Need a good laugh?

If you want to see a light hearted funny movie this holiday season go to see Four Christmases with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.

This movie is really silly in parts and hilarious in others. One thing about it...it will make you appreciate your own family! LOL
Thanks for stopping by!

Unusual Pink Decorations

Beverly at How Sweet the Sound is hosting Pink Saturday. Please visit her and look at all the pink inspiration in blogging land!

This week I want to show you the flamingo tree at Merrehope- Meridian's only antebellum home. Merrehope is a project of the Meridian Restoration Foundation which is supported by several groups that are part of the Federated Women's Clubs.

During Christmas this home and a Victorian home on the same property are decorated for the Trees of Christmas tour which last from the week of Thanksgiving though the first of the year. This project is our biggest fund raising activity. The two homes feature 40 displays including trees and mantels this year to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Trees of Christmas. This flamingo tree is in the main living room of Merrehope.

Here's the mantel....A little bear wearing flamingo sunglasses......
And a tablescape set with flamingo dishes!

I am a member of one of the women's clubs, but did not help decorate the tree our club did since I have not been able to go to the meetings. I did help decorate two others-one for Alpha Delta Kappa, my teacher sorority, and one for the MSU Riley Center, where I often volunteer! I'll show those trees in a later post.

Thanks for stopping by!
Diane

Connor and my red and white decorations

Deborah at Pictures Pots and Pens is hosting Family Fotos today. Please visit her for a list of bloggers posting favorite photos!

This week I would like to share some pictures of Connor on his second Christmas-and our first Christmas at our new home. These were made in 2003. I have always liked traditional red, green and white decorations. I've always like lots of berries too!

Connor has always been a active little boy! These two snapshots of him checking out the garland on the stairs are some of my very favorite photos of him.
Cooper is exactly the age now that Connor was when these photos were made. I can't wait to see his face when he sees the house decorated for Christmas!
This year I'm going to change things up just a bit and add a little something different to my decorations, so check back with me. Hopefully today I will be working on the tree!

Thanks for stopping by!

Getting Started!

One of my favorite kids authors is Jack Prelutsky. You can read more of his poems at www.jackprelutsky.com

I Ate Too Much Turkey

by Jack Prelutsky

I ate too much turkey,
I ate too much corn,
I ate too much pudding and pie,
I'm stuffed up with muffins
and much too much stuffin',
I'm probably going to die.

I piled up my plate
and I ate and I ate,
but I wish I had known when to stop,
for I'm so crammed with yams,
sauces, gravies, and jams
that my buttons are starting to pop.

I'm full of tomatoes
and french fried potatoes,
my stomach is swollen and sore,
but there's still some dessert,
so I guess it won't hurt
if I eat just a little bit more.

What about you? Did you eat too much turkey? I didn't, but maybe ate too much other stuff!

Now, I am busy getting in boxes from the garage....So can you guess what I'm going to be doing???? One of the hardest parts is getting started! But once I dive in, I usually enjoy decorating my home for the holidays.

My new header, made with Smilebox, features pictures from last year. Cooper has really really changed, but I think Connor looks the same!

Hope you all had a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping by!

Happy Thanksgiving to You!

Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday!

Trash to Treasure: A new use for an old treasure!

Welcome to Trash to Treasure on Tuesday. If you have something that is a treasure to you that someone else didn't want, add your name and the link to your post to Mr. Linky at the bottom. I look forward to visiting you!

Do any of you remember this Southern Living at Home basket that I bought for $4.00? I used it for most of the fall for an arrangement on my kitchen counter. You can look at that here if you want to. The basket is no longer available, but retailed for about $40.00.
I didn't go to yard sales this week since it was so cold, so for this post I 'shopped' my garage sale stash from past weeks and found this birdhouse and 2 little clay pots..........

And using my plants from the screened porch and two clay pots I already had, I put my Southern Living treasure to another use as a plant holder next to the garden tub. Now I feel like I'm really in a garden while taking a bath. This room is pretty cool, and has a large window, so the plants will get plenty of light in there.
Total spent was $5.00 and it dresses up the area around the tub. Now if I can just keep these plants alive through the winter! LOL Any hints on growing houseplants inside would be appreciated!

