My very last post….

Yes, can you believe it??  The very last post for 2009!! Wow – did this year go by fast!! And boy, December flew by for me! All those weeks of preparation and days of cooking  and then Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were over in the blink of an eye.  It was especially meaningful this year to have our little sweetie pea Lili at our celebrations. Of course she didn’t understand much more than the fun of being with so many people and the crinkly wrapping paper that she wanted to put in her mouth, and another new toy to chew on, but it sure made it more fun for the rest of us!

We really missed not having Mr. Red Door’s parents here for our Swedish Christmas Eve but his dad was too ill to make the long drive and he can’t fly. And my mom was under the weather on Christmas Day so we missed her as well. We still we managed to have two wonderful celebrations with too much food but just the right amount of love and joy.

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Despite a lingering cold and cough, I spent the weekend un-decorating the inside and by Sunday afternoon, I had everything packed away,  save for a few winter decorations, and I am enjoying the cleaner less cluttered look. As I have been saying for a few years now, sometimes Less is More! Here are my simple winter decorations along with a few new treasures from some very dear and special friends ~

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While cleaning after Christmas I found an old kit and managed to find a few moments to make myself a new lamp. I already had the old jug and the lampshade so the total cost $0.00 – the best kind of project!

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One day this week my friend Jill came down from Maine for what is becoming our monthly outing. As usual, she spoiled me with some hostess gifts including this wonderfully prim candle holder – isn’t that kewl? I love how it clips on the pages of the book!

Jill is still buying prims for the time when she has a larger home in SC  (whenever her home in Maine sells) so I took her to a few places she hadn’t been too yet and one place that was new to both of us. With the winter sun shining, we headed west of My Red Door and our first stop was in Spencer at Spencer Furniture. This large store has a section dedicated entirely to primitive decor.  We both wanted this primitive chair and since we couldn't decide who should bring it home, we decided neither of us could have it. <wink wink>.

I fell in love with this island – the other side looks the same and the drawers pull open from side to side. Of course I’d have to reconfigure some walls and rooms to bring it home and I didn’t think Mr. Red Door would go for that. So I left it there. For now.

Jill found 2 wonderful iron candle holders, and 2 prints of great primitive portraits. I found some Olde Century paint for the dining chairs – a winter thyme project - and a small quilt to hang on the railing that I would dearly love to replace with a half wall. When you come inside the literally behind My Red Door, on the right up the stairs is a railing that is half of the living room wall. It makes furniture placement more difficult because you can see the back and underside of those pieces from the foyer and when coming down the hall from the bedrooms and kitchen. I have found that quilt hanging does a lot to limit that view. This one is perfect with it’s black, mustard and dark red prints and plaids.

Our next stop for was lunch at the Historic Salem Cross Inn.  From their website ~ “The Salem Cross Inn is named for the witch-mark found on the front door-latch of the Inn. In the town of Salem and throughout the Bay Colony this mark was used to protect their inhabitants against "ye evills of witchcraft and diverse other manifestations of devilltry."

Since the Inn has been restored by the Salem family, led by Richard Salem, the pun on the name decided the title of the Inn.  Furnished throughout with American antiques, the Inn displays the nation's only known operating Roasting Jack, a c. 1700 device the innkeepers use to cook beef, game and fowl at the huge hearths.

The original King's Grant of the Salem Cross Inn was made to a grandson of Peregrine White, the Pilgrim child born on the Mayflower as it lay in Plymouth Harbor.  For eight generations members of the White family lived here, through Queen Anne's War, the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War and numerous Indian raids.  John White was killed by the Indians in Brookfield in 1710, prior to the building of the main house.  The original ell with its "borning room" and walls lined with crude hand-made bricks to deflect Indian arrows awaits restoration.

The area, historic in Indian Wars, was crossed by the Bay Path, the Hadley Path and the old Boston Post Road, and it was a favorite camping grounds for the Wampanoags, whose chieftain, Philip of Pokanoket, is remembered for King Philip's War.  Relics are still to be found in freshly turned fields.  The choice of the house site itself was dictated by the ever present fear of Indian attacks, for in the cellar, not too far from the giant central chimney square, flows a steady stream of pure, cold spring-water.  Legend has it that when the house was preparing for possible attack by Indians, pots of water were placed in every room against the use of fire arrows, and the smaller children were told to hide in the cellar in a recess within the chimney base.”

 

We both enjoyed a hearty portion of the Butternut Risotto and even had enough to take home for another meal~ “Maple roasted butternut squash and caramelized Spanish onions simmered with orzo pasta “risotto style” and finished with sweet cream, parmesan and pecan butter.” Can you say Yummo???! The restaurant hosts events such as a traditional Drover’s Roast and Fireside Feasts. It is a quaint and delightful place to share a meal. The antiques made us drool!

We then continued a short distance west to the center of the small town of Ware to a small shop on Main Street called Wendy’s Country Attic (no website). It is a cute little store in the midst of the quaint downtown area. We found the offerings to much more country than the prim/colonial items we traditionally look for. She was having a great sale on Christmas decor if you are in the area.

And then we headed back east to Angel House Design - 24 Fiskdale Road - Route 148 Brookfield, Massachusetts 01506. From their website ~

“ANGEL HOUSE DESIGNS is a firm known for its fine design work and quality reproductions executed with meticulous craftsmanship. Designs are developed by architect Valentin J. Dzelzitis. The sofas and chairs are based on authentic antiques and were originally designed for the restoration of our 1731 home, the John Watson House, which now is the shop for Angel House products. We invite you to visit our authentically restored saltbox in scenic Brookfield. “ It was fun poking around and seeing the old house and some of the wonderful old antiques. My red chair happens to be an Angel House design.

And then it was time to head back Behind My Red Door and before Jill left for home,  we enjoyed some of my delicious home made beef barley vegetable soup. It has become my tradition to make a huge pot of it with leftovers from our Christmas Day prime rib. I enjoy that I cook once and we get several meals after the hard work of the Holidays. And it always seems just in time for the cold and snow weather we are now getting.

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And so that brings us here ~ to the end of another year. Tonight we say goodbye to 2009 and hello to a 2010. Mr. Red Door and I are not venturing out in the snow and ice and instead will enjoy a quiet dinner in our warm home.

2009 brought many changes in my family ~ and I like to thin that the good outweighs the bad Behind My Red Door. Like most of the world, our finances took a hit in 2009 and we were forced to revaluate some of our plans and goals. But as I have said before, thankfully for my DH and his diligent savings and hard work, the impact is nothing like it could have been. He enables me to remain the Keeper of the Home ~ a real blessing.  On a lighter note, our daughter Jen got her first shiny brand new car.  Mr. Red Door enjoyed a few months of temporary retirement and join a golf course and played every single day – sometimes 36 holes or more.  I had a dream fulfilled when I got to see our home in print in both Country Sampler and Mercantile Gatherings magazines. But it is the gift that Angela and Jay gave to our family that outshines anything else that happened this year. And of course I am talking about Lili’s birth. Being a Grammy to this sweet darling happy healthy baby is more than I could ever imagine! She has brought Grampy and I immeasurable joy and love. We are so blessed to be a part of her life.

