OUR CHRISTMAS DAY

Lisa was singing at church in the morning. They come over to our house for lunch and then it's off to her parents for dinner.  They give their time to us equally. We have often offered them to forego Christmas Dinner with us, but they won't hear of it and split their time between the parents. We love them dearly for that.  

You can read about the tradition of Christmas Crackers at this link and many blogging friends know all about them, even over here. Now, how do they work for those who aren't familiar? They got their name because of the sound they make when they're pulled open.  Each one is a tube of cardboard prettily decorated. It has a tiny explosive charge attached to narrow paper strips attached in the middle, which is woven inside the cracker. Sounds crazy I know but I can honestly say they don't burn your fingers like they used to mine when I was a child, and that was part of the excitement as a kid. Nowadays not so much. You give each person on either side one end of your cracker, and on the other they give you theirs. They hold on tight and tug with the strip held by your fingertips. It cracks and things fall out of the inside. 

We each enjoy reading the oh so corny jokes on little bits of paper inside, and little bits of trivia, which we did yesterday. We did this with Brad all through his growing up years.

There are also things like this inside. It came in handy. Gregg couldn't find the bottle opener for his coca-cola and I handed him this. It worked! Our Christmas Crackers were more for adults. You can buy them with children in mind. 

And now it's time to open gifts.

I forgot to take photos of other ones.

Lisa sang for us, which was a joy as you heard in my post yesterday.

and now...

We gave away a lot of food, and half the cake/yule log. Slices were cut up and put in the freezer. 

Lisa's birthday was on December 27th. They went away on a birthday trip. I have been looking at their photos and I can share them in a few days. Now I will end with the photo I turned into a painting at the beginning of this post.

I wish everyone a very blessed ending to the old year. It's hard to believe that a new one is almost upon us.

3 PHOTOS TURNED INTO ART

As I had some playtime on my computer tonight, I used the ArtCard app to do something artsy with my photos.  The actual shots from riding around the neighborhood, which will include these three, will be shared tomorrow.  

Thanks for dropping by, 

and have a great day!

TO A VISITOR…

 

To A Visitor

I live in an old house 

With two big dogs out front.

They may run to greet you.

Don’t worry, 

Just scratch them under the chins

And you will have forever friends.

If you’re hungry, pick purple grapes 

From the porch,

Or sage leaves

From that dented metal tub.

The porch is messy.

You might find a bike

Or a cooler just unpacked from camping,

Or a book turned upside down,

Or a cat,

Or three cats

Snoozing in the shade.

Pet the cats.

Borrow the book if you like.

Come in.

Tea’s on.

~Amy Ludwig VanDerwater~

I took the photo of this lovely old house on our trip along the Snickersville Turnpike a few weeks ago.  I am continuously drawn to these beautiful old homes.   It is another ArtCard effect.   

WHILE I AM GETTING ANOTHER POST READY....

I am sharing four photos turned into paintings.  I have mentioned before how much I enjoy my ArtCard app, and haven't lost the novelty of it yet.  I made up a simple title for each one but there's no other narration.  These are favorite photos taken over many years.  I picked them out at random and will share others periodically.  

~Sweet Canine~

~Busy Working~  

~Waving Poppies~

~Church with Red Door~

Have a great day everyone, and 

thanks for stopping by!