11/1/10 - 12/1/10

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30.11.10

Decorating the Tree

 

It’s Tuesday tea time dear friends, so let’s put the hot water on to boil, pick out a yummy tea, and share some pictures of lovely things around our home.

Kincaid

My good friend, Rayanne of A Lovely Thought.. has been hosting a “Tuesday Tea” where friends link up and share photos of their tea sets, tea time, recipes, or any photos of lovely things in their home.

music and trumpet

I have often used this online ‘tea time’ to share things that are on my heart with you.  Rayanne said that she is having to take a break due to needing to focus more on her health and asked me if I would begin hosting this linky party in her place. I told her I would be glad to, of course. :o) 

David and Goliath

We will miss her very much at Tea time and hope to see her back again soon. She is an incredible artist, photographer, and a homemaker whose home is absolutely divine. Like me, she loves the Lord and her love for Him shines through in everything she shares. Click here to see some absolutely heavenly photography…it’s ethereal! Really!

blue ball

So for now, I would love to have you join me for Tuesday Tea.  Just write a little post, or link up to an old post and share a photo of something lovely from your home..china, a tea set, a recipe, a poem..anything that you think is truly lovely to share during our tea time.

Lennox China Snowflake

Today, I thought I’d share photos of some of our Christmas ornaments and a scripture to meditate on….
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

nutcracker

As the busy-ness of the season begins to build, it’s easy to fret and get stressed and we are apt to focus on the wrong things.  But if we will focus on the right things..and on the Lord’s control over every circumstance, we will find ourselves having a completely different attitude; one that is joyful and peaceful, regardless of what is going on around us.




May you be focused on lovely things this Christmas season..and may the Lord’s love overflow from your heart to every one around you.

Add your tea time photo here...and be sure to visit and say Hello to each other. I'll drop by to see you too. :o)


Happy Homemaking!signature

29.11.10

How to Repair Christmas Lights the Easy Way!


Do you see the big smile on my face? Are you wondering why it’s there? Well, let me tell you ALL about it! By the time you are done reading this post, you will be happy too! I promise!

 It’s not just because hubby just finished hanging all the Christmas lights and everything looks so VERY pretty.   And it’s not because I just repaired SIX sets of old Christmas lights, even the kind with icicles on them, and didn’t have to buy any new ones this year, though I certainly am happy about that.

It’s not just because I bought a Christmas Light Keeper Pro for $18.99 (ouch!) though you are getting much closer.  


 It’s because this little jewel of a tool REALLY WORKS!!! Yahoo!!  Miracles really do happen and some tools actually DO what they say they do. At least this one certainly does.

I spent an agonizingly painful and frustrating four hours trying to fix one seeming endless string of Christmas lights on Saturday. This is the kind that has a main string of large lights plus many tendrils of smaller ones dangling down from it. If ONE light bulb goes out..you guessed it..they ALL go out. Try finding the bad bulb… I just dare you! It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Discouragement threatened to overcome even ‘never say die’ do-it-yourself and ‘save your money’ me! I know…it is hard to imagine ME giving up on a project.  And to make matters worse, I just detest wasting time and that is exactly what I was doing. I finally gave up in despair and got on the internet (Thank you Lord for this resource!), and typed in “How to Repair Christmas Lights”.  I stumbled upon a rather technical article which explains everything you ever didn’t want to know about how to fix Christmas lights and a lot I’d always been curious about. 

I was fascinated to tell you the truth. But also terrified! I sure didn’t want to replace fuses?? sockets??!! or pull out bulb after bulb to test for the bad one. I knew that that was the normal way to do it, but this was crazy to attempt on a string of icicles.  You can read this truly fabulous article here. Chris Ritter is an electronics wizard!

But because I’m NOT one of those kind of people, I was all ready to throw all of the strings in the trash as NONE of them worked right and most, not at all. Then I read his comment about using a Light Keeper or Light Zapper as I call it. And that got my attention.



If you read his article you will understand completely WHY this thing works. All I can say is that it is WORTH EVERY PENNY of the $18.00 to $20.00 you will spend.  Target has it on sale right now for $13.99!

