Cheery

This little matrishka doll always makes me smile. I got her at the Goodwill and never bothered to look inside for the the other dolls. When I got home, I realized I only had one additional head. Oh well I love her anyway!!

Wishing you a cheery kind of day!

New Pages full of Christmas Magic

I've finished a few more pages for our Christmas Magic Planner. This page is for gift giving week. During this week, you'll finish you're on-line shopping, finish making gift lists, and plan Thanksgiving Dinner among many other things.

Isn't this vintage image wonderful I love that Santa's in flight on his way to deliver "the goods."

This page tells you have to prepare for all of your holiday cooking and baking. Including a mini-freezer check list to make busy December evenings much easier.

I used a few more vintage images and some brown rub-on's to complete the look.

For this page I choose a great Christmas paper "Believe" as my base, incorporated a mini sheet music of "O Come All Ye Faithful," and hand stamped a Christmas Tree image on a sage green card stock. I hand wrote the list of to-do's for this week: more card writing, gift making, and celebrating Thanksgiving. We also cut down our tree the day after Thanksgiving and start decorating!

And my final page for this post is the CELEBRATE week. Now, even though I may seem as if I am completely organized and nothing has to be done last minute, that is certainly not the case. I plan, plan, plan, but life gets in the way and I am always doing things at the wire. And that makes me love the magic even more. The hustle and the bustle of all the festivities...I love to soak it all in!

Enjoy you day!
Leann

Pink Fresh from the Farm

This past Sunday promised to be an absolutely beautiful day. So DH and I planned a junking adventure. We got up at 5:30 am and were leaving WaWa with our coffee's by 6:15. We went to Renninger's Flea Market in Adamstown. The place was overcome with vendors all offering so many wonderful things. The very first stand that we came to was produce and flowers. My favorite flowers - gladiolus!!



Well, I halted right in front of that stand and bought them immediately. I of course bought the pink ones so that I could share them with all of you!



Now DH had the look "How will they stay fresh until this afternoon?". So in a preemptive strike I asked the women to wrap them in newsprint soaked in water so that they would stay fresh until I got home - HA!


They are becoming more beautiful every day as each new bud opens to show the beauty within.

She had the stand set-up perfectly, using vintage items to display her wares. The corn was in a huge old basket, the tomatoes in an old crate and the flowers were in wooden half barrels. I bought some sweet summer fresh tasting tomatoes and carrots. They all looked so wonderful and tasted even better.

I also found a box of vintage cards and envelopes from the early 30's through the 50's, perfect from scrapbooking.


Some of the cards were handmade by Amish students in the 1930's.


The sentiments are so sweet and the drawings are too cute!


What really cracked me up was the way the envelopes were addressed, there weren't any street addresses.

And can you read the cost of the stamp 2cents! Some even say 1.5 cents. I can't wait to use these!!! Don't forget to visit Kelli for Show and Tell on Friday and Beverly's on Saturday for Pink Saturday.

Enjoy your weekend my friends and thanks for stopping by!

Thanks

Within the past week something wonderful has happened! Eight more wonderful people became followers of The Old Parsonage!!



I am so humbled that my circle of blogging friends is growing by leaps and bounds. You all mean so much to me, I treasure each and every comment and love to visit with all of you. If you become a follower, please leave me a comment, so that I can visit you right back and become your follower.

What's a Christmas in July Post without something Christmassy?

Every year, I make a few homemade food gifts for friends and neighbors. This easy to make mustard looks great packaged in small mason jars topped with festive fabric and bows. I gave it with small treat bags filled with mini-pretzels and that were tied with matching fabric.

1c Colemans' dry mustard
1c white vinegar

Mix the above and let sit overnight. Put in a saucepan and add the following.

1 c sugar
2 eggs

Boil 2 mins. Stirring minimally, the more you stir the hotter/spicier it gets:)

I'd love to know if you have any other ideas for food gifts.

Enjoy your day!

You would even say it Glows

That's how it all started for me, blogging that is. I came across a web site Organized Christmas, which was heavenly. I was all about my 2 favorite things - organizing and Christmas! From there I found Magical Holiday Home. This wonderful website has forums and tips on organizing for all the holidays. Ginger is the moderator and she encouraged me to start my own Christmas blog. It took some time for me to take the plunge, but I finally did it. I didn't realize how addicting it could be.

At first I had 3 separate blogs all talking about different seasons, holidays, traditions, etc, but then I realized that I could talk about everything within one blog. My original blog was called "You would even say it glows," because I was part of a Rudolph Day blog ring.


Anyway, while at a flea market in Adamstown on Sunday, I found the perfect little addition to my Santa Mug Collection.


Isn't he adorable? I just love him! He was nestled deep within a stand and DH actually spotted him. Now I know that he's not Santa, but I'm sure that he'll fit in just fine.


He's Lefton's and numbered, so I'm thinking that he was a pretty good deal for $6. Not sure, but I would have probably paid up to $10 for him. Does anyone know anything about Lefton's?

Back to my Magical Holiday Home story. Have you clicked on the link yet? Did you see who's being featured on July 17th? Me! Me! Me! I can hardly believe it! I was googling The Old Parsonage and came across a link to Magical Holiday Home that was about me!!! In my wildest dreams, I never would have imagined it. I'm just so full of happiness and gratitude. Thank you so much Ginger!

