Christmas Letters

Vintage Christmas Card

It is that time of year and I am writing my Christmas letter. I send a lot of cards, but haven't enclosed a letter in the past few years. I enjoy reading the newsletters I get from friends and family and catching up on the latest news. One of my former neighbors, who now lives in Virginia, is very creative and includes photos of her family with cute little captions in her Christmas newsletter. I did this one year, with my daughter's help, as I am not that tech-savvy. So this year I'm writing a simple Christmas letter on pretty stationary.

I have lots of news to share and many blessings to be thankful for. It has been a year of travel, to the Florida beaches and the Smoky Mountains. It has been a year of reunions and celebrations. I reunited with an old childhood friend in October and we celebrated my mother-in-law's 90th birthday in November. For my grandchildren, it has been a year of beginnings. My youngest grandchild turned one and is quickly catching up with her older siblings; my grandson started pre-school and my second granddaughter started Kindergarten. Small things, but big events to the little ones.

Still, amidst my blessings, I want to remember those friends and family members struggling with grief and loss, health problems and other serious issues. I just hope that Christmas brings a sense of peace and hope and shines a light on them.

Thankful

I am thankful for so many things that I am sure I will leave something off of this list.

I am thankful for my family...
for a son-in-law who works hard to provide for his family and serves our community as a law enforcement officer.....
 I am thankful for my two daughters that I am very proud of and that I consider my best friends....
 I am thankful for the beautiful grandchildren they have blessed me with and the joy they bring to my life....
I am thankful for a job, with a retirement plan and good health insurance, when I know there are so many people unemployed and less fortunate than I am....
I am thankful to have a good relationship with my sisters and though we have our differences, always make up...
I am thankful for many friends who keep in touch with me to let me know they care...
.I am thankful for my cat, who keeps me company, curled up on my lap at night.....
I am thankful that the mail still runs every day (except Sunday)....
.I am thankful that I have a good boss and great co-workers that makes it so easy to go to work each day....
.I am thankful that I can worship God openly and for his daily blessings......
I am thankful for Thanksgiving and Christmas, my two favorite holidays of the year....
I am thankful for the mild temperatures that have kept my utility bills down....
I am thankful for libraries....for the written word.....newspapers and the Internet, and Amazon.com....
.I am thankful for afternoon naps, flannel robes and slipper socks, and hot cocoa, for cold nights....
I am thankful for Hallmark movies, all Charlie Brown re-runs and Christmas songs on the radio, even before Thanksgiving...
I am thankful that I have one pair of boots that I can wear....
I am thankful for the spirit of Christmas, wishing it would last a little bit longer...
I am thankful that the elections are over....
I am thankful that my mother-in-law celebrated her 90th birthday...
I am thankful that a friend finished her radiation treatments...
I am thankful for this blog, where I have met some incredibly nice people.

90 Years Young

 

I was fortunate to travel to Mississippi this past weekend and help celebrate

my mother-in-law's 90th birthday. It was supposed to be a

surprise, but word leaked out. She was a good sport and enjoyed all the

cards and gifts and having family come from as far away as

Minnesota. My mother-in-law has lived every minute of her 90 years.

Her favorite gift? A hockey jersey signed by the entire

local hockey team. After the party, she put the jersey on and headed

down to the stadium to watch the game. She had heard that her

name and picture would appear during the game.

Happy Birthday Mom!

 

It was a quick trip to the gulf coast, but we drove along the beach

to take in the sun and scenery. It was a little chilly walking on the pier!

My daughter and grandson hurried back to the car.

 

 

Beach Vacation

I just returned from my vacation with my daughters and grandchildren. It's been five years since my last "real" vacation, so I was ready! The change of scenery did my spirit a world of good, as they say down here in the South.

This was the view from our condo in Panama Beach.

We were on the 4th floor, and I opened the door

to the balcony first thing in the morning

to take in the awesomeness of the ocean.

The grandchildren loved catching the ocean waves,

building sand castles and hunting for seashells.

My oldest granddaughter (she'll be 8 in two weeks)

is like a fish. We couldn't keep her out of the water!

.

                                                                 
                                                                   Destin

Beach front restaurant in Destin. We ate shrimp, crab legs,

and Salmon. Yummy! The kids got pails and shovels

with their meals. It was an hour wait, but they had a playground

on the beach for the children and the scenery was definitely 

worth the wait.

We took a boat ride to see some dolphins. We saw a few, but

had to look really close. The boat ride was relaxing

and the ocean breezes were refreshing

after the summer heat.

The seagulls came and ate right from our hands.

The kids thought it was the coolest thing.

Shell Island

The view on the way back to shore. Gorgeous.

On Thanksgiving

We are having Thanksgiving at my house tomorrow, with approximately 15 or more people. Besides turkey and ham there will be the usual Thanksgiving side dishes: Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Bean Casserole, Corn Casserole, Cornbread Dressing, Cranberry Gelatin Salad, Sister Shubert rolls, etc. Then there will be Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Pecan Pie and  Peach Cobbler for dessert.

