MERRY CHRISTMAS 2016

Many blessings to you and yours on this Christmas Day.  I hope each of you were able to be present with the ones you shared your day with, really present - not with a phone in hand waiting for the latest text to come across your screen or whatever it is that people do on cell phones these days????
                                                                
                                                              

My mantle decorated for Christmas

 I myself often wish they had never been invented. The world seemed like a much better place before people got addicted to electronics and cell phones especially. Life seemed like it was just way more simple, to me anyway. People looked into each others eyes more often than they do these days. They used full sentences to communicate, they had longer attention spans and were not so scattered and stressed out.

                                                                       

My chalk painted vintage mantle done in Annie Sloan French Linen with white dry brushing technique on top

 I suppose that is one reason why I really feel so blessed to be  here in these old Appalachian mountains. The older folks still sit on their front porches and sip sweet tea and talk to one another and invite total strangers over and all with no cell phones in their hands or at their side. Most people here are not so rushed, fragmented and stressed. I find it kinda sad that technology is changing people and not so much for the better. Many old folks have succumb to having flip phones, but at least its mostly for road emergencies which is a good thing I guess. Like myself, many have never sent a text in their life.
                                                                 

Jeweled garland from Pottery Barn hangs across the mantle

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 Texting.... well I just don't get it. Why do people have to be on some device all hours of the day?  It drives me nuts to see this sort of thing. I even take breaks shutting down my computer for weeks at a time. I often wonder what folks are going to do when the grid goes down one day?
                                                             
                                                                   

Farmhouse vintage mantle dressed in Christmas decor

 Speaking of texting.... I wonder if you texting folks know what the fist text in life said? It was written by a British testing engineer - Neil Papworth, back on December 3, 1992. It said "Merry Christmas".
                                                             

Front room fireplace in my TEENY TINY 570 square foot vintage farmhouse

I am so thankful we have a living God who didn't just send a text or written message - even though the old testament is filled with prophecy that reveals Yshua (Jesus) as the Messiah. Words were not enough, Jesus came to the earth in person to be with mankind. This is what Christmas is all about.

                                                                          

This sweet vintage wood mantle covers a rock and mortar job that someone drinking moonshine must have slapped up there?

Y'shua (Jesus) came, HE died, HE rose from death, He carried our sin so we could live. So we could be forgiven and be free from bondage and from death. To give us ever lasting life IF we come to HIM.

                                                                        

Old original planks grace the farmhouse walls as well as wavy glass windows

I am only a sinner saved by his grace, a child of an alcoholic mother that died when I was 21, an abusive father, a dysfunctional home and yet God revealed HIMSELF to me when I searched for HIS reality.
                                                                        

Did you know that the Christmas tree symbolizes Calvary? He was hung from timbers to give you life

 He touched my life and gave me joy. He worked forgiveness in me. He touched my heart and started healing it. He gave me victory in exchange for being a victim. He gave me rest on restless nights.
                                                                      

A pencil tree is tall and very narrow and fits perfectly in my tiny farmhouse. I decorated it in Snowflakes. See my last post to learn what SNOWFLAKE means.

 He gave me eternal life, He gave me TRUE love. He blesses me more than I ever deserve. He just rocks my world. I am in love with HIM. Yes, I am still a mess, I still continue daily to screw up, but he specializes in turning ashes into beauty and I am beautiful in HIS sight.
                                                              

The coffee table is a re-purposed wash basin stand that folds down flat, with a glass top.

 And ladies (and men also) so are YOU. You are made in the image of God and HE is completely in love with HIS creation. He loves you like crazy. Invite HIM to overtake you and ravish you with pure love, what in the world do you have to lose but yourself?

                                                                               

The farmhouse is full of funky little nooks, so these shelves fit in that space just perfectly

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah & Many Blessings to you and yours. Remember - It is never to late to create a happy childhood, no matter what your age is. Now go play and be blessed.

                                                                        Tonita

       

Snowflakes appear for holiday cheer

The Meaning of the Snowflake 

Every new snowflake comes to the earth .....

is a picture of our Saviors birth .....

 
because they are sent from up above .....

 
and remind us of God’s care and love.
 

 

Each one is so intricate and small .....

because Christ sees the details of us all, .....

 
and just as two are never the same .....

 
the Lord knows and calls us each by name.

 

Snowflakes gently cover the world in white .....

and hide what’s unlovely from our sight, .....

 
showing us how He covers our sin .....

and gives us His grace when we come to Him.

 

So may every snowflake bring Christ to mind .....

and in every bit of white may you find .....

a reason to celebrate anew .....

and a reminder of His love for you.


The lovely poem above was written by Holly Gerth. All pictures were taken at my tiny (570')  century plus old farmhouse in the Appalachian mountains. Many of the windows in my farmhouse still have the wavy glass, which makes them extra special to me. The window with the cafe curtain has sixteen
window panes and the grids allow me to merchandise them with collectibles. I have sweet little faux birds and nests scattered throughout my home year round.

