It took five days (many fewer than we thought it would) and we finished the porch! There were a couple of days of work between this post and my last post. In that time we/I painted the soffits and facing boards, finished decking the main part of the porch and got the step going.

My shadow is the only proof I was there! Chris was there right along with me doing the heavy lifting, post hole digging, concrete mixing, and more.

And he managed the screw gun and drill. He's working on the step below.

Today we built the framework for the roof, cut the 4×4 posts to the correct height, screwed the metal roofing sheets to the framework, and painted. I was mostly the go-behind, Chris did the hard work. Except for painting. I painted the second coat on the soffits and trim.

We also went bush shopping. Chris planted an elaeagnus and an abelia in front and a shade loving bush that I can't remember the name of on the side of the house. It was plant sale day at Twn Oaks so he got 2 more elaeagnus for the back yard.

We're finished! It's not flashy but it's functional and nice and clean and neat. Lorna, and Chris, are happy! Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas and happy birthday!

One cool new sort of tool that I got is this paint can led with a closing spout. I think it's silcone but it may just be flexible plastic. It's not for permanent storage but if you have to pour paint out of a gallon can, this is the best thing like it I've used. And it was pennies less than $3. It washed up well too!

What's next? Christmas candy making and projects with the grandkids. But not tomorrow!

For Christmas and birthday this year, I'm giving Lorna a new front porch. Her old front porch was truly awful. From Google Earth…

We took off the old metal with peeling paint front porch roof and the soffits and facing boards acraoss the front of the house because they were rotten. I mixed up a bleach/water solution to spray on the brick to make moldy black stains go away. It sort of worked as you may notice in future photos.

We bought Hardie soffit planks and they were long and heavy. Steve came to help because I really couldn't hold up my end of the planks. In the photo below they have a little more than half of the soffit and facing boards up.

Chris dug post holes and I helped level the 4×4 posts. My other jobs include carrying stuff, putting stuff up, getting it out, consulting, and keeping things moving. Have you seen crews of guys standing around looking at a job and disucussing what comes next? I try to keep dicussions short and people moving. That said, I'm not doing a lot/any of the heavy lifting so it's easy for me to say let's move on.

We started Monday, today is Wednesday. The old stuff is down. The soffits and facing are up. Unless we are hampered by rain, we caulk tomorrow so we can paint on Friday.

We finished laying the decking planks on this framework today (but I didn't take that photo). Tomorrow Chris hopes to dig the holes for the 4×4 posts that will support the step. If that goes in tomorrow we can build the step on Friday. Friday and/or Saturday we hope to get the framework up for the corrugated (wavy) galvanized metal sheets that will protect the porch. 

The front door needs to be trimmed out and painted, and a light needs to be hung. There are a few bushes to plant and then this job will be finished! (in time for candy making next week…)

I put up most of our Christmas decorations on Thanksgiving weekend. We had a party last night which meant that yesterday was spent preparing the house for said party. While we were cleaning, I added more decorations and did some party prepping. A lot of these ideas are inexpensive and easy to do so I thought I'd share in case any of you still have halls to deck.

This table is were appetizers tend to go. Once it's time to sit down and eat, people also sit at this table. Since appetizers can be drippy, I cut a length of wrapping paper to place over the tablecloth. The idea was that I would take it off to reveal a clean tablecloth at the appropriate time but it worked out that the paper stayed put all night. The thing is that the paper looked better even with a bit of stuff dripped on it than the tablecloth alone would have. And it's cute! I folded the cut ends of the paper and taped them but I don't know that anyone noticed this touch.

We close up the garage for extra seating. We bought several inexpensive green plastic drop cloths and Steve stapled them to the top of the garage walls. They cover the garage stuff and make the room seem less like a garage. Steve stapled the lights to the ceiling in such a way that we can leave them up until next year. 

I have a big canvas drop cloth and another smaller one that together mostly covered the floor.

When the sun went down and the Christmas lights came on, and later when I lit the candles, this was a really nice room that seated about 25. We used two small electric space heaters which warmed the room in a very short time. Honestly, this was the quietest, nicest place to sit and eat and visit.

I used a variety of votives holders on the each table. I realized an hour before the party that they would look better on mirror tiles. I don't have any mirror tiles but I do have foil. I wanted to cut 3 at once so I did what any quilter would do… I tore off 3 sheets of foil, layered them, put a salad plate on top and cut around it with a small rotary cutter.

Did you know that when you did that with foil the edges are stuck together? I could not separate them. So one of these is 3 sheets thick and the rest are 2 sheets thick because 1 sheet of foil was a little too limp. They did the trick and were fast and cheep and pretty.

The orange guy is the CottonMonster I bought in Baltimore. He lives on the sofa now. To Christmas him up I pinned a red net bow to his head. I'm here to tell you, a red net bow will make almost anything holiday worthy.

Sparlky garlands in glass bowls are easy and flashy and pretty. I added Christmas balls to them in these bowls. I did this last year, I'll do it again next year. I had one extra lenth of red garland and I nailed it around the front door trim, inside the house. It was a very nice addition that I'll do again.

I've mostly got a red and white decorating scheme for Christmas. We decided to put appetizers on this small table too. This picnic cloth doesn't scream Christmas but it worked because of the color. I could have used wrapping paper too.

I hope you are having fun with your Christmas decorations! I'm finally done and am enjoying them. It is very possible that they will all come down on December 26 so we have 2 weeks of holiday cheer ahead at our house. To be completely honest, that's about all I can take. I like my house with less stuff everywhere – but for the next 2 weeks I can love it!

