And the New Year is about to Begin!

 Dear Friends,
 I am dressed and ready to step out the door to go out with my dh to a nice place here in town for dinner.
 Our youngest is having a few friends over to play the wii and drink sparkling cider.
 I just couldn't leave without thanking each of you for following me and replying throughout the year. You are such kind souls and I so look forward to reading your comments and your kind replies to my struggles.
 I am setting my sites on a new venture this year. You will have to follow along to see how that turns out...lol
 I am also joining a dear friend who has put out a challenge. She wants to see if we can work on projects we already have and not purchase material or in my case (also) cross stitching patterns. Now you would think that would be easy enough...but there are so many new patterns calling my name. But I am going to try to see how I do with the challenge...do you want to join me?
 I do wish all of you a wonderful new year...blessings in large measure, good health and faithful friends. May the Lord bless you and your family. From my family to yours, Happy New Year.

Another Adventure at Christmas

   I do hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. It is so easy to get caught up in all the stress that we forget to enjoy our family and friends. This year our Christmas had a major disruption. My bil was rushed to the hospital and had open heart surgery during Christmas week.  We were all so thankful that the doctors were able to perform surgery and bypass to allow his heart to function correctly. This was not planned and we were quite shocked but in this life we had better be prepared for the unexpected.
   This event made our Christmas even more meaningful. I relished each minute my kids were here and I listened a little more intently to their words and I even shed a little tear when it was over.
   We have not had our Christmas with all of us yet, we are waiting for him to mend but I know that once we get together we will be so thankful that he is well and there with us.
    Even though it is early, I do think I am going to start to taking down our decorations. I have so much to do and I just think that I had better work on it as I have time. I am sad to see it go because I love my Christmas decorations with glitter and whimsy. But I will tuck them away until next year.
    If you want to check it out, I have started a new blog which is a little different than this one. You will find it in the right side bar.
  

Merry Christmas one and all!

 Rejoice!!! A Savior is Born!!!! What a wonderful time of the year!!!

Our home is warm, our family is healthy, we are together!

And from looking out the windows you can see we even had a white Christmas. We are blessed.
Merry Christmas, dear friends!

More pictures of my home!!

 I guess I got busy and forgot to post a few more pictures for you to see. I do have all the decorating done and I have been done for a while but when I saw so many of your pictures it made me want to take them down and start again. i am starting to really like the all white Christmas decor that some of you are using. I just don't know if I would be happy with them but then again they are so beautiful.
 It is so much fun getting to see your homes and hear about your plans and see all the baking...my baking will start next week but for now I will be watching what you are all up to...

This is our aluminum tree...it brings back such great memories..or maybe I should say feelings. I love it and every year I debate whether to use this one or one of our other trees but for this year here it is.

The rest of the pictures will be of the back porch. We have a closed in porch on the back of the house and I have it decorated with a red, white and blue theme.

My youngest just finished this Lizzy Kate...I just love it!

I think that is it for today.. it was sunny today so some of the pictures are a little light but I think you can make them out.
 I am trying to enjoy the process...but today I am very tired. What I had planned and what I am going to be doing today are not the same. I could use a little nap but I just don't want to waste the time! lol
 Hope your celebrations are cheery and bright!

Christmas in the parlor

 Just one picture is all I have time for before I leave today. I am off to work and do some shopping with my daughter later today.
 This is our sitting room and it has our computer in it too...so this arrangement is just to my left. It is one of my favs...all whimsical and glittery. The walls are a mossy green  and it lends itself to Christmas decorating.
  The three young adults that were staying with us this week are now headed home and it seem so quiet...we had fun but I am tired and so much to do ...safe travels girls!
  Have a wonderful day today and be blessed.
  OOOPpppps. I forgot to say this is also the room with our antique tree but somehow I forgot to get a picture of it...I will post it tomorrow!!

