Our Little Hero

Both Alyssa and Billy have served

as firefighters. Billy is still a

volunteer firefighter in Medicine Park.

So.... it's only fitting that Weston

should be a little hero, too.

Isn't he the sweetest thing?

Merry CHRISTmas!!!!!

Merry CHRISTmas!

 

I hope you find 

CHRIST

in the midst of your

CELEBRATIONS!

I will be celebrating with my husband 

of almost 34 years.

And with all of our children

and grand children.

FOURTEEN stockings hang on our

fireplace. That's FOUR more than

last CHRISTmas!

We are BLESSED!

 

And here is a closer look at the portrait

that sits on my mantle.

I LOVE Nativity Scenes. I hope to pass

that love on to my children

and grand children.

May we all embrace JESUS this

CHRISTmas Season.

After all.... HE really is the 

REASON for the SEASON.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRANDY!!!!!!!

Today is Brandy's Birthday!

Brandy is the perfect wife for my

son Andrew. And she's a wonderful

Mommy to Brilyn and Asher.

 If I had to choose one word to

describe her, it would be

DELIGHTFUL!

Because she is so pleasant.

She's always got a smile on her face.

And - she makes Andrew HAPPY!

He's always smiling, too!

I'm so happy to have her in the family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRANDY!!!!

Our Family Is GROWING!

Our family is GROWING!

I baby sat Caelie Saturday night,

so Deuce could take Andra

out. Normally, when they go out,

Caelie goes along but Saturday night

was special!

 

Deuce had reservations

at a steak house. 

There were flower on the table

when they arrived.

And a musician was there

to play "their song".

And someone even snapped this

picture for them. 

Deuce proposed and Andra

said "Yes!" 

So that means we are getting a

new daughter in law and

a new grand daughter.

It's now official!

  Caelie will soon be Grace, Olivia,

Brilyn, Asher and Weston's

COUSIN!

Remembering the Nativity

I love CHRISTmas. I love seeing nativity

sets and things that point you to the

REAL meaning of this special season.

 And while I was in Texas for

Grace's Birthday Party, we found a 

CHRISTmas Nativity Production

that did just that!

It was a drive though.... or hayride.... your choice!

We chose the hayride and were tucked in

with blankets and served free hot cocoa!

 The scene started with an Angel visiting Mary.

Then, there was no room in the inn.

And then.... a beautiful manger scene.

With a real live baby.

 Then we saw the boy Jesus working

in the carpentry shop!

 And Jesus as a young man being

tempted in the wilderness.

 The Last Supper.

 And then the arrest. The government was

against Jesus then, and is becoming

so again, now. So sad, isn't it?

 They crucified him.

 Yet, he still lives.

This little drive through was narrated

and if you chose to drive your own car, 

you would be given a CD and you would

play a track at each scene. If you needed a 

CD player, that was also provided.

All free of charge.

And the message was straight from

the Bible.

For anyone wanting to attend this,

it was at a Baptist Church in

McKinney, Texas.

Grace's Birthday Party at Home

This year Grace got to plan her 

own Birthday Party!

They did it the weekend after

her birthday instead of the weekend

before - so that if Weston came late,

I could still make it!

And Weston came late, so that

was a good thing!

 

 As the girls arrived they went to the

make up table and did

their own make up!

 

Then they put on dress up clothes

and had a Tea Party Lunch! 

Everything looked so lovely!

 Grace chose the gold table cloth.

Her Momma would have preferred a different

one, but It was Grace's Birthday, so

she had the final say.

I actually think it looks quite nice!

 Grace also got to serve her guests

their tea!

 Isn't this little guest just beautiful?

She was as sweet as she is pretty, too.

 And didn't these three do a lovely

job on their make up?

After they ate they went to the craft

table to make a few crafts.

 And while they were busy making

crafts, I was able to switch the table from

"tea party lunch" to "birthday party".

 Now.... isn't that a pretty table?

 And just look at that cake!

My daughter, Heather, made it herself.

 And each guest got to take home

a little doll!

 I think those lovely little girls thought

it was pretty cute.

 Grace blew out her candles and we

had cake and punch and then, she

got to open presents!

It was a really nice party and I think

all of the girls had a good time.

And they all behaved! There was not a

single disagreement or 

temper tantrum.

Grace has pretty sweet little friends

for which I am grateful.

More Pictures of Weston

 Doesn't he look like a perfect little doll.

 He's s a bundle of sweetness!

In some pictures he looks like

his Momma and in some 

pictures he looks like his Daddy,

so I am hoping he gets the best

of BOTH parents!

 

Look Who Is Here!

Weston is here!

He was born last Monday.

He had some breathing issues right

off the bat, but is now breathing just fine

home and doing well. 

 To see this video at full

resolution, click HERE.

Brilyn's Gingerbread House

 Brilyn is pretty crafty!

Her Daddy is an artist and I think

she might have inherited some of his talent.

 Just LOOK at her Gingerbread House!

