IT'S ALL WORTH IT

I couldn't decide if I should just wait until after tomorrow to post, or to put one up now, but decided maybe I'd just go for it now.  My pies are baked and cooling on the counter.  Mom's special lime salad is firming up nicely in the fridge in the dish that was her's that she always served it in, and most everything on my list has a check mark beside it.  What a busy, busy week I have had.  I decided S L O W L Y  working on getting my table just how I want it is definitely the way to go.  The crystal is washed and dried and glistening on the table, as is my beautiful Christmas china.  I went with a little different combination of colors then I usually do ~ or did in the past ~ and I am REALLY liking it.  Mom always put a lace table cloth over whatever color theme she had decided to go with, and I guess I have followed in her ways.  I love the way it looks.  I remember well the day many years ago that I told her I needed a lace tablecloth like hers, and she took me to her favorite store that sold such things and together we picked one out.  I will never put that on my table now without thinking of her and that day.  She is also the one that just insisted that a buy gold chargers telling me I'd never regret it, and she was right, I never have.  Soo I went with a burgundy tablecloth with the lace one over it, green table napkins with burgundy and green striped rings, my matching Christmas glasses, and my old princess house wine glasses.  New to the table are the green napkins, and darling little Christmas bulb place card holders.  I found them a couple of days ago at such a GOOD price at Michael's.  They were almost free, lol.  I have ordered the center piece from the flower shop on the corner and I am looking forward to putting it on the table tomorrow.  I told them to make sure it has PLENTY of evergreen so that the smell will hit you when you walk in the front door.  I do miss that about an artificial tree.  I had to rearrange a few of my decorative things as I had to open up my buffet for it's intended purpose of course, and I usually keep my Jim Shore nativity set on top of it.  Probably my most favorite of all of my decorations, and the most necessary in my opinion, so I had to put it somewhere else which meant I had to move more and more.  By the time I was done I had moved several things, lol.  You know how that goes.  I put several of the things inside of my china cabinet, and I am really liking the way that looks too.   Everything that has come in the mail is wrapped and under the tree, which leaves just 5 presents still to wrap when they finally get here.   I got my nails done yesterday, quite festively, and I an thinking my young grand daughters will love them, and had lunch with my lifetime girlfriend. Which speaking of young grand daughters I just have to tell you what my youngest granddaughter Donatella told her mother this morning.  I guess she was talking to her older sister Capri and asking her what she'd like to be when she grew up.  And Donatellla interrupted her to say, "I know what I want to be Mommy...a sewing girl like my grandma."  Isn't that just adorable?  Made this sewing Grandma's whole day, lol.  I FINALLY drug out my good camera and took some pictures of the table and such ~ even though the center piece isn't on it yet ~ and OH MY GOODNESS what a difference. I had forgotten how better the pictures are than my i-phone.  I will have to make more of an effort in the future.  Anyway, here are some of them....

A PEEK AT THE TABLE   I FORGOT TO MENTION THE RUNNER I PUT DOWN DOWN THE CENTER

ONE OF THE LITTLE BULB PLACE CARD HOLDERS...SOO CUTE

PLACE SETTING...YOU CAN KIND OF SEE MY GOLD RIMMED FLAT WARE TOO IN THIS PICTURE

SOME OF THE BULBS WERE RED...LOVE THE MATCHING GLASSES TOO

DIFFERENT VIEW...THAT CHORD WON'T BE THERE, LOL.  WE ARE TRYING TO FIND A PLACE TO PLUG IT IN AS THE CHINA CABINET LIGHTS UP, BUT IT HAS NEVER BEEN A CONVENIENT PLUG IN AT THIS HOUSE.  

ANOTHER VIEW....LOOKING AT THIS PICTURE, I AM THINKING THAT MAYBE NEXT YEAR I REALLY NEED TO DECORATE THAT PLATE SHELF IN CHRISTMAS DECOR...

CLOSER LOOK AT CHINA CABINET

MY OLD CHRISTMAS TEA SET AND TWO OF MY THOMAS KINKADE SNOWMEN

TOP SHELF....LOOKING AT THIS, I THINK I WILL POLISH THAT SILVER COFFEE SET TONIGHT...IT'S FUNNY, A POLISHING DOESN'T REALLY LAST LONG EVEN IN A CLOSED CHINA CABINET

MY BUFFET WITH DISHES ALL READY TO GO

ONE OF MY NEW TOWELS TO KEEP THE BREAD WARM...

THE JIM SHORE NATIVITY SET...I ACTUALLY REALLY LOVE IT HERE....IT MAY BE IT'S NEW SPOT!

OUR TREE....LOOKING PRETTY PACKED I AM THINKING

TOP OF MY PIANO...I MOVED THE TREE OVER HERE, THINK I LIKE THIS HERE TOO...

FIREPLACE MANTLE

Mom and I shared a definite love of dishes and table settings etc., so this is as much for her as it is for me.  My sisters are bringing some of mom's favorite cookies to enjoy tomorrow too.  When we were kids growing up mom let all 6 of her kids help in the kitchen with the Christmas baking.  Took us 2 or 3 days to get everything made that she did.  Looking back what a chore that must have been for her.  All of us clamoring around underfoot while she attempted to get things done.  But we ALL loved it.  Some of those recipes we made year and year after year and truthfully it just doesn't seem like Christmas without some of them.  I am looking forward to seeing and smelling them all tomorrow, even if I can't taste them anymore. Truthfully, I haven't totally decided that I won't, lol..  I am not going to lie.  I am tired and my knees have been hurting a GREAT deal these last couple of days as I pushed to get things done.  But I don't have a single doubt it was all worth it.  I know mom is celebrating Christmas this year in the best decorated and warmest and most loving place that any of us could ever imagine, but she will be missed here for sure.  Hope you all have a wonderful week-end, and are remembering the reason we celebrate this blessed season...

Love, Debbie