Must have been a ball living with all that going on! Neighbor did ceramics for years, passed stuff on to DD. She did beautiful work!! I never did it, too costly & couldn't be breathing all that stuff. I'll keep an eye out for a purple & white tree. Sounds pretty cool to me. One year out here some tree lot was spraying real ones pink, turquoise & maybe another color. I think it was about time pink princess phones were in. Really enjoyed your story!! Thanks! Jan

Wow Jeanne! I love these pictures of your tree...its Magnificent with the blue lights and all the Lovely Angels. I mentioned in another post to you how I enjoy seeing Mr & Mrs Claus....as a Holiday Tradition here! Love their 'Group of Friends' too. TFS jane

Punk, I would LOVE to adopt you for another daughter. LOL. Things would get done around here fast then, plus you said you love to cook. livvyandbella, I have around a dozen life-size Whippet-Greyhound statues. One near the front door is so realistic, it often stops strangers in their tracks when they come in. LOL. The one by the twig tree was an old concrete piece from eBay that I made look like a bronze. Jane, I may sound like a 'dynamo' but if you saw me limping around and trying to decorate, you'd laugh. My legs and back make me move like I'm 99 yrs old now. Luvs, if I regret letting Alissa or Suzie take something, I'll just go get it back. LOL. My daughter came over this evening and took a LOT, Suz will be here tomorrow and hope she does the same. Then I'll STILL have too much stuff!! LOL. Jeanne, I'm so sorry you and DH are sick. Sending lots of good thoughts for you both feeling better soon. The turkey plates are packed away and Christmas ones on counter now. After the holidays, my rooster plates go back there. Betty, after making that purple wreath last year, I was NOT going to dismantle all my work, so I just hung it as is in the coat closet! It won't change, ever. LOL. That was my first attempt at making a big wreath, and may be my last the way I'm going. Especially as I've become an outstanding procrastinator. It seems that my "calendar" contains EIGHT days in a week. Cause I'm always planning to do something Someday! I really appreciate all the wonderful comments. It means a lot to me. My DH never says a word about anything, knowing him he doesn't even see most of it. LOL. Mr Oblivious is alive and well...and usually on the golf course! My dad just loves it tho. And my DD also thought things looked good so far. I got quite a bit more done today, tho a lot of that was still sorting things out. I just discovered a small box of cardinals in the garage bin, and two more boxes of ornaments. Dang, I think this stuff is out there multiplying! hugs, Karen

Now, that really does look super nice, open and airy ! I'm just getting back into houseplants, had over seventy when I was a teenager! Currently, have a few hoyas, a 'Chelsea' and a sport or reversion of it that produces new leaves of a stunning red / purple that later turn green. Agave 'kissho Kan' and 'Desert Diamond', both of these I really like and am surprised with how quickly they develop. Have several hibiscus of the 'Hawaiian Punch' series, they're compact growers having individual blooms that last a good four to five days each! Got some cuttings going of a columnar ficus benjamina that grows thick and full and without leaf drop under the low light condtions of a local professional building. Couldnt resist snagging those cuttings, cause those specimens there are so superior to the common ficus benjamina that's always shedding its foliage!