Who Doesn't Love Santa ????

  Here's a picture of Emma when she was a chunky monkey Santa loving baby. :)  This Santa might be real.

  Here he is again with Emma. She seems comfy sitting on his lap..but I notice a lollipop, well that could be why.

  My sister Pam and I know this is a Santa helper...but he smelled so good.  We were being a bit naughty. LOL

  Here's a Santa that is actually Father Christmas. My daughter Kathy made this for me and also made three more for her sisters. We all still have them. I should have fluffed his beard. :):)

  Here's a quick craft idea. Emma  made a few of these felt fridge magnet snowmen , one   holiday here . I still get this one out and think of her.

 This is a bench of Teddy Bears and Christmas decorations.  Our time is running short . The nasty weather is putting a crimp in shopping. I am happy I have most of my holiday prep finished. You know there is always something that you'll remember at the last minute.
  Colder than a  tin T-shirt  here. We have had a continuous fire going in the fireplace.  The humidifier running also. I have done some reading, writing and everyday chores while it's so bad outside.
  Wishing all a great Sunday. Be careful out there. XO

Early Gift....

   I told Ted that I like this blue and white ceramic napkin holder....but it just wasn't right with my cute Christmas paper napkins.

   So he went to  the shop and made this beautiful napkin holder for me.  Love that guy !!!

  See the pretty Christmas colors clashed with this holder.

  They look better with wood. :):)

  A thin strip pf purple heart wood runs  thru oak.. 

 

This is what Ted just got finished with in the shop. Some nifty boxes with a sliding lid. The box will hold a fishing knife . Ted made all the men folk one this Christmas. He loves working out ideas.  He made the blades of the knives also. So proud of him.
   Today the sun is shining and making people think it could be warm...no way. It's 9 degrees...up from zero this morning. With wind chills it is well below zero.  Time to be extra carful when going out...never stay out longer than 10-15 minutes. cover every bit of your flesh. Be safe .  XO

Baby It's Cold Outside & Inside.....

  Oh no...it was time to get the snow shovel on the porch. Would you believe this was once a snow plow blade and I have worn it down to a mere shovel?  LOL.

  This isn't enough to make that insulated kind of feeling. It's only enough to freeze your fingers and toes. This was Monday.

  Tuesday , around 5:00 the sky was trying to clear.

  It was good to see the blue skies.

  The sunset was too cloudy still to be pretty.

  A crusty dusting of snow on things here.

  No one wants to sit on an icy cold bench.

 Sending kisses and hugs to all of you. This cute little sign is in the boutique near my daughter's house.
   Yesterday, Ted and I received some sad news.  Our friend Milt passed away. I had worked  many years,in the same maintenance  shop as Milt. Ted has been fishing and golfing with him for years.  Everyone love Milt and called him uncle Milt.  We always said , if Milt and the pope were standing together....people would ask, "Who is that with Milt?"
   He was diagnosed with lung cancer and went Friday to see if there was anything to be done. It had spread to many places in his body.. We had just gone to visit him last Monday , hoped  for some good news.
  Today the sun is shining ....hoping it lifts  our spirits.
 Please tell your family and friends you love them today....we never know how much time is left for any of us.  XO

Time I Missed....

 These are my daughter Liz's children. Brandon is her stepson, she raised him from age two , Brock, Emma, and Lynzie.  Our sweet Lynzie is pregnant with a little sibling for Max.

This is a big scrambled family. The grade school kids are Brandon's  (2 are stepchildren)

Max , King of wild things and the spork Master, eating his own cake....I think his mommy cheated, not so much frosting on it. LOL

 My daughter , grandma Liz, holding the birthday boy. Hard to think of one of my twin daughters as a grandmother.

 Layla  and cousin Max, in his very own play land ball pit. I wonder how long the balls will be in this pen once he starts throwing things.  :):)
  The birthday party did go as planned on Sunday. I wish I could have gone. We had the snow and ice then and still have a lot of ice on our roads. More nasty stuff coming. It isn't  officially winter yet. I hope everyone will be careful out in the snow, ice, rain and wind. Just take your time, it's better to be a bit late than in an accident. Wishing all a great day. XO

Fun Day Running....

   On our running errands, we picked up Emma for lunch. Our youngest granddaughter is growing quickly and so tall.  She's 5'5" already.  She chose Dan the man's taco stand...for lunch. They serve more than tacos. There  were very few in the café yesterday.

  Emma ordered curly fries and plain burger...me too. 

 Papaw ordered breaded tenderloin with the works. LOL

  If we didn't  have our winter coats on, we could have pretended we were in a beach area with that cute cabana feature behind us. But it's Rossville, Indiana and so cold. That is the reason for our trip to Rossville...the weather today is to be a big crazy winter mix and we did not want to be on the roads. So we did a gift delivery to Liz's . She can take Max his birthday gifts for us.

  After lunch we took Emma to Liz's work. It's the Alzheimer's unit at Mulberry.  I took some photos of their fish tanks.  So relaxing for the patients. When we arrived , a piano recital was happening in the cafeteria. Liz's unit was having some Dalmatian therapy dogs visiting. I did not get photos... I was excited myself to see them. So many spots and so cute. Emma love them.

  I was told that the pink looking fish is dying, as he should be the orange color of  the other.

 Here's a huge algae eater. He helps keep the tank clean. There is a beautiful Oscar fish in this tank , but I missed him.

  Today was the re-scheduled  party for Max.  Look at his face, he has mastered ( a bit) the baby spork. (spoon/fork). He has a piece of banana on it and is so pleased with himself. I am hoping his parents and grandmother Liz will send me photos if the party goes on.  Ted and I will not be out on the roads, since we live the farthest away.
  It's going to be a very cold week ahead of us here and I think all over the U.S.  Please drive with care, be safe. XO

More Decor.......

  I hang ornaments on the lamp shades. This little red and black checked mitten goes with our throws and pillows.

  I love this pretty Santa head ornament.  He is wearing glasses.

 I love to put a berry wreath on top of this rustic house that has lights...at night.

  A wreath for the grandfather clock. More berries on the swan sitting on top.

 I placed this tiny tree in an old tobacco can in the tray along side "Twas The Night Before Christmas" book.

 I finally polished up our silver pieces to make a tablescape....that I keep changing out. LOL  It doesn't look like this even now. Some things are fun to spend time tinkering the way they look.
  Today we will do some running...before the snow, ice and maybe even rain come. Hope all of you are enjoying the start of your weekend. Be safe. XO

Snowmen....

  This is a craft I did a few years ago. Get a cleaned pickle jar, paint it a tan or pastel color. Paint a snowman of your liking. I made a country looking one. Dab white paint on his hat as a dusting of snow. Also along the bottom. Glue a votive candle holder into the jar top.

 I also sponge painted a tree near the snowman.

 Glued and tied a strip of plaid cloth around where the votive holder and jar top meet. I also wrote, "In the meadow..." on the back.

  Another dusting of snow this morning and it's very cold. The wind isn't as bad, thankfully.

 This is a cute snowman box I bought at the school bazaar two years ago. It has a flickering light in the greenery. I like to see him sitting in the corner.
  Hope all of you are staying warm and driving safely on the roads. XO