And The winner Is...

Christmas Eve was wonderful. We had dinner with our daughter and her family.We watched a Christmas movie together, while snuggling grandchildren. 

Later, I had one of my granddaughters help me in drawing the winner of a flock of Wee Little Sheep.

All your names, as many times as you commented this past month, were added to the basket, shuffled around and... 

...drum-roll please.....

KEETHA !

Keetha, email me your snail mail address, and this little flock will be on its' way to your home ! Congratulations Keetha, and thank-you to everyone who has taken time to spend a bit of time with me reading and commenting on my blog over the past few years. I am taking a blogging break this week and looking forward to the coming new year , 2013. To all of you blogging friends ~

Happy New Year !

 

Little Baby On The Hay ~ God's Gift

This picture by one of our granddaughters says it all, the reason our family celebrates Christmas. "And she ( Mary ) gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn...for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:7,11

"Little baby on the hay, soon there'll be another day when nails shall pierce Your hands and feet as you provide our sin's defeat. 

Risen Jesus on the throne, we lift our praise to You alone - for You're the gift that we receive, the moment that our hearts believe." Roy Lessin  

Remember, tomorrow night I will draw the name of the winner of a small flock of Wee Little Sheep, and post the winner Christmas Day. Any time you leave a comment your name goes in the drawing , this is for all the posts since I announced the drawing. ( Keetha has a pretty good chance of winning!)

Merry Christmas !  

Christmas~ Hard Work For Cats

 It is such hard work being a cat during the Christmas Season. Resisting the sparkly, dangling things hanging off a tree. ( Birds ?)

 And let us not forget how hard it is to hold down the batting used for decorating and the wrapping paper when the people in the house keep moving it about !Not to mention the strings of lights....

It is such hard work a cat needs a nap. Now if only the dogs would appreciate our work and give us more room on the cat bed!

Reindeer ?

My husband & our grandsons. What ? You thought they were reindeer? Well, the grandchildren are sure my husband is Santa Claus. This is such a fun time of the year for us. "Don't expect too much of Christmas Day. You can't crowd into it any arrears of unselfishness & kindliness that may have accrued during the past 12 months." Oren Arnold

Hot Chocolate With Real Whipping Cream Snow Day

Tea-Time Tuesday has been postponed here at Cedar Pond .We had our first decent snowfall and had a snow day ! Look out my living room window, see all that snow? With 2 grandsons spending the night here, a day playing in the snow is called for.

                                                                                    

 My 3 Amigos huddle up next to the sun-warmed foundation.

 My sheep were seen licking the snow while waiting for their alfalfa.

The ducks warmed up IN the pond, and then scrambled for the crackers our youngest grandson scattered for them.

Today was a hot chocolate with real whipping cream after playing in the snow day ! Yes, it was.

Cat Stalks Christmas Elves !

Blizzard ,our cat, pondering the taste of teeny tiny Christmas elves?

It is snowing outside right now, I am almost finished addressing Christmas cards.It has been a very pleasant 2 days with our grandsons here, and now they are sleeping peacefully upstairs . They enjoyed playing games like Shooters, and Rummy with their Poppa, and each grandson made a dinner for us from the Paula Deen Cookbook For Kids.The Porcupine Balls and Pigs in a Blanket were yummy, thank-you Grandsons.We have to take the boys home tomorrow , I think their Mom misses them.

I have a TeaTime Tuesday post to do later on today, and please don't forget the give-away!( see side-bar) I hope you're taking time to enjoy this season with loved ones, appreciating the many blessings in your life. 

Table-Top Snow Scene : Christmas Decorating

Our dining room table takes up a large part of our living space( by design ). A large table allows more people to sit together as they share a meal & fellowship. Because the table dominates so much space I like to decorate it too."Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart." Washington Irving

Often a pretty tablecloth, candles,or the food itself are the best centerpieces, but around Christmas I like to make a miniature world of Christmas and winter scenes to delight my grandchildren and myself. "The best gifts around any Christmas tree; the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other." Burton Hillis

The miniature forest scene on the table is part of our home's Christmas village scene, carried on into other parts of the house.You can see our little village on the buffet from here.

Santa's camp is in the little forest on the table too. ( He looks like my husband.) This is the table-top decor for this Christmas season, and one that allows little children and big kids alike to imagine a Christmas forest and even rearrange the figures if it suits them. Kind of an interactive table scene.( Don't forget the give-away, details posted in the side-bar.) "My idea of Christmas , whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others.Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?" Bob Hope