Thursday, December 31, 2015

It's Here!!




Hello Everyone!!

Enjoying my holiday a lot but wanted 

to pop in to wish all of my Followers 
and Readers a...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!


May it be filled with happiness, peace, 

good health and fun with family and 
friends.

See you in the NEW YEAR!!!



~Keep on Dreaming~

Monday, December 21, 2015

First Ladies...Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama




Good Afternoon! Let's continue 
our White House Tree Tour, 
shall we?

We will begin with First Lady 

Hillary Clinton. In 1995, Mrs. 
Clinton chose the theme: "A 
Visit from Saint Nicholas." The 
theme was inspired by the book 
and a family tradition of the 
President reading the story to
Chelsea and then to the school
children who visited the White 
House.

The ornaments for this tree came 

from architects--they were based 
on the home in the story and needle
pointers made stockings to tie
in with the phrase" the stockings
were hung by the chimney with care."

                  ~~~~~~~~~





In 2001, First Lady Laura Bush's
theme  plans change somewhat 
due to 9/11.
Her theme: "Home for the Holi-
days" took on a stronger signifi-
cance due to being at war. But 
even with the White House closed, 
tours and parties cancelled and 
few visitors to the White House, 
Christmas decorating did go on. 

It was a white Christmas with

shades of pure white, pearl white.
off-white and grayish white plus 
splashes of silver, gold and
crystals. White ornaments 
depicting homes like the 
Biltmore Mansion in North 
Carolina and places of
worship were contributed by 
various artists around the 
country for the Blue Room 
tree.
             ~~~~~~~~~




Barack and Michelle Obama
came to the White House in 
2009 as the President and 
First Lady.

Having never been to the 

White House and wanting 
to share it with everyone,
the First Lady chose the theme:
 "Reflect, Rejoice and Renew"
which also was a family theme 
in the Obama household.
Being a proponent of healthy 
eating, Mrs. Obama wanted to 
incorporate the White House 
garden into the decor, she also 
wanted to repurpose existing 
ornaments from past Christ-
mas'.
Hundreds of large plastic balls 
were found in the White House 
warehouse and these were 
distributed to sixty community 
groups to decorate, they were 
asked to illustrate an important 
place or monument by decoupaging 
the ornaments with pictures 
representing their subject.
All total there were 600 ornaments 
decorated by various groups. Before 
they were hung on the Blue Room 
tree the ornaments were strung on 
blue ribbon that Girl Scouts embroid-
ered "reflect, rejoice and renew" in 
several languages. A wide gold ribbon 
encircled the tree, culminating in a 
big bow as the tree topper.


There you have it---White House 

trees through five decades.
Hope you have enjoyed these posts,
if you missed one scroll backwards.


~Keep on Dreaming~


Thursday, December 17, 2015

Slight Delay...





This is from last year at Union Station 
here in Kansas City.


Hello--

Just popped in to let you know that 
there will be a delay in our next 
"First Lady" post.

I am running around here like a one

arm paper hanger trying to get things
ready for the last day of school before
break.

Please come back tomorrow for 
today's post.

Thanks for understanding.



~Keep on Dreaming~

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

First Lady--Barbara Bush





image: Google


In 1989, Mrs Bush went from being 
the "Second Lady" to "First Lady." 
Mrs. Bush was the First Lady who 
wanted to share the White House 
with everyone and for her that 
began with Christmas.

Mrs. Bush's theme for 1989 was a
"Storybook Christmas," which 
featured popular characters from 
children's books and it highlighted 
a favorite cause of hers: literacy.

The tree placed in the Blue Room
show
cased eighty soft sculpture 
ornaments, including Mary Poppins,
the Tin Man, Pinocchio and the Poky 
Little Puppy. Painted alphabet letters 
and small books were used as orna-
ments. Beneath the tree were books 
tied with ribbons. 

Interesting side note--That year
Mrs. Bush expanded on a trend 
that Mrs. Reagan has and that
was multiple trees--seventeen
to be exact!!! Those trees were
decorated with cotton bunting 
to resemble snow laden trees.

We'll continue tomorrow...



~Keep on Dreaming~

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

First Lady--Mrs. Ford



image: Google

Today we are going to get a
glimpse of the tree that Mrs. 
Ford designed during her 
first year as the First Lady.

In 1974, the Ford's came into 
the presidency after Nixon 
resigned. In need of a media 
makeover, Mrs. Ford decided 
to go with the same traditions 
the family had at home and 
continue them in the White 
House.

Known for her thriftiness, 
Mrs. Ford chose the theme 
"Patchwork Christmas as her 
theme. This theme was used 
for several reasons, stepping 
away from the former admin-
istration, the country was in 
a horrible recession with long 
gas lines, and inflation was
"Public Enemy Number One"
according to the President.

So she chose handcrafted 
ornaments instead of the
glitz and bling from the 
past years. Pastel blue fabric 
was chosen for the tree in the 
Blue Room, garlands and bows 
were made out of it. There were
550 patchwork ornaments
made by Appalachian crafters, 
600 tiny mirrors, homemade 
spice sachets of cinnamon and 
nutmeg, tiny baskets filled with 
candy or nuts, and carved 
wooden animal toys were hung 
on the tree and a quilt was 
wrapped around the base.

