Christmas Day 2018

Christmas Day breakfast.

They came in their pajamas.

They drank orange juice out of coffee mugs.

Erika made her delicious sweet bread.

We had a sausage and egg casserole.

All so good.

So much excitement!

Archie, the little boy from China,

has fully assimilated.

Wearing snoopy pajamas and a Santa hat,

he is outside on Christmas morning 

having a Nerf gun battle with his brothers and his cousins.

Walter got Daniel the Tiger.

He was so excited.

Harry received a Harry Potter Lego set.

Lucy, who is into all things soft and comfy,

got an Ugg blanket.

Gus got a Black Panther Lego set.

Legos never fail to thrill little boys.

Archie loved his magic set.

Amanda got some new Nike shoes.

She is a Fitness Instructor you know.

David got a Fit Bit watch.

Erika got some new boots.

David did not come in his pajamas.

Lucy gave me this most beautiful silver snow covered tree

 that she bought on her trip to New York.

What a treasure!

Lucy gave her granddaddy a book about Abraham Lincoln.

Gift opening lasted all morning.

What a wonderful time of love and fellowship with our family.

So thankful.

Lastly,

this is one of my favorite pictures.

The Cleland boys all got Nerf guns for Christmas.

I keep Nerf guns here at our house for them to play with

so everyone had a gun (except Walt.)

I went out late in the afternoon to get this picture.

I told them all to strike their favorite pose.

They did!

The kids have so much fun running wild in the backyard.

They even played Manhunt until well after dark.

What a great finish to our wonderful Christmas Day.

Christmas 2018 is now in my blog.

I think it was the best yet!

🎄

Christmas morning.....

Just after Santa stopped by.

It was still very dark and quiet.

Jake and Eli coming down the stairs.

The anticipation causes some boys not to get much sleep on Christmas Eve.

Very sad that my Christmas star at the top of the stairs was not shining. 😢

Eli opening his gifts.

So many new figures to make stop motion videos with.

Jake opening his gifts.

He does his slowly and methodically.

Christmas pajamas.

Another tradition.

 Everyone comes to Christmas morning in their pj's.

Waiting for the cousins. 

We always have Christmas morning breakfast together.

The kid's table complete with Disney decorations and floating candles.

Such a festive time.

*more to come...

Christmas memories 2018

At church Sunday morning.

Sitting in the gazebo at Wesley Gardens after the service.

Surrounded by all my loves.

Just finished hearing David preach the Christmas story.

It just doesn't get much better than this!

Another picture of a row full of grandboys.

This time they are  wearing their Christmas clothes. 

They sat behind us.

They were very attentive.

I do see that one boy has sprouted horns.😉

Christmas Eve party at Grammy and Granddaddy's house.

They are having some very serious conversation.

Notice the lime sherbert punch table in the background.

These kids look forward to that all year.

The grandkiddos now fill up my big farm table in the kitchen.

The adults have moved into the formal dining room.

These kiddos have gone from a small children's table to the largest table in the house.

Jake and Lucy are 13.

Eli and Harry are 11.

Archie is 10.

Gus is 8.

Walter is 6.

Lucy and Eli in front of the tree.

Fresh, homemade blueberry muffins for Christmas Eve breakfast.

We have food traditions.

These are one of our favorites.

Very special days.

I hold these memories close and ponder them in my heart.

Cherishing these times keeps me whole.

Thank you God for precious days and times.

"Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, 

coming down from the Father of lights, 

with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."

 James 1:17

This is Christmas...

"Behold a virgin shall be with child, 

and bear a Son, 

and they shall call His name Immanuel, 

which is translated 

'God with us.' "

Matthew 1:23 

Christmas greetings

Merry Christmas everybody!

Sending love and thanksgiving for all of my blog friends.

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I am done!

Shopping, wrapping, gift tags, bows.

The presents are under the tree.

The house is decorated.

Let the Christmas magic begin.

Now we move into food preparation.

Bubba has been to the grocery store every day this week, sometimes twice a day.

We are constantly adding to the list and checking it twice.

Cooking all the old favorites and some new ones too.

Busy, bustling times for sure.

Amanda & Mark, Jake & Eli are on their way.

Last I heard they were down around Daytona Beach.

So excited for them to walk through the door.

Gifts...

If you notice,

all seven grandkid's pictures are near the bottom of the tree.

When they were babies I put them there so that they could see them easier.

Now that's were they know to look.

These children are gifts from God.

Every one of them is special, prayed for, loved.

Their Moms and Dads are gift as well.

Our babies are now parents...

fulfilling the circle of life.

Jesus...

Always the best gift.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, 

that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, 

but have eternal life."

 John 3:16

Will you receive God's gift of His Son Jesus?

Will you believe that what He promised is true?

Will you trust Him for eternal life?

God is waiting for you.

