Gifts from Vee!

If you've been following along my trip to New England, you'll remember that dear Vee

brought me some lovely gifts when she, John and Tony and I met up for lunch.  I just HAD to share them with you and tell you what a dear person she and John are- not for the gifts - but just for being herself and my friend!

Vee is a whiz at making these table runners. You can see one of them, her fall one, here... and she's done some other ones, but I didn't go back any further.

This 'un here is the one she made for me.  No, you can't have it.  I'm in love with it and it's not leaving my table  (well, I might move it for Christmas so I can put my Christmas runner out.)

Now these pink roses were a gift from my oldest son for my birthday, so play like you don't see all this pink with the reds...   I'm using more reds and farm colors now.  Pink is out.

Look at this sweeeeeeet fabric.  I don't know where she got it - I haven't seen it before.  I've been looking for some fabric to maybe do some curtains or another little skirt around my little end cabinet. It's got pink on it still.  This fabric would be great for my kitchen.  My kitchen clock has apples on it, Vee  - did I tell you that? 

AND, it has birds on it, too.  Just love it!

Next up - A sweet and handmade needle keeper that Vee made for me.  I have a vintage package of needles that belonged to my grandmother - it's still full, and part of those needles are going into this little felt-lined needle keeper.  Thank you so much, Vee!   You are mighty handy with YOUR needles!

Inside the needle keeper was a beautiful maple leaf from her yard and most recently from her dining table...

See this little lobster pillow?  From Maine!  And it's filled with the Christmas-y scent of balsam!  Every time I walk by it (it's been sitting on the coffee table), I pick it up and breathe deeply - smells so good!

Now, you can't see the last gift that Vee and John gave us.  They were gone just about as quickly as we drove off into the autumn afternoon after our lunch with these two wonderful friends.  They brought us some CHOCOLATE WHOOPIE PIES!  

Last up - shot of my immediate family (minus Tony - he was taking the picture) around our little Thanksgiving table.  It was crowded and cozy and we loved it!  The people who mean the most to me in my whole life! 

Thanks again, Vee - appreciate you more than you know - you ROCK!

We Gather Together...

Enjoy this traditional song...

YouTube

As you and yours gather this Thanksgiving Season, remember from Whom all blessings flow.  Love you all, dear blogger friends and I pray His richest blessings on you all...

photo taken at Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA, in October, 2012.  Vickie Fears

I'm Still Alive Here at Sand Flat Farm!

Ummmm, okay ..... let's see, where were we?  .......

Oh yes, before I get any further, let me share this lovely giveaway with you from Christy at Artisan Farmstead Living!  She's having a giveaway of a lb. of her luscious laundry soap that she makes herself with goat milk soap and I'm REALLLLLY hoping to win!  If not, guess I'll have to buy some...  Pop over there and see her neat blog where she makes all things homestead-style!  Tell her I sent you!  I just found her today doing some blog-hopping!

Thanksgiving?  Check!  Had a great time with all the family? Check!  Ate WAY too much?  Check!  Talked to our Kiwi Kids?  Check!  Did some skyping, too!  Made plans for Christmas holidays?  Check!  Family agreed to draw names for gifts?  Check!  Been trying to get everybody to agree on that for years!  Did some target practice with the kids?  Check!  Even my mama got in on that!  Pictures to follow...

And my mama is serious - don't mess with mama! My brother is lookin' on and Daddy is coverin' up his ears...

My brother discussing the merits of his arsenal...

Anybody around my area need a purty calico kitty?  Lucy is staying with us until I find her another home.  She belonged to Josh and Lindsey, and since they couldn't take her to NZ, I'm looking for a new home.  I already have a sinus infection and severe allergies due to her being at my house.  She's always been an inside cat, so I hate to just put her outside.  She'd freak.  It's taken her two weeks to settle down and feel comfortable here.  She's already spayed and had shots.  Got any takers?  She's free to a good home!  WITH all her stuff!  I'll even bring her to you if don't live too far away! 

