Family Traditions

The Christmas Cards are up, the stockings are hung...bring on St. Nick...

When I was a child, Santa always visited our house on Christmas Eve, just like he did everyone else.  However, Santa's delivery of our presents was quite unique.  Mama had a certain way she wanted Santa greeted.  This is how it always went from my earliest memory until the Christmas before I married Mr. Ken.  All six of us kids and Mama would be in the living room and kitchen, cooking, watching TV, playing, putting puzzles together, just having family moments, and then Mama would say, "I think I heard something." (Now, I find this funny, because I now know that even back then Mama was completely deaf in one ear because of a birth defect and could barely hear out of the other.)  But all six of us kids would freeze and get completely silent.  Mama would then swear she heard bells and she would swish us all into the bathroom.  She told us to sing Christmas carols so Santa would hear our angelic voices and leave us lots of toys.  Of course we would.  As we sang, we would listen.  Mama would let someone, Santa, into the house.  Santa would holler the Ho, Ho, Ho business and hit a few walls with his bag, stomp on the floor extra big and just make a whole lot of racket.  Meanwhile we're still in that bathroom singing, "Silent Night".  After a while we'd hear Mama let Santa out the front door, yelling, "See you next year!"  She then would let us come out and there would be all our presents.  It probably wasn't much, maybe a doll, a purse and a game for all of us to play, but it seemed like the whole toy store.  That was because of their presentation.  It was SO BIG!!!  After Santa left and Daddy came in we'd go through all our gifts.  We were then allowed to stay up all night, as long as we didn't bother Mama and Daddy.  We played, we fought, we laughed, and tried really hard not to sleep.  Christmas Day we started all over again.  Oh what a journey, oh what a ride!  Share a Christmas memory with me...

Christmas Pageant: Bring it ON!!!

Mary & Joseph, The shepherds, The Three Kings, and Angels all appeared at our house!

Some time ago, about a year ago I guess,two of my sisters decided to go into the animal business.  They now have chickens, goats, sheep, dogs, cats, and such.  One of these sisters blogs about her lil farm @ www.charlottesmenagerie.blogspot.com.  She and I were talking on the phone last evening, I was telling her about a Christmas Pageant I had heard about on TV & she was telling me about how one of her "friends" had called & inquired about using some of her animals in their church pageant.  Charlotte has chickens, goats, rabbits, dogs and cats.  I guess the lil dwarf goats could pull Mary in a wagon if they hooked them all up, she has 4.  Anyway all of this reminded me of when our children were young and we put on a Christmas Pageant.  The pictures are still on my piano every Christmas!  Tafta, Mary, road in on a donkey guided by Joseph, Jonathan.  Ben, Joe and Chris Hicks were shepherds out standing in their fields, they still are...taking care of their flocks.  I believe we used goats too.  We had plenty of them but no baby doll sheep at the time.  Now we have barbados sheep, but they are more like deer and wild.  Not very good for the Christmas Pageant.  We never had any camels for our wise men.  I think Joe, Chris and Ben had to pull double duty there.  The angels were Coree & Josh Nash, who truly were role cast!  They were sweet youngins.  I tell you for sure, I miss those days.  Just wait til those grand youngins get back here.  We're gonna put on a Christmas Pageant even if it's the middle of July!  I've got just the right donkey...

 

Moses & Ken

I for  one think donkeys make the journey a little bit sweeter!!!

Hey My Tree is Flocked TOO!!!

Me & Charlotte under our
icecycled tree!

As I was reading my sister's blog @ www.charlottesmenagerie.blogspot.com ,
"Decorating the Christmas Tree", I was feeling just a lil bit jealous.  She always has a "flocked" tree.  So does my Aunt Tootsie.  But I've never had one.  Then in the middle of the night it hit me...MY TREE IS FLOCKED!!!!  A few years ago, about 10, I got tired of putting a tree up and down, up and down...so I just bought one I enjoyed and leave it up all year!!!  And it's "flocked".  OK, so mine is flocked with birds, but that's how I get away with leaving it up all year and then at Thanksgiving I bring out the Christmas ornaments and decorate it for the holiday.

My "flocked" tree

On my tree, each ornament can be seen and cherished. Here's a few & their stories...

