Merry Christmas

 

I'm wishing you all a very blessed and Merry Christmas. May the love of Jesus feel very real to you this Christmas season. 

"Come thou long expected Jesus.

Born to set thy people free."

Friday Fave Five - December 20, 2024

 

We are so close to Christmas! You can feel the hum of all the excitement as you shop. Commercialism is urging you to "order now for Christmas". This Christmas has a different feel to it - at least for me. With my health issues still ongoing, I've dramatically toned down my festivities. Just don't have the energy or even the inclination. Instead, the reason we celebrate this season has been brought to the forefront of my thinking. I am thankful for so many things. But Jesus heads the list. The fact that the second member of the Trinity, chose to come down and be born and live as us mere mortals - for love and for our ultimate salvation. It boggles the mind! Amidst Santas and Rudolph and the Grinch, there is a baby lying in a manger, "Immanuel - God with us."  Come join us to share what you are thankful in your lives. Thank you, Susanne at  Living to Tell the Story for giving us this space. My prayers are with you.

1. Jesus! My Savior, my closest Friend, my Provider....the list goes on and on. I'm so thankful that His love was demonstrated so vividly in coming to earth to live among us. He is the Reason for the Season!

2. A cancellation at my doctor's office: I have suddenly been running very high blood sugars. Despite the fact that my eating hasn't been 100% good for a diabetic, the occasional indulgences shouldn't warrant such high numbers. I called my doctor's office Wednesday hopefully to at least get in to see an NP as my doctor is already booked 2 months in advance. Low and behold, i received a call from her nurse later and put me in a slot yesterday due to a cancellation. This almost never happens. I'm awaiting results of blood work as she thinks my type 2 diabetes is worsening. I know she'll be adding a new medicine to my regime.  

3. Christmas movies: I'm generally well into my Christmas movie viewing by now but just haven't been in the mood. Last night I watched the first for this year. "A Muppet's Christmas Carol" was delightful and one of my favorites. Michael Caine, who played Scrooge is considered one of the best Scrooges ever portrayed. A little tidbit is that he once told an interviewer that he decided to act just as if the Muppets were real people. He took the role very seriously and it shows. Coming up is White Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street (the older version), and my Christmas Eve tradition - A Christmas Carol - the Alistair Sim, 1951 version. And it's got to be the black and white version - it's spookier!

4. One less cat who will populate the earth: Indy, the one male of the litter my daughter in law and son are taking care of was neutered on Tuesday. He came through it fine. It was becoming urgent as all the cats were showing signs of "romantic intentions." 

5. A Florida trip next month: My daughter and son-in-law's Christmas gift to me is a flight down to visit them in Florida at the end of next month. This will be especially poignant as they are moving for a year to France in March. (I'll try not to cry while I'm there.) Five days of warmth and beaches and family love! Although, it's been chilly in Florida this year, so they can't guarantee the 'warmth'.

Wishing you all a very blessed Christmas and time with family and friends. Thank you for your visits here throughout the year. Each reader, each visit means so much to me.

Bonus! It hit me just now that I never changed my blog graphics over to Christmas. That's how "out of it" I've been. So, at least for a couple weeks, here it is!

Friday Fave Five for December 13

 

I'm sitting here surrounded by blessings - a warm home sheltering me from the winter chill. . . . my dinner in the oven. . . . Christmas decorations. . .  and just the blessing of being alive. It's Friday and I'm taking time to chat with you about some of the lovely blessings of this past week. Come join Susanne and the rest of us at Living to Tell the Story and let's hear about yours.

1. Our first snow fall. Far from a winter wonderland but it was lovely to see, nonetheless. I looked out my window to see big snowflakes falling and accumulating on the grass and cars.

The photo didn't capture the snowflakes, but you get the idea. I enjoyed it for about an hour and a half when the sun came out and it disappeared. But it was lovely while it lasted.

2. My daughter in law's family has moved: My son and one grandson flew down to Florida this week to help my DIL's mother and sister move up here to TN. It was a grueling couple of days - loading the moving truck and driving up to TN on Tuesday and unloading the truck the next day. Then today, my son had to be back to work. But, except for the usual snafus of loading a household full of furniture, the truck, my son and grandson and my DIL's family made it up here safely. 