Thought I'd show you a fine specimen of canine-ity - our farmdog, Gypsy, is surveying the grounds (actually she is sitting on top of the berm that the boys shoved up with the tractor to use as a backdrop to shoot against).  Little did Gypsy know that soon,  gunfire would commence and she'd be hightailin' it back to the barn...  But I'll swan! - lawsy-mercy... she  did look mighty fine settin' up there for a few short minutes...

She's turning out to be a great dog so far - she's been here about a month now.  She's very smart - I can show her how to do something once or twice and she's got it!  We're thinking mostly Aussie with some border collie in her, too, for good measure.  She loves to play with the young tan outside cat - he who hath no name yet.  Young Tan Outside Cat, herein after referred to as YTOC either is stupid and has no escape skills, or he truly likes being played with by Gyp.  I've seen several times Gyp carrying him around the yard like a ragdoll and she traps him with her front paws.  I thought that she might bite him too hard, but I guess she's being very careful and hopefully has a very soft mouth.  He seems healthy and active and playful, and I let him in ONLY to eat so Gyp won't bug him. He comes in, eats, and then warts the tar out of Lucy. They fight and squall and chase each other all over the house.   I sure hope he makes it.  YTOC's been here two months and is getting big.  I don't know why he doesn't just take a whack at Gypsy's nose with his paw and set her straight...  I told him to many times, but as of yet, he hasn't done anything about it.

And Gypsy loves me.  I'm her person.  Makes me feel good.  She whines for me to hold her and pet her and scratch her.  She just wants me to love on her.  And I do.  What is it about dogs that we love them and they love us so unconditionally?  Why does their love make us feel so good?  Where is this post going?

Hope to get my Christmas tree up this week.  I have no earthly idea as to the whereabouts of my Christmas decorations.  I sold a bunch of them that were getting dog-eared when we moved, threw another bunch away and packed up the rest, and I don't know where it is.  Good excuse to get a few new things, eh? Only thing is, with one cat and sometimes two in the house, how in tarnation am I going to keep my Christmas tree and decorations intact?  Can you tell me that?  I think this year I'm going to go down to the woods and cut some evergreen limbs and such and do some natural decorating. I'm still thinking on that wreath that Vee did that I love SO much - the square one. So simple, yet so natural and I just LOVE natural!

Anyway, I'm really tightening my purse strings this year and am looking to find ways to decorate on the cheap, and natural elements are to be had everywhere.

We've covered lotsa territory this evenin', so I guess I'm outa here til next time.  Will try to post more often - Holidays are so busy!

Keep yore dress down!

Thanksgiving 2010 at Momma's House

Ok, let's just admit it. I did BAD on posting my thanksgivings every day.  I had high hopes, but life was just too busy.  Oh, I have counted them and recounted them in my head, but they never made it to cyberspace. I'll try again next year.  We DID have a fabulous Thanksgiving. My brother drove here all the way from North Carolina - alone - his MIL is in bad health, and my brother's wife had to stay home and care for her. My sister came with her family, and all my kids were here. We had Thanksgiving at my folk's house.  As long as Mom wants to do it, that's what we'll do. Of course we all help her out with the food, etc., but the big get-togethers are at her house.

I have a few pics I'll show you...

above

My niece Jaci, me, Hayley, mom, my sis Lisa, and niece Taylor...

My sister Lisa, Me, and Mom

My oldest, Adam, and Dan, my brother.

 This is my brother, Dan!  He drove down to Texas straight thru so he could be with us!  I miss him so much!

Hayley and her Mema ...(My mom & dad always have invited Tony's folks over...)

Around the table, dad, mom, Lisa, Jaci, Tony, Adam (Taylor's boyfriend hiding), Taylor and her Dad & my BIL Wayne (Lisa's husband)

My Adam, Mema (Tony's mom), Tony and Hayley

Daddy attacking that Ham!  He had already done the turkey by the time I got my camera out.

 Hayley made the coconut pie this year - we burned one crust (cuz I wasn't watching it...) Grreat pie, honey!

