ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS: JOY

Merry Christmas!

I have two favorite Christmas Carols. . .

One is written by Dolly Parton and performed by her and Kenny Rogers,

Once Upon A Christmas

The other is is written and performed by Selah,

Joy

I hope your day is filled with made-just-for-you miracles!

Vera

ALL IS CALM

. . . all is bright

FOR TODAY - SUNDAY - DECEMBER 4, 2011

Outside My Window. . .the sun is coming up and it is raining. We are in a flash flood watch until 4 PM. It's been many, many months since we've gotten that warning.

I Am Thinking. . .that we need to leave earlier than usual for church today. We attend about 30 miles away and take a 2-lane road most of the way. A 2-lane road with no shoulders and the posted speed is 70mph. It's especially unsafe today.

I Am Grateful. . . that I got to attend the local production of The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever with my daughter, her hubby, their crew and my other (unofficially adopted)children, Tim & Christiy.

Anyway - year after year we read "TGCPE" and sometimes rent the DVD as it just isn't Christmas without some rendition of The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever!

In The Kitchen . . . is not much going on! Breakfast will be light. Very light. Probably a protein shake and banana and other fruit. I guess we need to go shopping, which is one of my least favorite things to do and especially this time of year.

I Am Going. . .to come home from church and shopping and edit photos. I had two photo shoots this past week and need to get them edited and ready!

I Am Reading . . . the blogs that I follow. I am especially enjoying the ones by Swedish and Norwegian authors. I really like their way of decorating, especially for Christmas-time.

I Am Hoping . . .to get much accomplished today.

I Am Hearing . . .the EdenPure heater humming. The little cabin doesn't have central heat. I'm not at all certain it has any insulation! I guess I should add that I'm grateful for the EdenPure heaters!

I'm also hearing the rain on the metal roof, which is truly one of the loveliest sounds there is!

Around The House . . .are signs of the Christmas Season.

And fragrant, blooming paperwhites.

I Am Wearing. . . a pink gown.

I Am Thinking. . . that I need to get ready for church. We leave in about an hour.

I Am Wondering . . . if my husband will volunteer to do the shopping himself. He doesn't mind grocery shopping, while I detest it. Especially on a December Sunday. Especially at WalMart. I don't mind the little Mexican grocery or the health food store. . . but I can't handle WM!

One Of My Favorite Things. . . well, I've already mentioned it: the sound of rain on a metal roof.

About Today's Photos. . .

This is our "big" tree.

Remember, we live in a little home and there is no room for a bigger tree,

unless we put it on the porch,

which we may do someday.

But not this year.

Week two of Advent.

I am using my husband's cousin's Advent Devotional, found here.

Across from the tree.

The quote is especially meaningful to me.

The Paperwhites smell wonderful.

Although my husband think they smell

like ham.

And my daughter think they stink!

What do they know!

Not enough tree to hang all the ornaments.

They are displayed in other ways

around the house.

Linking up to the Simple Woman's Daybook

ONE OF THESE THINGS

Well, here it is December and I've barely started decorating for Christmas. Even though my heart's desire is to keep it simple, I'm finding it difficult to scale back. My heart says, "not so much. . . keep it simple. . . you don't have to use all that you have." It seems to me that it should be easy. But over 42 years of marriage has resulted in a lot of stuff; 10 Rubbermaid totes to be exact!

In an effort to scale back and weed out some things, I've looked over my Pinterest Christmas Board to determine what I'm drawn to, which is lots of white and neutral colors; lots of candles, both skinny & chunky; wreaths in windows and scrawny little Charlie Brown Christmas trees. Over and over again that's what I've pinned to my {beautiful} Christmas board. Everything is so simple, beautiful and serene. Beautiful, simple and serene.

In some small part I've accomplished that in the dining room. For the most part it reflects beauty, simplicity and serenity. Here's the top of the china cabinet. Simple, beautiful and serene.


No, it doesn't look like the photos on my Pinterest board, but it does have some of the same emotional elements: serenity, beauty, simplicity.

Included in other areas of the dining room are more nativities, and lots of paperwhites, and some garland and boughs, although no wreaths in there. I'll be sure to post photos of those areas later on. But for now you'll have to trust me that even though I may not have all the physical elements of my Pinterest board, I do have lots of the emotional elements.

While going through all the decorations {did I mention there are ten huge Rubbermaid totes?} I came across the many nativities we've collected through the years. One little set has a missing Joseph. He's completely gone - I can't find him anywhere. And the shepherd has lost his head. It too is missing in action! But since I like the little set I decided I should just improvise.

I apologize for the poor photo quality. . . but the natural lighting in that bathroom is non-existent.



I readily admit there is nothing on my Pinterest Board that looks like this. Not. At. All. But I like it and I think I know why. Like I've already said,my Christmas Board includes lots of photos with lots of white/neutral colors and there's nothing whiter than Jack! My board has lots of simple elements and is there anything simpler than a round ball with a goofy smile pasted on it? Hmmm? And serenity: well, just take a close look at Mary - have your ever seen a more serene face? I doubt it! And if Mary can be so serene with that Jack Shepherd near her baby Jesus. . . well I guess I've accomplished what my heart has been desiring all along: beauty (for this little Mary is simply beautiful), simplicity and serenity. PLUS - a bit of humor for everyone to enjoy because this little scene is right behind the toilet! LOL



Good night. . .


