It's that Merry Time of Year Again!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The holiday season is upon us and I want to share some of the special memories I have of  years gone by as I hang the decorations upon my Christmas Tree this year.

My newest Ornament. my daughter Elizabeth sent it to me for my 1st Christmas in Tennessee so I could remember what a REAL winter looks like. LOL like I could ever forget. I love it! it has a opening in the back that I can put a light thru. I choose a blue light and I think it does it justice. — @ My New home in East Tennessee

This little Santa hat is an Ornament a  made by my son Raymond Jr. when he was in kindergarten. It originally topped a baby food jar that had Santa's face painted on it. The Jar broke long ago but the hat has survived. I have replaced the white cotton on the hat over the years and it looks that it needs to be replaced again.

This is one of my oldest Ornaments. A filigree Star that was purchased in the early 1960's at Gimbles in downtown NYC were my husband and I bought our 1st Artificial Tree there. It was in a set of 3 or more, the star, a box, and elongated Ornament that has lost half of itself.. ( you can see it by the Santa Hat in the Picture above.)

This Angel was given to me as a gift for mother's day from my daughter Nancy, Over the years her hands broke off and I did keep them but they seem to get misplaced, (one day I do plan to glue them back on the angel but I haven't found them yet!) Eventually the Angel became an ornament on my Christmas tree.

The Ballerina was bought in Minnesota at the Minneapolis Theater when I took the kids to see the "Nutcracker Ballet", the Blown Glass Ornament I bought at the Glass Factory downtown Hudson WI the Christmas after I had moved there and the White Angel is another of my older Ornaments from the Gimbles Era.  I love seeing these on my tree.  

the Royal Dalton Ceramic Santa I bought at an outlet mall in Florida when I spent a week there with my friend Deb in 2010  It is one of 3 Ornaments I have that matches my China

Earl gave me this Carved Santa with Toys the year he moved back up to Minnesota from Iowa.  I reminds me of my father who loved this time of year and spent his retirement playing Santa at Playtogs in Middletown NY and for the Mall in St Paul MN when he moved there to live with us... 

A Most Unusual Year!

Friends at my Bag of Love Group

The Brides, Rikki & Nancy

Grandma Marie with Caden

Amelia turned 2 

Family - Wanda, Bro Ed, Me, SIL Patty, Br Bobby, BIL Chris

Lisa, Javiar & Baby Cayden

Mr & Mrs McLaughlin

Mr & Mrs Swett

Winter in Tennessee mid February 

My Beloved Brother Bobby

Plants on my Porch

My Daughter Anna and Family

I enjoy crafts of all types and this year my goal was to make a few dolls, something I haven't done in a very long time.  The Year started out lazily for me - I was enjoying my 1st winter here in East Tennessee, as a transplant last May, May 11th 2014 from Hudson Wisconsin the milder weather here was a pleasant change from the winter of 2013-2014 I had experienced back in the upper mid west.  I was enjoying the warmer temps, little ice and snow and the ability to come and go without the worry the harsh winter weather of Wisconsin/Minnesota.

Reality came crashing in with a shock, My youngest brother Bobbie died on Jan 30th after a short illness and I needed to go back to upstate NY to be with family.  The weather was cold and harsh, more like MN-WI weather then NY,  there were storms all up and down the east coast so I took a flight out of Knoxville TN.   I was there two weeks and returned to winter down here in the south.

I was home only 6 weeks when I received a call from my Children that my oldest daughter's husband died on April 1st suddenly.  I drove back to be with my family for two weeks in Feb feeling deeply saddened and overwhelmed.

life returned to some bit of Normality before the Summer when I planned to travel back to Wisconsin/Minnesota to spend some time with my children and enjoy 2 weddings. My youngest son Earl and my daughter Nancy were getting married within a week of each other.  One in Iowa and one in Wisconsin.  It was a fun vacation and I got to see most of the children and grandchildren during my 4 week stay.

