Winter is Upon Us

I hope your New Year has started off well. Unfortunately, our household has gotten the flu bug. If it is the swine, I think the whole herd descended on us. lol

I haven't been able to do much and just so you know I'm still out here, I thought I would post what an elderly person wrote about the winter of life.

Hope to post again soon! Hope you all are well and safe.

You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went.
I know that I lived them all...
And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams... But, here it is..the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise... How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well...seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like... But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting gray...they move slower and I see an older person now. Lots are in better shape than me... but, I see the great change... Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant... but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore...it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will..I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over...its over....

Yes , I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done ,,,,,things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime....So, if you're not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!!Life goes by quickly.

So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure when your winter will arrive! You have no promise that you will get to see all of the seasons of your life...so, live for a 'good today' and
.........say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember.

Life is a gift to you.
The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after.

Make it a fantastic one!

ENJOY TODAY!!!!--LIVE IT WELL!!!!--
DO SOMETHING FUN!!!
BE HAPPY!!!--AND--BE THANKFUL!!!!!

From Our House to Yours

This is the last chance I have to post before Christmas and to invite you to stop in for some hot cider and cookies. We'll have the lights on to welcome you and the fire burning to keep you warm.

Hubby loves decorating the outside and I let him run with it. He does a great job!

My snowman is on the front tree this year instead of the front door. Hubs loves to wrap the polls with red stripes, as well as the lights and greenery.

He had a little help in hoisting up the big wreath.

He added a little Christmas tree between the garage doors this year.

A view from a different angle.

We haven't had blanket lights on the bushes before either. He was anxious to add them.

Look we have some visitors. No, I was wrong they are thousands of protesters who showed up to protest global warming.

What I learned about life from snowmen...

It's okay if you're a little bottom heavy.
It takes a few extra rolls to make a good midsection.
Hold your ground, even when the heat is on.
There's nothing better than a foul weather friend.
Wearing white is always appropriate.
Winter is the best of the four seasons.
The key to life is to be a jolly, happy soul.
We're all made up mostly of water.
You know you've made it when they write a song about you.
Accessorize! Accessorize! Accessorize!
Don't get too much sun.
It's embarrassing when you can't look down and see your feet.
It's fun to hang out in your front yard.
There's no stopping you once you're on a roll.

Seriously, we would love for you visit and we wish you and your family a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Oh, Come Let Us Adore Him

It's Show & Tell at Cindy's athttp://romantichome.blogspot.com/. Please stop over and visit other show & tell blogs. It's always moving to me to see a nativity. It makes me stop and think why we are celebrating Christmas.

This is a live one that we went to last week. Their costumes were spectacular!

Although we don't have a live one in our home, we do have a good size one. It's hard to get a good picture of it at night. The lighting is so much better in person. Do you have that same problem with the Christmas lighting?

We get so busy with the hubbub of the season, I wanted to remind myself for the real reason we have this holiday. Who's birthday it is that we celebrate and the reason he was born on this earth. I'm so thankful for the sacrifice he made.

We have several nativities around our home. This is in the dining room on an easel. It's our 4 precious grandchildren.

I painted this one when I first started painting in 1986. Simple but meaningful.

This is a porcelain set I've had for years from Home Interiors. Anyone remember that company?

Thanks so much for taking time to stop in today. I really enjoy your visits.

May we all remember the gift of Jesus during this Christmas season and may the true spirit of Christmas abide with you throughout the year of 2010.

Tablescape Thursday

A big thanks to Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for hosting Tablescape Thursday. Be sure to visit her blog for other tablescapes.

I did a fun Christmas dessert tablescape using mugs for either tea or hot cocoa and mitten plates for cookies, cake or other finger foods.

I love the Santa mats with their polka dots and Ho Ho Ho on them. They match the color scheme of my kitchen, too.

I found mugs that have polka dots and ones with Ho Ho Ho on them.

They came with little tea bag holders attached.

I used an apothecary jar with ornaments of all the same colors of the mats for the center piece. I set it on a snowflake plate and a red charger under it.

Cute little mitten plates like the mittens Santa is wearing.

Cute little polka dot bowls for some snack food.