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Now as we say goodbye to 2009, I want to send out a special thanks to all 537 of my followers and anyone else that has ever taken the time to read or comment or email me since I started blogging in April 2008. I am so honored and humbled that you take the time to come and visit with me. I wish there was a way I could thank each of you in person. When I started this journey, I could never have imagined how many new friends I would make and how many kindred spirits I would meet in blogland. You are indeed one of the best parts of the past year for me. In that spirit, I leave you with this, a New Year blessing especially for you my friends ~

May the road you walk be a smooth one,
May your troubles be few — if any,
May the days and years that lie ahead
Be healthy, happy, and many,
May you have friends in abundance,
May the sun shine bright around you.

May serenity touch you gently every morning.
May peace be your companion through each day.
And in every restful hour, may dreams renew your soul.
May your world be a wonderful place to live,
And may God's love always surround you.

 

Thank you as always for stopping by and making Behind My Red Door part of your day!

Until next time – hugs, Grammy Linda

PS - I’ll be back next year with some of my Favorite Things and I think you’ll be pretty surprised ~ at  least at a few of them!

Finally on the mend…

…from the worst cold I have had in years ~THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS!  It started as a dry throat Sunday night and got a little worse each day but even Wednesday I still I thought "’Ok, this cold is peaking and it will be all good from here on out”. In the last 5 years, I have not had a real cold, a bad cough, or the flu. A stuffy nose and a dry throat but never a full blown cold. I attributed that to no longer being around kiddos at work and no kiddos to bring germs home and I have a faithful routine of Vitamins and supplements. So  Wednesday my glass was still half full. Then I woke up Thursday and my glass was totally drained. I will spare you the rest of the details and just say I was pretty sick. And frustrated! I had to cancel several appointments that were made months earlier and I couldn’t watch Lili and NONE of my Christmas preparations were getting done. Sure, Mr. Red Door helped me with the little day to day things but it was hard to read about all the baking and preparations YOU all were getting done. Reading blogs was about all I could do when I wasn’t camped out on my daybed.

BUT as is often the case with life, something happens to put things into perspective. Friday morning our bloggy friend Sandy over at For A Love of Prims posted about a tragic fire in her town. Several families lost their homes and everything they owned and/or their livelihood  ~ just days before Christmas. Suddenly, not being able to buy just one more present or bake that certain cookie, didn’t seem so important. Reading about how her community was banding together to help these families was just the attitude adjustment I needed. Today she has a post which shows the devastation but also how much has been done in just a few days. It is heartwarming and uplifting!

So no that I have rejoined the human race, like most of the east coast, we are in the middle of a horrible blizzard right and we are stuck in for the day. Mr. Red Door is on vacation this week and as is our tradition and he helps me with the last minute preparations. Sometimes, he even cooks a meal. This morning, he made us scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. I can’t remember the last time I had that and it hit the spot! And fortunately the presents were already bought and wrapped and so at this point, I can focus my energy on the two feasts I need to prepare ~ a Swedish Buffet on Christmas Eve for Mr. Red Door’s side of the family and two Prime Rib Roasts and all the trimmings on Christmas Day for my side of the family.  Mr. Red Door is not used to seeing me sidelined like this and he knew I was worried so he went grocery shopping before the storm started so I could start cooking and baking when I felt up to it. Yesterday afternoon I was itching to start and the first thing I wanted to try was this ~

Cinnamon Toast White Chocolate Pretzels

After hearing my friend Kathy rave about these, I decided this sounded like an easy enough recipe to whip up and I was right! The recipe makes 2 good size cookie sheets of them. I wish I had doubled it because they are addicting (just as Kathy said they would be!!)

For the recipe and instructions, click HERE!

And because he is such a good guy, before he heads outside later to fire up the snow blower, Mr. Red Door is fixing to help me roll out 5 pounds of Swedish meatballs. Because they are so small, that’s a lot of little meatballs! 

Tomorrow Mr. Red Door and I will make our annual trip the Gift Chalet for our Swedish Cheeses and Sausages and we’ll also make a stop at Helen’s Bakery for Swedish Christmas bread, the Coffee Cake  for Christmas morning and some other traditional goodies. That trip always makes it feel like Christmas to us.

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Have you been over to A Primitive Place website recently to see all the wonderful Holiday Home tours?? Well, if you have then you are in good company because Country Sampler also has!!! And they choose 3 of the homes they saw to be featured in their 2010 Christmas issue! Kristine and Sarah worked very hard to put together 6 pages of gorgeous homes all decked out for Christmas!! Like several other homes that have been featured on A Primitive Place in the Member Gallery or as a featured Home of the Month in the past, this time 3 of those homes caught the interest of Country Sampler magazine. The one I can share by name right now is our talented and very sweet blogging friend Kath, over at The Old Weeping Cedar. Esther Schmidt had seen Kath’s home and the other 2 homes on the Holiday Home Tours on APP and since Esther and I still keep in touch and chat, I was able to help her get in contact with Kath and the others. I couldn’t be more thrilled for them!! Kath has blogged about it here. Do hop on over to read about it and while you are there, please wish her a very happy birthday  - it’s today!! Happy Birthday Kath! This couldn’t happen to a nicer or more deserving person!

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When going through some folders of pictures on my hard drive, I found several of Christmas Decor that I had not put into my album so they never got posted here.  I hope you enjoy them.

This Father Christmas figurine was one of my first. I got him at a juried craft show 19 years ago. Naw, my memory is not THAT good ~ I can tell because he is signed and dated!  When you first come in Behind My Red Door and start up the stairs, he greets you. I often forget to take his picture because he stands guard on the floor.

  

 

Hint hint - This ornament was made by one of those 3 homeowners I mentioned above!

Another hint - This red shelf was purchased at the shop owned by another of those 3 homeowners!

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Wow – it seems like just yesterday I was rushing to take fall down and get Christmas up in time for my Gathering! And in just a few days, it will be time to gather up the dried up greens and all  my Santa's and reindeer and angels and feather trees and stockings and ornaments and pack them away for another 11 months. I’ll leave a few special snowmen out, and add just a few more, but after months of bittersweet and greens and seasonal accents everywhere, I am looking forward to a cleaner, leaner look! I am at the point in my life when I enjoy my every day decor. I have been collecting those treasures for so many years and refining my look and I enjoy seeing them and appreciating them. I am drawn to them because they evoke the feel of days gone by when possessions were harder to come by and when they were appreciated for what they were. After putting all the extra’s away, I like seeing my treasures in a simpler, less cluttered setting where they stand on their own.

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With all the snow on the ground, it is hard for our feathered friends to find food. My friends Linda over at Simply Country Seasons and Robin over at The Robin’s Nest, both had great ideas for feeding them. Stop on over and check them out!!

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Yesterday was technically the end of the Gratitude Challenge but I wanted to add this today. As sick as I felt, I am very grateful it was not the H1N1 flu. The Christmas Season is such a special time, full of anticipation and I so enjoy making it special for my family. I am grateful I am recovering in time to do just that. We are so excited to share this Christmas with our extended families ~  from the oldest to the youngest.

