Holiday Happenings 2024

The year will soon come to a close, and I'd be remiss if I didn't highlight some of our holiday family fun! Photos are limited as I was too busy having fun, but no worries, I have enough to reflect our adventures. 

It wouldn't be the same without the annual sugar cookie extravaganza!  As Iris was prepping the surface for rolling

her sister was busy helping her mom prepare the cheesy potatoes for Christmas Day dinner. 

Rolling was soon underway

and little brother meticulously placed the cookie cutters on the dough.

Within no time the house was filled with heavenly smells, and everyone grabbed some icing and sprinkles to set about decorating. 

except for Mabel who was enjoying the new dog bed that she received as a gift. 

As you can see, the results were perfect!

and delicious as well!

How was that for fun?

Christmas Eve we welcomed Amy and Mabel

and enjoyed our traditional Slovak Christmas Eve dinner after attending evening Mass. 

The food was scrumptious!

On Christmas Day, we headed back to Stacey's for a lovely celebration. 

 It appears that Santa brought make up.

Can you tell?

Grandma G (that's me!) gave them these outfits.  Don't they look fabulous? Well, perhaps I'm a bit biased. 

This gift from my son-in-law certainly confused me and resulted in quite a laugh. 

As I was contemplating just how this would work, I was assured that it was just a box.  The joke was certainly on me!

Dinner began this year with all of us popping Christmas Crackers that Marty and I had picked up when we enjoyed lunch at Best of Britain Tea shop a few weeks ago. There was the thrill of a loud bang

and paper crowns for us all to don.

It really was quite fun.  

Parker impressed us all by reciting grace perfectly before dinner.  I must admit, I felt my hear melt a bit as I watched him intently clasping his tiny hands while he prayed.  A memory that I will surely treasure. 

As always, dinner was scrumptious as Stacey is an excellent cook.  No photos, though.  we were too busy enjoying the meal! 

I brought the Ho Ho cake for dessert.

And I must feature this snowflake brie that Stacey had made as an appetizer.  How beautiful is this?

It apparently takes some time to construct, but the end result was fabulous.  And delicious as well. 

Before moving on, I'd like to share this unique painting that I thought was so clever.

The artist was more than willing to pose for me. 

Perhaps he'll be famous one day!

We headed home the next day, with Mabel tagging along for the ride. 

But she and Amy were with us only overnight before traveling back home. 

Two days later, Marty and I headed their direction for a small Christmas celebration at Jim's house. 

No lacking for entertainment there! 

There might have been some sneaky doggy activity happening.

And this year's Yinzer Fishing gift featured the logo on a new set of hats.  Someone was more than a little bit excited,  I can assure you of that. 

On Sunday, we visited with Mom

and managed to squeeze in some quality time with my high school friend, Tammy. 

She and I always look forward to sharing these special moments when we can make them happen. 

Marty and I treated ourselves to a stay at the Riverside B&B in Bridgewater, which is just a few miles from Mom's house.  Marty loves gazing out at the river from the bedroom, while hearing the trains traveling in the distance. It really is in a peaceful location. 

And, at this time of year, festive decor added to its charm. 

In the morning, Russ, one of the owners, impressed us with his collection of vintage toasters.

As you can see, there was quite an array.  But these don't include the two that were featured in a demonstration from Russ.  They were the oldest toasters in the house, one dating back as early as 1909! We had seen a similar demonstration on one of our previous stays, but this one was even more entertaining! 

Before heading home, we bid fond farewell to Russ and promised we'd make the Riverside our "home away from home" sometime in the near future. 

Not a bad idea, if I say so myself!

Here's wishing all of my followers a Merry Christmas (there are twelve days to celebrate, so we are still in the midst)  and a very Happy New Year!

See you in 2025, and as always, thank you for following along! 

Early December Adventures

 We've been out gallivanting....I just haven't had the time to post our adventures!  But I'm going to attempt to give a quick synopsis of some of our jaunts, although we both know that "quick" generally is not a word that describes my writing style.  But here goes....

