Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 2 = Esther and Patrick's Wedding Day!

It has been a lovely day...for a lovely wedding...for a loving young couple! It was fishing themed...fishing poles, fishing lures, a groom's fish cake, gold fish, Swedish fish...perhaps you get the picture! It was perfect for Esther and Patrick, as they consider each other their greatest catch! It was a time of celebrating this newly married couple with family and friends. Here are a couple of the candid shots that I took:

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 1

The day after Christmas...a nice quiet day...another "do whatever" day. That is pretty much what I did yesterday, so today is just a continuation. I declared yesterday a cross stitch day. I started an ornament for me...I didn't ever get around to stitching one for myself this year...so decided that yesterday was the day to start one and I have stitched on it more today...closing in on a finish on that one. I also decided that I would start stitching on the first of the ornaments to gift for next year...did that, too. And, with this next year being the United State's 250th birthday, I plan to stitch several pieces in honor of that...so started one of those, too. So...underway with stitching to end the year and to begin 2026. It has been fun planning new stitching projects for the new year...to add to all those I already have in progress. In stitching lingo "Works In Progress are called WIPs. I have several WIPs going...maybe I will get some good stitching done on those this coming year...along with starting more. It's always fun to start new projects...some I will finish quickly...some will be WIPs for a while...gift projects will usually get done quicker than projects for me. And, the smaller projects, like oraments, are likely to get done the quickest. Enough about stitching...tomorrow I will set stitching aside and head to Esther and Patrick's wedding...a morning wedding. Hopefully I will take at least a couple of pictures to share tomorrow night. 'Tis the season...still! To be continiued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Ornament Tales: Day 25: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!!!

Today's ornament represents a family tradition. When we have our family Christmas, we have a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Melany has taken over the baking of the birthday cakes...our family has grown so much over the years that it now takes two cakes! A funny tale about the unintended photo in last night's blog. It contained the ornaments that I sent to AZ and AL. Well, my sister looked closely at the photo and figured out most went to her famiky and figured on was hers! Hers is the one on thetop left and most of it was hidden...except for the word "Fa." And, since one of her favorite Christmas sayings is "Fa! La! La! La! La!," looks like she probably figured out which one is hers and what it says! Tonight ends the ornament tales. Starting tomorrow I will start the "Twelve Days of Christmas." I plan to feature photos of nativity ornaments or parts of my Precious Moments nativity over the days between Christmas and Epiphany on January 6th. 'Tis the season...for a little longer! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! MERRY CHRISTMAS 2025!

Ornament Tales: Day 24

(Well, just looked and an extra photo got inserted...that shows you some of the ornaments that I stitched for gifts this year. A Christmas Eve bonus!!!) Today I baked cookies, so I decided that I would share ornaments that represent my love of cooking. The cookie sheet is obvious that it represents baking. Today I made cookies for the family next door who have three little boys. Every time I see the stick of butter on the tree, it makes me smile. Melany and Wade brought me that back from a trip when they visited Paula Dean's kitchen restaurant. Paula is known for her love of butter...though, I do think that recently she has taken a bit healthier approach to cooking. Melany and Wade also gave me the Hallmark "kiss the cook" snowman ornament. Cheryl gave me the cookie sheet ornament. Right in the middle of my cookie making, I got a sad phone call. One of my neighbors, who was so helpful when Woody needed extra assistance at times and I wasn't able to do it alone, was out on a long bicycle ride with a group of cycling friends and when they were about three miles from home, he had a heart attack and died. That has put a damper on the day. I can see their house from my kitchen window and noticed that there were cars at their house today, but it being Christmas Eve day, I just thought that they were celebrating Christmas. It is just so sad and I feel so for his wife, who got up this morning thinking that it would just be a regular day and now her life has changed forever. I returned a little while ago from our church's Christmas Eve Candlelight service. It was a beautiful service and as always it was so good to see so many friends and family. I sat next to Elijah. I found out a few more details about the wedding after the service. Graham is going to escort Kathy's mom and me to our seats at the same time...that's all I know...I will show up and follow instructions. Thank goodness grandmothers don't have a significant roll...just sit where seated! 'Tis the season! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! Merry Christmas Eve 2025!

