My Nativity Scene ( and last day to win give-away )

 Our family celebrations of Christmas are full of gift-giving, Christmas tree decorating, stockings hung on the fireplace mantle to be filled with little treats from Santa after Santa has made a special appearance in our home to talk to the grandchildren, the excitement in anticipating what will be under the tree Christmas morning, sharing Christmas dinner with family and eating all the special foods of the season....yet this is the focal point in our living room, our nativity scene.

"What child is this , who, laid to rest, on Mary's lap is sleeping ? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet , while shepherds watch are keeping ? This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing; Haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe, the son of Mary."  hymn 'What child Is This ?'  ~traditional English melody set to text by William C. Dix

 

The nativity scene might be the focal point of our living room during the Christmas season , more importantly though is that Jesus, the Son of God , our Savior , is the focal point in my heart and life. I don't need a Christmas tree, Santa Claus, presents, or a nativity scene to know and celebrate Him. Jesus, the babe in the manger we celebrate at Christmas grew up and He said in Matthew 11:28~ 30 "Come to Me ,all who are weary and heavy-laden , and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you for I am gentle and humble in heart and you shall find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy , and My load is light."

 

Do you want an opportunity to win a pair of Wee Little Sheep * ? Tonight at midnight I will have my husband draw the names of any leaving comments on my blog out of his Santa hat. Your name will be entered for every comment left on my posts ( limited to 1 comment per post ). I will post the name of the winner the 21st.

 

 

Our Old Cedar Tree ~ Extending the Drawing For Give-Away

 We love this huge, old cedar tree that sits on our property. It overlooks the sheep pens & woods and was enjoyed frequently by our children as they grew up. Now our children's children climb this tree.There are several more huge branches reaching out all around the tree. It would be perfect for a sturdy tree-house, but for now a ladder and a rope & room to sit are enough.

Last weekend and all last week were event-filled days, some planned. However, 5 days of this past week I was away in the hospital with one of my grandchildren. I am grateful I was able to be there, but I was unable to get much done at home. Therefore I am extending the give-away celebrating my 5 year blogging anniversary for one more week. I will have a drawing next Sunday evening, August 11. I will add your name to the drawing as many times as you comment and the winner will receive a flock of 3 Wee Little sheep. (photo: all of our grandchildren in or in front of the tree)

Christmas Cabin & Give-Away

 Here are two Wee Little Sheep helping me announce my give-away. The little flock of 3 I am giving away will look similar to these two woolly sheep. The sheep are made using the wool fleece from my own flock of live sheep. The sheep are perfect for the Nativity scene with a 6" scale. The winner may choose to have the sheep wear bells, hearts, or no neck ornaments at all. All you have to do to get your name thrown into the bowl ( literally) for selection is leave a comment on a blog post. Your name will be entered every time you leave a comment.I will select someone to draw the name out of the bowl December 23rd, announce it December 24th and mail the little flock to the winner before the new year begins !Now, onto Christmas decorating, more specifically, our little Christmas Cabin.

 This log cabin sits atop an armoir between our living room & dining room. The cabin was built by my husband and 3 children years ago for a home-school history fair.It is furnished for my little Bear family now, and even decorated inside for Christmas. Outside the cabin it is the abode of a polar bear family and Santa Claus.

Thank-you for visiting, and please, don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a Wee Little Flock !

"In December the winter sun burns like white fire on the snow. Ice glitters on the cold side of the branches of the sugar maples, melts on the warm side and falls with a soft sound." Glady Tabor 'The Best of Stillmeadow'

Teacup Tuesday ~ Grape Vines or Ivy ?

Does the pattern on this teacup look like grape vines to you? I chose this teacup & saucer today to sip my tea as I decorated our home. I hummed "The Holly & The Ivy" as I pulled family seasonal treasures out of their storage boxes.

I was happy with the simplicity of my sun-room Christmas decor and thought the ivy teacup looked right at home with the lovely Peace Lily my 3 younger sisters had sent to the Memorial Service last month for my husband's mother . The lovely plant now lives in our sun-room.

The teacup is bone china made by Colclough. Upon examining it more closely I discovered a sticker from the shop where I bought it saying "Grapevine" c. 1945-48 Colclough ".That stopped me short, looked like ivy to me. So, I did some research and lo & behold, it IS Ivy, by Colclough. There are quite a few dishes & teacups made in this pattern. 

Being curious, I researched further into the meaning of the song I had been humming all day, 'The Holly & The Ivy' and discovered it is an interesting song that has little about the ivy in it.If you're interested in this you can click here*.

This song is full of symbolic meaning and there are musings on why ivy & holly would have been used to adorn homes or religious buildings & temples~the symbolic use is probably meaningful to many, but I think it often comes down to being practical. What plants and trees were green or blooming in the dark and bleak winters? Ivy, holly, evergreen trees, and anything with berries for color. I love the hardy ivy plant even if it is considered an invasive nuisance by the plant experts ( including my husband). I very much like this teacup & saucer and think it is perfect for Teatime Tuesdays during the Christmas season.I am joining the ladies below for Tuesday Tea~Time:

• Terri at Artful Affirmations* 
• Sandi At Rose Chintz Cottage* 
• Martha At Martha's Favorites* 

 I will be giving away a flock of 3 Wee Little Sheep this month, just because I want to, it's almost Christmas, the season of giving!More details to come, but all you have to do to enter is leave a comment. I will enter your name every time you leave a comment on my blog.( If you comment on 3 different blog posts, your name will be entered 3 times) It starts now. I will post a picture of the flock in my next post. ~ "Gift: A present; any thing given or bestowed;any thing, the property of which is voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation."American Dictionary of The English Language

Remnants

 Remnants of autumn ~ red, gold, bright yellow leaves.

 The new grape arbor , just this summer loaded with vines and grapes, looks bare.

 The older grape arbor is almost hidden with grape vines , and the bright yellow cloud of leaves makes me happy, yet the cold rain and freezing weather has now lessened this cloud to a few puffs of yellow hanging barely, ready to fly away in the next passing wind.

 November is the time of transition from Autumn to Winter, the transition from the busy-ness of hunting and gathering, preparing for the cold bleak months to come.

A big part of this transition is filling the wood shed with wood cut from trees on our property, most downed by storms, to heat our winter hearth & home. So much of my favorite season ~ Autumn, is filled with the remnants of summer, and preparing for Winter and all she brings. "There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood, Touch of manner, hint of mood, And my heart is like a rhyme, With the yellow and the purple, and the crimson keeping time." fr.Bliss Carman, 'An Autumn Song'

Now, onto December, Christmas, and all the special delights of this season! I will be having a give-away of my Wee Little Sheep this month just because I want to, and I hope you come back to see how you might win a sheep of your own.