MERRY CHRISTMAS

BY SKEETER

From the bunnies in my Georgia Woods...

MERRY CHRISTMAS,

   In the Garden... 

Note: Last 2 Photo's were snapped at Opryland Hotel, TN Dec. 2011.
 

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

2010 In Review

From In the Garden

I don't know why I haven't done one of these "Year in Review" posts before but from now on these posts are a must. I find as time goes by I forget things, big and small, that have happened to me. The blog is a wonderful source for remembering so I thought I'd wrap up the year 2010 in one post relating special big and small events that have happened in my life.


We begin in January with the installation of new Bellawood 3/4" teak floors on January 16th. I can easily remember this arduous task because this time last year we had no carpets and were walking on OSB in the living room and hallways. I was also busy removing all of the kickboards and painting them a clear white. This was no easy task as we have no less than four closets; which had kickboards, and several feet of hallway with several doors and corners, as well as the living room. The process of preparing for the new floors to completion was about two and one half months. I was ever so happy to have that big job finished! We love the new floors and all of the work was well worth it. 

On the day the installers came to lay the floors we found out my husband was not deploying to Afghanistan and that his future in the Army was not certain. January 16th was a bittersweet day indeed but happily all issues have been worked out.


I must mention Bellawood and put in a plug for them. With between 3-5 large dogs the new floor has not scratched at all and is very easy to maintain. But, I found out the hard way, if you drag an 800 pound piano across the floor it will crease and leave quite an indentation. That is another story entirely and I try to forget about that story. Nonetheless, Bellawood is a great flooring; no wonder Bob Vila recommends it and so do I.

From In the Garden

February was a slow month though I did get to attend the Tennessee Master Gardener Winter School in Murfreesboro. I have not done a lot of 'business' travel since I retired from the Army so I was tickled to get away on a gardening trip with my friend Julie (center of the above picture). Terri also attended from our county and we all had a great time learning from master gardeners. I am the short one on the right. I sure wish I was a bit taller. Sigh. Murfreesboro is again hosting the winter school this year and I think they are a great county to do it because they were so welcoming and facilities were fantastic.

From In the Garden

My grandson and daughter in law visited Tennessee in March. We so enjoyed seeing Josh because we had not seen him in quite some time. Grand kids grow so fast!

From In the Garden

A very big happening in my family was the wedding of my daughter in April. Most of my immediate family traveled from Maine for Liz's wedding. It was simply splendid having the whole family together and the wedding the most beautifully done wedding I've ever attended. 


While some of the family was here the big floods came and wreaked havoc on Tennessee. I'm sure it was a trip to remember for all, while most Tennesseans wish to forget those floods they did not harm my home or garden. Thank goodness as it was a big mess.

From In the Garden

While my parents were visiting the team here at In the Garden had big plans to get together and finally meet. This blog started as a community blog and we quickly gained a community feel. So much that many of us began talking and relating in a big way on this blog. The original group still reads but as the blog has grown we don't talk as much. I sure do have warm feelings for this group and can't thank Anonymous, Nina, and Skeeter enough for coming to visit my home while my mother was here. (Skeeter also posted about this visit here.) I think I can speak for my mother that meeting you all was a highlight of her year. We were all sad Lola and Dawn (my sister) could not be here for the visit but perhaps next time. After my parents left Tennessee they traveled to Florida to visit another one of my sisters and were able to stop by and meet Lola. For the most part all of the original seven members of this blog have met each other with just a few exceptions. A big feat considering we all live from Maine to Tennessee to Georgia to Florida! The memories of our visit will last forever. Dawn is one of the exceptions since she lives so far away and rarely travels. Dawn has also been ill so if you all get the chance go by and visit her at her blog and wish her a speedy recovery. I'm sure it will cheer her up immensely. 

From In the Garden

May saw the garden really take off. The spring of 2010 was the best ever for Tiger Gardens. The summer was not so great though. Even with the floods in May we experienced a drought that lasted for a very long time. Many plants died and I endeavored to change my way of thinking in managing my gardens. High water bills and hydrangeas had to go, in came drought tolerant plants and a completely new way of thinking. We shall see how it goes this year.

