Happy New Year Graphics provided by MUDTRAP.COM

Happy New Year to all the special people in my life.

May God bless you and keep you safe.

Merry Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Wow!! Can you believe Christmas has come and gone already??

Merry Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Just a few minutes ago I was able to speak to Ashlynn and Jeremy....the sounds of their excitement and laughter was such a blessing to my heart this morning. This year I sent packages to my grandchildren....one for each day leading up to Christmas. Well, actually...there were only twelve packages each..."The Twelve Days of Christmas" tradition I had when my children were small...I played with my grandchildren this year. The little bags were filled with little toys and holiday treats.....from their little voices coming over the phone I could tell they have been enjoying opening a gift each day!!

The above picture is a collage Summer recently put together. Ashlynn looks EXACTLY like her Mommy did when she was young. Little Jeremy is a Todd clone!! What cute children don't you think??? I have pictures of Tony's children as well, but I made a promise I would wait until after Christmas to post them.....

Two more days to Christmas.....

Ok. I have about had it with leaking toilets.....drafty windows and a heater that never seems to stop running ($$$$$$)!! I was sitting in the kitchen at the table in front of my oven which throws off tons of warm air......BUT......I could feel an Arctic blast coming from the service porch!! I took a heavy quilt and attached it to the doorway trying to cut down on the draft. While standing on the trash can (too lazy to go outside and get the ladder, besides that it is 20 degrees outside!)....I finally secure the quilt and the draft goes away. Hopefully for good. I would never make it living in Alaska!!

If the draft alone wasn't enough to send me over the edge....I walked into the guest bathroom to find water all over the floor! Everything is wet. I turn off the bathroom water and rush in to the guest bedroom closet.......backs up to the bathroom......and start flinging boxes out of the closet hoping no water has reached my treasures!! No water! Guess that's where living in a pier and beam house has it's advantages. The water must have gone under the house! Ok.....now how much water was leaking??? Dunno and can't find out. I guess when one of the piers start to move.......I will find out soon enough!!

The central heat fan has never turned off. Probably because it's still cold in the house (leaky doors and windows!!) and the thermostat just doesn't "feel warm enough"!! Ok, I want it to turn off because I just know next month's bill is going to be a killer!! It's pretty bad when all I can think of is the stupid heater not shutting off..........there are so many other things to be thinking about right now!!

Living in an old house (1919) has some disadvantages......but all in all.....I love it. Gotta take the bad with the good. Thank goodness Texas winters do not last like winters in the mid-west or in the eastern seaboard!! At least I have a heater that works.....many Americans do not even have that comfort right now because of all the storms blowing around. Brrrrr

My beautiful gardens are all dead! The temperatures has been in the 20s and the 30s for days now and practically everything I planted has frozen!! I should have been more thankful of my gardens in California during the wintertime.........this is really ugly. At least my gardens look like everyone else's gardens in the neighborhood...it makes it easier to swallow!! Thank goodness Home Depot is close by and have beautiful flowers for sale in the spring. Where is the sunshine when you need it?? I guess the operable word is WANT!!!

Today I have lots to do around the house.....for one I have to mop a bathroom floor and reorganize a guest bedroom closet!! At least I know what needs to be done....now I just HAVE to do it!! There goes my quiet afternoon........oh well, there is always tomorrow!!

Can you believe Christmas is just in a couple of days?? Time is racing past too quickly!! With all the turmoil in our lives we must step back and reflect on the reason for the season.........Christ's birth. I hope each of your have a wonderful Christmas.....surrounded with the love of family and friends.

Christmas time is a special time. It is even more special when you reconnect from someone in your past......that is exactly what happened to me when I opened my blog and noticed a 'comment' under the 'Spirit of Christmas' posting. A very special young lady I knew from California had left me a greeting! I quickly went to her blog and left her a little note to email me.

She did and catching up with her has been fun.

Joy came into my life when she was in Kindergarten........she just graduated this year from Master's College in the Santa Clarita Valley this past May! What a delightful time we have had this afternoon emailing back and forth.

I am looking forward to more 'visits' with her and getting to know her all over again. It's been several years since we have had any contact. She gave me a wonderful present today....hers could not be unwrapped as she was the gift!!

The Spirit of Christmas

I have a list of people I know
All written in a book
And every year at Christmas time
I go and take a look
And that is when I realize
That those names are a part
Not of the book they’re written in
But of my very heart.

For each name stands for someone
Who has crossed my path some time
And in that meeting they’ve become
A treasured friend of mine
And once you’ve met some people
The years can not erase
The memory of a pleasant word
Or a friendly face.

So when I send a Christmas card
That is addressed to you
It’s because you’re on that list
Of folk I’m indebted to
And you are one of many folk who
In times past I’ve met
And happen to be one of those
I don’t want to forget.

And whether I have known you for
Many years or few
In some way you have a part in
Shaping things I do
This, the spirit of Christmas, that
Forever and ever endures
May it leave its richest blessing
In the hearts of you and yours.

~ Author Unknown ~


God bless each and everyone of you......you are in my thoughts
and prayers. May Christmas 2008 be a wonderful holiday
for you and your family and may you be richly blessed in
2009........
Love and prayers, Caryl

Christmas Light Show (turn off my music and hit the arrow button)

Christmas at Grammie's.....

Snowflakes in every corner of the kitchen....

Every piece of furniture has a head dress.....

The center of the fireplace....

This planter is filled with special things I used when

my children were smaller....

Every door in the house has a rose garland during the

year and at Christmas they all "get glittered up"....

My most favorite place in the entire house....

Every window has the Christmas touch added to the

rose swags which adorn the windows throughout the year....

10 things I love about December

Listing just ten things I love about December really makes me have to think of what I could leave off this list....I love so much about December, but here goes.......

decorations & lights

playing Christmas Carols

baking and cooking

buying presents

seeing the UPS driver at my door

sending out cards to family and friends

wrapping gifts

eating until my stomach hurts

spending time with family and friends

celebrating Jesus' birth

What do you love about December????