Christmas is the Air

We will start our week with Zach's 17th birthday!!  Way to go, that's my lucky number so hopefully you will have wonderful luck this year.

This picture is a day late, but it shows that Becca and Brittany (not shown are Charlie and Reagan) who got to go and see the Grand Kyiv Ballet dancing the Nutcracker.  This is the ballet we missed dancing Swan Lake in Finland because of Covid.  So yeah, for our girls. 

Before Dad headed to Tooele to pick up the desk he bought on Saturday for the Stake President (Who is temporarily installed in our former Stake Center and had just a table.) he emptied the van of the items I had purchased from an estate in the Harvard Yale area.

That gave me the opportunity to get things sorted, which I did mostly on Tuesday loading the Christmas items into the car to get them into the mall when I worked Wednesday.

I saved a couple of the small ornaments for my little feather trees on the parlor mantel. 

Lots of old shiny brights.

and a few nice 50's tablecloths they don't sell like they once did, but they do sell.

The family decided they wanted this back, hoping it was a family bible with family records.  As it turned out it was not, but they still wanted it.

I managed to finish up the tree in the family room

with the addition of these funny red clip-on candles from the estate.

I am so pleased with how it turned out.  I used the white tree because I didn't have a green tree, but I saw one I am going to get for next year as a base for this collection of Scandinavian ornaments.

This is the desk that Dad went to get from the Tooele DI. On Tuesday he got Hal Peery and his stepson Chris to help him move it into the office.  It was very heavy, then he took me up there to direct the refinishing of the desk as it was somewhat battle scarred.  I used Restorafinish  and some scrubbing pads to do the job, and Dad did the low parts as I wasn't up to doing much bending and kneeling at the time.

Kenton was thrilled with the desk and plans to have glass cut to protect the top.

Next, we headed over to Nadine's to see if Dad could fix her lights on her tree.  He wasn't like the Grinch, taking it back to his workshop because there was a light that didn't light on one side.  He just told her she'd have to have someone strip the lights off and add new lights.  Yikes, I wonder if lots of people are having this issue.  While there he put together the frame for the whitest looking of these three.  Then he had to rush off, and she put together another. But we had a nice time catching up, since we were divided out of her ward.

And this is where Dad rushed off to.  His Barbershop chorus was singing at the Festival of Trees.  He commandeered this photo from another member.

But he did get a shot of this tree.  I sort of wish I'd gone along, as I didn't get to the festival this year.

On Wednesday my very, very favorite apothecary (I'm in and Austen phase at the moment) got out his equipment and set to making 100s of capsules filled with the herbs we take.  If you are interested, they are Turmeric with black pepper, Ginger, Amla Powder and Black Cumin, all anti-inflammatory, with a few other benefits for our aging bodies. Yeah Scott.

The only picture I took at work on Wednesday was of this lady, who was having a birthday and was wearing the cutest headband crown with flowers, I have ever seen.  It was a gift from her friend with whom she was shopping.  I managed to get a lot of the Christmas items out, but still had some that needed to get out as early as possible

So, so while Dad was at the temple of Thursday, I went back to Treasures and spent a few more hours getting out the rest of it. 

That night, while Dad was at the Stake Center at a Bishop's Counsel, I was at the Springville Museum of Art standing in line with my cousin Debbie for 2 and a half hours for the Hundred Dollar show.

Are we so cute!?

This is the only thing a got a chair by Rebecca Klunt.  Its a would block collage.  I got a nativity from her last year.  

On Friday I decorated these little red metal house that I bought last year.  I think they're perfect for ...

Yep, my Scandinavian Tree, see you can never believe me when I say I am done with decor. 

Then Dad and I headed to SLC to return a twin to this necklace.  I had told the folks in charge of my buying at this estate that anything of real value I would offer back to the estate if I found out after paying them.  I thought this necklace was costume jewelry, but nope.  It's a Zuni Hummingbird necklace and quite valuable.  Since we were headed to town, I made arrangements to drop it off with one of the heirs of the estate.  I was generously repaid by seeing the joy of the woman who received it. 

We puttered around town stopping at Capitol City Antiques and then going to dinner at Crown Burger before heading to the Nate Bargatze show at the Delta Center.  We were so thrilled to run into one of our very favorite missionaries, Tyler Davis who was one of the four whom the Documentary were made about by a Finnish TV Net work.  So fun to see him.

Here a little collage I made, because I looked up his wife.  He actually reminds me quite a bit of Sam. 

And here's the crew, Dad, Dave, Dallas's friend, Dallas, Dallas's other friend and me in front. The picture was taken by Dave's friend and former co-worker. 

On Saturday it was Pictures with Santa, Becca and Brady customer appreciation event.  I cut these stills from a video that Becca posted of their set up on Fridays.  Nots sure who's walking down the table but it made me laugh.

and here is Dad at the event!

 HoHoHo.

Because he, as part of a Barbershop fund-raising quartet, provided the entertainment.

And here we have Lovely Holiday Quintet.  Dad says he's not sure which part Santa was sitting.

Afterwards he ran up to Trevor's to catch the rest BYU playing a conference championship game with Texas Tech, let's just say they didn't get the outcome they were hoping for. 

Then Dad and I headed up to Peteetneet as they were having a boutique there, and one of the original Cooper daughters, Krystal Meldrum was selling some of her artwork.  This is her display.

And here are a couple of her paintings that I liked.  Too expensive for me, but I did buy three prints, I just can't find them at the moment, so when I do, I'll add those pictures too.

Here's a lovely nativity.

Here I am with Krystal, and Rebecca, another Payson artist, whose art I have in my collection.  We are having plotting a dinner party with local artists dining at my house.  I am so excited because I plan to invite Debbie too.

And since I am on the subject, I wanted to share the largish print that I want to keep and I am looking for a place to hang.  Isn't it charming.  Its by a Swiss artist. Its called Sunday School Walk.

Next stop was our ward Christmas Dinner.  How cute are the Primary kids as they sing for us.

Unfortunately, I had to leave early and missed eating.  Its good I had a bowl of our veggies added RS Potatoes that I made while making the traditional ones for the dinner.  

Because I was off to the Payson Public library for a Jane Austen Event.  Jane Austen 250th birthday is next week, and the Brit's have been celebrating all years with many special events, shows, fairs etc.  Lots of American's have gone to join the fun.  An enterprising local Regency Writer took advantage of the fan fare and volunteered to got to public libraries all over the state giving a short history of Jane and the period she lived in.  The libraries then added other activities to celebrate most everyone's favorite author. Some people came in Regency dress, so fun.

The library pulled out all their Austen related books to diplay.

Friends of the library members made the tea food.

Some seriously yummy stuff too.

Then the author lectured alongside a power point.

After which there was crafting.  I made a Jane Journal.  These are my table mates; the mother has the green hair.  Honestly I thought they were sisters, the mom said she gets that a lot.  But what a fun mom.

There was also lotter for Austen Bling.  This gal won the completer set of Austen's novels.

And here I am with the author.  Of course, I bought a couple of books ... because ... well ... BOOKS!

And now its Andy's birthday, he's 51.  How kind is he to make Brittany feel better by always being a year older. 

Here we are taking pictures of the Murdocks, as they start a new Mission Assignment.  What great people we get to mingle with in our new ward!!