From In the Garden

It was a fabulous trip and seeing everyone was a very special treat. Mr. Fix-it even was able to hook up with high school friends whom he had not seen in about 17 or 18 years. I enjoyed listening to them describe my husband and his antics as a high school hot rod. It's a miracle he is still around but he is, and the love of my life.

From In the Garden

August brought in the swallowtails. I hear this year was a banner year for swallowtails and it was so very special to see them all flock to the garden. I had never seen so many butterflies in one spot and hope the swallowtails return this year and even bring a few friends.

From In the Garden

August and September saw me house hunting for one of my daughters (Christy). Christine was due to come home from Iraq in September so in order to get the process started I was given the honor of finding her just the right home. This was quite an experience for me. You'd think that with so many houses foreclosed on and the mortgage industry struggling that it would be simple to get a mortgage but not so. While Christine was preapproved for a loan the bank had so many requirements for the house that I became very frustrated about the whole situation. In this case this house was a foreclosed house so the bank was the seller. Ever try working out a 'deal' with a bank? Add to the situation an agent who was starstruck because 'they' (the bankers) were very important people and couldn't be bothered by small details. Huh? It makes me shake my head each time I think about the situation. If you ever buy a foreclosed house be prepared for a lot of red tape with the bank. Fortunately all worked out and Christine is most happy in her new home. She's already started gardening too! This house has some nice shrubbery and a good start with some beautiful plants around the foundation. A real treat for her and for me.

From In the Garden

Not much of note happened in October and November so I'll skip straight to Christmas and the holiday season. The Jimster is an avid musician and plays the guitar, piano, and is now learning the violin-all on his own. He takes singing lessons and hopes for a career in the music industry (any music contacts out there?) His school offers a guitar class which he loves. The school music teacher puts on a community Christmas concert each year and we all attended. The concert was wonderful and we were all so proud of the Jimster as he performed on stage. This was not his first performance however; you can find a post on his first performance here.

From In the Garden

Christmas arrives and finds the Ramsey family home in Tennessee enjoying some down time and together time. Two of the four children were able to be around at Christmas and we really enjoyed that. Christine had duty but was able to leave to come to dinner at our home. Brian (the oldest son) and Liz (daughter) were unable to visit.

From In the Garden

I traveled to Louisville to see my daughter Liz in early December for a Christmas Tea at her church. Liz plays the handbells and I must say this was the first time I had seen a handbell performance. It was amazing. We had a good visit and when we woke up the next morning the ground was covered in white! It was the first snowfall of the season for me but quite startling being away from home and having to travel in it to get back to Tennessee. Since then we've had our fair share of snow here in Tennessee and tons more in Kentucky. 

From In the Garden

I'll close the year with another family holiday photo. We were delighted to see our grandson and daughter in law in early January. Liz came down from Louisville for a visit and we all had a wonderful dinner at Christine's new house.
I look forward to 2011 being another wonderful year. After doing this post though I've learned I need to post on my year end post as things happen and not all at once at the end of the year. But for sure these posts will part of this blog from now on....

in the garden....
 

Words and photos property of the In the Garden team

Christmas Memories and Best Wishes to You All

From In the Garden

Ever heard of the Velveteen Santa? No? Maybe the Velveteen Rabbit? A story by Margery Williams about a stuffed rabbit that through the love of its owner becomes real? Have you heard of that story? Well once I tell you of my Velveteen Santa I think you all will relate to him. There he is standing tall and proud in the picture above. He is discolored and missing the stand he once stood on that made music and made him spin, but oh how he is loved! 