Enjoy your day everyone!

Sunday Christmas in July

I reflect a lot on Sunday's and this Sunday is no different. I love Christmas for so many things... the decorations,

the traditions,



the holiday baking,

time spent with family and friends,

and gift giving.

I've been feeling very nostalgic lately and missing my grandmothers a lot. They would come and spend Christmases with us (both were widows at fairly young ages). It was wonderful to have them there to bake the traditional family cookies, go to church with, and just be there on Christmas Eve and Christmas mornings. Our sons were fortunate enough to know and love my Gram, she died in 2002. My Nan (Dad's Mum) died in 1992 and although the boys were born, they don't remember her. So, here I sit remembering 2 great women who were such inspirations to me.

Enjoy your day!

A Pink Show and Tell

This oil painting hangs in our living room. Can you see the beautiful pink gown that the woman is wearing? A friend of mine was moving and asked if I wanted it. Who wouldn't want it?


The colors and details are wonderful in this close-up.

While my parents were at the beach last week, I took care of their Himalayan cat Sue-lea, the plants and the mail. Of course my Mum had to bring me back a lovely tea pot to thank me. She is so sweet and the thoughtful, the best Mum anyone could ask for. Although I told her before they left not to buy me anything.

What makes this even more dear to my heart is the my Dad picked it out. He said it had to be this one because it just looked like me!

Be sure to stop by Kelli's on Friday for more Show and Tell fun and Beverly's on Saturday for Pink Saturday or maybe you have something fun to share too!

Oh and just in case your visiting for a little more Christmas in July...I wanted to share another one of our traditions...

Every year on Christmas Eve Santa hides a pickle ornament on the tree. The first person to find the ornament gets 1 extra present. It's usually a fancy candy or special treat, something small that won't cause hard feelings between siblings. Does anyone else do this German tradition?

Thanks for visiting, I would love to hear from you!

Yummy Christmas Tradition and a New Blog

Every year I make a Pineapple Cake for Christmas Eve that is so easy, moist and delicious. I thought that you might like to try the recipe for Christmas in July

Pineapple Cake

• 2c flour
• 2 eggs
• 2c sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 large can crushed pineapple (undrained)

Mix with a wooden spoon. Bake in a 9 x 13 greased pan at 325 for 45min (but I would check it after 30min) - I use a Christmas Tree Shaped Pan:)

Icing

• 8oz cream cheese
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1c 10x sugar
• 1tsp vanilla

Beat well and frost cake. I decorate with green sugar sprinkled on the top, maraschino cherries, silver dragees, to give the look of a real Christmas tree.

Did you see that adorable airstream birdhouse photo? It was created by a very talented artist and dear friend Mike Hale.


They have a new blog Mike Hale & Co, and would love a visit from you. Mike is very versatile. From bird houses and whirly-gigs to found object and abstract paintings, you never know what he'll create next. But, I do know that you'll just love it. If you are looking for a unique Christmas, birthday or a just because gift leave them a comment or send an e-mail.

Enjoy your day!

Wishes

Lest anyone think that I'm totally Christmas Crazy, I do enjoy summer and all that it brings.


Aren't these sunflowers gorgeous. I got them from a nearby farm stand for $6. Wishing you warm sunshine and summer fun!

Magical Christmas Memories

I've finished 2 more pages of my Christmas Magic Planner...


This page helps with organizing, making lists, etc.



A few close-ups...again, I've inked the edges to give the piece a vintage look and used vintage images (these babies are adorable).

I used a lot of Stampin' Up papers, ribbons and rub-ons for this page too.

The next page is a reality check list...

This page was so much fun to create! I used a red flocked diamond paper for the background.


Some embellishments from Cosmo Cricket...

Don't you just love the Old St. Nick image?


These little fellows stand guard year-round on a window sill in our dining room.


Th old photo above is from the Worlds Fair in the early 1900's. Both sets of my great-grandparents went together.

And, last but not least, this is a photo of the boys from 1989. We posed them in their radio flyer wagon in front of the tree. Can you see that Bryan is wearing Elf Pajamas? Ahhh Magical Christmas Memories...

Christmas Magic in July

Like any keeper of Christmas, I have Christmas Magic Notebook.
Last year the notebook had a more whimsical feel to it, but as you know that's not really my style. So I'm revamping the individual pages - plus it gives me something to create!

The Cover Page is the Countdown.

I used an original vintage postcard for the image.

Page 1 shows a calendar that begins in late October and ends the first week of December. This page was so fun to create...vintage images, buttons, tulle, chipboard, rub-ons, just a lot of this, that and love.


The weeks are categorized to help you get ready for Christmas. I'll post the individual pages as I finish them. There are lists that correspond for each week.


Week 1 is Organization. This is always fun for me as I am a list maker and I get joy from the check marks that show a job completed - what a surprise:)


Week 2 is Reality Check.


Week 3 is Gifts and Giving and week 4 is Cooking and Baking.

Week 5 is Decorate and Tree Time. And, it just so happens that my wonderful DH just bought me a beautiful new tree topper to go with my collection. He's so sweet!

Oh my where will I put another topper?! Enjoy your day!