Ever Closer...

Are you ready?  I think Christmas is almost here whether you are ready or not.  It has been a very low key preparation time for me.  For the most part, I finished everything pretty early.  I just have the actual food to make on Christmas.  We're having a very easy meal of ham, mashed potatoes, green beans because I can make nothing that has gluten in it because of Kyleigh and Caleb having Celiac's.  It does simplify cooking and you go back to the basics.  It seems gluten is in everything.  I did buy an Apple pie for them at a gluten free bakery.  I'll pick that up on Friday so they can have it all weekend, not just for Christmas.  They arrive Saturday and the fun will commence!

We have received about 16 inches of snow since I last blogged.  Yes really!  And then yesterday it was 40F and poured down rain.  All around us people got snow but we had rain and it melted a lot of the snow away.  Now it's supposed to be very, very cold through next week.  As in single digits cold!  Brrrr.  Here are a few photos for you snow lovers after the first round fell last weekend.  Merry Christmas!

The dots are more snow falling as we drove home from church on Sunday.  The first two were taken as we drove down our street and the last is our house.  We just keep shoveling the stuff, or to be more exact, Dennis shovels.  He won't let me touch the shovel this year after last years fall.  Yuck!

The next photo is an ornament that has been on our tree every year since I was five.  I don't think I've shown it to you yet this year.  It was given to me by my kindergarten Sunday school teacher and has been one of our favorite family ornaments.

Can you believe it still has glitter on it after 52 years?  Yep.  I'm 57, at least for another month or so.

Piper was in a program at  her preschool last week.  Mandy sent us a photo of her ready to take part at school.  Brad's parents were there too.  I'm so glad that she has family close by now to celebrate all of these fun events with them.

We also had our children's program at church on Sunday.  It was wonderful.  They enacted the traditional Nativity, down to a 3 year old innkeeper!  It really was wonderful!  I laughed and I cried.

There is nothing like children telling the greatest story that has ever been told.

We lit the third candle on the advent wreath at home on Sunday.  I've always wanted to have a wreath at home and Dennis and I are really enjoying it together this year.  Each night for the month of December, there are scriptures we read, reminding us of why we are celebrating Christmas.  Even though Christ's birth wasn't really on Christmas, it has been the day chosen to celebrate this wonderful day.  Three candles were lit last Sunday.

I finished this cross stitch earlier in the year and have decided to leave it out all year long as a reminder.  It looks small but it is framed in an 11x14" frame.

Through the week I have managed to finish some things.  First up is Marilyn's blanket.  I love, love, love how it turned out.  It's almost big enough for a twin size bed and the yellow color is so soft!

I just did a single crochet border and then some chain stitches.  I think it was a nice finish.

I also finished another Pimpelliese Shawl made with Knit Picks Stroll tonal yarn in fingering weight.  I plan to give it as a gift to a co-worker of Dennis.  I've known her almost 24 years and I know she will appreciate it.  This is a free pattern on Ravelry if you're interested.  I've made lots of them over the years.  I played "yarn chicken" and lost.  That has never happened to me before.  See the right edge of the shawl?  I had weighed the skein before I began, but I still ran out. I only needed about a yard more to complete it properly.  I don't think it will be noticeable when she's wearing it and it would be a LOT of work to rip out clear back to where the decreases began.  What do you think?  I haven't given it to her yet.  Should I rip it out?  Now I'm second thinking it all! :-)  I hate giving things away that aren't right.  Let me know in the comments what you think please.

With some of the mitten scraps I have, I made a simple toddler sized granny stripe blanket for the Crisis Nursery.  Nice, mindless crochet to use up little bits of yarn.

I also finished a doily I had started in November and then let languish in the basket.

I received a gift in the mail from my friend Becky in Portland.  She takes the most beautiful photos and she sent me a calendar with some of her photos and a beautiful ornament.  She's "GrandmaBecklyL" over on my sidebar.  Thank you so much Becky!

I hope you are all ready to celebrate and are not too stressed.  Slow down and take a deep breath.  The day will come and go just like any other whether you are ready or not, so I hope you can enjoy it and be thankful for the greatest gift ever given.

(Edited to add that the hospital just called and I have a CT scan of my head scheduled for 7:00 tonight. Please pray that answers would be found...finally. I have had a headache for almost 2 weeks and swelling around my nose that hasn't gone down at all.  Both sides of my nose and the doctors don't know why.  Sinus xrays have been clear.  The antibiotics I've been on for 8 days now have done nothing. Thank you all.)

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes." Romans 1:16

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

Merry Christmas and many blessings to you all.

Betsy