As a child in the 60s, and the oldest of four girls I have some really great memories of Christmas. You see, my mother always went all out for Christmas and has continued to do so even to this day. She would put decorations on all the walls, in the bedrooms, on the kitchen counter, and even under the tree. My Velveteen Santa sat under our Christmas tree along with Mrs. Santa, and a most beautiful angel. I don't know where the plan started in my family but somehow the Santa became mine since I was the oldest and he of course had rank. Mrs. Santa belonged to my sister Dawn (the next oldest), and the angel belonged to the third girl in our family, Joanne. The youngest of us four girls did not get her own 'velveteen' Christmas character. Perhaps the stores stopped selling these characters in the late 1960s or perhaps my mother just couldn't find the perfect complement to the three characters we already had but my youngest sister was left out. I'm not really sure why we didn't have four but this I know, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the Angel were the most loveliest things I ever saw on Christmas eve. They were a comforting presence and always happy and cheery. When I see my Santa I am taken back to the excitement of being a child and waking up to a bunch of presents and the love of my family.

A few years ago my mother went through her Christmas decorations and as a surprise she sent these characters to her three oldest girls (myself, Dawn, and Joanne). When I saw my Santa it was tears that came to me, along with happiness for the connection to my childhood and family. Today I share him with you and wonder if you all will recall your very own 'Velveteen Santa' for us during this Christmas week. 

From In the Garden

While I don't go all out for Christmas I do decorate. This has been a great year because while we had an excellent Christmas in the Smokies last year, we are excited to be home for Christmas this year. All of our decorations came out of storage. Whew! It is a big job. This year is the first year in over eight that all decorations have come out of storage for the big holiday. This particular decoration is a Christmas tree someone made (not me) from baby food jars and then filled with lights. It is such a retro thing and so colorful that it is right at home in my household. I just love it and wanted to share it. The lights really aren't pink. They just look that way through the magic of photography that sometimes doesn't get the color just right. The colors are actually jewel toned primary colored lights that really look neat when shining through glass. Do you remember all the things you could do with baby food jars when your kids were young? Those baby food jars sure take me back.  What is your favorite Christmas decoration in your home?

From In the Garden

I guess I am a bit sentimental this time of the year when I can reflect and remember my family, my childhood, and even my whole life as I look to a new and welcoming year that is peeking around the corner waiting to jump out with a splash. I'm not the only one though and I know many of you recall fond memories and special times of when you were young. Catherine posted a very similar post to this one yesterday so jump over to her blog and check out her sentimental memories. If you post on your memories let me know and I'll be happy to link to them in this post too. 

Additionally postings on Christmas decorations: 

Barbara from Gardening in Mannheim Germany 

I want to wish everyone a very happy holiday season spending time with family and enjoying those wonderful childhood traditions and memories that take you back....

in the garden....


I will see you all after the holidays sometime next year so in the meantime please do share your memories with us. 

Happy Holidays to all of you from all of us here at In the Garden. 

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,  

In the Garden

Christmas in the Smokies

From In the Garden

Christmas in the Smokies, ahh, just the very words evoke visions of beautiful pristine streams, snow covered evergreens, and warm fires in a log cabin. Snow?? Do you see any snow? This was our view outside of our cabin in the Smokies during the Christmas break. Not a speck of snow in sight despite us wanting a white Christmas.

From In the Garden

Ah, here is the snow! During the week we spent in the Smokies (including Christmas Day) we did not see one single flake of snow falling from the sky, but! We did find some snow at Ober Gatlinburg. Lots of snow too.

From In the Garden

We also saw some evergreens, though these ones were not covered with snow-they were covered with loads of jewel colored lights. It was a magical Christmas tree forest at Dollywood. I am very partial to the brightly colored Christmas lights and was delighted to see all the color here instead of plain old white (can you see I am biased?:)

From In the Garden

The Jimster and Mr. Fix-it had a great time snow tubing at Ober Gatlinburg. Ober Gatlinburg also offers ice skating (the Jimster participated in this too), skiing, and snow boarding. Who knew we could find this in Tennessee? I had no idea. We might need to dust off our skis hanging in the garage.