  I wasn’t able to fix all of the strings, but I was able to fix most of them. Considering what they cost, I was thrilled not to have to replace them! I need to throw out one string, but the rest should last me for a few more years.
   
How does it work? It’s incredibly simple. The zapper has three small camera type batteries in the head which course electricity through the line. This fuses the little wires (on the left and right) inside the light socket (called shunts) so that the current can go all the way through whether there is a light bulb in the socket or not.

Here are the basic steps I followed…

First, plug in the lights and see if any parts are dark. I had several with dark ‘parts’ on the string. This is because when one light goes out about 15-20 lights go out with it.  You may need to skip down a few more and try again.



Next, pull out the first light that is dark that is closest to the plug. Plug the light socket into the spot on the ‘zapper’ while it is still plugged in and pull the trigger 10-20 times. Sometimes my lights worked after only 3 pulls or less.  If the lights come on, your done! Now go to the next dark part of your string.

If you still have dark parts, just plug the plug into your zapper and pull the trigger several times. It will check the whole line all at once this is also helpful if your light bulb sockets are too small or large for the socket checker on the gun.


If the lights don’t come on, you can press down on the current detector and starting where the lights are working start following the line until the zapper stops beeping.


That is where one or two bulbs may be burned out.  Pull out the bulbs, try zapping again, check the bulbs to make sure they are dead or alive and replace the bad bulbs. This can fix the string in a heart beat. Can you believe it? The Light Keeper also has a light bulb checker and it works great!  Be sure to pull the tiny wires out from the sides just a bit so they will make good contact both in the checker and the fuse.

  
If nothing seems to work, pull open the teeny tiny little sliding door on the plug and using a tiny screw driver, remove the fuses. (I know—I didn’t ever notice the little trap doors on the sides of the plugs. Amazing!) Test them on the fuse tester on the top of the gun. If they are bad replace them. You may have to go back to step one after this, but at least now you know the problem isn’t a blown fuse. I had two strings with bad fuses. Probably due to weather or overheating.


Be careful about replacing lights from one set to another. This doesn’t really work if the lights aren’t exact replacements. Sometimes the voltage for the bulb is different which causes it not to shine as bright as the others and will eventually make the bulb blower sooner than necessary. I guess I bought enough at the same time, because I was able to ‘cannibalize’ off of a pretty bad set to repair the more complete strings.  Mr. Ritter suggests always buying one extra string with each type you buy so you will have an exact match and can keep the rest going for several years. This is very smart!




Sunday afternoon, I spent a couple of hours fixing all eight sets and was thrilled to find out that even after we hung up lines, and I noticed a dark spot or a bulb that was out, I could just repair the light..even right on the Christmas tree.  This little jewel of a tool is going to keep us ALL happy this Christmas!  I know, $20.00 is a lot of money..but buying new sets of lights is more expensive.
I’ve decided that no homemaker is properly equipped until she has one of these babies! Mr. Ritter said they cost $5.00 at Michaels but that was in 2005.  Our Michaels store doesn’t carry them any more. But Walgreens, Wal-Mart, and Target do carry them. Target had the best price..two dollars cheaper than Wal-mart.  Or you can order one online here. 

Here is a great demo from Youtube that shows how to do everything. There was no point in me doing the whole thing when Zachary Broyles did it so well. :o)



This should be your FIRST CHRISTMAS PRESENT of the year. You deserve it!! 

Now, I can truly say, have a great time hanging your Christmas lights this week, because I know you won’t be pulling your hair out in needless frustration. If your MAN does this job..then buy it for him and he will LOVE you for it!
Happy Homemaking!

28.11.10

Decorating for Christmas


Ahhhh…It’s that time of year…when the world falls in love…every song you hear…
seems to say...

Merry Christmas....

Wow—I just LOVE that song!  Click here to play. As one commenter on Youtube put it,

“Why is it that we never seem to get tired
of Christmas songs?”

