2009 - A Year In Review

January - A pink and blue evening sky, right outside my front door.

February - Having someone who loves me, warts and all.

March - Becoming giddy owners of a motorhome we named Cloud Nine.

April - Celebrating my beautiful mother's birthday.

May - Celebrating my wonderful parents' 60th anniversary.

June - Spending time along the East Coast, and making it to Fenway Park.

June - Wishing my lovely daughter a happy 23rd birthday.

July - Fireworks

August - Celebrating our 29th wedding anniversary.

September - Spending two weeks in magnificent Destin, Florida.

October - Celebrating another birthday with my awesome identical twin.

November - Gathering around my sister's Thanksgiving table.

December - Enjoying a white Christmas overlooking Branson's Table Rock Lake.

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Annie's Gift

I first met beautiful Annie in 2005. I had just joined the Xanga blogging community and I don’t exactly recall how Annie and I discovered each other, but once we did, well, there was an instant bonding. We share a love for writing, and even though she resides in the UK (across the pond, as we call it), and we’ve never met face-to-face, I feel we’ve been friends forever. I’m old enough to be her mother, and if I had another daughter, I’d be proud to call her my own.

Last week, a parcel arrived in the mail from across the pond. It wasn’t the first time Annie has surprised me with a lovely gift. I blogged about it in October, when she sent me and my twin sister some goodies from her charming home town, including tea bags and specific instructions for how to make a perfect cup of tea. Until that point, I’d never been able to concoct a cup of tea that suited my tastes (I’m a coffee gal), and I had expressed that to her on a number of occasions. But when made according to Annie’s directions, whoa! It made all the difference in the world, and I now crave that perfect little cup of tea quite often.

But I digress. Back to the parcel that arrived last week.

I opened it to discover not only a gift for me, but another one for my twin sister. I mean, who does that? Someone special, that's who. And that is Annie.

Inside my festively wrapped package was a charming Christmas tree ornament—a perfect addition to my growing collection. And there, folded in a little square, was a precious drawing from Annie’s adorable son, Zach, to me, my husband, and my daughter. It melted my heart to think of the trouble Annie went to, in order to make me feel so special. I hope one day I can repay her in some way for her thoughtfulness. And I'm doing everything in my power to make sure we meet face-to-face, at least once.

Today, on Cindy’s Show and Tell Friday, I’m celebrating a very special gift, from a very special cyber friend named Annie. You’re invited to join the party.

Homemade Ornaments ~ 33 Years Old and Counting

I'm not quite sure why my twin sister and I decided to make homemade Christmas ornaments. Perhaps our dating life had slowed down. I really don't remember. I just know the year was 1976 and we gathered around our parents’ kitchen table, night after night, for months on end, designing, gluing, glittering, trimming, cutting, stapling, and pinning. We had nothing to go by. No patterns. No pictures. Just our instincts and creativity.

A box full of things like Styrofoam shapes, empty matchboxes, ribbon, rick-rack, cardboard, lace, sequins, glitter, mini-straight pins, assorted jewels, leftover fabric from creations of my mom's sewing, and spools of gold rope, became our supply store, right there on the kitchen table.

If I remember correctly, we came up with twelve ideas, and aimed to make a dozen or so of each. The unique ones would be one-of-a-kinds, which included a small nativity ornament.

Before it was over, we'd created snow cones, lollipops, tiny wagons, velvet-covered cardboard baskets, minature plaid hats, pearl-trimmed mirrors, fabric-covered cardboard butterflies, medallions with Christmas trees, felt and fabric Christmas trees, assorted colors of sequin-studded balls, glittery snowmen, and snow-topped houses. The results were better than we ever expected.

For several years, Mother used this collection on her tree, but when she decided to go with a more structured theme, she asked if anyone wanted them. Since my twin sister had a particular color she used for her tree every year, and since I’d always favored a more old-fashioned kind of Christmas tree, I raised my hand. The ornaments would go home with me. And that’s where they’ve been ever since. Some have met their waterloo, but many of them remain in wonderful condition, considering their age. I handle them with the greatest of care and am still enchanted whenever I hang them on the tree for another appearance.

I wish I had photos that showed all of them, but that’s another story for another day. In the meantime, take a look at the striped snow cones, the pearl-trimmed mirror, and the Christmas tree medallion here. (Click on the pics for a larger view.)

In 2005, my then-editor at The Dallas Morning News asked me to write an essay about how my tradition of collecting dated ornaments began, and the meaning behind it all. If you're interested in reading about it, you can find that essay at the end of this post. (You should be able to click on the image twice for full resolution.)

In the photo above, there's a faint glimpse of a red-striped wagon on the right (a coffee stirrer serves well as the handle). It was constructed from a matchbox and wheels of cardboard. And what about that small plaid hat in front, constructed from cardboard, fabric, and rope trim?

This photo shows just a hint of one of the fabric Christmas trees, with green sequins and rick-rack, on the left, along with another snow cone.

