What I Want for Christmas

A few favorite vignettes from my Christmasey home this year.



What I want most for Christmas is to see the joy on the faces of those I love, and to know that the spirit of Christmas doesn't have to end ... not ever!



I pray you discover the magic of Christmas, all the joy your heart can hold, and all the love that was sent to earth that first Christmas.

The Power of Tradition

An ornament from Mom's collection
now hangs on my tree

Never underestimate the powerful impact you have on your children with the little things you do and say. A blog friend of mine recently lost her mother and is now feeling her loss in every ritual they shared together. This Thanksgiving, I made dinner for my kids, and three out of six recipes were favorites that my mother had made. Pecan pie, stuffing and gravy. No one could make these like my mom. I used her recipes, and though they didn't taste quite as wonderful as when Mom made them for me, the aromas that filled my kitchen as I prepared the feast, the sight of her yellow pyrex mixing bowl and the feel of her seasoned wooden rolling pin in my hands brought back wonderful memories and made me feel close to her again. It's never too late to start a new tradition for your children or grandchildren. What traditions do you cherish?

30 Years Later, I Still Do

Happy Anniversary to my man of 30 years! Yes, exactly 30 years ago, December 5, 1980, I said "I do" to my guy, and my how the years have flown. Together we've raised two children, renovated three houses, gone through the hardest of hard times and enjoyed the best of good times. We started out as naive kids and have grown together into happy adults. With God at the center of our relationship, we just get better and better.

We were babies



raising babies

(remember body waves!)



Birthdays




New Births




Waterbeds!


Cut-offs!










Anniversary getaways





Lots of these


Too much of this



Doing what we love


Loving what we do


Silly times!


Family times


Joyous moments



Moments we'll never forget



Then . . .




and now



Happy 30th, My Love