It is that TIME OF YEAR once again to say GOOD-BYE……….
HELLO, to THE NEW YEAR hoping for BETTER EVERYTHING!
HEALTH ~ HAPPINESS ~ WORLD PEACE !
Decorating a TREE that I wasNOT so certain would be on the FLOOR due to my NEWEST HOUSEHOLD MEMBER!
MISTER BANKSY!
ONE YEAR come FEBRUARY 14th he has been with LA NONNA!
I snapped this photo for the ESTEEMED HUTTON WILKINSON
As I had just finished reading his LATEST BOOK!
My ORNAMENT reminded me of GASPAR and his sunken ship!
THIS BOOK IS GREAT FOR ALL AGES.
PRE-TEEN TO ADVANCED STYLE!
I let him know I wrote a REVIEW ON AMAZON and look forward to the SEQUELS!
-
Gaspar Brown and The Mystery of The Gasparilla Succession
December 19, 2017
Cooking up a STORM before heading out to the POST OFFICE!
We had low 30’s in the mornings and THAT IS COLD even for NORTHERN CALIFORNIA!
Greeting my little neighbor on CHRISTMAS DAY!
Setting a TABLE fit for DEAR FRIENDS!
Dressing for the Holidays with Beads
that were MADE FOR ME!!!
Can you guess which one?
Sharing a HOLIDAY APPLE with MY TWO APPLES of MY EYES!!!!
My ITALIAN informs me MY HAIR is NOT THIS GREY that it must be the LIGHT!!
I think he may NEED GLASSES…….
Cooking the APRICOT STUFFING from ELLIe’s CHRISTMAS COOKBOOK for the Night of the 24th.
Yes, I got LAZY and did not Chop THAT onion correctly!
However, ALL ended WELL…….REALLY WELL………HER Mother’s SECRET was to use HOTDOGS BUNS for the STUFFING!
YES, THAT’s RIGHT HOTDOG BUNS……….
BRILLIANT!
I still LIKE MY BANGS that MY HAIR DAME didNOT want to CUT!
I told her I needed SOMETHING NEW………..
She gave in and gathered them up and held in front of my NOSE and took ONE CUT!
JUST ONE SNIP!
The BAUBLES are from a STORE I would frequent that has now CLOSED IT’s DOORS!
SHE HAS RETIRED AFTER 30 YEARS!
AN ITALIAN from ARREZO!
I would go to ARREZO for the BIG ANTIQUE SHOW that was held the first weekend of every month!
Way back when WE USE TO LIVE THERE!I recall it took me EXACTLY ONE HOUR from my house to the parking spot!
I collected EX-VOTO.
How many of YOU know what they are?
They were the CHEAPEST item I could find to COLLECT!
I now have a FULL BODY!
AFTER I STARTED COLLECTING these paper thin silver PARTS they started RE-PRODUCING THEM…….JUST NOT THE SAME TO ME!
THE CHRISTMAS TREE PIN IS A VRBA.
They are HARD to come by and BOY OH BOY has the price SKY ROCKETED!
A quick NAP before the FESTIVITIES BEGIN……..on the 24th of DECEMBER!
Note the NEW tableCLOTH with the VILLA and TREE SCAPE……..
I HAD TO HAVE IT even if it COST the earth……….I went back twice before I made the PURCHASE!
Found out at CHECK OUT it has a coating so if RED WINE IS Spilled upon its FIBERS NOTHING WILL PENETRATE!
I’ll LET YOU KNOW HOW THAT TURNS OUT AS RED WINE Is ALWAS DRIPPING AROUND HERE even if I COLLECT the SILVER WINE COASTERS which the bottles REST IN.
I have abandoned THAT COLLECTION as I have NO MORE SPACE to STORE THEM!
PITY!!!!!!
THIS was the FIRST TIME I had seen these TWO SO CLOSE TOGETHER!
They are on the PIGS BED.
Winston the Corgi likes to nap there in the day time.
I assume BANKSY went around him for his REST of the day and I happened to walk by at the RIGHT TIME!
The BLUE BLANKET was hand made by my GRANDMOTHER for me when I was a CHILD.
I use it at NIGHT to cover the TEA CUP PIGGY UP before retiring MYSELF!
THE FAMOUS ITALIAN HUBBY and ME YOUR CONTESSA!
See that little ORANGE SANTA close to the bottom RIGHT?
I made that in 4th grade!Out of egg cartons.
I think I tell YOU READERS that EVERY YEAR!
What makes me SMILE every year when I pull it out is MY living room is ORANGE and I owned the HEN HOUSE for 12 years.
THIS WAS A SIGN MANY YEARS AGO TO ME!I can still remember the table where we made them…….and the teacher bending over to HELP!
Most of our ornaments are CHRISTOPHER RADKO as my MOTHER collected them for us over the years……..ON SALE OF COURSE!
As that was the way she would SHOP!
THAN CAME ERIC CORTINA ORNAMENTS………since he was a FAMILY FRIEND we started COLLECTING THOSE!
The TOPPER of our TREE is HIS CROWN along with a RED ANGEL my GRANDMOTHER sent to me from INDIANA when I was about 7 years old.
THE TABLE ARTISAN………otherwise known as MY FIRST BORN.
AGE 30 NOW!!!!!!!!
DO WE LOOK A LIKE?
That is portrait of my SONS GREAT GRANDMOTHER on my HUSBANDS SIDE over his left shoulder!
MY TWO SONS.
Food Truck SON on the LEFT………..Table Maker on the RIGHT!
The height is way above MY 5’11’ stance!!!!!
They have made us PROUD.
Nicholas and GOOSE share MY MOTHER’s OLD CHAIR for the night of GIFTS!
DO you see THAT PAW on my SON’s leg?
ALWAYS TOUCHING THIS DOG………..A LOVER BOY if there ever was ONE!
THE GOOSEMAN!
Goose went in for surgery on Dec. 26th on his TWO back legs as the ACL’s were both torn.
He remained in the DOGGY HOSPITAL for two nights and came HOME yesterday.
I have NOLLIE his WIFE with me as Goose will have to be still and NO JUMPING!
He will be CRATED for TWO MONTHS……………….wish us ALL LUCK with THAT!
GOOSE is an exceptional DOG.
He has MY HEART.
CHRISTMAS DAY for LUNCH.
CHRISTMAS DAY OUTFIT for cooking and RUNNING!
Velvet slippers came from that OLD WORLD CITY CALLED VENICE about 5 years ago!
Green Velvet legging were purchased in SOUTH AFRICA from a wonderful shop called HOMEWORK!ABout 8 years ago!
Vintage Caftan purchased on INSTAGRAM from a GORGEOUS GAL in NEWPORT BEACH who goes by the name of GREENSUPPLYVINTAGE.
A place I once lived way back…………in the late 1970’s.
I had NO IDEA the CAFTAN and the SLIPPERS MATCHED so well until late into the DAY!
I WILL BE BACK IN 2018 with MORE ADVENTURES DOWN SOUTH and MEMORIES of LIVING ABROAD!
STAY TUNED!
PACK A SMILE EVEN WHEN NO ONE ELSE IS AROUND AS IT WILL BRING MORE ENERGY TO YOUR 2018!
I JUST KNOW SO!
XOXO
134 Comments
Leave your reply.