 

To all my friends and peeps and fellow bloggers, stay safe and warm and I’ll be back sometime after Christmas.

Christmas is the gift of Peace.
Christmas is the gift of Hope.
Christmas is the gift of Love.

May Christmas blessings brightly shine
on those you love and you,
And may the special love of Christ
be with you all year through.
Wishing You a Joy-Filled Christmas!

Thank you as always for stopping by and making Behind My Red Door part of your day!

Until next time – hugs, Grammy Linda

A Very Special Birthday and more Christmas Decor

December is not only Christmas time Behind My Red Door, it is also the month when we celebrate the birthdays of 2 very important men in my life. My dad and Mr. Red Door. And both on the same day – they were born 31 years apart.  Yesterday, my entire family gathered Behind My Red Door to celebrate my dad’s 88th birthday. What a milestone! And it is not often that my brother and his family can make the trip here at the same time as everyone else so it was a real treat to have us all together. This year, I had invited my folks for a quiet dinner with just Mr.Red Door and I so they were very surprised and quite delighted to walk into our family room and see all of their living children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Our family is not very big, so there were 19 of us gathered here. My folks, their 3 living children and spouses, their 5 living grandchildren and 2 of their spouses, and 4 great grandchildren – guess who is the youngest?

My dad was not quite sure what to make of the crowd that greeted him!

We each got creative and gave my dad 88 of something – 88 Hershey Kisses, 88 memories from childhood, $88 gift card to Trader Joes and so on. Here he is opening a jar with 88 quarters.

After opening gifts, we moved upstairs and had cake and ice cream and spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying each other.

Before everyone left, Jay was able to use his tripod and the timer on his camera and get some wonderful photos of the entire family.  It was a wonderful day spent making memories to last a lifetime! 

After everyone left and Mr. Red Door crashed on his couch in his office, I was so pleased to see that the Polar Express was on TV last night. I read the book to the kiddos at school every year, and I have seen the movie at least once a year since it came out and yet I still get the goose bumps when Hero Boy rings the bell and finally hears it jingle. Do you believe? I sure do!!

This year I have not had the time to get the lighting right and take several pictures of the same scene and decide which to keep and which to delete so I am not thrilled with the quality of all of my Christmas decor pictures. That said, here are the last of them for 2009.

These next 3 are for my friend Donna from Never so Simple…

And this last one is for the friend who wanted to see the tree in daylight without the lights turned on. She is trying to decide if she wants a German Twig tree. I just love the size of this one. It doesn’t take up too much room and I really love that I can adjust the branches and bend them wherever I need them to be!

Truth be told if I had my way, every year I would make the trip to a tree farm to find a Frazier fir in this shape and size. I am not sure they even exist and it is getting harder and harder to even find a Frazier Fir in my neck of the woods! The three tree farms we frequented before I bought this tree in 2007 didn’t replant them. I saw a wonderful one over at Quaint and Plain , one of the most peaceful and delightful blogs I have seen. Quick, hop on over and click on the picture to enlarge it.  It’s the most simple prim tree ever and I love it!

This afternoon, while Mr. Red Door watched the Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers (finally – a win!) I put the finishing touches on my December Musings for A Primitive Place.  Click on the picture below to read them. I had fun reminiscing about some of my childhood traditions and some of the new ones we made with our children.

 

 

I want to take this opportunity to wish all my Jewish friends a very Happy Hanukkah! I hope the week is wonderful!

 

When I was preparing for my dad’s birthday celebration, and buying the birthday napkins, the snacks, ordering a cake and buying my dad’s gift and everything else for the party,  it was not lost on me that Mr. Red Door has made it all possible. In fact his hard work combined with diligent saving and money management for the last 39 years has made it possible for me to plan all the special gatherings of friends and family as well as have a sense of security very rare these days.  For that and him, I am extremely grateful. He’s the best husband, dad and Grampy a girl could ask for. And because yesterday was about my dad, today I made Mr. Red Door a roast beef dinner. After all, he deserves a special meal for his birthday too!

Thank you as always for stopping by and making Behind My Red Door part of your day!

Until next time – hugs, Grammy Linda

More Christmas Behind My Red Door

Good morning and Happy December! I hope it is a wonderful day wherever you are.  While we may not always have a white Christmas, we do have a white Sunday this weekend. 3-4” of snow fell from late afternoon through the overnight and it is a virtual winter wonderland outside. Mr. Red Door had just finished up a round of golf(his last for 2009??) when the rain started. By 3 PM snow was lightly falling. It’s the best kind~ it’s wet enough to stick to everything but melt quickly on the streets! It was the perfect excuse to stay in and wrap Christmas gifts. Mr. Red Door wraps a mean present and that leaves me more time for the raffia bows and homemade tags. Bet you can’t guess who has the biggest pile under the tree??

It is always so pretty right after a snow storm. Snow this early rarely stays on the ground long enough for that White Christmas we so love but we will enjoy it while we have it! Today as I was leaning out the window snapping pictures, the sun got brighter and the sky turned more blue right before my eyes. I love how dark the brook looks. This is similar to how the back yard looked the first time we saw this house in December of 1985. We had twice as many trees behind the house back then so it was even prettier. We loved the brook running across the back and down one side.

I also found time this weekend to take more pictures of my Christmas decor. This year I took out fewer things and sometimes just used fresh greens without even changing my everyday decor. Most of my snowmen are still hibernating in the attic until January. Still, there is Christmas in every room of the house. I hope you enjoy these – I’ll share the rest in my next post.

 

The red candle holder is an antique from Sweden. A family heirloom!

  

 

Have you seen the Holiday Featured Home on the APP website? You must!! Sarah has the knack for making the prettiest and most tasteful displays. They are never overdone and always have just the right amount of texture and interest and balance. She gives us some wonderful tips as well so do head on over and enjoy her home all decorated for the season.  Congratulations Sarah!! I have enjoyed your home many many times!!

Have you seen the great cookbooks for sale on APP? It contains a collection of tried and true favorite recipes of many of the members of the APP forum. Click on the picture to head on over – they make great gifts.

When I received my order of cookbooks, I found a delightful surprise in the box!  Kristine included some additional goodies for me. Thanks so much Kristine! The sign is gracing the family room walls already and the rest will be finding homes come January!

I saw this meme on my friend Audrey’s blog and I just had to join in!!

1) What is your favorite Christmas movie?The Polar Express ~

(2) What is your LEAST favorite Christmas movie? The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I am not very fond of several of the Dr .Suess characters who are so creepy and ugly even though I love the stories.
(3) What is your favorite Christmas Song? Believe – from the Polar Express (click to listen)
(4) What Christmas song(s) drives you crazy? I have to agree with Audrey – Christmas Shoes – it’s too sad!
5) What is your favorite Christmas drink? Eggnog with a little rum!

