How Sweet The Sound

Christmas Bunny

 

 

 

 

 

 

My time was 4:19 minutes.

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Be sure to come back later today for

 

Pink Saturday.

 

Christmas Home Tour - Day Six In My Christmas Kitchen

 

 

My kitchen makes me happy.

 

It is light and bright and cheery.

 

I am a cheery person, and it suits me.

 

We are bonded.

 

 

I come here every morning to get my coffee.

 

I love my Keurig, too.

 

We are definitely bonded.

 

 

I am bonded with these little guys, too.

 

They stand alert on the window sill over the sink.

 

My son gave them to me while in high school.

 

Yikes, and now he will soon be thirty-eight.

 

 

More bonding goes on here,

 

but probably not the good for you kind.

 

 

Santa and Tree Fellows on the island.

 

Bonding continues.

 

 

These Santas bonded so much they

 

pulled up their chairs under the kitchen tree.

 

 

Oops!  More calorie laden bonding here.

 

  

This wreath looks out the door to the sunroom.

 

 

Thank you for visiting and bonding.

 

Please come back tomorrow for more Christmas.

  

 

Today I am joining

 

Susan at Between Naps On The Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

 

and

 

Cindy at Dwellings for Amaze Me Monday

 

and

 

Kim at  Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

 

and Judy at DIY by Design for Fall Into Fall

 

 

and Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home

 

and Karin at The Style Sisters.

 

 

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

 

 

 

 

 

Orange United Methodist Church

 

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

 

 

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

 

 

 

Please visit Spiritual Sunday to fill your heart with joy.

 

 

Thank you, dear Charlotte.

 

Please visit Spiritual Sunday to fill your heart with joy.

 

 

Thank you, dear Charlotte.

 

Please visit Spiritual Sunday to fill your heart with joy.

 

 

Thank you, dear Charlotte.

Christmas Home Tour - Day Five and Cousins' Christmas

 

 

 

To simply tell you that I am challenged

 

taking photos of my breakfast room

 

would be grossly understated.

 

The bay window is my friend and enemy.

 

 

So, let's skip that part and move on to the fun.

 

Their were five of us.

 

* My mother - aka Aunt Faye

 

*Me - We can't forget me.

 

*Joyce - My first cousin

 

*Teresa - My first cousin

 

*Wanda - My first cousin once removed, aka Joyce's daughter

 

 

It was my job to set the table.

 

Yep, that is all I had to do.

 

Because the lovely Wanda supplied the food.

 

Yummy chicken salad, pasta salad and potato

 

salad.  Decadent croissants.  Red velvet cupcakes.

 

We laughed and loved.

 

And, we shared experiences which I promised

 

not to tell.

 

 

As you can see, I make limited additions

 

to my breakfast room for Christmas.

 

A big berry wreath in the window.

 

A basket of hand-stitched, by my mother,

 

Chrismas ornaments.

 

A Christmas message on the chalkboard.

 

A gathering of small Christmas trees.

 

But, the most important item is Santa in his sleigh.

Did you notice it?

 

My sweet husband came home one day

 

in the first few years of our marriage,

 

and he was about to bust his buttons.

 

He had a glass blower make that sweet sleigh

 

for me.  We also had two reindeer to go with it,

 

but they met their unfortunate and much

 

mourned demise due to their fragile state.

 

They have been replaced with sturdier stock.

 

 

We both wanted a bowfront cabinet for years.

 

We always looked at them at antique shops

 

and shows.  We would save our dollars,

 

and every time we thought we had enough,

 

the prices had increased.  We finally found

 

and were able to purchase one after about ten years.

 

Do I have to tell you we love it?

 

This piece will never be painted while in our care.

 

It is filled with many, many family treasures

 

and with items I use daily in our home.

 

 

The white ironstone all in a row is a combination

 

of family, vintage and newly found pieces.

 

The print was spotted in an antique shop

 

about twenty-five years ago,

 

and it had to come home with me.

 

Thank you for your visit.

 

Please visit the other days of my

 

Holiday Home Tour.

 

There is more to come.

 

Today I am joining

 

Susan at Between Naps On The Porch for Tablescape Thursday

 

and

 

Kim at  Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

 

and

 

Judy at DIY by Design for Fall Into Fall

 

 

and

 

Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home.

 

 

Christmas Home Tour - Day Four and Saying Grace

 

 

 

This dining room design came about because

 

someone in my home had a dish issue

 

that was in desperate need of accomodation.

 

 

Now, oh so happily stored behind all

 

of those wonderful drawers and doors

 

are dishes, glassware, serveware,

 

flatware, napkins, candles and more.