As a person who has spent many vacations in the Alps at resorts like Garmisch and Berchtesgadens in Germany I was pleasantly surprised to feel almost transported back to the wonderful Alps while staying right here in Tennessee. The effect was complete right down to the hour long wait in line for a ticket to snow tube, and hearing foreign languages here in the United States surely made me feel like I was overseas. I struck up a conversation with a few of the families around me also waiting in line and asked where they were from. The families both in front of us and behind us replied they were from Miami. Florida that is. Ha! That was not expected at all. A little girl about 9 years old told me she came from Miami and said, "You know that place where it never snows? We had to come here to see the snow." Ha again! It seems the majority of the many vacationers (nearly 100,000) in the Smokies were from Florida and other southern states. So for all of you northerners getting sick of the snow and freezing in it, I think you can appreciate our fellow citizens in the deep south coming up north (Tennessee is north to someone in Florida for sure, but to me it is the south!) to vacation-just to see the snow. I got a kick out of it. This same little girl asked me if the summer was full of snow too and thought that would be lovely if it were. No thanks, snow in the mountains and occasionally in Middle Tennessee is nice, but not in the summer!

From In the Garden

And finally, I would like to send good wishes from our family to yours for the year 2010. May it be your best ever....

in the garden....

Things To Do In the Smokies

From In the Garden

What do you do once you head to the Smokies? Well, for us the vacation was planned as more of a relaxing vacation with lots of in between things added in so as to keep things interesting. We really did not have a big plan for what we were going to do in the Smokies but had some general ideas.

The biggest and best part of the vacation for Mr. Fix-it besides spending time with each other was taking the Jimster on a helicopter ride. Mr. Fix-it is a helicopter mechanic in the Army and has flown many times. He wanted the Jimster to share in that unique experience. As an Army air traffic controller I also had the opportunity to fly in my Army days so I chose to sit out the helicopter flight. Those days of flying in helicopters are over for me. The Jimster enjoyed his one of a kind flight though and has a greater appreciation for what his father does in the Army. He got to sit in the co-pilots seat and had a blast seeing Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville from the air was a great experience for both the Jimster and Mr. Fix-it.

From In the Garden

The one thing I had preplanned prior to our trip was a visit to Wonderworks. Most attractions in the United States offer military discounts so I took advantage of this and purchased tickets online. Dollywood also offers a military discount but you have to pay at the park so we saved that for later and only preplanned Wonderworks. We immensely enjoyed this children's museum/ride amusement park/dinner theater very much. The building itself is a Greek styled building that is built upside down. It was an architectural wonder indeed. The museum and interactive exhibits were not so overwhelming that we were stressed to get through them all during our visit. You know what I mean-those parks you rush through in order to see it all? Wonderworks is not like this and a family can take their time visiting all of its exhibits and interactive activities. Rides were an extra special treat.

Part of our day at Wonderworks was spent at their in house dinner and show called 'Hoot n Holler' I highly recommend this show if you wish to stay out of the hustle and bustle and frenetic activity some of the other more well known shows in town have a reputation of providing. This show was wonderful and the food very good.

From In the Garden

We had never visited Dollywood before so figured this would be a great time to go. We were right! Some of the rides were shut down due to it being the dead of winter. These rides included mostly water rides. Many concession stands were not open either but the caveat was that the crowds were smaller and waiting to ride the roller coasters was-well-there really was no wait. We were fortunate that during the day the sun shined brightly, but I must say it got quite cold at night. Visitors need to check the hours of the park carefully if they plan to visit during the holidays. Fortunately their website has all show schedules online so be sure to do your homework before you go. We stayed at Dollywood a full eight hours on a cold December day, but found that while it was cold, there were many places to warm up, great food, and tons of stuff to not only do but to see. The bald eagles were a favored exhibit of mine. I could not believe there were so many in this aviary! (They are the little white dots, you can see them all if you look closely). I have never seen this many bald eagles in one place before. Their cries resonated throughout the immediate area and I believe I could almost sit down and just listen to them all day. For me that would beat the rides any day. Of course, when and IF I go on rides I ride with my eyes closed so the whole experience is not too fun for me anyhow. The Jimster and Mr. Fix-it enjoyed the rides though.

