The Rustic Farmhouse Kitchen Christmas Tree...

There once was a little thrift-store Christmas tree that got drug into an old farmhouse kitchen...

Stuffed in an antique water bucket it sat quite barren and green...

As the kitchen lady pondered its eventual outcome, there was an unforseen accident involving her big red Kenworth semi truck and a blind reefer trailer at a parking lot in Wyoming ~ 

Seriously?...

(Yes, it made her SCREAM!)

Thankful was she that the 'Man-Child' was in the truckstop having dinner. 

Apparently, the reefer driver can't park a  stupid reefer...  

~Gahhhhhhhhhhh~

.

=(

She was at the telephone and computer at first break of light wearing out the phone lines of the reefer company for some crashed Kenworth insight...

Poor little kitchen tree just stood there all sturdy and strong. 

It even got bumped off the counter as the kitchen lady was flailing her arms~~~

To facebook she inquired, to her friends far and near. 

What do I do to make this little tree have some Christmas cheer?

The reply's came in quickly from Utah, Wisconsin & Pennsylvania ~ 

Add some lights, some dried fruit and some thrift store silverware ~ 

Oh, Hallelujah~!

The kitchen lady had a light string, some dried fruit and an old silverware set from the old house. She threw them open and exclaimed, it's high time to deck this tree out~!

The little silver knives were a bonus, she found them buried in the back yard. 

And, a little silver crab fork set matched, from a vintage box in a drawer.

The ideas poured in to the kitchen lady's crazy mind, in between visits to collision shops, insurance agents, adjusters and truck yards.

She got dried oranges and apples tied on with vintage string...

She added cinnamon stick and bay leaves with a needle and thread for some bling~!

Oh, the little tree was patient with the kitchen lady's crazy schedule, it sat in the old bucket, unevenly for the first few hours on the kitchen table and thank heavens the big red Kenworth got all patched up and got rolling to Nebraska...

The kitchen lady is tired, she's exhausted with the holiday season, but the little farmhouse kitchen Christmas tree is a happy little counter decoration!

~What a long week~

About Love...

Dear Human,

You've got it all wrong... 

You didn't come here to master unconditional love. 

That is where you came from and where you'll return.

You came here to learn personal love. 

Universal love.

Messy love.

Sweaty love.

Cazy love.

Broken love.

Whole love ~ Infused with divinity...

Lived through the grace of stumbling. 

Demonstrated through the beauty of...

~~Messing up~~

Often...

You didn't come here to be perfect.

You already are...

You came here to be gorgeously human.

Flawed and fabulous...

And then to rise again into remembering...

But, unconditional love?

Stop telling that story...

Love, in truth, doesn't need ANY other adjectives. 

It doesn't require modifiers. 

It doesn't require the condition of perfection. 

It only asks that you show up and do your best. That you stay present and feel fully. That you shine and fly and laugh and cry and hurt and heal and fall and get back up and play and work and live and die as YOU...

It's enough...

It's Plenty~!

~Courtney A. Walsh

I was playing around in my entryway today. I finally got all of the Christmas stuff put away in there. I've been kind of distracted with work & the flu the last few weeks. So I was WAY BEHIND...

Anyway... 

I'm not a big fan of Valentines Day and well, that's the next holiday - it's not the Holiday that I shun, it's those beautiful, girly, gag-me, pastel colors ~ 

(=

Sorry ~ I'm just not very, "pink"...

But, I gave it a try, just to have something new to look at...

It would make more sense if I had any long, cream colored taper candles for those candelabras --- 

(Just use your imagination)

The change is nice, without being too "Pink!"

Holiday Plans Afoot~

It seems like only yesterday that ours was a nation of rural villages, each boasting little more than a grocery store, church, school, barbershop--- all strung out along Main Street. Nestled as they were in farm country, supported by and supporting a gaggle of everyday folks --- most of whom knew each other --- such little towns became in a broad sense a family concern. They were tightly knit, particularly so in life-threatening emergencies and at Christmas, at which time differences were put aside.

Each year by the first of December the buzzing local conversation left off talking about cows, farrowing and the price of grain and folks began to speculate on whether Arch McCord's widow needed extra wood, meat, or milk over the holidays. Fatherless children were counted and a local farm machinery dealer, or cattle buyer (who would skin you in a cattle deal) would up and take responsibility for seeing that these children "had Christmas."

The women naturally would take care of such things as Christmas baskets --- you could count on the women of the churches and the school for such things. They would bake endless fruitcakes, pies and cookies to go along with homemade preserves and jellies that had been put away during the summer with just such purpose in mind.

Everyone believed that mid-January was soon enough to get back to the never-ending cycle of the seasons, the plowing and planting, caring for newborn lambs and upgrading the machinery for the new year. For now, planning the holiday season would be enough...

This little story was taken from: 

Jane Watson Hopping 

~ The Pioneer Lady's Country Christmas~

Christmas Blessing

God bless our little home today and all our family

the ones that gather round the hearth and those across the sea.

And some of us have gone away and drifted far apart,

but Christmas ties the cords of friendship

close around the heart.

May all our fancied grievances be banished from the mind

and may we greet each other

with a wish that's good and kind.

