More Christmas

With 96.9 on my radio, playing that "cool" and "nostalgic" Christmas Music, I drove up/down 72 to get my dear friend, Mary, for lunch - this holiday season.  Cold, rainy holiday weather calls for friends to hunker down and get some soup.  We got it at The Veranda in Scottsboro.  Delish!  Chicken Noodle Soup was featured today and it hit the spot - that and their coffee.

After lunch she and I meandered through two local shops and mostly looked at all the pretties.  So much Christmas.  We reflected about all those past years when we were younger - and so wanted to gather as many gorgeous ornaments and trims as we could.  They're still gorgeous to look at, but we both agreed we're maxed out.  Can't buy another ornament, the way our tummies get full and we can't hold another bite.  This year I just made my ornaments and didn't even get my old ones out.  The trouble with that is, NOW I HAVE MORE ORNAMENTS TO STORE!  What was I thinking?  Oh well, I'm having fun.  I had fun.

And with all that said - and written on Wednesday -

It is now Thursday -

Our Christmas Dinner at church is a memory.  It was last night.  I took my camera and came home without a single photo.  But we had a delightful time.  Fellowship - Food, catered by The Veranda, (2nd time The Veranda is in this post) and beautiful table settings.  We, the ladies, signed up for decorating one table each.

As Laura Beth said in this post,   "And, because I hate a post without pictures, I'll end with a few..."

What follows are the "outtakes", the ones that couldn't show up in Ann's Christmas Card.

This is the reality of taking 114 photos for one perfect Christmas Card Photo.

1.  That's me trying to hide behind the four so that they are lined up and it will appear that Abigail is sitting alone.  Do you see my back and hair and hand on her arm?

2.  Better solution as long as I don't choke Abigail.

I was so very very low down and had a death grip on the back of her dress.

See how it's pulled around her neck?

3.  She gets smothered with kisses.  If one starts kissing her, they all do.

They are a very competitive, keep up with each other, set of siblings.

4.  Andrew apparently wasn't enjoying the photo shoot.

This is in the beginning.  Ann was trying to get some individual shots of him and of Luke.

Andrew needed a nap and it was tough getting his cooperation.

5.  He was more interested in ladybugs crawling on his fingers.

6.  I think here, Andrew had just put his finger in Abigail's mouth.

Notice the funny face she's wearing, my fingers on Andrew's shoulder, and the look on his face.

It's, "I know I wasn't supposed to do that, but I just had to".

7.  And here are the brothers - 

Ann wanting them together in a shot, but again, 

Andrew not in the mood for Luke's arm to be around him.

8.  Okay - so we've moved to Ann's screened porch.  The kids' smiles aren't natural nor are they smiling all at the same time so I had to think of something funny - I remembered Andrew and Luke's favorite version of Jingle Bells.  I'm singing it and acting it out with Ann as the victim - as she takes the picture.

Lyrics, here, so you'll understand:

Jingle bells, Shotgun shells
Granny had a gun
Shot me in my underpants
and boy I had to run!

Notice that Abigail doesn't seem to understand the humor.

9.  So I had to single her out and talk all 

ooshy goosh to her - the voice she recognizes as "Near" (that's me)  speaking directly to her.

That's all.

How are you doing Christmas ?

Christmas

Getting Ready.

I've made fruitcake.

I love it.

I keep my recipes out.

The ones I like to do, if I can, each Christmas.

The wrapped fruitcake - in soaked cheesecloth, wrapped in foil.

and my tree with the crafted paper ornaments.

I guess we can call this our "paper christmas".

and here at the last, I've begun to make these.

Saw what I would call the originals at Anthropologie and just KNEW I could make them

But didn't pursue the idea.... UNTIL...

I saw them done HERE

at itsoverflowing.com.

That's all I needed.  I loved them first at Anthropologie

 and then this gal gave me what I needed to make them myself.

And my sweet white Lenox Nativity.

I collected it so long ago.

It's quiet and white and serene and breakable.

I keep it up high.

And my Fontanini Nativity collection.

The movable pieces are beautiful and touchable for little hands.

I had it arranged but in reach.

Some little person moved the pieces so that all the sheep are around Baby Jesus.

 And my past and present Christmas Pictures.

Decorations that have so much history and are built on the theme,

"Every Christmas" or "Traditio"

and then there's my little "craft stash"

ready at a moment's notice

to make one more thing.

and the Christmas Mugs.

Christmas Coffee.

Every morning.

Some afternoons.

The Day After Thanksgiving

I really am thankful.  No, Really.


I just didn't post a list of what I'm thankful for.


Seriously - I do say thank you a whole lot.  Who do I say it to?


To God.  My Maker, my Creator, My Savior, my God - who loves me - and opens up ways for me to love Him and be used by Him - the giver to me of husband and family and children and grandchildren.  He's given me good health.  He's given me safety and comfort and friends and mind and body and spiritual blessings and so so so so much.  I will live forever.  I have wonderful memories.  He's given me trials and ordinary and stress and He's given me not what I asked for.  He's given me different from what I expected.  He's given me simple and mundane - and did I mention ordinary?  Oh yeah.  I mentioned ordinary.  He's given me "not filthy rich".  He's given me American middle class.  He's given me the good, the bad and the ugly.  and YAY - He is my Savior, Redeemer, Sanctifier of my soul and heart - He shapes my life and orders my days and I am His.  I am His.  yes and hallalujah and thank you, Lord.

Anyway - it's the day after Thanksgiving.

What are you doing?

Kate is here.  Charlie drove his mom home.  My sister, Mary Ann, left this morning.  Ann, Steve and the children are in C'nooga with Steve's parents.

