Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas!



The tree is decorated.


The gifts are wrapped and under the tree.

Not all of the gifts have bows.  See photo above for
the reason why.


 Pies are baked as well as cookies.
Our big Christmas dinner will be on Christmas Day.
We're having a pizza party tonight. 
We're having friends here for dinner Friday evening.
It's a busy time, but a wonderful time!
I'll return to blogging in the new year.  

   
May this Christmas and the coming year hold many joys for you - 
good health, good friends and much happiness!

Merry Christmas!!  

Until next time....

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

December Note Card Party

 It's time for the December Note Card party hosted by Vee 
We are to select 4 photos we've previously published in our 
blogs that we think would make nice note cards.
My theme is, of course, Christmas!


A plain little barn photo that I had fun embellishing last year.


The four-story tree at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO.


This photo was also taken at SDC in Branson last month.


This beautiful tree is one I wish I had in my yard!  

To see some really lovely note cards, just head on over
to Vee's at A Haven for Vee.
 
Merry Christmas to all...

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Barn Charm


This old relic is on a highway that I've passed by many times.  I'm
usually driving, but this time I was a passenger and got a drive-by shot.  I love the shape of this barn as it is very similar to the barns
on the farm where I grew up.

To see some great barns around the country,
head over to Tricia's Barn Charm.   

Until next time... 

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Thoughts...


I have just been at a loss for words since the tragic happening in Newtown, CT Friday.  My daughter saw something my son wrote on his Facebook page Sunday that expresses how I feel very well.  He gave me permission to copy it here.

  I can't stop thinking about the events that unfolded on Friday in Connecticut.  There are multiple reasons it is hard not to, whether it is my own sadness for those families that were impacted, or my own anger of how someone could be so sick and twisted to do that type of harm to such innocent people or my observations of the media and in every page I turn, it is a topic.  Just since Friday, I have read two other articles of "planned mass school shootings", one in Oklahoma and the other in Indiana that were luckily prevented and arrests have been made.  It was just last month where another "copycat" act was being coordinated in Bolivar, MO for a similar act of a shooting at a movie theater, just like what happened in Colorado.  The media is so eager to talk about it and give it as much attention as possible and I feel they continue to raise the bar for the next person to do even more damage.  

No matter the number of lives lost, one is enough. A lot of people, including myself, struggle even more with this latest one where such young children's lives were taken and I just can't comprehend the question, "why did this happen?".  This isn't the time to argue the gun control stance some may have.  As a gun owner, I know where my support with our 2nd Amendment stands.  The issues I feel that need to be addressed are why did a person feel the need to carry out the crime they committed and what indicators were on the surface that could have possibly prevented this?  Normally there are signs along the way, or patterns given that have to be taken seriously, that need to be further discussed and the appropriate assistance available for those that need it to get help.  The media has a lot of great capabilities if put to good use.  Let's begin with pushing more positive news stories, those that we smile or laugh at when read versus those that we cringe at.  Stop giving so much attention to those heartless souls that have no regard for human life. 

 Last, I've been happy to read all of my friends comments who have children and that they were happy to hug them, spend time with them and tell them they love them.  I may not be a parent, but I do appreciate the care I see given to your children.  Never stop doing that and remember this Christmas, it isn't about gifts or material things, it is about being together.  I can think of many people who would love nothing more than to just spend one more Christmas with their loved one.  God bless you and your families.

My thoughts and prayers are with the community of Newtown.
May God comfort them and give them peace as only He can.

* * * * * * * * * *
 My aunt is expected to recover from her fall, but it will be a while yet before she gets to go home.  Her blood pressure has been too low, she's not able to eat very much and is still unsteady on her feet.  The huge knot on her forehead has gone down considerably and her eye is opening about half way now, but the bruising all over her face and neck is quite a sight.  She's been having trouble sleeping as well.  At age 86, her recovery will take much longer than we would like.  There is discussion about her going into a rehab facility for therapy after the hospital releases her.   I'm so sorry this has happened to her, but very thankful that it wasn't worse.

In other news, I do have my house decorated for Christmas and am trying to get all those remaining little details done.  I'm very much mindful since all that has happened, that the only thing really important is that my family be together to share the joys of  Christmas and celebrate the greatest gift of all...the birth of our Savior.

Until next time...

