Christmas time is keeping me busy…

UPDATE: The bid for the Vintage Velvet dress is now up to $100.00!
Thank you bidders… I’ll update at the top of each post every time a new bid comes in until it ends Sunday evening. Then Monday morning, I’ll announce what it sold for and how much money we raised for Marilyn…

In case you have missed it, we are having an auction right here on my blog… for this dress set…

You can read these 2 posts to find out what we are doing it for…

A VERY SPECIAL AUCTION

Then this post was next…

~ Vintage Velvet ~ is ready for bidders

That will catch you up on what’s been happening and what WILL be happening until Sunday evening. You can see the new bids updated at the top of each days post until then.

I do have some information for those of you who asked if they could send a card to Marilyn. I talked with her sister and she said we could mail cards to her and she will take them to Marilyn… Thanks everyone…

Mail them to….

Linda Orme (for Marilyn)
2130 S. Ellis Ct
Lakewood, CO 80228

Today my life had no sewing in it… Oh wait… yes, it did! I had a red sweater that I was wanting to wear to our Staff Christmas Party and I discovered it was coming apart at one of the seams… I changed the thread on my sewing machine quicker than lightning and solved that problem… So does that count for sewing?

I spent the bigger part of the day getting things ready for the Staff Christmas Party Wednesday night. I made a boat load of teriyaki chicken wings (this picture is just one pan of them) and my favorite Carrot Cake. Yes, I have pictures… :o)

My sister, Cindy, gave me this white glass cake stand and this was the first time I had used it…(sorry, my picture is a little crooked!)

This is a slice of the cake I brought home so you could see the inside… it was as yummy as always!

We had enough food to feed ALL of you too! The table looked so pretty… SO did Leann and Keith’s home…

Have you ever heard of Salad on a Stick… it was fun. We had the dressing in a cup that you could just drizzle on your stick and eat it.

We even had the Christmas Yule logs burning in the fireplace… (on TV!)

…and I thought this was cute… Leann had a big picture in her living room that wasn’t fitting in with her Christmas theme, so… She wrapped it! Sitting below it was Rebeca from Brazil and Sayaka from Japan.

When I first walked in the door to help Leann get ready for the evening, I had TOTALLY forgotten she was trying to get her cabinets painted… (WHITE)…and when I saw them I couldn’t stop staring at them… They were beautiful!!! She said they had gotten them done the night before Thanksgiving.

I’ll show you the before pictures first and see if you don’t have your own Ooooo’s and Ahhhh’s like I did. I’m trying really hard not to be jealous, but I’m not sure I’m succeeding… It changed things up in her house DRAMATICALLY and it’s SO pretty now! I’m looking VERY much forward to getting mine done now… Thanks Leann for that little kick in the pants to get things going in MY kitchen!

Here are her beautiful new white cabinets…some with just her Christmas lights on the tops and some with the main lights on… It really changed her kitchen from very dark to wonderfully light! I just can’t over the change… she’s been wanting a White kitchen for quite a few years and she finally got her Christmas gift! Her hubby and sons painted them! (You may remember Keith… he helped put in our cabinets when my hubby had just had his surgery…) What a friend and NOW What a painter! :o)

Well, that was my day and my night… I have no idea what my Thursday holds, but I have company coming on Saturday so I know I’ll be doing some cleaning…

See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

17 thoughts on “Christmas time is keeping me busy…”

  1. Charlotte Trayer

    What a lot to see in your blog tonight, Jeanne!

    First of all, how wonderful that the top bid is already $100! That didn’t take long! And it still has a few more days, too!!

    Your teriyaki chicken wings look SOOOO good!! The wing is my very most favorite part of the chicken!! I am drooling. (Mr. Party Pooper only wants meat that has no bones!) Your carrot cake looks wonderful, too, and so pretty!! Ron’s mom made carrot cake frequently, but always in a 9×12 pan, so it didn’t look nearly as pretty as yours!

    Salad on a Stick is a new one to me! Not sure if I’d like it like that or not–those things (whatever is stuck on them) always seem awkward to eat for me. Maybe I’m just not very graceful with things like that.

    You know, I’ve seen pictures wrapped like that before. It seems there was a restaurant out here that did that, and maybe somewhere else, too, but can’t think of just where. It’s a nice way to decorate your walls, I think, and not a lot of effort or expense, either!

