Christmas 2009 . . .

Christmas 2009 was one for the record book!

A Christmas Eve blizzard was a first for our state.

It was Ethan's first Christmas, very special,

he turned 10 months old on the 25th.

Wishing for a white Christmas was more than we bargained for.

Our front yard . . .

Huge snow drift outside our dining room window . . .

Believe it or not we shoveled our way to the grill to make

some tasty steaks for Christmas dinner.

Snow drift at our front door. . .

Santa survived the storm. . .

Ethan & Papaw can't wait to open gifts . . .

Bob managed to find a sled for Ethan

before the sleet & snow started falling. . .

One of Ethan's gifts from us was a

book about Pistol Pete, the OSU mascot.

You never can start too early teaching

about school spirit!

And, it's never too early to learn

about mowing the lawn!

Kari was thrilled when she opened

her Kitchenaid stand mixer!

Sunday we were finally able to take Ethan

on his first sled ride.

He was not happy about the experience.

He cried (threw a fit) to let us know he'd had enough!

We couldn't help but laugh. . .

# 34 . . .

Today Bob and I are celebrating our 34th wedding anniversary.

This scripture sums it up nicely.

The years have been good to us.

God has blessed us beyond measure.

I love you honey!

Happy Anniversary!

You're the best!

P.S. ~ Hopefully I'll be posting pictures of the 'Great Christmas Eve Blizzard of 2009' very soon.

Christ, The Saviour Is Born . . .

And she brought forth her firstborn son,

and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,

and laid him in a manger;

because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:7

Christmas Eve Blizzard . . .

Oklahoma is experiencing a Christmas Eve blizzard.

I hear sleet hitting the window.

The temp. is 27 degrees.

The wind is gusting up to 40 miles per hour.

I'm hoping we don't lose power.

Heavy snow will begin falling very soon.

We're cozy & warm inside our house.

I'm praying for all those who are traveling

on the streets & highways.

Here's a view from our quest room window.


Santa looks a little stiff & frozen.

I'll post pictures of the aftermath when the

storm is winding down tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

Be safe & stay warm . . .

Christmas Memories . . .

Christmas is 2 days away.

I hope your shopping is complete, and you're

almost finished baking goodies and wrapping the presents.

Now, it's time to relax and reflect on Christmas memories.

It's wonderful to recall being in Christmas plays

at church, singing familiar Carols that

tell the true meaning of Christmas.

Remember the fun you had as a child

leaving cookies and milk for Santa?

When it was time for bed you couldn't fall asleep
because you were so excited!

You couldn't wait until Christmas morning
to see if Santa left you a special gift
under the tree. You woke up before daylight
and rushed into the living room.


Then, when you're a parent you get to experience
the innocent joy your child has during the wondrous season of celebration.

Now, as a grandparent I'm looking forward
to watching Ethan learn about this glorious time of the year.

Merry Christmas everyone!

God bless you and yours!

I'm Dreaming Of A . . .

White Christmas . . .

Yes, this may be the first Christmas in several

years that we have snow!

The weather forecast is predicting snow on

Christmas Eve.

I've always thought it would be wonderful

to live somewhere that has snow

for Christmas every year.

past snow scene from NE Oklahoma

'May your days be merry and bright.

And may all your Christmases be white."

A Great Book For Christmas . . .

This is a re-post from last year about this time.

The movie is available on DVD.

Santa, is it too late to add this

to my Christmas wish list?

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. . .

Today I'd like to share a wonderful children's book with you. I used this book in my classroom for several years. The book came with a CD that featured the deep, rich voice of actor James Earl Jones. The music sets the mood for the feelings & actions of the characters. The illustrations are beautiful & the life lesson taught in the book is priceless. If you have children in your family I highly recommend this book as an addition to your home library.

Here is a thumbnail sketch of the story. Susan Wojciechowski, illustrated by P.J. Lynch, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (Candlewick, 1995)

Susan Wojciechowski uses the setting of a Western frontier village for her Christmas story about the miraculous and transformational power of love.

His name is Jonathan Toomey, but the children of the village call him Mr. Gloomy. He seldom smiles and never laughs as he walks hunched over, mumbling and grumbling to himself. Most of his time he spends at his workbench, carving wood, for Jonathan Toomey is said to be the best woodcarver in the village.

The reason for Jonathan's gloom and mood is known only to himself: before moving to the valley, he had another life and a wife and baby, both of whom died. Unable to stay in the same place after that, he packed his belongings and "traveled till his tears stopped" to live in a small house at the edge of the village.

One day, his work is interrupted by a knock at the door. It is the widow McDowell and her 7-year-old son Thomas, newcomers to the village. She explains that the Christmas creche, which she has had since she was a girl, was lost in the move, and that she hopes that Jonathan could carve a new one.

Jonathan takes the job, refusing to promise them by Christmas. "Christmas is pish-posh," he says, and shuts the door to set to work. But a few days later, the widow and Thomas are back: Thomas wants to be a woodcarver, and he wants to watch Jonathan work. During the visit and subsequent visits, Jonathan experiences the miraculous transformation.

Wojciechowski develops Jonathan's progress back to fully living subtly and carefully through small and convincing details. There is a gentle rolling rhythm to her precise language and the structure of the story, and she uses images repeatedly to punctuate the story: church bells, wood shavings, the click of the widow's knitting needles. Wojciechowski depicts Jonathan's loneliness and despair as running close to the surface, evoking genuine emotions and responses.

Do You Have A Favorite ? ? ?

I love Christmas movies!

I have a difficult time picking a favorite.

I love the whole story line of this one,

plus Jimmy Stewart is one of my favorite

old school actors.

I love musicals.

White Christmas is my favorite

over Holiday Inn.

This movie is so funny.
Can you imagine leaving your child
behind as you jet off to a
Christmas vacation in France?


Oh Clark!
You & your Christmas light display!
My hubby loves this one!!

And last but not least!

Ralphie, you'll shoot your eye out!

Do you have a favorite?

Hallmark Moments . . .

I have been collecting Hallmark ornaments for years.

I enjoy taking them out of their boxes each

year when it's time to trim the tree.

Each one has a special memory.

Here are some of my favorites.

There are several lighted ornaments in the collection.

I bought this leg lamp ornament last

year for my hubby. He's a big fan

of the movie,

'Christmas Story'.

This old fashioned radio gives a news report

that Santa has been seen flying in his sleigh.



One of my favorites is the movie theater
that's showing the Christmas classic
'It's A Wonderful Life'.

Little girl playing with her dollhouse.

Santa raiding the fridge.



We have several ornaments showing Santa
riding in different modes of transportation.

I love these little houses.

Firehouse . . .

School . . .

This is the old 'filling station'.
The inside of each house it so detailed.

Santa is relaxing in his hammock

on the beach watching TV

after a busy night of delivering gifts

to all the good boys & girls.

Holiday Home Tour #2 . . .

Today's tour features a few of the many angels

that gloriously help us celebrate the season in our home.

I found this vintage looking angel

at Cracker Barrel a few years ago.

Elegant & lovely. . .


Fancy Victorian. . .

'Beary' cuddly angel. . .

This sweet little angel was given

to me at my school Christmas party

50 years ago when I was in the 2nd grade. . .

Ready for Santa to stuff with

goodies on Christmas Eve. . .

Another beautiful Victorian angel. . .

I'll be sharing more Christmas bling soon. Hope you come back to visit again.