Outdoor Wednesday

This past weekend Larry, Kelsey, Ismael, and I went to Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. Branson is a tourist town about 3 hours from our home. The drive was beautiful and the weather was brisk.

Every year I say I want to go see the amusement park decorated for Christmas with all of the lights and Christmas trees.

I have to say I was not disappointed.

Larry and the kids rode lots of rides (roller coasters) while I looked around in the shops. I rode one roller coaster and it jarred me and made my head hurt so I didn't bother with any of the other ones. My favorite rides are the water rides but it was way to cold to have them running in November.

Here we are in Grandpa's Mansion trying to stand up straight in the slant room.

We stood in line to ride on the train that runs through the property and was able to get on the train just as it was getting dark. They had a lot of beautiful lights up. But my favorite (and most surprising) part of the train ride was when we stopped and all lights were turned off. Then grandpa told us the story of Jesus' birth. As he told the story lights were turned on to reveal the nativity. It was very touching and I have since considered that there are thousands of people that visit the park every year and wonder how many hear the story for the first time.

We had a great day.  The worst part was driving home on unfamiliar roads in the dark.

Thank you, Lord, for keeping us safe.

Be sure to drop by A Southern Daydreamer for some great outdoor pics.

Take Care and God Bless!

Metamorphosis Monday -- Christmas Cactus Transformation

Thanks to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for sponsoring

I have had this Christmas cactus for 5 or 6 years. It has looked kind of like this (only smaller) for all of those years.

Towards the end of August I was cleaning and sat the cactus outside to water. I forgot all about it for about a week but it looked like it was doing okay out there beside the other plants so I left it. Toward the end of November I walked past the plant (I forgot it was outside) and it had transformed into this . . 

I think all of those years I must have been watering it too much or something because it never bloomed. When I forgot about it and didn't do anything to if for a couple of months, it turned beautiful. Needless to say, I brought it inside and used it to decorate for the holidays.



Now, I'm not sure what to do with it.


I spent part of the afternoon yesterday quilting my "Orange Crush Mystery Quilt" (a design by Bonnie over at Quiltville). I can't wait to get it finished so all of you can see it. 


Until tomorrow . . . 


Take care and God Bless.

We Three Kings . . .

Today I am participating in Spiritual Sunday hosted by Charlotte and Ginger @ Spiritual Sundays. 

Today we celebrate the Epiphany or the feast of The Three Kings. The following is the story from Matthew 2:1-12:

Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way. 

We too need to pay homage to our Lord and Savior as we bring, not gifts, but ourselves before him.

This signifies the end of Christmas and decorations need to come down. I can't decide if I am feeling remorse or just procrastinating.


Take Care and God Bless.

Tablescape Thursday

Thank you so much to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting Tablescape Thursday.  Be sure to take a peek at all of the lovely tablescapes featured. I'm sure everyone that posts is like me and loves comments. 


This is the table setting I prepared for our small dinner party we held Wednesday evening. Both of my children were at home and we had Mr. Paramedic's mother and step father over for supper. 

I can't wait until next week's tablescape because I hit the after Christmas sales and got some new dishes.  Don't forget to drop by Between Naps on the Porch to see more eye candy. 


Take care and God Bless.

Metamorphosis Monday

Sometimes the simplest of ideas pop into my mind. They are new ideas for me but others have probably been using them forever. I have the simplest project for Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.   

You know how we get Christmas cards each year from loved ones. This year I received a few that I just fell in love with. So I went through my stack of cards.

And picked out some favorites. Then I visited the nearest Dollar Tree Store and purchased some of these . . .

Now I have  Christmas Memories that will last for years.

 

It's the Day After Christmas and the House is Quiet

It is a beautiful, crisp, sunny morning here on Pine Ridge. This is a picture of the sun filtering in through the window on one of my Holiday displays.

 I hope everyone had a wonderfully, relaxing Christmas. I know many are grateful that Christmas was on a Friday because that gives them a 3 or 4 day holiday. I think we all need that.


My husband worked so I spent the day with my two children. Funny though, not really at the same time. I made breakfast/brunch for my daughter and her boyfriend around 10 in the morning. We then piddled around playing with new Christmas gifts and a WII we borrowed from my son's girlfriend. I made a delicious lunch/dinner consisting of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, and corn. We ate around 4 p.m. That's when my son and his girlfriend got back from her family's celebrations. My daughter and her boyfriend then went to his house to visit. It was a great relaxing day for me and my family, except Mr. Paramedic. I'm not sure how busy he was but I hope he wasn't--which means most people are well.