 Snowflakes just spell W-I-N-T-E-R which is obviously fitting for this time of year. And they are so inexpensive to decorate with. I found several styles at the dollar store.The best part is that they do not take up much space when it comes time to pack them up and store them until next year.

A cold snap seemed to happen overnight here. Burrrrrrrr !!!!!!!
Baby it's cold outside and being that my farmhouse is a real old farmhouse that means it can get a bit more chilly than the new pretend to be farm homes. Anyone with a (REAL) farmhouse can appreciate what I am saying here, right?  So, the fireplace is in full use every evening now. Hot mulled cider drizzled with salted caramel sauce is in hand, as I warm up, both inside and out.

Blessings, and remember even at your age, it is NEVER too late to have a happy childhood. 

OUT WITH PUMPKINS - IN WITH SNOWFLAKES

 Oh my...It's already December.  I was supposed to do a 'three baby boo pumpkins' post, (part two back in Nov. LOL. I've scattered some of those pumpkin pictures below.  It's definitely time to say goodbye to Fall and usher in the Winter season and it's holidays with some pretty decor to fluff my nest. I'm amazed at the bloggers who have their homes decked out for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving, or even earlier. Who needs to buy a magazine these days when you have such a wonderful variety of free blogs to choose from with some pretty amazing holiday eye candy?

                                                                              

Most recently, I have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather. Yep, painting the exterior of my home in late Nov through early Dec. The weather has been sunny and warm (love it) allowing me paint away.  My little farmhouse was formally a dark green-grayish color with a yellowish tan trim. When I think of old farmhouses, white or red just comes to mind. I'm not quite as fond of red, as I am of a crisp white paint, so white it now is. But, you probably guessed that. The metal roof is grey so I decided I would use a grey trim that matches the roof.  I hope to eventually hang some homemade shutters around the vintage wavy glass farmhouse windows and then add flower boxes under the windows. Oh, and banisters.. yeah...I need those also. To me, a home without shutters is like a gal without mascara. I mean, you don't need make up to look pretty but mascara can add that 'pop' to a gals eyes like shutters enhance a house. Don't cha think?
 

                                                      

Hens and chicks growing inside of my vintage chicken feeder

                                                        
Many of the trees that surround my farmhouse cottage are stubbornly holding on to their beautiful bright red, orange and yellow leaves for dear life. They seem to not want to get undressed for the winter. See the pictures I took of the beautiful colors just days ago, near the end of this post The sky has been filled with a lot of smoke lately from several wild fires here in the Appalachian mountains. The evenings have finally met up with the cold snaps of winter and it is now the time of year to cozy up near the fireplace and sip hot cider.

  We have invited and welcomed the rain here in NC after many long dry months that caused a drought. I am thankful that I have my own water well and that I also live near streams and rivers.  After leaving WA state I never thought I would look forward to rain. But, the thing is.... here in NC I don't feel as sad when It rains, because I know that a bright blue magnificent sky and sunshine will reappear VERY soon after a rainstorm. Quite unlike life in WA state where I experienced fifteen years of days and weeks on end that turn into months of hovering grayness in all directions. What seemed like never ending dripping, damp, misty, clouded skies with no sun in sight is not the case here in NC. God bless all of you who love it there and who are not bothered by the weather, but I am happy to have escaped it. Beautiful state it is, but the minimal sunshine was unbearable for me.  I remember being so desperate in Washington State to see and feel the warmth of the sun that if I was driving and the sun popped out I would often stop my car, get out and face the long awaited sun and say to the sun...'come on, don't stop... please, please keep shining ... at least for 20 minutes."   Oh, how I love the sunshine and my new location here in the mountains of beautiful North Carolina.
                                                                 

Until a few days ago I was often taking time out of my day, to just stop all activity, take off my shoes and feel the earth below me as I would lay down in the pasture (no blanket, no pillow) and just soak up Vitamin D like a sponge. I love to lay in the grass with my dogs and I so enjoy the time we have together. As I look toward the heavens, I give praise to my amazing creator. He blesses my sox off.

                                                                          

My fencing with wavy glass windows in the midst of the fence.

I want to mention, that since my last post that was written before President elect Donald Trump won, I have been doing a happy dance every day. Not because we deplorables now have a savior in a PRESIDENT elect Donald Trump, but we don't have to wake up each morning and worry what the heck the current president ( I call him O'bummer) is doing to destroy or weaken America or abuse his power in order to help destroy the constitution, borders, language, culture, and the safety of Americans. I thought It was actually better that he golfed and vacationed a lot, because on those days I figured less damage would be done.

Just like the sadness and upset experienced by those who did not support Trump, we conservatives felt HUGE upset, rage, despair and disbelief DAILY for the past eight years. We just pulled up our big girl panties and the guys did what they needed to do and we acted like adults and went on with life. The past eight years was grueling for us and we are relieved to have a new president whom we hope will work to make America great again for all legal Americans. We know he will make mistakes and lots of them, but for the first time in many more than eight years I feel more hopeful about our country. We need to keep Trump and his family in our daily prayers.

