Vicky's Annual Ornament Exchange

My wonderful friend Vicky at Life On Willie Mae Lane has done this ornament exchange for 3 years now and I'm so happy to have been a part of each one!  We send to one blogger and receive from another.  That way we meet two new friends!

This year I received ornaments from the sweet Terri who blogs at  Our Good Life and Christmas Tree Lane.

My package arrived and I was so excited!

Look at all the goodies! 

I love the Christmas card and the ornaments are in two gorgeous little gift bags!  Let's look!

I love cardinals and this little bird is so happy on my tree in the living room!

And this beautiful little house that is on my new white tree in my bedroom!

Here it is on the tree! 

Thank you Terri for the wonderful ornaments and gifts.  Terri and I also decided to exchange pocket letters.  I was so happy to receive the first one she ever did! 

I love it!

Thank you Terri for a fun exchange.  I sent ornaments to Jeanna at Slammin' the Screen Door and here is her blog post.  I have had a busy week and can't wait to share more of it with you! 

Wishing you JOY,

Linda

Oh Christmas Tree!

So the big question

Is your Christmas tree...Real or Artificial?

ME, I'm an artificial Christmas tree girl.  I love the convenience, price and less mess.  I miss the smell but can always add a few pine boughs around for that.  I've had faux trees for many years.  I recently downsized from a large tree to two smaller one's.  So much easier for me to decorate and handle.

I have a green tree in the living room

and a white tree in my bedroom

Some interesting information

Do you remember the giveaway I did from Tree Classics awhile back?  Carol won the wreath and my name was put in a raffle for a $300 gift certificate.  Well I found out today that I won!

YIPPEE!!

Now I have enjoyed my little $15 trees but they are several years old and so with this win I'm going to order two trees and a wreath!  I can't believe I am going to get such quality items.  I am so happy! 

Thank you Nick and Tree Classics! 

So Real or Artificial?

Wishing you JOY, 

Linda

A Little Christmas Here and There

I've been doing a little decorating 

and the tree in the living room is done! 

It is a 4ft tree on a table

I put my little kneehugger elf on the top again

Two of my favorite ornaments

I have three leaves that are dipped in gold

this one is the evergreen tree

Of course I have an Eiffel Tower ornament.  While editing the photo I saw the 'peace' ornament in back of it, how appropriate! 

I love homemade and bought ornaments and of course photos of my Grands!

I made this in 1986

and some fun ornaments

Charlie sleeping under the tree near his ornament!

A close up of the Charlie ornament.  A friend made this one for me from a photo of Charlie!

It's been a busy week and I hope to find some time to take some photos and share more soon! 

Wishing you JOY,

Linda

Thoughts On A Sunday

Here it is the Sunday after Thanksgiving and I hope all of you had a great holiday weekend.

Mom and I enjoyed a good meal at Cracker Barrel Thursday.  No cooking & no cleaning this year!  Worked for us!  I did buy a pecan pie and have been eating a piece now and then!  

The kids went to the mountains and had a great time.  Here are some great photos they shared!

Diggin in the dirt

Excitement at a waterfall!

I love this photo!  She is so cute!

Shopping for Thanksgiving dinner!

Family photo!!

I am getting better but I am still having this pesky cough.  It woke me up last night and took awhile to get back to sleep.  It has made today a long one.  I have worked on the Christmas decorations today...

A little sneak peek at one of the cubbies!  I have lots more tweaking to do before I share it all with you.  I'm hoping to go simpler this year.  It is honestly getting harder and harder to get all the bins out, put up the decorations and then after Christmas take it all down.  I will continue to decorate, but maybe less will be more for me.  

Of course my 'less' is still a lot to some people! 

I want to try to really relax and enjoy this Christmas season with an emphasis on Faith, Family and Friends.  I have a few get together's and some church activities already on the calendar.  I've decided to keep gift giving simple this year.  Most of the purchases have been made.  I'm hoping to get my health back up to normal and to see Mom get better also.  Lots of things to look forward to and memories to look back on this year.

I hope to post more on my blog but sometimes it seems so hard, but I'll try.  I read your posts every day and enjoy my visits with you.  The friendships I've made through blogging are really precious to me.  Let the season begin! 

Wishing you JOY,

Linda

  

What's Up Wednesday

It is 1pm and I'm still in my robe and slippers drinking my 2nd cup of coffee.  It's been that kind of day (week, month), so allow me to whine..(and I don't mean the good kind with a corkscrew and glass).  
If you follow my blog you know that I hurt my back the end of October.  It really has put me out of commission.  Lots of rest and heating pad time.  So it's finally getting better and the pain migrates to my bad knee (hey I'm 65 I have a bad knee).  More heating pad time and FINALLY my body is doing better.  Maybe I can get out of this house for a bit.  So out I go and do a few errands.  Next thing I know I have a scratchy throat that has now turned into a full blown case of cough, hoarseness and fatigue.  I can't seem to feel better and darn it I'm tired of feeling icky! 
OK, Whine over...back to our regularly scheduled blog time...

This is all the Fall decor I have out.  I got it out in October before hurting my back and this is where I'm still at.  No pumpkins or my cute Publix Pilgrims.  This will just have to do!

I'm not even sure of our Thanksgiving plans right now but there will be turkey!!

So the good things are as follows:

Scout turned 7 mos old!

Got a cute winter hat 

and met Santa for the first time and looked terrified!
(she was really OK...lol)

Tiger helps keep Scout from going where she shouldn't

Saw a Nascar Race at Talladega with his Dad

Camped and Explored at Bald Rock, AL

Went to the family farm in So Ga

and enjoyed some time quiet time

and also saw Santa but wasn't terrified at all...love the squint eyes on both of them!  Oh and broken candy cane...

So if you are still with me through the whine and the  pics of the Grands, I have a question.

I found this at a thrift store and was intrigued and bought it for .50  I thought it might be an egg cup of some sort, but can't find anything like it on the web.

What do you think?

These are the markings and they haven't helped me one bit.  I'm just curious, so if anyone knows will you please leave a comment! 

I can't end this post without mentioning how sad I am about the events in Paris last week.  You know Paris has a special place in my heart and the terror there and all over the world is such a horrible and heartbreaking thing.  I pray not only for Paris but for all of us.  

Wishing you JOY,

Linda