~ Greetings and Warm Welcome to my Blog ~
What do they say about the road to hell is paved with good intentions? That sort of explains about what happened to the end of my 25 days of Christmas...
Keith had to travel for work...
that included flying on 4 different planes....
Meetings with lots of people in tight surroundings....
for a week....
24 hours after he got home (which was the 15 of December)...
It happened. 102 degree temperature. Congestion. Coughing. Aches. Exhaustion.
I had him quarantined. He took several tests - all negative. BUT if we would have had a flu test, that one would have been positive. He still is fighting exhaustion, some congestion. But for the most part he's well.
We were able to celebrate Christmas as a family...
Our Christmases are LOW KEY. Typically involve Mass in the morning, then being dressed in PJs the rest of the day.. Just us - our family. Presents, eating, a game or two then we all go do our own thing.
It was no different this year. We all gathered. Then those that live apart went back to their abodes and the ones that lived here....two went to the movies and the other two (old geezers) retired to their bedroom and watched tv while the other stitched :)
I love Christmas this way, no stress, no anxiety - just me, my family and our love for each other celebrating the birth of our savior. Easy. Nice.
Here's some pictures of the day:
This is what I got from Katie and Austin for Christmas:
nothing better than receiving Jesus for Christmas!
To Sum up our Christmas season and fill in the gaps where I left off, I'll let the pictures do the talking....
This was a new thing I did this Christmas...
I have 6 totes/tubs of ornaments that I have stitched through the years (40 years of stitching and crafting). . . I have 4 trees. I don't have room for another. So I tried out an idea I had, instead of putting a tree in the dining room this year I tried this garland over my windows:
You know what?! IT worked like a charm...next year - getting more garland and doing more windows AND I'm going to continue stitching ornaments because: HELLO! I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I had thought about stopping stitching ornaments. I can't do that!
Our Main Tree, filled with over 378 ornaments (I lost track counting when I was putting them on)...
My Granny's ceramic tree and a Santa and Mrs. Claus that I painted to match the ones she had when I was growing up.
My Santa Tree:
Another tree....
filled with hand painted ornaments and Santa's from around the world
My Grandmother Epperson's ceramic Nativity sits at the foot of this tree...
And finally...
Ellie wanted to gift our Priest, Fr. Dennis a drawing. She chose to draw the Blessed Mother with the baby Jesus. Here is piece:
and here she is presenting it to Father. We love Fr. Dennis. I can go as far as to say of all the priests I have known in my 52 years of life and always attending church, Fr. Dennis is in the top 2, if not the number 1 priest I have ever known. Humble, acknowledging the trials of life, caring, kind, soft spoken, he has WONDERFUL homilies....yes, he's my favorite of all. And I am so glad Ellie shared her gift with him, because there is no other way to describe her talent other than it is surely God given. Sacred Art seems to be a calling for her.
I'll be back before the New Year to go over what I'm stitching, what my plans for 2023 is for me and some other bits and bobs about life.
Merry Christmas one and all!
All my love,
Vonna xxxx
First, I hope Keith is feeling much better. I love reading about your family time, Vonna. It makes me feel like I am part of the action and family dynamics. Your trees are all beautiful and I love your garland with your ornaments. I am taking a page from your book and going with garlands in 2023. Because like you I love stitching ornaments (and receiving them) and it is a shame that many end up staying in bins. Ellie's gift for Father Dennis is gorgeous. Wishing you relaxing days as 2022 marches to its finish. xoxox
ReplyDeleteVery very nice pictures. Your daughter is very talented. Hope Keith is fully recovered. Wishing you a spectacular 2023!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas Vonna. Thank you for all you share and the time you take to do it. Have a very Happy New Year full of goodness.
ReplyDeleteGreat Family-centered Christmas. Love your ornament-festooned garland idea...looks so lovely. Father Dennis, bless him, looks so
ReplyDeleteelated by Ellie's gift, bless her. The statue of Christ is such a meaningful gift for you, Vonna...that must have thrilled you. All in all, your trees are a tribute to your creativity and tenacity through the years and what a beautiful Christmas display they provide.
Makes me sorry I didn't pull out the PS Santas! Fabulous trees and that garland is ideal for displaying stitchery. Happy New Year family of Vonna.
ReplyDeleteHappy new year to you and your fam Vonna! Thank you so much for all of the new video tutorials, I'm really enjoying them and as always - learning!!!
ReplyDeleteYour Christmas decorations look lovely. Love the trees with all the cross stitching - and the garland! Ellie's art work is amazing. Happy New Year to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteOMGoodness! Your daughter is so talented! I don’t know her age, I’m guessing young teens, but please foster her love of art and help her to find a way to make her life’s work in art. You see, I got out of HS, and let my talent drop. I’d been offered an opening at the Brown Institute of Art, in the Twin Cities, MN and turned it down. Then my senior year, I was offered a full scholarship in art, and I turned that down. My only defense was that I didn’t want to teach, and at that time, that’s where I would have ended up. There’s so many more opportunities for us gals now in the field of art. If nothing else, even if her interests take her elsewhere, Ellie, Even if her interests take her elsewhere in life, never ever put down your paint brush or whatever technique you use, Ellie. You have so much talent! Share it with others, it’s beautiful! I’ve never commented, but I had to, to encourage Ellie to always keep a sketch pad & pencil with her, she’s that good, it’s a must! I recently picked up a pad & pencils for myself, as I thought, there’s no time like now, and used to love to doodle/draw/sketch. Vonna, you’re a true blessings and I just love listening & learning from you! All the best to your whole family in 2023! 🤗🤗🤗💖
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