6) What is your favorite Christmas memory? The year my mom made me dozens and dozens of outfits for Barbie and Ken – just knowing the countless hours that went into her sewing those teeny arm holes and necklines – what an act of love!
7) What is the best toy/gift you've received on Christmas? The love poems that Mr. Red Door puts in my cards. Sometimes he writes them himself and sometimes he alters a love song to fit us. My heart melts.
9) What do you LOVE about the holidays? I love that so many people are in good cheer, and willing to help others and show the true spirit of Christmas. I love the food, clothing and toy drives and I just wish we could keep it up all year.
10) What annoys you about the holidays? I try not to let any of it annoy me and if it does, I don’t dwell on it so I can’t think of one thing in particular right now.
11) Do you prefer star or angel on top of a Christmas tree? Or something else? I just happen to have a tin punched star but I like both.
(12) What is your family favorite recipe at Christmas? Potato Kugelis of course!

12 oz salt pork – diced small and cooked well

10 large potatoes peeled and shredded

1 large onion diced

¼ tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

¾ cup of milk

3 large eggs beaten well

Mix together and bake in a 9x13 pan on 400 for 15 minutes. Turn heat down to 375 and bake 45 minutes more. Can be frozen once it is baked. Great the next day!

13) Are you a Grinch or a Who at Christmastime? most definitely a Who – we don’t need any more negativity in this world!
14) Christmas light displays - Love them or Hate them? I love them. I grew up going for “Christmas light rides”. We took our kids on them with Christmas Carols blasting from the CD player and candy canes to suck on. Mr. Red Door and I still take them!
15) Santa's at the mall - Fun times or Creepy? Fun times growing of course. And later as a teen when he was really Mr. Red Door’s best friend working at the mall boy did my friends and I giggle! ) , and of course even when my kids were growing up.
16) Christmas cards - do you send them, yes or no? I do send them though the list is gets smaller each year. I ‘d rather buy more gifts for Toys for Tots or some other  cause at Christmas. So if you don’t get a card this year, you’ll know why. Seriously!
17) What is the best thing about Christmas, in your opinion? Being with my family and the good cheer as a said.
18) What is the worst thing about Christmas? The emphasis on buying gifts that some people have.
19) When do you put the tree up and take it down? The weekend after Thanksgiving it goes up and before New Years it comes down. Habit and convenience.

20) Out of the 12 days of Christmas, which day and item would you want your truelove to give to you? Three French Hens because they refers to Faith, Hope and Charity.
(21) Why do you think that Grandma got run over by a reindeer? Because the driver was talking or texting on his cell phone.
22) Who is your favorite reindeer?  why Rudolf of course.  I just have to support the underdog!
24) What is your favorite smell at Christmastime? Fresh cut pine

25) What would make you happy at Christmas this year? A cure for cancer and other devastating diseases, no person going homeless or hungry, world peace ~ that would be a good start.  But short of those miracles, I’ll be happy to have my family around me knowing they are safe and well.

I’d love to see others join in and answer these questions as well!

 

I have had several questions about my Swedish Gingerbread Tree. There is a picture on my sidebar that you can click on for the recipe to the ornamental gingers and it’s original source. The tree itself my husband made in 1985 before we even lived here. I had seen a picture of a similar one in an old issue of Country Living and had him recreate it. I didn’t use it for a few years and took it back out last year. The bottom of the tree is inserted into florist foam cut  to fit the crock. I covered with moss and hung my gingers on it, added the wheat straw I got at a Swedish shop and there you have it!

If you are a Debbie Macomber fan you are in luck! Tonight at 8 pm on the Hallmark Channel you can see Mrs. Miracle. I watched it last night and it was the perfect entertainment on a snowy evening!

This week I am extremely grateful that a PET scan showed that there was no evidence of cancer in my FIL’s lymph nodes.

Thank you as always for stopping by and making Behind My Red Door part of your day!

Until next time – hugs, Grammy Linda

Our Christmas season has begun!

  After a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner that took me days to prepare but didn’t seem to impress Lili too much…

… Christmas is truly in the air Behind My Red Door!

I’ll warn you right now, this is probably the longest and most picture heavy post I have ever made so this might take you awhile to get through. But if you like prim decor and old homes, this will be worth it. 

Friday was spent decorating inside (including some goodies I got in the mail) and putting up the tree. Here is just a sneak peek…

A wonderful prim sampler I ordered from Jen of Taylor’s Farmhouse Attic. I just adore Jen’s work – check out her selling blog HERE!

Another gorgeous prim sampler~ this one is a surprise thank you gift from my friend Linda Babb – The Primitive Stitcher. If you don’t know her talented works or her gorgeous colonial home yet, you just HAVE to click HERE!

In addition to the sampler, Linda Babb also made me the most wonderful prim Christmas ornament commemoration Lili’s first Christmas.Each side is unique and special…

Even though this was a Thank You gift, I want to say Thank you again Linda for your kindness and thoughtfulness. I will treasure this always!

And Saturday was spent decorating outside…

and cooking and preparing for my Christmas Gathering of prim friends on Sunday. I put together a centerpiece, made place cards and turned the little mitten ornaments I bought at Homestead Primitives into napkin holders/favors.

Mother Nature gave us a splendid mild 50 degree day and the other 7 gals arrived at 10 AM for brunch and a Prim Christmas Ornament Exchange. Jill, Bonnie, and Audrey were the first to arrive and shortly we were joined by my friend Laurie and her 3 friends since childhood, Kathleen, Paula and Jayne.

Audrey gave me a delightful Hostess gift – one of my favorite candles in Amish Harvest – made by friend Karen, and the sweetest little wool baby booty with a teeny tag that says Liliana 2009. I was so touched that she went out of her way to not only order the only scented candle I burn but to also make such a sweet and memorable ornament just for me. Thank you Audrey – it means the world to me!  I just love her creations – do check  out Audrey’s selling blog HERE!

  

Laurie and her friend’s presented me with hostess gifts as well… in this wonderful hat box! See the star ornament tied to the bow?

Inside was yummy DD coffee that Mr. Red Door and I will enjoy this Christmas season as well as the most adorable prim napkin holder and even some Christmas napkins to use on Christmas Day!

Here is a closer look at the napkin holder and little bell ornament too. I can use the holder all winter!

And look at the adorable prim snow angel I received as well. She will join the other snowmen I use all winter long after I pack away Christmas.

  What a sweet and thoughtful gifts ladies – thank you so very much!

And then it was time for the prim ornament exchange – and silly me, I was so busy being hostess, I forgot to take pictures as everyone opened their packages but here is mine… look at the clever way the bag was decorated. A star punch compliments the star ornament that was included ~ isn’t that clever? And look at these adorable prim stockings…

They already look wonderful on my tree!

And then it was time for a hearty brunch before we headed out for our shopping destinations. The menu included Overnight Monkey Bread, Peach Delight, Apple Maple Chicken Sausages and a Spinach and Cheese Strata.

After our meal and getting to know each other a little better, Laurie and her friends got into their car and Jill, Audrey and Bonnie got into mine. But before we started the journey, I had a treat bag for each of them  complete with  a Pumpkin Whoopie Pie and bottle of spring water…

…you know – sustenance for the shopping trip! We had 2 stops at 2 prim shops planned but we were in for a wonderful surprise!!

