Death of my Blog

Well folks, I guess it's time for me to say farewell to my blog. It seems there is a glitch somewhere between my computer and the blog program. I have doe all I can and I am still unable to upload my pictures onto my blog.

If by some miracle it corrects itself I will resume my one sided with my blog followers! Have a wonderful holiday season and I hope to reconnect soon.

Blessings, Anita

A Blessed Day ....

Today was a day I felt so blessed and loved. I woke to sunny skies, mild temperatures and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! This is a tradition I have each year. I usually begin my holiday decorating while watching the parade followed by Jingle All the Way. Since I decorated my home early this year I was able to curl up on the couch with my dog and watch the parade uninterrupted! It looked so COLD in New York City burrrrr. Once the parade ended I was busy getting my turkey in the oven and prepping the fixens! 

My family was here for dinner along with my good buddy Tanya. We ate to much, drank to much and laughed. They all went shopping after dessert looking for some great deals ... I was just to pooped to fight the crowds and stand in long lines. I had great intentions of posting pictures along with this post but for some reason the site won't let me ... maybe tomorrow!
We hope you and yours had a blessed day as well no matter where you are/were. Enjoy and be Thankful for the blessings we have been given.

Christmas Inspiration

I had the most pleasant surprise this afternoon. I have been eager to see the new movie "The Christmas Candle" and my daughter and her fiance' were sweet enough to join me. So there we were sitting in the theater with 3 other people. I am a sucker for 19th century period movies especially set in England. To my pleasure this was exactly the setting for the Christmas Candle. As the movie began and the introductory credits rolled I was surprised to see Max Lucado was the writer. He has written several stories that I adore and each has a christian undertone. 

The Christmas Candle is a wonderful story of faith, miracles, and love set in the quaint village of Candlebury, England. This is an absolute must see movie. Load up your family and head to your local theater, it will touch your heart like no other Christmas story. Bring tissues, it's that good. Perhaps more then 6 people will fill your theaters!

 

Let's Go for a Walk!

After hours of decorating, re-decorating, tweaking and cleaning I think the inside of my home ... minus the tree is ready for Christmas and the grandchildren! I also received an email late last night that my husbands son is flying in from the east coast tomorrow morning for a few days so I got everything put back in order just in the nick of time!!

Walk with me and I'll share with you what I have been up to.

I have an attraction to large rusty bells! I found this beauty at Tai Pan Trading this year and I just love it! Nestled with a twig of pine and a cross stitch Santa made by my dear friend Eileen. I have it sitting right in front of the sofa where I sit most of the time!! This way I can look at them both A LOT!

The very tip top of my Hoosier. I only added one of my small Christmas quilts and some festive greenery to add a touch of holiday cheer!

 

My kitchen island ...

Another look, and no Santa does not have a black eye! It's a berry that jumped in the pic!

Yep, that is my ceiling! I even decorated on top of the refrigerator. The peppermint sticks were a gift from my pal Paula last Christmas and I love them! They look so perfect in the shaker container.

Making a circle we are in the dining room. My trencher is filled with pine sprigs, a woodland Santa, and a lot of sugar free candy canes.

 

Another one of my Christmas obsessions is pictures of my family and friends sitting with Santa Claus ...

On the left are my two children in Santa's Village sitting on Santa's lap. My son was not a happy camper .. To the left is my son all grown up with his own tiny son and Santa. My deceased mom is pictured in both of the other prints. In one she is just cracking up about something! Every time I see it I smile, she loved the holidays and her family so much.

The entry way with a three foot Santa greeting our guests.

"The bench" as I refer to this area of the house ... is decked out.

And Mr. Claus in the other corner with his faithful horse Rudolph! Oh, wait, Rudolph was a reindeer wasn't he. No wonder Mr. Claus never leaves ....

Have a blessed evening!

What a difference a week makes!

I have been a busy beaver this past week. After returning home from a weeks vacation I jumped in and got busy getting busy!

Bright and early Monday morning I was ready to teach a craft class on the 12 Days of Christmas. This is one time consuming project but everyone always loves making the 12 Tags of Christmas!

This is a very messy, supply intensive project! Those hands belong to Rita! She is about half way through the class and by then it was time for lunch!

I served vegetable soup, salad and olive bread with cranberry sparkling cider.

Each of the ladies received a Autumn friendship sign that I used to corral their napkins.