More pic of Christmas in our home

Hello Dear Friends,
 I have a few minutes this morning and I wanted to share a few more pictures of our living room. Actually the stairway is in the foyer but other than that we are are still in the living room looking around. All the wreaths are decorated the same in most of the house so this is a close-up of the one beside the piano..
 Time is flying by here in Ohio, I have much to do. I had many plans for the Holidays we will see if they happen.
  I also am decorating an office for their holiday party...I am a little nervous since I usually just decorate for myself but it is a challenge I will enjoy.
  I will be around to visit later today but for now I am off to work. Be blessed.

An Old Fashioned Christmas on the Porch

On yesterdays post I thought the socks were not very clear so I thought I would post one more...you can compare the two!
 Moveing on...I didn't get to finish the living room pictures yesterday because I thought it was getting too long but I promised to post the front porch pictures today so I will move on to the porch and back to the living room later.

 Well, there you go. It was about 5 pm but it was so dark and dreary and rainy that these were the best pictures I could get...hope you can tell that I went for an old fashioned look with a Santa that I bought at a garage sale about 15 years ago....but he is still looking good!

The decorations are finished!

Wow, we have been so busy. We have three college age girls staying with us for a week. They are the Encounter Team and we have been enjoying their music and fellowship. Besides the fact that I had a lot of things to put away and clean up before finishing up my Christmas decorations.
 I finished the porch this morning and the wind was whipping in all directions, luckily is was the upper 40's so it wasn't too cold. I have the pictures taken for daytime viewing so tonight I will snap a few pics of the night view and post those tomorrow but for today I will share some of the other decorations.

 I am sorry that the close up view was a little blurry...are my hands shaking?? lol It is similar to last year when I made the socks. You may have notices the fireplace is not lit but it will be shortly (with bulbs that is) I will take a few pictures once that is done too.
 To the right is my dd piano...these are the decorations.

 All the windows have wreaths...

Now I know what you are thinking...how do you have sparkly with prim decorations...I don't know but I love the mix and match at Christmas and I love the glitter feel of the room so..go figure!
 The wreaths I have had and I put them up each year. sometimes outside sometimes inside. I saw that the White House has them on the inside and from then I put my inside too. The decorations on the wreaths switch each year. This year I used what I had on hand to glam them up!

The tree beside my stitching chair usually has my vintage ornaments on it but this year my dd wanted to use glass balls with glitter that I found on clearance last year so...I think it is so pretty.

 I did splurge on two new glam pillows. I found them at Home Goods in Columbus and I thought a long time about whether to pick them up or not but in the end I thought I could leave them out all winter and since they are white they could go almost anywhere so I  brought them home.
  Tomorrow I will post more pictures we are not even half way around the room yet! I will visit later.

Sharing a Life Changing Moment

  This morning while I had a few minutes I took a few pictures of my decorations but my mind was wondering. I thought of a life changing moment that I had years ago and I feel like I wanted to share that story today instead of my Christmas photos. Not to worry, those photos will be coming soon too.
  When our dd was only 18 months old there was a tragic car accident and our neighbor and her children we terribly hurt.  Their small baby was killed and their other children were hurt too. I had gone to high school with them and the father was not only our neighbor but a friend.
   When we went to the funeral home my dd looked at that little baby and thinking that she was sleeping, started to sing her a lullaby. When I reached to stop her the baby's daddy said...let her go..it is ok.  So there she stood..her little back to us..facing that baby and she sang that little baby to sleep. Needless to say, I cried all the way home. A life changing moment for them and for me.
  They had lost their baby but were thankful that eventually the other children would be ok...I was grateful for my child and the compassion she had shown for that little baby.
   We eventually had 2 more children but that moment is forever with me. Even now, as I think about that moment I cry.  I cry for all the moments they missed...I cry because I am so blessed.
   When our oldest children was ready to go to kindergarten ( remember I was teaching then) I knew that I could not send her. I had been given an awakening. Our days are precious and few. I wanted to spend them with my children...teaching, loving, laughing. I was not willing to give that up...even for a pay check.
   Why am I sharing this story??/ I am not sure...I am hoping that we all hold our days dear...we count our little blessings..we cherish the time with our children. Our dd is now 22 and their little daughter would have been almost 21...
   Sometimes our life changes in a moment, for me this was that moment. I went from a working mom..taking classes to get my Master's degree in Supervision ...in that moment I started to reevaluate how I was spending my days.
   Within a few years I was home with my children and a home schooling mom.  This is now my last year of home schooling. My children will all be graduated from our little school..we have two in college and one heading that way next year. Maybe another life changing moment is coming...Have a blessed day with your family..Rejoice ...Our Redeemer Lives.

