Wednesday, December 31, 2014

6 VERBS


6 Verbs

Matthew 2: 1-12

They saw
They went
They entered
They bowed
They worshiped
They gave

 So simple really

As you prepare to begin 2016 and imagine what you will do with your next 365 days...
what...

 are the verbs you will choose?


I cannot wait to see 
and even more than that...I am excited to see
your adjectives!

I hope you got every single little and big thing you wanted at the close of 2015
and I hope you get every single little and big thing you hope for in 2016!





Tuesday, December 23, 2014

JARS OF CLAY



oh the chores of the season...
the mister grumbles throughout the house each evening, up the stairs, down the stairs, in and around....unplugging all the lights--
and there are plenty of them as I light every window from the inside--
our yearly conversation goes like this
Mister: "it takes me an hour just to unplug all your lights"
Me: "yes honey, I'm aware how long it takes because I plug them all in"
Mister: smile
Me:  "it's so close to Christmas, why don't we just leave them all on all the time until then?"
so I was thinking about the lights and are they a waste of electricity during the day?
I mean...you can still see them, but of course they don't glow as much as they do during the night
and I'm mostly alone here all day
so...are they a waste to glow during the day?

say
no
because
sometimes
those who have light
are the ones who need light
the
most

sometimes our jars of clay, our light not hidden under a bushel, our fires within
N.E.E.D.
to be tended
and that dear blog friends who I adore
is what you do
 may I please make my Christmas list of 
What.You.Do.For.Me.And.Us.
you
  • share your gifts and talents, ideas and good thoughts
  • make us laugh or for sure at least smile
  • sometimes make us shed a tear
  • cause us to say the word, out loud, WOW
  • ping the heart and stir the soul
  • nudge us to make a space in the day for something new to do
  • kindle the fire and light the light
  • fill our jars of clay
my stepfather is a vigilante lawyer potter who makes jars of clay each Christmas

 ~last year I began a new tradition~
all through 2014 I filled this jar with answered prayers and dreams that have come true
nothing that big or too spectacular, but with every little tidbit that I added to the jar this year, I was amazed at how often I was able to do it...what a great thing to keep track of

So Merry Christmas to you all...thank you...best wishes...stay warm...have fun...give...get...live...seek...find...go...do...
be blessed...be a blessing!
II Corinthians 4:7
and let your light shine


Friday, December 19, 2014

AND THE STOCKINGS WERE HUNG


 by the chimney with care

may I take you back a few days please?

to let you know that we have added 3 new stockings to our mantel this Christmas
you see...we had a wedding this November...
(this is my mother smudging the ceremony)

Mr. and Mrs. Ashley August Pshigoda

the new family

a new bun in the oven
yep....in early spring....Betty gets the brother

Perrilyn gets the cousin
and

maybe this young lady and her Coach 
will get the bug!














Tuesday, December 16, 2014

NATURE MANTEL


I would love to enjoy the story of your mantel if you have one
this time of year we love to surround ourselves with tradition and family and stories and history
and we bloggers like to share that

I don't know about you, but I could get lost in everyone's decorations and caught up in the stories 
of why you do what you do
I love it!

In our music/dining room I have 
The Nature Mantel
and this is how it all began

we have owls that hoot in our trees almost every night

a few houses down, a pair of owls have a nest every year...
...in the crook of a huge old elm tree
the baby owl photo is from google but this is exactly what they look like
(it's not smart to take photos of baby owls)

because the parents watch from up above and they just might swoop down and pluck your eyeballs right out of your head...no one likes that!

I tend to break the rules...these babies are past the white fluff ball stage, and I couldn't resist the risk

 Pier 1 has got them down to an irresistible T!

and like your mantel might...mine tells a story...a family story
that begins with
two jeweled cardinals in a sparkly snowy tree

Mr. and Mrs. PV...two birds in a tree

this snowy tree has three cardinals on the icy branches
they signify our three kids

this mantel has changed several times since we've lived in 822...
...due to our sweet additions to our family

this baby owl nest used to represent the three kids but now-- 
the nest, lined with shredded vintage music, are
Grace, Jena and Mattie

we have added a new deer
we now have three deer that are
Charles, Coach Been and new this Christmas 
Ashley August Pshigoda

and it gets even better!

this year we also have three owls that represent
Betty, Perilyn and Jordy (Ashley's daughter and our new granddaughter)
and what do I see here?  
Why yes...that is a gold egg in its own little nest

next year, there will be a new baby owl perched in 
HIS
own little nest
and if we are very lucky
that little gold egg might just make a return next year...although who it might belong to 
is only for God to know right now!

every time I see this mantel 

my heart is filled with 

JOY

and upstairs?

the mantel just brings a tear to my eye
it's a fun one, where we hang our stockings
~each family~
that now includes the newbie Pshigodas

I would love to know the story about your mantel

Linking with

















Friday, December 12, 2014

PEPPERMINT


Hey Ya'll
Merry Christmas!
I was kinda gettin' bored with all that reno stuff...I think I have just about everything covered except the outside, and I will save that for a snowy day in January when garden photos will help us all look forward to the spring days ahead!

Believe it or not...we still have to reno the ugly brown bathroom and turn the drab old basement into the wine cellar...plans for this this winter while the snow flies!

We found this old Nativity in the garage in a box and have lovingly placed it in this niche every year

I can load up this corner with decorations because it's the baking station that no one bakes at
unless I win that Castle Cake Pan
from Kevin at Garden For The House

we have 10 TREES...TEN!
this one has food related ornaments...how in the world did that happen???
I would love to share with you  a very sweet post from a very sweet blog friend 
that addresses this issue

this year I decided to go with peppermint...it's just so 
pepperminty








I started my old white dish collection a long time ago

but at a recent estate auction we bought a box for $2
that had an interesting white lacy edged bowl sticking out of it

as it turns out, there was an 8 piece place setting of dishes

and other very cool items to add to the collection...enough so, that I cleaned out a drawer 
to make room...well Merry Christmas to us!





Peppermint Schnapps
 is another way to get your daily intake of Peppermint during the holidays
it goes nicely in 
*coffee*
*hot chocolate*
*a shot glass*

come see us!  the plates are dusted!