It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Well, outside the house anyway. Inside is another matter.

I spent a good portion of yesterday decorating my front yard.  I didn't get the Christmas lights up yet (that's a 2-person job), but I was able to get everything else done, courtesy of the 99 Cent Store, Dollar Tree and Big Lots (yeah, I'm a big spender). 

When I first moved in a little over a year ago, I was charmed by the pine tree in my front yard.  It looked like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, which I thought was a good omen, as I have collected Snoopy & Peanuts stuff for about 30 years (I have about 400 Snoopy Christmas ornaments alone. Plus a ton of other stuff).

This is what the tree looked like when I bought the house:

This is my tree now:

I had ornaments left over from a failed craft project (I have A LOT of failed craft projects. I think Goodwill has an aisle devoted entirely to my failures).  The large ornaments came from the 99 cent store and Big Lots.

I wish I'd been able to get ornaments on the top branches, but it was hard enough getting this much done (I'm only 5'2'').  I have a friend visiting this weekend, so I'm hoping that between the two of us and a ladder, we might be able to get a few ornaments on top. 

 

 

 

 

I love anything that sparkles, so this had to come home with me.  It reminds me of one of the old Shiny Brite Christmas ornaments from the 50's.  I'm always on the lookout for those at thrift stores and garage sales, but so far I've only found several boxes of the Christopher Radko Shiny Brite reproductions.  They look great, but there's nothing like the "patina" of a well loved Shiny Brite ornament.

 

How is your Christmas decorating coming along?

 

 

Thanks for your visit and for your comments.  I always look forward to reading them.

The Autumn Leaves

 

 

When I was a little girl, I couldn't understand why all my teachers said that leaves turn red and gold and yellow in the autumn.  I lived in Orange County, California, and that didn't seem to happen there.  I knew that my teachers couldn't be lying (nuns don't lie!!), but I just didn't see much of a change from summer to autumn, then to winter.  It just got a little colder.

 

Then I moved to Central California last year, and I got to see a REAL autumn for the first time.  Now, I've no doubt that this is nothing compared to the fall colors that one might see in New England or in the Midwest, but it is certainly a delight for me.  I just LOVE that autumn color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the rich red of this:

 



 

 

 

 

 

This tree is a favorite in my neighborhood:

 

 

 



 

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  I have much to be grateful for, in particular, this little girl:

 

 

Thank you for your visit and for your comments. I love reading them.

My New Best Friend

Meet Tallulah.

She's a nine month old Rottweiler-Labrador Retriever-Shepherd mix (and maybe a few other breeds thrown in) that I adopted just this past Saturday.  She already weighs about 90 pounds and is still growing (her paws are enormous!), but she is VERY sweet.  She's also a bit of a goofball, likes to watch puppy videos on Youtube, eats all sorts of strange things in the backyard (I don't even want to contemplate what some of them were), and is already spoiled rotten.

I wish I could get a better picture of her, but she never stops moving!!

By the way, the roommates have moved, so I have my house back. I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it is to have peace restored in my home.  I have spent the past eleven days cleaning, rearranging the furniture, working on painting & decorating projects that I put on hold, and generally enjoying my quiet, peaceful sanctuary.  And now I have a New Best Friend to enjoy it with.

 

 

Thanks so much for your visit and for your comments. I so enjoy reading them.