Thanks for stopping by and looking at this week's Trash to Treasure!

Blue at Sea World

Sally at Smiling Sally hosts Blue Monday each week. Love the color blue? Visit her to add lots of beautiful blue to your Monday!

These pictures are of our last day in Orlando, Florida. After going to my uncle's home for a brunch, we decided to visit Sea World. One of the best shows we saw in Orlando was the Believe show at Sea World. Make sure you look at the schedule if you are going there and get to this show! It is late in the day, and the only one done each day.

The orca whales are beautiful and amazing-and apparently very smart!
Connor loved the show, but was just as happy sticking his hands into this fountain!
And after a long day, Cooper was all smiles when we stopped for a picture by this bubble blowing octopus!

Thanks for stopping by. Please come by tomorrow for Trash to Treasure. I'll have Mr. Linky up hopefully tonight.

Pink and Nature

The color pink is abundant in nature-as in this foliage plant at Sea World in Orlando, Florida.
And in this beautiful stone called pink Chalcedony..
And the rosy glow on my grandbaby's face on the beach during a sunset!

I waited til the last minute this week to do my Pink Saturday post, and it seemed that I couldn't come up with any pink photographs that I liked well enough to write about. I knew I had to come up with something because our hostess is going to be busy with a shower and I didn't want to ask her to remove my name from the list!


Then, I found this picture of the pink gem on the internet, and it occurred to me that pink is a color found so abundantly in nature! The color pink has added lots of beauty to our world...wouldn't you agree??

Hope everyone has a wonderful pink Saturday! Please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for other pink posts.

Thanks for stopping by!

Easy Christmas Photo Craft

I love my Christmas pictures from past years, and am always looking for different ways to display them.

Here's an idea that I found in a new Christmas idea magazine. To make these 'photo' candles, you need cylinder candles (these two both have come from garage sales), Vellum paper (plain white paper works too) and
Favorite digital Christmas pictures......
Use a photo editing program to crop the pictures to a size that will fit the candle. I think close ups are more effective. I used Picasa 3 and edited the photos to sepia tone. I printed one of them as a 5 by 7 and also an 8 by 10 to see which fit better.

Trim the pictures to fit the cylinders, wrap around the outside, and secure on back with clear tape. Place a votive inside and when the candle is lit, the photograph will glow!
Here are two that I made. It is hard to get a picture that shows the true effect with or without the flash.

I think this will be more effective in a grouping-I plan to continue to look for cylinder shaped containers so I can add to the collection. The one on the right already has a candle poured in it, so only the top half glows.
Before printing on the Vellum paper, try it on regular paper since the Vellum is more expensive.

I can see lots of possibilities with this project! You could use square glass holders and place a photo on each side. Also, wouldn't this be a great idea to display pictures for for a wedding, birthday or anniversary celebration?

Email me if you want to try this, and have any questions. I hope I made the directions clear.

For more Show and Tell Friday posts, visit Kelli at There's No Place Like Home.

And for more Friday Holiday Linky Fun visit Melissa at The Inspired Room.

Thanks for the visit!

Southern Living Thermometer

It has been unseasonably cold here in Mississippi. I stepped out the front door yesterday and the temperature on the thermometer was a chilly 27 degrees! That's cold folks for here in November!

A while back I told you I would show you my Southern Living new products a little at a time. This thermometer was one of the products I bought for 1/2 price! We really enjoy it-it is right outside the front door, and easy to check.
I had to stop a minute and snap these pictures of the ducks on the lake. It made me so thankful for my warm home! We have lots to be grateful for don't we? I wonder if they were prepared for the cold morning?
There are lots of other Thankful Thursday posts on Rhondi's blog at Rose Colored Glasses.
Hope you have a wonderful day, and I'm hoping it warms up a little here.

