Happy New Year and Wedding, Part 1

First off, I want to say Happy New year! Hope the new year brings health and happiness to everyone!

This is my word for 2011.
Simplify.

I am going to make an effort to be happy with what I have, use what I have, organize myself a little more and enjoy the simple things that make me happy!

So, in the middle of Christmas celebrations we had a wedding to prepare for! Our middle daughter, Cassie and her fiance Chris, flew from Anchorage, Alaska to spend the Christmas holiday with us and to get married on the day after Christmas. These photos are from rehearsal on December 23rd.

Cassie chose The Historic Ballroom http://www.historicballroom.com/ in our town as the venue for her wedding. It is a beautiful old building that used to house the Elk's Lodge in town. Now it holds parties, weddings, and concerts.

This is the marble staircase leading up to the ballroom where Cassie and Chris got married.

Here is how Sara, the owner, dressed up the chairs. I love the bows.

This is the stage where Cassie and Chris got married.

Hannah and her niece, Lilly.

Hannah and her nephew, Jackson. Jackson was the ring-bearer. He was very tired. Rehearsals were late and he didn't have a nap. He was not a happy camper. I let him use my purse camera to take photos during rehearsals and he calmed right down.

Here is what Grandma Donnelly looks like in the eyes of a budding 3-year-old photographer. I love it!

Here is Rick walking Cassie down the aisle.

Here is the run-through. Our choice for Pastor, Jenn Miller, is a friend of ours. She did an amazing job!

That is about all for the rehearsal photos.

Have a great day!

Donnelly

Christmas, Part 3

This year, we celebrated Christmas twice. The first time was at my mom and dad's and the second was at our house. We had to celebrate early as our son, Brady and his wife Kylie, were traveling to Seattle to spend the holidays with her family. Our first celebration was on December 17th.

Our younger children have always spent Christmas Eve watching the "Christmas Story" marathon on TBS. This year, Hannah told us about the "leg lamps" that Hastings carried. Perfect gift for Brady, you can tell by the look on Kylie's face that we had fed an obsession.

This is Hannah's best friend and roommate, Amy. We got Amy "Despicable Me", her favorite movie. Notice the hula hoop behind Amy? Kylie makes these for the classes that she teaches at the YMCA. They are weighted to give a maximum impact when you use it to exercise. This year, Amy, Hannah and our grand-daughter, Sophie got them.

Brady loves little ones. The tutu that Lilly has on was made by Kylie. I love handmade gifts. I got 3 wonderful handmade jar lanterns for my front porch. I can't wait to hang them up in the Spring.

Hannah got a hand-drawn Zombie Stormtrooper from Brady. Brady is a Starwars fanatic! Hannah shares the same obsession with Starwars that her big brother does. Hannah is also obsessed with Zombies. She LOVED her gift. Brady is studying to be a tatoo artist. Right now he is apprenticing with a well-known tatoo artist in Boise. He is actually selling his art while he is waiting to complete his apprenticeship. Hannah was so excited!

Kylie and Brady got Jackson a pirate cork gun. He has so much fun with it! He giggled and giggled, while he was shooting all of us with it. Definately his favorite gift!

Here is our daughter-in-law, Becky, with Lilly and Jackson.

Here is my mom with Lilly. My mom LOVES babies! Babies LOVE my mom. Many times since Thanksgiving my mom has been called the baby-hog. She just can't help herself.

Here is my dad with Lilly. Lilly was loving my dad. She was cooing at him and smiling at him. My dad has MS and is a bit shaky and usually refuses to hold babies, but he was so happy to hold her!

I got spoiled for Christmas. Rick said with Christmas and our upcoming wedding, we couldn't buy each other a present. Well, he didn't follow his own rule! I got a Nikon D-60 SLR! I have wanted a digital SLR forever. I love it!

Have a great day!

Donnelly

Christmas continued

Next up on my catch-up blogging is my Christmas Decorations. First up is my tinsel tree. I have had this one for about 8 years. It stands about 3 1/2 - 4 feet tall.

At one of our local thrift stores 2 days before Christmas, Rick found it's best friend - the color wheel. It was marked $30.00. That close to Christmas, I wasn't sure it was something we could pick up. However, the thrift store was discounting all Christmas Items 50%! So it hopped in my cart and came home with us.

I love the base, it is coated in big sparkly glitter.

Next are some of the decorations in my kitchen.

My vintage Santa mugs and vases

These little snowmen came with Rick when we got married. They have been a part of my Christmas decorating for the last 20 years.

And some of my snowmen with my miniature vintage tinsel tree

My milk glass compote with some vintage ornaments in it.
Next are my vintage angel carolers. They are in my bathroom window. They make me smile.

And Santa's hat on my coat rack in my craft room

Have a great day!

Donnelly

My Christmas Tree

I was absolutely sure that I would have posted photos of my tree by now. But then Christmas and preparations for my middle daughter's wedding got in the way. Cassie got married the day after Christmas. Now that I am off for the next week, I am going to try to get in a post a day to get caught up with everything I have to share. So I will start with my tree.

So here it is before the decorations. Notice the way it leans to the side and to the back? When you get them in the mountains, they are not always perfect. That is just the way I like them. Lots of open space and lots of challenges-a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Here are the ornaments that I chose this year. Not all of them made it on, but most of them did.
This is just a few of what I have. I have tubs and tubs and tubs full of vintage ornaments. Rick and I spend a lot of time at the thrift stores and I just can't leave a vintage ornament behind. This season, I bought 5 boxes alone!

Here it is decorated. This year, I have 2 spinners that also move the ornament up and down. I also have 7 spinners that just spin. It is really fun to sit and watch, especially when it is completely dark outside. Next set of photos are some of my favorites.

I have fallen in love with these! They were made in Japan before WWII. I have two with trees, one with a snowman and one with a bird.

This one was made during WWII. The glass is bubbly is really pretty in the light.

This one was made during WWII also. It has a paper hanger. They came with paper hangers because the army needed all metal for the war effort.

This clip-on cockatiel came from a friend of my moms. She came from Germany as a young bride. She bought this for her first Christmas tree! She gave it to me, along with some pristine 50's Shiney Brights, when she found out that I collected vintage ornaments. I have had them almost 7 years now.

This is my most treasured. It was my great-grandma Stuhlberg's. She brought it from Germany when her family emigrated here in the 1920's. She gave it to my dad when he was a little boy. It was on our Christmas trees as a child. My dad gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago.

Have a great day!

Donnelly