Not something I talk about here, at all really, but once a week I help out some friends of my Dad’s. They are a Brother and Sister who are on the elderly side. I am sure they didn’t plan on spending their latter years hanging out with each other day after day, let alone sharing a house, but such are things that this is the way it worked out for them. They were both married and have lost their spouses. The Sister had two sons and lost them as well. So now, they have each other.
Once a week I go over and do the general cleaning, pass a vacuum, clean the bathrooms, a little laundry. My Dad and my Sister also take turns and do what is needed to keep them in their house. Which is amazing, that they still live in their house.
A few weeks ago we got to talking about Christmas decorations and how there were some in the basement and wouldn’t it be lovely to put up the tree this year.
Last week, I grabbed my littlest helper and headed over to decorate their tree.
I’m not going to say she was the most help, but it was nice to have a little girl running around their house. She certainly brightened up their day.
In the basement I found boxes and boxes of these totally retro decorations.
I only used about 1/8th of the decorations they had, but it did the trick and a tree was born.
Not bad for a busy Mom, a little girl and some antique decorations.
For Day two we were supposed to watch Classic movies before bed. But, since Hubby didn’t get the lights up last weekend, that is what we were doing after dinner and before bed. I did let them watch a classic before dinner and took photos. And as we do every year, the kids played hockey in the driveway while Hubby was finishing up.
Today we pushed the classic movie day before bed, which I didn’t take photos of (Parent Teacher interviews and my Mom can’t work the camera). So I decided to use the photos from yesterday.
It has been fun so far making sure we do a little something from our Calendar. Since tomorrow is a PD day, we will write Santa’s Letters tomorrow and put them in the mail.
Day 2:
Day 3:
How I really enjoy you. I have used many of your ideas and done them up in my own special way. Your recipes have been made in our house year after year, cookies, rolled turkey with todd, cakes… I even almost applied for a job in your offices just after my husband and I got married. I chickened out at the thought of going to New York for the interview.
So today, when you (or one of your assistants) Tweeted that you were taking questions live on the air on Sirius Radio, I figured, why not. I dialed the number and had the question ready that I have wanted to ask you for several years now. But, your assistant wasn’t sure you would want to or know the answer so she encouraged me to think of another question. The only thing that came to mind was to ask you how to keep my fresh greenery fresh.
You probably thought, who is this Canadian girl asking me about a fresh tree? Go artificial already! You were quite sweet though and gave me a few suggestions including using prelit artificial garland that you are selling through Grandin Road and appropriately had on your show today.
But, just in case you drop by my little site, here is the real question I wanted to ask. Why do you reuse so many of your photos in your magazine? Sometimes you have a new recipe or at the very least a new spin on an old recipe, but instead of using a new photo you (and I mean your magazine, not you personally) reuse the same photo year after year. Since I am a photographer it really plays on my heartstrings that a new photo can’t be taken to freshen things up. That was my real question. Bear in mind that I have many years worth of Martha Stewart Living gracing my bookshelves that I reference often and I still get inspired by your magazines.
Thank you for the opportunity to call in today, I never thought in a million years that I would get the chance to ever talk to you and certainly it wouldn’t have been about my Christmas tree and garland. It was fun and truly made my day.
And most of all, I was so happy that these guys didn’t start fighting or screaming while I was talking to you.
Thank you,
BeachMama from Ottawa, Canada
