Hiya Ladies and Ho Ho Ho!

Okay, all this talk of Christmas got me to thinking that maybe we need a thread to put all our favorites on. So I thought here we could talk about traditions, favorite Christmas movies, books, music, what you love about the holidays, favorite memories, etc. Also, feel free to post pics. We looooovvve to see the photos ladies. This time I thought I would include New Years. So if you would like to share your thoughts, ideas or plans for New Years also, feel free.

So post away ladies...

Marti & Ellen~look forward to seeing your pics. I am planning on posting some in the next few days. I have a roll of film I am working on and then will do the one hour thing.

Ellen~I don't have a digital camera either. Never thought I needed one, still don't but it would come in handy. So it takes me forever to post especially if I am in the middle of a roll, which I am now. Didn't really want to finish it off with more pics of Christmas decorations.

Anyway, thinking Saturday I should have some posted ladies.

Ellen--

Your house is absolutley gorgeous!! Puts mine to shame!! Love the way you decorated. Would love to come over and just admire it all!

Beautiful Work!!

HANKYOU MARTI
Thats very nice of you to say, but they don't put anyones to shame since
they are all done with love and they are all beautiful remember what I said about compensating with Christmas Decorations I can hardly wait to see yours and everyones ,I love them all , and they are extra special because you girls are my friends and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.And come on over anytime bring James and Jhanai and we will have Christmas cookies and hot chocolate. Sorry they were so big I don't know how to make them smaller yet it took me all day to figure out how to do the whole thing no easy feat for me

Wooooow Ellen, your house is GORGEOUS! It puts mine to shame also. Kind of embarassed to show my little decorations. I thought I had a lot, no wonder it took you a while and you started early. How inthe world did you get so much stuff on your mantel and how does it stay there?

Okay, now I guess I am going to be a spoil sport, but is there any way to resize your pics? I don't want you to take them off so don't fret. I've never used Photobucket so don't know how it works, nor have I gone thru 3fc. Just curious as I am afraid this has slowed down everything with the pics being so big and all.

Jane do you know how to resize them? I know that resizer thingy you told us about and I have that here. Or what can be done so the thread isn't as slow as Christmas?

Did anyone else have a problem with it taking a long time to see? Or is it just my old slow 'puter?

Anyway...they are gorgeous pics Ellen and your house looks so very pretty.

Hi Cristi
Thankyou for you kind words I appreciate them, as far as the decorations staying on its prayers, lots and lots of prayers The living roon mantle is 2 1/2 feet deep so it allows a lot of stuff ,but the kitchen is only about 10 in, I tack the garlands with small nails, but the decorations are carefully layered and so far thats the way I have always done it ,and knock on wood there have been no disasters. My kitties are very good, they don't touch a thing , I am really lucky they just look .I can hardly wait to see your pictures and everyone elses , I know they are all beautiful ,I hope we get to see your pink boudoir tree.

Here are a few photos....I need to take better ones since these look so dark and I still had boxes out that I was going through. (shame on me for not cleaning up first!)
Tomorrow I will take some w/better lighting.

Hello ladies
What types of things do you girls do on New years Eve , I must admit it is not a favorite holiday for me , I see it as a couples night and although the kids always try to include me in their festivities I feel like an intruder .I usually try really hard to be in bed before the clock strikes midnight , for me its just another day. Hows that for crummy New Years Spirit far cry from Christmas and only a week apart .

]Hi Martie your decorations are beautiful I love your Santa's I have a few, I too like the old fashioned ones ,Your tree is perfect ,what a beautiful shape it has, they did a great job picking it out.Thankyou for sharing your pictures , I really am enjoying this ,I hope Jhanai is so excited she'll bust, of course I don't want her to bust , you know what I mean looking forward to seeing some more and don't worry about the cleaning up its part of the decorating process ,Hey I see a present it couldn't be for me could it , ah gee you shouldn't have and you didn't, did you ? shucks

I'm baaaaaack...

Had to come back and take a gander at some more pics. Ellen, I am in awe of your house and decorations-so beautiful! And Marti, your tree looks nice and so green. I can smell it...love your Santas.

Hey, it was faster coming up this time so I think it will be fine Ellen. Plus with the pics being so big we can really see the ornaments and decorations up close.

Ooops! Forgot to mention New Years Eve Ellen. We do nothing. We have stayed up a few times to ring in the New Year with Dick Clark (keeping him in our prayers) and a glass of champagne. Sometimes we get silly like last year and I bought some hats, noise makers and confetti. At least I think it was last year, may have been the year before. We had some neighbors before moving that saved fireworks from fourth of july and did it up at midnight-really nice, it was the big ones you would see at a show. One day I may actually get dressed up and go somewhere. Have been wanting to forever but have yet to do it. I remember one year with DH#1 at midnight we (us & the kids) were standing at the door with pots and metal spoons. Don't think the neighbors appreciated it but we thought it was fun. Anyway, for the most part I am in bed.