3. Earlier vet appointment: I know I've told you the story of my tender-hearted son and DIL adopting in a very pregnant feral cat. She produced 6 kittens - 5 girls and 1 boy. They are now almost 4 months old and beginning to show signs of maturing - if you get my drift. The one male - Indie was scheduled to be neutered January 7th - way too long to wait. She's now able to get him in next Tuesday. Meanwhile, please pray they can find homes for some of these fur balls!

4. Women's ministry Christmas party: Last week was the week for Christmas parties for various ministries at my church. Last Saturday was the annual Women's Ministry party led by our pastor's wife. It was a buffet breakfast with lots of wonderful items to choose from. There was a carol sing, some games and door prizes. 

I was able to get a pic before everyone was seated. They always decorate so well for these! 

Two lovely friends sitting across from me. We also are in Servant's Hope together.

5. Christmas reading: I have a few books that I traditionally read during this season. So far, I've gone through. . .Village Christmas and The Christmas Mouse and No Holly for Miss Quinn - all by Miss Read (Dora Saint). There's listening to Shepherd's Abiding by Jan Karon. I'm finishing up my reading with A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I had to buy another copy of it last year when the cover of my paperback copy was destroyed by a certain pet. I found this one at Thrift Books. It is a treasure - a hard copy, large print and beautifully bound. 

 As you can see by the front page, it is illustrated by P, J, Lynch. Just beautiful! I have seen a reproduction of this book with the original illustrations by John Leech and these by Lynch look just as lovely! 

We are edging up to just about 10 days before Christmas. It just doesn't seem possible. This year, I am reminding myself amidst the shopping and baking and preparing - that it's all about Jesus.

 

"Come thou long expected Jesus,

Born to set thy people free

From our fears and sins release us,

Let us find our rest in thee,

Have a lovely week, my friends!

Friday's Fave Five - last one for 2023

 

Christmas Day is behind us but wasn't it wonderful? I've been resting much of this week - an overabundance of family, fun and food! It's wonderful to be able to take time today to list all the things that made this Christmas week so special. Thanks to Susanne from Living to Tell the Story for giving us a spot to do this!

1. Christmas movies: Beginning around December 1st, I begin watching Christmas movies. I have them on DVD and there are favorites that I watch year after year. This year I didn't watch as many as I have in the past. But here are the ones I did watch. . .

     

2. Celebrating Christmas with family: This year my daughter-in-law's mother and sister visited from Florida to spend 10 days here. They rented an Air B&B - a pretty home with gorgeous mountain views. We snacked, watched Christmas movies and drove around looking at lights.  I spent Christmas Eve and Day with them. So much fun! And they are all excellent cooks. 

We certainly didn't go hungry.

3. My daughter-in-law makes hand made water colors and she gifted me with a case of 55 gorgeous colors as well as a book to show me how to use them. Her business - Sparrow Scribbles is on my side bar. If you paint with water color, you might want to check her business out! Just a shameless plug here but she really is very good.

4. Things back to normal: The day after Christmas, I proceeded to take down the decorations. Lest you think I'm a Scrooge, the Christmas decorations had been up since the first of November so I was ready to get things back to normal. Taking down the twinkling tree is always bitter sweet and if I thought I could tolerate it, I'd have it up year 'round and decorate it seasonally. Space here just wouldn't make that feasible. At least in defense of all this, I did play Christmas music while I was doing it!

5. Kindle Unlimited: I decided to subscribe to Kindle Unlimited through Amazon . I can add up to 20 books in my account and read them at my leisure. It's a great way to read a book without buying first and if I really think I'd read it again, then I can buy it. 

2023 has been quite a year - maybe not the best one for me health-wise and in other ways. But God has brought me through it and I'm looking to 2024 as a new beginning. Let's see what God has in store for me this coming year! 

Happy New Year to all my readers. I'll see you all next year!

Merry Christmas!

 

Love Came Down at Christmas

Love came down at Christmas,

Love all lovely, love divine;

Love was born at Christmas,

Star and angel gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,

Love incarnate, love divine;

Worship we our Jesus,

But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token;

Love be yours and love be mine;

Love to God and others,

Love for plea and gift and sign.