I love Thanksgiving Day because it is the time set aside for families to gather together and count our blessings.

I'm thankful for my two daughters and four grandchildren, who are the light in my world.

I'm thankful for my health.

I am thankful for the people I meet each day and the stories they tell me. I recently talked with an elderly man who was taking care of his sick wife. They had been married for 62 years. People don't share stories any longer.

I am thankful for my home, in light of the many tornado victims who lost their homes this year.

I am thankful for a job when I have seen so many lose their jobs in this poor economy.

Most of all, I am thankful for God, who has made me stronger during my trials and hasn't given up on me yet.

Happy Thanksgiving!

October Days

Every Fall a local, historical (almost 200 years old) cemetary

hosts a "Cemetary Stroll"

and features local people dressed in period clothing

who portray the famous and not-so-famous that are buried here.

For example, I didn't know that one of Samuel Clemons' cousins,

Jeremiah Clemons, is buried here, and that he also wrote novels.

.This year there were almost 70 people that were "risen from the grave", so to speak.

This little event used to be a well-kept secret, but not anymore.

There were literally hundreds of people visiting the cemetary

on this gorgeous Sunday afternoon, each following their paper guide.

One actress portrayed Talullah Bankhead, a native-born Alabamian,

whose father was in politics.

Her mother died when Talullah was an infant and is buried here.

There were many Civil War soldiers and widows who retold their stories,

along with many prominent men and women, such as the famous madam

who donated her land to the hospital.

Then, there was the Southern belle who ordered her bridal gown from Paris

and was taking a special powder to whiten her skin. Only her illiterate maid gave her

boric acid by mistake. She became ill and called for her doctor.

When he discovered what had happened there was nothing he could do.

Still, the young couple married, she sick and dying and lying in her bed. 

When the young bride died a few weeks later, she was buried in her exquisite bridal gown

shipped all the way from Paris, France.

The last story we heard was from a famous widow well-known in my neck of the woods.

She had been married six times before the Civil War. Her first marriage lasted almost 20 years

when her husband passed away. The second one lasted six months and each husband

subsequently succumbed to some mysterious or short-lived illness. Now, this

is quite possible, seeing that this was the early 1800's, and being a strong, Southern woman,

known for her beauty (historical accounts claim that she was a beautiful woman)

she may have been smart and opportunistic.Remember Scarlett O'Hara?

Rumor has it that she had a hat rack in her foyer with a hat from

each of her husbands hanging on it.  At age 60, the beautiful widow moved to

Mississippi, after a trial involving slander and a feud with a local farmer.

 Coincidentally, the ancestors of that farmer still own that land

and now have a popular Pumpkin Patch in the Fall. See pictures below.

Oh! Another reason the widow moved away...the local Baptist preacher refused to marry her again.

I love these stories!

I never knew there were so many varieties of pumpkins. I didn't take pictures of all of them,

but I saw at least a dozen varieties.

Beautiful Mums

Baby granddaughter #3

Hope you are enjoying Fall as much as I am.

Blessings,

Anita

Fall Tidbits & More

One thing I love about Fall are the county fairs and street festivals

that abound at this time of year. There's something for everyone:

pony rides and fun activities for the children;

arts and crafts for the adults;

food and gorgeous weather for everyone.

What better place to hold a street festival except near the railroad tracks?

Believe me, that was the longest train ever!

Fall also means that I have to stock up on butter because I do more baking.

 This is "Walnut Pear Sour Cream Cake"

 found in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

 It's perfect with a cup of tea.

I love a bargain and found this bag for $3.99 in a thrift store.

 It looked like Fall to me.

After a long day at the street festival there's nothing like dining out and learning

how to color in the lines.

Celebrations

August is a month full of blessings.

My daughter and her husband celebrated their 8th wedding anniversary today.

Their oldest will turn 7 next week and start 2nd grade. "Teka" is like a little Mommy to her four-year old sister and the new baby. She has been known to fix the baby's bottle and change her diaper when my daughter is busy. And she listens...most of the time. She was looking at the advertisements last weekend and pointed to something that she wanted, "Look, Mommy," she said, "Oh, never mind. It costs money."

My grandson just celebrated his third birthday. He loves Chuck E. Cheese, so that's where we had his party. His party guests were four girls. "Where's all my girls?" he asked when we arrived.

Have you ever noticed how little boys come with sound effects? And they actually say, "I want to be a Super hero." I didn't have boys, so I'm thoroughly enjoying the company of this little boy.

With school right around the corner, my older daughter is like a kid in a candy story, getting her classroom ready for her eighth-graders. She'll be teaching Algebra.