Not sure why University of Pennsylvania didn't set up post election trauma wards for conservatives like they did most recently for liberal students. The liberals who could not cope with the reality of post election news were offered self care events. Stanford as well as the University of Michigan's Flint campus offered free psychological counseling for those with issues of fear, anxiety and anger. University of Kansas offered therapy dogs. Where were the post election rooms set up for conservatives at the Ivy league colleges four and eight years ago? They most recently offered liberals safe spaces with puppies and coloring books.  What about the University of Michigan LAW school? They offered post election food and play events, complete with coloring books, positive card making classes, bubble and Lego play. At Cornell they hosted a "cry in" for fearful libs. Yale hosted a "group scream."  Tufts offered arts and crafts. I am not making this stuff up. Links included below.

Where were the fluffy puppies, frills and free boxes of Kleenex and therapists to help conservatives when we had the bad news of Obummer winning?  We were kicked to the curb, left in upset to deal with it on our own. Imagine that, we sucked it up and dealt with it. We didn't shut down roads, freeways, businesses, stores, cause property damage or track down Obama voters and beat them up because of who they voted for. See links below to watch what happened to innocent Trump supporters JUST BEAUSE THEY VOTED FOR TRUMP.  We didn't smash windows out of cars and buildings and nor stop citizens from going to and from work. We did not act like wild thugs. Nope, we stood strong, we didn't act out like red diaper doper babies. We made it without pacifiers, diapers, baby bottles, play dough, puppies, coloring books, dispatched therapists or any special events to help us cope.

 Maybe conservatives should band together and file some sort of class action law suit, because we were unfairly treated post election after Obummer won. We were never cared for or babied like the Killary supporters (many who say they didn't even vote). We were not granted any special privileges or programs as we suffered this past eight years? We have been unfairly and emotionally beaten down, ignored, and oh yeah,, I am sure we must have been discriminated against. I think I am fully traumatized by this whole ordeal. Wouldn't PTSD hold any weight?? LOL.

 OH, that's right- I have my big girl panties on and I am just going to continue to do HAPPY dances on my porch in order to self heal and make a comeback all without therapy, play dough, bubbles, Legos, puppies, or attending cry in's or yell therapy groups.  Lets follow what Hillary has proclaimed - when they take the low road, we take the high road. Oh,, I feel so much better now.

Some links to the violence and brutality Trump supporters recently endured for only supporting Trump.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/11/14/trump-liberal-college-campuses-michigan-yale-glenn-reynolds-column/93765568/

 http://www.infowars.com/anti-trump-protestors-riot-damage-cop-car-in-orange-county/

  http://www.infowars.com/search-page/?protesters attack trump supporters

                                                                      

My geraniums are still going strong. With cooler nights they will be spending the pm inside

My blog is where I share snippets of my life. This is not a place where I will give space nor response time to nasty, antagonistic comments. There are many places online where one is able to do that freely. Not here. I am not looking for anyone to agree with me or stroke my ego. I just share what I want to share, period. This blog may not be for your liking, you don't have to be here, but you are welcome by me to visit no matter what your  political view or lifestyle choices are. I really enjoy critical thinking and a fluid thought process, but this blog format does not invite that type of extended conversation. Comments are fine and sometimes I have interest in responding and other times I just don't.  I am not trying to upset people, nor am I trying to make friends and influence people here. This blog is about self expression and this is the space I choose to do it. Perhaps you may want to start a blog where you can design, write and share whatever you choose to. It is a wonderful form of self expression and those who are supposed to visit your blog will find it. I am wishing EVERYONE the very best and hope you all enjoy this amazing holiday season. Should you not want to follow me you have to unsubscribe yourself. I am not able to do that from this end. God bless all of you. Ya'll come back if you feel you want to visit.
             
                                                              

Old quilts add farmhouse cham on my front  porch

                                                            
                                                                        

Having fun at the range

       

                                                                                

I like guns and lace and all things farmhouse and shabby

                                                                    

                                                                          

   

                                                                        

                                                  
                                    
                                                                              
                                             
                                                                   

I walk this road everyday

                                                              

                                                                                   

                                                                                      

My sweet friends

                                
                                                                               
                                                                      

                                                                           

I have just unpacked two boxes of holiday bobbles, glittery pinecones, shiny, shabby stuff, Christmas lights, and other holiday décor, I am going to fluff my nest a bit for the holidays. Last year I was still in shock from my big move and did not decorate at all. But this year I am into fluffing up a lil bit for sure. I know.. you probably think my Christmas at the tiny farmhouse post will show up around New Years or Valentines day. I really am going to surprise you and get a few farmhouse photos up SOON.
Snow flakes will soon be appearing on this blog...Don't hold your breath but check back soon.

I hope you take time to play a little bit this season. Remember- It is never too late to have a happy childhood.


I would like to know what your favorite Christmas tradition is if you care to share.