Christina Rosetti

Wishing you all a very blessed and Merry Christmas! 

Friday Fave Five - Merry Christmas

 

Christmas Day is almost here! In the middle of the bustle of shopping, baking and all the festivities of Christmas, it's good to just sit quietly and reflect on the blessings of this week. Thank you, Suzanne from Living to Tell the Story for hosting this opportunity to share. So, here we go!

1. A new knitting project: A began a new project this week - fingerless gloves. They are a beginner pattern from Craftsy from a class called Start Up - Knitting. The stitches are very basic so my intent with this project is to get my tension better and have the finished project look more polished.

10 rows of knit stitch. Now onto a few rows of stockinette.

2. DNA results: My sister, for my birthday, bought me a 23 and Me kit so that I can find out my ancestry. She and another sister have done it as well as many relatives on my father's side, so it's been fun. The results came the other day. Turns out I'm almost all Western European. My ancestry can be traced to the United Kingdom, Ireland, England, particularly West Yorkshire and there's also a bit if Scottish. I've always wanted to know this, and the results really don't surprise me at all. I've always felt drawn to that area.

3. Dinner with family:  My daughter-in-law's mother and sister are visiting from Florida and so we all got to dinner last night. Afterward we drove through a couple neighborhoods who decorate lavishly for Christmas. Both are cul-de-sacs and with the exception of 2 houses, all were decorated. Cars were lined up to turn in to see it all and there was even police there guiding traffic. I couldn't help but think that there's no going anywhere for these residents on nights like this. A couple photos taken with my camera from a moving car so forgive the blurriness.

 

 

4. Better sleep: Since my new mattress was set up last Thursday, I have been sleeping like a top. I don't wake up several times during the night with pain and overall, I feel much better. Fibromyalgia is a bear if you haven't had enough restorative sleep. I'm very thankful to my daughter and son-in-law for this early Christmas gift.

5.  Jesus: The biggest blessing of this season is always to celebrate the birth of the Savior of mankind. It boggles my mind that God came down as a baby and lived like us with the sole intention of providing us a way to live with Him forever. 

This week's FFF is short and sweet but my wishes for you are much bigger.

A very Merry Blessed Christmas to you all!

My Day

 Today is: December 18, 2023

I am pondering:  This upcoming week. I've tried to keep the "bustle" out of Christmas but it's difficult to not get wrapped up in all the things "I should be doing." This week, I'm quieting my spirit and concentrating on Whose birthday it is.

Among my favorite things:  Two of my great granddaughters down in Florida. 

  Ava

  Bella

Books I am currently enjoying:  I'm in the midst of Christmas reads at the moment. This last week it was "The Christmas Mouse" by Miss Read and "No Holly for Miss Quinn" also by Miss Read. This week is "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens and I'll be watching a couple versions of the movie as well. I'm finishing up with our Mitford Book Club read - "Shepherds Abiding" by Jan Karon.

I am thankful for:  God's provision for me this year and for His continued blessings. 

Never too old to learn:  I'm working more on my mountain dulcimer. I belong to an online dulcimer group, and we "met" online last evening. We're having our Christmas party late this year - on the 29th and each of us has been challenged to play a Christmas song or carol then. I've never played in front of anybody, even online so I'm a bit concerned. But everyone has to start somewhere!

From the kitchen:  Being such a good menu planner, I have no idea what I'm having for dinner tonight. On the agenda though is a baked ham and baked mac and cheese for later in the week for my daughter-in-law's family who are visiting her. 

Something I really enjoy:  My daughter-in-law and I attend first service at our church at 9 am. After service, my son, who plays in the praise and worship group, stays to play for the second service, While that is going on, Stephanie and I go out for coffee and then sit in the church lot waiting for Mike to come out. We have the best talks then.

A quote to remember:  "Your job is simply to be obedient to God. God will handle everything else." 

                                                                                               Lysa Terkeurst

To do list for today:  Right now, I'm sipping my coffee and waking up. Next comes breakfast and getting dressed. That's about as ambitious as I am right now. Oh, and yes . . . decide what's for dinner.

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."   John 1:1-3

I'm wishing you all a very blessed Christmas!

Many thanks to Dianna of Joyful in His Presence for the format for "My Day". 