May nothing false creep in to spoil the perfect harmony,

and may we speak sweet words of love

and peace and harmony.

~Patience Strong~

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Grey Dey Thursdey

Budget Christmas Decor Ideas...

I detest the $ cost to change decor for holidays. So, years ago, I switched over to the 're-purposing' side of life...
Since then, my Holiday decor has NEVER been the same. I scout yardsales and thrift stores. I watch Craigs List and some of our local used and repurposing websites. And, I hunt & gather for a couple months before the holly days...

So, here are 'Some Budget Christmas Decor Ideas'...

   ~ Think outside the box.~

I wanted a lot of pine garland this year, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money on it. It can be ~So Expensive~ So, I bought a few of the obnoxious fake Christmas trees with all of the individual boughs for $10 at our local thrift store. They would be easy to wire together, but I just tucked them in here and there where I wanted some greenery... Cheap decor idea~!

(Hardest part is going to be dragging them out to a shed for storage - the boxes are big!)

~ Nothing has to be new... Use your imagination~

I'm not a big fan of traditional, or tree skirts, or fancy, or expensive...

One of the used, fake trees had a beautiful top piece that's about 5' tall. A brilliant idea came to me this morning. I have a vintage, crusty, pennzoil can over by the chicken coop and it would be a great base for the Christmas tree. So, before the snow started setting in, I ran over and got it. And, I grabbed a few more rusty crusty things to tie it all together.

Such as; an old galvanized bucket for the mantel...

An old wooden crate...

An old cast iron milk can and an old, rusty, vintage coffee can. 

I used another top of one of the fake trees and used a small cast iron milk can as a base...

It all made a really unique and rustic window display in the living room.

I used more of the pine boughs from the used Christmas trees to make it 'Very Merry'..

~ Think Economical and try to use what you already have ~

I am a lace hoarder (duh~ like the name of my blog didn't give you a hint?)...

I have a lot of lace. So, I thought I would keep my tree simple and rustic this year, so I dug out some lace yardage for some tree bows... Of course I got the lace at the thrift store for a $0.25 at sometime in my past...

I ran across these really cute and quite western looking ornaments at the dollar store a couple weeks ago. They worked out perfect on the crusty rusty tree. Boy, do they sparkle (and boy is the glitter messy)

Some other great hints...

The dollar stores are a great place to get seasonal flowers. They may look plain in the store, but if you dress them up with natural greenery, or other things, they can look quite classy. 

I usually buy about $20 worth of dollar store flowers per season. 

You can also find a lot of silk flowers on old wreathes at yard sales and thrift stores. Don't be afraid to cannibalize the flowers off of something, to use for something else. If you only pay $1 or so for a used floral, tear that momma apart and don't ever feel guilty!

(I put my flowers in 5 gallon buckets in the shed for easy storage. If you watch the side of the highway, you can find a few buckets too - Sheet rock contractors just can't seem to keep those buckets in their pickups...)

If you purchase lace, ribbons and other notions at yardsales for pennies during the summer, you can just go through your stash when you need something. You will always have a little hoard to draw from. 

Reuse your decor...

I put mine in plastic keepers and keep them separated by holiday. Sometimes I use it all, sometimes, I don't~!

~ Don't be afraid to be different ~

Why try to fit in when you were born to stand out~!

I'll be cloned for Christmas...

As your scrolling through, imagine this song playing in your head to get you in the 

"Christmas Spirit"

~I'll Be Cloned for Christmas~

(To the melody I'll be home for Christmas...)

(=

I'll be Cloned for Christmas...

(Ha, Ha ~ everybody would hide if there were more than 1 of me...)

There will be 3 of me...

(I would have so much fun with 2 more Me's~!.)

One to work and one to shop 

And one just for some quiet thought...

Christmas Eve I'm certain...

I won't be alone~~~

I'll be home for Christmas~~~

Or else I'll send a Clone~!!!

(=

***I have no idea where this song came from ~ whomever came up with it... ***

~THANK YOU~

*****

Well, the Christmas decorating has started and there will be more to come. I picked up a couple of old Christmas trees at the thrift store just for the pine boughs. 

($10 for about 40 lbs. worth or fake pine boughs - it's a no brainer!) 

I'll be wiring them all together tomorrow and doing a redo on some cheap garland I got there too. So, stay tuned for the Merry, Merry that's soon to come in the next few days~!

DIY Fence Post Pumpkin...

It's just a slice of an old fence post (9" tall x 8" wide). A 4" piece of a tree limb. A few wooden leaves, some spanish moss and a piece of wire...

Now, wouldn't these be adorable in various sizes ~ some really big? Not that I have time right now, but it would be cute for outdoor decor for next year...

Just use a slice of round wood, paint it with some watered down, orange acrylic paint ~ perhaps some scallops along the top and bottom with a horse shoe rasp, or dremmel, or something to add some interest? Sand it here and there to distress it... Paint your leaves - sand them to distress them if you like. Now, glue your stem onto your pumpkin. Wire you leaves onto your stem. Glue on a bit of bling, or detail such as the spanish moss and you're done ~~

How Simple & cute~! 

Quick, free and easy ~ are there any better words?

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Home Sweet Home # 145