Stop by tomorrow for 
next Presidential tree.


~Keep on Dreaming~



Monday, December 14, 2015

First Lady--Mrs. Kennedy




Hello and Happy Monday
to everyone!

Over the next week we are 
going to take a look at five
different decades and the 
First families choice for trees.

Several years ago, Mr Ken 
gave me this book for 
Christmas. What a fun read
it is!!





Back in 1961, Mrs. Kennedy
chose the very first White House
Christmas theme---The Nutcracker.
This theme reflected her love of the
ballet, classical music and culture.
The majestic Victorian tree was
displayed in the Blue Room, with 
it's great height clearing the ceiling
when the star was placed on topped.

On the tree were blue ribbons, small
artificial candles, there were large 
snowflakes hanging next to small
candy canes, baskets, angels, birds
and other animals.

Mrs. Kennedy was known for her 
polish and sophistication and her 
tree design reflected these things.

**Pictures from Google and 
text information is from the book.

Stop by tomorrow and see whose
tree is next.


~Keep on Dreaming~

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

The Highlight Reel




Hi!
I can't believe a week has flown by.

Last Friday Mr. Ken and I celebrated
our 16th anniversary as some of you 
know, anyway that evening we went 
to our local Arboretum and enjoyed
the Holiday Luminary walk.





The weather was warmer than last year 
but we were glad to have our big coats
as the evening progressed.





The grounds covered-- total 22 acres. 
We did not walk all 22 acres but we 
walked and walked.





All the pathways were lit with lots and
lots of candles!! Pathways and water-
ways had candles.





I think for all of us here in the metro
area, we consider this the KC Royals
tree.




A very nice guest took our picture for 
us.

On Saturday, we did a little shopping 
and hanging out.





On Sunday, we went to Crown Center,
a "premier family destination" in down-
town. There are a variety of activities
for the whole family to choose from.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch at this
lovely restaurant.





I chose the lunch buffet and Mr. 
Ken had a Caesar salad and 
lasagna.
I posted my choice on Facebook
so I didn't post it here. THEN
we had a Cannoli and Gelato for
dessert.




This is the Mayor's Christmas. It is lit
the day after Thanksgiving in Crown
Center Square. It is 100 feet tall and
lit with thousands of lights and orna-
ments.





A beautiful wreath inside the Crown 
Center shops.





If you look very closely, you will see
that this is a ginormous Snow Globe.
this is part of the "Downtown Dazzle"
Activities. We stood in line and then
got to go INSIDE the globe and had 
our picture taken! It was sooo fun!





These characters were monitoring 
all of the guests waiting in line
for their turns to go in the globe.

Another fun anniversary and now
we are onto the next.

Look for me on Facebook if
I am not here. 
(Melinda Lickteig)

~Keep on Dreaming~

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Some Thoughts






Yes, I am still around and I hope 
you are too!!!

It is that time of year--so much 
going on.

As most of you know, yesterday 
was "Giving Tuesday." The day 
that we are asked to "give" to 
our favorite charity.

Today I would like to suggest 
other recipients for our giving 
this holiday season.

Animal shelters--old towels and
blankets

Women's shelters--toiletries, 
women's and children's clothing.
Plus size clothing for women is
usually in high need, books and
art supplies for the kids. Please
check with your local shelter
for their "needs" list.

Homeless shelters-Again
check with those in our 
area for their particular 
needs.
Usually clothes, socks
shoes and toiletries are
a high need.

Local libraries usually have 
book donation drop offs 

Check with your local
child care centers and
elementary schools to 
see what they are in 
need of. 
Small centers usually 
are in need of art 
supplies and classroom 
supplies etc.

Last but not least---
Those RED KETTLES
that are seen all over at 
this time of year.
Mr.Ken and I get the biggest
kick out of dropping our dollars 
into the kettles we see.
If you are feeling really generous
buy the bell ringer a cup of coffee
or hot chocolate, they'll appreciate 
it-especially if it cold.

Take the time to give when and
where you can. Someone you
don't know will thank you!!!!


~Keep on Dreaming~

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Oh, What Fun...





Hello!
Hope everyone is having a 
fantastic holiday weekend!!

Well, today's the day,"Small 

Business Saturday."

The day we focus on shopping 

at those cute little stores 
that we have in our towns 
and cities.

The benefits are many--


Shoppers can find a

variety of unique gifts.

Those that the gifts are 

for receive a special gift.

Shopkeepers profit and many

gain new customers.

Enjoy your shopping. Hope 

you find a lot of fun 
goodies!!


~Keep on Dreaming~

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

The BIG Day





Here we are the day before"the 
big day." Are you ready? We are. 
Mr. Ken and I will be at home 
tomorrow and enjoy hanging,
eating AND locating Christmas 
decorations

Wishing you are yours a day filled 
with FAMILY, FRIENDS, FUN, 
FOOD AND MOST OF ALL FELLOW-
SHIP!!!

Why did the turkey cross the road 
twice?

To prove he was not a chicken.


What do you call it when it rains 
turkeys?

Foul Weather


Happy Thanksgiving!!


~Keep on Dreaming~

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