Silent Night

Go ahead, take a tour! You can search individual rooms by clicking on the labels list in the sidebar on the right.

Please check out my other blogs at:
Thyme for Herbs
An Herbal Bedfellow
Tickling the Ivories

Christmas at Happenstance House

This is the scene out my back door today. The weather man says it will continue to snow through at least Dec 20th. What an early start we've had on the winter weather! Some years we don't see snow until Christmas Eve.



My Christmas quilt is at the front door entrance. It's a Bethlehem Star. I hand piece and hand quilt. This was a fun quilt to do. It's about 15 years old and is carefully packed away each year.




This little guy greets visitors at the back door. Isn't he cute? A Walgreen's special last year!




The dining room table. My father made the sleigh. There's nothing like a photo to show up the wrinkles in the tablecloth, is there?



The snowman is another favorite of ours. He's an oversized, handblown, glass ornament. We got this at Cracker Barrel a few years ago, 50 percent off. My favorite way to shop. Have you ever shopped at Cracker Barrel at Christmas time? It's an awesome place for gifts!




A view into the dining room. The greens have white lights woven in so at night everything sparkles.



A look into the foyer. The sofa has to stick into the doorway but with a large family gathering or party we need the sitting space and really can't move it out.





We're pretty traditional with the tree decorations. We especially like hand-blown glass ornaments. I don't follow trends and fashion, or do a Victorian tree. I've kept a journal with a list of ornaments that goes back to 1966. I can tell you who gave me what for over 40 years.



This little girl was an anniversary gift years ago. She waves her candle as she welcomes you into our home.



I've been trying to cut back on the decorations and clutter at Christmastime. I like a clean, classy look, but my husband likes whimsical. He brought home this dog last year and proudly hung him on the banister after I had spent hours with the greens and lights. The dog sings carols, while his cheeks flash and his mouth moves. Tacky, but what can you do? Of course, my grandson loves him.

Next we will get a peek into the attic, so stick around.

If you're new to this blog and wish to see the individual rooms, click on the labels list in the sidebar on the right.


Please check out my other blogs at:
Thyme for Herbs
An Herbal Bedfellow
Tickling the Ivories

Kitchen

It's finally time to show you the kitchen. I held off for a while because we were in the middle of painting cupboards and as you can see in the first picture, we are now working on the ceiling but had to stop to get ready for all of the Christmas activity. Whew, so much going on!





I love this shelf above the window. Although it is a dust catcher, I had kitchen antiques up there. Many have been taken down and sold. I just kept a few favorites.

One of the best things about this kitchen is the cupboard and counter space. There's plenty of room for all of my dishes -- and I have a lot. I like to have different place settings for different holidays and seasons.


We put these shelves in so I could grow African violets which I had done in a previous home. But it just wasn't the right window. So I started to keep my dried herbs in jars on the shelves and it worked very well. They are so easy to reach when I am cooking, and they look pretty, too.


The island is topped with thick knotty pine boards, then covered in polyurethane. A previous owner built this and I have truly loved it. It's one of the first things women admire when they come into the kitchen. The beadboard is around the island and also on the lower half of all the walls.


This is the view out my back yard. Another look into my garden. I can watch the birds and squirrels while I cook and bake.


There's no explanation needed here. It's my cookbook shelves, holding all of the recipes I use for An Herbal Bedfellow.


Another small collection next to the refrigerator. I actually use most of them, but not the pig. Any guesses what it is? It's a cast iron headcheese mold. Now, that's kind of disgusting to me (head cheese is a sausage or jellied loaf made from the meat of the head of the hog or calf) but he was so cute I couldn't resist.


Just some more knickknacks on the baker's rack. There's no end to them. How will I ever get rid of it all?


And cupboards and more shelves above the stove.

This room was the original master bedroom when the house was first built. It was converted to a kitchen in the '40s when doctor number three moved in. It has seen many families come and go with loads of children begging snacks from Mom. There has been a lot of activity around the island while preparing Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas cookies, birthday cakes, and special dinners. I like to think of all the happiness there has been in this room, including my own.

Next time I think we'll see the living room in it's Christmas garb, so please come again. It was nice to see you!



Please check out my other blogs at:
Thyme for Herbs
An Herbal Bedfellow
Tickling the Ivories