♥ Be Still My Heart ♥

I'm sure you can imagine the flutter of my heart
when there was a knock at the front door
and who should be standing there but a sweet little girl
I have been dreaming about since I first caught a glimpse of her
on CountryFolk Keepsakes' blog!

Goob couldn't have surprised me or delighted my heart anymore than she did when she made this sweet precious one for me!

I wanted to find the perfect spot for Ginger, and my first impulse was that she would look adorable alongside my other CountryFolk creations that have gathered on the counter.

But that sweet Ginger is a tall piece of sugar

and wouldn't fit next to her ginger-kin.

So, I found a place where I could admire her all day long ...

and what better place than where I seem to spend most of my time ?

Truthfully, I think she loves being nestled among the

Christmas poinsettias and the lights - and I love having her in the center of where folks gather when they come over during the holidays.

Isn't she precious?

Thank you Goob - she will always be a treasure to my heart.

Oh and by the way, she did not travel alone from NY! This dreamy hunk was holding her hand all the way - and there was a pair of handknitted slippers and some adorable vintage garland with thread spools included! I'm a lucky girl ♥

Merry Christmas Son

I just received some pictures from my "son", who is stationed in Iraq.
He wanted to share some of the Christmas festivities with me - and he makes me so proud.

George Wayne Fuller (lovingly called Gee-Dub by many but Georgie to me) is one of the most tender hearted kids God has blessed our lives with - he moved next door to us when he was just going in the 8th grade and he spent more time at our house than his own. We love him like our own.

Currently, he is stationed in Baghdad - serving his 3rd term as a chaplain's assistant - and Georgie has the most tender heart. He leaves a wife and young daughter here in the states and I know he misses them so much, but I just wanted to share a few pics with you so you might keep him in your prayers.

God bless and watch over you, Georgie ... I pray for you everyday. May God keep you in His hedge of protection and guard you and your family until you return.

Merry Christmas, son ♥

May you be Blessed

Luke 2:8-14 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Wishing you many Joys at Christmas

My melancholy man

Got this today and just had to share .... after reading, I know that some of you will completely relate - lol!

HER DIARY:

Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a bar to have a drink.

I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it.

Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn't say much. I asked him what was wrong. He said, 'Nothing.' I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it.

On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly, and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior. I don't know why he didn't say, 'I love you, too.'

When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly, and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent.

Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed.

To my surprise, he responded to my caress, and we made love. But I still felt that he was distracted,and his thoughts were somewhere else.

He fell asleep - and I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.

HIS DIARY:

My Harley wouldn't start today, but at least I got laid.

The Yearly Visit to the North Pole

For some, it was a wonderful joy-filled memory of sitting on Santa's lap, telling him everything that was on your list and what you hoped for most!

For others.... it was more terrifying than getting a shot in the butt during your yearly visit to the pediatrician!

There are so many fun sites out there showing vintage photos of the best and the worst - and some parents even chose to traumatize their furry kids!

Here are a few of my favorite sites - Oh, the stories these kids could tell!!!

From the Chicago Tribune

More from Chicago (there must be some scarey Santa's in the windy city!)

And some classic ones ... photo #3 is a hoot!

Even the Santa's made in China left a lasting impression on some kids!

No matter if you looked forward to your trip ... or dreaded that yearly trek to see him,

we can all look back and giggle now!

Merry Christmas, friends ♥

O! Christmas Tree...

I remember as a kid, so looking forward to piling in my parents car and riding around the city, looking at all the Christmas lights.

It's a habit that we started doing as adults - some of my "kids" from church would come over and spend a Friday night at the house. The boys always loved piling in the back of my hubs king cab and off we would go all around the city, looking at the lights and sights and wonders that Kansas City has to offer.

I still look forward to Christmas lights and I'm ready to take a stroll down Candy Cane Lane and look at some Christmas lights.

I'M NOT AFRAID TO THROW A FIT TO GET MY WAY, EITHER!

~ 101% ~

Let's look from a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%?

What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to

GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If : A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

If: H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K (8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11) = 98%
And: K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E (11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5) = 96%
But: A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E (1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5) = 100%

Then look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D (12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4) = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there,

It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

If it were not for CHRIST,

we would have no CHRISTMAS!!

When someone says HAPPY HOLIDAYS,

just smile and tell them

it's OK to say MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Seriously...

Come for a Visit to Kansas City ...

I've finally gotten pictures taken and edited and if you'll allow me a few minutes of your time, I'd be happy to give you a wee little tour of my home.

I wish I could leave Christmas up all year long, but come February, my DH starts dropping hints like "Isn't it about time to pack up the Christmas tree??" Anyway, here a few of my favorite pieces ♥

My Sarah Epp Santa and Belsnickles from Chickadee Primitives, Mustard Seed, Hoot-n-Hollar, and One Big Brown Dog! ♥

I love my Cool Jinx /Carol Roll originals! They always make me smile ♥

Notice the awesome sleigh on the top left of my postal desk? That was an unexpected delightful gift from Jen Blomquist, of the Prairie House Primitives !! I was patiently waiting for my log cabin that I bought from her - I knew it would be the perfect compliment to my Bel from Hidden in the Attic (see pics below) and when I opened this HUGE box ... surprise!!! It felt like my birthday and Christmas and 4th of July all rolled into one box ♥ It's a lovely gift, a beautiful gesture from a dear sweet friend, and I will always treasure it!