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Update

Thank you for all the prayers and good wishes for my aunt!  She is doing very well this afternoon and, as her son said, she won't stop talking!  :)  The newest scan doesn't show any increased bleeding.   She was moved out of ICU and into a regular room late today and hopes to go home in a day or two.  I don't know yet what caused her not to be able to talk last night and the coughing up blood.  I'm praying that she will continue to improve and the pain in her head subsides.  She has a knot above her right eye that is the size of a grapefruit and her eye is black and blue and swollen shut.  I'm not liking the sound of the brain bleed, but they are monitoring that. 

Thanks again for your prayers.  I'm a big believer in prayer and have had many answered in a big way.  Some even that I thought couldn't be answered.  That's when I learned that truly nothing is impossible with God!  Sometimes he says no, sometimes he says yes, sometimes it's wait.  But, he always answers.    

Until next time...  

Asking for prayers...


My dear aunt had a bad fall yesterday evening and she is in the hospital.  I would appreciate prayers for her.   I had taken her to our nearest big city (Columbia) for lunch and a bit of shopping.  We had just gotten back and she was on her way into her house when she tripped on the step leading up to the patio.  I hadn't pulled out of the driveway yet, so I ran into the house and told my uncle, then called 911.  She was lying on the patio face down and bleeding profusely from a head wound and from her nose.  While I was talking to the dispatcher and attending to her, the ambulance and a police officer arrived about the same time.  They immediately assessed the situation and said she needed to go to one of the hospitals in Columbia.  I took my uncle with me and followed them to the emergency room.  Her son came as soon as he heard and we waited for an MRI to be done.  She has a little bit of bleeding in the brain.  After the long wait for the MRI to be read and for her to get to her room, her son said he would stay and for his dad (my uncle) and I to go on home.  Not long after I dropped Uncle off at his house, I got a call from his son saying Aunt was not able to talk now and had coughed up some blood.  A scan didn't show any change in the bleeding on her brain, but thought maybe she had a seizure or stroke.  

Anyway, I'm sure this is TMI but I wanted to tell how serious this could be and ask for prayers for her.  She is 86 and has a lot of health issues, but is still very active for her age and just a spunky lady.  She loves to talk to people and loves life.  I am so sad this has happened to her.  Hopefully, she will pull through and there will be many more outings to share with her.

Until next time...

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Barn Charm


While driving through Arkansas in September, we stopped at a scenic overlook along the highway and snapped a few photos.  The view was wonderful.  Do you see a barn in the center of this photo? 


Here are a couple of closer shots of the red barn.  


Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm.

Until next time... 

Friday, December 7, 2012

Sleepyheads

~Stormy~
Today, I will share some photos of the furbabies to show you how  excited they all were to see us the night we returned home from Branson after the Thanksgiving holiday.

 ~Peanut~
 We were very glad to see them after a 5 day absence.

~Truman~
I'm not sure just how much they missed us.  I did catch a yawn
or two in the midst of the hugs and kisses.
 
   ~Sissy~
We did have someone checking on them twice a day and got 
 frequent phone calls letting us know they were doing fine.  
 
I have to admit that we all missed them.  We have quickly become 
attached to our little fur family.  The last two pictured are supposed
to be outdoor kitties and belong to our daughterThey weren't supposed to be inside so much, but somehow they found their way into our house and into our hearts.   Have a wonderful Friday and weekend!! 
 
Until next time... 

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

A sunset and a busy sky

 

Here are a few photos of the sunset my hubby and I enjoyed at the lake a few evenings ago.   The sunset wasn't all that spectacular, but I enjoyed the warm evening for this time of year and loved watching the sky for the jets flying overhead.  


I couldn't choose a favorite, so I'll just show them all.

   
    
It was such a peaceful and quiet evening where we sat, but the skies were very busy!

Until next time...  

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Barn Charm


 I have another drive-by shot, as in check the rear view mirror for cars, stop the car and roll down the passenger window and grab the camera and zoom and shoot.  There was quite a stretch of highway behind me, so I didn't worry about a car coming up behind me too quickly.  I worked fast, as you can probably tell.

This is a new photo of a barn (shown below) that I took earlier this year and shared on Barn Charm.  As you see, they have added a quilt block to this barn.  I thought you might like to see how it looks now with the new embellishment.  I like it!


Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm.

Until next time...

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Another Branson Story



 While we were at SDC in Branson, we saw many pretty Christmas trees loaded with all kinds of beautiful ornaments to decorate a tree.  There was even a life-sized Santa decked out all in white to coordinate with the white trees.  There were trees trimmed all in blue, red, white, light aqua, and even purple.  The "purple tree" made me think of a particular blogger who loves that color!