      

My Day

 Hopefully this post will be a regular Monday occurrence. Thank you, Dianna at Joyful in His Presence for allowing me to borrow your idea!

TODAY IS December 11, 2023

AROUND ME: A chilly 35 degrees with clear skies after our weekend of endless rain.

I AM PONDERING: The peace that seems to have settled in my home lately. I look around at my itty-bitty apartment and the coziness of it and smile. My little abode is all decorated for Christmas, and I can feel the peace and content - a first in many years. 

AMONG MY FAVORITE THINGS: Apollo!

He can be feisty one minute and the biggest cuddler the next. He's a sweetie!

BOOKS I'M CURRENTLY ENJOYING: Right now, I'm in the middle of "Made for More: An Invitation to Live in God's Image" by Hannah Anderson. She brings out points I've never thought of. And then there's my annual Christmas reading of "A Christmas Mouse" by Miss Read and "Shepherd's Abiding" by Jan Karon which I'm reading along with the Mitford Book Club on Face Book.

I AM THANKFUL FOR: God's protection during severe weather. Saturday afternoon and into the evening, two tornados ripped through middle Tennessee, not too far from Nashville. My area which is about 2 1.2 hours from there was under a severe weather alert but the most we experienced was rain and lightning. Six people died, including a toddler and my heart and prayers go out to those affected.

NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN: My first knitting project, a cowl, is completed and lying on a towel on my kitchen table drying after blocking. 

I'll show another photo when I can wear it. Not a close up though. Then you'd see all my mistakes!

FROM THE KITCHEN: Tacos for dinner. 

SOMETHING I REALLY ENJOY: I really enjoy watching mysteries. I have the whole DVD set of Poirot with David Suchet. For those who aren't familiar with this quirky gentleman, he is Belgian (not French!) living in London and will readily tell you that he is the "greatest detective that ever lived!" One of Agatha Christie's finest character creations.

A QUOTE TO REMEMBER: 

"I have given Christ countless reasons to not love me. None of them has changed His mind."

Paul Washer

A TO DO LIST FOR TODAY: The greatest thing about retirement is that I can start the day without a "To Do" list if I want to. Although today, I do have a Christmas gift to work on.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

 I did something this year I don't recall ever doing before. . . . I decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving. I was in the mood, it had been a challenging year and I just decided to do it. However, I couldn't get around to posting the results until today.

I have a 6 foot tree, pre-lit, that I wasn't especially in love with last year. However, I have a 3 foot one that I've had for ages. To me, it is the prettiest shaped artificial tree I've ever seen. Usually, it goes in my bedroom with clear lights and clear crystal-like ornaments. This year I decided to use it as my main tree - it takes up less space and I just love it. The downside is that it isn't pre-lit. It's one of those do-it-yourselfers but with a long string of lights and some tweaking, it looks lovely. At least I think so. Most of my original tree ornaments weren't too oversized for the tree and others, I hung on the wall. I'll show you that in another photo.

I still need to fix a tree skirt for it though. 

My Mitford village is my pride and joy. I have the complete Hallmark collection of the buildings but I found them little by little, mostly on E Bay. So, I have some in the 'Spring' collection and some in the 'Winter' collection. The Winter ones come out at Christmas and the Spring ones are out the rest of the year. Along with the buildings I also have the Mitford Collection of Snowmen. It makes me smile everytime I look at it.

I have since added two votive candles to the scene.

My nativity set sits on my dresser in the bedroom. It was painted the Christmas season before I entered nurse's training so it's up there in years. The interesting fact about this is that I bought the set as cold ceramics which only needed to be fired once and then painted. Except that I did it the wrong way around. I painted them first and they really looked nice. Then I took them in to be fired only to be told that they would lose all their color in the process. So, I got to paint them again! They've held up well and only the angel is no longer with the display.

Next to the nativity is my mother's Little Drummer Boy doll. This one was her favorite and she kept it out all year long. It is an Ashton Drake doll, no longer made and has a music box inside. 

I used to have a large collection of snowmen but in moving, I downsized a bit. The ones left I have sitting on two of my bookshelves.