 

You can read more about all these dishes here.

 

 

The pedestal and pears are the 

 

centerpiece year round.

 

Berries get added for Christmas,

 

and the runners may change seasonally.

 

 

This is the easiest room in my house to decorate,

 

and it is a perfect reflection of me.

 

Those sweet little angels are a treasure to me.

 

My mother purchased them at a dime store

 

about fifty-three years ago.

 

 

The bowl and pitcher belonged to

 

my great-grandmother.

 

Another family treasure.

 

 

My husband and I purchased this server

 

at an antique show many years ago.

 

We had the marble piece made for it

 

when we redecorated the dining room.

 

Can you see those tiny little angels

 

around the tureen on the bottom shelf?

 

My parents got those their first Christmas, 1951.

 

 

I made the ornament wreath several years ago,

 

and it hangs from an oak leaf mirror.

 

 

This is one of my most treasured possessions.

 

I had polio in 1959, and I was confined to bed.

 

One of our neighbors made this for me

 

to have in my bedroom.

 

His nickname was Red,

 

and he and his family were some of

 

the early immigrants to

 

the United States from Cuba.

 

He loved to cook, and to this day,

 

I prepare Spanish Bean Soup from his recipe.

 

My mother purchased the nativity figures from

 

a dime store, and most of them

 

cost less than a quarter.  They are stamped

 

made in Italy.

 

Their is no price for the symbolic and sentimental

 

value to me.

 

 

Thank you so much for visiting

 

my Holiday Home Tour.

 

Please come back again tomorrow.

 

 

Today I am joining

 

Susan at Between Naps On The Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

 

and

 

Cindy at Dwellings for Amaze Me Monday

 

and

 

Kim at  Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

 

and Judy at DIY by Design for Fall Into Fall

 

 

and Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Home Tour - Day Three and Let's Sit A Spell

 

 

 

Let's sit a while in our living room and chat.

 

This room will tell you some things about me

 

which you might not know.

 

Generally, I am a lover of whites,

 

but I love color, too.

 

And, I am a mixer of patterns.

 

When I decorated this room,

 

I chose my four favorite colors,

 

and decided that I wanted to include bits of each.

 

 Soft yellows, navy blues, subtle greens and rose.

 

Let me tell you, that isn't an easy mix

 

to pull off. 

 

 

Plus, our home is decorated with many things

 

which belonged to family.

 

And, I bet you have noticed my mother's

 

Santa collection.

 

The end tables and the plaques and planter

 

hanging over the sofa were purchased

 

by my mother forty-seven years ago

 

in Charleston.  I loved them then,

 

and I still love them.

 

 

I am forever in love with the bright circus

 

toile design I chose for the wingback chairs.

 

I found the oil painting via e-bay,

 

and you can read more about it here.

 

Also, I am not a drapery or curtain person.

 

I like bright light, and I have many of 

 

my windows dressed with European lace swags.

 

 

The portraits you see in the room are

 

me, my son and my grandson.

 

The lamps were a gift to me from my parents

 

forty-two years ago.

 

 

The Santa on this table has three faces.

 

You can turn the face forward to reflect his mood.

 

 

The Santa bust is probably my favorite of all,

 

and you will find books throughout my home.

 

I am a lifelong lover of reading.

 

 

This big Santa was one of my father's

 

last gifts to my mother before he died.

 

He holds a special place in my heart.

 

 

More books and a holly filled silver pitcher.

 

The pitcher was a wedding gift from

 

my grandmother, and the tray was

 

a gift from my husband.

 

 

Now, this Christmas tree pin pillow

 

is one of my treasures.  I have collected

 

these beauties over the years,

 

and I display them at Christmas

 

on this black velvet pillow.

 

Thank you for visiting today.

 

Please come back again tomorrow,

 

and I will share my Christmas dining room.

 

 

Today I am joining

 

Susan at Between Naps On The Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

 

and

 

Cindy at Dwellings for Amaze Me Monday

 

and

 

Kim at  Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

 

and Judy at DIY by Design for Fall Into Fall

 

 

and Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home.

.

 

 

 

Christmas Home Tour - Day Two and Please Come In

 

 

Please come in - and hurry.

 

Because, Baby it's cold outside.

 

 

Let me take your coat and bag.

 

I have a few things in my foyer

 

I would love to show you.

 

Like the antique crock filled with

 

my mother's collection of walking sticks.

 

 

 

And this doorknob cover and ring of bells.

 

The majority of things in our home

 

have family and friend stories

 

that go with them.

 

The mother of one of my mother's dear friends

 

knitted this doorknob cover for me

 

when I was about six years old - late 1950s.

