Songography - Home for the Holidays Edition

Wow it's hard to believe that Christmas of 2013 is now just a memory but yet it's true. - All the rush to get everything done on time and the excitement that the day finally arrived is now just a part of the past and yet those memories will last the rest of my life.  I love being "home" for the holidays.  I can't imagine any where else I'd rather be.  I didn't take many pictures over the Christmas holiday but I do have a few to share for this weeks edition of SONGOGRAPHY hosted by Kathy, (You'll Shoot Your Eye Out.)

 

The Christmas tree with it's bountiful amount of packages awaiting opening bright and early Christmas morning.  We usually get up around 5:30 am to open our gifts.

Here is one of the few I took of Coleen Christmas morning after she opened one of her gifts.  I just love the happy look on her face.

I must say "Santa" was very good to everyone and we all were very happy with our gifts.  By the time we opened everything it was nearly time to head next door to my mom's house where most of the family was able to join in on the traditional Christmas breakfast.

No need to eat again until later in the afternoon after a spread like that.
All in all it was a very nice Christmas spent at home with those I love.

Looking forward to sharing more great songs with Kathy and with you in the coming new year.

Christmas Blessings to All

Well Christmas is nearly here and I just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  Even if you don't celebrate the holiday there are many things to celebrate and blessing to be thankful for.  May you find joy, and peace during the holiday season.

Songography (Silver Bells Edition) and Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Well we are now on the count down to Christmas so let the Merry begin!!!
Click to Enlarge Photos.

Starting off with SONGOGRAPHY - So please join me and of course Kathy (You'll Shoot Your Eye Out) for the "Silver Bells" edition.

This was our front sidewalk on Friday morning,  Yikes!  Thankfully by Friday night it had rained and all that fluffy white stuff was gone. 

Silver bells silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring a ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day.

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 Next let's join Ashley from (Ramblings and Photos) for some SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY fun.  -  The prompts this week were:  Lights, Tree, Big, Makes You Feel Merry and On the Door.

LIGHTS:  We drove around a little tonight to look at some Christmas lights and I found this really cool house with a ton of lights.  They were all set to music so be sure to watch the little video as well that will follow the one decent picture I managed to get.

Here is the light show.

TREE:  We decorated my mom's tree last Sunday evening.  Here are pictures of my great-nephew, Andrew and my granddaughter, Coleen helping to decorate.  I love how they both have nearly identical expressions on their faces.

BIG:  This display was in one of the local grocery stores.  That's one "Big" Santa.

 

MAKES YOU FEEL MERRY:  I bought this decoration for my mom many years ago but every time I play it I feel "merry"  - Again a picture and a video.

ON THE DOOR: - Well not exactly on the door but how about above the door.  This is over my mom's front door and one of her favorite decorations.

Well that wraps up another week.  I want to wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and thank you for stopping by my blog this year and for you wonderful comments and encouragement. 

Random 5 Friday is back!

Hip, Hip,  Hooray!  It's Random Friday day!!!  After a brief hiatus Nancy (A Rural Journal) has brought back Random 5 Friday.  One of my favorite meme's as you get to learn some fun and random things about fellow bloggers. 

Here are mine for this week.

Wow, what a busy, busy week.  I haven't been blogging much lately or visiting many blogs because....

#1  -  I'm still Christmas shopping.  I know it's coming down to the wire but that's generally how I roll even though I tell myself every year that I'm not going to wait till the last minute and yet I still end up doing just that.  So for those of you who have everything bought and wrapped already....phtttt....

#2 - We got our tree up and decorated and did my mom's this past weekend.  Our cats have been (fairly) good this year about not yanking to many of the ornaments off the tree.  Here is one of my hubby's ornaments that I bought for him.  Santa's a cool dude!  Oh and one of my personal favorites...Top Hat Cat,

#3 - Coleen had her school program this week and got to wear one of her fancy dresses.  Here she is in front of our tree before heading off to school that morning.

 

 

 

#4 - I tripped going up the bleachers at that program.  I managed to not fall completely but did crash into the metal bar on the stairs and of course EVERYONE there had to see me do it.  Insert "embarrassed" face here but thankfully I wasn't hurt.  My hand was a little sore (as was my pride) but that's about it.