Holiday Green Beans: WFMW

One of my favorite things to do this time of the year it to thumb through my Christmas magazines for ideas while sitting near the fire (okay the gas logs. LOL)
I usually keep my copies of Southern Living and Mississippi magazine for a few years. While looking through them, I usually find a recipe or two to try, and get some great decorating ideas.

I know all of you have seen the commercial from years past where the guests all show up at their destination all bringing the green bean casserole! We have had it with our holiday meals lots of times in the past.

Here is a different way to serve green beans that our family really enjoyed that I tried last year. It is from the Dec. 2007 Mississippi Magazine.
I don't have pictures because I wasn't blogging last year when I made it.

Simply Great Green Beans


6 (14 .5 oz.) cans whole green beans

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup Hormel real crumbled bacon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Drain green beans, and pour into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Set aside. Melt butter, and stir in brown sugar. Pour butter and sugar mixture over green beans. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
Yield: 10-12 servings.

I usually mix them up the night before and refrigerate. They are so easy to make and very tasty!
For more Works for Me Wednesday posts, visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer

Trash to Treasure: Look what 50 Cents bought!

Welcome to Trash to Treasure on Tuesday! I have always had a weakness for lamps, and couldn't pass up this one I found for only 50 cents this past weekend at a yard sale! It didn't have a lamp shade-so I guess that's why it was so cheap! It is iron with a turquoise and glazed finish.
Here's an up close picture that shows the details of the base.
And here it is with the lamp shade that I added. Later I may try to do something more fancy with the lampshade but for now this will do. The lamp will fit in beautifully with my screened porch furnishings, but for now I'm using it in my laundry room.
I love finding a treasure that doesn't need anything much done to it. The lamp would look great painted, but in my case the turquoise is a great color!

Please add your link (old treasures are fine too) so we can see your Trash to Treasure finds!

Laughing Cow Cheese: Product Review

Have you tried Laughing Cow cheese? These little triangular cheese wedges come 8 to a package and are spreadable. The 'light' variety has only 35 calories per wedge. I use one for a low calorie snack with some Ritz Toasted Chips.

Laughing Cow cheese makes a great substitute for mayonnaise too! Just spread on a whole wheat bun and top with ham or roast beef, pop in the microwave for a few seconds, and you have a warm sandwich for not too many calories. For more information on Laughing Cow and other products, click here.

For more product reviews, visit Debra at The Bunnies' Bungalow.

For more Homemaker on Monday's visit 11th Heaven's Homemaker Haven.

Please join me tomorrow for Trash to Treasure to see my newest 50 cent treasure!
Thanks for stopping by!

Book Tag and Awards

Dawn at Dawn's Daybreak has tagged me to do a book tag listing 7 unimportant book facts about myself.

Here they are:
1. One of my favorite kid's Christmas books is "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

2. I'm currently reading "Because of Winn Dixie" to my first grade students.

3. Through the years, I've read "Charlotte's Web" more times than I care to count-but still love it!

4. Currently I'm reading "Twlight." I just had to see what all the fuss is about!

5. I love reading a book and then seeing the movie.

6. I enjoy books by Jodi Picoult.

7. I have LOTS of unread books here at my house!

I would like to pass this book tag on to:

Janie at Southern Lagniappe
Kelli at Sassy Southern Mom
Vikki at Magnolia Memories
Dot at Picket's Place
Debra at the Bunnies Bungalow
Angel at Keeping up with John and Angel
Pat at Mille Fiori Favoriti
**************************************************************************

I have been a terrible blogging friend lately and have some awards that I haven't acknowledged.

The first is from Tardevil at Confessions of a 40 Something Mama Queen.


Next is the Marie Antoniette award from Pat at Mille Fiori Favoritii

And finally from Beth at Aunties with Advice!
Thanks ladies SO much-each and every one of them is so appreciated!

If you haven't visited these blogs, please click on the link and stop by. They are all wonderful blogging friends!

I hope when I finish working this semester that I'll be more prompt in acknowledging awards and be able to pass some on too!