Christmas Food...Hungry?

 The punch was ready when our family started to arrive...

 Pasta salad done...

 Eggs finished....a dash of cheese

Lots of goodies...

 another salad...

 And family...

 More family...

 The grandparents....(in the back)

 Was good to have family over for the afternoon. This is my dh side of the family...somehow I missed getting any pictures of their 3 sons but believe me they were there! Now, I am almost ready for Christmas. This week is about finishing up, Christmas choir, Christmas play and finally Christmas day. It will not be the same this year. My heart is not in Christmas this year but now is all we have and I am trying to enjoy the season with my children....but I am missing Mom....

Christmas Bathroom Encore

 Yesterday when I posted my bathroom pictures I guess I forgot to turn around and take pictures of the other side so here is the opposite wall. You can see in the mirror the wreath from yesterday.

 I leave the plate rack up year around and just change out the plates, if you are a follower you probably remember the fall plates!

 I do believe the green stripes are my favorite.

 I like for the bathroom to make you smile...maybe be unexpected...I enjoy decorating it!

 I have a variety of towels but for today we have red snowflakes...

 My spa sink...you either love it or hate it...I smile when I see it...soon I will tire of it and move on to something else.

 I found this wreath at Jo Ann Fabric and could not believe it wasn't gone since it was on sale.

And my wonderful snowman that my Mother painted. Each of us has one. The nose winds up and plays frosty the snowman. I listen to it when I am in the shower....thanks Mom. She was a very talented person..she is missed.

Christmas in the bathroom!

 I found all these little Santa's at a garage sale a few years ago. Each year I try to find a special spot for them.This year is the bathroom.

 I forgot the hang the sign behind them...It says Holiday Goods...sorry

 This wreath my Mom made for each of us....I adore it.

 A sweet little tree.

 A little look at the tree and the light!

This is my little cross stitch from a few years ago!
 I think the bathroom is coming together!!! Blessings

Grief in the Midst of Christmas

  This morning as I was listening to our practice cd for our Christmas choir, the ugly grip of grief put its' hands on my heart. While listening to these beautiful Christmas songs with wonderful music I am faced with the fact that this Christmas my Mother will celebrate in Heaven and not with her daughter. I am heartbroken at my loss. I walk around in a daze, trying to show the world I am normal when inside I am a shambles. My Mother, my best friend, the one person who always knew what to say and what to do, is gone...oh how heartsick that makes me.
  I have a strong christian faith...I know she is with Jesus. I know she is ok...I know I will see her again...I am just living the reality of the effects of death.
  Dear Friends, I know this is not the Christmas posts...today I don't feel Christmas. Today I only am feeling the pain of my loss. I am just selfish enough to want her with me...I am a spoiled child wanting my Mother. Her love for me was unconditional and true. I can not remember a single time my Mother ever raised her voice when speaking to me.  Oh....I am heartsick today.
  I know that when grief hits hard that sometimes it only lasts for a few hours...or days and then subsides but for today...right now...I am at my limit of control. So the tears flow and my heart hurts...oh what I have lost...but heaven has gained.
  Lord, today I am asking for some mercy and grace, for an extra portion of love. Help me be close to you today, Lord. Wrap your arms of love around my soul...and I will pull myself together and go on with my day, maybe a little slower today but I am counting on You to pull me through...thank you Lord for your mercy right now!
 Amen
Tomorrow I will feel better. Thank you dear friends for your loving support in my difficult time.

Oh Christmas Tree

 Well, the tree is trimmed..at last. It has seemed like such a big job, not because it was difficult just because I haven't felt like decorating it this year.

 But I dug out the the vintage ornaments and just got started. I adore these old ornaments and I must admit they make me smile!!

 I hope you enjoy my little pieces of heaven.Not the best pictures but you can get the feel for it!

I must admit that I am just finishing the decorating. But yet the front porch is not done so that is my goal for this week. I am going to get out there and see what I can do with a few new lights! We will see what happens once I get started....more pictures to come!

More Christmas Decorations

 Just a few more pictures. This is the window in my foyer. As you can see I have a wreath on the window outside and snowflakes on the inside. I can not put lights on this garland since I don't have any electric nearby,

 I rehung the window behind my sofa and decorated it...I am not pleased with the decorations this year but to tell you the truth I am too tired to change it again so for now...

 This is the wool garland I made last year after Christmas. I am leaving it in the dining room for this year I really love it. You can also see the Avon Plates I have hung. My Mother always got one each year for all of her dd. I cherish these plates. I leave them out all year and I think of her often when I see them.

Again,,,no so good this year!
More pictures tomorrow.

A few more Christmas decorations

 This is an area on the radiator that is in our computer/living room which is actually the real dining room.

 I found this set of mercury glass candle sticks and they are just so beautiful that I could not resist. I took an up-close picture of the glam and it is the last picture in this post. It did not come out very well!

 I hung up a small painting that my Mom painted a few years ago when I was in Florida with her. I can not tell you how much I miss her right now.She was in Florida when she painted this, but she was dreaming of an Ohio winter...I am dreaming of the day I get to see her again.

 I put my silver tree in the foyer this year with all silver balls but when I looked it just did not look the way I wanted it to so my middle daughter talked me into using her purple balls. It makes me smile, how about you?

I am not sure you can even tell what this is but it is the close version of the candle sticks..
I am certainly not feeling like Christmas but in the midst of this heartbreak I know that my family needs me to remember that this is a special season and that we have to pull together to get through our loss. Some days it is such a struggle. I am thankful for the family that I have. I will post more pics tomorrow.

More Christmas pictures

 Well, I am almost ready for work but I wanted to share a little more of the living room. This is our front window it faces the road which is west. It takes all the wind so I have started to hang the wreath on the inside of our home. Somehow I am stuck on a snowflake them so I guess I am just going to go with it!! I spent most of the day yesterday working in this room! The tree I found at a garage sale!

 This is a closer look at the snowflakes. They are wooden and I have had them for many years!

 Sitting in the window is a star and from the outside it is way cool...it is kinda lame in this picture!

 Off to the left is the buffet with the red striped trees and this is the rest of the design. I forgot to take a picture with it all together but I will do that later!

My bottle tree collection. I love them...not a good picture but I still love them. I hope you enjoyed this little tour and tomorrow I will show you some areas of glam and glitter!~