 

 

 

#5 - Coleen has her very first Piano Recital tonight.  -  Everyone keep your fingers crossed that she doesn't get to nervous about being in front of people.  I'll try to get decent pictures to post later.

 

 

I hope to get around and visit a few of your blogs before Christmas but if I don't I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and thank you for being a part of my blogging experience this year.   I'll leave you with a lovely sunset picture from one of our sunsets this week.

 

Off to do more shopping!

 





Songography - It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas and Scavenger Hunt Sunday

What a busy, busy week...or month I should say.  Still trying to get shopping done, but at least the tree is up and the house is decorated inside and out.  Which is perfect because this weeks SONGOGRAPHY song is...

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas - Version by Michael Buble but there are plenty of other versions out there as well.

We went out today to get my mom's Christmas tree and I spotted these guys in the store, of course they had to come home with me.

 At least I only snapped a picture of this Santa but isn't he cool looking.

Some images from our tree:

 

 

I love all the different ornaments we have on our tree.  These are just a few of them. 

Many of the prompts for SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY are Christmas related as well so be sure to keep on looking.

Here are the lists of prompts:  The Weather Today, R is for..., Green, Joy & Drink.

THE WEATHER TODAY - Wow after sub-degree temperatures last week it was almost 50 yesterday and about 42 today.  Great weather for...

Fred the cat to climb a tree without slipping on ice or snow, which has now melted.

R is FOR...I wanted to photograph some Reindeer that use to be at the place where we get our trees but they weren't there this year.  Instead you get....

A Rooster that was in the shop instead.

GREEN:

One of several of my holiday frog figures.  I love the expression on this guys face.

Going out of order here as I want to leave Joy for last.


DRINK:

Nothing like a cup of Peppermint Mocha Coffee with a Candy Cane to swirl in it.

JOY:  My favorite image this week:

The Joy of a child visiting Santa. 

Be sure to stop by Kathy (You'll Shoot Your Eye Out) and Ashley (Ramblings and Photos) for Songography and Scavenger Hunt Sunday.

It truly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Songography (Big Yellow Taxi) and Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Welcome! - You may (or may not) have noticed I've been a bit absent on the blog this week.  I've been madly working on Christmas cards and nursing a cold on top of it so I haven't spent much time commenting on blogs or posting on mine either. 

Click to Enlarge Photos.

I planned to skip SONGOGRAPHY this week because I just didn't think I had anything that fit the prompt.   While running through the lyrics of this weeks song:  Big Yellow Taxi by Counting Crows, I came upon this line in the song:

Hey farmer, farmer, put away your DDT
I don't care about spots on my apples,
Leave me the birds and the bees
Please

 

Bingo!  - A light bulb went off in my head as I remembered this photo that I had taken a week ago while out on a little photo shoot.

 



 

I had stopped on a country road to take some photos of these wild apples when I spotted something flitting around in the brush on the apple branches.  I managed to get a shot of this adorable little yellow bird (I have no clue what type of a bird it is though).  I think this fits those lyrics quite well.  You don't see much of this around anymore.

 

Don't forget to stop by Kathy's blog (You'll Shoot Your Eye Out) and check out how other's interpreted this song.

 

Now please join me for SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY over on Ashley's blog, (Ramblings and Photos) where this weeks prompts were:

Where I Stood, Silver, Tiny, In The Cupboard and Shadow.

 

WHERE I STOOD:  -   This is the scene from where I stood on Tuesday morning:

 

 

Thankfully it didn't last long and while it's been to cold for it to melt completely most of it's gone (for now).  I'd like for it to stay away for much, much longer though since I'm not much of a winter fan.

 

SILVER:  Getting a little creative here...

 

Ghost, One of the neighbors kittens has silvery looking fur.  Here he was enjoying romping in the Snow that arrived on Tuesday morning.

 

TINY:  Tiny little snowflakes on a branch.

 

 

IN THE CUPBOARD:  At our house after Thanksgiving the regular coffee mugs and glasses get put away and out come the "Holiday" mugs and glasses:

 

Both the Penguin mugs are new editions this year to the growing collection.

