Author Archives: Ellen

2008 Christmas Tour of Homes

It’s time for Boo Mama’s 2008 Tour of Homes. You can travel all over the world and see homes all decked out for the most wonderful time of the year.

A very warm welcome to you from ellen b.  in Washington State and Southern California.

The tree above is our first annual Mystery Tree. I started a new tradition last year. I walk into Home Depot look at all the tied and wrapped trees, pick one without unwrappping it, bring it home all wrapped up, and surprise our Mystery tree is unveiled and we can laugh or cry at what we ended up with. Actually it’s quite fun to pick a tree this way. Good way to lighten up during the season…

 

Like many of your homes Jesus is at the center of our Christmas celebrations and Joy! This is what you’ll see at our entry in Washington.

 

And this is from our condo  in Southern California.

 

Let me serve you a festive drink and some chocolates and let’s start our tour before I serve dinner. These chocolates are the easiest things in the world to make. Just melt 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 bag of butterscotch chips then throw in some pecans or walnuts or whatever nut you like, spoon them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and let them cool and voila you have candy. I’m so darn sorry I forgot whose blog I saw these on. If you happen to visit here let me know if it was you and I’ll give you credit!!

 

Another collage of my little fake Christmas tree with lights that I bought for the condo from a local thrift store here in Camarillo, California. I’m usually in the State of Washington the whole month of December and only put up a tree there but this year is different and we’re not flying to Washington till Christmas day so we need something at the condo so people won’t think we are part of the Grinch family!

Now if you visit us in Washington I could serve you at this table.

 

Or from this Christmas table in Southern California.

 

Here is what I will be serving and what is part of our traditional Christmas Eve meal.

 

We’ll have a Rib Roast, Creamed Corn, something green, and Yorkshire Pudding. (Ok, it used to confuse me that they called Yorkshire Pudding pudding when it’s not pudding but a popover type bread that you bake using the hot drippings from the roast, I’m way over it now. You can make it in any pan but I bought this great popover pan that works great for them.)  After dinner we can sit by the fireplace and enjoy the tree with a cup of cocoa or coffee. If you stay for Christmas morning we’ll have those yummy Swedish Pancakes above that Dear makes for us every Christmas morning after we open our stocking gifts…

 

Now for some of the people God has put in our lives to share all the wonder of Christmas with…

 

I’d like to introduce you to our family. Our daughter Katie and DIL Laura. Our oldest son Josh with Dear. Our son Dan. Josh and his wife, our DIL, Laura. Another shot of our son Dan. Dan and Katie live in our home in Washington and take care of it while Dear and I are living in California. Josh and Laura live in Washington, too.

 

More shots of the family and extended family. The top left photo is of my sister Lana G! and I. She has a tour happening at her blog too, Above the Clouds . We have a great time blogging and tablescaping together. Dear, our daughter Katie, and me at Molbaks in front of the Poinsettia Christmas tree, Our girls…Katie and Laura, ellen b. and Dear at our 34th wedding anniversary celebration.

Thank you for taking my tour and meeting some of my family…

To see more tours click over to Boo Mama’s.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Tablescape Tuesday ~ Seattle Christmas

Welcome to Tablescape Tuesday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. Today I’m sharing a Christmas Table from my home in the Seattle Area of Washington State.

The Santa Hat Chair covers are from Target clearance a couple years ago.

I just bought the green goblets over Thanksgiving at Goodwill in Lynwood, Washington. I paid full price for them $1.99 each and there were 11 of them.

The red chargers are from Sears. They were 50% off so I got a package of 4 for $9.99.

 

The square green salad plates were from Sears, too, on sale but I forget how much.

The 3 tiered sever is from Target clearance from a couple years ago.

The crystal side dishes are from Goodwill in Bellevue

 

I forget where I bought the poinsettia napkin rings but I bought them last year at a Christmas Clearance sale. I love this tablecloth that I bought years ago from Molbaks at their after Christmas sale…

To see more tablescapes visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Blue Monday ~ Seattle to San Francisco

Welcome to Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally. My photos this week are from the Seattle area and from San Francisco.

 

Over Thanksgiving we made at trip to Ste Michelle Winery and enjoyed their fabulous Peacock tree and Tree Topper and wreath. Then we went outside and met their inspiration, this wonderful peacock!

 

From Seattle I flew to San Francisco to meet up with Dear who was attending the American Society of Hematology conference and here is some blue from this very interesting city.