As expected Dollywood was all dolled up in expectation for the holiday. The Christmas trees, friendly folks thinking only of Christmas, and super good shows made the experience of Dollywood pleasurable even in the dead of winter. I took tons of pictures and a few movies that will help us enjoy this vacation again and again. One of the trees in the park so stood out that it deserved its very own video. I call this tree the "Shooting Star" Christmas tree because the 'ornaments' hanging on it truly look like shooting stars. Take a look at the very short video below to see the most unique Christmas decorations I think you'll ever see. To see the tree in person was simply fabulous....

in the garden....visiting the Smokies for Christmas.

We are no longer in the Smokies but spent part of last month there. One more post will come about the trip.

One of the three reasons I blog is to make an archive or family album of our lives in order to share with family and friends that live far away, and also so I can refer back the memories anytime I wish. Hence the family post this morning. Thanks for reading along kind visitors.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from all of us here at In the Garden.

in the garden....

A Caravan for You

It is not quite the whole farmyard full of animals as that long ago Christmas eve, but the cows will have to do for us here in Tennessee this Christmas evening.

Have a good one all. We'll be watching "It's a Wonderful Life" and thinking good thoughts wishing you all a Merry Christmas.

in the garden....

White vs Multi-Colored (Lights that is!)

I have a theory about white lights versus multi-colored lights at Christmastime. If you watch HGTV, you will find it seems there is a big debate concerning white vs multi-colored and I think I need to add my two cents into the debate.

You see this is a very serious issue here. Which is best? White or multi-colored? If you decide the answer lies in which type of Christmas lights is sold the most, then I think white lights would win hands down-in the south. But still there are die hard fans of multi-colored lights-even in the south.

I am going to settle the debate right here and now and hopefully make everyone happy. Now keep in mind, I am not a statistician and will not endeavor to prove my theory about white versus colored lights. Once I lay out my theory though, it will be a hands down contender for a large grant from some government entity as part of a pork barrel spending bill. You mark my words. I just need the funding to perform the research in order to prove my theory-just wait and see.

My theory is that since northerners usually have lots of white snow for Christmas, snow that comes and stays for three or four months, they long for color-bright and strong colors. They don't want anymore white since they have so much snow, so they definitely don't want white lights!

Southerners, oh yes, those dear southerners, they almost never have a white Christmas so they try to compensate for not having snow by dressing up their houses with white lights. I guess the white lights are supposed to give the illusion of snow in the winter. Make sense? Yes, of course it does.

What do you all think about white versus multi-colored lights? I bet there are some very strong opinions out there. In fact, I KNOW there are some very strong opinions out there on decorating one's home for Christmas, the color of lights is an important consideration in the whole matter.

For the record, I think any house decorated for Christmas is a nice thing. If the house is lighted at night-all the better. Me being a northerner and hubby being a southerner, I will let you guess as to whether colored or white lights decorate our home. I'm not telling.

in the garden....

This is one of my favorite posts since I am a transplanted northerner now living in the south. Trust me when I tell you some folks REALLY, REALLY take their Christmas light decorating seriously. I already posted this subject last December, and I think this post will become a yearly tradition here.

This post also ties in with the survey concerning the color of Christmas lights on the sidebar. Do make a vote if you haven't already. The votes are all ANONYMOUS. It is just for fun and as I said in my post, it is not like I am a statistician or anything so you can draw your own conclusions with no trouble.

And one more note, I know white goes with anything and perhaps, just perhaps that is why it is so popular. I'm not giving up on my theory yet though:) Feel free to voice your opinions-they all count in the study!

in the garden....again.

Christmas Trees and Garland

When I think of Christmas trees, I think of many different types of trees. Pretty much any evergreen tree can be considered a Christmas tree. Some people go into the woods and cut a fresh tree while some may select one from a tree farm or roadside stand. I prefer to use a less traditional tree in my Georgia home to celebrate the Christmas season. My trees are artificial trees. I know some of you are cringing now, but I just cannot make myself be responsible for killing a tree. I know they were grown to be cut and used this time of year but I still cannot do it. Many other things factor into my decision like cats in the house, fire hazard, dropping needle, etc.