I returned home mid July and enjoyed the rest of the summer watching my garden flowers grow and enjoying the warmer climate.  I kept a busy schedule but I was never able to get back to my goal for dollmaking or do much in the way of quilting, sewing and making jewelry.  Ive had several more additions to my large and expanding family this year as well!  I feel so Blessed.

Now that winter is here and christmas is around the corner my projects have taken a more focused gift oriented view. I have a large family and I love to make them things so they know I am thinking about them.  Well off I go to work on my projects.  I'll post them after christmas as projects that I've completed for this year.

Gourd Painting with my friends

Baby Hugh

 

My Niece Kim and her little Vinnie

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

All in all it was a very blessed year

My Tennessee Home

Back at my Tennessee home after my 4 week visit to Wisconsin/Minnesota to visit with my kids,

Back at my Tennessee home after my 4 week visit to Wisconsin/Minnesota to visit with my kids, 

 I awoke at 7am, that is late for me, usually i'm awake at 6 am.  I like to spend the next 30 - 45 min lying in bed, after my morning meds and potty break, reading my emails, texts, and Facebook.  This allows time for my meds to kick in and I don't feel like a 90 year old Auntie Acid; moving about all bent over and achy, instead I get up feeling like a Grateful Granny! or GG - as I call myself.  By the time im up and dressed an hour has gone by.  Its Sunny and warm outside and I grab my yogurt, a small Pecan pie and my water and head out to my porch to write in my Creative Lady's Enthusiastic Thoughts journal book.  I love this time of the morning, the birds are singing away, the sun is up and has warmed my pillow I have on the chair and I sink into it with a sigh, what comfort... the sky above is blue with some wispy clouds in it and the sun warms my legs.  I am enjoying my morning time out on my porch with my breakfast, the birds and my plants.  I look about and my Newer plants are blooming and stretching.  My Crown of thorns has grown since I left for vacation 6 weeks ago.  Then it had only one branch with little coral flowers on it, now almost every branch has a cluster or two of the salmon colored flowers on it.  It seems to like it's spot on the top shelf of my Bakers rack standing against the brick wall that separates my neighbors porch from mine.  Yesterday I spent the morning outside cleaning my porch and organizing my plant Babies.

My Angel Wing Begonia Plant

My Aloe and Hen N Chick plants thriving on my porch

My Oregano, Parsley, Thyme,Sage and Spider Plants 

My Oregano

 My Oregano plant is growing great! It loves its pot and the spot it has on my porch.
My Geranium is givng me a second show of plants and my Snake Plant is also loving it's place on my porch.  Oh notice the spider plant.  My Neighbor placed it in the pot with my garden herbs pot of Thyme, Oregano, Basil, and Parsley - before I left for vacation just to give it a place to be till I got back and could plant it in it's own pot.  Well it loves it's spot too and already is sending out a spider baby shoot.  Lol  Got to say Thanks to my neighbor for taking care of my plants while I was away and watering them for me.

My Germanium

My Grandmothers Tongue or Snake Plant

  I did take in my Christmas Cactus inside because it was looking a little dehydrated from all the heat.  I'm sure after a week inside she will be her old shiny proud self.

It's a beautiful Morning!

What a lovely morning outside.  The birds are chirping loudly, the rain has stopped for a while and it is cool outside.  I took my yogurt and banana outside and sat by my little table to eat.  I love watching the birds flit from feeder to feeder and sing.  two Robin Red Breast came this morning to check out the feeder.  a beautiful pair of Bluebirds have been here for a week or so, the pigions and the large black birds and the Cardnial families are flying from tree to tree.  I look over towards the field and there is Cally the Cat sitting on the fence under the Martin's bird house staring up listening to the baby birds.  Mamma bird is at the opening warning Cally away but she is unfazed and just wanting to see the baby birds. Yum, she is thinking...
It's still cool and the sun is hiding behind the rain clouds so I decide to pull some weeds and plant my rooted Angel Begonia leaf in a pot to sit upon my Bakers rack... Ive got several more leaves to root today.  It promises to be a steamy day out later on but I so enjoy sitting here at my computer with my front door open letting the cool morning breeze in and listening to the birds..So Relaxing! I can see the sun trying to peak out from behind the clouds already.  I love springtime in the Smokies.  Well back to reality, my housework is calling... 

