2013 top views

Interesting and fun to see what posts were viewed the most this year.

Top 7 views are below.

If I can make it, you can too.

My bell valance for my daughter's new home, 1415 views

Mini Pumpkin Pie Muffins

Yummy melt in your mouth mini pumpkin pies, 1089 views

Loving my new kitchen

The kitchen remodel, 651 views

My first cornice board

Easy DIY, 385 views

Mardi Gras on da Bayou!

Our best friend was queen this past year and she hired me to decorate the queen's tables, 327 views

Bumper pads for Raylyn

Loved making all three of the grand-daugher's crib sets, 281 views

and finally... the kitchen sink.  Huge, large, shiny and three babies can fit in it for a bath.

Can you love a sink?

I still adore my sink!  270 views

Happy New Year everyone!  Thanks for following along with my crazy, fun, busy, yummy, never boring life!  Hmmm, what to do today?  Circus with my daughters maybe? 

Lori

Sharing with:
Between Naps on the Porch
Savvy Southern Style
My Romantic Home
Funky Junk

I don't want it to be over....

But at least we can look forward to a New Year!  I hope and pray we have another one just like 2013.

With babies to play with....

With new old rides to take a spin in...

We bought from the original owner... Karl and my Mom sitting on his lap.  Merry Christmas to us!

More family fun than I have room for in a blog.....

Top Golf, hurray for new experiences.....

Napkins I am trying to use up and the fancy silver still needs to be put away.... 

But, before the year ends we still have a birthday to celebrate ME.... and we will be ringing in the new year with best friends!  

Have a merry little Christmas!

Signing off for a while to enjoy friends and family.  Merry Christmas to all and may you enjoy love and time with the ones you adore! 

Fun tradition that I started this year.  Each grandchild received 5 bags.  They open one each night starting on the 20th of December.  Simple toys, dolls.  Most gifts were found after Christmas last year on 90% off sales.  I think it will be fun over the years to watch the girl's enjoy the anticipation of the week before Christmas. I can't tell you what will be in the number one bag each year.  I don't want their Mom's and Dad's to know before it is opened on Christmas Eve. 

God bless y'all!  Merry Christmas  Love from Texas and Lori!

I'll go to sleep tonight counting my blessings!

No, we hardly ever get a White Christmas in Texas.  Unless, you let us include a light frost on the ground as white.  But, do I love my google calendar reminders, especially when all eight of the adults in the family where able to get together in downtown Dallas today.  

Really thankful that the guys gave up watching the Dallas Cowboy game to satisfy all of the women folk.  We left feeling great and oh so in the mood for Christmas. 

and sisters, sisters ... never have there been such devoted sisters!  I love my three daughters and so enjoy watching them loving being together.  

And so at least indoors and on a giant stage in Texas, there was SNOW!  

I will still be dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.

(I was born in Pennsylvania and spent some of my youth in New York and New Jersey.)  So, I really do remember very white Christmases.

Cookie Swap Packaging

Fun packaging for a cookie swap I attended.  And my dentists office staff received a few of these cuties too.

They were filled with pecan tassies and crunchy oatmeal cookies.

The boxes and string are from Pick Your Plum online shopping only.  The Martha S. cupcake pics slipped nicely into the boxes.  

Sharing with:
My Romantic Home

Ping Pong Ball Lights

Lynn wanted some of these.  Pretty and pretty pricey.  

 I saw an idea on a blog.  Sorry, I can't remember which one.  I bought a gross (144) of ping pong balls for $11.00 from Amazon.   

I used a pointed sharp knife and gently poked a slit in one side.  Hubby was sure I would slice a finger off.  But, if you are slow and gentle you will be fine. Then i slipped a ball over eac tiny light.  I had an extra string of 100 lights because of our short Christmas tree this year.   

Fun when lit.  Colored lighs might be fun for a birthday party.  This little project took me about 20 minutes to create.  

For now I placed them in the fireplace.  I like them and hubby does too.  Now, what to do with an extra 44 ping pong balls?

Antlers make the difference

I thought I was done with the mantle and then noticed I had a few antlers laying around.  Doesn't everybody?  Lucky me,  I have a son-in-law who hunts and will bring these to me!  So, I added three to the mantle and loved it even more.  

I used fresh greens and silver everything else.   Do you know at Home Depot, where we bought our tree, they let you take as many spare branches as you want?  They have carts full of them.  I might just need to go back for more.  

Which do you prefer?  Antlers or none?

None

Voila! Hmmm, maybe twinkly little lights.  No, stop, done. 

Sharing with:
My Romantic Home

How to water your fresh Christmas Tree.

Thank goodness I saw this at the check out line at Home Depot. 

 A simple red funnel attached to...

a long green plastic tube, that slides through the middle of the tree into the stand. I pulled it in and out for a few days and then thought, why not just leave it in place in the back of the tree.

It is magic, you can't find it can you?  And I don't have to crawl under the tree for watering.  (If you are really trying to find it, I moved it away from the dotted ornaments, further back, under the drum ornament, just a bit above and to the right of the blue ornament.  All you can see it the rim of the red funnel behind a branch.)  

Now that is one of those "Why didn't I think of that?". The creators are probably living in one of those huge houses you drive by and say "what do they do?".  Probably 10 cents worth of plastic and it sold for $4.95.  Run, go get one before they sell out!

What is Red and green and bright all over?

Our Christmas tree!  And yes, the 14 month old grand-daughters were over for a visit and nothing is broken .... yet.

Mainly red and green glass ornaments.  But, some of my favorite themed ornaments are below.  You are my sunshine, from my Mom.

A Cowboy boot.

The more shine and glitter the better!

An Irish top hat.

My favorite Aunt Carole gave me a lot of the character ornaments.

 Snow village churches nestled under the tree.  

A Celtic Cross and St Nick side by side.   

 I ended up pushing presents way back under the tree.  Layton was ready to open. 

Hadley loved the jingle bells.

Yes, we have a fresh tree.  This year no crawling under for watering, I have a new gadget to show you.

Next post.  Genius, silly invention!