Tag Archives: Christmas

Friday’s Fave Five ~ Brrr…

Welcome to another Friday. It’s time to join Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to share your favorites from this past week!

 

1. My house is Christmatized. I sometimes dread the process but I love the result. The biggest thing is getting the tree in and decorated. I love the smell of the tree. It’s so nice to sit in the living room with just the lights of the tree and other decorations. I could have decorated more but I am satisfied with what is done.

2. We finally filled the Cd player with some of our favorite Christmas Cd’s and I’ve really enjoyed having the music fill the house. Some of our favorites are Twila Paris –It’s the Thought, Nat King Cole –The Christmas Song, Amy Grant, Selections from Handel’s Messiah, and The Holly and The Ivy-Clare College Choir-Cambridge.

3. Spending lots of time with my daughter. It’s been good. Next week is her last week of college (everyone join us in this cheer “Hip Hip Hooray we no longer have to pay!”) We are happy to see her complete her degree and finish well. This last month has brought some major changes in Katie’s life and it’s good to see her Joy return.

 

4. It has been freezing in Western Washinton for several days in a row. We are breaking electric and gas consumption records around here. See my icicles coming from the end of my hose? All of that to say that Katie and I were at Fred Meyer yesterday and spotted an end cap display of Snuggie’s. We succombed to the need for warmth and bought a Snuggie! I always laughed at those commercials but now we’re fighting over who gets the Snuggie! A Snuggie or Snuglie is a blanket with sleeves.

5. On Monday night I went to watch our son Josh play an indoor soccer game. He has been playing on a recreational team with some former teammates from high school. It was so much fun to see these boys young men again after 10 years. Lots of hugs and news to share. I spent so many years sitting/standing on the sidelines watching these boys play from elementary to high school. Good times…

Oops…the Poinsettia’s at the top of the post are from Molbak’s Nursery in Woodinville. They always have an amazing display at Christmas of many varieties and they always construct a huge Poinsettia tree. I think I have to go back and take a few more photos…

I’ll be coming around to see what your week held for you. Today I’m braving the cold for a little adventure that I hope will yield some great photos!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Ruby in New Mexico…

It’s time to visit Mary at Work of the Poet for Ruby Tuesday. Thanks for being a great hostess Mary! Christmas time is great for finding ruby all over the place.

 

I took all these photos in New Mexico the weekend of Thanksgiving except for the kissing Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Those cuties are sitting on my kitchen counter. My oldest son and I were in the “Land of the Sun” for my middle son’s graduation and we didn’t have to wear sunglasses once. It even snowed on us!! I was real excited when I spotted that Christmas Hydrant. The signs just made me chuckle…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Jerusalem, Lift Up Thy Voice ~ Advent

Jerusalem, Lift Up Thy Voice

Jerusalem, lift up thy voice!
Daughter of Zion, now rejoice!
Thy King is come, whose mighty hand
Henceforth shall reign o’er every land.

He comes to every tribe and race,
A Messenger of truth and grace:
With peace He comes from Heaven above
On earth to found His realm of love.

In God’s eternal covenant,
He comes for our salvation sent.
The star of hope moves on before,
And hosts assemble to adore.

Let all the world with one accord
Now hail the coming of the Lord:
Praise to the Prince of heavenly birth
Who bringeth peace to all the earth.

Words: Johan O, Wallin, 1814, trans­lat­ed from Swed­ish to Eng­lish by Ernst W. Olsen (1870-l958)

Christmas Star Table ~

It’s been a while since I participated in Tablescape Thursday so I’m happy to join back in this week. Please visit our fabulous hostess Susan at Between Naps on the Porch to see lots of tables set for entertaining.

