I watch them as they interact with the little ones in the family.

I see their tenderness, their care, the time they take with each of them.

There is just something about these young men in my life that is so endearing to me.

Fathers and "maybe someday to be fathers" play a real special role in the life of children.

"They say that man is mighty,

He governs land and sea,

He wields a mighty scepter,

O'er lesser powers than he.

But a mighty power and stronger

Man from his throne is hurled:

For the hand that rocks the cradle

is the hand that rules the world."

~William Wallace

The church was decorated with sticks and tiny white lights for the beautiful winter wedding of my nephew and his new bride.

She was a radiant bride.


The groom's twin neices stole the show, in their role as flower girls.


"Arch of Swords" formed by the honor guards at the reception.

I remember the day this guy was born. Time passes by so quickly.
Here he is with his dearly loved bride.



The lit brick wall formed the perfect backdrop for the wedding cake.
It was a lovely, meaningful, evening being with family and friends, and celebrating the wedding of these two special people.

Thanks to my dear neice for the amazing job she did in capturing these pictures with her camera last evening.

This morning, I was reflecting back over my last week and counting my Christmas blessings.

A few I will share with you...

...the beautiful, relaxing and festive music that Fox News Channel played all day on the 25th.

...the gifts I chose for the little ones in my life were hits, at least for the most part.

...that I now have my very own personal cleaning girl, and the best part is that she comes every week.


...she takes her job seriously, does thorough work and even cleans my living room cabinets.

...broom included with her on the visits.

...for all the treasured moments I had to spend with the newest member of our family.



...the fact that our three daughters and three granddaughters got to spend Christmas Day in our home. This is a rare occurence for us.

...and last but not least, I am thankful for the beautiful snow we received last evening, and that it was not too much to interfere with my nephew's wedding.

Just a few of the blessing that are on my heart today.

Hope your Monday is a good one and that you are able to stay warm.

Christmas 2010 is almost here.

What that entails is different for each of us.

For me, it means time for family.

Time to spend moments together.

It is the most special gift that we could be given here on this earth, and it becomes more valuable to me, with each passing year.

In light of the many grave situations facing our world today, I find it most comforting for me to focus on the real, true, meaning of this beautiful holiday.

"Thanks be to God for his unspeakable Gift---

indescribable

inestimable

incomparable

inexpressibly precious beyond words."

~Lois Lebar

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``

My sincere wish for each of you my blogging friends, is that you would be able to enjoy time with those you love, and you will be given some memorable moments to treasure in your heart throughout the coming year.

pictures from past Country Living Magazines

We went from a quiet, empty nest home, to a full, busy home in a matter of hours.

They keep coming and we are enjoying it all.

First time introductions are taking place(supervised, in case you are concerned).

The littliest one is cooperating and slowly getting used to it all.


Countdowning down the days until her wedding.

"Barney," the big purple guy, was here too, for the entertaining aspect.


The oldest grandchild meets the youngest for the first time.



These little guys just keep smiling, especially when food is involved.

Thankful for you and your visit this morning.

I appreciate that you take time to stop in and pay a visit to my very busy corner of the world. I look forward to doing the same...sometime:)

For many years upon waking, I would walk into my kitchen, open the cupboard door, reach into it and pull out a white coffee filter and proceed to make my morning pot of coffee.

Never did I give a thought about the little white coffee filter that was involved in my routine.

I no longer use the white coffee filters because my coffee maker now has it's own filter.

I am sure you may be wondering why I would be sharing this trivial piece of info with you this week of Christmas?

Look at this beautiful wreath I received today. It is a white wreath made with white coffee filters. My ever so creative friend made it for me as a special gift. I never saw anything like it.

I wish you could see how all the edges have glitter on them. The snowflake adds it's own beauty and the rhinestones add the perfect touch. Certainly my camera did not do this masterpiece justice.



What a simple, gorgeous gift. I will never look at the average coffee filter in the same way.
A fun, unexpected surprise in this week of Christmas.

Last evening we babysat for our grandchildren while their parents went to a company Christmas dinner.

I walked into their kitchen and they eagerly pulled me to the kitchen counter, to show me the ornaments they had made during the day on Saturday.

They were so proud of their creations and to me, they were beautiful!

Angels, Christmas trees, snowmen...baked and painted by their little hands.

I looked around my daughter's kitchen. I was so impressed with the warmth and coziness of the room. The old fashion vignette at the window above her sink added pleasure to my dish washing experience after serving dinner.

The vintage postcard and tiny red lights, along with the soft holiday music playing on the radio, were the perfect way to start out my week before Christmas.

.

