"All I Want For Christmas is a Computer Geek"

Seriously, that's all I want...We don't trade gifts anyway. My husband (and I've become the same way) despises the "crass commercialism" (read - people stampeding and killing people in Walmart last year), the buying of gifts that people don't really want/need/end up regifting..etc.
Myself, I wouldn't mind a little something under the tree, and he did give me two bottles of perfume last year. Anyway, I told him I want one thing - a Computer Geek to come to the house, and fix all the problems I've created over the years...can't wait! I am sick of all the "gliches". Spent most of the morning trying to figure out why "Program is not responding" is haunting me...sheesh. Okay, I'm done complaining (almost). You have been introduced to this guy before - "Raisenette Funicello Buttafuco (add Badcat)"...He looks innocent enough, doesn't he? Don't be fooled...he's a pain, but I do love him. If I do not clean his box daily - with bleach - fresh litter - no scooping allowed - he gets even. Now, I do clean his box daily, but felt terrible yesterday, and just "scooped"...He's got me trained now (I just finished the empty, bleach, wash, dry, clean litter routine). Ain't life grand?

This is "Gussie Plushbottem Goodcat"; she never causes problems, sleeps on the corner of my bed allnight (no screaming at three am like some other cat we know), and other than the occasional hairball, she's perfect. Okay, she's a raving paranoid, who after 13 years, finally lets my husband pet her (for a bit), and if someone besides us is in the house, you won't see her for days. She's my cat - period.

This fellow hangs over my bed. When I can't sleep, I count him over-and-over, which is what I did last night. But wait, this is supposed to be a "design blog", isn't it? Okay...see below.

I have finished the living room holiday decorating, and also, most of the kitchen. I have found that if I leave a vignette on the kitchen table (which is black), I find suspicious white kitty paw prints on it. So, nothing there....I do out of habit, wash down the table every morning, paw prints or no. Anyway, I've moved into my bedroom.

This is a marble-topped table, upon which I've placed the swans, and all my silver (well, most of my silver-framed photographs).

The cloche holds my Grandaughter, Hannah's "Oz Shoes" and my husband's Peter Rabbit. When Hannah was born (in Kansas), I bought the shoes and give them to her; I asked for them back when she outgrew them, and I will give them back to her when she's grown (maybe).

Aunt Lily's silver and crystal swan salt cellars are quite happy perched on my mirror jewelry box, along with photos of my family. (they are out of reach of certain cats we know).

I started this wreath yesterday, intending to put it in my Mother-in-Law's guest bedroom, but found that there was no way to hide the cord based on where the outlets were, and besides, I love it in my bedroom, so she'll get a wreath that isn't lit. I used decorations of Christmas' past; the birds, white ribbon, silver ribbon, etc., I bought white lights with white wire, which is often difficult to find, but I actually found it at the local supermarket. I had a straw wreath form, and wrapped it in fiberfill, and then cut some white velvet into strips. There was a fabric store in Wisconsin that was going out of business, and of course, I had to buy an entire bolt of white velvet. I'm down to three, white-velvet table cloths (now, two and a half). I wrapped the strips around the form, tucking the fiberfill in as I went.

Next, the white lights, then, white, sheer ribbon. I had covered the white lights, and they shone through nicely, but I was concerned about safety issues, and took my scissors, and cut slits, releasing the little lights.

The birds are hot-glued on...then, I had the silver beading, and glued it from beak-to-beak. I was hoping not to use hot glue, as then, I could dismantle the wreath when I tired of it (being the Gemini I am, I tire of things fairly quickly). The silver ribbon hides the cord, which drops behind the table.

My husband's only comment was, "You sure like to make wreaths, don't you?". I do...in fact, I have one left to make...That will make four in the house...That's not all that many..really. If I feel better today, I will make some velvet fruit. Otherwise, I am in my nightgown and robe, with a woobie pulled up to my chin, lying on the sofa, watching reruns of "The Real Housewives of Whatever"..those women just can't be for real...like from another Universe...but, perhaps I'm just jealous of their bodys???