Merry Christmas

"May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love."
~Author Unknown~

Merry Christmas from my house to yours!
I'll return to blogging next week.

Until next time...

A Christmas Barn Charm

 

I thought I'd just dress up my Barn Charm offering

this week since it's so close to Christmas.

I chose this rather plain red barn which

is another one of what I call my Hwy 5 barns.

Linking to Tricia's  Barn Charm

Christmas at my house

"I wonder when she's going to put presents
under the tree and if there's any for me?"

A blogger told about using
a strainer to cover the lens to get the
starry effect.  Thanks, Vee!


I love to decorate with things that
we have had a long time.

The Santa sitting on the floor is made from

a post.  The Nativity was made by my hubby.

The arrangement on the coffee table was given 

to me a few years ago by my daughter.

 Did you go sledding as a child on one of these?

I remember taking sleds to the one room

country school as a child.  We would

go sledding at recess and during the lunch

hour.  It seems like we had more snow then

than we do now.  I don't remember my kids

sledding all that much.

  Santa is everywhere in my house.  Here he's

 hanging in front of the old oak-front cabinet

guarding my collection of antique dishes.

The old Hoosier cabinet in the kitchen gets

a bit of Christmas decor.  Last year, I had 

some snowmen sitting where the cookbooks are.

This year, I was too lazy to put the books away.

Did you, unlike me, get everything decorated 

according to plan this year?

Another item from years past, cut out 

by hubby and painted by me.  It just 

wouldn't be Christmas without bringing

out our old handmade pieces.  I wonder if

the kids will someday consider them

heirlooms?  Ha!  

Here's yet another item I painted in acrylics.

It was a lot of fun to do years ago, but these things

aren't the style anymore.  It's still my style, I

   prefer the cozy, country look. 

It's been a busy week and will get busier yet.

I hope you're further along with the Christmas preparations 

than I am!  Now, it's time for me to get busy

on that bundle of cedar outside that is waiting for me

to do something with, we finally have a pretty

day with sunshine!

Thanks to all for your nice comments on

Tuesday's Barn Charm post - although I

think it posted on Monday by mistake.

I'll see you next week.  Have a wonderful

weekend!

Until next time...

Local charmer

This old barn has served this farm well for a very long time. It's been kept painted and the roof as well as all the other buildings, including the house, on the place are painted red.  I wish I could have gotten a shot of the whole place, but actually the best feature of the farm is the barn.  The farm is on a highway that I frequently travel around 10 miles or so from my house.  I've always admired the red-roofed buildings and it was once quite a nice place.

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm

Until next time...

An early gift

 Sunset photo taken a week or so ago from my front yard.

It's less than 2 weeks until Christmas!  Are you ready?  I'm getting there slowly but surely.  Our bathroom remodel has been postponed until after Christmas.   We have stripped off the old wallpaper and hope to get a bit of painting done yet, but the major portion of the work will wait and I'm really glad that I won't have to worry about not having it available to use around the holidays.

Hubby and I got our Christmas gift for each other yesterday.  While our son was visiting this weekend and could help put it together, we bought a new treadmill.  Our old treadmill wasn't working properly and we hadn't used it in a year or so - and it shows!  The new one is very nice and now I just need to get myself motivated to use it every day.  My left knee has been hurting quite a bit lately and I've not wanted to injure it further by walking on uneven ground, so I'm hoping the treadmill will be a good thing. 

Stormy survived the visit by Marley but we discovered something over the weekend about her.  She seems to only turn into a tiger (see photo above) around humans, she turns her fluffed-out tail and runs when confronted by a dog!  (and the vacuum)

Until next time...

My Friday

I'd like you to meet my grand-furbaby, Marley.  Marley stayed with me today (Friday) while my son was working in St. Louis.  They spent last night with us and will be here for part of the weekend.  Marley is not quite a year old and as you can see in the photo she likes to chew and tear up her new toys.  

She was quite good really, but someone wasn't at all happy with this alien creature in her house.   Someone being Stormy - the reigning queen kitty.  The back arched, the fur stood up and the tail resembled that of a squirrel.  She hissed, bared her teeth and hissed some more.  Then tucked her tail and hightailed it downstairs to the family room.  Where she pretty much hid all day.  The last I saw of her, the expression on her little furry face said that she was insulted that we gave so much attention to this strange creature in her house.

 

Isn't she sweet?  Little Marley was oblivious to poor Stormy's discomfort today.  I don't see a harmonious relationship in the near future, so there goes the photos I hoped to take of the pair under the Christmas tree this year.  

So, that was my Friday.  Furbaby-sitting a puppy and placating a very unhappy fuzzy-faced kitty.  At this hour, all is well with the puppy upstairs and the kitty downstairs.  The Christmas tree is still standing and all the Christmas decor is where it's supposed to be.

I looked out the window and noticed the full moon. 

It looks like clouds are moving in.

I was right.  

Have a happy weekend!

Until next time...