Has the decorating started?

  Here we are in the midst of another weekend. What are you up to? I have a few more lights to put up outside and then I will be finished with the decorating this year. Every year I read so many blogs that show all their decorations and I wonder if I should go with a different style?? Well, of course this season would not be the time to do that...not in a recession.
  Tomorrow I will try to start to share a few pictures of our home and maybe I will share a picture of my new start too!!!
   Blessings.

Final Thanksgiving Thoughts!

 Dear Friends,
 After we watched the Macy's Day Parade dh decided to go to the garage to get the turkey ready for cooking. Here he is working his fingers to the bone!

It did turn out to be a nice turkey. We usually only have turkey once a year but it is almost my favorite food!

I guess all the food was good!!yummmmmm.
 But I did have a  final few words aboutThanksgiving. After the meal and when things were more quiet I took a walk and then dh joined me and we walked for about an hour. It was cool but not cold and it was a pleasant time together. We even had a few raindrops fall on our heads but nevertheless it was a nice time
 I know I have been posting since October about Thanksgiving but I guess I think it is just that important. Not only in November and throughout the holidays but year around. I am thankful that dh has a job and that we were together as a family. Most of all, I will try to think daily about the blessings that I have and pray for those who are struggling. I am thankful for those of you that visit me and leave your kind comments!! I am honored and humbled. May your Holiday season be filled with more blessings than you can measure!

 
  And now we are moving on to the most wonderful time of the year!

Thanksgiving beginnings

 Happy Tuesday!! I have been busy with a few beginnings for Thanksgiving. The dinnerware has been cleaned and shined. The cutlery is clean and waiting for their use. I have made the fudge, the pasta salad, cookies and I have boiled the eggs.  I went ahead and made the insides for the deviled eggs and placed it inside a zip lock baggy, with just a little snip on the corner I can fill the eggs without any mess!
 I was contemplating what it means to be thankful. It is easy to be thankful when things are going good..we are then thankful but maybe it doesn't have as much meaning. When times are tough or when times are trying it is easy to be disgruntled...to grumble....to feel like we have it worse than anyone else. Truly, being thankful is a start of mind not a statement about where things are going. Count your blessings daily...one by one.  Rejoice this Thanksgiving!!!!
 

Thankful thoughts

Dear Ones, What a wonderful day of praise we had today. Our worship team worked together for the soul purpose of praise and when that happens it is so magical. I am so happy to have spent time in praise and worship.
  Today I want to tell you that my dad just had hip replacement surgery. He came home on Saturday and is doing well. Home Health care will meet his needs and my Mom will be there to help all she can. Their dear neighbors have offered to bring in Thanksgiving meals and that will be such a blessing to them and to us. I am so thankful that this kind of hospitality is still alive and well. What a blessing they are.
  Look around and see if there is someone in need close to you. Sometimes it just takes a kind word or a warm meal to change the life of someone else. If you are in need, please make yourself known to those closest to you, don't rob them of the blessing. Have a wonderfully blessed night.

Thanksgiving...giving...

