Christmas Scenes From Home

 

I will have to say we enjoyed the white twinkle lights on the
side lights.  The lights were even prettier from inside the house.
I applied them with very thin and short pieces of clear packing tape.

On the 23rd, my daughter, son-in-law, grandson and my sister came over
to eat and play games.  For a change we had homemade lasagne, salad and
garlic bread.  I never knew a game of Old Maids (so PI I am surprised
we could even find a deck) could be so much fun!


Canyon and Lucinda are pictured here playing Jenga.  It is a  fun game
if you have never tried it.

When Tracy and Lucinda arrived, they came in carrying this mouse and a tale.
They informed us that Canyon would not be with us this evening, he
had turned into a mouse ... this particular mouse that danced to
"Jingle Bell Rock" when you pressed the yellow dot on the right foot.  (Of course
Canyon couldn't wait to come in the door and show us he was "only kiddin'".


Canyon, I have to hand it to you for imagination!  You've got a great one!
Always keep it.  ☺

Canyon is not the only one with an imagination in the family!  It took
quite an imagination for my sister to come up with the latest creation atop
Clint's head!  A cap with an instant "bad hair day" built right in it!



Love my old vintage ornamaments



It was so good to sit down on Christmas morning and enjoy a piece
of my sister's apple sauce cake with coffee.  Thank you, Patti, for giving us this
cake.  It is delicious!

More favorite old ornaments on our living room tree



Some of my old Gurley candles, notice the bent steeple on the little church.
These survived the hot heat in the moving van when we moved.  These
little candles were sold in dime stores many years ago.  Somewhere I have some
shaped like lamp posts.



Christmas tree ornaments belonging originally to my great-grandmother.
My grandmother used them every year on her tree.  I take them out every
year just to feel them and look at them. These were not put on a moving
van when we moved, I brought them in the car.  My mother-in-law
gave us the beautiful cut glass dish.



This year we had no decorations outside our house.
I came up with the idea of doing "window displays" as
a form of decoration.  I always loved the old department
store window displays.

A small tree grouping on our buffet as part of the
dining room "window display".



We kept Canyon on the 23rd, most of the day.  Canyon has expressed an interest
in chess and Clint was enjoying this first lesson.  Clint has been playing chess
on his new phone and wants to get back to playing it on a real board with
real pieces.






Such an amazing smoke pattern from some burning incense

Tracy with another one of Patti's creations ...

Lucinda with Patti's version of a Neapolition ice cream cap!

Our Tennessee mantel is so similar to our former Texas mantel

Detail from our mantle ...



Leave it to Clint to give a new meaning to the term
 BLOOD SHOT EYES !



About those red eyes, my sister brought these Rudolph Red Noses that lit up and blinked.  We got creative with them and used them not only for noses but for eyes! They were not blinking in unison so I had  to make several pictures to get them both lit at the same time. (No, not Clint, only the eyes)  ;~D

A Proud Mama



My daughter, Lucinda Lowe Radford, graduated yesterday from
Tusculum College, Cum Laude I might add!  :~)

She has a BS in Organizational Management with emphasis on finance.



(Please note these photos taken in ambient light have turned out yellow, need to work on such things as

temperature and white balance ☺ )

What is it about those beautiful and haunting strains of a bagpipe?   I had tears in my eyes within seconds
of the beginning of the event!  The sacred occasion began
with Jon Shell and his student, Ben Pollard, entering and playing these
Scottish Pipes.  I agree with a writer who wrote that the
sounds from bag pipes gives him "glory bumps".  Me, too.

Jon Shell told me he had been playing the pipes here since he was twelve years old.

Clint and I agreed, there was such beautiful scenery on the drive to the college
in Greenville, Tennessee.  I don't know how many times I said, "what
a great scene/house for a painting".

I love this old rural scene, one that is becoming rarer these days.

Lucinda's friend, Debbie McCoy, who gave a commencement address
as a representative of the Class of 2011.  They had classes together.



Proud husband, Tracy and son, Canyon.  Proud me!



The Andrew Johnson Museum on the ground of beautiful Tuculum College.
Tusculum is the oldest college in Tennessee and was founded in 1794 by
the Rev. Hezekiah Balch.  Tuculum's beginnings began then when
it was first named Greeneville College.



Tracy, Canyon and Clint.



The happy Radford Family

Lucinda around the age of three or four.

" For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".  KJV

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Today I had to take a much needed break from not blogging!  Yes, I just had to show all the rockin' goin' on at the Ellison house!