Our first stop was to see our friend Doreen at Walker Homestead – 19 Martin Road, Brookfield, Massachusetts  01506- which was all decked out for Christmas! Oh la la! What eye candy in here! You may remember that Jill, Bonnie, Audrey and I visited here in the fall – read all about THAT gathering and to meet Audrey, Jill and Bonnie, click HERE.

Say hi to Bonnie…

This time, more of the home was open for viewing and it was a real treat!!

Look at this Tavern Cage…

And this fireplace, mantle and surround…

And there was mulled cider and all kinds of goodies to eat…

  and lots of prim goodies to temp us… 

..and there was even a costumed young lady weaving baskets.

When we got to the prim shop in back, I noticed the wool hooked rug I coveted last time was gone. Humm.. maybe Santa read my blog!!

We all enjoyed our visit and we decided that Walker Homestead is a must visit in any season.

At this point we bid goodbye to Laurie, Paula, Kathleen and Jayne with plans to meet up many more times!

On the recommendation of Doreen, we headed to West Brookfield to another shop and along the way I had to pull over and let Bonnie cut some of the red ‘berries’ she spied. They looked more crabapples to me but I was happy to indulge my sweet friend.

Then it was on to the Rusty Roosta a Primitive Early American Shop in the barn behind the home of Jack and Paula Fisher. The Fisher’s own a gorgeous period Federal Colonial home across the street from the West Brookfield town common.  As we drove up, I think all 4 of us started to get excited when we saw the house. Not only is their home gorgeous, but the yard and grounds are lovely. So well maintained and so much attention to detail. Really lovely!

The sign out front…

  The front of their gorgeous home…

The brick side of their home…

The back el of the home…

And the back door…

As we drove up, we saw that Laurie and the other gals had decided to check it out as well and they had already purchased some goodies and were on their way to other destinations. It’s too bad because they missed some fun none of knew was coming next!

Once inside the shop, while Audrey and Jill scooted upstairs to look around, Bonnie and I started chatting with Paula and we told her that if the inside of her home (which we caught glimpses of through the windows - shh don’t tell anyone!!)  was half as nice as the outside, she should have her home in Country Sampler (and I told her exactly how to contact the Editor!)  And then we told her all about the online communities for primitive lovers,  about our blogs, and A Primitive Place website and forum. And then she so graciously offered to show us her home! Oh My Goodness, Bonnie and I nearly wet our pants we were so excited and we hollered up to Jill and Audrey to come down quick and join us. Okay I was the one that hollered but I was just so excited. As we went outside, we met Jack – he was bringing home more pine to decorate the grounds and inside the house, and as Paula started to tell him who were were, get this… when he heard my name –he knew who I was and he reads my blog and he knows my house! How cool is that? I liked him right away when he told me to tell my hubby to “get over it and let her paint the woodwork and cabinets”. Thanks Jack , I tried and Mr. Red Door just gave me “the look”.

Once we got inside, I don’t think you could have found 4 more excited gals. We were in total awe of this lovely period home. After showing us the kitchen, Paula had to scoot back to the shop so Jack stayed inside with us and he graciously answered our many questions about their beautiful home. It has 6 fireplaces,  gorgeous woodwork and moldings and wide pine floors. And with the Fisher’s collections of antiques, primitives and the beautiful pieces of furniture that Jack makes – well it all comes together into the perfect package. Definitely magazine worthy!  Enjoy the pictures as they only capture a glimpse of this home…

 

Look at this drawer under their table!

Audrey and Bonnie

Above one door..

 

This next room is my favorite…

 

Go ahead and go back and look again, I know you want to!

After the delightful tour, we continued our shopping. In our excitement, we forgot to take pictures of the shop, but I found this one online from the fall. Let me assure you, it was decorated for Christmas and Winter just as nicely!

Of course you will have to provide your own period home and antiques, but if you liked what you saw inside the Fisher’s home, the Rusty Roosta carries many of the same prim accessories, folk art, reproduction furniture – both the amazing wooden pieces that Jack makes (and his finish is awesome!) and upholstered pieces as well. It’s a must do on my shopping trips in the future! It is just off of Rt. 9 at 14 North Main St. (Rt. 67).(508) 867-3804.  The shop is open weekends from 11am-4pm. We all want to thank Jack and Paula again for the kindness at the impromptu tour. It was indeed a delightful surprise and the highlight of our day!

Next we headed east on Rt 9 to Rt 31 in Spencer to another prim shop in a another wonderful old home. Audrey and I have been there many many times but Jill and Bonnie were in for a treat. Primitive Thymes shop and Karen and Rich Boulay’s home is in a Circa 1840 two room school house. The Boulay’s opened their home up this past weekend and so it was a must see on our day out.

Rich has set up a great website so be sure to check it out. To see more of their home including pictures of the original schoolhouse, click HERE, and to see more of the shop, you can click HERE!  And be sure to check out the many prim offerings they sell.

I know I speak for the other gals when I say, it was the most wonderful day together and we had so much fun! We are going to plan many more outings in the future and when Jill moves to SC, watch out, she just might find 3 prim travelers on her doorstep one day! You can see even more pictures of our day out by reading the post Bonnie made over at A Primitive Place blog by clicking HERE!

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As wonderful as my already was, day didn’t end there! Jay called and invited Mr. Red Door and I over to help Lili put her first ornament on her first tree. Because the weather was so nice, they had made an impromptu trip to get Lili’s first tree and some how they just knew both sets of grandparents would have already purchased special First Christmas ornaments for Lili.

Jim and Lori were there earlier in the afternoon to help Lili with her very first ever ornament and I think she liked it…

And then it was our turn. I think she just wanted to see if it made a good teether  as she was getting tired and hungry by now.

 

As I look back on 2009, I am sure Sunday, November 29th will be up there on my list of very memorable days. I am truly Grateful  to have this day to start the Christmas season Behind My Red Door.

Thank you as always for stopping by and making Behind My Red Door part of your day!

Until next time – hugs, Grammy Linda

Thankful Thoughts

Happy Sunday before Thanksgiving peeps! Are you all feeling ready for the big day? My menu is typed up. The table is set. The place cards are made. The groceries are bought. I made my cranberry salsa and it is chilling. Over the last few years, my family has pared down the menu for every major holiday to the foods we really love and that are special to us. We’ve eliminated extra’s like the rolls and a lot of junk food. Everyone pitches in and helps who ever is hosting the meal – which has been and will be in the foreseeable future – ME! But that is fine because I enjoy our home being “celebration central” as my friend Colleen calls it. There will be 12 of us gathering around the new harvest table for dinner this this year. I love that Thanksgiving is just about being together with those that we love!

Thanksgiving Behind My Red Door

Cranberry Salsa w/ Corn Chips

Thanksgiving Blessings Mix

Roast Turkey with my mom’s famous Meat/Bread Stuffing

Potato Kugelis w/sour cream – Jay has taken over making this traditional dish

Butternut squash

Sweet Potatoes – my sister Chris handles these

Petite Peas

Olive and Pickle Platter – my sister again

Homemade Cranberry Orange Relish –Jen makes this each year

Dessert ~ Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie

and for a special treat for Mr. Red Door – Coconut Custard Pie.

I am so thankful that our table will be full and I can send goodies home with the family and I won’t have to cook again until Saturday!

