My Favorite Christmas Things

I probably posted these Nativity scenes before, but it is Christmas again, and they are still my favorite decorations. We have a small collection of them beginning with the one below. It was a gift to Jay from one of his customers whom he helped. I have two pop-up Nativity books like the one below.
This one is my favorite because my children created it with my Wasband, Granger, when we lived in the state of Misery (some people call it Missouri). I love the little wooden horse leaning against the back, Kimber's horses in the coral, and Baby Jesus in the manger/basket.

I love making aprons, and this is the latest creation for Jay's daughter, Rachel, who lives in Hawaii. I like how it portrays the erupting mountains and vividly colored flowers.

And then, there is Family! MamaPajama arrived at the airport in Lewiston yesterday after a long day of flying and layover in Seattle before touching down.

She is resting today after such an arduous beginning to our celebration of Christmas this week.

I am so grateful she shares our values for what this holiday means. And I'm grateful for the fact that she is so spry at the age of 87 that she can still travel to share this holiday with us.

Snowy Greetings

Tis sunrise over the garden area greeted us this morning as we finished our breakfast of yummy, rich and yellow-yolked eggs (from the farm up the road) and toast with home-made Blackberry Jam. An idyllic life we live, surrounded by astonishing beauty and filled with delicious and nutritious food. And I am reminded of one of my favorite verses from Psalms:

"The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places, surely I have a goodly inheritance."

We have received over two feet of snow, with more due today. The plows worked overtime to clear the roads so shoppers could attend the many craft fairs on Saturday.

One pile of snow plowed from the street is taller than I am!

This poor Elm tree lost a significant branch as we breakfasted several days ago. The snow was unusually heavy, and the temperatures were in the mid-teens...perfect for tree crashing!

There was a good turnout for church even though the roads were icey. And Pastor Brent joined the Praise Band yesterday morning accompanied by his newly-made mandolin.
He is quite an accomplished musican AND woodworker.