 By 3:00 pm the projects were complete, the dishes were done and this is what they created ...

This picture doesn't do it justice, it's several layer of inking, sponging and coloring to get a worn and loved look!

 A few days later my friend Penny and I headed to Hobby Lobby to shop for the "innards" for a door box the two of us gave Rita for her birthday. We celebrated a few weeks early as she will be traveling on her actual birthday. Here is the finished door box.

This beautiful door box was made by the same gal that did mine, she is Stacie the co-owner of Stacie's Primitives. She and her hubby create some really lovely prims.

This is a closer look of the little nest I tucked inside. We gave the box to Rita this past Monday, she loved it!

 My next project for this week is the transformation of my home from the fall decor to Christmas! Yes, it's a bit early but Thanksgiving is coming a week late and my grandkids will be in town this weekend and I want our home to be festive for their visit! It takes me longer and longer as the years roll by to get my home "just right." I started yesterday, worked about five hours on it today and have a few more hours to do before it's complete. I don't plan on putting up our tree until we have our new window coverings installed in early December. I have taken a few snaps of today's vignette's to share.

Family room mantle ...

My Arnett Santa sitting next to my antique sled on the hearth ... the skates belonged to my paternal grandfather many, many moons ago!!

Another Arnett Santa perched on top of my mantle. These gentle souls have such expressive faces.

And me, yep that little girl with the Pippy Longstocking braids is yours truly. The Santa mug was a gift to me as a baby and the two little plastic reindeer belonged to my parents and was used to decorate my childhood home. When my mom was tossing them out I snatched them up. Looking at that picture I am reminded that age has really taken it's toll on that happy little face!

 

Farewell to the Island ....

Our week on Catalina Island passed so quickly. About the time I finally settle in and get things working right it's time to pack it all up and head back to the main land. My final post will be a farewell to the many sites and experiences we had.

The Pirates Lair is the name the Kidd Family gave their cottage many, many years ago. It is quite common for the locals to give names to their homes. This oar hangs proudly in the front of their home.

This photograph hangs inside the house to remind the family of their old home before they remodeled! Dee's father bought this little cottage when it was still a "camp tent." It had one bedroom, one bath a tiny kitchen and living room.

  

And the house today. In 2002 they remodeled the beach cottage into a two story, three bedroom, three bathroom home with a guest house in the back. I don't know who these chuckle heads are blocking the view!

This is the living room ....

and the kitchen! Behind the cabinets is the staircase to the bedrooms.

We made a new friend in town, his name is Jaco, a French Bulldog who works at the toy store. He was adorable!

Clarissa Ave, a quaint cottage lined street nestled in the hills. Flying the American flag is very popular on the island and I loved it!!!

Tiffany snuggled up on our way to dinner for a Buffalo Burger ...

Almost all of the shops on Crescent Ave. have the local made Catalina Pottery tiles adorning their store fronts. This is two separate shops, the one on the left was originally the bank and the decor is very ornate for the era. It now is the home of CC Gallagher's. A perfect spot for morning latte's and pastries and and evening glass of wine.

A close up of two lion heads sitting atop the tiles ...

A couple more shops, the right side are very old tiles from the 40's and are still a vibrant shade of blue. The shop to the left has a newer facade complete with flying fish, also local inhabitants of the ocean!

Saturday morning we were dock side waiting for our Catalina Express to take us home.

Once we got under way we zipped past a barge. These huge vessels are how the locals receive their groceries, building supplies etc ... It takes several hours for the barge to make it's way across the 26 miles.

Arriving into the Los Angeles harbor we pass the dome that once housed Howard Hughes Spruce Goose Airplane along side the Queen Mary.

She is one enormous Ship! During WWII England commissioned her as a war ship. She was repainted battle ship gray and fondly dubbed the "Gray Lady." Currently the Princess Diana" exhibit is on display inside the great lady of the sea.

Betsy and Joe are both happy to be home. Betsy learned to ride on the scooter with her papa Joe, sail on a boat, cruise the island hillsides in a golf cart and share a taxi with the island locals. She was so happy to get in her own car and her own bed!

Thanks for joining me on my trip. Sometime soon Betsy has shared she is eager to share the vacation from her point of view .... this should be very interesting!

Catalina and WWII

I intended to write this last night to co-inside with Veterans Day but somehow the evening got away from me so here I am!

