Love reading all your stories! Great thread. My sis & I were 15 months apart and we usually got the same thing every year. One year we "graduated" to 20 inch J.C. Higgins bicycles from Sears cira 1958 or 59. They were identical but we realized after a couple of days that the reason we could tell them apart is because my Dad, excuse me Santa had put the handle bars on Sis's bike upside down lol. Believe it or not, she wouldn't let him change them to the correct position. She liked being backwards LOL. Mother always put a lot of thought into our stockings, the best fruit and candies. Daddy always read from the same Night Before Christmas book when he tucked us in on Christmas Eve. It had this red velvet stuff on Santa's suit on the cover. My birthday is a week before Christmas and I believe that book had been a birthday gift. When you have a birthday that time of year, you get used to birthday gifts wrapped in Christmas wrap LOL. We always were involved with the Mary & Joseph manger scenes at the church, and with the Christmas program as my Dad was the church pianist. I was always Mary, apparently because I was chubby lol. My cousins were the other actors in the play each year. Nice to look back on that period, because I don't see any of them very often now. Mostly when a relative dies, or maybe a reunion once a year. And I remember the year we got Thumbelina dolls (they moved slowly when you cranked them up), my Barbie (it had 3 wigs!), and the year I got a Polaroid Swinger camera and GoGo boots, white of course, LOL. Still have that camera, and it always made terrible pics (black & white only), but my parents went to a lot of trouble to find that one, they were sold out because it was the trend that year. The way they found my camera was because my Dad worked part time that year at the Camera and Craft store, and he was the photographer for the Santa photos. I remember waiting on him at the mall while he worked. He had a full time job, and used that camera store job to buy equipment for his home darkroom. That was a fun experience too, developing film. Now it's mostly digital, but I enjoyed doing that at home when I was a kid. Ended up in printing profession myself and got more than plenty of darkroom work later in life. I enjoyed my kids each Christmas, now I'm making new memories with the 2 small grandsons. They're such a joy! Holidays hugs to you all ~tenderlee

I hung it up right away in a magnolia tree. At first I thought the silicone was bad,or maybe it didn't want to stay glued,but found out for some reason the SQUIRRELS are taking the cups off! Maybe they think they see more birdseed in it,or they like to chew the dried silicone,whatever the reason, I finally got tired of glueing the clear punch cups back on. I loved the look of the cups with the glass center of the chandelier, and I suppose I could have glued them back on and used it as a candle holder,but I am collecting tea cups and saucers to make another birdfeeder like that. Good luck in the chandelier search:) Maybe freecycle? I bought the spray paint at Walmart,so many new colors they've come out with!

I got a wonderful package from Luna Moon today. She sent me garden gloves, something I can always use. Peat pots for starting seeds, which she also sent several packages of. I love getting seeds & several of those were on my wanted list so I'm really excited about those. A pretty angel on a stake pot or garden marker. She is so pretty I'm using her on a pot indoors, where I will see her more often. Some wonderful smelling soothing bath salts. I can't wait to use those. A yummy chocolate bunny & jelly belly beans. A beautiful BIG tea cup & saucer with the prettiest purple iris on it. Not sure exactly what it is but I'm going to use it for a candle holder since I have one bedroon decorated in purple. I think it can be used as a small planter or bird feeder also. Thank you so much for your nice gifts. You got my week off to a great start.

Igloochic, I've used the clear glass teacups/saucers on a copper pipe with a tealight in each. They give a nice glow in the evening in the garden around the patio. They do fill with water when it rains so will need frequent washing. I prefer to use them this way rather than as birdfeeders as wet bird seed is not pretty and we have way too many squirrels and chipmunks to feed! I've made and sold many dozens of these 'tealights' as well as glass totems. This is the only pic I seem to have that may show better what I'm taking about. These 'tealights' are made from vintage punch cups with dessert dishes upside down under them which I've used when I run out of the cups and saucers. They have copper pipe fittings underneath so fit on a copper pipe in the garden. Love your stuff Pesky! Especially those tilted teapots! Thanks Tuesday! I'll post the link to my garden album in case anyone is interested in seeing my totems. Here is a link that might be useful: my glass garden totems