Chickenfoot, anyone???  We had a tournament - I did win, once! That's all!  And you see my glass of tea sitting there?  Welp, I gave it a good wallop and sent it flying all over the table and my Mom!  Now, we would have all reckoned that it'd be my sister that would do that, but this time, it was ME!  Lisa, if you're reading, I love you, you graceful gazelle!!!  tee-hee!

And lastly, but certainly not leastly - Josh and Bug.

We had so much fun!  I can't wait for Christmas now - but I really think Thanksgiving and Christmas should be about 6 months apart so we can rest up in between holiday times!!!  Hope YOURS was a great as mine!  See you soon!

Keep your dress down!

Perspective for the Holiday Season

If you haven't already been there, you must go to Southern Inspiration and read Suzanne's post on November 12. It's about putting everything in perspective for the season, and not only that, but for every day of our lives.  It's a Gift that you can give yourself.  I get SO overwhelmed at Christmas feeling like that everything's left up to me.  I have way too many things on my list to do.  I plan all sorts of neato things I'd like to accomplish for decor & food and parties and family gatherings.  And while they're all wonderful ideas, I wind up getting myself over-extended and worn out, and sometimes it's almost impossible to enjoy the season and I get frustrated with myself & everybody else cuz they're not helping.  I feel like I let myself and everybody else down because I'm not Martha Stewart and everything's not just perfect.  Suzanne really put into words what I feel each year, AND what we need to do to keep ourselves from getting frazzled and disappointed.  We should keep this mindset ALL YEAR LONG!

I don't want to dread Christmas and the holidays, and I find myself feeling that way nearly every year.  I'm going to try to take her words to heart and pare down if need be. I want to enjoy the holidays, my family and loved ones, and if things are not decorated like the pages in a magazine, so what?  Being together and spending time with the ones you love are the most important things besides celebrating the birth of Christ. Won't you all join me in my endeavor?

photo courtesy - http://www.yowzers.com/thanksmp.jpg

Well, this week promises to be extremely busy for all of us. I haven't seen my brother and his family for two years as they live in North Carolina and WON'T fly anywhere. We haven't been able to get up there to see them either. I will be doing most of the cooking I guess, since my mom is needing knee replacement surgery and she's trying to put it off until after Christmas. So my sister and I will have her sitting at the kitchen table cutting up the fruit salad.

I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year! You get to see all your family like at Christmas, but you don't have the added pressure of shopping for gifts. I love giving gifts, but I love seeing my family more than anything. I love the Christmases that we've given home-made gifts - those mean more to me. All this running around like crazy trying to "just find something" to give so you'll have a gift for everyone drives me nuts. Christmas shopping has gotten totally out of hand. I remember the days when I was little when my parents centered Christmas around the blessed birth of our saviour, Jesus, and how magical it was to sit around the Christmas tree as my dad or mom read the Christmas story.

Here's a Thanksgiving idea that you might enjoy doing with your family---

For Thanksgiving a few years ago, I had my whole family at my house. I bought some parchment paper and a gold caligraphy pen and some gold ribbon, and cut out some little scroll size pieces of the paper. Then I wrote a special thanksgiving for each person in my family and why they were special to me. I rolled them up and tied the gold ribbon around each one and placed on them beside each person's plate. Everybody kept wondering all during lunch what was on the scrolls, but we had to wait until after everyone was through eating. Then I had each person in turn open and read their scroll out loud to the family. It was wonderful and I got to express my thanks and love for each and every family member and what made them so unique and special to me and my life. There were lots of laughs, lots of tears, but mostly lots of hugs and kisses - and I think this was the most special Thanksgiving we've ever had as as family. We don't express our love for one another as often as we should.

I hope anyone who reads my posts has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I'm going to be very busy this week, so I don't know if I'll get back to you or not. Planning on taking off work for the rest of the week to cook and clean probably like the rest of you. It is nice that most of my family lives here and my husband's parents and my parents are all still alive and in good health (what a blessing) so we get to stay home for all our holidays! Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Vickie