Just one more thing....

What a blessed Christmas we had! It was just the right mix of harried and restful; chaotic and peaceful. And I think it was all because I was decorated by Thanksgiving with gifts bought and wrapped a week later. (OK, hate me.) We did the baking thing (too much of it), had friends over for dinner several times, attended parties, saw several local church Christmas pageants, enjoyed driving around to see all the lights, had several game nights with just the four of us, and I have to say, I'm so sad to see December go.

But before 2009 becomes too distant in the rearview mirror, I wanted to share a couple of snapshots of our son who played Joseph in the Creation Museum's "Bethlehem's Blessings" live nativity. The night our family went was cold and snowy....and yes, beautiful!

This is him in character.


And this is him AFTERwards laughing at his silly mother taking pictures! (Pulleeze, do they ever get too old??)



So, farewell, 2009; hello 2010. Thank you, God, for your blessings, and for being our guide and our strength for each day. And as we step into a new year, we trust you with all our tomorrows.

"Fear not tomorrow, for God is already there!"

Ornament Wreath

Yes, I tried it, and I liked it! I saw how to make an ornament wreath here, and thought it looked like something easy I could do. (And sure enough, it was something easy I could do.) I recently redecorated the living room with colors in brown and gold, so I wanted to try decorating for Christmas this year with browns and golds. I love how the wreath turned out. I then bought a little feather tree, and below it I placed the white nativity that my husband bought me about ten years ago now. I've always loved how simple it is.




Then I made a swag with the same brown and white ribbon for over the living room entryway.



I found some bronzy colored glass candlesticks at HobLob for half price that continue the same brown/bronze theme.


Added more of the brown and white ribbon to the living room tree and some brown and bronze colored ornament balls added to the hodge-podge of all the other ornaments I've collected over the years.




I will post pictures of the kitchen and dining room soon. No brown there, though. Just lots of red.
Merry Christmas!

...'Tis The Season!

You know it's really the Christmas season when everyone pulls out their best of the best sweets...cakes, cookies, pies... (Like, be honest, how many pieces of fudge have you eaten this month??) Anywho, we are having some out-of-town friends for dinner tomorrow, and I wanted to send them back on the road with some munchy treats. They have about a 6-hour drive after leaving our house, and ... 'tis the season after all. So, I made a batch of what I call my Christmas candy mix. I make it every Christmas to give out to friends, teachers, and neighbors because it is so easy, and it makes a ton! Plus, there are so many festive and creative containers to put the stuff in. Easy, peasy.




Here's the recipe:
1 10 ounce mini twist pretzels
5 cups cheerios
5 cups corn chex
2 cups salted peanuts
1 lb plain M&M's
1 1/2 lbs. white chocolate almond bark

Mix all the ingredients together (except the chocolate). Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, and then pour over the dry mixture. Mix all together until cereal mixture is all coated in the white chocolate. Pour it out onto wax paper and let it cool/harden. Break it apart in medium chunks and put in ziplock bags or containers to give away.

The First Noel

We so enjoyed the Christmas Concert last night at school! Hearing the beautiful band and chorale music put our focus on the real reason for the season ~ Jesus! (OK, except for that very adorable Grinch song :) And can I just say, totally unbiased of course, that the seventh grade band ROCKS! Woo Hoo! Here's one of the songs the seventh grade band played: The First Noel. Mackenzie is on the front row, second from left, with the flute. And, not to worry, the video starts off dark, but the lights come up when the band starts to play! (Enjoy. And Merry Christmas!)

Eye On The Prize

Kenzie played today at her first JME Competition at NKU. She was nervous, but excited to play the piece she had worked on for so long. (See previous post.) Her hard work paid off, and she was awarded a "Superior" blue ribbon, the highest rating!! You go, girl!




Now, it's off to spend the rest of the day decorating for Christmas! Toby is already in the spirit of things, with his festive and very smart-looking scarf! Enjoy the day!

The house is alive with the sound of ......

MUSIC!
Mackenzie has been learning a piece for a JME competition this month. It's called "Starry Night" by Randall Hartsell. We so enjoy listening to her music fill our home every evening. Such a joy......

Something to "crow" about!

I took advantage of the warm few days we've had, (it's 78 degrees outside right now!) and I decided to paint our front door a nice black (Behr Forever Black) before I put the new "welcome" sign on it that I won from Wight House Gifts. I LOVE it!!



Then I added a few crows (Dollar Store) to my wreath.....even though they are kinda creepy. But, hey, it's that time of year!


And, it looks like this little scarecrow can't seem to keep crows away either!


Happy October!!