So what is on your Thanksgiving menu this year?

For our cranberry relish and Thanksgiving blessings mix recipes and to read my November musings , click HERE

Cranberry Salsa

6 oz cranberries (1/2 bag)
1 red bell pepper- seeded
1 small onion -peeled
2 small green apples - cored, skin on

1 can petite diced tomatoes - drained
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Process first 4 ingredients in food processor until finely chopped. Pour into a bowl. Add tomatoes and seasonings. Make a few hours before using to let flavors blend well. Great with corn chips or on celery for those watching their calories! I often double the recipe as it freezes well.

I am thankful to my friend Jenn (aka StampinAngelJenn) for sharing this with me a few years ago. It is one of my all time favorite recipes! It’s great because it doesn’t have the kick that some folks object to.

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Instead of my usual prim decor chat, I’d really like this post focus on some things I am thankful for. On the very top of my list this year and always, after God, is my family. But I think this year it is even more evident with the birth of our first grandchild.

This little Beanut, (Bean and Peanut combined) as her mom and dad call her, has brought more joy into my life than even I could have imagined. When I am with her, the rest of the world disappears.

Liliana, or Lili as we call her, turned 5 months old this week and it is such a blessing that she is so happy and healthy and alert and active and just so darned cute! Grammy and Grampy love you to the moon and back sweetie!!

This year my dad who is almost 88, has had some significant ongoing health issues and my mom, who is 80, has had to pick up even more of the chores around the home. I am so thankful they are still with us and can sit at the dinner table again this year!!

Mr. Red Door’s mom and dad also have some significant health issues and while they won’t be with us in person, they will be with us in spirit at Thanksgiving and every day.

And of course I am so thankful for the rest of my wonderful family – Mr. Red Door, Jen, Jay and Ang and our siblings and their families. They are my reason for getting up each day!

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It’s long overdue, but I need to thank Jennifer Bowman of The Bowman Homestead blog. Many of you will recognize her home all decked out for Christmas in the Country Sampler November 07 issue.

Back in the fall of 07, it had been recommended that I keep pictures of our home online so that in the event of a fire, I could easily access them from any computer. I frankly had no idea where to even do that online until the article in Country Sampler mentioned Jen’s Webshots Album.

I was mesmerized seeing more pictures of her home and then realized if I clicked on the PEOPLE tab, I could find the links to other prim homes and albums. I uploaded my photo’s and from there is just snowballed. I ‘met’ so many wonderful gals who also loved primitive decorating. Some of them introduced me to forums and other prim websites and eventually that is how Country Sampler and Mercantile Gatherings magazines found our home.

Some of the those gals have become true friends and we have even met in person. Kathy from Home on the Hill is one of them. She and I met when she visited the area with her husband Stephen in the spring of 08. Mr. Red Door and I traveled to their home in New Brunswick this spring and we have plans to travel there next fall as well. I treasure our friendship!

And Kathy introduced me to my first blog – Karen’s My Yellow Farmhouse Blog – now My Red Farmhouse! WOW - I just fell in love with Karen’s blog and her home and her crafting and quilting and her life. I was totally hooked! Her blog was THE inspiration for mine. I have followed along as Karen quilted and appliquéd and decorated and traveled and cooked and then started her online business Farmhouse Woolens. I watched as she and Mr. Farmhouse built their dream home and now I am excited to watch as she starts her storefront business early next year. I am very thankful to Kathy for introducing me to Karen’s blog and for Karen's friendship as well! You can now see how Jen’s Webshots link in Country Sampler eventually led to me to some wonderful new things and people in my life and having my own blog and meeting all of you!! I could go on and on telling you what else I am thankful for because my list is long but I’ll stop here and say meeting so many wonderful bloggers and peeps is near the top of that list! Thank you for sharing your ideas, crafts, tutorials, recipes, resources and your world with all of us. Thank you to the wonderful folks who take the time to read my blog. Thank you to those who take even more time and leave me such kind comments. I am so thankful for each of you!

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I am ever so thankful that my freedom to practice the religion of my choice this Christmas is protected, thanks to our troops! But sometimes I do say Holiday Season instead of Christmas because while Christ and Christmas are proudly celebrated Behind My Red Door, that isn’t always the case. Several of my friends and several of my peeps do not celebrate Christmas. In fact, some of Mr. Red Door’s extended family celebrate Hanukkah. His late Nana was born in Sweden but her parents were Russian Jews who fled to Sweden with her older siblings. Nana married outside of her family’s religion but her siblings practiced and and their families still practice Judaism. In addition, I live in a very culturally diverse town. My neighbors come from all corners of the world and from very varied cultures and religions. I respect them all as long as they do not support terrorism. I am not trying to take Christ out of Christmas, but I try to include everyone.

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During this Holiday season, there are a few ways we can show how thankful we are for our troops and Veterans.

The Red Cross program Holiday Mail for Heroes is back!

Taken from the website:

“In this season of hope and giving the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes, Inc. have joined forces to invite Americans to “send a touch of home” to United States service members and veterans across the country and abroad. In its third year, the Holiday Mail for Heroes program is an opportunity to share joy and thanks with our service members throughout the holiday season by way of a greeting card.

Today over 1.4 million men and women serve in the U.S. armed forces and over 24 million veterans have served in the past. The holiday season is the perfect time to honor and extend a warm holiday greeting to those who’ve served and continue to do so.

How Holiday Mail works~

We have established an extensive process to ensure all cards sent to our service members are safe and arrive in time for the holidays. Holiday cards will be collected through a unique P.O. Box address from Monday, November 2 through Monday, December 7*.

First, cards from across the nation must be sent to this address:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Every card received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and distributed to participating Red Cross chapters nationwide. Once the cards arrive at the Red Cross chapters, they are sorted and reviewed by volunteers who then distribute them to service members, their families and veterans in communities across the country.”

Click here to find out even more about this program!

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Xerox has a special program called Let’s Say Thanks.

From their website: The mission of Let's Say Thanks is to provide a way for individuals across the country to recognize U.S. troops stationed overseas. By submitting a message through this site you have the opportunity to send a free personalized postcard greeting to deployed servicemen and women.

The postcards, depicting patriotic scenes and hometown images, were selected from a pool of entries from children across the country.

All you have to do is click on your favorite design and either select the message that best expresses your sentiment or draft a personal note. The postcards are then printed on the Xerox iGen3^® Digital Production Press and mailed in care packages by military support organization Give2TheTroops^®.”

You can also donate directly to Give2TheTroops by clicking on that link.

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After Thanksgiving I will be busy decorating, cooking and preparing for my Gathering with prim friends on Sunday the 29th. I won’t be posting again until sometime after that. When I come back, I’ll have some Christmas Decor to share and some goodies that I received in the mail as well.

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When we count our many blessings it isn't hard to see

that what we value most in life are the treasures that are free...

For it's not the things that we possess that signify our wealth,

but the blessings that are priceless like our family, friends and health.

Favorite memories, fun, and laughter, simple joys of living -

May all these fill your home with warmth,

your heart with true Thanksgiving.

