A little HO HO HO

 This is our Foodie Tree….candy inside of tree!   

Cory with Bronco Santa Hat…He is Santa for the giving of the gifts…HO! Our second son.

Avery on the right (Cory & Kristie’s)4th child and our friend Annika.

 

 

CJ and Treyton….Cory & Kristie’s 1s and 2nd children.

Kristie holding Our new granddaughter Halle. Alexis is #4.

 

   

 

 Newly wed…Kayla my oldest granddaughter (Trevor & Terri’s daughter) and husband Dolan. Baby coming in 2011.

Uncle Trevor with his new little niece Halle. Our oldest son. Trevor’s wife Terri

 

 Halle taking care of Grandma

 

Jenny (our daughter)with Summit) Husband Doug.

Aunt Jenny and Halle

Carol and Randy came to be with us all for Christmas.

They are parents to Doug and Clay. Grandkids…Summit, Kylee, Shavannah, Camille,  Annika. And Max, wife of Clay and Mother of the 4 girls. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you one and all for a very Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

My little sister Sharon and I on Christmas morning 1954…Christmas memories.

Painting my bathroom

LB came in out of the cold with really cold feet. He loves to be covered up…sleeps under the blanket. I made my own little Boxes this year. I went on line and found a someone to show me how. I loved doing this. I could pick what paper I wanted to us…and they didn’t cost me a bundle.  This is one of those big plastic containers that we all fill for storage….I am filling it with candy…almost to the top right now. These little treat’s will go on our Christmas tree. Then at the end of the evening the kids will fill their stockings with all the Foodies. I still have cookies to make.

What you see hanging on the hall tree is the adult stockings. I put little silly things in them just for fun. As you can see they are over 3 feet long. And the kids are getting these to. They will use their stocking to fill with Foodies off the tree.

I have not finished decorating….so much to do. Today I am painting my bathroom. I have put it off long enough. With 23 coming for the evening, I want everything to look spit-spot.

          Merry Christmas to you all, and love and Joy everyday!

Avery Elle

This is my granddaughter Avery. She is a bundle of love and energy. This picture is so her. She loves Tea parties.

Meet Me In Saint Louis

Getting ready to watch one of my favorite holiday Movies….

Snow Ice Cream

When my parents moved our family to Placerville, California we found ourselves in snow country. A memory came to me today probably because we have so much snow.

We were so excited about seeing snow fall. And in the mountains it did not just snow a little. We lived at a place called 8 mile, and the snow got really deep. Mama loved the snow, she would set and watch the big flakes come down for hours. I came home from school to find Mama out in the snow with a big bowl. She was filling it with snow. I had no idea what she was doing this for, and Mama was being very silent about her plan. I did not know about Snow Ice Cream but soon would be having it for the first time. It was very good and along with my sister and brother we ate most of it.

Here is how she made it: 1 cup Milk or cream

                            1/2 cup of sugar

                             !/2 teaspoon of Vanilla mixed into about 3 quarts of snow.

Caution: watch out for yellow snow!!!

 

Scribbler

    Rejoice in the fact that you are friends….that they love you, that you love them. That you are the cheerleaders for each other in this thing called life. Hugs, Mary

Another snow Day

I am listening to the news this morning and this is the start of a very snowy day all through this valley. Arney had to be at work about 5:30 this morning. He called me and ask me to please stay home. The roads are back to ice. We hope this will go through fast, we are cold. I will take this day and work on a couple of Christmas projects. We have had a lot of ice so far this fall, burning wood almost every day. I took this picture in the dark…

          Have a great day!! Mary

I am going to make a cup of Hot Chocolate and curl up on the sofa…..

 

I had that cup of Hot Chocolate and went back to sleep….It is still snowing and here is my front yard.   Hugs, Mary

3 Pounds and counting:(

Does my Butt look bigger? Don’t answer that….it is!

Thanksgiving was fun, ate to much and enjoyed the company of our children and friends. It was really cold, so no football in the front yard or basket ball. To ice skate all you had to do was walk out the door.

We made Victorian cones that I will share when I download the pictures. We had glitter on our faces, in our hair. It is fun to see what kids will do when someone says do what you like….go for it!!!

Yes, I was the messy one!!!!