🎄

this time last year

It was today one year ago that I received my cancer diagnosis.

I remember it well.

A biopsy had been done.

Surreal.

Bubba went with me.

A completely new doctor.

Strange surroundings.

It was the physician's day to be in Pooler.

There had been an urgency.

I knew the results were not going to be good.

To hear them spoken was like a punch in the middle of my gut.

I knew but I didn't want to know.

I was hoping against all hope.

It didn't take long.

We were outside again quick as a wink.

I took several deep breaths.

The strangest thing was...

There was a Feed & Seed store behind the doctor's office.

Bubba suggested we go inside and browse around.

I hated being in that place so much.

It was suffocating.

I could not breathe.

To this day I do not know how we ended up in that store.

Today, on the anniversary, I saw my surgeon again.

He smiled when he saw me...

asked how I was doing.

I was afraid today.

I didn't tell anyone except  Bubba.

Maybe I keep remembering last year...

maybe it's just my propensity to worry.

The surgery, the radiation, the loss of my ability to taste and enjoy food.

Maybe the cancer has come back...WHAT IF!

The remembering and the not knowing.

This time the words were very different.

No sign of any cancer... you are doing so well.

Go, and have a wonderful Christmas.

Yes...best Christmas gift ever.

Here's a verse about fear that I love...

"There is no fear in love;

 but perfect love casts out fear,

because fear involves punishment, 

and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

We love because He first loved us."

1 John 4:18

God, help me to love You more...

so much that all of my fears disappear.

You love me perfectly.

Thank You for Jesus who shows us Your perfect love.

❤️

christmas loves

Shopping with Amanda in beautiful downtown

Savannah.

There is nothing like "shopping with Amanda."

She has made a profession out of it.

See you soon pretty girl.

Enjoying the Christmas tree.

Opening the ornament box is like opening Pandora's box of memories.

Each trinket has a story to tell.

I find myself  trying not to break down into full on tears.

Yesterday 

the Cleland kids saw the tree for the first time.

They always look for their pictures 

and a very special dolphin from when they were babies.

I found Harry perched under the tree in the back just taking it in his own way.

At the tree lot 

I always get Frasier Fir branches that have been discarded 

to use in my home decorating.

The more live greenery I get into the house the better it smells.

I found Arch and Walt using some greenery as

 reindeer antlers.

These two gifts were the first to be placed under the tree.

Bubba has a contest going all the week.

Whoever guesses what's inside gets the prize....

$20.00.

Gifts I've wrapped patiently awaiting bows.

Always the last thing I get to.

Playing a game after dinner last night.

I love the week before Christmas.

So much anticipation.

So busy making the "magic" happen.

Staying in God's word to keep the focus on the real reason we celebrate.

Jesus was born to a virgin.

He is the Son of God.

He led a perfect, sinless life.

His death made Him the perfect one to take our sins upon Himself.

God was satisfied with His sacrifice.

His resurrection made it all real.

He is alive, seated at the right hand of God his Father - our Father.

He has gone to prepare a place for us.

In Christ alone we have eternal life.

"Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes unto the Father except through Him."

John 14:3

lucy & i

Oh my...

I think my Lu is taller than me.

I knew this day would come.

but not so quickly.

She is a beauty,

a natural.

I love her ways.

She is the best gift.

And...

Christmas Tree 2018 is done!

A work of art lovingly created by Cathy & Bubba.

So thankful to be here for another Christmas.

🎄

tree delivered

Bubba and I get our Christmas tree from Hester and Zipperer's every year.

They deliver it and set it up for us.

As we get older that just makes the whole process a lot easier.

We met there on Saturday morning to choose our tree.

I got there before he did.

We like to wait until closer to Christmas Day to get our tree so that it will stay fresh and green.

Much to my dismay,

the tree lot was almost empty.

This has never happened before.

There were four trees left.

Of the four, one of those was sold.

Of the three left, there were two stragglers and one beauty.

The beauty was ten feet tall.

The nice man said not to worry,

"We can cut the tree to make it any size you would like."

I committed.

When Bubba arrived and heard my story he was skeptical to say the least.

"Too big" he said.

The nice delivery guy had to do more"surgery" on the stump to get it in the tree stand.

He and his helper then brought it in the house and leveled it.

He left with a warning...

"That's a huge tree for that stand."

Bubba is going to wire it to the wall when he gets the lights on.

I love Christmas Tree 2018!!

🎄

Post script...

This morning the reckoning...

The tree stood tall all night.

Now to get it attached to the wall via a strong wire and fill in the dark spots with lights.

Size comparison...

Bubba is a little over six feet tall.

One more thing...

I know you think I am a bit tree obsessed but,

here is today's picture of the tree out front.

Only about 12 leaves remain.

Nature at its best.

Trees shed every last leaf to make room for new growth in a couple of months.

The cycle of life never changes,

God makes everything beautiful in His time...

even a completely bare-branched tree.