I have many trees set up throughout the house this year. In the hallway as you enter the front door, you will find my Snowman tree. This tree is filled with all types of snowmen and women from hand crafted to store bought. See the blue Titans Snowman in the center? Go Titans!

As you look left from the hallway into the living room, you will find the Magnolia tree with Magnolia Blooms, Blue Glass Ornaments, Gold State Ornaments, Gold Beads, Holly and Feathers. Being a Garden lover, I like to use Flowers, Berries and some fun things such as Feathers and other natural things one would find in the outdoors. Mine, being mostly artificial due to the cats.

On down the hallway and into the sun room you will find a fun tree being my Fox Hunt tree. This tree is full of French Horns, Berries, Pine Cones, Feathers, Twigs, Pods, Glass Balls, Apples and Candy Canes along with Red Candles.

The inspiration for the Fox Hunt were these beautiful Foxes that the Saints mom passed on to us. Thanks again Mom B. I love these foxes and find a spot for them in the house decor year round. But during Christmas, they jump on the German antique sled and under the tree for a picture opportunity.

In the center of the house, you will find the Dining room tree. This tree is full of Berries of many colors, Fruit, Velvet Poinsettia's in colors of Mauve and Burgundy along with the White House Ornaments that we started to collect since we were given one as a wedding gift on Dec. 16, 1989. The Saint's sister has been carrying on the gift giving tradition giving us the new ornament each year for many years now. Thanks go out to the Saint's sister for this wonderful gift!

The tree also has mauve beads as well as mauve candles but the candles cannot be seen in this picture. Sorry...

Now we shall move upstairs to see the guest bedroom. This is a new addition to my tree collection this year. We have had guests stay over night several times with us this holiday season, so I decided they needed a tree in their room. This tree is filled with Burgundy Magnolia and other small Flowers along with Green Berries, Gold Beads, Pewter and Wooden Ornaments.

The Office holds my collection of Animal Ornaments on this small tree. Just about any type animal you can think of is on this tree from Zebras.....

to cute Rattlesnakes! Yep, I said cute, who cannot resist a rattlesnake wearing a red Santa hat? I get to enjoy this tree a lot since I spend so much time on the computer, although, not as much time lately. Who do you think has been busy putting all of this stuff in place???

One of my favorite creations about this tree is the two hand crafted wood cats playing in the lights. Just luckily, my two black beauties do not wreak such havoc with my trees. Sheba and Cheetah prefer to take a nap all snuggled up beside the tree as mommy types on the computer! Like Garfield, they know Santa is watching. Good Girls.

I also have garlands hanging all over the house as well as trees. After visiting Williamsburg, VA one Christmas season, I was inspired to create garlands with fruit. So in the dining room I have Foiled Fruit, Berries, Flowers and Ribbon.

I made a snow garland for the hallway as my Snow Village sits below. You will see that another time.

The sun-room has natural looking Fruit and Raffia as I think that goes well in a Nature setting such as the woods view we get while in the sun-room. I made the French Horn centerpiece keeping with the Fox Hunt theme.

The living room mantel has Fruit and lots of homemade ornaments from Germany.

The archway from the Living room to the Hallway has more Fruit and Berries along with Gold Holly leaves. On the opposite side of this arch is a snowman garland and I will show you that another time as well. We must save something to talk about during the winter ya know.

The Kitchen even gets a Garland at Christmas. Who else has a garland in their kitchen? Am I the only one? The Saint thinks so. I had fun creating something to tie in with my chili pepper themed kitchen! Bright Red Cardinals, Berries and Chili Pepper, Gold beads and Gold Holly make a perfect match to my many Chili Pepper items within the kitchen.

I would prefer to use real Fruit, Berries and Flowers but with my cats, that is just not possible. The back door to the sun-room has a garland filled with handmade wooden ornaments and Magnolia Leaves. Cheetah is looking out the back door and I wonder is she looking for Santa or CHRISTMAS TREES AND GARLAND, In the Garden...

I hope everyone in Blog Land has a wonderful Christmas!