Show and Tell #25 - More Special Christmas Treasures

First of all, I'm sorry for being so behind in visiting each of you...but this last full week before Christmas has been filled with the usual last minute rush, I have to confess. On top of that, we've had a week of crazy winter weather...first a little blizzard with wind chills hovering at 0 degrees- unheard of for our area! Then it warmed to a balmy 34 and we were able to play in the snow...but tomorrow a HUGE snowstorm is on it's way- more like a blizzard with wind that could reach up to 45 mph! If you don't hear from me after this, you'll know our family is huddling in the dark by the wood stove telling stories with chattering teeth. So please pray that our power stays on!

It's Show and Tell Friday again, and I wanted to share just a few more ornaments from our "eclectic" Christmas tree! (Be sure to stop by Kelli's for more wonderful show and tells!)

As I said, ornaments from childhood, hand made ornaments, as well as ornate ones I've acquired all make their home together on our tree. Here are two of the most recent ones to move in- made by my little six year old this month. She did these all on her own- completely her idea and with no help at all! Santa's sleigh...

And this little guy...he's only paper so am not sure how long he'll last, but he's here this year! ;)
As for store-bought ornaments, last year my husband gave me this beautiful light up crystal angel...the photo didn't turn out, but trust me, it's beautiful...

And here is a little old fashioned girl I just fell for when I was in Michael's a few years ago...
And now, back to home made again...

this is one of three very plain cardboard bells that are very special to me for several reasons.
It was made on my very first Christmas!

My mom was watching my three cousins that day and together they made these little bell to commemorate my first Christmas...my boy cousins were 4, 5, and 6 at the time.

This particular one is Kenny (my mom had to print his name, he couldn't do it on his own yet).
Kenny would become a special cousin to me over the years- he even sent me cute little cards when I was a teen and could always make me laugh.
Sadly, he passed away from a heart condition three years ago, so this bell is especially treasured.

All three bells- made only of this flimsy cardboard- has survived these past 45 years! Isn't that amazing?

And lastly, here is the the reason we celebrate Christmas...
When as a single gal, I sold Christmas Around the World, and I purchased this set. Now my husband and children are blessed by this as well.

One year, we each wrote a note to Baby Jesus stating something we were struggling with- perhaps getting too frustrated with a sister or feeling afraid- and placed it here on the manger on Christmas Eve. We then prayed together as a family over all the struggles, giving them over to Jesus...

Thank you for stopping by my show and tell. And may you feel Him near to you this season!

Show and Tell # 24

I can't believe how long it's been since I participated in a Friday Show and Tell!
But before I have to jump into this final weekend of my girls' Christmas performances, I wanted to post once more and join in!

And though I have some beautiful and ornate ornaments that I have collected through the years, I thought that this time I would show two little ornaments that are not so ornate! But they hold a special place for sentimental reasons...

The year I was sixteen, my mom had the idea to make wooden soldiers out of old style clothespins...so together, she and made about 10 or 15 of these little guys...

(Sorry about the lighting!)
I have several of them to put up for my tree every year -and so still does my mom.
On the back of their heads is the year- '79- painted on them by us... (yep, giving away my age!) but it's nice to know exactly when we created these gentle little toy soldiers.
I'm hoping that they will continue to hold up even longer - so that some day my girls can each hang some of these originals on their own Christmas trees!

Also...not nearly as cute and oh so simple...one of the tin foil bells my mom also made together. I'm not sure how old I was when we made these, but it was most likely even before the year of the soldiers. One remains in my possession...and although it is just plain foil bell, it's amazing to me that it has survived somewhere around thirty years of packing and unpacking!

Now that I have two little girls of my own..and my own mom is now 81...these simple little ornaments remind me of our special mother\daughter times...moments to look back on and treasure.

And if you think making simple home made ornaments with your children won't really amount to much in the long run, let this be proof that not only might the actual ornaments survive for years to come...but the memories that you make together will, too!

For more Show and Tells, visit Kelli at There is No Place Like Home.

And although it is going to be a bit of a challenge after our final five concerts, I hope to show more our little place all decorated on Monday during Boomama's Tour of Christmas Homes! See you then!

Show and Tell #22

Since I've been lately talking about how wonderful the Christian movie, Fireproof, is...and how it, in turn, has caused my husband and I to focus in on our marriage this week...

I wanted to share with you something I found in the back of my cupboards last week. Do you remember my last Show and Tell, where I furiously cleaned out and organized my art and food pantry?

Well, this precious item is one of the things I found in the very back...

Yes, there they were... looking a little tired from being shoved and forgotten, a little in need of some tender loving care and attention, but nevertheless, still hanging on to each other.