Dear Ones,
 Don't you just love the vintage turkey and it's little keeper?? How sweet they are! My thoughts are continuing to be with Thanksgiving. I have been thinking of the sights and sounds of Thanksgiving. When our children were little they used to be so excited that the cousins would be home for Thanksgiving. sometimes my sister and her family would stay in our home so they would get there on Wednesday evening. The house would be a flurry of activity. First,  I would have all the girls help me get most of the baking done before the cousins arrived. We would spend the week before getting all the groceries and all the little gifts purchased.
  We would always have an ornament exchange on Thanksgiving that way everyone would have something new to place on the tree each year. The kids also would each get a Christmas book to read during the upcoming holiday season. It was such fun, much squealing, as each child rejoiced with their new books and new ornaments. Once the kids had outgrown the books (does that ever really happen?) we then only exchanged ornaments and do so to this day.
  We spent many a holiday season reading those books over and over again. After Christmas I would tuck the books away and by the next Thanksgiving it would be a delight once again to pull out the Christmas books and read them anew.  My children have all those books safe and sound so they can take them to their own homes once they have finished college and start their own families.
  I am richly blessed with those memories. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year for families to celebrate with the ones that love them and to count all the blesses we now call memories. Thanksgiving is a time to draw near and pause to give a prayer of Thanksgiving to the Holy one who has so lavished us with his blessings daily. Hug them, hold them, pray for them. Blessings to each of you!

Thanksgiving Moments

 Hello Dear Ones,
  We are now counting the days till Thanksgiving.  The time is drawing near. Thanksgiving has always been a magical time at our home. A time to celebrate our blessings with our family.
   When our children were younger we would have a large game of football that we named the Turkey Bowl. We  would spend hours out in the yard giggling and laughing and just plainly having a wonderful time. One year it rained and the Turkey Bowl went on as planned...everyone was drenched but we loved it just the same. Somehow,  that  yearly tradition faded away but  nothing can remove the memories and the sounds of the laughter in my heart. Much more simple times...now the kids are just edging on the twenties..some a little over...some a little under...where have my sweet small children gone? Now, they are busy young adults and the thought of a football game is no longer fun.
    I am so thankful for the memories and for the time that we continue to share together. When the Aunts and Uncles and cousins gather together for stories and laughter...for games of Mario brothers bring cheers....yes...I am thankful.
   Dear Ones, draw those you love close to you and hold them tight...don't spare on the kisses or the compliments. Let peace reign the day....joy and laughter be the memories when the day is over...cherish it...

   This week I will continue to share my thoughts and memories of Thanksgiving...be blessed.
  

A little glimpse!

 I want to thank all of you for your kind words and thoughts but mostly for your prayers! My dad is doing well after his hip replacement surgery. They will keep him under medication for most of today due to pain and then if all goes well he will be home in about three days with home health care coming in to get him on his feet. Praise the Lord!!!
 As for the picture...well just wanted to share the first Christmas decoration for the season. I love this sign. Today it has been cool but mostly rainy, I am thankful that there is no snow yet!
  I wanted to share a few pictures of the little shop I work in. It is called Bella's Gifts. I usually work about 2 days a week. I didn't realize my batteries were almost shot so I only snapped a few pictures but there will be more coming but this will give you a little glimpse.

  This is where I lost battery power but you can see we are all decked out for Christmas in some of the rooms. I didn't even get a chance to take pictures of the front display or all the jewelry but when I work on Friday I will take a few more so you can get the feel for the shop.
  Today, I decided to put the wreaths on the window because I see that were are having a weather change and it will be much colder very soon. Every year I freeze when I decorate the front porch sooooo today I took on the wreaths and I am pleased so far. It was a nice beginning to holiday decorating.
   I don't know if anyone is following the blog hop that is going on but if you can't find it go the the side bar and visit With Thy Needle and you will find some wonderful free patterns. What a kind and generous way to start the holiday season. I will be visiting. Please continue to pray for my dad (and mom).