Might be a real bird that got strung up...

Red Birds & Hummingbirds

An Angel that has hung on my tree for 35 years,
given to me by a little 3 yr. old girl fighting cancer.

Reminder during this season, (red heart) Be still...
Natchitoches Ornament created by a parent of a student.

Chicken Light Bulb created by Kate!

Candy Cane created by Riggs

A whole family of Blingy Snowballs given to me by a friend!

A silver ball made of Aluminum Foil,
 always hung on our tree when I was a child

A lace ball, made from my wedding dress.

 So from my house to yours...
May your Christmas be full of JOY! 



And may all your trees be "FLOCKED"!!!  hehehehe

School's Out for Christmas

Ahhhh, the first day of Christmas break!  I slept late and opened my eyes to coffee!!!  While I drank my first two cups my sweet husband read the scripture to me.  As he read I sat and worked on a Christmas puzzle.  This so reminded me of when I was young.  My mama would clear her sewing cabinet and put out a puzzle that we would all work during the Christmas break.  There were six of us and often Christmas time in Louisiana can be mushy, rainy weather.  So mother made sure there were plenty of inside activities to keep our active bodies and minds engaged.  We put together puzzles, played lots of  Rook, Yellow 10, Parcheesi and lots of other games.  The first day of Christmas Vacation was looked forward to by me back then and still is today.  Today I watched movies, folded clothes, put together puzzles, wrote Christmas cards, opened Christmas cards and remembered.

Santa World:  Kate & Sully Mac helped me finish this one!

New puzzle:  "When Dreams Come True" 
A breast cancer HOPE puzzle
I bought this one years ago, in honor of my sister Charlotte.  I'm just now getting around to putting it together! 

 One special memory for today is one of my baby sisters, Elizabeth.  December 19, today is her birthday.  She is one special lady and I love her!  Ken and I called her this morning and sang "Happy Birthday!"  What better way to start Christmas Vacation?  The journey is sweet...

December Birthdays!

Joshua

Our very first grandchild was born December 16, 2000, Joshua Shepard Evans.  Absolutely PRECIOUS, that is the only word that can describe a grandchild like mine!  Joshua is just that and more.  He loves his family, acting, football, wrestling, Ramon noodles, steak and STEAK SAUCE.  When he was born I thought I would have him call me Grammy.  That seems to be the "hot" topic with new grandparents, "What's the baby going to call you?" Let me tell you, that baby can call you whatever he/she likes and it will be WONDERFUL!  That's what happened to me.  I was a Sr. in Speech Pathology when I switched over to Elementary Education, so of course I knew the "G" sound in Grammy would be a long time in coming.  The first time I heard that baby say, "Mammy", I was hooked, and have been Mammy ever since.  The first time Joshua stayed with Ken & I without parents, we locked out the world and followed that kiddo around our house and oohed and awed over everything he did and said...That's eleven years and 12 grandchildren later.  Thanks, Joshua you are a great # 1 and I hope you have many more birthdays!

Kendalyn, Mammy  & Ava

In 2009 all four of our children enlarged their families.  Four new grandchildren were born that year including two in December.  Ava was suppose to be number 11 born on Dec. 18, Kendalyn would be number 12 to be born on Dec. 21.  Kendayln did not like that number...She decided to come early!  Kendayln is number 11 and made a grand entrance on Dec. 8.  She has my heart for sure.  They say she is bad, but I can tell you that little darling is just that, DARLING!!!  When she is at my house she follows me around or I follow her around.  When she goes to church with me, she sits with me, sings with me and I play with her in the nursery if we have to leave out...I look forward to many more years watching this baby grow in to a fine young woman. 



Shopping with Ava & Kendalyn!!!

Ava is the youngest of our brood.  Born to Tafta and Matt, this little angel is an absolute DOLL .  She constantly has a smile on her face and is an extremely pleasant little person.  She loves her Pappy and he loves that.  Lil Ava always wants to go with us every time we show up.  She is never ready for us to leave and never ready to leave us.  It is so wonderful to be loved just because you showed up!  That's the beauty of being a grandparent to our wonderful kiddos.  December is a wonderful month of celebration and family.  These three make the journey even better!