This couple- who stood proud and strong on top of our wedding cake in April of 1995- seem to speak volumes to me.
Although marriage isn't always wonderful 365 days a year, when we turn the focus back onto our spouse instead of each looking to their own needs, love can endure and even grow.

All this couple needs is a little love and attention...and they'll be looking beautiful again.

On top of my piano sits another special item from our wedding...our unity candle...

How often, in the day to day grind, can we forget these simple and well-known words:
"To Love and To Cherish, from this day forward"

It doesn't mean to love and cherish during the honeymoon period, but from this day forward. This sometimes takes conscience effort as the years go by.

But we're finding out- it so worth it.

Col 3:12-14
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

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I know I said I'd be revealing my giveaway in the next post, but since I want to take more time with it, please allow me to wait one more post.
But because I feel guilty, let me at least tell you that it will something kitchen related.

As far as my home school show and tell idea, hmmm...not seeing too much interest quite yet. (My last post probably was a world record for the least amount of comments!)
But I do realize that most of my dearest bloggy friends happen not to be home schoolers!

So...sniff, sniff...I'll try not to take it personally. Really.
WAAAH!!!!

Seriously, I do have some fun ideas concerning this (if only I knew how to make one of those cute buttons- I so want to try that!)
I'll keep you posted (um, the one or two others of you out there who are sorta' kinda' interested) ;)- and promise, promise, promise to reveal my giveaway next time!!!

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For more Show and Tell, please visit Kelli at There is No Place Like Home.

Show and Tell #19

I'm a little late this morning, but I wanted to join in on Show and Tell Friday, hosted by Kelli at There is No Place Like Home!

For those of you who know me by now, it's no surprise that today, I'm showing something from my childhood. Yes, it's no wonder that my oldest never wants to part with any of her things for sentimental reasons- she certainly comes by it naturally!

This time I wanted to show you one of my stuffed animals, and just why it has a special connection to my past.

Meet George...

I named him George when I was little, because my grandfather, George gave him to me.

I have to admit, that at the time, he wasn't one of my favorites...my delicate little girl tastes wasn't much into plaid back then, and besides- I had such a big menagerie of animals, he was just one of many.
Still, even then, I knew I couldn't give him up because he was given to me by my paternal grandfather, who died when I was only two and a half.

In fact, not only did I not get to know my grandfather George very well, I grew up not knowing a whole lot about him in general. He had left my grandmother for another, and then she remarried, so she and her husband were the main grandparents in my life.

But recently, I had taken an interest in my ancestry, and realized I didn't know anything about his childhood, his parents...nothing.
(Above, one of my favorite pictures of my dad with his father, George. I've heard that my dad- an only child- always had a hard time trying to be close to him, and trying to please him...but I love that this captures the best of their relationship.)

I put a posting on the website, ancestry.com and last summer, an unknown distant cousin contacted me, e-mailing me with tons of information about him and our ancestry! I was SO excited...(I posted about it here, with an excerpt of a letter my g-grandmother had written.)

Then a few months ago, another cousin found me, and sent via snail mail a big packet of information! They each did this out of the goodness of their hearts, and I was so blessed!

Interstingly, each of my newfound cousins knew my grandfather's brothers, but not much was said about George.

I'm beginning to think he that he was a very private man... but at least I know a little bit more now. And I have a treasure trove of ancestry information, thanks to two very generous, newly met cousins.

And now that I'm all grown up, I do think I love George the Dog so much more!

Take another pose, George....

Show and Tell #18

Before I begin Friday's Show and Tell, I wanted to thank a sweet new friend of mine- who also is named Tammy- for giving me not one, but two awards recently!





Her blog name couldn't be more perfect for her- Country Girl at Home- because she presents her lovely family and country home with such a gracious spirit,
And though we come from different parts of the country, I think we already feel like kindred spirits.
Thank you so much, Tammy!

I will hopefully be "paying it forward" by awarding these in my next post!





And now for Show and Tell!

This week I wanted to show another little peek into my past.

I have managed to save so much from my childhood, but today's item isn't my usual toy or stuffed animal, but one of my jewelry boxes which was given to me when I was very young. There is nothing ornately beautiful about it, really...



I believe it was given to me from my Uncle L. (my mom's brother) and at the time, I didn't appreciate it very much because it wasn't pretty and feminine, like my other little jewelry box. That one had a beautiful ballerina that spun around to delicate music every time I opened it...but not this one.

Still, I guess I thought this little box was a good place to stash a few little keepsakes.
I hadn't opened it in years, and when I did today, it was fun to see what greeted me...


I fumbled through the contents...and saw all these letters...



