Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens...

These are a few of my favorite things.


I don't really go overboard decorating for Christmas.  The tree is the most important thing to me as it is covered in decorations that have been given as gifts or made by my children.  As we decorate the tree each year, we laugh and remember stories about some of the ornaments.  Like the year Jake thought he was a mouse...he got a mouse decoration.  Or the handmade ornament with a photo of Stephanie as a first grader.  Our tree has somewhere around 100 decorations.  Only 10 of those are ornaments with no significant meaning.  Our tree theme is "These ARE the good ol' days!"

Here are some of my favorite Christmas decorations.




Our First Christmas Together



This  belonged to my mother-in-law.  She gave it to me when she moved.  It's ceramic, missing some lights and the star on the top is broken.  I love it!

Given to me by my uncle.

Our family.

Jim has given me a poinsettia every year we've been together.



One of my favorite scenes from my Christmas village.



Jingle bells on the door.

My parents gave this to me in 1998.  It's one of my favorites.





Handmade ornaments from my kids.  I LOVE these!

When the dog bites...When the bee stings...When I'm feeling sad...I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad.

(I watched The Sound of Music for the first time last week.  Wow, huh?)

Heavy Heart, Thankful Heart




The Thin Blue Line

 

My heart is heavy.

Last night, an Arlington Police Officer was killed.

My heart is thankful.

Last night, my husband slept in our bed.  Safely.

Jim's real passion at work is teaching officer safety.  Teaching them how to stay alive.  And he is very good at it.  God has given him a gift and he uses it.  He is mindful and aware at all times (even off-duty) of dangerous situations.  However, this does not mean that he can't encounter a situation in which there is no safe way out of.   And I know that.

And so I pray.  Believing that God will bring all of the life-saving techniques Jim has learned to his mind if he should ever encounter a deadly situation.  Having faith that God will protect him while he is protecting others.

Thank you, God, for bringing my husband home safely to me every night.

When You Hit The Wall ~ Say Hey!

Today I have been editing photos. Usually I move right along smoothly then BAM! I hit the wall. My eyes get heavy.  Nothing seems to work or look right. So frustrating.
Pandora stepped up.
This song came on. Editing ceased and dancing commenced.

Tell me you can NOT move during this song. I dare you.









And now...back to editing.

p.s.
As far as I can tell, YouTube does not limit how many times you can play a video.