Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Playing with Dishes

I love this season and unpacking my Christmas dishes is always fun!   This year I found a black and white runner at Kirklands to coordinate with my Mud Pie plates in the dining room.   

I decided to make a new centerpiece with things I had on hand.  I purchased the feather trees several years ago and haven't really used them much but I thought they would make a new centerpiece.  I used my dough bowl, added seasonal garlands, ornaments and a black and 

white gingham bow.  It's fun and unique.  

My mother gave me the poinsettia dishes years ago and I chose them to set the table for my son's birthday dinner.

Mom has enjoyed helping me decorate our home for the holidays this year.  Now that she lives here we are not traveling to Florida for the holidays.  I do miss the Florida coast this time of year but it's nice to be home for the holidays and I'm decorating nearly

 every room in the house.

I hope to be finished with decorating and cleaning the house top to bottom this weekend.

Hope you all are enjoying the holidays and decorating your homes.  I love visiting and getting inspiration.

Merry Christmas!

Seasons Change

I can't believe it has been nearly seven months since I've written a blog post!  I certainly didn't mean to be gone for so long, but life happens. 

This past June my mother's health took a turn for the worst and after several repeated hospitalizations and the lack of adequate care in the facility where she was living, we decided to move her from Florida 
to our home in Oklahoma.   Trying to manage and take care of her long distance became almost impossible and 
was very stressful. 

I've been a registered nurse for 25 years and now have the priviledge of taking care of my mom full time.  I have been so pleased to see her health improve these past few months.

The good news is she is now enjoying decorating her room with her favorite blue and white porcelain pieces that she had given to me.   My father's job took them to many foreign countries and their beach home housed a wonderful collection of pieces from their travels.    

When she downsized to an assisted living facility years ago,  she gave me many things and now is able to enjoy them all again.   We did have to leave a lot in storage but hope to make a trip to Florida next year to move her most cherished items.  

Mom has a wonderful and somewhat ecletic style...beach cottage coastal with lots of Asian accents.  Shades of blue are her favorite colors because they remind her of the beautiful beaches and water colors along the Emerald Coast. 

  She and my father lived at their beach home near Destin, Florida for many years and our family has so many wonderful memories there. 

She "supervised and directed" the decorations of her
Christmas tree.  She chose blue, white and silver bulbs with a few beach inspired items in the mix.

  We are enjoying spending the holiday season together.  Shopping, going to lunch and getting her hair done are things she really enjoys.   I'm so very grateful that I have been able to care and spend time with her
 these past 6 months and hope we have many more holiday seasons together.