One of my favorite little figurines I bought many, many years ago in St. Augustine on a weekend trip with my husband. I use it as a paperweight on my desk. 

My table top decoration. Black bears in Tennessee!

Even the TV and lap top screen got the Christmas treatment.

My cozy fire is courtesy of You Tube. Another of my snowmen, sitting by the tree is a gift from a dear friend. He lights up although you may not be able to see it from the photo. The ornaments hanging on a piece of lace over the fireplace are ornaments that were too oversized for the tree.

And of course, there's the laptop.

The cute kitty looks a bit like Apollo but this isn't my photo. It's simply a wallpaper I found. 

I also like to leave a disclaimer with any post of mine that has photos. I am not the most gifted photographer so I hope you can see these okay.

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. Mine was spent with my son Mike and daughter in law Steph. Stephanie is a fantastic cook! I ate and ate and then brought leftovers home and ate all weekend. Mike and I talked Disney World as we often do when we get together. There's some talk of trying to shoot for a week there at the beginning of 2025. How much fun that would be!

We're four days away from beginning our December festivities. So far, I have three get togethers on the agenda - a Christmas party with my church small group, the annual Christmas breakfast with our pastor's wife and then the pastor's annual Christmas party. 

This year, I'll be reading one chapter of the Gospel of Luke every day beginning December 1st. which brings me to the last chapter on Christmas Eve. God's most cherished and greatest gift to mankind - His Son Jesus. Emmanuel - God With Us!

Have a blessed day!

 

What's going on around here. . .

It's been a few days since I got on here so I thought I'd jot a note or two here to sort of recap what's going on. 

1.    Yesterday was my great granddaughter Arabella's birthday. She turned one! Her sister Ava turned three last week. Such cuties and I'd say that even if I wasn't their Great Grandmother.

Last weekend, their parent's had one big birthday party for both of them. I sure wish I could have been there.

2.    Wildfires! Here in east Tennessee, we are in a severe drought. Low humidity coupled with high winds are causing outbreaks every day. Thankfully, they've been able to be contained. The TN Division of Forestry even has a map you can visit to see where the fires are in your area and at what percentage they are contained. Right now, there are two going - one in my county but not near me and the other farther east. Today, it's raining lightly and predicted to continue for most of the day. I'm very thankful. We also have high winds as well with predicted gusts up to 37 mph in the higher elevations, so tensions are high. My sincere admiration for the forestry crews and other fire fighters who have been so busy keeping us safe. And as I understand it - our area is not unique. North Carolina, West Virgina among other places are also facing the same problems. 

3.     I've not done this before, but I decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving. I usually do this the weekend after Thanksgiving, but his has been a challenging year and I just decided I needed a pick me up. I'll probably do a blog post later in the week - and show off the results but for now. . .

My Mitford Village (the winter pieces) complete with the Mitford snowmen.

I have the entire Mitford village collection, but some are from the spring collection, so I alternate between the two for seasonal displays. 

4.    My social calendar is getting full for this week and next. This week is Thanksgiving. Next week, I'm having lunch with my friend, Barbara. We get together usually every month but we're about 2 weeks overdue. My small group at church is having their Christmas luncheon next Wednesday which is also my birthday. Then the next day, my daughter in law Stephanie and I are celebrating our birthdays together with lunch.

5.     I just read the best book! It's called Adventures in Yarn Farming - Four Seasons on a New England Fiber Farm. My daughter gave it to me because it has knitting patterns in it. The best bit for me though is reading what all is entailed to get from sheep to a skein of yarn. Everything from lambing, shearing, choosing the strain of sheep that produce certain kinds of wool, feeding them, protecting them, and then how their wool is prepared to be spun and eventually dyed. I recently told a friend that one of my favorite things to watch on Face Book are the sheep shearing videos. I've always been curious as to how my yarn came to be. I'm very grateful for those like Barbara Parry who wrote the book. Such a lot more work than I ever realized.

I'm looking forward to spending Thanksgiving Day with my son and daughter in law. I've so much to be Thankful for this year and God's faithfulness in all of it. 