Today I pulled out some of my Christmas decor which included two Nativity sets I purchased at after Christmas sales last year. I thought about the Wisemen that followed the star and said to King Herod “For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him”.  My star table is in honor of those Wisemen who were looking for this sign for years and were blessed with the fulfillment of that search by seeing Jesus face to face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My chair covers are Santa Hats. I purchased them at Target after Christmas clearance about 5 years ago…

 

I’m looking forward to seeing your tablescapes this week. Thanks for visiting here…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Sky Watch ~ Seattle Area

We were in the Seattle area over Christmas and these photos are from our time there. This first shot is taken at our friend’s home on Christmas Day. They live across from Puget Sound. I didn’t realize when I took it that the sky was reflected in their pool! That garden next to the pool is amazing to experience in the Spring and Summer!

 

The next shot is taken from my yard early in the morning with some storm clouds brewing…

 

For more Sky Watch photos from around the world visit the SkyWatch Blog.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

ABC Wednesday ~ The Los Angeles Zoo

Welcome to ABC Wednesday. We are on the letter Z. Yikes, the end of the Alphabet.

What fun I had meeting my brother, his wife, little Hope, my niece Michelle and her son, Jackson at the Los Angeles Zoo the week of Christmas!

 

My brother was here with his family from Dallas to celebrate Christmas with all of us. Hope will be 1 in January. What a joy to spend time with them all.

 

My niece Michelle and her son Jackson live in the L.A. area and they joined us for the fun.

 

It was a nice cool day at the Zoo and the animals were out and about. The bird is a Kookabura. We were singing the Kookabura song for quite a while after we saw this beauty. But since we are on the letter Z, this song would be more appropriate…

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

Zip a dee doo-dah, zip a dee ay
My, oh my, what a wonderful day.
Plenty of sunshine headed my way.
Zip a dee doo-dah, zip a dee ay

Mister bluebird on my shoulder
It’s the truth, it’s actual.
Everything is satisfactual.

Zip a dee doo-dah, zip a dee ay
Wonderful feelin’.
Wonderful day.

Lyrics by Ray Gilbert and Allie Wrubel.

 

 

Since we are on the letter Z, I couldn’t ignore the Zebras!

 

This photo is of my brother Leonard and me pushing the strollers at the zoo.

For more ABC Wednesday posts on the Letter Z visit the ABC Blog.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

WFW ~ Glory!

 

This is an amazing proclamation that the angel and the multitude of heavenly host said in the hearing of the lowly shepherds. Can you imagine being one of those shepherds and seeing that angel and  hearing this proclamation out in the fields that night?!

A very Merry Christmas to all and Glory to God in the highest!!

Visit Amydeanne and other participants in WFW here.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Blue Monday

 

Hello and welcome to Blue Monday. This is a collage of some of the decorations at our church this Christmas Season. They chose blue for the main color, yippee!

For more Blue Monday posts visit Smiling Sally.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Fridays Fave 5 ~ December 19th

 

Lots of favorites this week for ellen b. From the top collage…

1. I was able to finally see St. Johns Seminary in Camarillo when invited to a Christmas Music Program there. I’ll post more photos in the future of the beautiful church and grounds. The grounds are private and not open to the Public very often.

2. I met my beautiful niece Annie at a great British Pub in Fullerton, California for lunch. We don’t see each other often and it was nice to catch up. The Old Ship British Pub was great, too. They have authentic British food and ale in British Pints. I want to go back and have some Sticky Toffee Pudding.

3. That’s Willow taking her life in her hands to get a photo of the snow on our California Mountains on our walk yesterday. Bloggers taking photos no matter what the cost is a favorite of mine during any week!

 

4. Yippee, I get to see these three this very day! My brother Leonard, his wife Mandy, and Miss Hope, their almost 1 year old daughter, my niece. They are here in Southern California from Dallas until Christmas day. I’m spending the day and then spending the night in Huntington Beach because tomorrow is the big family cooking day. We are making Vareniki for our Christmas Eve celebration. I want to kiss Miss Hope’s sweet cheeks!!

5. Snow! Hearing about the snow at my home in Washington and seeing the snow on the mountains in Southern California!

To see more Fave Fives or to join in visit our fabulous hostess Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

ABC’s of the Word ~ For Unto You…

Luke 2:10-11 (King James Version)

  “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

For more ABC’s of the Word visit Pam at Grey Like Snuffie

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.