Tuesday, December 30, 2014

My favorite project of the year….the guest bedroom!


Today I am sharing my favorite project for the year which was the guest bedroom.
At the moment there are no big projects planned for the house in 2015. Most of the projects we have been dreaming up will take place on the outside!
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We have lived in our home for eleven years and the “other” guest bedroom has always been used for storage. Until recently that is when I acquired my mom’s old bed. This sparked a complete transformation of the incredibly small bedroom.

guest bedroom 2 001

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Peaceful Sunday…….

 

 

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The thing about falling in love,
is that if you do it right,
you never have to hit the ground.

~Kendall Lepitzki

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Thursday, December 25, 2014

Merry Christmas!!!!

 

 

Christmas holly, vintage printable from @Karen Jacot Jacot Jacot - The Graphics Fairy

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Wishing all our friends of the cottage a very Merry Christmas!

May God bless your home with peace, joy and love!

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Wednesday, December 24, 2014

The Night Before Christmas………

 

Beautiful...

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The Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

~Clement Clarke Moore

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Monday, December 22, 2014

Silent Night……

 

silent night

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Silent Night

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born
Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love's pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

 

History of the song:

The song was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 at St Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, a village on the Salzach river. The young priest, Father Joseph Mohr, had come to Oberndorf the year before. He had already written the lyrics of the song "Stille Nacht" in 1816 at Mariapfarr, the hometown of his father in the Salzburg Lungau region, where Joseph had worked as a coadjutor.

The melody was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, schoolmaster and organist in the nearby village of Arnsdorf. Before Christmas Eve, Mohr brought the words to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the church service.[1] Both performed the carol during the mass on the night of December 24.

The original manuscript has been lost. However a manuscript was discovered in 1995 in Mohr's handwriting and dated by researchers at ca. 1820. It shows that Mohr wrote the words in 1816 when he was assigned to a pilgrim church in Mariapfarr, Austria, and shows that the music was composed by Gruber in 1818. This is the earliest manuscript that exists and the only one in Mohr's handwriting.

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Sunday, December 21, 2014

Peaceful Sunday……

 

Christmas Village <3

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Be The Feast
The only way to navigate Love
Is to be lost within it
It is neither a beast to be conquered
Nor a thought to be cornered
You are a guest in its presence
A voyeur in the dark
So feast not
Rather be the feast
Worthy of legends
For there is no sweeter ecstasy
Than the nectar
That is the yearning of your heart

~Keoki Trask

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Friday, December 19, 2014

TGIF!!!!!


With Christmas fast approaching I
thought I would share some gift wrapping inspiration.

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Are you a gift bag kind of girl or do you wrap each one of your gifts?
I tend to do half and half……

Thursday, December 18, 2014

The Birth Of Jesus


The Birth of Jesus
Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2
One day about 2,000 years ago an angel named Gabriel appeared to a young Jewish woman named Mary. Gabriel told Mary she would have a son, Jesus, who would be the Son of God! Mary was confused and worried about this sudden news, but she had faith in God and said, "I am the Lord's servant; let it be as you say."

Journey to Bethlehem

Mary and her husband-to-be, Joseph, lived in a town called Nazareth. But they had to travel to the city of Bethlehem to register for a census ordered by the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus. Both Nazareth and Bethlehem are in the country now called Israel. It is about 65 miles (105 km) from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and the trip probably took them several days.
When Joseph and Mary got to Bethlehem, there was no place for them to stay because the inn was already full. They ended up spending the night in a stable, a place where animals were kept. There was probably fresh hay on the floor that they used for beds.
That night, Jesus was born. There was no crib, so they laid baby Jesus in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. The manger probably had fresh hay in it and made a nice bed for the baby.

Shepherds Visit Jesus

Shepherds Visit Jesus

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

The fur babies with Santa Claus 2014…..

 

 

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The fur babies

went to see Santa Claus a couple of weeks ago.

It was so much fun to see all the

dogs, a cat, and a rabbit get their pictures taken with Santa!

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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Pet safety at Christmas time…..

 

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Here are eight pet safety tips to keep everyone safe on Christmas Day:

  • Leaving out Christmas cookies for Santa is something St. Nick’s waistline sure doesn’t need, and your pets certainly don’t either. Chocolate, of course, is dangerous to pets. Even sugar-free cookies can be a problem for pets if they’re made with an artificial sweetener called Xylitol, which is considered toxic.
  • Gifts out that are wrapped with ribbon, or that tinsel hanging from a tree can be too darn temping – particularly for puppies and kittens. The result might mean your veterinarian will be conducting emergency surgery to remove tinsel or ribbon swallowed by your pet on Christmas Day.
  • Birds have such sensitive respiratory systems that aromatic candles can be lethal. It’s always a good idea to keep pet parrots away from the kitchen when you’re cooking; the bouquet of burnt food, particularly when prepared on nonstick surfaces, such as Teflon, can be very dangerous.
  • When pets swallow pieces of poultry bones, veterinarians are often needed for emergency life-saving surgery. When pets eat skin off ham, turkey or chicken – or if they simply eat too much – pancreatitis becomes a possibility, with a possible trip on Christmas Day to the emergency veterinary clinic.
  • With all that company coming and going, some pets might sneak outside either because there are scared or yearn to explore. No matter what the reason – you don’t want to spend Christmas Day searching for wandering pets. If your pet is a known escape artist, it’s a good idea to seclude your furry friend in a basement or office.
  • With all that company visiting, and the doorbell constantly ringing, some pets do get totally stressed out. A pheromone diffuser (Feliwayfor cats, Adaptil for dogs) can cut the tension, as can soothing classical music. For many cats, catnip sends them to another planet – at least they think so.
  • Play is a great stress-buster. For cats, even a 10-minute session of interactive play before the guests arrive is a good idea. A brisk walk or tossing the tennis ball might release canine energy before the throng arrives. Catnip can be a feline stress buster.
  • For their own safety small pets (rabbits, Guinea pigs, gerbils, ferrets, etc.) should be off limits to children, unless there’s adult supervision. In fact, anytime kids under 12 or 13 are interacting with pets, an adult should be observing.

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Sunday, December 14, 2014

Peaceful Sunday…..

 

winter snowy scenes outdoors | , chapel, town, winter scene, outdoor, decorations, holiday, snow ...

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When I look into your eyes,
it's like falling in love all over again.

~Amanda Arco

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Friday, December 12, 2014

TGIF!!!


We made it to Friday!!!!!
A little holiday cheer to start the weekend off right!

gorgeous

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Christmas wreaths…..


This year for our outside Christmas décor we
decided to put wreaths on all the windows on the front of the house.
 
Christmas 2014 005

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Snippets of Christmas…….


I thought I would share a snippet of Christmas around the cottage today…….

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The sunlight looked so pretty streaming in on the paper whites….

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Peaceful Sunday……

 

Country Church

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The bond of two peoples love cannot be broken,
Bend it, twist it, do what you will with it;
If it is true love then the sun will rise another day.

~Cody Heller

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Friday, December 5, 2014

TGIF!!!!


Whew….what a week!
Are you as ready for the weekend as I am?
Will you be doing your Christmas shopping or are you
super organized and have it already done?

Rescued French Bulldog puppies sit by a cozy hearth on the Pier 1 Frenchy Tufted Ottoman

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

The 2014 ornament……..


Every year we buy a new ornament for our Christmas tree.
This year’s ornament is a
pretty snowflake hung by a beautiful velvet ribbon.

2014 ornament 012

Monday, December 1, 2014

December 1st…….


It’s official……only twenty four more days until Christmas!!!!
 
Deer in snow