We have snow on the ground, I continue to keep a fire going. Did some Christmas shopping Friday afternoon. So now to get ready for the big event…Christmas Eve. There will be 23 wonderful people to share in the Joy’s of Christmas eve…then I will lay down for three days….Merry, Merry!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Winter has come to our town. The high today was 12 and it will be between 1 or 3 this night. i burned wood today and a little last night. The fire is truly delightful. I baked all day for tomorrows gathering with our family. I was watching the  6 o’clock news and there are so many people out in the cold. My first thought is that we should open our door and let some of the people in…but then fear came to me, what if they were so desperate that they would hurt us…I remember my Grandmama feeding strangers when I was a little girl. She wasn’t afraid. There are families sleeping out in the cold because they are afraid of the people in the shelters. I know that I will go to bed tonight thinking that I am not brave…and when did I become this way?

I want to take this time to thank you all for coming to my blog. You do not come to my home, but I look for your visit. I have not given you a hug, but in my heart I have. You give more than I could ever express. I never take you for granted, I would miss each and everyone of you if we didn’t meet here in Blog land.

          Hugs, Mary

Scribbler…

Turkey and then there is TUCKEY’S There was about 4 feet of snow on the ground when my husband Arney age 19 went out to shoot a Turkey for Thanksgiving. It had been decided by my Dad that our cousin Ercil and Arney would go up into the hills to find a Wild Turkey with Dad.

My parents along with my Sister Sharon and my Brother Bret lived in a small town just off highway 50 about 7 miles from Placerville, California called Camino. The population was just a little over 200. Everyone knew each other, Our library was the size of a outhouse. And you were on your honor to bring any books that you took home back after reading.

John F. Kennedy was killed this cold November. My Mama was not one to cry but this was such a shock to us all. Mama had been a real fan of this Irish President, and I remember the sick feeling I had as the days went by. You might say our family loved him and trusted this young president and the holidays were not feeling very good, Thankful? Not so much!

Arney and I worked nights at the fruit shed. They had turned the building into a place to sort and pack food for the Army. It was a job, and we were so young. We about froze to death in that building. I don’t think we ever got warm that whole winter. We had no idea that there was a war in our future, we thought this was just a normal thing done all the time for the military.

But my Dad was ready for a feast and a fresh Turkey from the woods would be special, we really needed special. Mama made the best stuffing and gravy. We would have a real old fashioned Thanksgiving. This was Arney and my first holiday together.

We had been married in August, so we were still newly weds.

The three hunters got a 30 or so pound Wild Turkey and they were so proud of themselves for bringing home the center of our Thanksgiving Day.

While we all seemed glued to the little TV set that my Dad would have to go get tubes for all the time. The sounds of drums and the sadness of this loss was heavy on us all. Nothing would ever be the same, it changed us all. The TV was a real winner, the antenna was a wire clothes hanger that Dad had put tin foil on. Often Mama or one of us kids would stand holding this antenna while Dad would adjust the picture, and at one time we had two TV’s, one for picture and the other on top of it for sound…OH My!

Dad and Mama started plucking the Turkey after it got a hot water bath on the back porch. I could hear them talking but didn’t know that something wasn’t right with this Ole Tom…Soon it was announced that the Turkey had mites, a bug that had infested the skin of the Turkey. Remember we lived in a small town and the stores were closed. No Wal-Mart or big Box stores even in Placerville. So it was decided that the Turkey would be skinned!!!! Now this was getting funnier all the time. My Mama did skin it and then stuffed it and baked it. It was not a pretty sight although it did smell wonderful. We all pretended that is was a very perfect bird, and though very dry, you just drank more milk or water and put a lot of Mama’s gravy on it and gave thanks that we were all together. Over the years we would give a giggle about our old fashioned Thanksgiving…one we will always remember because a nation wept and we had a skinned Turkey.

Make a memory, good or bad, we all need a little shaking up to make a memory that lasts forever.

Happy Thanksgiving, Mary

Here is a little sharing!

Barbara Jean thought she might like using this in a project...so here it is just for fun. Happy Halloween everyone!

Lavender and Old Lace

 

 

Thought I would share what I did yesterday before heading out the door. It is cold and wet this morning. And leaves have decided to fall off some of our huge tree’s. LB my little Beagle hasn’t moved all morning….he went outside and more or less said this is not my day.” Friday I will be at the church most of the day. We do the set up for Bazaar for Saturday. This is the last of the things I will add to this sale. I used fabric and put it through my printer… I plan to do a memory quilt with family pictures….I think it will work out good.

