Christmas Ornaments

Angels we have heard on high

Merry Christmas to everyone!

I hope you enjoy the ornament slideshow of our family's ornaments.

Craft Night - Ribbon Tree

'Twas three weeks before Christmas, when all at the table,

The ladies were crafting, even those who weren't normally able (Barb!);

The ribbons were laid out on a tray with care,

Some wanted to begin a bit early, but they didn't dare;

Raviolis, Chicken Kabobs, Red Potatoes and more comprised the buffet,

The live Christmas tree and scented candles created a nice bouquet;

We washed everything down with a festive Sherbet punch,

But wait, we still had tartlets, pie, and cheescake to munch!

With our bellies full and lots of chatter, we went straight to work,

Only stopping for advice, our tasks we did not shirk;

We folded, pinned, glued, and added sparkly puffs,

Everyone agreed, making ribbon trees wasn't so tough!

Laying her finger aside her nose, a gift Mom did bestow,

Darling holiday pails, filled with candy, Oh, how yummy ho-ho-ho;

With trees and gifts in hand, our guests traveled off into the night,

"Merry Christmas" they exclaimed, "to return for another Craft Night would be a delight!"

Thank you family and friends for making our 2nd Craft Night such a success! Mom and Sue

Birthdays and Blessings

This is one of my favorite pictures of my dad. It conveys how I always felt: loved, comforted, and secure. I continue to feel that way. My parents have a knack for creating a loving home and making each child feel special, no matter how many years have passed.

Life changes all of us, but the most important things about my dad have remained the same, his good nature, his devotion to faith and family, his story-telling ability (even though we've heard them all before--many times), and his loving heart. Thanks Dad--Happy Birthday!

Mom celebrated her 75th birthday yesterday and I think the quote from Abraham Lincoln applies “And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”. It is an achievement to have lived 75 years but to look back on a life well-lived, such as my mom's, is truly remarkable.

Mom's life is a testiment of generosity. She not only has physically given life to her children, but helped to give our lives direction, focus, and meaning. Mom has freely given of her time, laughter, wit, and love to her friends and family. The road of life brings many gifts and troubles along the way, my mom just seems to acknowledge the troubles and moves on, not letting them weigh her down. Thank you Mom for showing me how to add life to my years, love you so much! Happy Birthday!

Lucky Number 7

I have six brothers and two sisters, my youngest sister, Renee, is the seventh child born in the eleventh month on the eleventh day.

Peek-a-boo!

Little Renee was always happy and smiling. I think her love of being a "girlie-girl" began early when Renee would toddle and dance around in ruffled underpants, earning her the nickname "Ruffle Butt"!

1st Grade photo, please note, the ruffles continued.

Birthdays were always lovingly celebrated with gifts, homemade cakes, and singing. Today, on your special day, Renee, let us celebrate the loving, joyful, caring person that you have become. Our family is lucky to call you daughter, sister, and friend.  Happy Birthday!

Autumn Sunset

I was lucky to catch some of the quickly fading red streaks that graced the sky tonight. The crimson colors add a stark beauty to the leafless trees, the trees that only last week wore the same colors that the sky now flaunts. Breathtaking!

Colors of the Season

For the past couple of weeks I have been snapping photos of the changing colors, it has been a nice slow progression.

The leaves have been lingering on the trees, only in the last several days has there been some serious falling foliage.

To the right of this post I have added a slideshow of my favorite pictures. I hope you enjoy the show as well as the colors in your hometowns.

Craft Night - Christmas Ornament

Mom and I wanted to share our crafting knowledge, so we held our first Craft Night. Our guests feasted upon a buffet of meatballs, cheese tortellini, mini cheese pizzas, veggies, and our famous Tuna Snack Spread and then they quickly went to work.

Each crafter created a custom mix of seed beads from our bead stockpile, Mom offered color suggestions to assist the crafters. Using a scooping motion the crafters strung beads onto a fine beading needle and thread. Beautiful, long beaded strands were swiftly created.

The next step required spreading a thick craft glue on a styrofoam ball and slowly wrapping the beads around and around.

This can be a little tricky to keep the rows in place without sliding or lumping up, but our crafters persevered!

These gorgeous ornaments were created in only about two hours. They are all unique and will be stunning additions to our crafters' Christmas trees.

Our crafters also enjoyed a homemade dessert of Devil's Food Cupcakes w/Chocolate Ganache frosting--I shall quote my mom, "Scrumptious!"

Recipe Link: Cupcakes & Frosting

We all had so much fun eating, talking, laughing and of course crafting. As a thank you to our guests, Mom created individual Halloween bowls filled with candy and a light-up pen.

We can't wait for the next Craft Night, thank you everyone!