O Christmas tree

 As usual, I had help decorating the tree …

And what I most notice is the bottom, which is no longer a mass of ornaments. Our grandkids are growing taller (besides which I’m no longer leaning down as far as I used to).

This year’s paper ornaments were inspired by Mood Body Studio on Instagram, thanks to which I got to buy lots of fun new art supplies: tempera paint sticks, washi tape, big hole punches, acrylic paint markers. Such fun (but hard to photograph to show they’re dimensional) …

So today I’ll take all the ornaments down, mentally traveling memory lane from the glittered walnut shells I made in first grade and the blackwork ornaments stitched in college, to the ornaments crafted from outgrown grandkid clothes and those made for us by those same grandkids. Not to mention everything in between. I could write a book (hmmmm … maybe I should write a book).

Christmas 2025

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then our Christmas held a dictionary’s worth of joy-fullness.

There was art and BBQ, bowling and cookie dough, lights at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, Dave’s Hot Chicken and Top Golf …

But wait, there’s more … pizza and card games, more art and much silliness, along with candlelight and carols …

All of it fleeting, as these two pictures from 2022 and 2025 show …

We are so very rich in love and happiness.

Well occupied

Much of what I'm doing these days is gift-related and therefore un-showable. But I did do a little bit of decorating by making a new handtowel for the guest bath ...

and then indulged in some pure and simple stitch therapy with the remaining scraps ...

I have no plan for this, but it was fun.

Likewise, Don's decorating has no purpose beyond the sheer pleasure of gazing ...

with something to see wherever you look, whether up ...

or down ...

My assigned duties are decking the mirror with bells ...

the dry sink with crèches (two sets worth) ...  

and then we trim the tree together by turns ...

Now all we need do is await the arrival of kids and grandkids to make it all the more worthwhile.

- Christmas, part II

Retrospective (1/18/2017)

Patch #362 Complete joy

We arrived in St. Louis just in time for dinner. After which we had Christmas all over again. And even though the pictures are blurry, given that I was still learning how best to deploy my new iPhone, the joy is evident.

J's new hat was well-received ...

Jace was equally taken with it ...

And I was taken with the green peace ornament he made for me ...

Pop Pop's tic tac toe board was a hit ...

Especially when J realized he made three in a row ...

N.B. It was only after the patch was long done and I was reviewing this post that I noticed it was the same color as Melissa's top, which is just barely visible in the background. Serendip!

- On the road

Retrospective (1/18/2017)

Patch #361 In the midst of Joy

Writing this on January 18, 2017, I am remembering the day after Christmas. The patch is orange, for our last day with G in 2016. And the "O" recalls our travel to Oklahoma City.

Traffic was light, seeing as it was technically a holiday, Christmas having been on Sunday. The downside was finding The Paseo in Oklahoma City's art district, buttoned up tight. And it had looked so appealing online ...

Oh well, maybe next time. At least we got to console ourselves at Ted's Cafe Escondito in Edmond, where hot off the griddle tortillas made waiting for a table a pleasure ...

- Merry Christmas

Retrospective (1/18/2017)

Patch #360 The beginning of Joy

Original Post

From our home to yours ...

                     

we bid you peace.

Addendum: Williamsburg twin tree ...

- Christmas Eve day

The patch will come later, but it's been a busy day, so it's all good.

It started with an apt horoscope for our mutual Gemini birthdays (we were born two years and one day apart) ...

It's no coincidence that I finally added a "Collaboration" heading to the blog Index today!

After breakfast, I baked cookies ...

recipes for which can be found here

http://imgoingtotexas.blogspot.com/2010/01/top-cookie-or-take-your-butter-and-go.html

Somehow Don talked me into completing  our beach picture printing project ...

while he worked on creating bead board backing (more on that when they're complete). All of which was way more fun than packing (which we still haven't done).

I added another week to the Land of Flood and Drought - 2016, which is now 51 inches long and one week from completion ...

and as night-time fell, the Ackert family tradition of Christmas Eve pajamas from Santa continued, causing much excitement ...

which abated, enabling a more focused shot ...

Now for a good night's sleep ...

- The light before Christmas

Patch #355 Nonpareil

Our St Louis daughter decided this year they would do an experiential gift for the boys instead of getting them more toys.

Research maven that she is, she found out about the Santa Express ...

and booked tickets for the family. (I love this retro travel poster).

J and J weren't aware of what was up until they were at the hotel, dressed in their pajamas ...

Then they boarded a real train and magic happened ...

Do you believe in Santa Claus? They do ...

- Blue (agave) Christmas

Patch #354 Texas Christmas cactus

It's cold. The weather app said 22 ...

but Wimberley is down in the valley. We're about 300' higher and our thermometer had a slightly lower reading ...

But the ultimate indicator is the frost weed and it was in fine form, close ...

closer ...

closest ...

Last winter we didn't get a frost weed freeze until the end of January, which means it made it on to the Remember cloth ...

You'll notice it's just to the left of a sunny day patch ... and two more patches to the right is the memory of an 80 degree day at the end of January.

So yeah, don't feel too sorry for us. Here's our forecast for the next five days ...

Gotta love Texas. Which is why we decorate this way ...

The neighbors really appreciate it, too ...

I managed to finish a trio of retro patches today ...

If you look at the original post on November 28

http://imgoingtotexas.blogspot.com/2016_11_28_archive.html

you'll notice there's no mention of an expected grandchild. But that was the day we received the news, so the secret is finally out ...

And knowing Meg would be getting the news on the 28th, we held off shopping for her birthday until November 29

http://imgoingtotexas.blogspot.com/2016/11/one-more.html

Also knowing Meg to prefer more subtle colors, we were on the hunt for corals, peaches, or raspberries rather than the stereotypical pinky pink. This is what we got ... 

Hence the patch Pretty in not-quite pink ...

And so we made it to Meg's birthday on November 30 without spoiling the surprise

http://imgoingtotexas.blogspot.com/2016/11/big-reveal.html

Process note: I was especially pleased when the bleach discharge on gray (Meg's favorite "color" long before it became trendy), turned a pale pink, because a little bit couldn't hurt.