PS - I must admit that this reminds me of that Sesame Street Song, One of These Things.

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?

Do you remember it?

TIME'S A WASTIN'

Well, there may be lots to write about today but I really, really need to wrap presents!  And then I'll need to snap some pics of them beneath the little Christmas tree. . .. so today is just a quick note!  After all - no matter the title of this photo - we all can tell my youngest grandson is not naughty & I really need to wrap his presents - right?

After a cup of tea or hot chocolate I'll get started on the wrapping.  BTW - today's predicted high is 76 degrees. . . . maybe I'll have iced tea instead!  LOL 

In the meantime - can you spy me, spying on you?  

Thanks for stopping by!

CHRISTMAS BITS AND PIECES

Here are a couple more shots of the Nature Room. One would think I haven't decorated any other room in the house, but I have! It's just that this small room has the most concentrated amount of decor & I guess that's why I keep posting pics.
One thing I've observed: I don't have any really large pieces of Christmas decorations & I don't have large collections of Christmas stuff. . . . except for a lot of nativities. But mainly it's just a lot of small-medium sized things placed out & about. Because the cabin is so small I definitely don't merely add Christmas stuff to the existing decor! All of the everyday (& most favorite) items are boxed up!
I'm relatively happy with how everything turned out. . . . except for the mantle. . . but I'm not so dissatisfied that I'm willing to redo it! I'll just try something different next year!


I'm finding myself getting a bit weary of all the bright colors . . . so this is processed a bit on the muted side of things!
Like most of you, it's filled with stuff that holds memories. I could describe each and every one & tell you why a particular item is special . . . but I think you would get tired & not finish reading!

This little scene below really cheers me. I love the book - it's filled with beautiful illustrations & the wee little nativity was given to me by my childhood friend, Brenda. We were born 1 day apart & met when 13 years old. She was a treasured friend. . . . and I love the simple, nativity. I would have sworn she said they were made from pecan hulls, but I'm not certain that's the case. And yes, those are tree ornaments in a large pickle jar! I've collected the balls over the years from thrift stores so I don't know if they're really vintage or designed to look old. . . but I do like the worn patina of old ornaments

Red Santa hat, waiting for our overweight golden retriever to model for a photo shoot. As a flicker friend commented: "there is definitely a story waiting to be told here"





















So this is it for today for I still have laundry to wash, gifts to wrap & a few, blessed few, errands to run. Thanks for stopping by. . .

MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

I do intend to post more Christmas photos of the little cabin, but thought I'd share something a wee bit different today. Even though the decorations, ornaments, gifts & fragrances are all very lovely this time of year. . . the best ornamentation of all are friends & family we get to spend time with.

Above photo is of youngest grand-daughter. For the complete story, click here!

BTW - she doesn't look very convinced that hot dogs taste best cooked on a campfire, does she?!

IT'S LOOKING A BIT LIKE CHRISTMAS

Here's a little glimpse of another corner of the Nature Room. The shutters were snatched from the curb decades ago. And yes, they really are that dingy. And nope - it doesn't bother me too very much! I have no intention of painting them or sprucing them up. I like them just the way they are.

And I'm too lazy to mess with them!

Oh - and that is not a *switch* resting on top of the shutters . . . . it's a bois d'arc branch a little child gave me in April when camping w/the Cub Scouts. She noticed me gathering rocks, etc. & gifted me w/it. Sweet!

I'm linking to Perfectly Imperfect: Christmas Cheer Challenge

CHRISTMAS AT THE COZY LITTLE CABIN

I can't believe I haven't posted any Thanksgiving decor pix - I certainly intend to do that. After all, it IS my favorite holiday!

In the meantime, here's a few shots of what's happening this Christmas at the Cozy Little Cabin! Nothing spectacular. . . . . just spending time trying to determine what stays & what goes. After all, the cabin is smaller than the other house & not everything will *make the cut*!

For starters we have a new down-sized tree because there's no room for a big one. Of course we could put one out on the porch, but this year it feels like too much work & we're just not up to it. Maybe next year . . . .

"Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.
In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.”
– Larry Wilde

A quiet little corner in the Nature Room.

Christmas decorations waiting for
me to find a place for them

I so very much enjoy reading every one's blog. . . . .I admire your creativity & energy! If I don't make it back to Blogland before December 25. . . . I hope you have a blessed Christmas!

Linking w/Thrifty Decor Chick's Christmas Tree Party!

and also linking w/My French Country Home

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS CARD OF 2010

FANCY Christmas cards are nice.

NEWSY letters of the past year's adventures are interesting.

But THIS. . .
this original Christmas card
designed by 7 year old Dalton

is the BEST we've received so far!!!!

Merry Christmas to us all!