Big Leather Couch

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR FRIEND
DIANNE of "Forks Of The Moment"
Make sure you visit and send her wishes!

Bought and decorated our Christmas Tree this weekend. We both decided not to go hog wild on the outside. We would have had to replace most of the lights as we were in that half the strings have half their lights working situation.

So, we did the front entry and the two windows again only this year in multi-colored lights. It does surprise me how many people have left multi-colored lights for white lights. I do like the white, but it is nice to mix it up year to year.

The tree, well that got white lights again, but only because I wanted to do a snow tree. It has been too long since I had the opportunity to do one.

I know I spoke of this once before...but it was around the time I was 10 or 11 I guess. Mom and dad went on a cruise the week before the week before Christmas. The ship was the Ocenanic with an Italian crew.

It seems the ship was going to be in NY for the whole of Christmas week and the crew was going to be there without family. Mom and dad had gotten friendly with their stewards and ended up inviting these two gentlemen to our home for the holidays.

They did not speak a lot of English, but enough to get by. They did ask if, as a gift, could they decorate the tree for us. Whether they thought it strange or not, mom and dad agreed. Well these two men took a roll of cotton --- do you know it is quite possibly impossible to find cotton in rolls like they sold when I was a kid. I went to two drug stores and a grocery store and could not find any! --- where was I - OH yeah,

So they took a roll of cotton and turned the tree into something almost magical for us kids...the tree had snow all over it --- INSIDE our house!

Well, this is my interpretation. I used Eco-Snow. It is not a polyester fiber, but is am eco-friendly substitute...but you know what? It is still not cotton. It still does not shred like cotton does.

I like how the tree came out...more importantly, Nancy likes how the tree looks. I put on the lights, she put on the ornaments and then I added the snow.

From outside the window -

Please go visit TRAVIS at "Trav's Thoughts" for a really great post on the battle at Pearl harbor that occurred on this date in 1941.

Let us remember the damage done to our country's military and the lives lost and those forever changed by this attack:

4 battleships sunk,
4 battleships damaged including 1 run aground
2 destroyers sunk, 1 damaged
1 other ship sunk, 3 damaged
3 cruisers damaged

188 aircraft destroyed
155 aircraft damaged,
2,345 military killed
1,247 military wounded
57 civilians killed
35 civilians wounded

Got most of the lights fixed tonight, but did not have the big ladder for the one last strand that fell like the stock market...will get that done tomorrow and then it is off to Greensboro for the Christmas Party this weekend.

Bought Nancy a new dress for her birthday later this month. She picked it out --- I picked it up...EXCEPT...they gave me the wrong dang dress...

YUP..you got it folks...ready set

HECK-A DOODLE!!!!!!!!

SO, I am back to the store tomorrow with a picture of the one the woman was SUPPOSED to give me...Should have pictures on Monday...

Not enough hours in the day...not enough days in the week...not enough weeks in the year...

I get moved tomorrow at work, so I have to be in a tad early...BUT..I get a window!!! WOOOO!!!

Yup, as of tomorrow, just like TRAVIS from "Trav's Thoughts", I get a window to look out on! Unlike Travis, whose window looks over the Puget Sound, I get a class-A vision of the parking lot!

Hey it beats looking at the woman who sits in the cube next to my old one. LOL

My friend LEELEE from "Thoughts And Meanderings" has a video of Bruce and the band on Conan O'Brien and I have to tell you...Clarence Clemons is looking more and more like Wesley Snipes...it is almost scary...Don't believe me...go check it out!

OK, it is late...but PLEASE head on over and wish DIANNE from "Forks Of The Moment" a very HAPPY BLOGGOVERSARY!!!!

She is not feeling well and I know she will appreciate the shouts of congrats from all y'all...tell her Bond sent ya...

Until Monday...

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!!!!

Brian Setzer Orchestra "Rocking Around The Christmas Tree"

ENJOY......