By the time our country was in the era of the Roaring 20's the tiny island of Catalina was in full swing with tourists. The Banning Bros. had developed a steam ship cruise line that was making daily trips keeping the island hoping with visitors. Time passed, the village of Avalon grew and prospered until December 7th when the Japanese drop their bombs on Pearl Harbor. Suddenly life as it was stopped on the island. The US government stopped all steam ship trips and basically took control of the island. Troops were quickly brought to the island to provide protection to the Pacific Coast from any anticipated Japanese invasions.

South of Avalon, along the coast a Quonset Hut city quickly developed to house the men. Today those huts still remain and serve as private residences.

This is the one remaining street of Quonset huts. It was fun to see the creativity of a woman's touch given to these "homes." Blue shutters and a small door cover was added to the one pictured, some had full porches and awnings, patio's and picture windows! It was fun to see the creativity given to these small homes.

 

 My friend Dee shared stories about what the island was like during the war years. She was a teen at that time and remembered how the island residents cared for the service men and the casino would be open on the weekends to serve as a place for them to have some much needed "R & R."

Shortly after the war ended the island quickly resumed to it's resort status. The steam ships set sail, the vacationers came back and the economy flourished.

 

Thank You to our Legacy of Veterans ....

My dear friend Paula posted this on Facebook ....

The beginning of America's story.

A Colonial Army reenactment in Olde Sturbridge Village .... preparing for the Revolution

Let's Visit the Island ....

For such a small town Avalon has a huge history and a lot to offer. What I have always loved about Catalina is it's diversity. There are so many things to see and do for all ages. Join me as I share with you an adults view.

On Wednesday Tiffany, Joe, Betsy and I rented a golf cart for a three hour tour! Yep, I was the driver and the guide so jump in the back seat and I show you some of the sights!

 First stop Mt Ada. 

 This beautiful manor house was built in the early 1920's by William Wrigley Jr. For his wife. It sits atop Mt. Ada, named after his grand-daughter who had quite a "cowgirl" reputation on the island. It has been said Ada, an accomplished horse woman had ridden every corner of the island and was very instrumental in the conservation of the islands natural resources. She passed in 2010 still an island resident. Today the mansion is a Bed and Breakfast open to the public. Many weddings and receptions are also held in this beautiful vintage home.

The steps leading up to Mt. Ada

The historic Casino is directly across Avalon Bay from Mt Ada. Built in 1926 at the expense of Mr. Wrigley this soon became home to the Big Bands like Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Glen Miller. The upper floor housed a 180 degree grand ballroom! The lower level is an ornate Movie theater. In it's hay day many films were previewed here to the stars appearing in the films.

A ground level shot of the casino ....

  

A view from the casino across the bay - The Wrigley mansion sits atop Mt. Ada on the far left. Follow the white wall to the right and you will see another home in the direct center. This was the Wrigley's guest home. It's also HUGE!

As I mentioned in my previous post we visited the cemetery to visit my deceased friends. Many of the older graves are  above ground. At one time the under ground water levels were so high they couldn't dig too deep.  Notice the ones in the back row ... this family plot has dirt in the center to allow flowers to be planted. I have never seen anything like this before! Many graves dated back to the late 1800's!

Do you remember Zane Grey books! I sure do, he wrote several western novels and a few were turned into films and yes ... one was even filmed on the island. Zane Grey loved the island so much he built this beautiful Spanish style home high on a hill across from the Wrigley's Mt. Ada. Many years after his death his home was converted into a hotel and remains so to this day.

The back side of the Grey Pueblo ...

 

 

 

Just a few feet away from the Grey Hotel is St. Catherine's Bell Tower. This Spanish styled tower chimes every 15 minutes and can be heard throughout the city. Featured on the bell tower roof are some of the tiles created on the island at the pottery factory.

I stole this picture from Tiffany's Facebook page! I wanted to share with you the picture of us starting our golf cart adventure! The other picture is another shot of the cemetery, aren't those gates beautiful?

After our tour we went home for a much needed nap. You know golf cart driving on narrow winding roads can be exhausting. After nap time was over we headed over to Luau Larry's for a Buffalo Burger and Buffalo Milk ... oh yum, this is a Luau Larry specialty!

Cheers Tiff!

Tomorrow I will share the history of WWII and the island of Catalina.