Thank you as always for stopping by and making Behind My Red Door part of your day!

Until next time – hugs, Grammy Linda

Decor changes Behind My Red Door…

 

Before I get to that, I want to thank everyone who took their time to comment on my last post. It seems the “should we or shouldn’t we” post brought out many varied opinions. It was so nice hearing from so many peeps and especially from folks who haven’t commented before.  It’s pretty clear there are as many opinions on when to start decorating for Christmas as there are bloggers. Isn’t it wonderful that we can have these friendly discussions and make our own choices? There truly is no right or wrong. What works in one family might not work in another. Some folks feel Christmas decor does nothing to take away from the thanks they feel and express at Thanksgiving. Others enjoy their harvest decor right through Thanksgiving and then enjoy Christmas through to January. And then there are many variations in between.  I have to say, the older I get, the more I cling to tradition. Keeping some things special  for a certain Holiday or season is what makes them exactly that – SPECIAL.  I don’t want rush everything in life. I want to savor the season.

So because of that, and because of a special gift I received this week, Thanksgiving decor is staying up until the last person leaves that afternoon. I am hosting this year and there will be 12 at our table this year and most have another side of the family to see as well so my dinner is early so they can go eat pie with with the in-laws. That means I am expecting to be cleaned up earlier than usual and I hope to have time to start decorating that evening.

You already caught a glimpse of the gift in the photo above. Meet Rudman the Turkey!! He is all wool – such scrumptious colors too - and he is an original creation made just for me by my friend Audrey of A.Lil’somethin’ – her selling blog and her other blog is Audrey’s Prim World.

Isn’t he handsome??

When A Primitive Place held a sale of prim goodies, I had purchased Audrey’s wool Pilgrim Pie. You can see her in my header photo, and here is a close up of her …

And it just so happens that when I had my fall gathering, I got Audrey’s swap and the wonderful redware Give Thanks plate in my header was part of my bag of goodies. So with the addition of these 3 wonderful pieces, I now have just the right size collection of Thanksgiving decor. By the way, Audrey is not only talented and creative, she is smart! She made another Rudman just in case she got more requests for him – like she did after folks saw the Pilgrim Pie I purchased. Go on over to her blog to find out how to contact her. Thanks so much Audrey! Rudman is perfect!!

 

Isn’t it wonderful we live in a country where we can decide for ourselves when and how to decorate our homes? We enjoy so many freedoms thanks in no small part to our Armed Forces! I didn’t post on Veteran’s Day so I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our Veteran’s for their brave service and giving so much of themselves and their families for the rest of us. You are the true heroes in this world! THANK YOU!

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Suzanne from Blueberry Cottage left me a comment on an older blog post and I hopped over to her blog and was delighted to have found it!! I found she lives in NE too and not too far from me. She is a big Tasha Tudor fan and owns Corgi’s and my kids were raised on Tasha’s books and Mr. Red Door had Corgi’s growing up. Those are but a few of the things we found we have in common.  When you have a moment stop on over to her delightful blog and say to Suzanne. I have been reading some of her older posts, and I am enjoying the stories of her life in her old house on their “hobby” farm. And she clued me into a prim shop I wasn’t aware of so I am looking forward to a drive in the country one of these days!!

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So what are the decor changes? Well at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I find as I settle into my new role as part time care giver to Lili that I must make even more changes in how I spend my time than I originally thought. So with that in mind, when I have a few free moments, I am working hard to simplify things Behind My Red Door. I am online much less often than even I expected I would be. To anyone that has emailed me or asked a question in your comment, thank you for your patience.  Sometimes I have a quick minute to read emails and comments but not always enough time to answer them right away.  I know you all agree that family and home must come first. I just don’t want anyone to be disappointed when I can’t get back to you as quickly as you or I would like. Blogging wouldn’t be what it is without the give and take with each other and I want to continue to blog and visit your blogs too – I enjoy it so very much- it just won’t be as often. Okay, enough about that!

So I have been organizing and purging. I am getting rid of things I no longer need or use including some prims! I do this yearly, but this time I am doing it with a new eye because my look is changing too. Yes prim friends, you will see some changes Behind My Red Door. Because for me, when I bring in new things, something else has to go. Less is more. I am going to have a big box of things to donate to friends or thrifts shops when I am done. And I am going to have some new pieces in some of my rooms. In fact, I have some pictures to show you already. Some prim and some, well not so much!

Okay, I’ll admit these first few are still pretty prim. My new diaper carrier… 

And this new little black cupboard in my office from Homestead Primitives – it’s full of baby gear.

And my new changing table. Who said Prims and babies don’t mix? 

 It is also sometimes a baby seat…

And my newest desk decor now includes spinning tops… 

 

And my office has a fancy new primary colored jumper…

In the kitchen, along with homespun towels, my colonial drying rack now sports bibs and baby face clothes.

 

And the kitchen counter has become a bottle drying rack. I have even added some shocking pink to my decor as you can see. 

And this side of the kitchen has become baby food central…

And my colonial chandeliers are sporting new accessories…

Did you miss that?  Sorry - here is a closer look.

And my harvest table is now a feeding station….

And the newest chair in the living room is in pastels and primary colors…

 

And when I see this smile…

And hear the giggles when she sees her own face in the mirror,

I wouldn’t have it any other way!!

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I am grateful that Mr. Red Door looks the other way when I buy more baby gear and ‘one more Christmas trinket’ for Lili.

Thank you as always for stopping by and making Behind My Red Door part of your day! I so appreciate each one of my bloggy friends and I love reading your comments!

Until next time – hugs, Grammy Linda

 

Should we or shouldn’t we….

…decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving that is? It seems there are some pretty varied opinions about that in blog land lately. I say to each his own! If you want to decorate now, go for it – please just make sure to post lots of pics for all of us to enjoy!! And if you like to keep your fall or harvest decor out up Thanksgiving dinner is done, hurray to you as well. I LOVE to decorate for Christmas. As well suited as our home is for fall decor, I think it is equally well suited to Christmas decor with all my neutral walls and red accents everywhere. I just love my Father Christmas collection, my prim tree with prim ornaments, my old fashioned feather trees, my gingers, my angels, the manger, and greens(faux and fresh) and berries. I love it all.  Traditionally I have decorated for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. I think it has been that way because in my neck of the woods harvest decor is still prevalent through Thanksgiving Day.  Cornucopia’s and sheaves of wheat and pumpkins are everywhere. When I was growing up, stores didn’t stay open 24/7 and the day after Thanksgiving was the day the store owners started to put Christmas out. Our favorite Holiday moves were on anytime after Thanksgiving.  Other than Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, Christmas did not start until the turkey was eaten. It just is how it always was. Typically home owners followed suit. Sometime after Thanksgiving Day, Christmas decor would start to slowly appear in windows, an don porches and in homes. Slowly over the years, that has changed. I am not saying it is good or bad, it just is. My tradion of decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving probably started when I was working. Even though as a mom I only worked part time and I was always home with my kiddo’s, I always took work home and November was a busy month in school. Progress reports, Open Houses and special projects kept me busy. So the long weekend after Thanksgiving gave me the time to put fall away, clean up all the bittersweet messes and get Christmas out. Because I decorate both fall and Christmas in a big way, I always need a lot of time for the switchover and that doesn’t even include the real greens I cut from our yard to tuck in a zillion places. By doing the switchover that weekend I was also ready for the important birthdays we have in December. Our favorite local radio station starts playing Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving so that fits right into my time frame as well. But despite waiting until then, I was always the first of my friends and family to have our home decorated for Christmas.

