ROSE'S CHRISTMAS HOUSE.....magazine worthy.

Every year my friend Rose has a fabulous 
Christmas luncheon....
Every year I go and every year I say the same thing....
"Rose....your house should be on the cover of a magazine"
You see Rose is the Queen of Christmas....
She is also the most talented artistic person I have ever known...
There isn't anything Rose can't do....
I have posted her home in the past so it can be enjoyed by my
Blog Friends....so many of you have seen what she
does at the holidays....
She kicked it up a notch this year....
It's simply amazing....
So sit back and enjoy just looking at her
Magnificent home.....

Every wreath you see....pillows...monograms....much of the furniture has been re-done...and Most of all... the Santas are all handmade by Rose including all the clothing and the hand painted faces.

And in the course of fairness in the Blog World...
*****All of these photo's are Covered by a copyright, not public domain. so please don't steal them and take credit as them being your own...
This especially goes for decorating magazines....
One of these days a Magazine like Country Living
is going to recognize this house as being cover worthy....
Please Enjoy....

the ultimate
entertainer.
notice the Santa hats
on the back of
the chairs

she hand painted these...

Rose made this using
Vintage Glass balls..

the range hood...

Seaside Santa...
gorgeous....

welcoming hallway

Rose gathers props all year in
her travels
with certain themes in mind

His eyes come to life

How beautiful is he 

Skates...ribbons and greenery
inside a glassless frame

a ribbon and wreath
adorned
sleigh

an old dining room
chandelier
painted white with a new
purpose

a dear head
made from twigs.

another beautiful
vignette

once a screened porch
now a beautiful room
dressed in blue

handmade pillows
everywhere.

rose and her husbands
monogram
chair covers handmade

simple cranberries in
jars...

My favorite...
I threatened to steal this.

a wire basket with
old glass
Christmas ornaments

an old store scale filled
with vintage Christmas
balls...

That is a 12 ft. Tree!

MERRY CHRISTMAS....
HOPE YOU ENJOYED
THE TOUR!

WHEN SOMEONE SPECIAL WALKS IN TO YOUR LIFE...............

A few years back during the holidays I attended a

Christmas party with the Boss' Car Guys and their wives...

There were about 20 people there and I only knew the Host and

Hostess....

I was sitting at the family room table when in walks this 

adorable little "Elf" of a person...

No bigger then 4 foot something and weighing no more then

Every one of us would like to weigh....

She came right over and took a a seat and said...

"Hello my dear and who are you?"....

That was all it took...

A Friendship bloomed the minute she sat...

This is Sandy or Sandra....some call her one thing others call her
the other...
I know Stan... her husband... calls her Sandra in a very stern
voice but being married almost 60 years
His voice just oozes...better yet....Grumbles... of Admiration and Love...
we have been friends now going on 3 years and I wonder
how wonderful it would have been knowing this
women for my other 63 years...

As most of you know from Facebook I had very large
foot re-construction surgery done that began with the first of two surgeries that started seven weeks ago...
She has been here for me every inch every stitch every Percocet and every tear of the way....And
believe me it has not been an easy 7 weeks...
From bringing over food to bringing over her whole
Family with food....to calling almost every day
To make sure I'm Okay....

She knows when it's been a bad day.....
She will call and hear that there are tears rolling on the other
end of the phone just from shear frustration
and like the "Mother" or "Grandmother"
I never had....
she knows how to calm me....

We are so far apart in backgrounds it's not funny....
I am that loud... at times obnoxious... Jersey Girl.....
In my 60's with no real connection to what's left of my
Family.....
She on the other hand is 70ish and is of Jewish Faith and speaks
softly....unless she's trying to get Stan's attention...
Then the voice raises ever so slightly....
Her son happened to work for the Boss 30 years ago
at Home Depot so it was a nice reunion the
day of that Christmas party when Mark showed up and they
recognized each other immediately...
It was one of those
"What are the odds" moments....

During Passover this year she invited us to their Family Ceremony
 Dinner.......
Sophie happened to be with us so she came along and it
was wonderful once again to sit at a Dining Room table
and be a Family...it was such fun....You could feel
the Love these people feel for each other...
And we were chosen to be part of it...

In my 66 years I have never met a person like
Sandra/Sandy....I call her both...
I have been blessed by this chain of events that brought us
Together....
And now to be so under the weather... for lack of a better
description...
To have this adorable tiny person stepping up to
make sure I am being taken care of is something
I will never forget and will always cherish....
Sure we have friends for years and years but length of time
doesn't mean a thing....It's what is in that persons
Heart that seals the deal...
And of course don't get me wrong I love and cherish all my
friends....some I have known over 50 years...
But you know it when you meet that person that has that
something extra...
And then there is Monty....
Monty adores Sandy and just attacks her with kisses
when she comes over...
He's almost her size so he must think it's okay...
....One last thing to describe her....
On one of her visits to see me she showed up in my
kitchen holding something she said would make me smile....
So there she stood with Yoda in arms...
Almost as big as she is....
Did it make me smile....it sure did....
Who would think to take to someone a Giant Sized
Star Wars stuffed up Yoda....holding a Box resembling
The Famous Tiffany's Box....

