I am not sure why we hang stockings by the chimney with care, but it appears to be a long standing custom. Since 1823 when Clement Clarke Moore wrote “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, Christmas stockings have been an essential part of Christmas traditions. We have 5 handmade stockings for our family and multiple ones…
Once a year, I clean the crystal chandelier in the dining room. It happens to coincide with my holiday decorating. For some reason, the rest of the year I overlook the dust on the crystals, probably because it is evenly dusty! But once the glitter village and snow globes go up, the dullness of the…
Having the extra time between Thanksgiving and December has been such a gift. I have been easing into holiday decorating, pulling out the easy stuff that doesn’t require 2 or 3 sets of hands. First stop, the bedrooms. My artistic daughter has such a beautiful bedroom. There is an unusual combination of windows that face…
I understand some of the country is having extremely cold weather. But here in Phoenix, we are experiencing ideal fall temperatures. The air conditioners are officially off and windows are open. It’s time to remove the outdoor furniture covers and spend time outside for the next several months. One of the entertaining spaces at Bella…
The well tower is a unique fixture on our property. Originally designed to pump and house the equipment for the well, it was in a deteriorated state when we purchased our property back in 1999. But over time we did restore it and it serves multiple purposes now in 2021. It becomes a topic of…