I’m linking to Natasha’s Sunday Song linky party at 5 minutes just for me to share this wonderful nostalgic song.  Natasha is the ‘queen of Christmas’. If you want to jump start straight into the Christmas spirit, then visit her. She has a special blog just for celebrating Christmas all year long! I love it!! 

Father Christmasballet dancer

Can you believe that I used to listen to Christmas music all year long?  That was during the years when I battled depression.   I knew that the Lord had healed me when I could listen to nothing but the birds chirping or the children playing and feel perfectly happy.  But I still LOVE Christmas music. 

german decos
All of these decorations come from German Christmas markets, thanks to my daughter-in-law’s father, Klaus, sending us to Germany to visit family there.

Some of my favorite memories are of Christmases of years past.  Grandma Wood was the queen of Christmas and I miss her every year when I pull out the boxes of Christmas decorations. When she had the stroke that began the last year of her life, it was just after (or before) Christmas. 

Ornaments

I know that I packed up her home for Aunt Joan after Grandma got home from the hospital. She went to live with Uncle Jay and Joan..and never went home again.  I packed all her things away. Her Christmas decorations were still hanging on the walls and gracing every available surface, when I walked in the door that first day. I still feel a sense of anguish when I remember that day.

 Winter decor


Some of the things you see here..came from her, like the ceramic church and snow covered tree.  In fact, most of the decorations I pulled out of the boxes this weekend remind me of a precious family member who doesn’t live close by or is no longer with us.  The memories make the unpacking so special.  


Christmas boxes


I hope you enjoy pulling out your decorations as much as I do this week. This would be a great week to do that, don’t you think? Be sure to let the kids help and don’t get too worried if the results aren’t picture perfect.  The kids will always love helping if they aren’t ‘critiqued’ afterwards.

Christmas Tree


My boys set up and decorated the tree while hubby and I were gone today. The result was quite ‘unique’. ( I think that is the word I’m looking for….:o) They were so proud of their efforts and I was too!  Break out the eggnog and make some cookies or almond bark candy with the kids. Let’s make Sundays special times of remembering the reason for the season—the Lord himself.

German tablecloth
Tablecloth from Germany while visiting family in Gelsenkirchen two Christmas’s ago.

Monday, I’ve got a great new tool to tell you about to help you with your lights this year too.   But today, the first Sunday of Advent..let’s remember that this is the season to remember the gift of a the Son of God to a hurting and dying world. We will be lighting the “ first candle  which is traditionally the candle of Expectation or Hope (or in some traditions, Prophecy). This draws attention to the anticipation of the coming of an Anointed One, a Messiah, that weaves its way like a golden thread through Old Testament history. 

Nativity set


As God’s people were abused by power hungry kings, led astray by self-centered prophets, and lulled into apathy by half-hearted religious leaders, there arose a longing among some for God to raise up a new king who could show them how to be God’s people. They yearned for a return of God’s dynamic presence in their midst.” according to The Christian Advent.  If you have never made an advent wreath or celebrated advent, click here to read how to make one and how you can make this Christmas season the most meaningful one ever for you and your family.

Happy Homemaking…and Merry Christmas!

signatureTell me about your favorite Christmas decorations. In what special way are they meaningful to you?

27.11.10

A View of the Countryside…



from my kitchen window..


As I was diligently cleaning the other day, I was amazed, yet again, at the beautiful view, just outside my windows.  Sometimes I still have to pinch myself to believe that we really live out here in the countryside. In fact, we live right inside the border of the Sam Houston National Forest.  If you are new to Comin’ Home, then you may not know that we are ‘transplanted urbanites’ as I like to call us. We’ve lived in the city all of our lives.

Dining room window
from the dining room window..

In our efforts to ‘save’ a teenager from the influences of ‘friends’ (public school football team) who seemed to think that the way to be ‘in’ was to be willing to be thrown in a dumpster amongst other things..Ha!ha!ha! (Somehow I didn’t find it all that funny.), we decided to leave Sugar Land and find a place that was quieter and maybe a bit more ‘sane’.  We wanted a place where you could fish, hike, dig big holes in the yard etc. and no one would care.

 From entry way
from the sewing room…

We dreamed of a place where the brand name of your tennis shoes, or your income didn’t decide your value or worth; a place where you could appreciate nature and self-reliance, at least to some degree.  We ended up here. It was the saving of our 16 yr. old and our 14 yr old..and probably our daughter and the younger two boys as well.  Instead of the mall, we have the great outdoors. It was a trade well worth the making. So what if we have to spend a lot in gas toting children to various activities?

Living Room window
to the right..from the living room window..

All of our spare time is spent romping in the grass, swinging on the porch, walking in the woods, making bonfires, hunting squirrels and rabbits, chatting over cups of hot cocoa and coffee and hiking along dirt roads in the beautiful countryside.

Livingroom window left
and to the left…

As a side benefit, one of my first thoughts after getting settled, once I understood what blogging really was, was to share the day to day beauty of our new home (now three years old) with those of you who can’t get away that often.

 out my kitchen window

So today, I’m again sharing the beauties of a home we never expected to find..though we dreamed of it so often over the last 23 years.  It was an answer to a prayer I’d hidden my heart since I was a little girl. And the answer is something I never want to keep to myself.  I hope you enjoy this little tour. It’s all for you… :o)

Happy Homemaking…
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25.11.10

Happy Thanksgiving to You and Yours…



Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I do hope you are enjoying this special holiday as much as our family is.  We arrived late last night in Denton and it was just as warm and balmy as it has been all week in Houston. But this morning, it was chilly and blustery—winter has finally arrived!


Mom was up first thing this morning getting  the turkey going and a little later I got up to help her. We were busy cooking up family favorites left and right. It’s amazing how easy it is to do a big dinner with three cooks in the kitchen



The kids and dear hubby all had their laptops, ipods, and other electronic ‘toys’ plugged in but were quick to jump up and help out wherever we needed them. In fact the boys ran outside to cover mom’s plants with black tarp in anticipation of a freeze this evening. Rebekah dried and put away pans and dishes while we cooked so we wouldn't have so much to clean up later.

table 2

Heather had some special decorations all ready to set a gorgeous Thanksgiving table for dinner. Isn’t this lovely?  While we were getting everything ready, Tim’s boss, in Russia was chatting with hubby on Skype, so I wished him a Happy Thanksgiving too, and promised to cook up a turkey when he gets back. It’s so nice for Dear Hubby to be able to have a company ‘pow-wow’ via the internet with his boss. It was the only way to take off for Thanksgiving without leaving his boss in a lurch. Poor Dan is not so lucky. He’s working with the clients in Russia as we speak.
 Dinner at last

Together, we got everything lined up and ready for everyone. It was a great meal…just delicious! And can you believe it..I made CORNBREAD dressing! Yes, I sure did, and I will say that I liked it…pretty well.  I made sure that it wasn’t at all mushy.



nanamom.

Mom made a fabulous dish with green and yellow summer squash and stewed tomatoes.  We will have to add this to our list of favorites for next year!  Mom and Heather packed up leftovers to take home for Andrew and Ebeth because we had so much left over..even whipped potatoes!

almost ready table

Mom also gave me several gorgeous antiques to take home. These I will show you later this week but I will tell you what they are…a handmade cradle, a lovely magazine rack, and a rocking chair to match the gold chair in the bedroom with carved roses, just to name a few. Mom is always picking up great finds at thrift stores and auctions and then saving them for us. She is a gift giver ‘par excellence’.

football

Of course, an American Thanksgiving is never quite complete without a good game to watch while eating our pie and whipped cream. Amazingly enough, we never watch football on Thanksgiving, but Heather has good TV reception here, so the family are really enjoying watching the cowboys today. It’s an unusual treat for them.  Go Cowboys!

thanksgiving decor

We have so much to be thankful for this year, especially the beautiful home that my mother and sister now have to replace the home that burned down the year before last. Isn’t it wonderful to have a special day to remember all of our blessings? You all are one of the many blessings that I count dear. Thanks so much for dropping by! I wasn’t able to get near the computer for the last two days, so I was thrilled to see all the sweet comments from you, my dear bloggy friends when we finally finished the dishes this afternoon! I do hope you are having a lovely Thanksgiving day celebration too.

