Snow Flurries

I wasn't actually planning on doing a new blog post today {honestly}.

I was going to stick strictly to floating around and visiting all of YOUR blogs,

which I have been enjoying immensely throughout the morning.

But then.....

as I drifted past the window...

much to my sheer delight ~

what did I see?

Big

fluffy

snowflakes

coming down all around me!

So ~

I put the kettle on for a nice pot of

Cinnamon Tea...

Settled myself by the kitchen window with a scrumptious biscuit covered in jelly...

And, well, here we go!

Just a few days before Christmas I purchased this wonderful book.

Not only is it full of snowflake patterns to crochet,

it has some lovely projects as well.

Upon seeing the gorgeous scarf full of snowy flakes my sister reminded me

 she has a January birthday.

Uh, well...

maybe next January {or next Christmas}.

It's going to take a blizzard to create that baby!

So I started small

with a few colorful flakes.

They were so much fun to crochet!

First they had to be stiffened.

Then they had to be pinned.

And of course, attached to gifts under the tree!

Now ~

as the snow continues to fall

 outside my snug little kitchen

I must get a pot of

Vegetable Soup

on to simmer.

 

Hope you all have a

warm

safe

happy

&

healthy

New Year's Eve

The 12 Days of Christmas

I have informed my family that although it is now a few days after December 25th  ~

I am

still

 Celebrating Christmas!

I mean, what about

The 12 Days of Christmas?

They start on December 25th,

which is celebrated as the

Birth of Jesus

and they go until the

Epiphany

which is celebrated on January 6th

as the day when the manifestation of

Christ's Glory

was realized.

Therefore, it's still Christmas to me! :)))

And what a wonderful time we have had.

So  here are a few random pictures to share with you

Scott & I spent Christmas Eve at my sister's house

 where she had every nook & cranny

decked out! 

When Scott & I returned home it was time to give our furry babies their stockings

We had to do this first

because when Hubby tried to give me my stocking

Phoebe {the spotted weenie}

snatched it and ran lickety ~ split into her dog bed with all my goods in tow!

Just like their Mommy, they

Love Christmas!

Then on Christmas Day we had both sides of our family at our house.

What a time we had!

All 18 of us packed in like sardines :)

Plus my 3 dogs, my Mother~in~Law's dog, 1 cat & 3 birds

{starting to sound like a song....}

Our precious Granddaughter

Gabby

couldn't wait to show us her new doll Annabelle

In a quiet moment I got my daughter & son~in~law

Chelsea & Eric

to pose by the tree

{somehow my other daughter and hubby ~

 Hilary & Brandon ~ escaped me!}

I did manage to capture Scott with my handsome nephews though!

Court, "Uncle" & Brendan

{my sisters boys}

Sophie tried to figure out where all the presents went

 and why she didn't get more...

And after all the

wonderful

beautiful

crazy

merry madness

of it all......

I settled in for a

lovely

Cup of Rose Petal Tea

Compliments of my sweet friend Erin

 

So ~

I have made a decision

"I will honour Christmas in my heart,

and try to keep it all the year."

God bless us,

Everyone!

 

P.S. My sister LOVED the rose scarf that "Sister Claus" made for her.

She squealed with delight and said,

"You made my WHOLE Christmas!"

Well now~

Guess who's Christmas that made.

Sister Claus

Several weeks ago, Bridget { a.k.a. "Baby Sister" ~ the only sibling I have} ran across a picture online of something she "just has to have!".  So the next time she was at my house she brought it up, printed it off and begged me to recreate one for her for Christmas.

Mind you, there was no pattern to work with but once you've crocheted a

rose

it's like riding a bike.

You just do it and do it and do it.

Being nearly 10 years older than Bridget, I am prone to spoiling her.

At least when it's within my power to do so.

And

THIS

I could do.

After all ~

What is

SISTER CLAUS

for, if not spinning regular wool into

blooming roses

for a

much loved sister?

I hope she likes the way it turned out.

It was so much fun to make.

Merry Christmas Bridget!

{Thankfully she is elbow deep from dawn to dusk right now in cake batter, frosting & sprinkles, as she fills orders for her Cupcake business.  Hopefully she doesn't have time to peek at Big Sisters Blog!}

The Miracle of Christmas

The Season is upon us!

Like everyone else I am in a whirlwind of activity.

Decorating

Baking

Knitting

Crocheting

{and praying it ALL gets done on time while I fortify myself with plenty of hot tea!}

I have several half finished projects lying about that are not quite ready for a photo shoot as of yet!

But when the hooks & needles are finally out of them and all their nice little ends are neatly tucked in they will be happy to strut their stuff for all of you.

It has been a busy week with other things around here.

My daughter, son~ in~ law, and granddaughter moved into the house 2 doors over on

 Saturday, December 1st.

I consider this the first of my Christmas Miracles for this year! :)))

We have been trying to help her settle in a bit.

Other than that, I have finally decorated the house.

I ususally do this closer to Thanksgiving, but........

some years are just fuller than others.

The Tree just went up yesterday.

Here it is in all its

FROSTY

glory.

{I thought if I used the word "frosty" instead of  "blurry" it might seem more magical}

We are still awaiting our first snow of the Season.

Hubby is never quite as thrilled as I am.

But I AM always holding my breath in hopes of a

WHITE CHRISTMAS

Of course I do hate all the shoveling he has to do while I stay snuggled inside with a hot cup of cinnamon tea.

Even my weenie dogs love the Christmas Tree.

They lay underneath it until the packages begin to crowd them out.

So here's hoping you are all having the

Merriest

of

Days

as you prepare your Households, Families and Hearts for the wild, wonderful, miraculous frenzy of it all.

And that in the midst of everything you find

quiet

moments

of

love

joy

hope

&

restoration

as we all celebrate

The Birth of Our Savior

The Miracle of Christmas