I wish you all a very special, wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Happiest of New Years

 

I've been MIA the last 2 or 3 weeks - preparations for Christmas....Christmas... and then some kind of virus post-Christmas! But despite the cough and stuffiness and feeling like I've been hit by a truck, I'm excited for the New Year. Christmas weekend, although cold (an understatement) was lovely with family and friends. And here we are today, the last year of 2022, ready to do it all over again.

I'm not one to choose a word for the year or make New Year resolutions. I've done that in the past and it's never gone very well. That isn't to say that I don't make goals. I'm a goal setter. Sometimes that's a good thing but often God points me in another direction.

This year my goal is more quiet time with my Heavenly Father. Another goal is to face up to some physical challenges and be proactive. And then there's getting better with my mountain dulcimer and there's this crochet nativity set I'd like to create.

I wish all of you, my blog friends, the happiest and most blessed 2023! Let's see what this next year brings!

Fourth Sunday of Advent - December 18

 

Fourth Sunday of Advent Week 4: Love (or adoration)

John 3:16-19, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”

What love to come down to earth to live as one of us and later die for all of us. Oh how He loves us!

As I thought of this week's focus on love, the song came to me. It is one I first heard soon after I was saved.

Oh How He loves You and Me!

May you all feel the wonderfulness of Jesus' love for us as we celebrate His birth. He gave all for us.

Friday Fave Five - December 16

 

So close to Christmas! I can count the days on both hands now! As I go through this season of great Joy, I find myself tearing up at the sound of Christmas carols. Amongst the busyness of the season, I've tried to keep the Nativity that happened over 2000 years ago, at the forefront. Who would have realized that a baby born in such primitive circumstances would change the world. God told us this would happen beforehand, and it did! And now we are blessed because of Him. Here are my blessings for the week. Come join us at Living to Tell the Story - Susanne to share your blessings!

1.  Scripture writing plan: I discovered Scripture writing plans from Love Worth Finding a couple months ago and they have become an integral part of my mornings. There are several topics to choose from - relating to giving, gratitude and peace, just to name a few. Each topic has 30 scriptures, just perfect for one month. There is just something about writing out the Word of God that settles it in my heart better. This month, I'm doing one specifically for Christmas called The Light of the World. Truly a blessing. In January, I'll pick a topic from LWF.

2. An online dulcimer concert:  One of my dulcimer idols is Jean Ritchie who left us in 2015. She was a pioneer in bringing the mountain dulcimer to the attention of the music world. 

Another very gifted dulcimer musician is Aubrey Atwater. Aubrey, who was a friend of Jean, gave a free, 1-hour online concert this past week. Full of Jean's music, videos and personal recollections, it was delightful. A chance to get to know Jean even more.

3. Servant's Hope: Servant's Hope is a ministry through my church now reaching its 25-year mark. This ministry provides visits to shut-ins both in nursing homes and other facilities as well as in homes. It was at a standstill in 2020 because of the pandemic and was slow to restart depending on each facilities policy but now we're back and busy. I'm new to this ministry and I'm looking forward to being a part with visitations, beginning in January.

4. Lunch out: After our Servant's Hope meeting this past Tuesday, we all went out for lunch at the Olive Garden. We're a small bunch of 7 ladies and we sat comfortably at a round table as we feasted and laughed. Very special ladies!

5. A short tour of my Christmas decorations: I don't have a lot of space in my apartment, so things are on a small scale. I thought I'd show you a few of the things that make my home feel festive.

I have a 4 1/2-foot tree, scaled down from a 6 1/2 foot and I've wonder if some of my tree ornaments are bit big but that's okay. My "TV" fireplace crackles and the lights of the tree and of my snowman next to it, make things feel very cozy. 

My nativity. I painted it back in 1984 and it's still intact with the exception of the angel who fell and broke her wing. Each year, I keep thinking I'll replace it, but I continue to use this. 

This tabletop tree has been with me for too many years to count. It was an inexpensive thing bought at I think, Walmart and even after that many years it still has such a pretty shape. I put crystal and gold ornaments on it. I just realized as I looked at this photo, that I forgot to buy a tree skirt for it. I'll make do with something.

Some of my snowmen collection. The middle one holds votive candle.

And finally - 

My Hallmark Mitford Village collection and the Mitford snowmen.

