The Twelve Days of Christmas

I have always loved the song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'.... even more so after I read about its actual, historical, origins several years ago. Did you know that it had a very serious purpose when it was first written? Because Catholics were severally punished and often times put to death for practicing or sharing their faith..... privately or publicly... they created this musical allegory to instruct their young people in regards to the great love that God had for them. What a way to witness and carry the message of Christ on to future generations! I may not be a practicing Catholic, but as a christian, I admire their determination to teach the message of the Good News of Jesus to their young and to those who still don't realize just how "good" this news truly is. Here's some of the words to the song along with their original intent:

1. Partridge in a Pear Tree= Jesus Christ, Son of God
2. Turtle Doves= The Old & New Testament
3. French Hens= Faith, Hope & Charity
4. Calling Birds=The Four Gospels, which sing the song of Salvation
5. Gold Rings= The First Five Books of the Old Testament
6. Geese= The Six Days of Creation
7. Swans a-Swimming= The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
8. Maids-Milking= The Eight Beatitudes
9. Ladies Dancing=The Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10. Lords a-Leaping= The Ten Commandments
11. Pipers Piping= The Eleven Faithful Apostles
12. Drummers Drumming= The Twelve Points of the Doctrine in the Apostle's Creed.

Maybe some of you are already familiar with the original meaning and intent of this song, but as I shared above.. I wasn't until several years ago and it has made me enjoy listening to this particular song even more so today than when I was a little girl.

So now... after sharing this information with you, I thought I would share one of the latest projects that I have been working on. I saw a book, written by Fons and Porter entitled, "Best of Fons & Porter Tabletop Quilts". I thought that the picture on the front cover was pretty cute, but I wanted a more elegant table topper for the holidays than what was presented in the book... hence, my version of this table topper is shown below.. notice the Partridge in a Pear Tree:



I used quite a bit of metallic thread in each design and had no problems at all as I used, "The Amazing Thread Guide" that I shared with you in a previous post. (I did not even need to use a metallic needle or slow my machine down!) It worked beautifully!

Here is the book that I was referring to:



More to come in future posts Have a great day!

Family Day

Every December 24th, Jim and I, along with the kids and grandkids, spend the entire christmas eve day all together as one big happy family. I look forward to this one particular day all year long as it is the only day during the holiday season that I get my family all to myself. Selfish as that sounds, I wouldn't trade it for anything..... I love that day. I would love it even more if ALL of my kids and grandkids could be here. How I miss my children who do not live nearby!

This year we started out in Coronado at a little cafe, that turned out to be just a little bit smaller than we had thought. When we called the cafe to make our reservations, we thought we were making our reservations at the same cafe that we had eaten at a couple of years ago. Wrong! When Jim dropped me off out front, I went inside to let them know we were there.... slight problem, that cafe wasn't expecting us. Upon looking at the address of the cafe that we HAD made reservations at, we realized that that cafe was located further down the street. When we finally arrived at the right cafe, we nearly choked. It was the smallest cafe you could image and they were turning people away so that all of us could fit inside. Below is a picture of the outside and then of the inside. There truly was no room for anyone else but us!





Lindsey had a big bowl of oatmeal.



After breakfast, it was time to drive over to the Hotel Del. (One of these days I'm going to stay there!!) It was a beautiful day and the kids loved being near the ocean. Inside the Del, there was the coolest candy shop that all of the kids felt a need to go into. Keira LOVED the big glass dog that was right inside the door. She was constantly hugging him.



The kids know that Auntie Becka is one big sucker and that she will always keep them supplied with candy!



John and Christopher were worse than the kids!!



But then you had Casey.... ;-)



Michael and Casey are still our little honeymooners.



After Coronado, most of the guys decided to go and hang out on the Midway while the rest of us went over to Horton Plaza. The guys had a great time thanks to Aaron sharing his tickets.



Once the guys were done at the Midway, we all met up at Seaport Village. It was the most gorgeous day!! Here's a couple of my favorite pics. Thanks everyone!!

Merry Christmas... Happy Birthday!

December! This is always such a busy month for all of us isn't it??? But it is such a great month as well! In December we take time out to celebrate the birth of our wonderful Saviour and our soon & coming King. Talk about a gift.. how truly glorious that gift is and continues to be. It is truthfully the gift that just keeps giving. I must constantly remind myself to slow down and enjoy Him every moment of every day.... not just this month alone, but always.

For me, I also get the privilege of celebrating just a few more birthdays in the month of December that I want to acknowledge and make sure that they know I haven't forgotten them in all the hustle and bustle of this holiday season.

First: my daughter-in-law Lindsey. Today, December 9 is her day.. Happy Birthday Lindsey! How happy we are that you are part of this family. You have brought us so much joy! Have a great day at Disneyland today. Smooches.




Second: my mom. Her day is on the 15. We have had a wonderful time with her and dad living with us. You're the best mom ever! Happy birthday mom!!! Hugs and kisses. (I'm already missing you and you haven't even left yet!!)



Third: my twin boys. You two will always be my 'little' boys. I can never thank God enough for sending you guys to dad and me. You guys made our family complete. Happy Birthday guys!! Love you, mom



Fourth: my daughter Elizabeth. You were and always will be our 'little bit'. I miss you and the kids so much, you'll never know!!! (You too Ran-man) ;-) I can't stand the fact that you live so far away. (Tell your husband that I still haven't forgiven him!) Have a fun day Elizabeth. Love to you too, mom



I tried to make this blog short so that I wouldn't cry. I could have written on and on about each of you but I don't think there would have been enough room. I love you all!

Thanksgiving!!

I thought I would shock all of you by posting yet another note right away. Are you all still out there? I sure hope so because I just want to say thank you so much for being a part of my life. How thankful I am for the many blessings that the Lord has so richly bestowed upon me... with special thanks for my family. I have a treasure chest full of wonderful memories that will last me a lifetime and more. Much love and thanks to all of you. Here are a few pics from your dear ole dad.

Dad passing the 'baton' (apron) over to Michael. Yikes!!



Michael holding his prize turkey that he seasoned to perfection.



Michael dropping the turkey into the hot oil while dad watches. (Bet you didn't know that your dad went out and bought a new fire extinguisher just before you got there did you? hmmmmmmmmm.)



Checking the temperature. (You weren't afraid that yours was going to turn out like your dad's did were you son??)



Waiting....



Waiting.......



Waiting....



And voila!



Now isn't he a beauty!!



Not to be outdone.. Christopher's smoked beauty. Way to go guys!!