A Festive Christmas Gathering

There's no place like home for the holidays.   For several years now, Brother Joe and his wife, Judy, have opened their home to Joe's side of the family for a Christmas gathering.  They go all out to see that everything is just perfect and that everyone has a good time.  This year was no exception.  This year we took the camper up to our favorite park and spent the weekend.  We arrived on Friday in time to help them with a few last minute chores.  Then Friday evening we went back to the camper for a quiet evening and a bowl of chili while they went to choir practice.

I wanted a little tree with lights for the camper, but they were all gone by the time I decided that I wanted one.  I found this little one at the Dollar Store and was actually pleased with how it turned out.  I had planned to put out our sign with garland on it and hang our new Christmas lights from the awning, but the weather discouraged all attempts to be festive.  When we arrived it was so cold and windy.  We did what we had to do outside and then were happy to get inside to the warmth of the trailer.  It was so windy that we had to put boards on our outside rug so that it would not blow away.

This was our view out the window we awoke on Saturday morning.  Can you see the squirrel on the tree?

Two big tables were set and ready.

Judy spent three days making candy and cookies for her guests.  

Bubba's sister, Azalea, and her husband, Marshall, were among the first to hit the table full of Christmas goodies.  They have a camping trailer that they haven't used for years.  We're trying to get them to get it in working order so they can join us on some of our outings.

As family begins to arrive, the presents begin to pile up on the Dirty Santa table.  This always proves to be a lot of fun.

Joe tends the smokers which are filled with chicken and ribs.  

Finally the food is ready and everyone
gets in line, eager to partake of the delicious meal of Smoked Ribs & Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Baked Beans, Salad, Deviled Eggs, and Rolls.

What is so nice when this family gathers is that we just take up where we left off.  Some we haven't seen in such a long time, but that doesn't matter we're still family.  Jody and Melissa brought Melissa's parents from Canada with them this year.  They were such pleasant people.  Now we know where Melissa gets that from.  Bill and Jean were a welcome 

addition to our group.

For dessert there was Coconut Cake, Fruit Cake, Carrot Cake, Cinnamon Pound Cake, and Pecan Pie.  

After the children opened their presents, it was time for the adults to play Dirty Santa.  Our niece Leigh got Paula Deen Frying Pans which she got very excited about and wanted to keep.  She kept them hidden most of the time so no one would steal them from her.

Nephew Andy looks pleased with his box of "tupperware".  Don't worry Andy, I want that "tupperware".  I got it too!

Bubba got a charcoal chimney which is something he wanted.  It was a fun game with some pretty good items.

After Dirty Santy everyone began to gather up their things to leave.  We went back to the trailer for a little rest and then returned that evening to eat with Joe and his family that was still there.

The next day we got up and went to church with them and enjoyed their church choir's cantata very much.  Sunday afternoon was spent visiting.  Rest assured that more eating was involved.

The family owes Joe and Judy a big thank you for their hosting this gathering.  It takes a lot of time and preparation to put something like this together.  It's important to come together as a family when you have the opportunity.  This year we missed Azalea's girls and their families and Amy, Darryl, and Amelia who couldn't make it this time.

I started off by quoting the line from the Christmas song, "There's no place like home for the holidays."  To me, home is wherever family is.  This time home happened to be Joe and Judy's.  Thank you both so much for your love and hospitality!

"No Tree," She Said

"I'm not going to put up a Christmas tree!"  I assert every year as Christmas approaches. It just doesn't seem to hold the "magic" that it did in years past.   And then, just as we do every year, we drag out the tree and the "magic" comes back as we prepare.  I guess that with the tree come the memories and that is part of the "magic".

Bubba opens a box containing the first ornament on the tree.  He is used to my changing my mind about the tree.

This ornament was added to the tree on Amy's first Christmas.  I can remember standing in front of the tree holding her in a little yellow nightgown while she held this ornament.

This ornament is one of many that Amy gave us through the years.

I love the little handmade ornaments

that Amy made when she was a little girl.

Amelia brought this creation to me when she came for Christmas last year.  It's kind of nice to have the decorations made by Amy when she was four next to the one made by Amelia when she was four.

College student Amy went through a cross stitch phase and this ornament was added to our tree.  The tree is full of contributions from her.  There are also ornaments that were made by friends.  The tree skirt was made by a friend just for us.  Can you imagine how much time was spent on that project?  There are ornaments that my mother bought for us while she was on vacation when we were first married.  (They are 46 years old!)

And, of course, when we hung this ornament we were reminded again of our precious Archie.  He always enjoyed the Christmas tree.  

The couch was his resting place while he looked at the lights.  For his last Christmas, we got him a nice soft bed for the floor because he could no longer jump up on the couch.

This nativity scene has become a treasured part of our decorations.  Bubba cut the wood out and I painted it.  I liked it because I knew a child could play with it without any fear of anything getting broken.  I had one in my Sunday School class and the kids enjoyed it.