Left to right: The Main Street Grill, The Local, Lord's Chapel, and Fernbank

I have the whole collection but had to buy them as I found them on E Bay. They're not easy to find! Some pieces were from the winter collection like these. The others are from the Springtime collection. I change them out according to the season.

I wish all my friends a very blessed and Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. This will be my last FFF until the new year. I'm taking a couple weeks off, but I'll be visiting you all.

So as Tiny Tim says . . .

God bless us everyone!

Friday Fave Five - December 9

 

It's just over two weeks until Christmas Day! Two weeks! It seemed like only yesterday that we had weeks and weeks until the Day. I am pretty much ready, gift wise. I'm all decorated up. I'm still behind watching my traditional Christmas movies but that's nothing that a few binge-evenings won't fix. 

As I look at my trees - one multi-colored in the living room and another little one with clear lights in the bedroom, I have to smile. They add such a lovely sparkle and charm to a chilly night. I love to pause each Friday and list blessings that have come to me throughout the week. Thank you, Susanne for giving us this space to do just that.

1. A follow up from last week - The Nutcracker: When I wrote my entry last Friday, I was looking forward to seeing The Nutcracker later that day. The Appalachian Ballet Company pust on this production each year in Knoxville and Maryville, and I was blessed to see it for the first time. The fact that 7 of my grand children are in it in various roles (rats, baby mice, the husband, to name a few) makes it even more appealing. I didn't take photos. The light from my phone would have been too distracting for those around me so I've saved all the sounds and sights as memories. This was the first full ballet performance I had ever attended, and it was amazing! It's so amazing that except for the two principal dancers who are professionals, all the others are local talent. It was a thrill! Lunch at Market Square in downtown Knoxville was an added bonus. 

2. Christmas at the Biltmore: How can one lady stand such excitement in a 5-day period! Friday was the Nutcracker and Monday, my son and daughter in law took me to see The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. I had been there one time during the day, and it was breathtaking. With all its Christmas finery - well, there are no words! It was chilly and rainy, but we didn't care. Besides the twinkling lights and greenery, there was choral singing from Bob Jones University as well as a gentleman playing classical violin. Before our appointed time for the tour, we enjoyed hot cocoa, hot cider and we shared three of the best cookies I'd ever tasted! It was a lovely night. Here are some photos - the best one taken by my daughter in law Stephanie.

The library - my favorite room of the house.

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Cook

The magnificent fireplace in the formal dining room.

Nativity in the Music Room - I wish I could have gotten closer.

Another beautful tree.

3. Rain: We've had some dry conditions here in east Tennessee, almost of drought proportions. This past week has certainly rectified the situation. It's been constant rain and although it has made going out chilly and wet, it has been welcomed. Of course, this is coming from someone who went out in it as little as possible!

4. A gift from my daughter: My daughter has taken to knitting like a duck to water and I've been the recipient of several lovelies - socks, a sweater and, for my birthday, a matching cowl and hat. I wore the cowl and hat to the Biltmore on Monday, and they were not only beautiful but kept this lady warm and dry. 

The cowl.

Unfortunately, I accidently left the hat in my son and daughter in law's car, so you'll have to see it in this rather strange photo of Stephanie and me, enjoying some Biltmore snacks.

5. A writer's webinar: When I say I'm a writer, I immediately wait to see if I'll be hit by lightning. Truth is I want to write but I'm at that stage when I don't know what to write about or even if I have the talent to pull it off. My friend, Barbara who is a writer recommended a webinar about authorship and building a platform. I was skeptical, thinking it was probably out of my league, but I registered for it (it was free!). Called How to Start Building a Rejection-Proof Author Platform, it was taught by Thomas Umstattd Jr. and hosted by Steve Laube. I was pleasantly surprised and even found myself taking notes! He referred to scripture several times as well as had some very practical tips. I'm not quite ready to use all he taught but it gave me some food for thought. Barbara and I will have a lot to talk about at our next lunch together.

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions but this coming year I am writing down goals. All the stair climbing and walking that I did for The Nutcracker and the Biltmore infuriated my knees and joints to the point that I've been hobbling around in pain since then. It's scary feeling your mobility decreasing so this year, it's weight loss and exercise. 

I hope you all are having a lovely Christmas season. Immanuel - "God with us.". What a concept and what a gift!