Waiting

Waiting for kids to come home…….waiting for the bread machine to finish mixing…….

Waiting for peace on earth and goodwill to all……

Merry Christmas—Ann—
 

First check off the list…..

 

The tree is decorated!! On to the Santas but first dust the shelves then remember where all the little display enhancements are……drink my coffee first……preparations……..—Ann—

BELIEVE

 BELIEVE for unto us a child is born....................

Merry Christmas

Ann

Preparations

“That was fun to play with the little girls last week.”                                                                                     “I wish they could have stayed longer.”                                                                                                     “Me too I was bored sitting on the bookshelf.”                                                                                               “ This will be cozy and warm while we hibernate”                                                                                 “Who can sleep with all these lights?”                                                                                                             “ I like the lights.”                                                                                                                                                   “ I can’t sleep can you move your knee out of my back?”                                                                               “ Hush it’s only for a month maybe she will read the story about the baby born in a manger. That’s what it’s all about remember?”                                                                                                                         “What about that other guy I mean other guys who took over the bookshelves.”                                       “He’s part of Christmas too but it all started with the baby in the manger”.       

Preparations for Advent:  hope, peace, love and joy —Ann—

December!!

 December is here!! The Thanksgiving turkey is gone.  The Christmas tree is up………time to make my list……..Ann

Believe

 For onto us a child is born…. Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Christ the King……

Peace on Earth

ann

We are ready to go…….

“It’s a long car ride and how many sleeps before Christmas and we get to meet Madeline and Olivia ?”

“Three, naps makes six.”

“That’s a long time, sigh.”

“You have to be quiet and no giggling if the little girls come over to play. You are a Christmas surprise not a December 23 rd surprise.”

“Ok we will try to wait. But what if she makes me laugh or pinches me?”

“Shhhhh”

Isn’t Christmas more fun with little ones!?! Secrets, surprises, the anticipation, and imagination. 

Merry Christmas —Ann—

 

Santa is working

 

I’m making these little dolls for my little granddaughters. Knitting them was simple enough the pattern is Chrystal by Mary Jane’s Tearoom.  The finish work is taking almost as long as the knitting or maybe because it’s a new bunch of skills required to finish the dolls. I watched a bunch of how to videos but in the end I followed Mary Jane’s written instructions. The pink legged doll was my test doll or maybe my “weirdo Barbie” the one with tattoos and a bad haircut or in this case bald, I did try looping yarn through the knitting but picked it out. Then I decided to sew her together so I could start knitting clothes. It’s nice to try them on as I knit and saves some ripping. I think this one turned out pretty cute. She has the wild curls just like Olivia. Ann

This is cozy

Smiles everyone, that means you bears and rabbits.  This is cozier than the book shelf…..I wish some little girls would come play with us……

I finally finished the Christmas tree it’s always more fun to decorate when DD is home but she was getting a cold Thanksgiving weekend so went home early.

The quilts are on the walls, the Santas are on all the shelves of the book case, just a few things left to put up and then think about baking.  Ann

It’s December!!

 And that’s as far as I am with Christmas preparations. We have had a week of unseasonably warm days so I go for a walk, one day I took my coat back to the house and walked some more without it.  What’s the rush?? Enjoy the weather. Ann

Visit from St. Nick and the Evolution of Christmas

Some vintage pics of St. Nick. I have all these in my possession somewhere in the house……but I put them in a super safe spot and until I come across them by accident…….I’m glad I took pics the last time I saw them.

This little guy is crepe paper and about 20 inches tall I think it goes back to when my mother was a child.

Two greeting cards and a book. The cards are from my childhood. The book was my grandmother’s and it would be well over one hundred years old. She was married in 1922 and she received the book as a gift from her teacher her first year of school.