This is our mantle.  I kept it pretty simple this year.  The wreath was made by a very talented woman I worked with at Calhoun C.I.  The reindeer were made by Bubba back in the 80's.  

This gold nativity scene is really old.  When I was growing up, my parents owned a business and every year they would have a wonderful Christmas party at our house for the employees.  My mother was very creative and she decorated the house like a professional.  She usually placed these figures in front of a piece of draped purple (for royalty) with the large Bible opened to the Christmas Story in Luke.  I've had it for years and always put it out somewhere.  When Amy was a little girl, we had a coffee table with a shelf that I could place the scene on.  I once found some pieces of tangerine drying in the manger.  I asked Amy about it and she replied, "I was feeding the Baby Jesus some of my tangerine."  I can still see her in her little red pajamas with her pony tail swinging.

Last week while I was doing some shopping at Kohl's, I saw a quilted red table runner with holly on it that I really liked so I bought it.  When we started decorating I put the runner on the bar.  Later that day after I put the table cloth on the dining table, I found a table runner just like the one I had bought.  I had forgotten about it!  Then I put it on the table with some candles and greenery and thought it looked pretty good.  Later when I looked at some pictures from last year I found a picture of the table fixed exactly the same way.  Oh well, I'm glad I bought the second one because it looks really good on the bar.  I just hope I don't buy a third one next year because I really don't know where I would put it.

Well, the tree is out and the decorating is over with.  I have nothing fancy or expensive decorating my house, but what I do have is priceless.  With every ornament hung and every decoration placed, a precious memory is revived, a loved one is remembered, and thanks is given for them all.

My wish for all who read this blog is that in the midst of the shopping and cooking and going and planning, that you will take a few minutes to reflect on what Christmas is really about.  Be thankful for the Gift that was given to us all.  Take time to enjoy the blessings of the season.  Make new memories and cherish the old.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Becky  

Oysters, Gelato, Good Times at St. George Island

What better way to celebrate my birthday than to meet Joe and Judy at St. George Island?  It took them five hours to get there but I think they agreed that it was worth it.  It is a beautiful place to spend a weekend (or longer).  We got a tantalizing e-mail from Joe Thursday evening that had a picture of water and the message, "Wish you were here."  I e-mailed back, "Where?"  It turns out they were able to get away on Thursday so they were there a day ahead of us.

When we arrived Friday around noon, we ate lunch together.  Bubba had smoked his first ham and we were eager to try it in sandwiches.  It was so good.  After lunch, Joe and Bubba were anxious to try oystering from their kayaks so they suited up and headed out.  Judy and I visited a while and then went for a long walk on the beach.  The weather was perfect -- cool, but not too cool.  

Meantime, Joe and Bubba, had launched their kayaks and paddled to an area that looked like there would be an oyster bed.

They had a lot of fun with no mishaps.  They actually got a nice size bucket of oysters.  Although I have nothing to do with raw oysters, they pronounced that they were good but very small. 

 Later that evening we went out for supper.  We wanted to take Joe and Judy to Captain Snook's which is one of my favorite places to eat seafood.  That plan didn't work out as Captain Snook's was closed for the season.  Then we chose to eat at The Hut.  Bubba and Joe had the mullet basket and Judy and I chose the shrimp and grouper basket.  I still like Captain Snook's best, but The Hut was still a good birthday meal.

When we returned to the campsite that evening, we built a fire, roasted marshmallows and enjoyed visiting for a while.  Bubba and I are probably not much fun in the evening.  We are so used to going to bed early and getting up early that we usually fade out before it gets too late.  (We plan to lose this habit when I retire.)

The next morning after Bubba brought me my coffee in bed, he went outside for breakfast -- hot chocolate and oysters.  How gross!  He seemed to enjoy it though.  

A lady at The Hut told us that downtown Apalachicola was having an outdoor market Saturday and we decided that we would go.  I was waiting outside when Joe and Judy came over to wish me happy birthday with a card and a balloon.  

We shopped and shopped, but did not buy a thing from the vendors set up on the street.  I saw things that I liked, but I have reached a point where I want to get rid of "things", not add to them.  Just wait until I retire.  There will be a very big yard sale.

Judy treated us to our first gelato.  It was in a rustic building downtown.  I wish I had taken a picture of it.  There were so many flavors to choose from that it was almost impossible to decide.  Finally I chose Coconut White Chocolate for Bubba and me.  Judy got Coconut and Joe, out of all those choices, picked vanilla.  Bubba used to be "dull" like that but he has livened up some in that area.

We went back to the campsite for some more of those good ham sandwiches. Then we all went for a walk down to the Apalachicola Bay side of the island.

Sadly, we all got up Sunday morning and headed our separate ways.  It was a great weekend in every way -- good times, good food, and good company.  I couldn't have wished for a more enjoyable birthday.  While we were out Saturday, Amelia called me on the cell phone and sang "Happy Birthday" to me.  That was the icing on the cake.  Every time we have a weekend like this, we are grateful for the opportunity to spend this kind of time with family.  We're already looking forward to next time.  Thanks everyone for making my birthday so special.

