A New Year!

Happy New Year!

 Every year, right before Christmas, I start getting this feeling of newness.

I feel like I want to start new things,  I want to reorganize, refresh, renew. 

It is always a good feeling to me. 

This past year has been a hard year for me. It has been one of acceptance of change

and trying to understand things that I cannot change. But it was a good year.

I have a very loving family that supports me and we love each other. 

We have been healthy and happy

and that means so much. 

I am going to try so hard this year to be a better person,

to be happier, but also to enjoy life and to become closer to my

Heavenly Father and my savior, Jesus Christ.

In my living room I have a that I will display below. 

It says: 

"Life isn't measured by the number of breaths you take,

But by the moments that take your breath away." 

I hope you all have moments that take your breath away,

I hope you cherish them. I know I will. 

This is my wish for all of you that read my blog, 

all of you that I love dearly.

When you are lonely, I wish you Love!
When you're down, I wish you Joy!
When you're troubled, I wish you Peace!
When things seem empty, I wish you Hope!
Have a Happy New Year!
This bright New Year is given to me to live each day with zest, to daily grow and try to be my highest and my best!-William Arthur Ward

 Happy New Year My Dears.

Love, Karen

Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow!!!!!

We woke up to some beautiful snow this morning!

Doug got a new snow blower this past fall and this is the first time he got to use it. 

He loves it. He went and did two of the neighbors driveways too.

 

This is a  picture of the neighbors across the circle. 

The snow was really coming down, now it has let up a little. 

I love the snow, but Heather and Ricky are coming home from Arkansas today.

They are in Dallas and will fly toSalt Lake. Then drive up here.

I will be a nervous wreck until they get home. 

Michelle and friends are going sledding. Now that sounds fun.

Christmas Decorations

Well, I will be taking down my Christmas decorations soon, but I wanted to post some pictures first. This is above my kitchen sink. I don't have a window there, so I put one up that I got at an antique store.

My dear friend Shaunie gave me the pitcher with pinecones and cranberries in it. I made the Noel blocks last year. Turn the noel around and it says FALL.

Our downstairs Christmas Tree!

My entry way!

The two snowpeople on the left are some I made several years ago.

Their names are Stefan and Sophia. They were fun to make.

Well, that is a tour of some of my Christmas decorations. I love them, and always look forward to getting them out each December. Farewell my friends until next December.

Winter Days Ahead

Well, Christmas is over. I will post some pictures of my house soon. I took them yesterday before everyone got here. I just wanted to write a bit on my feelings tonight. I always feel a bit sad when Christmas is done. I know the dark, cold, lonely days of winter are ahead. I think January is the month I dislike the most. It seems so sad outside. Evenings around dinner time are the hardest time of day for me. When Doug was in the Navy, the Navy Wife's Club would counsel the Navy wives to stay really busy at dinner time because that was the time that was the loneliest. It still is for me. I know Doug won't be home until 7 and it is dark at 4:30. I try to keep busy at that time with things around the house and fix dinner, but it is still hard. I do like this time of year if I get busy and work on things. Right before Thanksgiving, we moved my craft room upstairs. I haven't done a thing with it since then. I really haven't had time. I have decided that I am going to make the room so fun that I won't want to leave it. I am thinking of the pictures and lamps I want to put in it and Doug is going to move the shelf with my Barbie collection to the room. It will be a lot of fun. I am also going to set up my Cricut machine and the computer program that goes with it. I have had the computer progam for 6 months and haven't even taken it out of the box. I have some very fun ideas for craft projects I am excited to work on. I also like to do some quilting or crocheting during the winter on cold nights in front of the pellet stove. My problem is finding time to sit and enjoy the warmth. I hope I can this winter. I am determined to have a better attitude about it and enjoy it more than I ever have. 

Sweet Dreams. Karen

More pictures of the Christmas Craft

This shows the cans a little better, but not the contents. I didn't want to take them all out after I got them in. Go to the web site below and she shows you all that is in it. I must say, they turned out so cute. Just wished the pictures showed the cuteness of them. I can't wait to give them to the recipents. 

Cute Christmas Gifts for Families

This was the cutest idea I found on:http://partiesandholidays.blogspot.com/search/label/Christmas. It is really good for a gift for families with children. You can't see mine very well, but if you go on the web site of parties and holidays, she has displayed it great. It was so fun to make and so cute.

O Christmas Tree

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

I am hoping to get my Christmas Trees up today.

I love it when my trees are up and my decorations are in place.