I soon realized that almost all of them were written to me while I was either away at a Girl Scout camp, or from those I met there after I came home.

I can tell you, I do remember bits and pieces of that camp. I think I was around eleven or twelve.
And I did not have such a wonderful time there!
I was SO homesick and some of the girls were not all that wholesome for being Girl Scouts, sad to say.
But I did make a few friends, along with some wonderful teen camp counselors, and some of these letters were from them.

If you were a teen counselor, by the way, you got to have a fun "camp name"...such as "Chipmunk", "Pooh", "Daisy"... and most of these gals were so sweet, which made that time bearable.

Also in my green jewelry box, were also countless letters from my mom, who faithfully wrote me almost every day. I think she understood my homesickness and tried to keep the tone upbeat...she even put little G.S. logo stickers on them!



On the little top shelf of my box are several stamps that I had collected...I wasn't a true stamp collector, by any means, so just have a few. In this box were nine and I pulled out a few at random to take a picture...


And it's a little hard to see, but the one on the left was a Bicentennial stamp.
And yes, postage was then up to ten cents...crazy inflation times.

A lot of the others were off of envelopes sent to me from my pen pal, who was my age and lived in Iceland. Iceland! The other side of the world!




Through opening my simple, plain little green jewelry box, I open a tiny window into my past...with pockets of memories that might have been lost even to me if it wasn't for these little reminders.
Of penpals... summer camp...Girl Scouts...
and a mom who faithfully penned a letter each day, walked them to the mailbox, and most likely prayed countless prayers for her little girl who was miles away.

For more Show and Tell participants, visit Kelli at There is No Place Like Home!

Show and Tell #16

I'm back for another Show and Tell Friday hosted by Kelli at There is no place like Home.

This week, I'd like to show one of the dolls I played with as a child. This one isn't a cuddly soft baby doll (shown in the post below) but another popular doll of my era...

How many of you over 40 remember Velvet?

Yes...here she is! Part of the newest fashion doll collection of the era. She has been in my possession since somewhere around 1970.

If you're close to my age but still don't remember her, perhaps you remember her sister, Crissy...? (Edited: I mean cousin! I knew this, actually, but just accidentally typed the wrong word. Mia was actually suppose to be Velvet's little sister...have to get the facts straight!)



I never had Crissy, but I had friends that did!
I also had a less popular, brunette cousin of Velvet as well. I couldn't remember her name, but when finding this picture of Crissy I discovered the whole line of dolls on the internet.
Her name was Mia, so now I can rest easy.

What was so cool about Velvet and her cousins for the time was the fact that you could actually make her hair short or long! Just push her belly button and give a tug to that pony tail...and...

Tada! A whole new look!

When you wanted it short again, just turn the knob on her back.
A little strange...but it all worked!

OK...her once lustrous growing locks are a bit frizzy now, despite a hasty brushing before today's photo session. Her cute little ringlets are a thing of the past.
But that only proves just how much my friends and I played with her back in the day!

Plus, let's face it. Hard to believe, but when I do the math, she is about 38 years old!

As I was mentioning, I was just now researching my doll online, and I was amazed at how many websites are out there devoted to Velvet and all of her fashionable relatives!
Who knew???

I haven't even really shown or demonstrated her to my girls yet. She had just sat in a box of my other childhood relics which I retrieved from my mom in the last year.

But I guess it's time she gets the recognition due!

I think it must have been this very commercial that had me, at seven, begging my parents for a Velvet doll for Christmas back in 1970...

Thanks again, Mom!

Show and Tell #15

First of all, thank you so much to all of you who replied on my wedding post. I was overwhelmed with all of the sweet replies- I read each and every one and they honestly completely blessed me!


It seems like it's been ages since my last Friday Show and Tell! But I think I can blend a recent event with sharing something special...

Tuesday night, I watched as my littlest graduated from Kindergarten.


Although we do home school, our church presented a large Sunday School graduation night for all of their Kindergarteners...a wonderful chance for us to celebrate this time in her life.

Which brings me to my Show and Tell...

As we've been going through more and more of my mom's things so that she can sell her home, she recently gave me the little pinafore I had as a child. A simple little wisp of a cotton jumper-type dress that she always used to say reminded her of Alice in Wonderland.

Last week, I suddenly remembered it hanging in our extra closet...and decided that maybe my own little girl could wear it for her special night.

So Tuesday evening, as I took it off the hanger, I realized I hadn't even tried it on her to make sure it would actually fit!
But thankfully, it did...and perfectly!

As I tied her sash, she told me how beautiful it was, and my heart just swelled...
and truth be told, it was a little like looking at myself in the mirror of my past. Only she was even more adorable!



