My Quirky Little Pink Tree~It's Me!

I've never been known to be a real conservative person or one to follow along with trends and fads just for the sake of following. I tend to be a bit free-spirited and while I can be professional and traditional when need be, I am somewhat of an individual, not only marching to the beat of my own drum at times, but usually dragging the entire percussion section with me! Me and my own parade. Crazy? Not really. I think it's just that both sides of my brain work harmoniously. I can analyze something and paint a cow purple. I'm not left-brained or right-brained. What would that make me, dual-brained? LOL! Maybe it comes from being a Gemini. Two people, one uses the right side and one uses the left. No, I'm not schizophrenic, just different. Kind of like Einstein meets Lucille Ball or something, but not that smart and not that snappy a dresser LOL! I do have the Einstein hair in the morning though!

Anyway, all of this was actually leading somewhere. It was to explain my affection and attraction to my unconventional pink Christmas tree. I spotted it right before Christmas last year at Michaels and it gave me the best case of the giggles! I thought about it, walked away, came back, walked away again and then, I just couldn't get it out of my mind and it was making me smile so much, that the next time I went over to where it was, it was mine! It's a little tree, only 3.5 feet tall and kind of skinny and perfect! It really appeals to the quirky side of me!

I didn't have time to set it up last year so it made its debut a few weeks ago. I got all kinds of suggestions as to where I should put it and what I should decorate it with, but I already had all of that in mind and went about with my own plan. Sometimes you just have to do that; take something on as your own and not let others tell you what to do with it. Don't I sound rebellious? I don't mean to really. It's just been a long year of taking care of a lot of people and a lot of things and I was ready for something of my own, something that was "me".

 

I set my little cutie up in the corner of the dining room on top of a little table that I draped with a burgundy velvet drapery panel I bought at a yard sale. Then, I adorned it with a sweet sea shell angel ornament and beautiful hand-made ornaments I purchased last year from aJoy2beHeld . She has the most creative, original and sweet ornaments! I also hung clear opalescent stars, three tiny glittered birds, a larger glittery lavender bird near the top, an ornament I made from a print out of Old Saint Nick, a French print I received in a give away from Villabarnes and a hand-stamped muslin ribbon garland I made by alternating Fleur de lis and my Noel rubber stamps. I love how it turned out! The tree was pre-lit with white lights so she was all set! The finishing touch was a beautiful silver star that my daughter found for me. After all the decorating was completed, I placed my two little light-up pink roofed houses from Target and my fantastic crown I purchased from Katie's Rose Cottage Designs during the summer on the table. Later on, the little houses would become part of the table centerpiece which I still have to post about. I stepped back to admire my work and, well, I was tickled pink!

 

 

 

Here's the beauty that you don't see. We all have things in our lives, responsibilities, that we have to take ownership of. That's just the way life is. We don't always get the authority to say exactly how they turn out, but they are still our responsibility to handle, no matter what. I'm a giver. I give and give and give some more and I don't mind, until I become exhausted and have to finally "just say no". Then, I feel guilty. Ridiculous? Yes! Can I help myself? No! I push on. I accommodate. I step aside. I GIVE. I have had to really think about this lately and have come to the conclusion that, while I won't change who I am, I need to change how I am. I can still be a giver, I just need to include myself on the list of recipients!

And thus, the pink tree. Is it for everybody? No. Does that bother me? Nope, not one bit! It's mine, it's me, it's where I want it, how I want it, it isn't hurting anybody and really, nobody in the family really seems to be bothered by it (they've even decided that it's kind of cute!). It's my own little whimsical, silly mark on the world at this moment and I like that. It's my gift to myself and it makes me giggle and smile and very happy. Isn't that what we all need?

Thank you so much for listening to my rambling today. I so appreciate you being here. I'll have more Christmas posts up soon! Take care and have a wonderful weekend! Hugs, Leena

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all a very Merry Christmas! May the coming year bless you and your families with joy, love and laughter!

Thank you all for brightening my days with your kindness and friendship! Hugs, Leena

Christmas Breakfast

Hi all! I hope that you are enjoying your Saturday and finishing up your holiday preparations without much stress! I have been pondering a menu for Christmas breakfast and have come up with what I think will be a good meal. Usually, I don't do a lot because we are so rushed to open gifts, get everybody showered and dressed and out the door for the hour-long drive to my sister's house for dinner. She likes us to be there around 2:00 and serves dinner at 3:00. If you're late, you eat alone because when she says 3:00, she means it! This year, however, I've decided that somehow, we're going to sit down to a nice breakfast so that we aren't starving by the time we eat dinner, then starving again around 7:00 with no leftovers to nosh on and nothing open but McDonald's and 7-11! I've often heard that people are expected to eat three meals a day and that includes holidays as well.
 
I think that the best game plan is to prepare the dishes the day before. This will save on time and keep my kitchen clean. My menu idea is:
 
Breakfast Strata
Assorted breakfast breads (cranberry, pumpkin)
Fruit Salad
Juice, Coffee, Hot Cocoa, Tea (Milk for the little ones)
 
The strata and fruit salad can be assembled and put into the frig, then I can bake the strata in the morning. The breads can be baked and wrapped in foil, then warmed in the oven. I can also set the table the night before so everything will be ready to roll! My oldest daughter and her boyfriend will be here, so there will be seven of us. Perfect size for our small dining room.
 
Here's the strata recipe I've picked out:
 

Breakfast Strata

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 loaf (1 pound) herb or cheese bakery bread, cubed
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook the sausage, pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
• Place bread in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with sausage; sprinkle with cheese. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and mustard. Pour over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings.

So, what do you think? Do you have any special recipes that you like to use for Christmas breakfast? I'd love to collect more recipes!

Thank you for dropping by during this busy time of year! Hugs, Leena