She thought of it...and that is what sets her
Apart....
Love you Sandy....

FROM OUTDATED.....TO OUTSTANDING. Sue discovers Furniture re-finishing!

For a very long time I have been wanting to paint a piece of furniture... And for just as long the Boss has found some excuse why this
Is not a good idea...
His logic is that if I start it.... at some point he would have to
Get involved.. the man thinks I am totally incompetent with
a Paint Brush...

The real problem starts with sentiment for all things from His Youth......How many of you have parents that have either passed away leaving a house full of "stuff" for you to deal with or worse...
Have parents that have moved to South Florida leaving behind
All things that they think you need to be the "keeper" of...

When the Big Boss died 5 years ago the Boss found it necessary to actually pay a moving company thousands of dollars to
have sentimental "stuff" shipped from Jersey to Georgia...
We have a pretty large basement so when all this "crap" arrived
it went straight downstairs never to be heard from again...
You know the items....The Grandfather clock from the 70's
that no longer works but you know your mother would want you to keep it....
The Budweiser Mug Collection certainly worth keeping if only to be able to make a small fortune selling them on E-Bay....
And let's not forget the 1950's chrome (rusted)
Tufted seat orange Bar Stools
That daughter asked the Big Boss for when she was furnishing her college apartment only to be told....
"I'm not dead yet!!"......
She no longer has any need or desire for Orange Rusted
Bar Stools....But we have them if she ever changes her mind....
And then there was this....

The Boss' solid maple B.R. Dresser...You know the piece of furniture where someone says....
"They just don't make furniture like that anymore"....
I still don't know why it made it to Georgia.... But when there became a need to have a dresser for Miss B's Bedroom
I suggested we use it...

Unfortunately The Boss assumed I was going to use it as is....
I had to explain to him that the dresser....although a fine piece of well made furniture...would not match Miss B's new beachy room that I did for her last year...
click on link to see that masterpiece...
No....I had in mind painting his beloved chest of drawers....

You would think I suggested throwing out on Tuesday nights trash
the Grandfather Clock...Painting this fine piece of solid maple
"They don't make furniture like that any more"
was totally out of the question....

He suggested I go to Ikea....My Happy Place....
and just buy a Chest....But in typical Ikea fashion they are always out of stock on the one piece of furniture your looking for....
Then he suggested another all time favorite the
"Woodstock Furniture Outlet"....
When I announced that I would certainly go look but I would not be paying for it He Happily Agreed to assist me in
painting the dresser....

For years I thought what a difficult task this would be.....
So jealous every time I would see another Blogger show off a newly painted piece....Always thinking....
"Oh I can do that"....
Really....how hard could it be....according to the Boss this was going to be near impossible....But if I insisted.... 

I insisted....and as people who know me.... know I usually end up getting what I want....and he always helps...
So after being shown how to sand it lightly....then add
two coats of primer that went on simply with a roller...
I was on my way to giving myself a new title....

"Furniture Re-Finisher"
The only thing I got miffed about was after I rolled on two coats of primer I heard this from the Boss...
"You know they make that in a spray can"....

And then there was the color....

I Adore Color....
And wouldn't you know on the day I started the project
Country Living landed in my mailbox and what was on the cover....
A bed painted the exact color I wanted for the dresser.....
And the Headline
"The One Gallon Challenge"
So with Magazine in Hand....Over to Home Depot I went and asked them to color match me a gallon of High Gloss Enamel
Paint....
They got it spot on....

So excited that they got the color perfect and with music loudly playing on my I-Pod....I rolled and brushed....
and sang and danced....

And in two short days....counting drying time....
I was finished.... I was so proud...
Then I had to ask for real help....
This is where that "they don't make it like they used to"
comes in....This dresser weighed a ton....and the Boss had to
get it to Miss B's room 18 steps up....

The man is a master furniture mover....
An Italian Teamster from Jersey....
There is nothing the man can't do with a moving blanket and a
Hand Truck....

My only instructions from him...
"Stay out of my Way".....
He made it up with very little cursing....

Expecting to have to go to someplace fancy and expensive for
knobs I was pleasantly surprised to find these porcelain ones
at Hobby Lobby for only $2.00 each...

A Perfect match to all the accessories
 in the room

Perfect!!

Miss B was making an unexpected spring break trip down to us and we promised her a t.v. in her room next time she came
for a visit...
So in the end it was all about pleasing the child....

I knew anything I suggested we do for the B would be fine with the Boss...

She loved it....We filled it with new clothes and every morning
I would find her and Monty (The Dog) sitting in bed watching morning
cartoons....very quietly not to wake up
the grandparents....
She is very considerate like that....

And it's sure to be a guarantee that she will want to
spend a few weeks with us again this summer...
 Now I'm thinking about what I can do to a
1970's non-working
Grandfathers Clock???