I'm the last person I would have expected to see in Huntsville today.  I was headed back to my dining room table to begin work, again, on the homemade ornaments.  (see previous post )  Kate wanted to make some similar ornaments - this kind...... the round orbs.

So - we went to Huntsville to Hobby Lobby to only get Scrapbook paper for this ornament.

After Hobby Lobby and Belks and Gap at Bridgestreet and Anthropologie and Cantina Laredo - we're back home.  PJ's on immediately.  Kate cutting out paper for ornaments.

I'm posting on this blog.

Welcome, Christmas Season.

Let us not go nuts.  Let us stay calm and simple and easy.  Let us be so glad He was born the way He was born and became a human being and lived in flesh.  

God became flesh.  God became human.

God saved us.

Wherever we are - whatever we're doing - How little we have - How much we have - How badly we hurt - How scared we are - God became flesh and lived amongst mankind and paid everything we have to pay for and now we can be safe and we can live.

He suffered the worst that can be suffered.  He lived through the worst that can be lived through.

He died and brought us life.

Thank you and Merry Christmas.

I'm a Little Bit Nuts

I get crazy like this when I get in the zone - a trance comes over me - a project gets me under its spell - I can't look up.  I can't look to my left or right - I go crazy.  I'm a project fool.

It all started a few weeks ago when this book came in the mail. 

 I could return it or keep it.  

I kept it.

I found 2 or 3 ornaments which I thought would be pretty simple to make.

No stress.  Easy.

And they are.  Easy, I mean.

Here is one of the pages which caught my eye.

It only involves Christmas Scrapbook paper.

But see?  There was this other ornament I found online.

The link is here at a blog called I Heart Naptime.

Here is the ornament I saw.

So off I go to Hobby Lobby with my list

Okay -

Hobby Lobby is like Wal Mart.

I could have spent more.  I put some things back.

I kept it somewhat reasonable.

Here is the mess I've buried myself in.

Complete with Pacifiers

All my neat little supplies exploded all over my dining room table.

Isn't that what dining room tables are for?

Craft and Art Projects?

In my case, though, we have to eat on it, also.

The fam is getting large.

And guess what?

I don't like messes.

God made me to like order and neatness but also made me with this artistic gene.

The two don't go together.

Art and tidiness.  I also like Math.  I don't think Math and Art fit.

or do they?  I don't know.

Anyway - 

This is my blog about my crafty mess 

and now I'll show you my finished products

But First.

It's come to my attention that a popular photo these days

which cute young gals put on their blog

is a shot of their cute feet.

They will either be bare feet with polished nails

or 

Feet in very very cute shoes,

and the feet are usually posed pigeon toed.

It has a coy look.

So here is my photo of my feet while I do these projects.

Because I couldn't show you how I look within these walls of my home as I craft.

You can imagine the rest.

I couldn't bring myself to pose them pigeon toed.  I'm too old.

I'm not into coy.

The message behind this photo is that it's hard to get cleaned up for the day.

I grab my coffee and start in again on the ornaments.

I go to bed with glitter on my face at night.  Seriously.

And there's always dried glue on my hands and under my nails.

Here is what I have so far.

At first I was disgruntled with myself as I began these projects.

I felt as if I'd spent too much money on too simple a project.

But then I began to persevere and kept it going and 

now I'm thinking about this year

maybe not getting previous ornaments out.

Just having a tree with all new homemade ornaments.

I don't know.  It's just a thought.

On a serious note

or

"Seriously, though"

The verse on the tag of the decoupaged ornament balls

"For today in the city of David 

there has been born for you 

a Savior who is Christ the Lord"

Luke 2:11

The Gospel in one verse.

We need a savior.

There has been born for us

Christ the Lord.

He was born in the city of David.

The history of the world.

God's creation.  God's redemption.

And those old Christmas Hymns and Compositions,

Brilliant in theology and music,

They thrill my soul.

O Come All Ye Faithful

The First Noel

Joy to the World

& The Messiah by Handel

 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given,

His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,

The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

(And now I'm headed out to Ann's with a can opener and my camera - she has company coming this afternoon.  I have cleaned up.  Just no makeup on. )

November 9th and Looking Toward Christmas

See?  We've kinda already had Thanksgiving at our house - 

but we'll have it again - modified.

Sarah was home last week - a whole week.

Monday through Yesterday, Tuesday.

She rode the train.

That's right.

From New Orleans to Birmingham and back again to New Orleans on Amtrak.

It's like a car ride and the cost is about the same as gasoline for the car.

I would like to get with the city planners in Birmingham and suggest that they dip into their budget and give their train station a makeover.  

It needs it badly.  Sarah had warned me.  She said the New Orleans Station is pretty nice but the Birmingham Station was a bit of a shocker.  

So we had Thanksgiving on Thursday, last week.

Laura Beth drove home with John and Ada.   

Scott had to stay in McDonough and work.

This little guy and his friends were all over my house all week.

and the pink chair (can you see it?)

stays by this tree.

Luke, Ellie, and Ada use it to get themselves up in the tree.

So far Ada is the champion climber.

She goes up and up and Luke is very impressed.

Ada has a little bit of "monkey' in her.

Like Curious George.

I never stopped to take a lot of pictures.

But Sarah took some on the last day

which I've just seen

and the colors are brilliant.

So I'll close with Sarah's images.

We're moving into active days, aren't we?

I want my brain to absorb these warm colors which will evolve into Christmas reds and greens and glitter 

and then like a screeching halt

the world turns gray and still and cold and often damp.

Snow might happen.  Freezing Rain.

In all of these seasons and days and hours and minutes,

how do you live?  How do I live?

I want mine to count for eternal glory.

I so want it to count for that.