This would be the first time someone other than myself wore this little pinafore...a full... (gulp!) 40 years ago. (And no, I don't have a photo of myself wearing it- I wish I did!)

As we watched her sing with the rest of the graduates...and come forth when her name was called to receive her diploma,...
well, this alone was enough to tug at the heartstrings.
And then add to this that she was wearing her mommy's dress...oh, well, it's amazing I held it all together.
My own mom wasn't in town to see her cross the stage in person, or I think there would have indeed been tears going on! (But how she loved seeing the photos the next morning!)

I have to say, our church was so generous...presenting each graduate with their own children's study Bible, a diploma, and a little teddy bear...

The parents had gotten a chance to write a heart-felt letter to their child the previous Sunday and then parents lined up to meet them on the stage to help present the Bible.
I think this is such a tremendous way to not only make each child feel special, but help plant the seed for the Word of God!
I feel so thankful to be a part of a church that puts such emphasis on our children and holds them in high esteem.

And much more than the fact that she wore my childhood dress, this was truly a special evening...
I know I'll always treasure it.

And I hope she will also remember this special time as a milestone of sorts...and that it will hold a special place in her memory and heart as she continues her life walk with Jesus.



For more Show and Tell participants, stop by at our gracious host, Kelli's at There is No Place Like Home!

Show and Tell #14

I am almost a day late with my Show and Tell, hosted by Kelli at There is No Place Like Home...
but I wasn't here until this afternoon!

You see, the girls and I just returned from a sleep-over visit to my mom's.

Bless her heart, she misses us so much since we live almost an hour away...but by the time we leave, she is so ready to have a breather!
Now to remind you, she is 80...soon to turn 81. And yet, she cooked up some fish sticks, mac and cheese, with a side order of peas for us all, which are all favorites with my kiddos!

In turn, the next morning, I helped sort through more boxes of old papers, making a huge bag of paper recyclables. We're getting ready to finish putting in new floors for her, so she can finally put her house up for sale (and move closer!)

But as always happens, I found a few treasures mixed in.

Here are two of the cards I found...

The first one is of my dad's funeral\memorial service. I don't know if I had a copy of this before, so am so glad I found it. I still remember the immense grief I felt on that June day in 1988... the tears that would not stop...
yet, a feeling of comfort having friends and loved ones with my mom and I...
and a sense of subtle joy that my father had loved the Lord and that he was now in such a wonderful place...where I'd one day see him again.

The second card is one that I gave my grandmother in 1980 when I was just seventeen. She had just recently moved in with us, which was a difficult transition for her independent spirit.
We had such a close relationship all my growing up years and I still miss her to this day.

Here's what I wrote inside "God bless you. I love you, Gammee, you mean very much to me!"
Simple and to the point...and so heartfelt, believe me!

And one more treasure...



Here I am, about to baptized at the tender age of nine.
I still remember this time very well...and hard to believe that now my own oldest daughter will be turning nine later this year!
She has accepted Christ into her heart so I believe it won't be long before she is ready to also make this public confession of faith.
And I have to say...when I find pictures of myself as a child, I sometimes have to do a double-take...to make sure it's not really one of my own girls! I never thought about them looking so much like me until I see us at the same exact ages!

We had such a nice, relaxing time with "Nammy" and my girls are always excited to sleep in my old double bed every time they come down!



And speaking of beds...when I got home, there was a surprise waiting for me.

For six loooooong years I have endured our sl*ep number bed. I know, I know...they're supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread. And maybe you have one and it works for you.
But let's just say that they don't tell you how it really is going to be when your husband is like an 11 and you're a 79...and you have to cling to your side only or fall into into the abyss....

Well, when I got home (and he was still at work) and we walked into my room, the girls and I noticed something different about the bed. It was...higher.

But more on my next post...to be continued... :)

Show and tell #11

I can't believe it is already show and tell Friday again so soon! You may have noticed I'm not posting quite as often this month...but since a lot of you are also busy these last weeks leading up to Christmas, I know you understand!


Today for Show and Tell -since I didn't get in on Morning Glory's Christmas Tree Treasures- I would like to show one of the special little ornaments which hangs on my tree and the story behind it.

As some of you know, when my husband and I were first married, he was in the Navy and we had just moved clear across the country where he was stationed in Virginia.

Just four months after our wedding, he had to leave me for a half a year.

A half of year.

And let's just say that as I watched his ship sail into the horizon, the six months loomed depressingly long to this bride...and especially daunting was the fact that I had left all of my friends and family behind on the other side of the continent.


I'd like to say that it flew by faster than I feared, but it really didn't. I missed my new husband desperately.