Christmas music

Don't you just love the Christmas season?

Last night we were honored to go to downtown Savannah's Independent Presbyterian Church

 for an evening of Christmas melodies

performed by the students of Veritas Academy. 

I must say it did not disappoint. 

The only downer was that Lucy was not able to be there.

 She happens to be in New York City which is another whole realm of excitement in itself. 

While we were being entertained,

 she was taking a carriage ride through Central Park.

The boy in the green sweater and the boy from Ethiopia were our stars.

All of the children performed beautifully.

They were dressed in their best Christmas outfits,

and their voices sounded like the voices of angels.

I think they covered every one of our most favorite songs.

The beautiful church made it even more enjoyable.

Thank you Lord for all of the talent in that auditorium last night.

Thank you for the teachers.

Thank you for the parents that sacrifice to have their kids at practice.

Thank you that the kids sang to glorify You,

to lift their little voices up to praise the God who made them.

I believe those sounds were a foretaste of what heaven will sound like.

We also enjoyed watching how this little boy from China enjoyed the performance.

He stood in the aisle for almost two hours with a program in his hand.

He was mesmerized.

Won't be long before he will be up there singing his little heart out too.

What a wonderful night!

almost gone

This is the same tree one week earlier.

v

v

v

Fall, when it finally arrived, has been absolutely beautiful in Savannah.

The colors of the leaves have been brilliant.

They have taken my breath away.

We are not raking until all of the leaves have fallen.

Bubba has shaken the tree several times to hasten the progress.

Thanking God this afternoon for the seasons.

In the midst of this beautiful Fall we had our first frost this morning.

Loving the warmth and glow from the fireplace...

The thousands of tiny white lights all over the house,

The gifts that are delivered to the front porch every day,

(I do most of my Christmas shopping by mail order these days)

The anticipation of hearing the grandboys sing Christmas carols on Friday night,

The assurance that the tiny little baby born in Bethlehem is the Savior of the world.

What joy abounds because of Him!

"Now may the God of peace 

who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, 

that great Shepherd of the sheep, 

through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

 make you complete in every good work to do His will,

 working in you what is well pleasing in His sight,

 through Jesus Christ, 

to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Hebrews 13:20&21

Merry Christmas Grace and Ivan

Two years ago yesterday, our niece Grace was crossing a street out in Southern California with her violin, headed to play in a concert. In the split of a second a car ran into her at full impact. She suffered a very traumatic brain injury. She and her new husband Ivan had been married less than a year.

Most miraculous of all, Grace lived. God in His mercy said, "She will live."

Grace had been playing the violin since she was five years old. One could say it was her life and her heart's desire. She had attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music in New York State. She had
dedicated her time and efforts to constant practice. She performed at many concerts. She taught children to play.  Grace and Ivan were looking forward to a life of sharing their music talents with each other and others.

For two years this sweet girl has received countless hours of medical procedures, tests, and therapy.
She has fought the fight that many of us will never have to face. She has maintained a sweet spirit and happy countenance throughout it all. She writes of her struggles in her blog so we can be blessed with how God is bringing her along to His new normal for her and Ivan. She sees it all as from God and according to His will.  She struggles...she perseveres.  She is witty and smart.
God has given her back so much.

But...her left hand, the one she needs to play the violin, doesn't work any more.
All of her lifelong dreams and aspirations were changed late on a Saturday afternoon two years ago.
Amazingly, though, She is content with her life as it is,
God has done such a good work in her heart.
She has her amazing husband and family and friends.
She is prayed for and encouraged.
She is strong in Him. She is an inspiration.

I was in the attic just now getting some more of my Christmas Decorations.
The above picture fell out on the floor.
Grace sent it to us when she was a little girl.
Yes, Merry Christmas Grace and Ivan.
May God continue to bless you guys.
And you know...
Nothing is impossible with God.
I'll keep praying and watching what God is doing in your life.

our lucy is turning 13

To me it just seems unreal.

How can our Lu be almost thirteen?

We celebrated her birthday yesterday, a little early.

 She is headed to New York next week.

She is going with her grandmother Nonnie who shares her same birthday.

What an exciting way to celebrate becoming a teenager.

What a joy!!

She and I are close.

She watches out for me.

I love her.

The birthday shrine for Lucy.

Her place setting at the family table.

For dinner she requested...

Her granddaddy's marinated steak and escalloped potatoes.

For dessert she chose Grammy's now famous Atlantic Beach Pie

with lemons from our very own lemon tree.

This is my favorite picture from last night.

Her Grammy gave her gold hoop earrings and I think they were her most loved gift.

We all stared at this precious little girl who is fast becoming a young lady.

She is changing before our eyes.

Thanking our great and generous God for bringing her to our family.

The joy of being Lucy's Grammy is huge.

I am thankful beyond words.