Mugs from Old Time Pottery

Mitten plates from Cracker Barrel.
Snowflake plate from Cracker Barrel
Polka dot bowls from Walmart

Chargers from Old Time Pottery

Place Mats from K-Mart

Thanks for taking time to visit and for your comments.

Oh Tannenbaum

Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ is hosting Metamorphosis Monday. Head on over there are lots of great blogs to browse.This is our family room before the decorating began this year. We had just assembled the tree. This was hectic and fun at the same time. Last year we were unable to put up a tree because my hubby had just undergone open heart surgery, so we are celebrating the Christmas season and his one year recovery and good health.

Come, see the transformation.

Hubby wanted to put up a 12 footer this year. A little hard to decorate when you're only 5' 1". Even his being 6' 1" frame was a challenge on a 6 ft. ladder.

Good ole Sam's club made decorating easy this year with matching skirt and coordinating ornaments.

Some slightly different angles.

Hubby got the fire through the globe on the table.

The tree is in reds and golds.

Sam's even had the tree toppers pre-made.

When decorating a large tree, don't be afraid to use large ornaments. This next pic shows the large ones we chose. Look at the regular ornaments next to it.

One last pic taken in the daylight.
We added greenery, finials and swags on the windows this year.

I hope you're enjoying the festivities of the Christmas season. We are so blessed! I wish you all a blessed Christmas!

Handel's Messiah

Our youngest daughter who lives in SC, near us, got a call recently and was asked to perform in the Messiah at a church in Tampa, FL. She is a talented soloist and was honored to be asked.

For those of you who live in that area, I thought I would post the invitation from the church. The only performance left is on Sunday.

On December 11 and 13 the Hillsdale Baptist Church Choir and the Hillsdale Youth Symphony of Citrus Park will join together to present George Friderick Handel's most famous work, "Messiah."Handel's Messiah has won such an honored place in our culture and in our minds and hearts over the past two and a half centuries that many consider it the world's greatest choral work. Annual performances of it have been given without break since 1750, with forces ranging from a handful of singers standing around a piano, to massed choruses with as many as 5000 people.Handel premiered the work in Dublin in 1742 with a chorus of 42 singers, and a twenty one piece orchestra. Hillsdale will present this marvelous work with a comparable number of musicians and will make every effort to perform a faithful rendition of Handel's score. We are delighted to host four guest soloists who will join the HIllsdale musicians for the performances - Beth Barnard, Soprano - Sarah Barker, Alto - Richard Joseph, Tenor - Steven Armstrong, Bass.Celebrate Christmas with Hillsdale by attending our performances of Handel's Messiah!PERFORMANCE DATES:(Free Admission to Concert)Friday, December 11 - 7:00pmSunday, December 13 - 6:00pm

You may also hear it live on Sunday via computer at www.hillsdalebaptist.org

This is Sarah who will be the featured Alto.
Normally she sings Soprano. She has a wide range and was happy to take part in the performance.

Let me know if any of you get to attend. I'm sure the program will be a blessing.

Nativity Scene

Cindy at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/ is hosting Show & Tell. To see many lovely blogs, go pay her a visit.

It's been an unusually busy 2 months at our home, with 4 weeks of company and a 10 day trip to FL to see my Mom we are scurrying around trying to get up our Christmas decorations.

I wanted to share what we had made when our grandchildren from CA and our grandchildren from SC were together.
We went to get family pictures taken while we were all together and the photographer offered something for the children to do that we just couldn't pass on.
You may want to copy the concept.
Our four grandchildren posed in a manager scene as Mary, two angels and a little shepherd boy.

The photographer's Dad lives in Iowa and came across old barn wood and made the manger.

A life-like baby, hay and a number of gifts helped complete the setting.

The photographer's Mother came down for a visit, brought the manager and made all the children's clothes. A backdrop and star was added and viola, a Manger scene.

It sets on an easel in our dining room. A keepsake that we will have forever.

This is what the little munchkins look like out of costume. They were just good sports. The baby and the little guy took a bit more coaxing. We used lots of Gerber Puffs to bribe the baby to stand still. lol

The two little ones are reaching for some that we laid in the hay.

Thanks for visiting today. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!