If you look closely you can see a felt-trimmed lollipop, boasting a coffee stirrer for the stick. A wagon is there, and a red-velvet basket, constructed from cardboard and lace trim. The nativity ornament is there, as is a snowman, and a few of the others mentioned above appear here, as well.

These ornaments are all part of the 1976 collection, and I cherish them more today than ever before.

A Christmas Centerpiece

I don't generally join in on Susan's fabulous tablescape parties every Thursday, because, put simply, I'm just not a tablescaper gal; I do good to get the knife and fork in the correct place and position. But I'm intrigued by the talented tablescapers out there in blogland, and Thursdays are a visual feast at Susan's blog.

Today, I'm tip-toeing into the circle of talented tablescapers to show a Christmas centerpiece that made a big hit and was a breeze to create. It could be used for other seasons, with just as much impact.

I started with this carry-all thingie I picked up at an antique shop.

I purchased small red and gold ornaments and a few pillar candles to help fill the sections. But the star of the show wasn't purchased until two days before the event. At the florist, I picked up a dozen or so water picks, a dozen or so red roses, and fresh evergreens. (If the roses are already opened, you'll want to wait until the day before to purchase.) The water picks were filled with water, the roses were stripped and cut to size for the picks, and the evergreens served as a great filler, and they smelled great, to boot. The possiblities with this little carry-all are endless.

Now, if you really want to see some beautiful tables, go on over to Susan's blog, where she's also posted one of the sweetest stories I've read in quite a long time.

Unexpected Snow Day

Friday brought the rare appearance of snow to Houston and surrounding cities in Southeast Texas. It was the second year in a row that we've seen snow here in December. That's quite an unexpected gift around these parts, so I'm unwrapping it for Emily's Tuesdays Unwrapped party. Click on over to see what it's all about.

A Christmas Memory

I sincerely apologize for blogging in a lazy sort of way, but I wanted to share this story today, and it's much easier to do it like this than to try and cut and paste from the original text. So, thank you friends, for bearing with me in my laziness. (If you click on the article image, it should be readable. I apologize for the poor quality.)

One great thing about living in the same house for 20 years is having so many memories to draw from. Everything that's happened since the month my daughter turned three happened right here in this house.

The memory I'm sharing today is one of my favorites. I first wrote about it in my second book in 1997, and it still makes me a little weepy every time I read it. I recall so well the deep emotions that spilled out on this particular day. It was one of those God moments that I'm so often guilty of missing. I'm grateful I was wide awake for this one.

Article as it appeared in Signs of the Times.

This image is from the Christmas carol book that the story is centered around.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

As often as I can, I link up to Ginger and Charlotte's inspirational gathering spot in blogland. They call it Spiritual Sundays, and I find it a great source of both community and inspiration. And if you don't have time to take it all in at one sitting, like me, it's something you can return to throughout the week for a shot of encouragement. Thanks, Ginger and Charlotte, for your vision.

Outdoor Wednesday - Dated Ornaments

Since the lovely Susan has temporarily tweaked the rules for Outdoor Wednesday to include Christmas decorations, both inside and out, I wanted to share a few of my dated ornaments, and the story behind them.

In 2005, my then-editor at The Dallas Morning News asked me to write an essay about how my tradition of collecting dated ornaments began, and the meaning behind it all. If you're interested in reading about it, you can find that essay at the end of this post. (You should be able to click on the pic for full resolution. Or, you can click here and find it online.)

This tradition began for me in 1980, the year I married, and continues 29 years later. I could never pick a favorite, as I love them all, but here are just a few of my beloved dated ornaments.

For a real treat, click on over to Susan's beautiful blog and see what others are displaying today. And if you're participating in Outdoor Wednesday, please let me know. I'd love to see what you've done today.

On Being Brave

Every Tuesday, Emily graciously invites fellow travelers to unwrap the “messy, the lovely, and the unexpected” stuff. She calls it Tuesdays Unwrapped. I’m not sure which category being brave would fall into, as it can be both messy and lovely, not to mention unexpected. And it sure isn't easy.

Sometimes in life you have to be braver than you ever thought you could be. The young, the old, the middle-aged—all of us. There are times when we must be brave and strong, because the situation demands it. In those times, you ache and hurt, and somewhere in the depths of your soul, you moan and groan.

When I was a girl, some days I would wake up aching and hurting all over, with no explanation as to why. Mother always told me, "It's growing pains. Your body, your bones, your muscles—they're all growing. You'll be OK."

And so it is when you have to be brave in the midst of difficult circumstances. You almost feel yourself stretching and growing. And it hurts something fierce inside. But, in the end, if you're made out of the right stuff, you'll be OK. The night will end. The winter will pass. And through it all, you'll find strengths you never knew you had, for how else will you discover how strong you really are, if you're never tested, if you never have to be brave?

These have been my thoughts on this cold, gray Tuesday morning. Now, wish me luck. I'm off to practice my bravery.

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