On the other kitchen counter sat a box of vintage tree ornaments along with some evergreens and old votive holders,

I think she has an eye for decorating, especially the ability to create ambience throughout her home, despite the fact that six children fill the rooms of that home.
Children fill the holidays with wonder and excitement, and help me to see it all in a different light.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"None will ever find a way

To banish Christ from Christmas Day...

For with each child there's born again

A mystery that baffles men."

~Helen Steiner Rice

Homemade Christmas gifts from the heart. My sister-in-law and her good friends get together at Christmas, along with their chocolate, and they create. The gifts they create for others will make you wish that you were one of their friends.

Chocolate covered pretzel rods and apples...can you think of anything better???

They covered 81 apples with chocolate, caramel and pecans.


Ingredients are ready and the process began.

Good quality choclolate, big, ripe apples and the skills needed to put it all together...that is what was present that day in their kitchen.

What a special, delicious, time consuming gift for many fortunate people this Christmas.

Just thought you might enjoy seeing another example of some talented, creative ladies giving of their time and skills, making gifts for others.

One of my favorite thing about visiting blogs at Christmas, is seeing the many homemade gifts that you all create.

Happy Friday!

Last Christmas my daughter gave me this sign. I thought it was a perfect gift. This Christmas, I hung it up and as I did I thought to myself, "Grandma just isn't baking as much as she used to." Grandma wants to bake, Grandma loves to bake, but Grandma just cannot bake as much as she used to. I bet everyone of you reading this post can understand this predicament that I find myself in:)

So now Grandma is developing some new habits, like when she is home over lunch time, she always eats a bowl of Vanilla Almond Special K cereal with chopped walnuts, blueberries, and skim milk.
Now, when these two little girls are at her home over lunch time, guess what?
They too eat Special K with blueberries and skim milk. They were not impressed with the chopped walnuts.
I feel so honored that they copy my taste in cereal.


They take it quite seriously...eating their cereal with me. The littliest one now uses a "big girl spoon" like we do. At age 2, the spoon seems a bit large, but she handles it well.



The older sister has mastered the cereal eating.
I know what you all are thinking now. Doesn't she wear bibs on them when they eat lunch?

She usually does, but she forgot on this occasion. She was probably thinking about all that she had to do yet that day:)

When you are 2 years old and eating cereal out of a big bowl, you just got to find a way to retrieve all of the remaining milk at the bottom of the bowl.

I bet even Emily Post did this at age 2...maybe not.

What is your favorite cereal?

When it is cold and windy outside, I am always reminded of the delicious tomato soup and hot cheese sandwiches my mother would make.

When it is winter weather outside, I prefer a wood stove or fireplace, a comfy chair, a warm blanket, lots of books, a bouquet of fresh flowers...okay, it is alright to dream, right?

This picture is from a past edition of Country Living Magazine(British Edition). It has all my preferences, except the soup and hot cheese sandwich.

I know you all have your favorite recipes for tomato soup, but the above pictured was my choice this time.

I found the soup at the grocery store and discovered it's great taste. Plus it has no trans fat, no added MSG or no preservatives.

I put the contents of the soup in my pan, added 1 TB of brown sugar(because that is always what my mother did):), plus a dash of salt and pepper.

Just heat and serve.

These baked ham 'n' cheese sandwiches are so easy and convenient.

"Use your microwave when preparing the tasty onion butter for these sandwiches from Ann Chrysler of Adrian, Michigan. I have no idea where I found this recipe, I only know that it has been in my recipe file for a long time.

The ingredients;

3 thinly sliced onions(I use 1 1/2 instead)

1/2 cup of butter, cubed

3 TB. of Dijon mustard(or French's Classic yellow mustard)

1 TB poppy seeds

1 TB lemon juice

8 croissants, split( I used whole grain crusty rolls)

2 pounds of shaved deli ham

1/2 pound sliced baby Swiss cheese(or whatever you have on hand)

~Place onions and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl; cover and microwave on high for 2 or 3 minutes or until onions are tender. Stir in the mustard, poppy seeds, lemon juice. Cover and microwave on high for 1 minute or until heated through.

~Spread onion mixture on both sides of the cut sides of the roll. On bottom half of roll, layer ham and cheese; replace tops.

~Wrap each sandwich in foil. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Yield: 8 servings

The nice thing about these sandwiches is that they can be cooled and then frozen. When ready to eat, simply remove foil and microwave for 1 minute.

I make extra of these sandwiches and my husband takes them from the freezer for his lunch at work.

I top the tomato soup with a bit of micro grated cheese and chopped parsley flakes.

A simple, quick idea for a cold, winter evening.


See how the cheese melted and blended with the onion sauce.

Wish it was dinner time.
Hope you are staying warm.