'tis the season

I've tried to be less busy this month, preferring quiet moments.
And I haven't done any Christmas shopping in a store this year. Maybe

I should do a mall visit just for fun--but probably not.

We've enjoyed having friends in, going to a couple of parties, and most recently,

a tea party for our oldest granddaughter and some of her friends.

It was fun (at least for me.) They did consume the sweets!

Then there was the school Christmas concert. Now we have two to watch.

And a visit to school to help grandson with the blankets they were

preparing for "babies or old people." Both cutting the

fuzzy fabric and tying knots was a challenge for KG.

Thus the required adult participation,

Every grandchild has played with this creche 

more than anything else when at Grandma's during Christmas.

Just as their dad and uncle did. The Story never grows old.

The jury is still out on this pencil tree, giving our new knee and repaired back

 a break from bringing our big tree out of the "crawl in" attic space.

I'm missing some of the ornaments that didn't fit.

The grands are just happy it's not their tree!

My sister once wrote, "Everything we need in this life and the next was 

held in that Bethlehem manger 2000 years ago. Our hopes, desires, dreams, 

and above all, our need for forgiveness and fellowship with God are all 

gathered up and met in the baby born that night."

May your joy be full and complete as you celebrate His birth.

~~~~~~

simple fare

Just plain cooking--laced with a little ambience--and so we invited good friends to 

join us at the kitchen table for "supper." Perfect for a cold winter night.

I made spaghetti--a favorite of ours. And a salad. 

Our friends brought some of their holiday treats for dessert. 

Coffee--and then an old movie, based on an Irish Italian restaurant. 

You probably know it. One time when we were talking, the movie had came up and

we discovered they'd never seen it. Since we have the movie (on VHS) 

we planned the evening, and we chose the menu to go with the movie.

With a pleasant fire going in the fireplace, we cranked up the old VCR, 

passed around blankets and we were set.

An easy and fun evening.

Invitation to Tea

Rhondi and I first met when we started 

to recognize photos on each other's blogs and realized we lived 

just a few miles apart. Soon Rhondi was coming to 

our book club and has added so much.

She is upbeat and just fun to be around and finds beauty everywhere.

 So when she invited some of us to tea there was no

doubt we were in for a treat. Her house is beautiful and full of character and comfort.

So much is thrifted or created simply with her own hands.

 Just walking around her house is great fun and inspiring!

The beautiful table included cucumber sandwiches, 

her mother's shortbread cookies,

and so much more, including great conversation.

Good memories of a pleasant winter afternoon.

the thirteenth plate

We were planning on 14 for dinner, but then one husband needed to sing in the Messiah. 

So we were down to thirteen. The Gardener surprised me with 12 Christmas plates 

a few years ago, and how I have enjoyed them each Christmas. 

We liked the pattern so much we gathered from here and 

there enough everyday castle dishes to use the rest of the year.  

So a thirteenth, I thought a castle plate would barely be noticed.

This group of friends gets together almost every Christmas season, and it's usually at our house. 

I was thinking 13 would be quite a squeeze for us, and since our kids were going

away for the weekend, they kindly agreed to let us use their house for the party.

It has more room in the dining room, and well, everywhere.

I was determined to bring everything that we needed from our house.

That was extra folding chairs, tablecloth, dishes, glasses, napkins, cutlery,

table decorations, my apron, etc. It was like catering for a party.

I went over in the morning to set the table. It was fun getting ready in their pretty house. 

Everyone brought part of the meal. It was delicious. 

It was festive. It was fun.

And we laughed a lot.

After we all went through the buffet line and settled down to eat,

I suggested they each look inside their place card to see a question to answer.

If they did not like the question, they could trade with one other person without

knowing their question. I'll list the questions we came up with at the end. 

They created a good deal of laughter and discussion.

The only damper to a lovely evening was discovering this 

when we arrived to get the final details in order. 

Our kids, sadly, lost favorite ornaments. Glass scattered far and wide.

One couple came early to heat their food

and helped us clean it up and stabilize the tree again.

The lights kept working, so it still looked pretty.

Questions:

What 5 things would you grab to take with you in an evacuation?

What are you especially thankful for this year?

What new thing have you learned this past year?

If you had to live in a cubicle, what things would you want around you?

What does comfort mean to you?

Describe one of the most memorable persons you've known.

If you had the chance to do one thing over again in life, what would it be?

If money were no object, what would be your ideal vacation?

~~~~~~~~~