Purple ornaments, anyone?


While we love SDC, it's not the only place we like to visit while in Branson.  One afternoon, my daughter and I left hubby and my son at the condo watching a football game and we headed down to the Grand Village.    


I'm not a big shopper, but I always like to stop by the Grand Village and I always love to stop in at the Hard Luck Diner while we're there and have lunch or just an ice cream while listening to the singing waiters and waitresses.

 
 Here's Jason Yeager, one of my favorites, who was on American Idol one year.  He is a great singer and the customers just love him.


Here are Jason and Kelly Bryant, another wonderful singer.  There was someone standing between the two, but I took only one shot and her eyes were closed, so I cropped her out.  Jason's holding the CD that the pair had just signed that I bought. 


This was the first year I'd heard Jason and Kelly singing a duet and, wow, are they ever good!  I. Love. Music.  I was very glad that our order took a while in getting to our table as I could just sit and listen for hours.   I just know you are wondering what we ordered to eat....


Old-fashioned ice cream sodas!  Yum, yum!!  Mine, of course, is the chocolate one.  I could go for one of those right now.
Hope you had a great weekend and are getting a good start on
Christmas.  I'm not quite there, but I've started!

Until next time...

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Remember our soldiers at Christmas


I have something I want to share with you today. 
has a post about Adopt a Soldier for Christmas.  She had emailed a soldier through this program that is serving in Afghanistan and he has emailed her that he has 50 men in his platoon and sent her a list of things they would like to have if anyone should want to send a package.   Joani is asking for help in granting these soldier's wishes.
If you would like to help, just go to Joani's blog at
to see the list and get the address to mail your package.
I plan to get a few of these things today and get my package in the mail asap.  I hope some of you will help, too. 
God Bless our soldiers everywhere!

Until next time...

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

City Lights....


One of the highlights of our trip to Branson each Thanksgiving is Silver Dollar City, a theme park that hosts An Old Time Christmas each year that Good Morning America called one of the top 5 holiday events in the country.


We went 2 different afternoons and I only took my camera with me the second day.   I've taken so many photos of this beautiful place already!  I did have to snap a few to see if I could improve on my night-time shooting.  Some are okay, others not so much, so I need to keep practicing!  That means we'll just have to keep going back another year until I get it right!  Right? 


Here is a closer look at the same area as in the photo above.  You can see by the sky that it wasn't quite dark yet.  If you haven't been to this park and plan to go, wear comfortable shoes and expect to walk a lot.  This park covers 61 acres, of course that includes the space for the 30 rides and attractions, 60 shops and restaurants, etc.  Yes, there are lots of shops to entice you to spend money...lots of money.  Some have been known to call it Steal Yer Dollar City...ha!


There are so many food stands/restaurants that sell yummy, good-smelling food that it's certainly not too hard for me to part with my money!   There are funnel cakes, apple dumplings with cinnamon ice cream, potato twists, cheese-filled Italian bread sticks, hot chocolate with various toppings...just to name a few!
I always like the Family Feud bowl and my daughter ate a potato twister on a dog.  The Family Feud is so called, I believe, because the family tries to help you eat it and I don't like to share!  Ha!  This yummy dish is made in a really huge iron skillet over a fire.  Have you ever tried fried pork rinds?  Kettle corn?  
 

  

There are beautiful trees and displays everywhere.  And, Christmas music!!  If you aren't in the Christmas spirit when you came in, you will be when you leave.  Unless you are a real Scrooge!  

 
The old Wilderness Church is small but often used for weddings.  It is close to the old cabin where we enjoy listening to the Homestead Pickers.


I shot this photo just as we were boarding the bus that took us to the parking lot where we parked.  The colors of all the lights are just fabulous in the park and my camera just doesn't do them justice.  

I hope you've enjoyed this short tour of Silver Dollar City.  We had a fabulous and fun time!!  It's a beautiful experience and I wish everyone could visit this place.  The first time you see it, it really is overwhelming and just takes your breath away.   I must warn you that there are lots of people there!  But we easily found places to sit down to rest a bit.  There are picnic tables by some of the food stands and also benches all around the park.  Besides gazing at the beautiful lights, it's almost as fun to just people watch!  We had a wonderful 5 days in Branson, I'll post another day about another favorite place we visited. 

Until next time...