We started out at Winterthur which was, once again, a real treat!  To begin with....the place was pretty much empty, which came as a huge surprise since last year we were nearly rubbing elbows with people. 

This year's Yuletide theme focused on Winterthur's legacy of innovation and creativity. Featured artists blended contemporary art with holiday tradition.  But before entering the house, we had to pass the eagle flocked with poinsettias 

as well as the familiar tree decorated with dried flowers that were harvested on the estate. 

Always a real beauty! 

Once through the door, we were treated to this beautifully decorated staircase which featured a quilt based on the Gee's Bend style.

The sitting room featured a tree decorated with silk screen patterns that also enhanced the furniture in the room. 

The "Chinese" parlor, named for the wallpaper that adorns the walls, was filled with a musical theme which showcased a composition written by Ruth du Pont, played on the violin by a local artist.  The score had recently been discovered in the archives. 

Here you see a modern interpretation of decorating with old fashioned greeting cards. 

I found them to be quite enchanting.

This billowy creation was based on inspiration from Winterthur's Butterfly collection, which are considered to be symbols of transformation.

An old fashioned tree was set to look as if children had just been in the room at play.

The dining room table was adorned with a ceramic composition that was several pieces joined together.

And this gem featured toys and games that would have been treasured by the family.

The screen was based on an embroidery from the past, but it was stitched by the artist with glow-in-the-dark thread, something which I didn't realize even existed!

It stood next to the fireplace with this white tree nearby.

This tree represented the organization, Forgotten Cats.  Look closely, and you'll see one or two among the bobbles, which are mostly cat toys. 

And the mantle held stockings to complete the look. 

Finally, this tree featured decorations representing Aesop's fables.

A lot of creativity and imagination went into this as well. 

Moving on, we couldn't miss the gingerbread display, which always smells remarkable.  

The creativity behind the presentation always amazes me. 

We then entered the special collection of transformations made by local artists.  Note the three different "transformations" of the same piece of art. 

A different look depending on which way you stood. 

I found this display to be interesting.  One of the artists blended the old with the new by designing a dress that would have been worn in the 18th century, but sewn with the fabric of the furniture in the display. 

There were many more unique creations, but I said I try to keep this short, remember?

The exit featured a lovely winter scene. 

The gift shop was decorated outside with a very unique peacock.  How clever is that?

After our tour, we headed to Wayne, PA, to enjoy a lovey lunch at Best of Britain. 

The food was delicious, and the waitress was a real character. 

The perfect way to end the day!

Fast forward to the weekend, and there was a trip to Ephrata to see the play, Elf Jr. It was a very entertaining performance. 

then we had the littles for a sleepover.  Always great fun!

On December 13, we headed to Glick's Greenhouse for the last day of their Christmas open house.  Thanks to my friend, Kathy, for the heads up on that!

We've never been here before, but we were certainly quite surprised to see the amount of decor that went into the place.  It was pouring down rain outside, but quite cozy and comfortable inside!

It was certainly interesting to see the variety of poinsettias which not only came in different colors, but also in different shapes! 

Turning the corner, we were quite amused by the clever "wreaths" which were on display down a long walkway. 

And here is the first place winner!

Walking along, we came to what appeared to be a garden of poinsettias set up to reflect the "Night Before Christmas" where the children were sleeping with visions of sugar plums in their heads. 

Note the little ones in bed, snuggled in ,with clouds floating and candies suspended from them.  How cute is that?

Then there were some props which we had fun with.  This "upside down" photo was designed for the picture to be rotated 180 degrees.  

But you probably figured that one out since Marty's hat is still stuck to his head. 

And,finally, a mirror behind the tree shows the reflection of Marty and me, but you'll need sharp eyes to find us! 

The green house was not only free admission, but they offered us free popcorn at the entrance, and a complimentary hot dog with sauerkraut near the end!  (I think we might have had two lunches that day).

It was great fun, and once again, I thank my friend, Kathy, for posting her visit on facebook.  We would never have known what fun we were missing!

And so, I'm all caught up! 

And here's wishing you a Merry Christmas!  

Until next time...