Over the Hill, to Grandma's we go...

I hope you are able to sit back and enjoy this Holiday Season, feel the joy this wondrous time brings, eat lots of tasty goodies, snuggle with family, enjoy a good movie or cuddle in front of a warm fire and make toasts with good friends.  It is the time memories are made of, love is shared and our hearts are open.  Our presents are wrapped (some of us anyway), our baking is done (some of us anyway) and we are getting ready to cross over the hills to Grandma's (or wherever you may go)!

I have so enjoyed the last few weeks, taking in all the lovely decorations as everyone has opened their homes for us to view.  So many talented and creative ladies, decorating, making, baking and wrapping with new ideas, tips and tricks to share.  Thank you all so much, it has almost felt a little like opening a present every morning as I opened my laptop and saw all the emails, meaning I had wonderful blogs and posts to review.   I have a few more photos to share with you today...and as this is a work in progress, I will have lots more to share after the Holiday's.  Buying and decorating an older home, has been hair pulling and rewarding.  But that's another story, so here is more of my "Home" for the Holidays!

My Kitchen has come a very, very long way and still the journey is not complete...
                                         Here is where is started:

The blue cooler was a plug in cooler and was our refrigerator for 2 months, check out this floor.

 We removed the wallpaper, painted walls and inside cupboards and I put in a new floor.  We purchased a new stove, refrigerator and a vented microwave above the stove.

I love the new floor...no more orange, yellow and green stones!  Still can't decide what color to paint the cabinets??

The cabinets to the left were all made by my wonderfully talented Father. 

 Here's the cabinets (made by my Father) all decorated for the Holidays.  My In-laws lived and worked in the Cayman Island for years and while there my Father In-law gave me some very beautiful pieces.  The saucers and cups are a set that came from Austria, and the Ruby Red dishes are a gift from my sweet Mother In-law...now she can set a table.  She has the most beautiful dishes and can set a magical and different table scape every time you visit!

After the Holidays I plan on covering foam board with toile fabric on the middle cabinet background.  I think it will beautifully match the dining room chairs and the tone I am going for in the kitchen.  French Cottage Farmhouse.

                                          And baking in progress:

My Christmas present to myself after the Holidays is a new sink and faucet...getting rid of the GREEN sink you can see here!  The orange, yellow and green floor is gone, the green refrig is gone, the green stove is gone!!  OH YEAH!

 

My dining room is still a work in progress, I got this room re-carpeted, painted and new curtains hung. I re-covered the chair cushion in the foreground and I am working on some pillows, I'll share with you later. The long oak table on the right is from the library at the Grade School I attended...talk about an antique!  The clock back by the patio door is a clock my Father made me and he had it engraved on a gold plate, so very special!  The shelf is an antique, my Mother thought was the top to an organ, it is so beautiful!  The small dresser to the left is actually a dry sink, I took the drying bar off the back to use in this room.

Here's a view from the living room of the before Christmas photo:

 

Here's a view from the kitchen to the dining room

          And here is my Christmas decor:

The suspender's on the chair are a pair my Father wore every year for Christmas...now they adorn my dining room chair which is ironic, because he loved to eat with a passion and we still make many of his favorite dishes!

This table was an antique dining room table my Mother had for a very long time.  One day she asked my Father to cut it down to coffee table height...he was NOT to happy, but he always wanted to make her happy and it turned out GREAT!   Needless to say this table was much used at their lake house, where we spent many happy summers living around this table.

My Mother got me into quilting and we often worked on quilts together.  The same exact patterns, sometimes with the same fabrics but most often not, and you cannot believe how different they could be.  It was almost like they each had personalities of their own.  This little snowman quilt was one of my favorites and I displayed it on our Living Room table, where we live most of our time. 

So today I am leaving you with this sweet little quilt to say...  
Happy Holidays, may you find peace, joy and love, and maybe a little snow this holiday season!

                                                                Holiday Hugs,
                                                                                 Pendra