Birthday and Thanksgiving

The Saturday before Thanksgiving we made the trip to Louisiana to spend a whole week with Amy, Darryl, and Amelia.  Amelia turned FIVE the Monday before and her birthday party was planned for Sunday.  Nana and Paw-Paw wanted to be there to help her celebrate.

Amelia had prepared this sign to welcome us.  It is so exciting to see her learn to read and write.  She is growing up so fast.

We decided to give her our presents on Saturday.  She had asked for Power Rangers so we bought her five Power Ranger action figures.  They did battle with each other for a while and then Amelia told me that they should not be fighting each other because they were a "team".  She really needed a "bad guy" for them to fight.

We also got her the movie "Brave" and a matching outfit for her and her doll, Lilly.  Don't they look cute?

Amy fixed Taco Soup for supper and we had a good time just hanging out together.  Amelia asked me to help her with her "homework".  She was drawing a picture of her family.  She drew her mom and dad, Paw-Paw and me, and then she drew herself and Archie.  I said, "Amelia, you know that Archie died, don't you?"  She replied, "Yes, I know, but he was a part of our family for a long time so he should be in the picture."

Later she told me, "Momma and Daddy loved each other so they got married.  Then they had a baby and that was ME!  Nana and Paw-Paw loved each other so they got married and had a daughter named Archie." 

Sunday was Amelia's birthday party.  She has been fascinated with Super Heroes ("here-e-os") lately so that was the theme for the party.  The party was held at a gymnastics gym and a number of children from her class at school were in attendance.

The children played on an indoor playground until everyone had arrived.  Then their gymnastics leader took them to several different activities inside the gym.  They did exercises, jumped on a trampoline, jumped from a rope into a pit of balls, and had some free time on the various gymnastics equipment.

The party girl did some high flying.  I wish I had a picture of her face the first time they pulled her down and let her go.  I love that she is not afraid to try new things.

Everyone had a good time at the party, even Nana and Paw-Paw.  Amelia was so excited to be five.  She hugged each one of her friends as they departed and thanked them for coming.

The next day Amy had to teach and Darryl was working so we had our private celebration with Amelia by taking her to Chuck E. Cheese.  We shopped some at an outlet mall first.

On Tuesday, I took Amelia to see "Wreck-It Ralph" which was a cute move.  She may not eat a variety of food, but she sure does love popcorn.

On Wednesday, Amelia and Paw-Paw went fishing at a lake in their subdivision.  It wasn't too long before they lost their bait and broke their line.  On the bright side, there was a pecan tree on that lot and the ground was covered with pecans so they just sat down and Paw-Paw shelled pecans while Amelia ate them.  Later in the day the wind picked up a little so they put together a kite Amelia had received for her birthday and went out to fly it.  They tried and tried without much success.  The wind died down every time they ventured outside, but they had a good time together running and trying to make the kite fly.  Maybe next time.

Amy prepared a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.  We had Fried Turkey, Dressing, Sweet Potato Casserole, Brussel Sprouts, and rolls with Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Gooey Cake for dessert.  It was delish!!  I didn't cook a thing which was nice for a change.  She wouldn't even let me clean up afterwards.  That evening their friends, Damian and Rebecca, came over.  Amy and Rebecca planned their strategy for Black Friday.  They went out to eat and allowed Bubba and me to babysit one last time before heading home.  I love bedtime. Amelia picks a book to read.  Then we pray and then she wants to sing "Jesus Loves Me."  She has the most precious little voice and I love to hear her sing.

The next morning we headed for home and spent Saturday and Sunday just taking it easy and getting ready to go back to work.  Thanks to Amy and Darry for their hospitality.  We had a wonderful holiday.

Yak Brothers At It Again

For the third Wednesday in a row, Bubba and Joe ventured out on their new kayaks.  While we were camped at Frank Jackson State Park, the pulled out the computer and studied the logistics of their next venture.

The decision was made to either go to Apalachicola to try oystering from the kayak or to travel Holmes Creek.  Everything depended on the weather and the wind.

By Tuesday evening, Holmes Creek was their decision.  

The place they intended to put in was a private area and was closed so they had to put in above Vernon on Highway 79.  They travelled approximately eight miles.  This trip lacked the drama of the last one.  There were no rapids and no one ended kayaking upside down.  The water was clear and the scenery was beautiful.  It was a good day.  Pictures which are self explanatory follow.

Bubba paddling and enjoying

Joe paddling and enjoying

Beautiful Scenery

Clear cold water

Smooth sailing ahead

It will be a few weeks before the Yak Brothers can venture out again due to the holidays and some other commitments.  I can't wait to see out their endeavor to oyster from the kayak turns out.  There is a lot of opportunity for drama in that.