I applied the frosting and she added

the candy pieces all by herself!  

If whe wasn't happy with how a piece

looked..... she ate it! 

And when she was finished she was pretty

proud of her results.

She couldn't wait to show Daddy!

Of course, by the time he saw it there

were fingerprints in the snow

and the little trees had probably been eaten.

But - she absolutely LOVED this activity!

This house is a kit we bought in the

bakery section of Walmart.

It has Royal Frosting included which

actually makes it stick together great!

 

A Closer look!

We added M&M's.

However, the kit really has enough

candy if you can save it for 

the house. Brilyn ate quite a bit of ours,

so we needed something more.

Plus.... she kept paving the walkway. 

I think she must like the

cobblestone look!

Handprint Snowmen Ornaments - So, So Cute!

We made

Handprint Snowmen Ornaments

and they turned out so cute, I just had to share.

We did this early in the month - before Weston

was born, so we will have to make him

one later. 

Anyway.... aren't they DARLING?

 
Here is Grace's!

Her handprint almost fills up the ball.

And here is Brilyn's!

 And Olivia's!

Brilyn and Olivia's hands are

just the right size to make 

super cute snowmen.

So - this is probably a good craft 

for two and three year olds!

And look at Asher's itty bitty snowmen!

Aren't they adorable?

I did his handprint whild he was sleeping

and he barely even stirred.

He's a sweet boy.

He likes to snuggle but is content to 

sit in his swing if you have

a chore or two to take care of. 

You don't hear so much as a peep out of

him unless he is hungry....

Anyway...... to make the ornaments.

You need:

Large Blue Christmas Ornaments

(other colors would work, but blue looks like a night sky)

White Paint

(I used the acrylic Folk Art stuff from Walmart)

Sharpie Markers

Q-Tips

Paper Plate

Paper Towels

Put a little paint on a paper plate. Place your child's

hand in the paint and smear it around to get good

coverage. Dab the painted hand on a paper towel to remove

excess paint. Then apply hand onto the ornament and remove.

Don't worry about getting a "perfect handprint".

Snowmen are not perfect!

 BUT - if there is any stray paint you can

wipe it away with a corner of a

damp paper towel.

Allow the paint to dry. 

Then.... with a Q-Tip you can touch up

the handprint. Add paint to thin areas to

give them a little more shape. 

Your "handprint" is more of a 

size reference than an exact replica of

your child's hand.

After touching up allow the paint to dry

again. Once dry... use Sharpie Markers

to add eyes, noses, mouths,

scarfs, buttons and hats.

Dont forget to add your child's name

and the year so you can look back

and see who created this lovely

ornament and when!

And enjoy!

Kids seem to love making CHRISTmas

crafts and any grandparent would

love to receive one of these for

CHRISTmas!

Some of my Favorite Christmas Things!

 Of all of our Christmas decor, the Christmas

stockings have to be my favorite. 

For my own kids, I worked on the

stocking during my prenatal visits....

to kill time in the waiting room. 

For my children's spouses and for the

grandchildren, I did them whenever I could.

This year we've added FOUR!

Asher and Weston

were born into our family.

And Andra and Caelie are soon to

be married into our family. 

(according to Caelie... Deuce and Andra seem to be taking their own sweet time)

And this tradition we started

just last year, but it's already a favorite.

Look.... do you see anything?

 

Maybe a closer look will help!

It's Jingles!

He's our Elf on the Shelf and he

is so much fun!

He found his way into the candy

machine - which he thinks is

a ball pit. That silly elf!

I wonder what he will think of next? 

Grace Making Ornaments

 Grace can handle making ornaments

all by herself.

I showed her how...

and then she made TONS!

 She even clear coats the ornaments

all by herself.

She is getting to be such a big girl

and she's developping so many skills.

And she made super cute ornaments!

To make ornaments like these you need:

 2X2 Photos - printed on plain paper

2x2 tiles - I got mine at a discount store

and got hundreds for $2.00

Modge Podge

Clear Spray Paint

Ribbon

Felt

Hot Glue and a Glue Gun

Lay out your tiles and cover then with a thin coat

of Modge Podge. Place pictures on tiles. Let dry COMPLETELY.

Apply another coat of Modge Podge. Let dry.

Coat with Clear Spray Paint.

Allow to dry.

Hot glue a ribbon on to hang

and glue felt on the back for a backing.

The felt is optional but it

gives your tile a more finished

look - and the kids one more thing

to cut. Our girls LOVE cutting.

And for some of out ornaments I had

peel and stick felt that the girls could

apply themselves. For other tiles I

had plain felt that had to be glued on.

Both worked fine and made cute 

little ornaments.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRACE!!!!

 Just five short years ago, I was in Okinawa, Japan

celebrating the birth of this little princess!

 It doesn't seem possible that she can be

5 YEARS OLD!

What a blessing these past 5 Years

have been! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,

GRACE Elizabeth McGriff

You are the most precious

GEM

EVER!