineapple from Hawaii, a trip with Andrea, another gold cutout from Toronto, Canada. My Niece's and I rode the train from Vancouver, wonderful trip. Hand painted globes, from the Montrose boutique and by Kalena. Hand made Pineapple shape ribbon ornaments made by a good friend, a co worker and the Mother of a good friend. 10 to remind me of a courageous woman I had the pleasure of getting to know by working with she and her daughter. She fought in the jungles in the Philippines with the American's. She married a service man and came to the U.S. and raised a family. After retiring from a admistration job at a bank she came to work where I was working. She has passed on, but her daughter is in St George, Utah and I have these Ornaments, "Hi Natti" !! Reindeer made out of shinny red apples, I am gluing their legs on. Black Santa's with white beards and hair and a red nose that go over your bottle neck - thank you Julia, "High 5".
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still atill decorating my tree Friday 12-12-14

Opened box number 3.  right away knew it was going to be different. A catalog was protecting a flat angel with gold tinsel radiating all around her head. She looked like the one that was on my tree when I was growing up. By folding her inside the pages she stays flat. A Bronco and Green Bay snowmen. Lady mouse made out of a thistle sitting on a chair dressed for church. Green Bay players jumping on each other.  Avon Christmas Bear Pin still in the original packaging, 1984. Santa with a rod and a fish, hand carved wooden bear with a rod and a fly stuck in his hat. Silver spoons  with bears and birds  sitting in the bowls. I know they are silver, they have turned black.?'

A blue and white china pig, china geese, and a small bag of mini marsh mallows with a tag, "Heard you've been naughty, so here's the scoop. All you get is snowman poop ! I remember one with chocolate covered raisins that was reindeer poop. I have a lady who sits in the corner on a shelf holding a sign, "Be naughty - save Santa the trip." Found a beautiful wood rocking horse, there will be a few more, my friends Chuck and Phyllis in Boise, Idaho, their son Perry's school was selling them to raise money.

An old Christmas Card from My Mother and Father's friends to me that was meant to hang on the tree. It is a Norcross card and on the back it says, to hang on your tree. It is in the shape of a pink bell with three angles on the front. It hung on my tree as a child. Heavy Avon musical ornaments, they look like metal with colors a horn and a harp, also a metal sled.

I am down to the last tier of the last box ! Good, because I am running out of branches. I am filling in toward the trunk. Just found some hand made crochet Santa faces, wreaths and cross stitched small, one inch things my sister made. Also felt ones Mother made.

This is nuts. I have got to give a lot of this away. Who gave Gary the Green Bay Santa, the Snow man. May I give it back to you ?

A pig riding a snow board, one hanging on a candy cane. Salt Flat Salt Snow Flake, a South Dakota Pheasant Feather oval. I need a nap. A glass Santa that lights up,

That's all I am done un packing my boxes. Now I can get out the skating snowman, families and all the goodies that go on my shelves and walls !!









decorating my Christmas tree 12-10-14

I have a phony tree. I got to be too much, too heavy. just beyond me, so I bought a 6 foot plastic one. It does not look too bad. It has multi colored lights.

As I get out my Christmas decorations it is like a family reunion. I have some from my early 1st marriage. We bought them at the PX in Anchorage, Alaska. I have a picture of me with our Charlie Brown tree, we cut it down our selves. I look like "The Wreck of The Hesperus". Death warmed over was a kind word. I was going through a rotten pregnancy. There are some from the time spent in Glasgow, Montana at an Air Force Base. I have some my Mother brought down when she came to live with me. Those I remember from my childhood and from visits to her home through the years. I have collected ornaments everywhere I have lived and people have sent them to me as they have traveled. My 2nd husband brought wooden ornaments, airplanes, sailboats and trains. He also had a paste board village, with cellophane windows and bottle brush trees. That is a lot of fun to put out. My kids bought skiers and snowman builders to put in it.

As I put each decoration out I remember who and where it came from. I have a bell from Grandma Peggy. A pink blown glass pig Terry and Gwen brought me from a trip back East. Santa in a Hot Air Balloon from Kalin. Father Christmas in a dark blue robe and a gorgeous wreath Kalena bought in Montrose. There are Green Bay Santa's, lots of Denver Broncos and Green Bay ornaments and stuff.