I really want to get this done so I can enjoy my little 'Hillman Chalet'.

I will post pictures soon!

Christmas is Coming!

Yippee!!! Christmas is coming. It's the most wonderful time of the year.
I am so excited for the Holidays.
They are definitely my favorite time of year.
December, ready or not, here I come.

Happy Thanksgiving

I found this picture and poem on a blog called "A Life of Grace". I was very touched by it.

Thanksgiving
The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain.
So open wide the doorway-
Thanksgiving comes again.
Author Unknown-

Happy Thanksgiving to all my loved ones.

Pretty In Pink

I have been thinking for a while now that I wanted to put a cute display in the china hutch with some of the pink things I have collected over the years. I love old things and pink things especially with pink roses, so I gathered them up and made this cute arrangement on the center shelf. My camera isn't working to great, but you can still see the items. On the left of some of the pictures you can see a quilt hanging on the door. It is my baby quilt and it has pink roses on it. I guess this is my way of getting my creativity going again. It has been a long time since I have tried to be creative. Enjoy!

Gratitude

"Gratitude is a sign of a noble soul". Aesop

Pumpkin Hunting

I was going to post these pictures earlier, but couldn't get to my pictures for some reason. We took the grand kids out to the pumpkin patch last month. They had so much fun. These are some of the pictures we took. I hope you enjoy them.

Snow

It snowed yesterday. I love the snow, but I was in bed most of the day, so I didn't get to enjoy watching it. I like to wrap Christmas gifts while it snows and play Christmas music. They say this winter will be quite dry, so I had better enjoy the snow every time it comes down.
Valerie helped me put a cute back ground on my blog and now it has disappeared. I am not sure what I did. Everyone is gone to Stake Conference, but Doug made me stay home. Just as well, I can hardly sit up to write this. The one good thing of being sick is how grateful for good health I am when I am better. I have a bad sinus infection and a bronchial problem. I need to be better by Tuesday. I work the school elections from 8 am to 8 pm. It will be a very long day. I am listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing "Consider The Lilies". It has to be one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. Sorry for the rambling. Good Sabbath.

I am thankful

I love Barb's blog about being thankful. I think I don't express what I am thankful for enough. Michelle wrote on her blog that she is thankful for Doug and I. Wow. That made me feel so good. I am so thankful for my family. My wonderful husband, my fantastic kids, my awesome grandkids, my extended family. They all mean so much to me.I don't know what I would do without them. They are so important to me. I love you all.

Burning Bush

I love autumn and this is one of the reasons why.
Every year our burning bush is so brilliantly red.
Sometimes it is almost florescent.

Our trip to Oregon

Doug and I went on a 30 year wedding anniversary trip to Oregon last week. It was absolutely fantastic. The weather was horrible when we were leaving. It snowed most of the time driving to Boise. As soon as we hit Oregon the weather was beautiful all week. We found lots of different beaches. One had huge dunes on it in Newport. We went to an air museum that was a lot of fun in Tillamook. My favorite Lighthouse it Yaquina Head in Newport. And the sites were magnificent. On our way home we stopped in Madras, Oregon where Doug's Paternal Grandparents are buried and he had only been there when he was is college when his grandfather passed away. So we stopped and found the grave. It was very nice. We had a fantastic trip.

Doug's Trip to St. Louis

Wow, I am awful at this blogging layout thing. I am trying to show some of the pictures of Doug's trip to St. Louis last week. The top left is a picture of the arch over the oldest courthouse in the west, I believe. Middle is a picture of the city from the top of the arch. Right top is the base of the arch. Top right is a view from his hotel room. Bottom left, the arch. Middle is the base of the arch, he couldn't believe how huge it is. Bottom right is of the court house. Doug loves history and anything to do with Abraham Lincoln. He said that Lincoln did a famous trial in this court house. I can't remember what trial it was. It looks like a fun place to go.

The End of My Garden

These are bags of peppers from the garden. The bag on the left is full of Jalapenos. They are really hot.
A few of my crookneck squash.
Some of the tomatoes, soon to be salsa or chili sauce. I haven't decided yet.
My Walla Walla Sweet Onions were huge this year and oh so yummy on a burger.
The cabbage. You can see the monster on the end.
My apples are almost ready. I am eating one right now. It is yummy but will be much sweeter after the frost.
Well, I worked in my garden all day. We are having a storm front come in tomorrow, so I got out every thing that would freeze. This cabbage doesn't look as big as it is in real life. It weighs 10 pounds.