My other doggie pillows came today. Are they not adorable?
And I got these needlepoint pillows for $8.99 each.
Since we have all the Christmas decorations put away.................
I may need to rearrange the furniture in the living room to show off my new dogs. I usually do that in January because the house seems so bare with all the decorations gone.
Now these guys aren't so lonesome.
Thanks for reading,
Gretchen
I found these pillows on sale right before Christmas and of course I had to have them. They are needlepoint and were discounted a lot.
He is so cute.
I would like to have a real dog like this but it isn't happening.
So, here are all my dogs together and..................OK, I found three more that are different that should arrive soon.
I guess I've got a collection now. It's kind of fun to search these out and look at them. I think it is very British to have dog pillows but what do I know. I only study British decorating, I've never been there.
Thanks for reading,
Gretchen
These were two of my Christmas gifts. First you will notice the sign on the tree and next the new copper bird bath.
Chris and Elizabeth had my yard certified as a wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation and I have a sign to prove it. Isn't that a great gift?
We have a lot of trees and the only thing we were lacking was water. I have a concrete bird bath but I can't keep water in it in the wintertime or it will crack.
Mr. Bird Nest got me this beautiful copper bird bath to cover the water requirement. Almost as soon as I got it out of the box, the pieces and screw holding it together broke off. No problem. Hud found new parts and Rick welded them on.
I can see it from my kitchen window and I know I will be checking on it all day long.
The scroll work on the bottom is just beautiful.
I added a few little clear pebbles to see if the birds like them.
I have a great family!
Happy New Year!!!
Thanks for reading,
Gretchen
We've been talking about getting a new dishwasher for a couple of months and after doing our research decided on a stainless steel KitchenAid. We didn't buy it at a big box store, but at the appliance store where we got our refrigerator (the freezer is on the bottom) and stove (it has a regular oven, convection oven and a warming drawer). We didn't buy the the most expensive KitchenAid but it wasn't the cheapest either. Our previous KitchenAid was 17 years old, so it served a long time. Mr. Bird Nest ordered it on December 23. Keep this date in mind for later in the blog.
Mr. Bird Nest picked up the new dishwasher yesterday (he wanted to install it himself). It looks like we had to deconstruct the kitchen for the install. I love this part.
His trusty assistant Nicholas was here to help since Noelle (DIL & Pediatric Nurse) and Rick were both working. I don't think he was awake at the beginning of the installation.
Nicholas was the tool assistant and helped enough to get paid for his work. I hope he's not unionized or knows the minimum wage yet. $4.00 wouldn't have cut it. He hates us to pay him but it was worth it to me. That way I didn't have to help.
You can see what a big help I was. I just want to push the button and have it work.
Mr. Bird Nest loves to crawl down on the floor when a project calls for that. NOT!!! At least he can still get up when he gets down on the floor. I'd need a fork-lift.
I love it!!!!! I love the long handle. I can wash my Grandmother's china in it. Quiet?????? We couldn't even tell it was running. Now the TV in the kitchen won't have to be turned to high volume to hear it.
It uses 1/4 less power than the old one.
I'm a happy little camper.
AND THEN A MINI-DISASTER STRUCK!!!
Remember when Mr. Bird Nest ordered the new dishwasher on December 23. Well, I was up late doing laundry to have everything neat and tidy for Christmas Eve and our guests that were coming. About 11:00 p.m. the dryer quit and knocked out the breaker to it. I unplugged it and knew that wasn't a good sign.
My handy husband looked it over first thing in the morning, ordered a part on Christmas Eve and we thought it would be fixed. The $20.00 part came on Monday and apparently the motor was burned up. He couldn't tell that until he tried that little part.
So, it was off to the big box store for a dryer that will hopefully last longer than 6 years. Why don't they just make these disposable?
Thankfully, I have a great handy hubby who can install all this stuff or we would have most likely spent another $500 on delivery and installation.
Mr. Bird Nest even turned the door in the opposite direction from the way it arrived so it would be easier to open and load laundry. It has a light inside too that we didn't have before. It takes so little to make me happy. Mr. Bird Nest would laugh at that line.
Thanks for reading,
Gretchen
Santa brought Lauren this incredible kitchen. I was at their house today to play with it. It's all built out of wood and it's super sturdy but most of all really cute. She's got all kinds of pots & pans and dishes. It even has a timer. Her Daddy and Mr. Bird Nest spent last Sunday afternoon putting it all together.
I got her the tea kettle and toaster along with the cutest tea tray. It has two cups with spoons and saucers, wooden tea bags and sugar cubes.
She made me a grilled cheese and a hamburger too.
Doesn't it just look adorable? She even has wall art courtesy of her mother.
Thanks for reading,
Gretchen
I ordered these great books from Amazon before Christmas as a little gift to myself. There's nothing I like better than organization.
My DVD collection probably consisted of 250 movies and storing them was a nightmare. I got rid of all the cases, sorted the movies by Comedy, Drama, Action, Westerns, etc. Now they easily fit on a book shelf in the library.
Each book holds 60 DVD's and, of course, I alphabetized them.
I'm even willing to date myself by showing you the movies I grew up on.
I've got an appointment the end of January to meet with an orthopedic surgeon about my knee replacement and I'll be all ready to movie watch and recuperate.
I hope you are having a wonderful holiday.
Thanks for reading,
Gretchen