The color of Christmas

My tree was put up over the weekend and decorated.  I'll try to get a full shot when I've gotten a few gifts wrapped.  That is the next chore item on the agenda...to get the shopping done.  Back to the tree....I always buy a new ornament or two every year and have many from years past that are fun to unwrap and put on the tree along with red ball ornaments.  Clear lights go on first.  It seems like red and white are the predominate colors, besides the green tree itself.  I have my Santa and Snowmen collections put out and most of the decorating of the house done.  At least inside!  

 

The color scheme at the Landing in Branson is blue.  

Above are more blue lights at the Landing and clear lights that are always on by the water show.  They've had the blue lights the last several years.  I'd like to see something different, but they didn't ask me!  LOL!  I love blue, but I'd like to see them use some other colors. 

What colors do you decorate with?  Do you prefer colored lights or clear?  Do you have your tree up yet?  It's only 17 days until Christmas!!  How can that be?

Until next time....

A black and white charmer

This black and white barn is another one of the several barns that I took photos of on Hwy 5 during a day trip this fall.    

It really looks to be a well built barn and the small windows are interesting.   I'd love to see the inside of this one.

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm 

Until next time...

I love this place

 

We went to Branson for the Thanksgiving holiday and one of our very favorite places to visit there is Silver Dollar City.  For those of you who haven't heard of SDC, it is an old time theme park featuring attractions and rides, shows, restaurants and craft shops with demonstrating craftsmen.   At Christmas, the park is decked out in over 4 million lights and is considered one of the country's most popular and best decorated tourist destinations at Christmas.  Here is a bit of a blurry photo of the walkway from the parking lots to the entrance, I wanted you to see how pretty the entrance is. 

After you enter the park, you're on Main Street and greeted by this huge tree that turns colors and different patterns in time to the music.  We love hearing "Carol of the Bells."

 Another shot of the tree and area. 

 

Before walking too far, we stopped at the old cabin, McHaffies Homestead, where the Homestead Pickers were playing and telling stories.  I love their music and humor. 

Leaving the McHaffie Homestead, we headed on down Hugo's Hill.  All the shops are covered in lights and it is just beautiful.  The park covers several acres and this is just one small section of it.   

 

We stopped at the train station and took a train ride which stops at Grandpa's place to hear him tell the Christmas story.  To see a better photo of the train at the station, go here.

Here's Grandpa...I think he's looking right at my camera!  On the hillside behind him are the Three Wise Men, the Manger Scene, the Star of Bethlehem, etc, that are lit up during Grandpa's telling of the Christmas story.  

This is a small sampling of what you will see around the park.  The blue tree was gorgeous with lights that simulated snow falling.  The building in the lower right corner houses the Fudge/Candy Shop and is filled with the most delicious looking treats.  They have candy making demonstrations there, too.  I couldn't walk away without a small box of divinity and some fudge!  

I love this place at Christmas, spring and fall are great times to go, too.  Summer time is wonderful, if you're young and don't mind the heat!  Missouri summers are very hot and humid and these ole legs wear out from walking up and down the hills here.  I'd rather have chillier temps in the winter time!  Speaking of being chilly, the second night we went to SDC, we had chili in a bread bowl and ate it by a fireplace.  We then had their famous apple dumplings with cinnamon ice cream a little later on for dessert.  There is so much delicious food for sale all around the park at various concession stands as well as the restaurants and the smells are very tantalizing. 

So there you have it, my 2011 SDC Old Time Christmas experience.  We've been going there the last several years and as long as my knees hold out, I hope to keep going.  I hope you get to go someday if you haven't already.  It's really a beautiful experience!

Until next time...

It's December!

Can you see the geese formations flying high in the clouds?  There were many, many more behind this group.  They were headed the same direction as we were on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  Yes, as a few of you guessed, we went to Branson.  

We met our son here at Ozark for a late lunch before going on to Branson.  The home of the throwed rolls and yummy food!  People were carrying out dozens of rolls for their Thanksgiving meal that were for sale at the check out line.  

Guess who was one of those carrying out yummy rolls to go along with the turkey to be picked up at a local supermarket?  I prepared the rest of the food at the condo.  Ever fixed mashed potatoes without a masher?  Forgot to take one with me.  A fork and lots of elbow grease saved the day.  

We awoke to a beautiful morning.  The mists around the lake were so pretty.  The lake looks further away than it actually is in this photo. 

It's December!  Santa and roses just don't usually go together in December in Missouri, but they are still blooming in Branson and in my yard as well. 

I hope everything is rosy at your house!  We're motoring along on our part of the bathroom prep before the carpenter begins to do the really hard work.  Hopefully we'll be putting up the Christmas tree this weekend.  Hubby and I moved some plywood out of the middle of the living room floor and even though I still have some boxes stacked in a corner....we will have Christmas!!  

I'm still slow about getting around to commenting at everyone's blog.  I've been really busy and Stormy has rarely left my side since we've gotten home.  Here she is sleeping with her head on my laptop.  It's not easy to blog with kitty on the keys!  Hope to catch up with everyone soon.  Have a great day and a good weekend!

Photos of our favorite destination in Branson coming next week.

Until next time...