Do we not ever go to bed what time is it there anyways, so glad you are enjoying the pictures , my head is swelling . well at least it will match the rest of me I do appreciate all the kind words.one thing I do miss is the real tree up until a few years ago I would never have considered artificial but this house doesn't allow the space for a large tree so when I came across this one ,which is narrower in width and it looks nice as well I decided it was better than no tree which we didn't have for the first few years after we moved here. The room is very narrow only 10 feet wide instead of using the room allowed for the dining room which would have been 8 ft x 10 I decided to just use the whole room as a living room,so it gave me more space .I only need the one table anyways there would be no difference in the size of the other room. I used the china cabinet in the living room and my dining table is just taking up space downstairs.Any way to make a short story long as usual I did find room for the tree , I really like the idea of the pots and metal spoons I might try that this year but I I probably won't be heard over the S T U D E N T S I really should go to bed I have been here most of the day, and didn't do much else. I had better do laundry tomorrow or I'll be sitting here in only my fuzzy slippers ,not a pretty sight Ok then I will leave you with that visual ,guarenteed to give nightmares , I am going to bed now .night

Ellen and Marti - your photos are just gorgeous! Thank you for sharing them. I, too, like big photos so you can see the details. The page is actually STILL loading as I write this, but maybe it will be quicker next time, like Cristi's.

Cristi - at photobucket, you have to option of making photos smaller. But then you can't see details in pictures like these. Downsizing them is great for body shots of Jane, though, lol. Can't wait to see yours! (your christmas photos, not your body, lol) A digital camera comes in handy - you'd love one! I read where this woman takes a photo of the cars next to hers in parking lots 'cause she's got a new car and if anybody dings it, she wants a record of who it was, lol. Then she just erases them, lol. Same woman takes photos of her shoes and tapes them to the outside of the boxes she stores them in. I like paying for only the shots I want - 26 cents each at Walmart. Doubles of only the ones I want doubles of, too.

New Year's Eve? Well, Neal and I are going dancing. Nobody dresses up, although I wish they would! I'll be wearing black slacks and a sweater. I'll start out with strappy black sandles, but those will come off after about an hour, lol. Remember, I bought the soft pink sweater with "diamonds" on it? I haven't worn it at all yet - saving it for this night. This will be held at The Eagles (theclubnotthegroup). Terry and Gina are going, as are some good friends of ours, Debbie and Gary, who also are important in Gina's life. I went to school with Debbie. Her husband is a real sweetie who looks like Fred Flintstone, He would do anything he could for anybody. Debbie is a hoot - everytime we're together, there are lots of giggles. Gina will be flashing her hand around, no doubt. I'll get tipsy and Neal will only have a couple of beers since he's driving. The club is on the edge of town, on the very same road where we live, so traffic won't be a problem, though.

Okay, was headed over to start a #3 but noticed all the photos gone. What's up???

Ellen~you didn't have to delete your photos. I enjoyed looking at them and it was only slow for me the first time. Since then I haven't had a problem. You could have them them up missy and others could have looked it they wanted to. Anyway...they were gorgeous and you did an absolutely beautiful job decorating your house. Did you ever get the outside done? Curious to see what you do on the outside since the inside is so gorgeous.

Ellen,

Oh, I wish you hadn't deleted your photos! Are you going to post a link to them?

What's everyone else doing for New Year's?

Okay, slow in coming but here they are...

http://photos.yahoo.com/givingthanks04

I have to say tho they are not so great. Some were a little blurry and you can't really see some too good. Like in the kitchen above the cabinets, on the left is three wooden angels I got at a craft sale in the Capital in LR, AR a few years ago, then the dreamsicile tree in the middle and the wooden Santa & Sleigh with propeller. The snowman and Santa door hangers I made years ago when the kids were small, very small. Still in good condition tho. The snowman and woman on my hutch a friend made those for me years ago out of coffee cans and batting so cool. Can hardly see my santas on the mantel. It doesn't look too full, (the garland) but it really is. Had to show some of my ornaments up close. The pull toy a friend bought us from Austria, and the little angel boy on a cloud next to it is the angels I started collecting a few years ago, the Marys Angels-it's a different one every year except last year when they had an anniversary one also which is in the second picture, the two angels by a lamp post. The cross a friend made. It is actually a book mark but I thought it would look pretty on the tree. The crocheted angel above it a friend at my moms work made it when Jason was 2. The big angel on the right was presented to us at a memorial at the Mortuary for Nathan. They had a beautiful ceremony for everyone who passed away that year and went thru their mortuary. And had to show a pic of my favorite decoration, the Toy Store which is blurry also. The little girls head moves back and forth taking in all the toys in the window. The lightpost lights up, the toy soldier goes around as does the train in the window, and a rocking horse that rocks and the jack in the box goes up and down, so cute. Anyway...DD said the pictures don't look as good as it does in real life, she said they don't do it justice. She said that because she loves the tree in my bedroom especially the angels and the ballerina teddy bears-don't know if you can see them. Anyway, there they are ladies or most of it, the big stuff. I did a little more here and there. Nothing like Ellens gorgeous home but I love them.

By the way Ms Ellen, I bragged about your decorations to DH and DD and was going to show them to them and they were gone. I kept talking about them and DH said he wanted to see them. I compared them to these house tours where they have the houses fixed up so beautifully! Anyway, if I had the time, patience and money to start over with my stuff I would definitely do it up like yours, or at least hire someone to.