Christmastime was especially hard, and if it wasn't for my mom flying out to be with me, it would have been unbearable.

One day, as I was wandering through a mall that Christmas, I decided to stop by H*llmark and splurge on an ornament for our first married Christmas...even though we weren't even together!

I fell in love with this one...


I loved the face on the clock...it reminded me of something old-fashioned...a familiar image of something I had seen as a child.
But it also represented "time"...how he and I were counting the weeks...the days...the hours...until we were back in each other's arms again.

And of course...the romantic mice...well, that's self-explanatory!

Since that Christmas in 1995, this little ornament has hung on our tree every year.

And when things get testy between us, or we simply are too busy with daily life and responsibilities, it helps to serve as a reminder that there was a time when the days went by agonizingly slow because we were apart...when we longed for one another so much that it almost seemed like an impossible dream that we would ever be reunited.
But we were...one incredible day, my ship came in! :)

But that's for another post...


For more Show and Tell, please visit our gracious host, Kelli, at There is No Place Like Home! (And join in the fun on the 17th many of us participate in the Christmas Tour of Homes, hosted by Boomama!)

Show and Tell #9

Edited to add that this week, although I really hadn't planned to, I took a bit of a bloggy break- just doing nothing more than home schooling, cleaning, Bible Studies, and just...life! But I'm looking forward to catching up with all of you in the days to come!



It's Friday! Time once again for Show and Tell, hosted by Kelli, at There is No Place like Home.

Most of you know that my mom, who's 80, is getting ready to sell her home in order to move closer to us. I've been making trips to ready her house, and each time I seem to take with me a treasure from my childhood!

So for this week's Show and Tell, I'd like to share one that is especially near and dear to my heart. In fact, I'm not sure how I lived all these years without her, now that I have her back!

When I was about eight years old, my cousin (actually she was my third cousin- our grandmothers were sisters) was given a life-like baby doll that I absolutely fell in love with. It was given to her by my great aunt- cousin D's grandma. And when my great aunt found out how much I wanted one, she promptly told her sister- my beloved Gammee.

That very Christmas, I opened a big box to reveal who would quickly become my most loved doll from then on out.

Her name....Puddin'.


Some of you may be familiar with the maker- Madame Alexander. In fact her name and picture, as well as Puddin's name in information, are still on the box which now houses her clothes.

But at the time, all of that was not quite as important to me.

As I reached down and picked her up for the first time, I loved how she was just as big as a real baby, and her sweet face seemed so life-like that I just completely became her mommy on the spot. Never mind that I was almost nine years old...I was in love!


And not only had Gammee blessed me with the gift of this wonderful doll, but seamstress that she was, she made her a complete wardrobe as part of her present, as well!

I am sure some of the original wardrobe is missing...but there are several outfits left and in perfect condition. The pink checkered one was the dress she actually came in...but the rest were all hand-made by my grandmother for me, including the outfit she's wearing in the photos.
She even knitted two pairs of booties, and crocheted a sweet little blanket for her (which you'll see in the final photo).
When I think of how much work she lovingly put in them for me (and that she was over 70 at the time) I wish more than anything I could once again throw my arms around her and tell her thank you all over again.


I brought Puddin' back this past weekend- cradle and all- and I have to tell you a little secret...
All those old familiar feelings - those first strong maternal feelings that a little girl experiences with a beloved doll in preparation for motherhood- they came back with force in my memory when I picked her up...went through all her little clothes...
And then I heard that long-forgotten "Mama" cry she made when I tipped her forward...enough to melt even the most calloused of hearts!

Needless to say, my girls- 8 and 5- fell instantly in love with her, as well.



With my protective supervision, I allowed them to dress and re-dress her, put her in her cradle, and argue over who was lying closer to her at rest time.
They wanted me to play with her with them...but I finally had to break away, mumbling firmly to myself...
"She's just a doll...she's just a doll...she's just a doll..."

I soon realized that it wasn't just me that has to keep reminding myself, though...my eight year old Sweetiegirl declared,
"Now we have five people in our family!" Ahem.

When the girls and I exuberantly showed my dear husband our precious Puddin', he really did try to reply nicely. But we all could tell... he just didn't understand. He's a boy.

I keep thinking how that if God let's loved ones peek down on good things from Heaven, my Gammee would be smiling, knowing the doll I loved more than all others is finally being loved again...by me, and by her great-granddaughters. The clothes she made were being appreciated once again, and out from the box they spent decades within.

Now, Puddin is home at last. And these days, she enjoys sleeping in her cradle between the beds of two little girls who are as captivated by her as I was.

Nighty-night Puddin'.