Tis the Season.....

What a weekend it has been!

The tree went up Friday evening, much to the delight of my daughters.
It is always so much fun finding our favorite ornaments....I do not have ornaments that are the same. Each and every one is totally different!!

Courtney showing off the finished product!

My husband fixed the hole in our half-bath ceiling and still faces the daunting task of spackling it, painting and then we need to decide if we are having the walls and floor tiled or painted a new color and leaving the vinyl flooring. I am kind of leaning towards the painting only because it is quicker and less expensive and I know a painter who could do it in one day! The floor I could live with.

Saturday a.m. brought chores, cooking for an evening party and more decorating. I began planning which Christmas cookies I want to bake this season for us and for giving to friends.

Saturday evening my youngest daughter had a party to attend that the parents were also invited to...it was a "potluck" type of dinner with Christmas caroling afterwards....lots of food and fun singing. I wish I could show you some pictures...but..the hostess of the party is hesitant regarding pics in blogosphere so.....you'll have to take my word for it that her house was prettily decorated for xmas and the children of the HKP ministry all had a really good time playing in the snow, eating tons of desserts and running from house to house singing carols. Dave and I had lots of fun together trying to harmonize on some of the carols. It was a fun evening. My oldest daughter wanted to stay in and catch up on homework and watch a favorite show.

This morning we heard a great sermon by our pastor. He is awesome!! His Christmas sermon series is "The Light of Christmas". We had communion and it was a little hard for me to partake as I don't feel like things are super-right between a friend and I. But.....I plowed through, trusting that God will indeed take this burden off my back......as I press in to words He spoke through my prayer time, I was reminded that His promises are TRUE! I am so thankful that I keep a prayer journal to re-read things that He spoke to me months ago about friendships and trust. It has been a balm for my soul. I cling to words that God speaks......I sometimes have to just re-read and re-read to fully grasp the Truth in His Words. And I realize that I need to journal more......praying is the easy part! It is the listening to what He says and writing it down that can be hard....but....what a blessing it is when we can hear that Still, Small Voice!!

This afternoon we enjoyed a meal together.....I made a huge salad, Crockpot Pizza, French bread and dipping oil. Then I treated everyone to Christmas Peppermint Bark from the box of goodies I won at Dave's company Xmas party. I then finished up some decorating. I am almost done!!
Below are some pictures of what it looks like.........around our house......tis the season to show the Christmas Spirit!!

Every Christian home needs the Nativity!
I like this one because it is simple and small.
I don't have lots of space for decorative stuff.
I also like to keep things clean and simple.
unfortunately, the color did not come out well with the camera...
not sure why!
But....this is a small storage cabinet in my dining room.
The oil lamp is one I leave out all year round....
I add the ribbon for the autumn/winter seasons.

The side wall of my living room.
I add the berry/snowflake wreath to this candle holder for a festive look.
The candle in the votive is "Christmas Pine"!

Another wall in the living room.
This Shaker style shelf has 3 levels.
The Victorian Santa on the watering can
was from a co-worker at a school I used to teach in.
She added the white, lacy hankie
and cranberry ribbon
with a decadent piece of chocolate inside!
(of course I ate the chocolate!)
The tiny stocking was on the centerpiece I won
this year'at Dave's company party.

This is the wall between my living room and kitchen.
I took down the pumpkin picture
and placed this
simple
message
with a berry/snowflake wreath
for added charm.

I have more pictures from Thanksgiving to post as well as more Christmas things.....but....my husband and teenager are at the youth group meeting and I need to have some time to read before making a light supper.

This is life around our house........a busy time, but a fun time......we have a full week of activities ahead of us and I turn a half-century this week!! We also have my youngest daughter's 5th grade orchestra and chorus concert to attend. On my birthday!! What a great gift: being able to watch and listen to her sing and play violin!!
I do plan on posting again this week....so...stop back in, grab a favorite hot drink and chat with me! I would love to hear from you!! And coming soon: recent health findings that coffee is actually beneficial to women; and thoughts about friendship...how do we maintain friendships and connectedness in busy seasons of our lives?

What is happening around your house this week??