Please click on the link below, I promise it's not too long.  ☺



http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/cv95bdkDAutGU3UC

Christmas and a Blogging Break



This is one of my all time favorite Christmas cards.  I've not been able
to identify the artist's name.  On the back is written, "From the
Hallmark Collection.  This antique greeting card is a prize-winning design
from the Christmas Card competitions held in the late 19th century
by Louis Prang & Company of Boston and Roxbury, Massachusetts.

(My most common dream at night is floating/flying
above the ground like this.  It is a good way to
escape danger on the ground :-)  )



Written on the back of this card is "The Handkerchief to
Dadie and Mama

Sofa slip to Mama Sherman (?)
From grandma



Love this card with the poet Edgar Guest's name on front and a verse
of his inside:

We are sad when you are sad,
We are glad when you are glad,
Thus we wish all joy for you
So we can be happy, too!





This card was addressed to a Miss Helen Bivens,  Harriman,
Tennessee.  It simply states "Merry Christmas and Happy
New Year, John H. Hart



On the other side of this postcard is written
Hello, Bryan, How are you?  What are you
doing for xmas, When are you coming up here?
There was no address on the card.

My dad made and drew this card when he was in the army, stationed
in Alaska.  I like the way he put the year 1947 on the corners.

My sister Patti and I standing in front of a Santa made
by Mack Seivers.  This photo was made in his front yard in 1970.  Mack
was a very talented artist, sign painter and musician.  I posted
this yesterday on Facebook and received so many warm comments
about all the memories associated with this Santa Claus that Mack made.
Mr. Seivers lived in my neighborhood in North Clinton.

I always adored this Santa Claus!

My wishes go to my wonderful blogger friends that those who celebrate Christmas have a blessed one and that everyone has a happy holiday season.  I am going to need to take a break from blogging, I am not sure for how long.  More work needs to be done here at home.  Clint and I have some travel goals next year and I need to prepare to set things in motion for those goals.  My artwork has been neglected and I need to return to painting.  Maybe my next post will be a beautiful oil painting of the Smoky Mountains hanging over our mantle! ☺ I will be thinking of you all during the holiday season, will miss you all and will see you down the road!

My Discomfort Zone



image from crossfitfenrir.com



Last Tuesday Clint returned from running some errands and handed me a business card and said he wanted me "to call this man".  He wanted me to spend time with this man.  He said the man was personable and professional.  Last Tuesday was the day I was the sickest and didn't call the man that day. The next day Clint reminded me I had not called the man to set up our meeting.  The following day I called the number on the card and the man's wife answered. She set up the meeting with her husband, told me the cost and the meeting took place yesterday.  The meeting took place in an empty and quiet conference room and lasted about four hours. The night before this meeting I had some insomnia and anxiety about what was to take place.



"Packed" and ready to go yesterday
(recycling my B&BW bag :-)  )



Continuing to embrace the idea ... at least mentally yesterday morning

(Taking deep breaths ... as the clock ticks down to the appointed hour of the meeting ... 1 o' clock )

Not bad for my second time ever doing this ...



(It is hard to describe the emotions after I walked out of there yesterday.  I was very tired after this intense course and shooting on the range but also had some europhic feelings that I had accomplished something that I had considered almost impossible for me.  I have never liked guns and have always been very scared of guns.  I would never entertain the thought of harming any kind of animal.  I have had some very bad experiences before involving  life and death situations.  It is my prayer I would never have to consider using what I learned yesterday.)

Gaither Christmas Homecoming

 

Clint shown shining his Gaither light.

Last Friday evening, December 2, 2011, we attended the Gaither Christmas Homecoming at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.  As luck would have it, the Christmas Parade was held the same evening in downtown Knoxville. Whew!

The evening was magical and I heard my two favorite songs I had mentally requested before the event:  Beautiful Star of Bethlehem and Mary Did You Know.  I am a big fan of Mark Lowry, he wrote the lyrics to this well known song, Mary Did You Know.  Mark sang it beautifully with such emotion and feeling.

 

Elvis prepares for the parade.

Tis the season ♪♪♪

Still haven't figured out this float's theme

Many different reflections at the event

 

Stunning stage and lighting plus some
of the most beautiful voices in the world

We were "greeted" by the Gaither Vocal Band as we arrived

The Gaither lights are passed out at the concert,
imagine a gigantic arena full of twinkling star lights.

Where are you, Mark?  I have been waiting six years for this
moment!

 

 

Oh, there you are, Mark!


(My heart was thumping)


My night was complete.


☺