Ornament Tales: Day 23

Tonight's ornament has several memories with it. It represents several of the presidential homes that Woody and I have visited. This is Mount Vernon, George and Martha Washington's home that Woody, Melany, Nathan and I visited on our way to Massachusetts for a family reuion in 1988. The day we visited was a VERY hot day and, as in Washington's day, Mount Vernon was not air conditioned and the gift shop was very crowded. Due to the heat I wasn't feeling the greatest so we chose to omit the gift shop from our tour. I was always sorry that I hadn't gone in, as I try to get an ornament to represent places like this that we visit to add to our Christmas tree. Six or so years later, Nathan was appointed a US-2 missionary to the Washington DC area (he spent 2 years in DC after he graduated from college). I told him that if he happened to get to Mount Vernon that I would like him to choose a Mount Vernon ornament for our tree. Some time during his two years, he had some time off and made a trip back to TN for a visit. BUT he did not tell us that he was coming home. Woody and I were going to go to visit Melany, Wade, Erin and Alex and for some reason I went to Nathan's room to get something. Well, when I walked into his room, Nathan suddenly jumped up from the other side of his bed...and scared me half to death!!!!! He had slept on the floor, because since we didn't know he was coming we hadn't turned on the heater for his water bed! So when he snuck in during the night, he ended up having to sleep in the floor. Even though he scared me to death, it was good that I went into his room or Woody and I would gone on to Melany's without him! All this story to say that on this trip he brought me this ornament. He had gone to Mount Vernon and remembered his mother's request! So I usually chucklee when I first see this ornament each year and remember the scare that put it on our tree! Today I did a "get ready for the wedding" task = got my wedding haircut. Then the rest of the day I have done a little of this and a little of that. I continue to get things back in order after family Christmas disorder...which this time just means getting gifts, wrap, etc. picked up so things look inviting to look at my decorations once again. I got all the dishes put away that I got out last week for my parties...the ones that go on top shelves were waiting for me to get the step ladder out. I did that and took Christmas serving dishes upstairs to be packed away in the Christmas closet. Then I got to thinking what I could bake for my next door neighbors who have small children. I got to looking in the pantry for ingredients and for some reason decided to clean out the pantry. Good job done...but the baking didn't get done! 'Tis the season! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Ornament Tales: Day 22

Tonight's ornament was made from the photo that follows. The photo dates back to 1957 and it is my mother, Cheryl and me decorating the tree. My father is on the other side of the camera taking this picture. I guess I follow in his footsteps...not in a lot of pictures because I am taking them! This is the photo that made me realize that I was part of the "Leave it to Beaver" generation!!!! I do love this picture and am very happy to have it represented on my Christmas tree. Thanks, Rachel (my neice) for thinking to making it into an ornament! Today has been a get over the busyness of the past week with the culmination at the start of this week yesterday when we had our family Chhristmas! We had a really nice day despite having to be flexible in our plans and change location...thankful that Nathan and Kathy can easily go with the flow! We were all there except for two who were sick, my granddaughter, Erin, and Abigail's husband, Payton. We missed them and probably ate some for both of them! Today I have spent putting things awaay and trying to get things straightened out...again! I think that my adrenaline ran out and this afternoon I just "had" to stop and take a good nap. I went to prayer meeting this evening, came home and had a bowl of soup, and an now settling in for the evening. 'Tis the season! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Ornament Tale: Day 21

Today, the fourth Sunday in advent, we lighted the candle of love.

We did have our family Christmas today...a bit of a change in plans, as Payton was sick. So being flexible we went to Nathan and Kathy's house. Had a very good time. The Dorrells and Proctors wish each of you a very Merry Christmas! 'Tis the season! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!