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