One of those days...begins with a smile and ends with me shaking my head...wish I could discuss it here, but the details are just not sharable at this time.

Let me just say that adults need to take responsibility for their children and themselves and sometimes you need to sacrifice for your children...no scratch that you ALWAYS have to sacrifice for your children and not think that someone else is going to bail you out of your haphazard life style.

Thanks to Mother Nature, it appears I have some fixin' to do on the lights at Nancy's home. Yesterday we had thunderstorms, torrential rains and high winds all day and some of those lights are now no longer on the home. dang dang dang...and Heck-a-doodle!!!!!!!!!

Only one person noticed I dropped the f-bomb the other day...well, not in my writing, but in one of the photos I posted...I wondered if it would be mentioned in comments and it took until the last comment from my sweet friend JULIE from "Julies Jewels & Junque" to mention it...

YET...many wondered about Heck-a-doodle...I found that amusing....giggle...YES I giggled!

Getting ready for this weekend. Nancy and I get to fly to Durham for her company's Christmas Party. All expenses paid! WOOOO! Should be a blast.

Y'all I think I have mentioned the New Year's Eve Dinner Party Nancy and I are hosting. It is going to be a blast with a 6-hour dinner being served.

I have mentioned this before, but in case you are new, we begin with Appetizers at 7:00pm and serve one course per hour until Dessert/Champagne/Celebration at midnight!.

I finalized the menu today and I am pretty happy with it.

What? You think I am telling y'all what it will be? No way! You will need to wait and see pictures after it is all done. I will say the courses are, Appetizer, Soup, Pasta, Salad, Main Course, Dessert.

The guest list is Nancy's good friends from Atlanta, her friend from Tupelo, two neighbors (they might not be coming, I am still not totally sure) and TURNBABY from "And As The World Turns" and her main squeeze MR FAB from "Pointless Drivel".

I am sooooo looking forward to it! Last year Nancy and I got to celebrate with Turnbaby and had so much fun. We are thrilled we get to do so again.

Got a little press this week on the web site for the PR firm that sends me music...unfortunately, I did not pass it along to my two editors, DAD VINCE and ANNDI from "Transition" as I now see MANY grammatical errors...OH Well! You can see it HERE

My friend PATTI from "Late Bloomer Boomer" asked if I were taking requests yesterday and requested Mr. Bennett's "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", so we will honor that request today.

ENJOY....

Was planning on reviewing and giving away two CDs of Christmas music I have received, but this weekend got away from me.

Saturday, I designed my Christmas card and had to put together some 'bumpers" for the Radio Happy Hour - and then off with Nancy and the boys to find a Christmas tree.

Then Sunday, I began printing the cards (they are going out this week) and then watch my NY Giants. Unfortunately the Giants lost, but with the Dallas loss, my Giants clinched the Eastern Conference Championship!

Then it was on to hanging lights at Nancy's. That took a loooong time, as she has two high peaks and if you know me, you know that heights and I do not get along. But up the ladder I went...

Well, got it done, but by then it was dark. I then realized that something had to be done with the two main windows in the front of the home and I began working on them.

Well, one of the strands of lights I had were dead as anything, so I need to get another set to finish.

We never even got the tree decorated, so that will be the assignment for this evening.

I really was delighted that I could decorate a home again...it has been two years since I have done so.

By the time I got home, it was after 9 and I am exhausted. The combination of climbing the ladder and the cold and the long day...well I need some rest.

Anyway...come back tomorrow for the reviews, and for a chance to be awarded one of the two albums. They are both top notch...believe me!

So, what does the home look like?

let me show you...

First before I added the window lights
That high peak? Nope...Not me...nope
Plus the ladder will not go up that high:

A close-up of the front door.
The window on the right is where the tree will be:

Then after the one window was completed.
The window on the right side of the house (that is in darkness)
will be done tomorrow...

The two windows on the far left are the garage...might have to do them also...