It's been a while since my last post

A lot has happened since my last post.  I spent the last 2 weeks of January recouping from the stomach flu.  Oh boy did that sap my strength.  Then on Jan 31st my youngest brother passed away after a short illness.  I flew back to upstate NY to be with my older brother and the family and spent two weeks there.  The weather for the month of February was very uncooperative and winter came there with extreme cold weather for the eastern coast with storms blowing thru leaving much snow and cold Minnesota weather the full two weeks I was there.  On my return home another storm hit the central states bringing Icy, Cold & wet weather with lots of snow...  I had flight cancellations both going and coming home and even had to spend a night at my friend Sally's house before I left and on my way home I spent a night in DC due to the Weather. When I finally was able to fly into Knoxville I was met with a frozen landscape, the trees heavy laden with Ice, and the roads treacherous.

A Wintry Scene of  Icy Trees &  A Snow covered Fireplace

I spent the night at Sally's house again and with the threat of frigid weather and frozen pipes I was able to make it down her hill and get home the next day before more snow came... the Temps went very low that night and I was fearful about possible frozen pipes.  I let my faucets drip thru the night and most of the next day and did not have a problem but my neighbor wasn't as lucky.

I arrived home to my humble abode greeted by my bare Christmas tree and 3 boxes of ornaments yet to be packed away, 3 wreaths sitting on the floor in front of my desk and my kitchen table piled high with paperwork needing to be sorted and put away!  Just like I had left it... Oh well. The next week was followed by more Cold and Snow.

The past few days have been a bust for me.

This past weekend was very nice, Sunday was pleasant and monday I attended BOL (Bags of Love is a group were we make quilts for children in need)  and enjoyed the companionship of my friends.  I had a lot of plans for the day but decided to go home after the meeting feeling a bit tired.  Arriving home I started to take the ornaments off my little tree and pack them away. put in a load of laundry and got ready to watch the new episode of the Bachelor.  Feeling hungry I prepared a frozen dinner and ate it with gusto... Well it was all down hill from there like a train going down a mountain without brakes... I began to feel terrible! my stomach was rumbling and I needed to be in the bathroom more than I could say.... I spent the rest of my evening in misery  - it progressed rapidly to full blown stomach, cramps, diarrhea, and later vomiting.... I was in the throws of food poisoning or a very bad reaction to MSG!  Tuesday and Wednesday went by in a blur between bed and bathroom by Thursday I began feeling better and I read the ingredient label on the box of my frozen dinner.  No hidden msg there... Food Poisoning!  Oh am I mad... When I am feeling up to venturing out I plan on taking the remaining boxes of frozen food back to Walmart and demand a refund or store credit... and you won't see me buying any frozen entree's from them again... Today I am going to Call Marie Callender's and let them know about what happened to me after eating their Sweet and Sour Chicken.  I am very picky about my frozen foods and use a cooler for transport between store and home so I know that my foods did not defrost while in transit from my store to home.  It had to have happened somewhere between the plant and the store...  

I have missed some very crucial days in my Studio unable to work on planned spring projects that have a deadline... feeling much better today, will continue cleanup and freshen my bathroom and bedroom... I've got to get down my winter quilt anyway and it's time for my flannel sheet's.  The weather here in East Tennessee has been COLD!  It is 14 degrees out right now and on Wed eve it did go below freezing.  I did leave my faucets open a crack to prevent freezing since my pipes are not that well protected from the low temps.  Brrrrrrr I can view the cattle in the field behind my home grazing on the frost covered grass as the sun slowly rises over the mountains in the Front of my home.... looking forward to a great day....