    I love Leann’s white cabinets–they turned out so nice!! Mine are really dark wood (like hers used to be), plus brown appliances, except for our new fridge, which is white. I love a white/light/bright kitchen! (I’m also kind of envying her pantry; my “pantry” is under the stairs in the basement. )

    1. Hi Charlotte,
      I’m so glad you enjoyed todays post…I thought it may have been too much and all over the place…guess not…
      My cake was supposed to have three 8″ layers but I only had 9″ pans so mine was a little bigger and flatter looking, but everyone liked it so it didn’t matter.
      Leann’s cabinets really were so pretty…I can’t wait to do mine now.
      Thanks Charlotte,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. Jeanne, it is beyond me how you manage to come up with such interesting and fun stuff to write about every single day! This is such a fun one today, and I am drooling over the delectable spread of food that looks so tasty, and pretty too! Your carrot cake is just beautiful, and I love how you decorated the bottom on the plate with carrot curls and little leaves! So artistic!
    Oh my, those chicken wings, and all the delightful dishes on the table! Wish I could have been there, but best that I was not, as I am trying to lose a few (really more than a few) pounds! Like Charlotte, I am wondering how you eat those salad on a sticks. How does that work?

    At first I thought that was your tree, and could not believe you got that done so quickly, only to find that it wasn’t yours! Leann’s kitchen looks so much more cheerful and fun to be in than the older darker cabinets. I’m kind of jealous too!

    Oh, that’s wonderful about the bids on the dress! Marilyn will be very pleased! Thank you for giving us an address so we can write and send Marilyn cards. She will love hearing from all of us, as the blog gave her so much enjoyment.

    Well, back to my bombed out house! We are slowly getting things put together and looking like a house decorated for Christmas! Spent yesterday shopping at the most interesting place, called Puzzle Warehouse, and billed as the largest puzzle place in the country. Our grandsons are puzzle freaks and we are going to be putting puzzles together when they come for Christmas. We found some good ones, and best of all, it was NOT in a mall!

    1. Hi Linda,
      All that food WAS delicious and so much fun to display… there truly was something for everyones taste.
      Most people took their salad stick and poured some dressing on it, then used their fork and pushed the salad fixin’s onto their plate.

      Leann’s new white kitchen was just the motivation I needed to get myself in gear and get mine finished. Hers really was beautiful

      You’ll have so much fun doing all those puzzles…I love working on them…
      Thanks Linda,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. Salad on a stick looks like vegetable shish-kabob. We have made shish-kabobs on our grill with veggies and meat. When we eat them everything is pushed off the skewers with a fork onto our plates. I would do the same with raw veggies. All the food looks so pretty as well as yummy! Wondering, where does the staff work?

    Those white cabinets look great! Did they do them or have them done? I have dark cabinets and have thought about painting the doors and drawer fronts. They could all be remover then cleaned, sanded, and painted in the garage. I’d use our paint sprayer for the paint. Doing the wall mounted part gives me pause. That means bringing all that mess into the house.

    Today I will finally be removing all the bomb debris. Then I can make my final decorating tweaks. I have never done a theme but this year our tree is all handmade. That includes all the cute ornaments Son made in grade school. Those are extra special. ♥️🎄🥰

    1. Hi Julia,
      This party was for the staff at the church…the secretaries, the pastors, the book keepers, my hubby…the maintenance guy, and lots of others. There were about 15 -18 there…

      Keith said he sprayed their cabinet doors in the basement… yes, painting cabinets is not for the faint of heart… but I’m really inspired to get back to mine.

      How fun to gave a totally handmade tree this Christmas. I hope it’s wonderful!!
      Blessings, Jeanne

  4. I obviously did not read carefully, as you told us the husband and sons did the painting. Now I’m impressed by the fabulous job they did!

  5. What a wonderful food grouping for the party. Everything looks yummy including your special carrot cake. Great use of carrot curls and green thingys. That cake stand is lovely. What a professional presentation it makes. I believe that I would have to pull the veggies off of the stick and on to a plate to eat them or I’d be dropping pieces and dressing all over the place, but it is a way for everyone to enjoy a single serving and looks great. Fun.
    Love Leann’s decor and the “new” kitchen cabinets look so nice with her countertops. I think I would leave the twinkle lights up above the cabinets all year long. So fun and festive for all occasions. And how wonderful to have a pantry! Love it. Time to get crackin on your cabinets too. 🙂
    Have you decorated yet? Nothing much happening here, except we have just about completed shopping for the grands. 🙂

    1. Hi Joy,
      Most people did push their salad off their sticks to eat it…
      Leann has a wonderful walk in pantry that is probably 20 or 12 feet long with nothing but shelves along the wall and st the end she has a place for her big items like her crockpots, blender, mixer, etc. Is a wonderful space.

      Yes. I AM going to get painting on my cabinets…I’ve been inspired!!! :o)
      No decorating here yet…and I’m not sure I will. I’ve run out of time and it seems like too much to drag it all out. Don’t call me Scrooge…call me Sensible Sally!! I know my limitations!
      Thanks Joy
      Blessings, Jeanne

  6. I totally agree with Linda D. I’m amazed at how you always manage to come up with something interesting to blog about, even when you’re up to your ears in things to do. The food all looks so yummy. Do you have a recipe for the teriyaki wings? Would love to have that. The salad-on-a-stick sounds like a great idea. I think I would remove it from the skewer before I ate it though. That’s so I don’t end up stabbing myself. I love carrot cake and yours looks delicious as well as lovely.

