Christmas Ideas

Today is the long awaited day! My dear cousin, Mrs. C., and her hubby - accompanied by my sweetheart and our son-in-law - just left our home. They are headed to the neighboring community where they will move their belongings into their new home. In a bit I will pick up my dear little mother and we will join them - with lunch for everyone - and we will help in any way needed. Today seems like a dream. A somehow-this-isn't-real thing. I think we are still all in the mode of 'this is just a brief visit and then they will get on an airplane and go home'. Well, they have gone home this morning! To their new home nearby where there will be many times of togetherness from now on. Thank you to each of you who have joined me in prayer for them over the past few weeks and for this major move that is drawing to a close. Today is the first day of the rest of their lives! Truly, it is a new beginning - a gift from God to each of us.

As a result of having extra family in my home, and the need to assist with a lot of things including meals to meet special needs, I have only just begun to decorate for Christmas. I have done a few things slowly and this morning added one more bit. Later today I will return home and my sweetheart will put up our tree, get the lights on and then I can add the decorations. He will be leaving late this afternoon for a Church Board retreat and will be gone for most of the weekend. While I will miss him I look forward to having time to bring the holiday season into our home. I plan to have the decorating finished by the time he comes home. In the meantime I want to show you a few decorations that I promised to share with you before life went from busy to crazy here at my house.

Not long ago I shared here about a wonderful ministry that I participate in each month. Friend To Friend is such a special part of the lives of many women in our area. I showed you the flower arrangement made and given away by our guest last month and I promised to show you what else she demonstrated and taught us. Today is just the perfect day to share the Christmas tree she decorated and the cute things she brought to share with us. Mrs. M. is a local florist and a part of Friend To Friend. Her talent was obvious and her humor added to our time together. She began with a tree topper that included a glittery bird in a nest. Please excuse my photo with the big black speaker in the background - it was the best I could do from where I sat.

Next came a gorgeous gold ribbon that cascaded down through the tree.Then ornaments of all kinds. Another one nestled in the tree.Big ones. . . Small ones. . .Bright, shiny. . .And glittery.All together they made a very pretty tree! She had more to add but we ran out of time.She shared pictures of Christmas decorating ideas and some cute little gift boxes from The Dollar Tree. The little boxes were plain but with the addition of stickers - Viola! - they suddenly were the cutest little things you ever saw.She brought wonderful little gifts and favors from her shop. We could buy them at a special discount that day - just for us.Snow globes.And little Christmas cuties. . .

In pink. . .

And green.Hopefully over the next few days I will have a chance to catch up with each of you and see what you are doing. And maybe - just maybe - I can get caught up on my emails. In the meantime I hope you have a wonderful weekend wherever you are and whatever you do. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!