No Rhyme or Reason--Review of the Season!

Just some photo reviews of the past month or two!   Life was moving at a fast pace-->
Grandchildren; cookies; Thanksgiving; gratitude; family; friends; Bible; outdoor adventures; food; chocolate; meals; gifts; creating; painting; cutting and pasting (my favorite!); photography; warm fires in the wood stove; gingerbread house making party; and SO MUCH MORE!

Mark has been cutting little wood crafts for the children's church. 

These were wood star ornaments the kids decorated with a verse and  glitter.

Mark and I spent many evenings trying to photograph the moon.  It was a ton of fun wandering out in the dark nights!  This is what the front of our home looked like dressed in the Christmas lights Mark put out.  He loves doing this, and I so enjoy the lights. 

My cookie angel watching over the making of Russian Tea Cakes.

She (my cookie angel) reminded me to roll the cookies in powdered sugar!  I made so many cookies this year, for various events, etc.  I loved and sampled every single one.  I need to run...I slacked on that durring the freeze, and need to not let this rain stop me now!

The Christmas dish is from a set my mother-in-law gave me the first year we were marred (31 years ago this year!  I'm always on the lookout for these at the thrift stores, to increase my set from a set for 4 to a set for 10 or 12, to fit our family now!  I have found 3 plates so far, and a few bowls!)

For the last two years I've held a Gingerbread House Decorating party here at our home.  I invite our grandchildren, of course!, and other children with their moms.  This year our daughter, Melissa, did the same at her house with friends and family from her town.  I went over early to help her finish up her assembly of 21 houses!  Can you imagine how much work she put into making that many gingerbread houses from scratch?  It's a labor of love.   The photo above are a collection of just some of the houses they decorated.  I held my party here the next week.  I'll post photos of that soon.

Melissa and I, after the gingerbread decorating party.  The moms/children bring all the candy, sharing everything they bring.  Melissa made all the frosting tubes for them to use to attach and decorate the gingerbread houses.  She made all the houses with a pattern I drew out a few years ago.

I have a real estate salesperson friend who, every time she closes on a home sale, orders a custom sign for her client!  How cool is that?  The date of the "est." is the date of the home closing.  This is just one of the many signs I've painted.

Guess that's enough photos for this round...more soon,  hope!

May you have 2012 reasons this year to be thankful!

Hugs, Heidi

Scrapwood Bench

A scrap-wood bench....I have many in our home!  If I ask Mark to make anything, he will---I just need to draw out what I want, or give him an "inspiration" picture.  The picture below is about 3 years old, but it's the only one I could find quickly of the bench without spending hours on my computer searching!  (NOTE TO SELF:  Please try harder to tag your photos!!!  This makes it so much easier when looking for a particular photo!) 

(This was in 2008-my mother meeting my granddaughter, Ellie,

her great-granddaughter for the first time!)

What I really wanted in this bench was a sort of scalloped bench "skirt".  I love how Mark made it.  I painted it antique white, then simply wiped a blue shade of paint on all the edges.  Although this is a bench, I'm always used it for books.  Right now it's in our guest room with my Bible study books. It gets moved around our home once or twice a year.

(John Mark was so little...and so blond!)

We bought (cheap) a bundle of scrapwood from a little sawmill down the road. I've got so many ideas of things to make with this wood.  I've made totes and my rustic signs already, but have more things planned.  I never turn down wood!

Then of course I'll mention our headboard benches now.  We've made at least five of these, using the headboard and footboard (cut in half) of old twin beds.  This is the only picture I could find quickly, agian without a full-scale computer search!  I have one bench that I always use to when I photograph signs I've made.

Here's one of our outdoor benches, (photo from last year).  We didn't make this one! It's made of redwood and is about 13 years old. The children love to play on it.

(from 2010)

Have a wonderful and day, even if it's raining as it is here!

  Blessings, Heidi

Linked to Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphis Monday here.