White Wednesday,The Gift of Time

24 hours in a day

7 days in a week

52 weeks in a year

we are all given the same amount

my desire is to see my time well spent

an hour with a friend

a tradition with a sister

a morning with a mother

an afternoon with a daughter

an evening with my beloved

hours become days

days turn into weeks

weeks become months

and months flow into a year

My prayer is for joy,

for peace,

for love,

for commitment,

for favor.

Thank you God, for one more year.

A year spent well and wisely with You.

May God's blessing for the New Year

fall gently like snow.

Debra

Fashion Time Warp...or, I really wasn't crazy!

I've had some good laughs reading through the comments for my last post. I knew that the 70's fashion might be a little vague for some of us, and that you younger gals might not be familiar with what was popular back in 1972. Often times fashion comes full circle...the early 70's, not so much.

So I thought I'd give a little fashion show from the time machine, just so some of the younger girls wouldn't think I had totally lost my marbles, or was some kind of "hillbilly gone wild"!

Phrases like "Prairie Dress", "Maxie Dress",

"Gunne Sax" and "Hippie Dress"

were used to describe the height of fashion!

Look familiar?

Now just add the apron!

OK, now I feel better!

Just didn't want anyone out there

to think I was alone on the planet...

"What were you Thinking"!

love ALL you guys,

Debra

What we did the day after Christmas...or "my feet are killing me"!

We still have the St. Louis crew here, so this is just a short post before we run out to have dinner, but I wanted to share this "oh so cute" photo of both of my sweetie pies in their aprons they received for Christmas. My sister enlisted the help from her son's girlfriend who is a great little seamstress to make aprons for my girls for Christmas. Erin and Keith entertain regularly so she will use it alot. Aly's pretty busy, so she will just admire hers, but I thought they were just the cutest, and even better they're reversible!

Erin and Alyson

gratuitous cat photo

We had a wonderful Christmas, and today like a bunch of dummies we went to the mall.(we did sleep in though...we not totally crazy!) It was "freeze your patootie off" cold, but we shopped until we literally couldn't get anything else in the trunk. Oh how I love my girlies, and we always have so much darn fun.

New RL boots that we all three just had to have.

The guys spent the day at Bass Pro and Best Buy. Springfield is the "Home" of Bass Pro, so it has a monster store which takes up two blocks. It's tons of fun, though, but you really have to have on your walking shoes.

OK, we're off to have Greek food,

 hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Debra

Let Heaven and Nature Sing

"...we saw His star in the east

and have come to worship Him."

Matthew 2:2

This was our 2008 Christmas Card. When I found it in the store I burst out in tears, It spoke to me like nothing else.
All Heaven and Nature Sing... Even the animals adore Him and join together in peace and harmony to give Him Glory!

(click on the card to see all the variety of beasts,

I would have loved to see a lamb in there)

You are all in my thoughts and prayers!

Have a Heavenly Christmas!

Debra

Back Door Christmas

I spend a lot of time looking out my kitchen window.
I guess that's even more true,

 with all the busy hustle and bustle in the kitchen

over the Christmas Holiday.

So I wanted to have a "Back Door Welcome"

for Christmas, too.

It had to be "snow and waterproof",

as we are expecting a "White Christmas".

My little "Goosey Gander" says...

Merry Christmas!

...and He's really glad we're having HoneyBaked Ham!

I'd like to invite you to stop by my

Bible Study Blog

 "...a day in the life".

 Also found on the side bar,

 for a little more spiritual thought about Christmas.

Christmas Blessings,

love,

Debra

White Wednesday Before Christmas

I'm posting a little early for White Wednesday. I have been saving these photos for this last Wednesday before Christmas. This is my sideboard that I moved into the entry hallway right before Thanksgiving. Ive had such a wonderful time decorating it for Christmas. So I didn't want to miss out on sharing it with you all.

Garden statuary with crown

White wood lantern

Feather tree I found last year at a flea market...

covered in chandelier prisms.

Lovey doves in a white sleigh.

Paperwhites and Angel Vine

Old birdcage and stand...

with a jingle bell wreath.

This is an old lithograph of the nativity

that we found this year at a flea market.
(sorry for the reflection)

Thank you, Kathleen, at Faded Charm.

Have a wonderful few days enjoying

the peace and blessings

that come with Christmas.

Debra

Vintage Christmas Monday

This is the last Vintage Christmas Monday for 2009.

Our Hostess Joan from Anything Goes Here

has given us a wonderful opportunity to share our

Vintage Christmas treasures.

Be sure to go over and see the rest of the

Vintage Christmas Monday participants.

These are my vintage Nativity sets.

I know many of you have these,

but I still enjoy seeing them all.

I found it at a flea market several years ago.

This one is in the sunroom and was my mother's-in-law.

This was the first year of Fontanini

probably around 1984.

This snow globe nativity isn't old,

but while I'm showing the others,

I thought I would share this one that

my husband bought me several years ago.

Little vintage white reindeer ornaments

in the sunroom...so darn cute!

And this is one of my husband's "ornaments". Before you get all upset, it was taken at his traditional yearly deer camp with his family. There are so many deer in Missouri that if they are not harvested many starve, or because of numbers are killed on highways or cause accidents. We donate the venison to food programs. I do not enjoy the idea, but it is part of the "male bonding time" of the family. It's wearing a vintage jingle bell wreath. New ones are made like this, but this one is old.

This is another one of my many

vintage Christmas candy tins.

Besides boxes of Shiny Brites and old Christmas lights

I've about exhausted my stash of vintage Christmas.

This has been so much fun!

I'll have to be collecting more for next year.

Have a great Christmas Week, Everyone!

Debra

The Magic of Paperwhites

A few years ago I discovered the beauty and magic of paperwhites. To me they epitomize the grace, tranquility, and delicacy, that says "Christmas".

Three years ago I started gathering vintage sugar bowls and creamers, pots and kitchen bowls, humble mismatched cups and vases; containers of every kind. I planted paperwhites and sold them at the store and gave them away to family and friends. I enjoyed it so much, they were great gifts, so this year I did the same.

These next two photos are of last year in my space at Leola's.

Milk glass and pottery and ironstone cups.

An old bread pan with checked ribbon, a little more primitive.

I think I had around thirty containers full.

This year I planted twelve bulbs in a green

transferware vegetable bowl for the Dining Room.

Christmas coffee mugs with a paperwhite bulb

I had four of these matching mugs,

 they went as small gifts.

I tied them with plaid ribbon

 and attached a "mitten" ornament and tag.

Old Staffordshire blue transferware soup tureen,

 missing it's lid, found for just a few dollars.

A little over a week ago...

And today.

Shabby china sugar bowl.

And old McCoy cream planter in the kitchen.

Paperwhite Narcissus are really easy to grow. Just find a container that doesn't drain, because they need to stay moist at all time. Place some pea gravel in the bottom, with about 2 inches of potting soil mix, then nestle the bulb, root down in the soil. Water and keep in a bright spot. You will be amazed at how fast they grow. Paperwhites bulbs don't keep well, so I just discard them after bloom time. Buy several bulbs and plant at alternating times. You can have them all winter long!

Are you finished with all your shopping?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Debra