    I was totally amazed at the dark cabinets morphing into white. The paint job was unbelievable. They actually looked like new cabinets. I can’t remember exactly what my cabinet color is called, but I think they’re some kind of medium cherry color. My kitchen is actually so bright that it needs the darker cabinets. I love white cabinets but they would totally wash out in my kitchen. I love the flooring. Very nice.

    What a clever idea to wrap a picture for decoration. Never thought of that.

    Linda D. also mentioned puzzles, my Christmas/birthday (12/26) gift from my son and daughter-in-law the past three years has been a jigsaw puzzle that they glue and frame. Dionne puts huge puzzles together in a flash. I love the Kinkade puzzles. Two years ago they did “I am the Light”, last year it was a beautiful picture of a house and vineyard, and this year it’s an English cottage. I know because I picked that one out and gave it to them to put together. I found it on sale.

    Just starting my Christmas shopping. Skyy wants Legos and Jaiden wants a BAB Anna bear. I got a list from my son the other day of things to choose from for Dionne and himself. Usually things for their kitchen. Last year we got them a Kitchen-aid mixer. They are still over-the-moon. Now they’re asking for attachments for it. They are amazing cooks and bakers so I know whatever we get will be used. Dionne’s birthday is 1/21. She wants a Reborn Baby. I can do that. Finally someone who wants to join me on my doll journey. My daughter and her family just asked for gift cards.

    Thanks for the address to send cards to Marilyn. I know she’ll enjoy each and every one. Finally getting around to changing my wardrobe from summer to winter. That and starting to build my village will make for a busy day.

    1. Hi Barbara,
      The Teryaki sauce I used was by Kikkoman. Make sure you get a THICK sauce by the Hoisen sauce, the sweet and sour sauce, etc…and DON’T get a marinade…those are too runny and you’ll have a hard time getting them to stick to your chicken.
      I baked my wings first for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Then I took one pan out and dipped the wings in a bowl with the sauce, then placing them back on the pan. When I got that pan all finished, I put it back in the oven and took out the other pan and did the same
      I alternated the pans, brushing on the sauce about 3 or 4 times…then I let them dry a bit in the pan before removing them. They’ll stay kind of sticky for a little while.

      You sound like you have a plan for Christmss and se ready to tackle it… good for you! It seems I’m always behind in December. Maybe some day I’ll catch up…
      Thanks Barbars
      Blessings ,Jeanne

  7. WHOO HOO!…so glad the dress and accessories will really ad to the total for Marilyn. That is going to make her thank you party even better!
    I thought I was ahead of the game when the grands came and helped put Christmas out…that was Nov 10 but didn’t turn on the lights till Thanksgiving. Now I realize there are still things to finish up.
    That was a stellar party. The buffet pic could have been in any magazine…how pretty! The carrot cake was beautiful on that cake stand. Love the wrapped pic…going to do that myself today for 2 pictures! Clever ,clever.
    Oh my…those white cabinets are really pretty. Mine are 1948 white metal…Geneva is on the label. I wouldn’t trade them for the world..love white and a swish with Windex and they are clean and shiny. Luckily at an Estate sale we found some more sections and when we re did the kitchen they worked in perfectly. What is really nice is the shelves are like oven racks…and you can see what is on each shelf from the bottom and nothing gets lost in the back corners🙂 which is great when all of a sudden you are 2 inches shorter!
    Fun post today! Have a great day

    1. Hi Kathie,
      Yes, everyone has been wonderfully gracious and I’m so blessed to be a part of this. Marilyn’s caregivers should have a great party or whatever Marilyn decides to bless them with.
      How neat that you found extra cabinets to go with the ones you had… I bet that was a surprise…
      Thank you for all your compliments…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  8. It wonderful that the bid on the dress is already at $100. Marilyn will be so glad. Thank you for the address to send cards to Marilyn. I know she will enjoy getting mail and know she is thought of.
    What a wonderful Christmas party and a lovely spread on food. Salad on a stick looks like fun. I’ll have to remember that for the future
    The white cabinets look lovely. It makes the kitchen so bright and airy.

    1. Thank you Laura,
      Elizabeth is just standing on my cutting table grinning from ear to ear at everyone’s kindness toward Marilyn.
      We had a great time and Leann’s new kitchen was the icing on the cake. Shes waited a long time to get her white kitchen and her daughter says she plans to start cooking in there more…
      Thanks Laura,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  9. Your Cabients are all so very beautiful, it’s it hard to believe these are the same cabinets, I know you are so very proud of them, the room looks so much larger, then all that food you prepared looks so scrumptious, along with alot of hard work, your table looks so inviting. I know everyone enjoyed themselves.

    1. HI Jackie,
      The cabinets actually belong to a friend of mine. She hosted the Christmas party and it was the first time any of us had seen them.
      I’ll tell her you liked them.
      We did have a wonderful time that night…
      Thanks so much,
      Blessings, Jeanne

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