My Mother bought Christmas decorations out of the windows where she worked. I have them. I saved some off the Governor's tree. Nice small angles made out of gold and white beads, one of the guys we 4 wheeled with, his girl friend made them one year. Another year, another guy, another girl, another bar she made stained glass ornaments to sell and I bought some, they are on my tree.  Salt Lake City Winter Olympic balls, Walt Disney Mice, from when I was handling motion picture accounts for an advertising agency. Laurel Burch gold metal cut outs in her designs, ones from museums and state capitols.

My daughter Kalena and I went to a Christmas Boutique for years in Montrose at Thanksgiving. Everything is handmade, you can meet the artists. We always found things for our homes and for gifts. I have many things from there. It made Christmas shopping easy. I just hung a pig bell from one of their artists and glued a hymnal on to an angel made out of macaroni that is fine, looks like china. I also have some fun wooden hand painted snow men hanging on my tree and rain deer sitting on my mantel my daughter in law made one year and some poodle dogs sitting inside the tree she made too. I also have some awful ornaments the kids made one year at my Mother's, to keep them busy, with cotton string to hang them. One is a juice can lid punched with a nail ! There are wooden miniatures that are fun, some are Mother's and some are Gary's. Little brown angles and Orientals sitting in wreaths. And that is just the 1st box !

I bought 3 of those boxes you snap together. mine are three tiers high and fit over the door in the front bedroom. they hold all my ornaments. That way the village and all the stuff from all over the house can go in their boxes on the big shelf. The next two boxes will have some of the same as the first. I'll only tell you if I come across something real good.

































Friday, December 5, 2014

12-5-14

4 am
" I see the moon the moon sees me. The moon sees somebody I want to see"  music playing in my mind.
There is a full moon this morning casting shadows. He is shining in my West windows like a street light.
There must be a clear sky out side.
Today is a bit of a busy day. I am going to get a manicure, my first in a long time. I do not get them in the summer when I am working in the yard. I am capable of doing my own fingernails and I can throw on some fresh polish to go some where if I want. A good manicure is an indulgence I allow my self when I am working and not taking the personal time to do it. I have strong finger and toe nails and like to keep them manicured.
I want to get my car washed. It has been awhile. My weather has been cold and rainy and I have birds with poopy problems so I want that off my paint !
I have been keeping a plumber busy. I remodeled my house back in the '90s and the main bathroom and kitchen are showing their age.
First the seat in the shower, one arm came off the wall. The plumber and I decided, after he got the other one to come off, the inside screws were gone-rusted. The silicone seals on the walls of the shower are still good so .... if I decide I want a seat in the shower I can put one in there. They sell them at the store.

Then the spray arm on my sink in the kitchen went blooey. I have a one piece hot cold off on pull out spray thing on my kitchen sink. It sprung a leak last Sunday. I found the lady I bought all the bath and kitchen fixtures from two weeks before and she called a guy about the shower seat. He never called, so I called her back. She gave me his # and he thought maybe he could get out over Thanksgiving, but he didn't. This lady, Elaine, has been in the plumbing fixture trade for years. When  I met her she was working for a nice company who carried very nice fixtures, and in ground pools. She helped me pick out all my faucets, hooks, sinks and stuff. We had lots of fun. That business changed a lot when the owner had a heart attack and his son took over and went into swim spas and mostly commercial. Elaine went to work for Standard Plumbing Supply. They carry all the upscale brands she knows, as well as all the regular stuff, they are a big outfit. When the sprayer went out I called my regular plumber, Rocky Mountain Air, Parker. He called me back on Sunday. I told him I have water shut offs under all my sinks (thank you Mr. Cope) thank you for calling me back, but I didn't want to pay Sunday rates, call back on Monday and lets set up a time for you to come out. He came out Tuesday. looked at the shower seat. In the kitchen he  took the part that slides in and out, the head screws off. He emailed Elaine pictures and part #s and went out, she had the part ready for him. He liked that she knew a lot about the products. "most parts counter people do not know any thing."

Now I have my dish washer running again, Yaha !!

Well, back to addressing Christmas cards. Then I want to get my tree up !
































Thursday, December 4, 2014

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