My Goldi"LooHoo" sign that was the icing on this entryway "cake"!

This red Belsnickle was from Paula and Tammie's awesome blog drawing that I WON!!! Man, that was the luckiest week of my life ♥

Here are my treasures from Paula Buremen for our Holiday Swap on TDIPT... and my log cabin from Jen arrived on Monday - I think they were made to be seen together, dont you?

Treasures from Little*ole*Me and Pywakit Primitives

in the upstairs hallway ♥

Moving into the kitchen - I've got lots of treasures, including Countryfolk Gingers and Beecharmer Santas filled to the brim on a tree!

Treasures from Frowning Francis, with the Trio of singers above, Magpie Nest's sweet little Snowgirl below and Vintage Primitives Santa nestled in a mountain of poinsettia's.

Last on the tour is the family room -

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my humble abode, filled with treasures from so many awesome artists!
BUT WAIT... THERE IS HOPE FOR YOU, TOO!
You too can be featured in my grand tour - Just mail something that you handcrafted and I will be MOST happy to shine the spotlight on it with glee and glad tidings ♥

I Won! I Won! I Won!

A few weeks back, I was sharing about an awesome blog giveaway from those very talented sisters, Tammie and Paula - of "Make me a Memory" and "Hidden in the Attic" back on Dec. 1st .

It was their first blog giveaway - and their grandson picked the names - so who should he pick right off the bat, but ME !!

After our TDIPT swap, I just could not believe it when I got an email from Paula letting me know that my name had been picked. I think my exact words were "oh Get Outta Town" !!

Since my name was picked first, I got my choice of Paula's Bel and Sheep or Tammie's Snowman. Both were wonderful and I would have loved either - but my style really leans toward old world Belsnickles, so it took me about a nano -second to let her know which one I wanted. She mailed it out immediately and I got him on Wednesday - I'm sorry I'm just now getting a picture posted, but here he is, in all his splendid glory...

Isn't he the bomb-diggity?

I will never forget the feeling in my heart when Paula emailed me - or the joy overflowing when I opened my package. This is a big fella and I'm gonna treasure both of my "Hidden In The Attic" creations, all my live-long days!

Now THIS takes talent!

I've been after my husband for a week or more

to put lights up on the house ....

and he wonders why I'm upset!

This Gift is a Treasure ...

After much searching, I've found the gift that I wanted to share with you...

As previously posted, I first heard this prayer while getting our dishes prepared for the oven on Thanksgiving morning. This was written by the godly Rev. Billy Graham, whom I hold with the most utmost regard - it was read by his daughter on the CBS Morning Show and all I have to say about that is KUDO's for having the courage to let this be read. Some folks won't like it, some won't understand the sentiment and others will hang on every word.

Decide for yourself how you feel about it. Personally, I was captivated by his wise and thought provoking words:

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen.”
As families gather for the holiday, please remember there is no reason to have a holiday called Thanksgiving unless there is Someone to thank.
Thanks to God and Jesus Christ His Son for all the blessings on our fair land.

Amen, Reverend!

o, Happy Day!

I wanted to share a little bit of my good fortune with you because, quite frankly, I'm still in a dreamstate!

I was downright giddy when I received my swap box from Sharon (MSO) Stephens in the Humble Arts and posted pics below. But our TDIPT group also had a secret Santa swap and my box came on Saturday. I did not know who picked my name, but the post man rang my bell and boy o boy, was I ever excited when I answered the door and saw who the box was from - none other than Paula Bureman, of Hidden in the Attic fame!

My palms were sweating as I opened up my box - and peeled away the layers...

As I stood there, I couldn't decide what to open first so I just started gingerly peeling away the tissue paper .... this was the first part of my booty:

This is what came next - and I'm telling you, I was walking on clouds as I unwrapped each gift.

The gifts were perfectly suited for my taste and she really took the time to custothem to my taste. Each package that I unwrapped was getting better and better .... and then it happened! My heart stopped beating in it's tracks when I unwrapped this next box:



It was so gorgeous, trust me when I say that I would have been quite content with this as the grand finale - but I untied the jute string holding the lid on the box and my jaw hit the floor! ....



The Bel and Reindeer are so incredible ... Paula's workmanship is beyond pure excellence. I have been so entranced by the details in this sweet pair, and the reindeer is just so beautiful - I would set it down for 5 seconds before I picked it up to admire it again!



So tell me, how can you thank someone for a gift so divine ? Somehow, a mere "thank you" doesn't seem appropriate and I have to say, I will treasure this for the rest of my days.
Thank you, Paula!

These swaps are better than hitting the lottery!