I have a couple of friends that have cause for celebrations, too. The daughter of one friend is finishing up a four-month hike along the Appalachian trail. She is down to the last 100 miles and will be home soon. S., whom I have know since she was in preschool, is quite the adventurer. She worked in a bear camp in Alaska last summer, after driving there all the way from Alabama! And in the fall/winter she worked at a ski resort out west and drove along the California coastline and then across the southern United States. And she is only 23 years old!

I love to celebrate the little things, as well as the big occasions.

Hoping that you have something to celebrate this month. Whether big or small, it's worth celebrating.

When I Get Older...

I want to be like my mother-in-law, when I get older. Her mind is sharp as a tack and even with her arthritis, two hip replacements, and a knee replacement, she doesn't sit still. She makes it to church on Sundays, cooks and cleans for her daughter's family, loves to attend hockey games, and loves to laugh at a good joke.

My husband is the cute kid on the right.

This week she is flying to Michigan, by herself, to go to her family reunion. She and her sister are the only remaining siblings out of nine children. Her son and granddaughter will fly in from Minnesota to meet her there. She's proud to be the oldest of the "Graves" family that will be attending.

She's 89 years young. She still has the dimples, too.

Memories In Black and White

I only have a few photos of my German relatives. The photo of my grandparents wedding is the only photo I have of my grandfather. He died when my mother was nine years old, in East Germany. They had been separated after the war and my grandmother and nine children became refugees, travelling by train from Czechoslovakia to West Germany after the war ended. I know very little about my grandparents, Karl and Anna, so I cherish the few photos that I have.

The next picture was taken of my Aunt Marianne's church wedding in the 1950's, when she married an American airman. My aunt was beautiful and reminded us of a movie star when she came to visit us in her convertible, with a silk scarf wrapped around her blonde hair. She was also my godmother. Sadly, we lost her at the young age of 37.

The last picture was actually an old, old black and white postcard that I had enlarged. It is the Cinderella castle, or Neuschwanstein, home of King Ludwig. No, he wasn't a relative, but I loved the picture of the castle!

Changes

My daughter's house is almost finished. She talked to her Realtor and it looks like she may be ready to close within six weeks. We've been shopping for appliances and housewares. It's fun shopping for a new home, but there are things that I'm going to miss once she and my grandson move out.

No more little feet running to meet me at the door with a big grin and wrapping his little arms around me. "Maw-maw's home!" It makes me feel like a rock star to be given such treatment.

I'm going to miss having a little boy's room in my house, even with toys scattered about. And I'll miss folding his little jeans and screen-printed pajamas, which even a two-year old has favorites. I'll miss the beating of the drum set, stepping over the Legos, and  Buzz Light Year, "From here to infinity!" Can you say that I'll miss "Toy Story" (1,2, & 3). I'll miss playing hide-and-seek, but I can't say that I'll miss all the piggy back rides...there is a limit as to what this middle-aged body can do.

But I will miss my daughter's company and staying up late on a weekend, watching a movie and eating popcorn, even though most of the time we fall fast asleep on the sofa and loveseat.
I'll miss the smell of dinner already cooked when I come home, and groceries already picked up from the store.

Yes, my house has been a little crowded and a little messy with my daughter and her son living here, but I have survived. A new home will be exciting for her, and I'll have them come over on Friday nights, when we can stay up late and watch movies, eat popcorn and listen to Buzz Light Year, "From here to infinity!"

Trees of Christmases Past

This was our Christmas tree from 1980. We were living in Germany. My oldest was seven months old, so this was her very first Christmas. We only had one car at the time, so I was a real stay-at-home Mom. I learned how to sew and crochet and made these homemade ornaments just in time for Christmas. I missed my family, but we made some good friends in our apartment building.

This was Christmas 1986. My youngest daughter (pictured here) was four years old. Our living room was warm and cozy, and I especially loved the stone fireplace in our little rental house.

We had moved into our new house by the time this picture was taken in the late 1980's. I was in a country decorating phase. Notice the ruffled curtains in the background. Even if I don't write on the back of my photos I can identify the time period by the decor.

I think that this one was taken the following year (same curtains).

My Victorian Christmas tree.

Christmas at my mother's house. Our family always got together on Christmas Eve. She would make her famous Potato Salad and Bratwurst, along with assorted cold cuts and rye bread. There was always a Stollen, a traditional German bread, and of course, Christmas cookies.

Christmas, 2005

I paid $5.00 for this little tree on clearance the year before.

An old-fashioned Christmas tree, 2009.  

Sunday at the Park

I spent Sunday with my grandchildren. We ate a late breakfast at Cracker Barrel.

We took the kids to the local state park, where they played on the neat playground. They wouldn't be still long enough to get any good pictures.

They did like playing in the dirt...

And taking a short hike with their 'walking sticks.'

Here's another scenic view...

And one more.

After our visit to the park, we stopped at Earth Fare, a gourmet grocery store with lots of organic foods, and I couldn't resist the deserts, so I bought a sampling.  I just ate a bite of each, honestly!

The kids still had energy left over to jump on the trampoline. Whew! I was tired.