Christmas 2012

If you are reading this...hello.  :)  It seems I have been away for awhile.  Like two months awhile.  We had the most wonderful Christmas this year.  How was yours?  My family traveled to Michigan to spend time with us this season.  We had so much fun!  I thought I would share some pictures of my holiday.
These are a few of my aprons.  See my little Christmas one?  It was fun wearing it to the cafe each day.

 My daughter and I baked some sugar cookies before my family came up.  When they all got here, we decorated them.  My daddy even decorated some.  What wonderful memories.

 Hubby and I picking our tree for the season.  She was a beautiful tree.

 I also made two quilts for my mom and sister this year for Christmas.  I can not believe I made two.  Crazy for me!
This is my mama enjoying hers.  I believe we were watching one of the many Christmas movies we enjoyed together as a family.

 Here is my sister enjoying hers.  It was so fun watching her carry it up the stairs for bed each night.  I love that they loved them.  Quilts are a labor of love for sure!

 Our little tree all lit up on Christmas Eve.

 My fuzzy kitty checking out the lights.

 Our beautiful church on Christmas Eve.

This is my most favorite Christmas decoration.  My old Santa.  My parents have their Christmas card from 1969 of me holding him.  I was two years old.  He has been with me every year since.

I hope your Christmas was relaxing and fun and many new memories were made.

Winter Chips

I love the grocery store this time of year.  Our stores begin to put center isles of ingredients out for the holiday baking season.  Spices and mixes and dried fruits.  I love looking at all the new things and old favorites they display.  I know I have spent a lot of money in those center isles every year.  Their marketing strategies have paid off with this gal.  :)

I found these little chips this year for the first time.  Have you seen them?  I have daughters that are in love with chocolate mint treats.  A sister as well.  Can't wait to make something yummy for the girls in my life.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Happily Ever After

 My family was blessed to attend a very special wedding this weekend.  This beautiful bride has been a part of my life for many years.  I have watched her grow from a little girl into a beautiful Godly woman.  She, and her two sisters,  babysat for my daughters when they were small.  Isn't her groom handsome?  They have dated since 8th grade!

 Her parents are farmers and live in the country.  The wedding was held at their home in the back yard.  The cows were also part of the ceremony.  Watching contently from the fence line occasionally giving a moo to let us know they were there.  It was truly a magical day!

 She and her sisters made a lot of things homemade for the wedding.  Like their bouquets.  Are they not spectacular???  They are made from paper.

 Here I am with one of the brides sisters and my darling nephew.

 Such adoration......

This is the younger sister.  All three of these girls have such a place in my heart.  

They had this old two seater bike they rode at the wedding.  The groom bought this bike and packed a picnic lunch for her and they rode it together to a special spot he had picked out.  It was at this picnic where he proposed to her!  So, the bike had to make it to the wedding and into the pictures as well.

And here is the quilt that I made for them for their wedding day.

It was a magical day.  God gave them the most perfect day.   I was blessed to see some of my most favorite people again back home for something so very very special.

For Some Reason.....

We are sprucing up our living room with some new furniture.  It has been hard picking out new things. I am a cottage girl all the way.  Hubby likes leather.  What's a girl to do?
After we got the chairs in their proper places, for some reason, this picture came into my mind........

And then I smiled the rest of the day.

Today She Is 17

 Today my darling daughter turned 17.  Not really sure how that happened.  But it did.  She was a lucky girl today.  Her Papa and Nana traveled up from Illinois to spend the weekend with her.  We had a lot of fun!  This morning brought chocolate doughnuts covered in sprinkles.  It also brought a candle and the birthday song.  Nice way to wake up...don't you think?

Happy Birthday Sweetie.  I pray this year brings good things to you.  I love you darling daughter.
xoxox  Mama

Goodness In A Jar

While on my vacation from work this past week, I decided to can some of my daddy's favorite garden relish.  Isn't it pretty?  The peppers make it so colorful.  Like a quilt in a jar. :)
 Speaking of quilting....I have one almost finished for a wedding gift that is coming up the end of this month.  I spent my vacation playing in the sand, canning some goodies for the winter months, visiting with old friends and quilting.  It was a really good week.

A Ten Pack

We have a new place in town.  Tim Hortons.  It is a wonderful little place.  We picked up a ten pack of TimBits for our snoozing teenager at home yesterday.  Her mama may have had one or two.  They were pretty tasty....or so I am told.  :)