Saturday, December 26, 2009

Sharing a Lovely Christmas with You


I think this photo tells the story...a very tuckered out pussy cat after a very lovely Christmas Day!

As the Christmas holiday winds down, I thought I would take this opportunity to share some photos of the day with you.  I think it's one of the few days in the year that you can actually get family photos taken, don't you?  I thank you in advance for indulging me.


I managed to get 4 trees up total this year.  This is one of my little vintage ornament trees.  I love anything in miniature, especially Christmas ornaments, so this is one of my favorite trees.  I also have another with miniature Santas.  The tree in the background is a tree that I leave up all year and decorate with the seasons.
For Christmas, it's all done in greens, blues and golds
in a nature theme.

I used a bit of creativity for my table this year.  I used fun Christmas paper from Paper Studio for placemats.  With the candy cane napkins and acrylic plates, it was very festive.
With all the little ones at the table, paper and plastic
was the 'safest' way to go!
The glow from the mosaic candle centerpiece was so beautiful,
but I just couldn't capture that on my camera.

You may recognize these two little ones because
I speak of them often.
This is my daughter Mallory and her boys, Caleb and CJ.

This is my son Alex and his fiance, Jayme
with my grandson, Alex Jr.
The little one was so tired out but beforehand,
he was a bundle of energy as he
opened his presents and then helped his mommy and daddy too!

I absolutely LOVE this photo of all of them together.
I am so proud to have had a part in creating this lovely crew!

I don't share my own photos often, but I had to show you
the 3 loves of my life...

Before I close, I wanted to share a couple more photos...this is what we awoke to this morning.  After nearly 2 inches of freezing rain between Christmas eve and Christmas evening, this was a welcome sight.
Make sure you click on the photo to get the full effect!

The flakes were just lovely.
As of this posting, we accumulated over 5" of this lovely white stuff and tomorrow promises 3"-4" more.  Brrrrrr......

Last but not least, it was such a lovely coincidence today that I had planned to post this photo.  The sweet fuchsia elephant at the top left was a gift sent to me several years ago from the UK by my dear friend Sarah.  You know Sarah as one of our designers over at The Play Date Cafe and as the host of her own blog, The Art of Moodling.  If you have been following me for very long, you also know that Sarah and I have been friends for nearly 10 years.  The coincidence comes by way of a phone call I received today from dear SarahWe spoke for nearly 90 minutes, but the time sure flew by!  I love having a friend who, even though we don't speak by phone very often, we can just pick up where life has left off and never miss a beat.
I love putting that ornament on my tree each year.  Of course it reminds of me Sarah...but more importantly, it reminds me of a friendship that has flourished over the years.  Some would find the distance to be an excuse not to try...Sarah and I find the distance a reason to try harder to stay connected.
Funny thing is, we don't have to try all that hard..... 
love you, my friend....

7 comments:

Mona Pendleton said...

BEAUTIFUL family photos Julie! Thank you so much for sharing your family with us! Your kitty cat looks so content with his/her head rested upon the gifts - I think I saw a thought bubble above his/her head saying oh dear Santa, please be Catnip! LOL

Hearts Turned said...

What a lovely family you have, Julie! So glad you shared these with us! Love your friendship with Sarah--you're both just so lovely! Glad you had such a wonderful Christmas! Much love to you!

Sarah Anderson said...

I love you too!!! Our ice has gone todayand there are just a few hints around that it snowed. I just looked up though at the tree outside and called Malc to see two birds snuggled up together - and guess what! They're two turtledoves!! I have never seen that before. Must have missed the partridge, but then, i've not seen a pear tree either!!

Love the family photos. They're ALL fab :)

Kathryn B said...

What a lovely family you have Julie! Also love the pictures of the snow and your beautiful kitty! We have had heavy rain all day and all the snow is disappearing :( It's suppose to snow tomorrow and I hope we get tons!

Carole Beath said...

Lovely family.....wonderful photographs you've shared with us...and I am totally smitten with that absolutely precious darling tired kitty.
Carole

Beedeebabee said...

Julie, I tried to leave a comment, but it vanished in mid something or other! Well, it said that I loved everything about this post...EVERYTHING! Your family is beautiful, and so are your decorations, and what you wrote about Sarah too! Hugs, Paulette xoxo

mandysea said...

Lovely photos!! Your gorgeous cat looks just like mine!! I did a double take for a moment!