 

Hope you enjoyed my Blue this week. Enjoy your Monday and new week!

Visit Sally at Smiling Sally to see more Blue Monday Posts.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Tag You’re It!

My friend Willow at Willow’s Cottage tagged me for this easy meme.

TAG!

You’re supposed to do the following:
1. Open the 4th picture folder on your computer
2. Open the 4th picture and post it on your blog.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same!

 

These are some easy chocolates that I saw on someone’s blog and now doggone it I don’t remember whose blog it was. Please let me know if it was you and I’ll credit you. So here’s the easy recipe for these: Melt 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1 bag butterscotch chips. When they’ve melted and you’ve mixed them together smoothly pour in some nuts (pecans, walnuts, or your pleasure) drop in little mounds on parchment lined cookie sheet and let cool. Voila!! Yummy candy!

So I’m a rebel and I’m doing all but #4 but if you’d like to do this meme let me know and I’ll come see :0)

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Today’s Flowers #19 ~ White as Snow…

 

I took these photos of all these beautiful white flowers a couple weeks ago at Molbaks Nursery in Woodinville, Washington. During this Christmas Season they remind me of Christ and His purity from birth till death and what he did for me.

Isaiah 1:18 ~ Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.”

Merry Christmas to all…

For more Flowers from around the world visit the Today’s Flower Blog.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Ah, Dearest Jesus ~ Hymn

Ah, Dearest Jesus

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,
Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled
Within my heart, that it may be
A quiet chamber kept for Thee.

My heart for very joy doth leap,
My lips no more can silence keep;
I, too, must sing with joyful tongue
That sweetest ancient cradle song.

Glory to God in highest Heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth.

Words: Mar­tin Lu­ther, 1535; trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Ca­ther­ine Wink­worth, 1855. These lyr­ics are from the long­er hymn, From Heav­en Above to Earth I Come.

San Francisco Landmarks

 

Alcatraz, Ghirardelli, Lombard St., and the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

Fisherman’s Wharf and the Bay Bridge.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Pink Saturday ~ Travels

It’s time for Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound! I’ve been travelling since Thanksgiving and am finally back home at the little condo in Southern California. The first collage are shots of pink I saw in San Francisco.

 

Nieman Marcus had all their little trees decorated with pink and white. When we were in the Ferry Terminal a little pastry bakery had this cute little white tree with some pink on it, too. The pink plastic bag is on the back of one of the Trolley cars I was travelling on.

 

When I got back home I headed over to the Camarillo Ranch House to see it all decked out for Christmas. I’ll post a full tour of this great Historic Victorian Home in my town that the family that the city is named after owned. Each bed had a quilt made by different quilters for the Christmas season. So different and beautiful. I’m just showing the pink ones. There are a few more beds in this great house with other fabulous handmade quilts on them.

To see more Pink visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. A good weekend to you all…

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

San Francisco ~ Inside Grace Cathedral

The pipes to the Aeolian-Skinner Organ, the only one of it’s kind west of Chicago, heard in over 400 services and concerts each year.

Chapel of Grace, the oldest part of the cathedral features Connick windows, a 14th century Flemish altarpiece, and Lewis Hobart design.

 

The church is lined with different murals painted by renowned artists such as Antonio Sotomayor and John de Rosen. “Centennial Mural” shows the 1906 earthquake and the fire that destroyed the city, including Grace Church.

 

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother.

 

Fridays Fave 5 ~ San Francisco Style…

The lovely Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts Fridays Fave Five where we recap our favorites from the past week.

 

I met Dear in San Francisco on Saturday to celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary so here are my Faves from the time we spent there and a couple from home.

1. Celebrating our Anniversary with a walk around the city and dinner at Scoma’s Italian Fish Restaurant in Fisherman’s Wharf and our lunches at Johnny Foley’s Irish Pub.

2. Walking into some old churches with the most amazing interiors and stained glass windows.

3. The 4 story Christmas Tree at Nieman Marcus in San Francisco and all the other wonderful Christmas displays in the city.

4. Coming home and seeing the Tumbleweed tumbling around the neighborhood!

 

5. Finding treasures at my favorite thrift stores in both Washington and Camarillo. These sweet Brambly Hedge Tea cups, 1 for each season, were found at Goodwill in Washington. Only the Autumn one has the saucer so I’ll have to be on the lookout for the other saucers. :0)

For more Fave Fives visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother.