Merry Christmas Everyday...

Merry Christmas!

From our home to yours,

MFSD

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve~
                                                                Kitchen Time!

Time to bake...

Monster Cookies!

On the pan and ready for the oven...

Angel Sugar Cookies!

My Favorite Baking Apron...

End result!

Oh yeah~~Yum!

Rolls and Pumpkin Pie Cake are next...

Loving the kitchen time!
MFSD

PS

Have a very Merry Christmas!  Family & Friends time!

See you in 2013!

Christmas Party Project

Our Quilt Guild met recently...

Isn't this too cute!

No~we didn't sew with these...

but, I'm sure some young girl with many dreams of stitching clothes for

her little babies and dolls had a wonderful time creating!

We did use the good ole' needle and thread though...

one small circle of material,

stuffing,

golf tee,

(which by the way...I found to be the best way to use this little item)

((I'm not a golfer))

and and sprig of holly.

(((The kind you kind find at your favorite hobby store with

a tiny hole in the middle.)))

Sew with a loose stitch around the edge of your circle (1/8")

~gather it up~add your stuffing

and hot glue the berry to your tee with holly.

Then add a little hot glue around the edge of the tee and squeeze the

holly to the tee.

And Wah~Lah!

A pin and/or needle holder to slide into your thread spool.

Thanks for the fun make it and take it, J!

Stitching with friends!

MFSD

Mom Time

Handsome Man and I went in and spent a little Mom time with my Mom.  She needed a little Christmas, so...

We put on the Christmas Songs and set up the tree,

got really busy with the ornaments

and even found a Christmas Elf.

(He's been around long before the current popular Elf surfaced!)

((I was famous for peeking into presents.))

(((Yep~I needed an Elf on the Shelf!)))

And yes, here he is~

clean up crew when we finished.

It was fun helping Mom and remembering a lot of the ornaments I grew up with.

Merry Christmas, Mom!

MFSD

Little Hands

I am revisiting a special time.  Christmas tends to make me a little nostalgic.
I can get pretty sappy~I am a Hallmark Movie kinda gal.
These sweet little hands that stay so busy are some of my favorites...

They imagine...

They take such determined care to build and create...

Looking back and smiling...

MFSD

Here Comes Santa Claus!

I love Christmas!
Handsome Man (he doesn't have a white beard or a sleigh~but I think he's a great Santa) and I packed up the truck and made a few deliveries to some special young friends and their families.
Christmas and children just go together!
Their eyes twinkle and sparkle along with all the tinsel and lights.

We continue to pray for the community of Newtown.

Grateful!
MFSD

Book Club, December 2012

Tuesday Readers met again...

Isn't the cover inviting!

And, I loved the inside illustrations.

Snickerdoodles, too!

Well, the stage is set~take a little (or a lot) of time for yourself.

Heat up some hot cocoa (with marshmallows, ofcourse!),

grab a few cookies, and curl up with a good read.

Oh, and don't forget the soft Christmas music and Tree Lights.

Ummmm Hmmmm,

MFSD

On The Road Again...

On the road again...
     These babies are worn out~seriously~worn out.  Handsome Man wouldn't let me take these out of town anymore.  They were allowed one trip, and that was for new tires. 

(Now, if you know me at all...don't tell me I can't go out of town without my wheels and expect me to smile.)  ((I've got a new grandbaby coming soon!))

Sooooo...

New Tire Time.

Look!

Aren't they great!

(It takes soooo little to make me happy!)

((Well...maybe not little.))

(((You know what I mean if you've purchased tires lately.)))

Isn't it great!

I've got tread to pick up gravel again~

it even threw it around when I drove down our gravel roads!

I'm on the road again!

Ready for Nana Time!

MFSD

The Nutcracker, 2012

A favorite tradition...

My Mom took me as a young girl~

I took my daughters as young girls~

It's been a few years...

but I was able to return and hopefully begin going again each year.

I'm not sure why I stopped.

(So glad I was able to share it with some special young ladies!)

We walked into the Center and this beautiful tree was there to greet us all!

As you can see~

It caught everyone's attention!

There were a lot of photo op's.

This is a story that never seems to go out of style.

A Timeless Classic.

Oh yes, the Ballet, the Orchestra, and a Young Girl's Dream.

Another way to get into the Christmas Spirit.

Keeping on our toes!

MFSD

Love, Colors, Remembering...

I love Christmas!

I love all the brilliant colors!

I love the decorations!

I love our ornaments that have been with us over the years!

(It's so fun unwrapping them one at a time, thinking about who shared them with us, where they came from, and carefully hanging them on the tree.)