I've been home from Baltimore for a few days and have not really slowed down yet. I found my Christmas cards at the National Gallery in DC (nothing like waiting until almost the last minute). The artwork on the card is by Saul Steinberg and was first seen on the cover of the New Yorker magazine on November 29, 1976…

The inscription inside is Happy Holidays – to which I had to add "all of them". The only thing missing is a birthday cake! You could send this card at any time of the year but the people I'm sending to are getting theirs just about now.

I finished my Christmas ornaments. I've made a Christmas ornament for friends and family for the last 18 years. I was seriously short on an idea this year and was forced to skim Martha Stewart's site where luckily I found an idea. I bought little birds, bird nests, and feathers at Hobby Lobby. There was paint and glue and lots of glitter involved. I made each bird a different color because I have a dandy set of MS glitter. I should have taken a picture of them all together but didn't.

The ornaments are now packaged and many have been delivered. If nothing else, they sparkle!

Lorna and I have been working together to get orders out. In fact, she's pretty much running the shipping show – oh happy day! She knows stuff I don't know and I'm finding it good to learn new things. My bookkeeping has never been better.

Tis the season of parties and we have one at our house tomorrow so I have been trying to make the place more festive – and tidy. I've been baking and have more to bake and candy to make. I've got work to do with Christopher at his house starting next week (more on that next week). The list is longer than this and I have to stop thinking about it all because it's making me queasy.

In other news – Mom now has a cell phone! We got her a Jitterbug. It's red and cute and incredibly easy to use. Mom loves it and can use it. I know because she called me on it. I haven't called her back on it but probably should to be sure she can hear it. That is going near the top of the to do list…

Those of you on the POC newsletter list have probably gotten an email. There is some new stuff on the site. Click here to go to the home page for more on that if you want to.

So, time for a deep breath. You too because you are probably as crazy busy as I am. It will all get done and if it doesn't, tomorrow is another day. In fact, so what if it isn't all done by Christmas? Late presents, goodies, and good wishes are better than none at all!

Everyone had to work today. I’ve spent much of the day at Jeff’s dining table that, long ago, was my first dining table. It’s fun to re-visit so much of the furniture that Steve and I had before it became Jeff’s. I feel like I know how my mom must feel when she walks through our house. It’s nice to have the memories that go with the stuff without having the stuff itself.

Anyway, I think I’ve managed to pick up a cold and I want to share the hot drink Jeff made for me. Pour a tablespoon or so of lemon juice in a mug. Cut several (4-5) thin slivers of ginger root and put them in the mug. You don’t have to peel the root. Add boiling water. Let cool and drink. You can leave the ginger in the mug.

This drink is really good and feels like it is good for the cold-that’s-coming. I suppose you could add sugar but it’s good without it. Save the calories for something more exciting.

I’m also using a neti squeeze bottle that is similar to this one. Mom, at 79, has learned to love her neti squeeze bottle and Elanor has been using one since she was little. If you have sinus issues, you might want to give it a try. I use mine twice a day whether I have a cold or not. I’m using it 3 times a day now. The following movie shows how the neti squeeze bottle works.

I’ve been neti-ing for a long time without video instruction. I don’t look nearly this good when I use mine. And I tend to blow the water and stuff out right away. Maybe I’ll let it sit a bit before blowing later. See, you can learn something new every day if you just pay attention!

As I said, I’ve been visiting Jeff in Baltmore. We went to NYC on Friday to see what we could see. This is one of the Bergdorf windows. The crowds were crazy so we really didn’t spend much time looking at them or others. We saw the tree at Rockefeller Center. Wonderful. Too many people.

The structure of these buildings reminded me of quilts… Such good lines and colors and textures.

And the cloud formation above us reminded Jeff and me of dandelions in the wind.

The end of the line was marked with these black and white containers. A reminder of how powerful a black and white pattern is.

We visited the Guggenheim, a museum I will want to visit again.

I loved the interlocking circular patterns that are everywhere inside. Even the water fountains are wonderfully round. The water drops were beautiful… at least I thought so. Jeff shook his head and pretended he didn’t know me when I was taking this photo.

NYC is full of strange and wonderful things. Everywhere you look. Seriously, this is the strangest gargoyle I have ever seen…

We took a MegaBus to and from NYC, got home late. We slept in Saturday and went shopping in Baltimore. I spotted this doorway…

Have fun and be lucky… it kind of says it all, does it not? Almost as good as live long and prosper. Except I’m not saying it with a tattoo.

Bought this papercut at the Charm City Craft Fair. Great, wonderful craft show! Maybe the best I’ve every shopped.

Saw the costumed lady with the snow globe headdress a couple of times. I never did stop and ask exactly what the costumes were for. Why didn’t I? Because Jeff would have disowned me. He prefers to take this sort of thing in stride without fuss. So I suppose that means you and I both can imagine a story to go with the photo. They were really nice and smiled graciously when I took their photo.

Today we went to Washington DC. We walked some more which is good. I keep eating and need to walk it off.

The grass on the national mall needs to be walked on less. It’s pretty sad. The buildings are impressive but they would look a lot better if the grass was good. The crowds were light, the weather was crisp and pretty, people were pleasant. Doesn’t get much better.

I took this shadow photo of me and Jeff. I like these things.

The reflecting pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial is being renovated. This view would be a lot better with water in the pool but Jeff still looks nice, doesn’t he?

I took the photo of the White House from between the irons of the fence. For a house, it’s pretty impressive but it’s not as big as most of the buildings around it. That said, for a house, it’s very nice! Glad I don’t live there. I’m happier being a quilter than I’d be as a politician.

We are now in for the night. Tomorrow will be a quiet day and then I go home. Lots to do there so I am going to enjoy tomorrow.