But last year I decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving for a few reasons. Twigs from Mercantile Gatherings  wanted pictures of our house with spring decor, so fall  had to come down a little early so I could get those photo’s taken and sent off. And then I needed to decorate for Christmas, take photo’s and get them submitted to A Primitive Place as our home was chosen as their first featured Holiday Home. It seemed a bit strange to me to be eating Thanksgiving dinner with Christmas decor all around. Not because there is anything wrong with that, just because it was not tradition. I like tradition! I remember mentioning it to the family, and none of them seemed the least bit concerned. But I also remember thinking, I won’t decorate for Christmas this early again.

However, it is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind, right? And new traditions can be made, right? So that said, I am still not sure when I am going to decorate this year. I will admit that most of fall is already packed away. The bittersweet that was looking very sad and rather dusty because I picked it too early, is gone. I have my special Thanksgiving items in the dining room, but the rest of the inside Behind My Red Door is mostly back to non-seasonal. And I am enjoying the clean uncluttered look right now.

But that also means the house is ready for the Christmas decor!! So will I or won’t I?? That remains to be seen right now!! I have to say, seeing some sneak peeks at some other’s Christmas decor sure has me tempted to get mine out. And the Hallmark Channel has been advertising Christmas movies. And I was looking for a recipe in my old Christmas Issues of Early American Life and of course I looked at all the pictures too. And I loved seeing Janae's and Linda Harris’s homes in Country Sampler. Well it’s all so tempting!  Doing Christmas right Behind My Red Door takes time and cleaning up the mountains of leaves outside is where my energy was spent this weekend. And it would be way too early to add the lives greens I use if I start too soon. Oh the dilemma!  So just in case these are surrounded by Christmas the next time I post, here are a few pictures of my limited Thanksgiving Day decor.

 

  

 

So whether you start now, or wait until the last minute, when your Christmas or other seasonal Holiday decor (for my non Christian friends) is out and you have posted some pics, please  stop by and let me know so I can be sure to take a peek!

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Friday late afternoon  as I was pulling into the driveway, I saw the mail carrier had left a bundle by the garage door. When I picked up the box and saw the return address, I couldn’t imagine what was inside but I was excited to find out.  When I opened the box I am sure I squealed with delight. My sweet prim friend Sherrie from SC sent me a huge bunch of tallow berries from her very own  tree from her very own yard! Aren’t they wonderful???!!

Sherrie said “They are also referred to as the popcorn plant, because when it opens it so resembles a kernel of popcorn and also when the kernels are popping open  it sounds like popcorn popping.  It is very common in the Low Country around Charleston, S.C.”

She even left some of the colorful leaves on because she knows I love my foliage. Wasn’t that thoughtful? It didn’t take me long to decide where they would go. I wanted to take the yarrow out of this basket and replace it with something else that could stay up for the rest of the year and the tallow berries are simply perfect!!

And I moved the basket and hung in on my fowl rack in the dining room. I just love it there with the berries. 

I had to take a picture from this angle too – it’s perfect!

And I even had enough tallow berries for this little basket in the living room!!

Thank you so very much Sherrie. You are so kind and so thoughtful!

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I often get question about it so I’ll let you know upfront, I have had this fowl rack for many many years. I got it at a shop called With Heart and Hand, now in Norfolk MA but previously in Franklin, MA. It used to be one of my favorite prim shops but they have changed direction in the last few years. Unfortunately their website is not updated. The intro says they have over 500 bolts of fabric and homespun and that has not been the case for sometime now. When the cost of gas was so high, I made the long drive there just for the fabric (after consulting the website) and was shocked to find the fabric loft no longer existed and there were less than a dozen bolts of fabric. I pointed that out to the owner and she was totally unfazed. And well over a year later she has not changed the inaccuracies on the website. So do be warned if you decide to make the trip, don’t expect rooms of prims and bolts of fabric. She does carry lots of jewelry and scarves and glitz and glam and  they still do carry some prims, but not nearly as much as in the past. I personally no longer find it worth my time but you may feel differently.

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Speaking of foliage, Mr. Red Door and I spent many hours outside the last 2 days cleaning up the leaves in our yard. It sure does seem more daunting the older we get. Well at least it does to me – Mr. Red Door being the strong burly man that he is, would never admit that!! My sore muscles and achy joints however protest more each year and I whine a bit more each year as well. When I went outside to start raking, they were literally 3 feet deep against the chicken wire fence our neighbor erects each fall to stop any leaves from any other tree not on his property from finding it way to his property. I was tempted to run and take a flying leap into the deep pile, but I probably would have broken a bone or pulled a muscle, so instead, we got busy tackling that daunting mess. We both dug in and worked together and we got them cleaned up for now. There are plenty more across the street that will blow over here and park themselves in our yard against that silly fence, and our maple still has some stragglers hanging on, so we will be out there cleaning up a few more times. But there’s a bright side to that – when we are done, the outside will be ready for Christmas Decor as well!

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If you haven’t already, please do stop over to A Primitive Place and take a peek at my November Musings. I included some fun ideas and recipes for showing thankfulness, and a great cranberry relish recipe as well. Just scroll down the menu on the left to find Primitive Musing. While you are there, check out Char’s latest craft tutorial. Remember, you don’t need to be a member to access the website full of ideas. Only the forum requires you to sign up.

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If you want to joint the Gratitude Attitude Challenge, click here to go to Mercy’s blog. We are posting something we are grateful for in every post until December 19th. This is the perfect time of year to stop and take stock of the blessings in our lives.

Despite my whining, I am truly grateful that this 54 year old body can still work hard when I need it too. I enjoy working along side Mr. Red Door when there is a lot of work to do outside or big projects inside. Many times I do the projects on my own. My mom and her mom were both not afraid of hard work, and I have followed in their footsteps. Delicate is not a word that has ever been used to describe me. I was born with big hands and feet as well as broad shoulders and I feel the good Lord gave them to me for a reason so I am proud to use them as long as I can!  And I am also grateful for modern medicine and the arthritis drugs that give my achy joints some measure of relief after all that hard work!

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My sweet Lili is on her way over here so her mommy and daddy can attend an adult birthday party at a restaurant. I bought her a new walker this week – not that she will walk anytime soon, but she can sit in and it has a nice tray for her rattles and teethers. She just loved being upright and seeing the world! I’ll get to feed her some cereal and applesauce and we might even take a walk outside before the sun sets. We’ll fit in lots of snuggles too – if Grampy doesn’t try to monopolize her that is!

Here she is with her new sneakers ..

Thank you as always for stopping by and making Behind My Red Door part of your day! I so appreciate each one of my bloggy friends and I love reading your comments!

Until next time – hugs, Grammy Linda