Angels & Stars

sharing & sparkling

leading us all

to celebrate Christ's birth.

Remembering the meaning of the season...

MFSD

Not finished yet...

We began getting our Christmas decorations down last night. Well... Actually Handsome Man did-I assisted.
It is uncommonly warm and dry for December. In other words-it was hot in the attic. Well...the tree is up, with lights and garland. Not finished yet...

But I came out to a tree lit and smiling at me this morning. I love starting my day this way!

Welcome December!
MFSD

Busy Hands

Thanksgiving is a time of thanks for our many blessings. I am blessed to have spent my holiday with my family and especially ~the grandkids. I love Nana Time!

I hope your Thanksgiving was full of many bountiful blessings!

Grateful.
MFSD

More gratitude...

Dear God,

Thank you for this beautiful morning!

Amen,
MFSD

PS.
Please send rain.

Thanksgiving 2012

From Us to You~
Happy Thanksgiving!

In a Minute

What can you do in a minute?

We are in an instant - microwave world.
I am sooooo looking forward to Thanksgiving. It's a Made From Scratch Daily time. The recipes and foods created come from scratch and the heart. It takes a little longer to prepare- and yes a microwave still gets to be a part of the process-but it's all about the time spent with love ones in the kitchen. I love that we pull out the recipe files and look through those lovely, tasty recipes that came from our grandmothers and moms.

For now we had a "Minute" meal. Next week we'll celebrate our families. Thankful for our many blessings, and the gift of sharing a meal together!

Happy Thanksgiving to you!
MFSD
*I'll be taking a little break for the week!

Book Club

Highly recommended...

The book,

and the cookies!

Oh, yes!  We always have treats!

The cookies were from our local Subway~Yum!

(yeah...I had to mention the cookies, first.)

The story was set on Janus Rock, a small island

set apart from Western Australia.

We all really liked this book!

A+

We loved the way the author gave us a picture of

the isolation experienced while living in a lighthouse.

A great job was done of expressing the sense

of desperation, loss, and the intense need to love a child.

This is an original lighthouse lamp.

We (Handsome Man and myself) saw it in a museum in Juneau, Alaska.

My picture doesn't do it justice...It was beautiful.

The colors caught in the prisms were amazing!

(Sorry it doesn't show up here.)

Little did I know then that we would be reading

about a lighthouse for Book Club.

I wonder...what is it's story?

Reading again,

MFSD

PS. Thanks to our one member who still orders and reads the conventional way.  I wouldn't have a picture of the cover to share.  Kindle's are great, but...

Reflections

I am taking a moment to reflect...

Early mornings and Late evenings

are among my favorite times.

An Alaskan evening.

An Oklahoma sunrise.

A peek through one of my favorite trees.

The morning of...

A day of gratitude and remembrance.

(Thanks for the photo Handsome Man!)

Sigh...

MFSD

*I love colors!

Atlanta~

Recently, I went with my daughter to a National Conference for the

Education of Young Children.

There were educators, child care providers, parents, administrators from all over the world.

We met some fascinating people!

The conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia.

(This place was huge!)

((I haven't walked soooo much in a long time.))

(((Think I've established my walking habit again.)))

~Can you see Handsome Man smiling?~

It was an amazing experience!

The colors of Fall.

A view of Centennial Olympic Park.

And, yes~there were flowers.

And, yes~there was rain.

It seems I can travel to rain...

I just can't seem to get it at home.

On the road, again...

MFSD

Happy Veterans' Day

Happy Veterans' Day!

A day to say,

"Thank you."

To all the men and women who have served

and who are currently serving

our Country.

A grateful Nation sending thanks to all the families for their sacrifices.

A day of Remembrance and Gratitude,

MFSD

An Unexpected Surprise...

On our way home...

Handsome Man allowed me one last look at an Iowa Quilt Shop.

I chose this one~because of the name.

(I'm learning to really like my app!)

It was not a disappointment!

The name says it all~

The owner had just opened in August of this year.

Serendipity.

Yes, the owner had beautiful red hair,

and she was a delight to visit with!

Her story was~

she was ready for a change and decided to open a quilt shop.

This church building was available...

and the rest was history.

You would think with this kind of inventory~

she had been in business for years.

(She doesn't do things half way.  Her words, not mine.)

I found so many fun things...

I think I might have gone a little "crazy" too.

But just look at all the colors!

I couldn't help myself!

(By the way, Handsome Man was present for the entire shopping experience; he was settled comfortably on a church bench with his email.)

I love surprises!

This was another surprise~

opening doors to find treasures!

Treasure hunting,

MFSD