A Sweet Bear

There is always room for one more bear at my house !! This cute little guy was handmade for me for Christmas by my sweet grand-daughter. His little face has so much personality -- he looks as if he wants to tell me some Christmas secrets !! She also made the necklace with the glass slide pendant featuring Santa Claus checking his list. I think my name was on the "good" list as I opened some lovely gifts on Christmas Eve. When I was growing up, Santa never failed to visit our house, even when I was a teenager. Mom and Dad never gave up the tradition. There is that special memory which comes to mind every year at this time.

Christmas Past

And a Merry Christmas Eve !! What is it about photos of children with Santa that are so endearing ? And, isn't it wonderful when the child is happy and not afraid of the man with the flowing white beard dressed in that red suit ? This picture of Hilery some 20 plus years ago is a reminder to me that Santa Claus is real !! Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus !!

Nutcracker

Every year at Christmas time, the Nevada Ballet Theatre performs The Nutcracker. The past few years, my friend, Sharon and I have discussed attending. This year, instead of buying one another a Christmas gift, our gift to ourselves and each other was a ticket to see the ballet. This was my very first time ever, to see this kind of ballet performance -- hopefully, it will not be my last, as I thoroughly enjoyed it. The dancers were awesome -- the costumes were gorgeous. The gift of a memorable afternoon -- I don't believe those fit under a Christmas tree !!

Another Cake Plate

This green depression glass cake plate is at home in my china cabinet, along with all those other mementos of my life and past generations. It was difficult to catch the beauty of the "sunflowers" in the photograph. The plate was someone else's family heirloom that I purchased at an estate sale several years ago on a trip back to Iowa. I really love those estate auctions, but, have to control myself on bidding on everything I would like to have. I would have to purchase another china cabinet and where would I put that ??

An Anniversary

When I received my Avon order this week, a little something extra that I did not order, appeared. This commemorative plate celebrating my years as an Avon representative was quite a surprise. I knew I had been selling Avon for a long time, but, hadn't really kept track of the number of years. I have never really worked at it as a business -- it has just been a little side-line thing to do. Since my retirement from my full-time job, I have wanted to retire from this, also. The few gals that still order on a regular basis beg and whine and cry whenever I mention quitting. One of my New Year's resolutions is to stop allowing other people to influence my decisions !! Suppose I can keep that ??

My Oil Painting Era

I came across this photo this morning - I'm not sure if it is the original from which I copied or if it is one of my paintings. The picture hung in the beauty salon I owned back in the 70's when I was into oil painting. Your G'ma Ruth loved the picture so it was only a matter of time before I copied it in oils for her. I painted another copy for my friend, Opal, also. I could never find a signature on the original, so I never knew who to credit. Your G'ma had her painting hanging in her bedroom and it was given to her hairstylist before G'ma moved to the assisted care facility. This woman was always so good to G'ma Ruth and always went "the extra mile" for her. I hope that it is as special for her as it was for G'ma.

Happy Thanksgiving !!

I have been a "bad blogger" of late !! I know there are still many things within these walls of my home with "history" and lots of childhood and early years memories to recall. I will get to more of those things as days come and go. Today, being Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the many good recipes my Mom had. A family favorite has always been this Sunday Coffee Cake. The recipe originated from a newspaper sometime in the 1940's. Mom's friend, Luella, served this at one of those great Sunday dinners that were so memorable when I was growing up. My collection of recipes are not well organized. Some are hand-written on scraps of paper - a few in Mom's writing. This one, among others, so old and used so many times, it is faded and discolored. These are my favorites !!