OPEN HOUSE ~ OUR HOUSE

Oh good! You made it! Your just in time for some nummy eats and the first snow of the season here in New England. 

Welcome to Christmas at DANDELION HOUSE ! 

If you'd have asked me if I would ever be posting photos of the inside of our home for Christmas on a blog one year ago, my answer would most likely have been an emphatic NO. Absolutely NOT. That's private!  

Well here I am one year later having an open house for my new friends and followers. ~ 

 Why not? We all get along famously so I decided 

I just had to have you over for some Christmas Cheer and share some of our traditions too!

 Our Hall Tree is a Trash to Treasure Gem in our house. It functions great as our place to hang our wet coats and the dog leash  ( while we dream of a mud room one day) and it is also a one of a kind PAINTED LADY made from an antique door hauled all the way from Nevada by my mom. The seat was an end table we purchased at a salvation army store and the brackets and hooks we picked up locally new. My mom did all the painting and my hubby " Papa Boz " assembled it for us! I would love to make more of them in the future and paint them bright colors from the garden. Dandelion Yellow, Spring Green, Poppy Red, and Lavender for starters... and perhaps a Turquoise blue too! Ahhh...Winter Daydreams~   

 So, come on in, hang your coat on the hall tree and grab a little something to drink and nibble on. There's lots to see. 

I've made this Onion Pie ( a Country Living recipe) twice this winter and its become a new family favorite. Perfect for a holiday brunch or any cold winter day. 

Saltine Brittle for you sweet tooth Sally's 

 ( I love a little Brie during the holidays )

We're coffee drinkers in our house and during this time of year I bring out my golden tea set ( a gift from my brother ) and set it out near the coffee pot. It adds a bit of elegance to an other wise every day tradition and makes having coffee just a little more special for us and those who happen do drop by. To spice up our every day ritual of drinking coffee we like to place cinnamon, biscotti, hazelnut pirouette's, herbal teas, flavored cream and granulated raw sugar all with in easy reach. 

Amy over at Homestead Revival really puts on her hostess with the most-ess hat when she creates her Hospitality Trays for drop by guests. If you have time, maybe you can drop by her place later too! 

We like to purty things up around here for the holidays... We don't over do it, but we love the extra sparkle and magic of the season. I'm all over the place with my decorating style. I LOVE things that twinkle and glitter as much as I enjoy the simple beauty of an UN adorned pine-cone, evergreens  and fresh cut holly too! My hubby  traipses through the woods behind his folks old farmhouse to find branches full of bright red holly berries every year for our decorating. 

It's tradition to bring out my Christmas Tea Pot and place the hand painted NOEL blocks out each year. The tea pot is a gift from my Aunt Nan to remind me of our treasured tea parties we used to have and my husband painted the NOEL blocks for our first Christmas together...

 I LOVE Santa's and I'm not partial to any one style... If he makes me smile I'll bring him home.

 The cook book on display is Winter by Goose Berry Patch. I've also been pouring over  my Vineyard Seasons Cook Book by Susan Branch and my Mary Jane's Farm Kitchen recipe books for inspiration too!

This year we added a ginger bread house to the mix! And here are some of our cherished Christmas Ornaments~

Turtle Doves from our first married Christmas nearly 20 years ago! 

We are always grateful for being Americans and the freedom we have. This is always on our tree during war time or not. 

Guess what? It's starting to snow!

 So much for that out door fire on Solstice eve ~ 

 The Little Red Hen House is lit-up like Main Street in Reno, Nevada in the midst of the fresh fallen snow. The " girls" are nice and cozy inside. 

Max's FIRST ROMP in the snow this season. 

Thank you for stopping by! 

We wish you the merriest of Christmas's and all Joy's for a Happy and Healthy New Year and May the Magic of the season stay with you all year long~ 

See you in 2011!

Love & many blessings, 

Deborah Jean