May the Lord bless you and yours…Happy Thanksgiving!

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23.11.10

Sprucing Up for the Holidays…


It was inevitable that I would begin to feel a little anxious about the state of the house with Thanksgiving only a few days away.  Even though Flylady has us cleaning and decluttering the master bedroom this week, I decided to break with the schedule and get the living room spic and span!  You see, it’s our tradition to decorate for Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving. Dear hubby is normally off of work and the kids aren’t in class, so the timing is perfect.  Advent is the Sunday after Thanksgiving! It’s so much more special to have our first Advent devotional in a festive atmosphere. Advent, as I mentioned here, is a very special tradition that our family has celebrated for many many years.

Cleaning Caddy

So I rolled up my sleeves, grabbed my cleaning caddy and hit the ground running yesterday.  I used the approach that Jeff Campbell uses . I put on my apron and stocked the four pockets with Windex, 409, and Wood & Furniture Polish from Don Aslett and a good supply of paper towels folded up in each of three of the pockets. The fourth pocket was for my FlyLady timer and soiled paper towels and bits of trash I might come across along the way.  I tucked FlyLady’s dust mop (so pretty!)  in the waist band at my back. My 16 yr. old quipped that I looked ‘just like Flylady’. (No I didn’t wear my pin..I save that for more public occasions. :o)


Piano Wall Art
My decor on and over the piano was inspired by Maria’s post on tablescapes. Thanks Maria!

Jeff, author of Speed Cleaning,  suggests doing this because it keeps you in ONE SPOT with every supply you need right at hand. He says that most homemakers waste a tremendous amount of time running around for supplies.  If you have all your supplies close at hand, you can look at each 4 x 8 stretch of wall (from ceiling to floor) and clean everything you see. If it’s glass..use windex. If it’s wood, use your polish. If it’s anything else, use the 409 to clean it. Move from left to right in a clock wise ‘circle’ around the room and work your way to the middle for the coffee table (and/or other furniture in the middle of the room.)  Jeff completely changed my approach to deep cleaning with his book.   

tea time

Flylady’s timer helped me to keep from spending too much time in any one area and helped remind me to take a break! That’s a good time to sit down for a nice cup of tea.  I had such a lovely break too because I was sitting on our new and Oh-so-comfy couch! I’ve been looking forward to showing it to you. We all love how roomy it is and enjoy hanging out together in the mornings.

livingroom window

I have to admit that I spent a good two hours in the living room which is much more than I normally do even on a monthly basis but that was partly because I took the opportunity to clean the windows both inside and out. I know…that’s  no fun, but I hate having dirty windows and I hadn’t cleaned them since spring. Don Aslett says there is just no excuse for dirty windows. Cleaning them is the quickest way to improve the whole look and feel of your home and your outlook on the world outside..and even your life! I could have kicked myself for putting that job off so long. I knew I needed to do them. I must have sat for 20 minutes just staring outside at the lovely fall colors! It was such a treat and reward to enjoy that view after two hours of hard labor cleaning.

livingroom

Now the living room is absolutely spic and span and smells wonderful! I won’t feel at all embarrassed when company comes over in the next few weeks. A quick spruce up is all it will need until Jan. 1st when we take everything down and put it away again. I will do some de-cluttering this week too; just 15 minutes a day though.

How about you? Do you feel like your house is ‘holiday ready’? 

Just 15 minutes a day could do wonders!

Happy Homemaking!

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21.11.10

What I’m Thankful for….


Understandably, with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I've been thinking  a lot about just how grateful I am for all the gifts and kindness that have been given to me by my secret sister this past year. At our church, Grace Community in Willis, Tx, we ladies all put our names ‘in the hat’ so to speak and sign up to have a secret sister sometime in January.  We each fill out ‘fact sheets’ listing what our favorite colors, music, food, books, and hobbies are. I’m sure many of you have done something similar.  Isn’t it so fun to give and receive gifts? Giving gifts  to a friend and somehow keeping it a secret for a whole year is so much fun!

