Wednesday, December 17, 2008

"Out West..."

Things of the "old west" have always intrigued me...
I dearly remember
my cowgirl outfit I had as a little girl.
So...
it doesn't really surprise me
that I ended up living in the west and cherishing a western lifestyle.

I have an accumulation of Christmas ornaments that
borders on excessive...
Okay..
it is excessive....really excessive.
When I lived in the Midwest one Christmas season I
decorated 13 Christmas trees in my home...
Not all full sized...many were table top-
each with a different theme.
It was fun to dress up the long gray winter days
of the Midwest for the holidays.
My trees would be put up end of October..
and
were not taken down until mid January.

Things are different now.
The desert sun beckons me outdoors daily....
and the "skies are not cloudy all day." :)
My holiday decorations now are more carefully chosen
and are usually put up just before Thanksgiving
and taken down New Years Day.
Above are a few terracotta tile glazed ornaments
I chose to place on a smaller white Christmas tree in our guest room...
They really stand out against the white tree boughs...
and feel very festive
for our warmer Christmas season here in Arizona.

Ahh! Christmas "Out West"...
goes to show you if you dream hard enough...
childhood dreams do come true!! LOL :)

"Tomorrow hopes
we have learned something from Yesterday."
~
John Wayne

8 comments:

Lisa Adams Reed said...

You and I are sympatico. I, too had trees and wreaths all over the big house--and loved it--THEN. Now, it is all much simpler...quaint, easy, authentic, sans stress. Recommended.

sandy said...

Ahhh, you are a cowgirl.

I have a fondness for the west too.
My dad retired in Tombstone Arizona and lived there until he died. I enjoyed visiting him often and especially loved the saloons!

Love the art work.

winna said...

I'd never seen these Western themed ornaments before--so thanks for doing this wonderful sketch--I would think red chillies would fit perfectly for the seasons decorations,too

Anonymous said...

Fabulous sketch. I love the winter out here!

kazumiwannabe said...

13 trees?!? Wow. The western decorations are lovely! Love your mandala below too, it's beautiful.

Sherry Pierce Thurner said...

Always charming, Margaret. I have a little terra cotta storyteller ornament that sits out all year long. It would look good on your tree.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Your ornaments look so lively in this composition. Great!

I too used to go overboard but no long do so. I know my photos look like a lot but they really aren't, for me. tee hee...

I have a picture of me someplace with a cowgirl outfit on. I haven't made it out west yet, to live that is. I guess I am a Hoosier through and through.

Serena Lewis said...

13??!!!! Amazing! I love this layout. When I was a child, I always identified with the 'Indians' in the old movies, never the cowboys. I always felt a strong connection which is probably why I love this drawing so much. :)