 

SHADOW:  Seriously we had snow on Tuesday and then it got cold and then it got colder and then today it got even colder....BUT....the sun came out and I actually ventured out and snapped a photo of some leaves and their shadow at one of the local parks.  Mind you it was only 9 degrees outside so I didn't stay out very long.  Frozen fingers were not on the agenda.

 

 

 

Hoping it warms up soon.  - Take care & thanks for stopping by.

Songography-Celebrate Me Home and Scavenger Hunt Sunday - December 1, 2013

Well it's been a BUSY week here with the Thanksgiving holiday preparations and then the start of the Christmas season so I haven't spent much time on the old blog.  I'm joining in though for Songography and Scavenger Hunt Sunday.


Click to Enlarge photos:

It is time  to join Kathy, (You'll Shoot Your Eye Out) for SONGOGRAPHY where this week the song she's showcasing is, 
Celebrate Me Home by Kenny Loggins.

The opening line of this song goes like this:
                                         "Home for the holidays,

I believe I've missed each and every face.

Come on and play my music,

Let's turn on the love light in the place."

Well to me home for the holidays means just that...Home where my family gathers to celebrate the season.  One thing that always reminds me of home during the holidays are holiday lights.  We love them...we put up LOTS of them.  My dad loved them and in his memory we make sure that our house and my mom's place next door light up the night with a lot of love.

 

 

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Please join me now as we head over to Ashley's blog, (Ramblings and Photos) for SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY  -  This weeks prompts:  Starts with S,

Texture, A Blessing, Warmth, and I Went.

 

 

STARTS WITH S....for Silly and Stuffed Toy

There is this dog that walks by sometimes with it's owner and it always carries a stuffed toy of some kind in it's mouth.  It looks pretty silly (and doggone cute too) doing so.

 

 

 

TEXTURE:  I found the bark on this tree fascinating and it certainly has a lot of texture too it.

 

 

A BLESSING:  I think my hubby (Mike) and little granddaughter, (Coleen) are a blessing and more so this weekend for all their hard work in putting up the Christmas lights - Check out the top photo from Songography.  That's our place and my mom's next door all lit up for the holidays.

 

 

 

WARMTH:  I love the glow and warm feeling of candles...I don't know how much warmth they actually provide but they do give you a warm feeling inside when you see them burning.

 



 

I WENT:  For a drive last week to take pictures of whatever caught my eye.

Look what I spotted...

 

 

 

Well that's it for another week.  Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check out the other participants.  You can find their links by visiting Kathy & Ashley's blogs.  -  Have a great week.

Songography - Blessed Edition and Scavenger Hunt Sunday.

Welcome!

Please join me for SONGOGRAPHY and SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY

This week Kathy (You'll Shoot Your Eye Out) offered us the song,  Blessed by Martina McBride.
Again a country song that I wasn't familiar with but this one I actually liked when I listed to it.


I am truly "Blessed" to have a wonderful family, a nice home to live in, food to eat, clothes to wear and time to enjoy the beauty around me.  Today I took a little drive and was able to capture some wonderful pictures.  Then on my way to the store tonight I saw that the sun was just starting to set and I knew that it was going to be a gorgeous sunset.  So I made a bit of a "detour" from the store and headed out on a country road so I could capture this:
CLICK TO ENLARGE:

Yes it is a beautiful world and I am truly blessed.

Please join me now as we head over to Ashley's blog  (Ramblings and Photos) for Scavenger Hunt Sunday.  The prompts this week were:
Horizon, Sharp, Leather, Blue and Diagonal Lines.

HORIZON:  One of the many shots I took on my little drive today.

 There was a bit of haze over the mountains which is pretty typical for this time of year but I think they are still lovely.

SHARP:  Coleen and I stopped yesterday on our way for Yogurt so I could get some pictures and I knew exactly what I was looking for as I'd taken similar pictures of this very same thing last year but never posted them.  I decided to see if they were still there and sure enough they were:  Well new one's that is.

I'm thinking the thorns on these bushes must be sharp.

LEATHER:  Got my little model and did a small photo session of her Leather Jacket that her Grandpa bought her for Christmas last year.

BLUE:  Frost crystals on the Van's tinted window - Aren't they pretty.

DIAGONAL LINES:  This one was a bit tough but I think this counts...

Callie-Jo has diagonal whiskers.