Cottage apron 068

You may remember that I was Shona Cole’s secret sister last year, if you were following my sewing/fabric art blog, DC’s Creations. I made aprons for her and all of her darling girls for the big ‘Christmas Tea Reveal’ which is coming up again in a week or so. It was such a fun project and I knew Shona would love them. I had quite a hunt trying to find fabric in her favorite colors and styles; eclectic style, red, black, green etc.

Blogger meet up badge

While we are on the topic of Shona, I wanted to be sure to mention that she is trying to gather a group of bloggers for a get together at La Madeline’s in the Woodlands, Tx.  I will be there for sure! If you are anywhere within driving distance and want to join us, just leave a comment at Shona’s post here and let her know you are planning to come. Wouldn’t it be fun to get together?  Trudy of Sewing with Trudy, Shannon Mucha of Blu Bambu...Art in the Every Day, and Rayanne of A Lovely Thought… (she hosts Tuesday Tea), will all be there too!

placemat

I have to say that this year has been a year of simply wonderful gifts.  I’ve received gifts before from wonderful secret sisters in the past, but I wasn’t a ‘real’ blogger back then so I couldn’t have told you about it or wouldn’t have thought to. All of my secret sisters really have been so kind and generous. :o)  Several of the thoughtful gifts that my secret sister gave me have been part of previous posts over this last year like Tuesday Tea with Me.

Hair cutting 008

My birthday gift from her, a gorgeous orange ceramic pot with tulips growing in it, was in the background of a hair-cutting video though as you can see here, the poor flowers were about done for by the time I did this tutorial. Her gift came just in time to cheer me up after returning home from an arduous five week stay in Dallas while caring for my father who was dying of cancer.  I had to go back a week later for a speech and debate tournament with my son. By February 2nd, my birthday, I was totally depleted and exhausted. I simply cannot put into words what these stunning flowers and flower pot meant to me.  I really do ADORE tulips!!—Especially RED ones!

Olive Garden

I don’t think I posted about the gift card for Olive Garden Restaurant which she gave me in July for hubby and I’s 23rd anniversary. She literally ‘saved’ our birthday weekend get-away. We didn’t use it on ‘ the day’ as I now recall. We used it to cover going out todinner when I took hubby to a hotel for his birthday.  I must have been in Grand Prairie or something. I can’t remember now.
SunTeaandWatermelon002_thumb1

The sun tea jar was the highlight of my post on Frugal Snack Ideas this summer. She gave me such great gifts that I was seriously considering copying her ideas for my own secret sister.   I only just restrained myself from running out to Wal-mart to get a gallon tea jar in fall colors and some special teas.  The chances of finding a Sun Tea jar in fall colors would have been pretty slim though.  And my secret sister never mentioned loving tea…and I have always LOVED tea.  Ah well, it really was a fabulous seasonal idea! Maybe next year….

DSC02378

One gift that I especially loved was a tray covered in fall leaves and a fall leaf cookie cutter. (I love fall period… and leaves especially. :o)  Being the frugal queen that I am, however, I was sorely tempted to Re-Gift this for my OWN secret sister who just ‘happens’ to love fall colors too. Of course, I just couldn’t bring myself to do that out of gratitude and respect to whoever my secret sister is. (Ok..Yes, I admit it--I really did want to keep these gifts for myself. )

DSC02387

Last Sunday, my dear secret sister out did herself, yet again, by baking me my very favorite dessert… Pecan Pie! And being the generous friend she is, she baked it in a gorgeous pie dish, which I get to keep!!

I almost feel like she shouldn’t even give me a Christmas present when she’s already given me so much.  Dear Secret Sister, If you happen to be reading this..then all I can say is thanks! You made it EASY to ‘count my blessings’ this Thanksgiving.  I’ve had many, but your gifts are at the top of the list!

What about you? What are you thanking the Lord for this Thanksgiving?
Happy Homemaking!
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“There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again.” ~ Margaret Sangster

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