I had hoped I would need to borrow this sled and . . .

spend part of the day outside with the kids building one of these . . .

 

but, we only got a dusting of snow--enough to make the roads slick.


Until tomorrow . . .


Take care and God Bless.

Christmas Wishes!

Traditions. We visit both my parent's house and my in-law's on Christmas Eve. Even though we sometimes feel rushed, it is a wonderfully festive time and very satisfying for myself and my family. Then on Christmas day, we usually spend the day at home, doing a whole lot of relaxing, playing games, etc. 

I'd love to hear from you. What are some traditions in your home for Christmas Eve and/or Christmas day?  Please leave a comment to share your traditions. Your traditions may become a new tradition for others.

Merry Christmas to you and Your Family!

How Many of You Decorate Your Bathroom for Christmas?

Greetings from Pine Ridge!

I spent the day working on the quilt for my niece. I completed it except for the binding. I think that will wait until the morning. And I can't show the completed quilt until after I give it away.  As I was walking through the house I realized I didn't finish my home tour.


So I thought I would show you some pics of my bathroom decorated with holiday cheer.

This quilt was actually made to be a wall hanging. It was going to go in my kitchen during the Christams season.  But, then I had a friend suggest I go ahead and put this shelf up in the bathroom and put the quilt there. She then added a few Christmas decorations and what a great wallscape!

This birdhouse was made by my dad for my daugher when she was 6 or 7 years old. We added a few blue poinsettias and a winter sign to make a great grouping. I have a picture hanging above the toilet that has birdhouses in it. I think I'll trade out the flowers and sign and leave this up year round. Thank you Ruthie for this creation.

This is another bird house I have had for years. I had flowers in it for awhile and then got tired of it. So I took the flowers out, put it in a closet and forgot about it. It resurfaced when I got out my Christmas decorations out. We added blue poinsettias and sat it on a winter tablecloth I made a few years ago. This is covering an old chair that my husband's grandma had in her bathroom for years. It is rusty, white wrought iron with a seat that needs to be recovered.  The tablecloth helps disguise it.

If you are ever in Paris, Arkansas, stop by the town square and visit with Ruthie at Ruthie's Extra Room. This quaint shop offers a wide range of primitives, country, shabby chic, and western Arkansas decor. Also lots of glassware, linens, pottery, and jewelry. The Store also offers a book section with new and used books, bibles, Christian books, music, and other gift ideas. Ruthie helped me get the house ready for the "Tour of Homes" we were involved in. Thanks Ruthie.



For those of you that collect old sewing machines, she had 2 in her shop on Monday. One was a Singer. Not that I would want to feed anyone's addictive habits.

I will show you pictures of our bathroom remodel in another post. Until tomorrow . . .


Take care and God Bless.

Metamorphisis Monday

 Today I am joining Metamorphosis Monday sponsored by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. 


I wanted to show you how I took a tree branch that looked like this

can turn into something that looks like this. . .

I just spray painted the tree with white spray paint. Then I strung one string of white & clear snowflakes lights. Added a few snowflakes and had a tree for my daughter's room.

Unfortunately, my daughter has blue walls in her room with lots of pictures so this lit picture did not turn out very well. Then when I moved it to another room there was not enough light and I ended up with this  . . .

Maybe this will be a chance to show Mr. Paramedic that I need a new, more expensive camera. Hmmm, on the other hand, could it be the photographer? Probably. I think I'll stick with the one I have until I have time to learn how to use camera settings correctly.


Take care and God Bless.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!!!

 

Isn't it beautiful.  I keep reading on blogs about the snow some towns are getting. Here in Arkansas, we don't get a lot of snow. 

So . . . 

since I want snow so badly, and there is literally none in the forecast for the near future, I am borrowing this picture taken in 2008. I went outside and waited for the snow to come falling down from the branches as the weather got warmer and the snow was melting. I snapped the above picture just as some fell. 

I will show you the Christmas Village I have set up in my home library (office). It does have fake snow, so I guess I can look at it for my "snow fix". 

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and got a "snow fix" like I did. Or for those of you who do not like getting out in the snow, I hope you enjoyed seeing the pictures and knowing it is not a reality. 


I know that if I lived in an area where it snowed a lot, I would either love it, hate it, or just get used to it. But . . . I also know that I probably would not enjoy it like I do when it snows here. 


If you enjoy my blog, I hope you'll pass a link along to your friends. I also love to read comments. 


Take care and God Bless.