 

I am not sure what he is supposed to be,

 

but I love him none the less.

 

And, the ring of bells were a gift from

 

my Aunt Linnie our first Christmas in this home.

 

That makes them 23 years old.

 

But, the most spectacular thing is Aunt Linnie.

 

She is beautiful and ninety-four years old.

 

 

 

 

I have to tell you about some of

 

the Christmas hangings on our hall tree.

 

This hall tree belonged to my husband's

 

great-grandmother, and you can read

 

more about it here.

 

The red woolly belonged to my son

 

when he was a young boy,

 

the bone and wine colored hats

 

were my mothers.

 

Remember when all the ladies wore hats?

 

The fur collar was my grandmothers,

 

and the red hat and black gloves are mine.

 

 

This little table belongs to my mother,

 

and it is topped with an antique brass spittoon.

 

The little red basket belonged to my grandmother,

 

and my mother stitched all the little Santas.

 

 

I love bows and tassels.  Don't you?

 

 

The stairstep Santas are part of my mother's

 

Santa collection.

 

They guide you on your way upstairs.

 

 

This little tree and the reindeer greet you

 

on our upstairs landing.

 

 

The reindeer made it up the stairs before Santa.

 

 

We have had this antique church pew

 

many years, and it was on the front porch

 

of our home in Fort Lauderdale.

 

That is Elizabeth and Raggedy Ann

 

anchoring one end, and they are each about

 

thirty years old.  They look quite youthful 

 

for their age.  Don't you agree?

 

And, our family wall gallery.

 

Oops, I see a frame that needs straightening.

 

I enjoyed your visit.

 

Please come back again tomorrow,

 

and we will visit in the living room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am joining

 

Susan at Between Naps On The Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

 

and

 

Cindy at Dwellings for Amaze Me Monday

 

and

 

Kim at  Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

 

and Judy at DIY by Design for Fall Into Fall

 

 

and Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home.

.

 

 

 

Christmas Home Tour - Day One and Welcome To Our Home

 

 

Welcome to our home.

 

We are ready for Christmas.

 

 

I am a traditionalist at heart,

 

and it holds true for me at Christmas.

 

I love the reds, greens, golds and whites.

 

 

I will be sharing our holiday home

 

with you over the next few weeks.

 

I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do.

 

 

Here is Beatrice to welcome you.

 

You can read more about Beatrice

 

here and here.

 

 

I am one of those people who become

 

sentimentally attached to things,

 

and I like seeing them year after year.

 

 

I might spruce up or tweak things a bit

 

here and there, but after I get things

 

the way I want them, I keep them that way.

 

 

Just like this Santa and his sleigh.

 

I have had them for over twenty years.

 

This year the packages got "rewrapped".

 

 

We love our front porch.  It is the perfect

 

place to relax and watch the world go by.

 

 

If it isn't too cold, we can sip our

 

hot chocolate and visit for a while.

 

 

Here is something I haven't shared.

 

The parrots are named Bill and Ecie.

 

I give family names to interesting things

 

around our home.  Bill and Ecie were the

 

nicknames of my in-laws.  Their real

 

were Philip and Lillie which I think are

 

such nice names.  I suggested using those

 

names, but my husband insisted on

 

Bill and Ecie.  It just seems right.

 

And, isn't it nice that they are

 

Christmas green and red?

 

I enjoyed your visit.

 

Please come back tomorrow,

 

and we will take a peak inside.

 

 

Today I am joining

 

Susan at Between Naps On The Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

 

and

 

Cindy at Dwellings for Amaze Me Monday

 

and

 

Kim at  Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

 

and Judy at DIY by Design for Fall Into Fall

 

and Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home.

 

 

 

Oh Holy Night

 

 

 

 

 

Yates Baptist Church

 

Durham, North Carolina

 

 

Oh Holy Night

 

 

 

Please visit Spiritual Sunday to fill your heart with joy.

 

 

Thank you, dear Charlotte.

 

Please visit Spiritual Sunday to fill your heart with joy.

 

 

Thank you, dear Charlotte.

 

Please visit Spiritual Sunday to fill your heart with joy.

 

 

Thank you, dear Charlotte.

We Three Kings

 

  

Today Is The Epiphany.

 

 








  

 

 

Please visit Spiritual Sunday to fill your heart with joy.

 

 

Thank you, dear Charlotte.

 

  

Today Is The Epiphany.

 

 








  

 

 

Please visit Spiritual Sunday to fill your heart with joy.

 

 

Thank you, dear Charlotte.

  

Today Is The Epiphany.