I have not seen or heard anything in the media that Clement C. Moore’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas  aka A Visit from St. Nicholas is 200 years old this year. I have been reading a book The Battle for Christmas a non fiction book by Stephan Nissenbaum.  It’s about how the Christmas celebration was changed from the raucous, overindulgent street carnival for decades in America to an intimate family celebration. In the 1700’s the lower classes would sing and knock on the doors of the upper class for drink, food and money, if they were given generously then their goodwill was to leave peacefully.  Makes me think differently about now give us some figgy pudding and we won’t leave until we get some….. I always thought those verses were silly now I understand. December 25 was just another working day. In an effort to change the celebration to something more respectful in the early 1800’s churches started having services on the 25th and businesses closed.  The church services were intended to get people off the streets. Many of our Christmas carols were written during that time. Sadly church wasn’t enough to change behavior, it was the focus on children and Clement C. Moore’s poem that gradually changed how we celebrate Christmas today. That’s the first 50 pages of the book in a paragraph.

I’m about half way through the book, very repetitious so have been skip reading ( a bit here a bit there…still going on about the revelry in the streets…pick up here blah blah blah commercialization of Christmas with mass manufactured toys….) So far the birth of Jesus and the nativity have not entered the reason for the season in the book but the author did state at the beginning that he is Jewish but then so was Jesus. 

Santa holding the baby Jesus is a good way to wrap up this post. He’s a big guy with room in his heart and the holiday for the baby Jesus.

Joy to the world! The Lord is come Let earth receive her King Let every heart prepare Him room

Merry Christmas

—Ann—

200 years ago……..

 

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house

Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse…..

A right jolly old elf…….

200 years ago Clement C. Moore wrote the poem to entertain his wife and children, it was shared with family and friends one of whom sent it to a local newspaper. Fifteen years later he takes credit because as a professor of Greek, Hebrew and theology he thought it would hurt his credentials.

I’m sure ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas has survived long past any of his scholarly work. 

The modern Santa of his poem short, plump, short jacket with fur trim and cap with fur trim.  

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. 

Ann

Tree up

Feet up

Coffee gone

Cookies not baked or even mixed up

Maybe another cup

‘It’s the season.

Ann

Christmas decorating

 In past years my daughter has always helped me decorate the Christmas tree either Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving.  This year I helped her sew snap bags on Friday.  The little bags that have the metal tape measure  that pulls open and snaps shut.  She practiced sewing on this fabric because she doesn't use the sewing machine often.  I finished this bag.  The pattern called for a 3/4 inch tape measure but all DD could find was  1/2 inch or 1 inch.  We used the half inch.  The snap is pretty soft so things might fall out of the bag if it is upside down.  I think I will make a bigger bag for knitting and the yarn should pull out easily. The yarn always catches on my knitting bags with zippers. 

Then DD went home on Saturday and hubby and I went to the college football game.  They won!! so on to the next bracket and play in Sacramento, CA.  We won't go.

The weather does not feel like getting ready for Christmas weather, no frost on the rooftops in the morning or on the still green grass.  Temps hit the mid 50's Monday, a great day for a walk.  I started decorating everything except the tree,  I need help getting it up the stairs and hubby went fishing since it was so warm.  Christmas quilts on the walls and beds next since that was a easiest and biggest beginning to look like Christmas task.  Next decorate the shelves in the study -- they need to be dusted.  Good day to do that since hubby went fishing.  Then to get out the Santas and nativity sets..............The tree will be up by the end of the week. --Ann--

BELIEVE

 

BELIEVE ...............................................Merry Christmas  --Ann--

believe

 believe................    and then the wind came with snow, it’s going to be a white Christmas—Ann—

Christmas tree

 

Merry Christmas

--Ann--

Forest and crumbs

 

No, I'm not writing about Hansel and Gretel but I do have a forest and of knitted trees and no one is lost.

Darling daughter was here over the weekend and baked the Swedish dream sugar cookies I had all the ingredients and more counter space, she baked I cleaned up.  Friday I baked biscotti the pineapple macadamia recipe sliced so nice and the spice with pecans sliced nice but the cranberry and pistachio.......crumbled.  I have a jar of crumbs to sprinkle on ice cream.  Baking is done. --Ann--

Christmas advice

 

"Maybe Christmas he thought doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more. " The Grinch 

Seems to be good advice for this year most of my shopping has been on line or from the grocery store and I certainly don't need more stuff.  

Merry Christmas

--Ann--

Santa and goose

                                                                                                       --Ann--