Sunday, December 14, 2008

Clear as mud..

Dawn has on her holiday finest and is ready for the fun to begin.




It seems as though in my attempt to be clever and somewhat witty I occasionally am vague and unclear. On that note maybe I should just come right out and say… My elderly parents are living with us. They have the guest room which is slowly becoming less guest like and more like their own.
To say my mother and I have different styles of decorating would be possibly the understatement of the century.. Over her lifetime, she has spent very little time, energy or money worrying about the finer details of home décor, (Quite possibly because she had bigger issues to consider.) On the other hand I have spent way too much time, energy and money on all the details and plan to spend more in the future… (at least as long as other bigger issues don’t get in the way.)
While they don’t care so much how their room looks,

it needs to be safe and possibly able to hold their clothes? I need to find a way to incorporate the very few things that they like without making the room look like it doesn’t belong to the rest of the house. Unfortunately the room is situated where it is in plain view and we can’t keep the door closed because of heating issues… Which is another HUGE issue as we heat with wood and it is fairly hard to control, not to mention if you are standing up moving around it is much warmer than sitting or would that be called a hot flash??… Maybe a platform that elevates chairs could be in my decorating future??
All I can say is, “it is much harder to accept the hospitality than offer it.” It makes one look at the options they might be facing in the fast approaching years. I hope I was nice enough to my boys that they find me a good home in a quiet neighborhood that serves delicious food a lovely garden and the décor is to my taste ??? Oh yeah and takes teenagers (Sam).
In all seriousness it has been a fairly easy transition over the past month and we will not spend a lot of time worrying about what might come next.

I invited 3 of my dad’s sisters to lunch one day this week. They have spent Wednesdays together for years laughing, carrying on and generally having a great time. It was fun to be part of the craziness, and no, I wasn’t the loudest.






The sisters pose here with a stand in for their sister Allene, she would have liked to have joined us but she lives out of state and is undoubtedly having her own crazy good time!

If you had wondered why I am usually laughing, carrying on and generally having a great time, I'm thinking it might be genetic...


My friend Jori

treated 7 friends to a royal treat Thursday evening.

They all made a wonderful crown that they wore home.
Crown making is serious business



Occasionally one must start over!


The final product is worth the effort



what lovely crowns and a perfect fit!
Jori said we might need an inservice on crown etiquette………how not to get tangled with another friend’s crown when out for coffee, how to handle crown envy, what crown goes with what outfit, what to do when a bauble pops off of the crown, how to drive a compact car with a large crown, how to reapply glitter, crown maintenance, how to wear your crown in the workplace and not cause a scene……..these are all very important things!



Do you remember the teaparty for Emily's 16th birthday where she and her friends made crowns?
If you are interested in a crown making event, email me and we can arrange a party!

I was beginning to think the 2 dozen totes that hold Christmas decorations were a permanent fixture scattered around the house. Thankfully since I was having get togethers this past week I was forced to finish and now I can say yippee let the celebrating begin!!












7 comments:

  1. Clearly you have been blessed with the correct name - Joy! 'Cos for certain you are bring much of that element to your family.
    ..I loved the photo's of your family get-togethers...yesp, it is hard sometimes when we are bestowed with so many generations under one roof... But the impact you are making on their lives is priceless. -and it looks like you like to take time out for you too - good girl!
    Your photo's of the Christmas decs look so beautiful. Can you come an be my official photographer do you think?!!
    Thank you for your very kind comments - and yes, if do feel we would have a lot in common. Do keep in touch!
    Molly x

    ReplyDelete
  2. We're having some heat issues here, too. My office is at the end of the house furthest (farthest?) away from the stove. Brrrr. Celia and Renee gave me a large vintage rug that covers the floor, but Cammie wants to use it to scratch her nails on...NO! So I keep the door shut and when I do have to go in there, freeze my tush off...I'm considering adding a screen door. Might work for your folks' room, too. It would let the heat in, and blur the decorating line...

    Jori's crown party looked like a lot of fun!

    Your house looks lovely, as usual.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Joy you crack me up. I will come visit you when the boys put you in a home. I will bring you chocolate and diet coke. You can be silly and I will laugh at you. Your house looks super cute. I haven't wanted to decorate too badly but did finially do some last night. See you soon. I can't wait to meet your mom and dad. Pam

    ReplyDelete
  4. O Joy ! You make me laugh and smile even when your not in the room! Your generosity will pay off when your boys need to decide for you someday..... they just will!
    Your house is decorated to pretty- I might need to call you about a crown making party for the girls and their friends! Thats so cute!
    It was great seeing you today, I need to freeze those cookies so they are out of site and mind!
    Stay warm and Happy Holidays!
    ~Stephanie~

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sooooooooooo beautiful. It looks like you & your friends are really fun people.
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am loving ALL of your decorating in your home!! What you do is create a "dream-like" atmosphere to your lovely home! Especially love the "glittery" nativity scene......
    Wishing you and yours warm winter wishes!
    Rochelle

    ReplyDelete
  7. Joyful decorating, JOY!!! I love all of your gorgeous holiday trims! Beautimous!!

    xo
    Becky

    ReplyDelete