Trevor our oldest son is going back to work after a long healing time from a fall he took last year. He is so ready to be back on the job.

Summit finished football…..

Summer went by so fast. I can hardly believe we will be voting in a few days…

Scribbler

 

i am calling this Scribbler…from time to time I will write a little story, or just a thought of the day, whatever comes to mind.

The first time I saw and put my toes in the ocean I was 7. I did not know how to swim, and the ocean would pull me as the waves came in and out. I loved the salt air. My Dad would swim way out into the big waves. One day he found a friend in the salty sea…a large Seal wanted to be friends. Dad was scared to death and swam to shore very fast. I really don’t think he knew what it was.

The warm sometimes hot sand always found it’s way home with us. I always got a sunburn because I am fair skinned. It is not easy to be a redhead in southern California.

The Pike was a really special place to go. We had a hot dog stand that we loved, and nothing better than a 2 scope ice cream cone. Make mine chocolate please:) Cherry coke from the fountain was the best..

My Dad loved to ride the Cyclone Racer, and one time was enough for me. It went right over the ocean and it was the largest wooden roller coaster in the USA. If you are a people watcher this was a good place to be. entertainment every where. The screaming of the people on rides, and the laughter, the smell of food cooking, it was really a wonderful place to be. Night was so pretty, all the lights on the Cyclone, the Sailors playing games to win a gold fish or a stuffed animal for the girl on his arm.

It closed before I could take my kids there. In it’s place is the Queen Mary. My kids got to see and hear the Beach Boys sing on a couple of 4th of July’s along with fireworks on the Queen Mary.

Lots of memories in Long Beach, California. 

 

Take a Old Bag Shopping

I got this idea from Marietta at Sweet Old Vintage and I loved it. So I made myself one…Thank You it turned out really nice…can’t wait to show it off to my friends and family…they will think it is funny!!

Black Friday

This is a story written by me for Julie at Celtic Lady………this was a contest and I was one of the winners...Thank You Julie!!!!

In a small town called Back of the Moon USA, the Evans family have a fall Ball. This is no ordinary gathering, young witches travel from far and near to be the one girl crowned Queen of All Hallows Eve. They are greeted by the host who is dressed in a long black cape with a hood that shades his face. One by one each girl is taken into the woods where a large black caldron is boiling top a flame that sends sparks high in the sky. Then like in a dream they dance around the caldron. The smell of sage, rosemary, lavender mixed with the burning wood fill the air. The girls spin, twirl, chant, sharing spells they have gleaned in their young life. As the glow of the fire grew higher into the sky you see thirteen girls each lovely in their long white gossamer dresses.

Camille with her long black hair. Her green eyes shining in the fire light.

Savannah’s cold blue eyes and soft blond hair that floated as she twirled.

Hannah’s gray eyes with long spun gold hair.

Margaret’s violet eyes that looked like amethyst and her red hair that touched the ground.

They are beautiful, they are dangerous. As the night turns to dusk a choice is made. Gilda with her chestnut hair and cold black eyes in crowned Queen. When looking into her beautiful face she has a sadness there. Her eyes seemed to look within the soul. It was a celebration, a right of passage for this lovely young witch.

As we leave Back of the Moon, we find Gilda with her black cats that are now her hand maidens. Her umbrella that will give her flight. Crows to deliver messages and direct Gilda to far away places. The mirror that reflects her beauty. Gilda is surrounded by secrets that are hidden till Black Friday.

So come close and hear me, Black Friday is drawing near. Watch the night sky, Gilda Queen of the witches my appear.

by Mary

Up On the Roof of the Barn

One of the hard things is to have your 65 year old husband on the barn roof!!! He even has his cell phone on his hip in case he falls and I didn't hear the thud. He should be done tomorrow, and then I can breath again:) The singles on the barn have been there for over a hundred years as close as we can tell. They are wooden singles and are really sweet, but the new singles are not. Our poor Ole barn has been leaking for awhile....to long!!!

This is our next project...I am painting the bathroom and the new toilet will go in...One thing about a older home, there is always something to do...

The singles and whatever Arney needed to do the roof was delivered...The barn needs a fresh paint job too...next year! Our temp was 29 the last couple of mornings....so we are really feeling fall now. It will be about 70 by 5:00 this afternoon. Soon we will be burning wood.

Idaho can get really cold...NOT YET!!!