Christmas Joys...

 Dear friends,

We hope that you had a safe, happy Christmas, and that you are getting back to "normal" now. The weeks leading up to Christmas are so busy, it seems to take a few days after the day to let the magic sink in!

We performed at nursing homes as a family and also as  part of a homeschool co-op  (see me peeking above the piano?).

The children put on their ninth annual homegrown "Nutcracker Ballet." This time they thought they would do something different and use the big band version for their music. They performed for Grandma and Grandpa Graham, and a wonderful time was had by all.

Tasha, Frankie, and Evangeline took advantage of the snow fall and made a few snowmen,
which are miraculously hanging in there, although they look a little smaller each day:

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On Christmas Eve after acting out the Nativity story, we bundled up and headed outside for our Tasha Tudor-style trip to see our own enchanted creche in the woods. It is amazing how much we truly feel like we are going to see the baby Jesus when we carry lights and sing Christmas hymns along the way!

Christmas morning brought a few presents, both homemade and store bought; little Rebecca of course thought that every present was "MINE!"

Mr. Graham and the two oldest girls sang "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" for church's Christmas program, and Mr. Graham read "A Christmas Carol" to us over a few nights. The simple things truly are the best and most memorable, don't you agree?

 We thank you for all of the joy that our friends give to us, through your blogs and letters. May the Lord continue to keep you and yours the remainder of the holiday season.  As Tiny Tim would say, "God bless us, everyone one!"

Love,

Marqueta

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Taking Peace This Christmas

Dearest Friends,

Thank you for visiting with us today. We hope that you are giving yourself the gift of peace before Christmas! So many times we feel guilty if we do not buy gifts for every person we've ever met (or so it seems), and run ourselves frazzled trying to make others happy. Our bodies, however, know that this is the time of year for rest and renewal, and can rebel after too much neglect.

Be sure to savor some time out in nature as much as possible (things always look better after a little fresh air), and bring your family with you if you can. A little nature exploration can be one of the memories you treasure in coming years, and you can find little treasures like seedpods and pine cones to give as gifts (include a little note about where you found your treasures, and why they're special to you).

We love decorating our home with nature, and our tree bears many natural decorations!

This mouse is made of two acorns and pipe cleaners~

An acorn cap "bird nest" with bean "eggs"~

~And a delightfully-scented clove-spiked orange slice!

 A dear friend sent us this super-adorable rabbit ornament~

~And another sent us this sweet angel that we love.

Instead of running to the store for a last-minute gift, why not take some time to nourish your soul today? You can always give post-Christmas gifts, which will be more remembered anyway!


Wishing you peace on this day,

(Napping with a cat is a great way to take peace)

Marqueta

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It was the winter wild, 

While the heaven-born child
  All meanly wrapt in the rude manger lies;
    Nature, in awe to him,
    Had doffed her gaudy trim,
  With her great Master so to sympathize:

~John Milton 

The Boy Who Loved a Christmas Tree

Dear Friends,

Doesn't our post sound like a good book title? Frankie (and the girls) is soooo excited for Christmas he can barely stand it! He has been singing "Honk the Halls With Burning Love" at the top of his lungs (see what happens when you marry an Elvis impersonator?) every day, and asking if he can unwrap presents.

The top picture was taken right after Mr. Graham put the tree up; it has since been re-decorated at least three times, and tipped over by the cat only once. :) After looking at several Victoria Magazines, Tasha decided our tree should be more "Victorian" and added popcorn and cranberry strings, as well as lots of bells and other old-fashioned things.

It's dark and rainy here today, but we had a little skiff of snow on St. Nicholas Day, which was a nice treat.

~The chickens were less than delighted with the snow!

We had a fun cookie-making party for the Tall Dolls on St. Nicholas Day, followed by a little tea.

The birds have been mobbing the feeders lately. We had forgotten how many of them there are here in the winter! Where were they in the summer?

The deck railing makes an excellent blue jay feeder~

Ready for a refill~

Our little oyster mushrooms have been growing in the rain (we have two small logs that we brought home from a nearby woods); what a fun science project!

We finally feel in the holiday mood (we're late-bloomers that way) and have been working on last minute presents for everyone. AnnaMarie made tiny Advent calendars for all the children but Rebecca, and they have been wonderful for counting down the days (we'll have to take a good picture when the sun shines again).

This weekend we'll be performing for local nursing homes, so we're practicing daily. It's wonderful to have the oldest girls play their violin and harp for accompaniment. I tear up when I watch them playing together, since it's been a dream of mine for such a long time to have a family orchestra. Dreams really do come true!

Here's AnnaMarie fiddling away~ We'll have to get a good picture of Audrey on the harp, too!

 

Love and blessings to you all,

Marqueta

At Christmastide. . .

Now, in the deep of night,
Sounds of the day are still,
The crisp snow glistens white,
The air is frosty and chill,
And the moonbeams' tremulous light
Falls soft on copse and hill.
Oh, Peacetide of the year!
In many a land and clime,
From church towers, sweet and clear,
The mystic bell tones chime;
The world in her Christmas cheer
Turns back to a far-off time;
To the night, so long agone,
When over the wastelands wild,
Led by a light unknown,
A new star fixed and mild,
Wise-men from the East fared on
And found the dear Christ-child.

~by Eugene C. Dolson

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~Little Baby Jesus is the sole remaining piece of my parents' first Nativity~

Dear friends,

How blessed to have you here again, to share a little of our home and family! We feel so touched to have met so many kindred friends through the happy land of Blog this past year~To have met so many of you who are seeking to make your homes be Heaven on earth. Thank you for sharing your personal stories, your homes, your experience with us. Thank you for being who you are, and for bringing a bit of light into this dreary world!

May each and every one of you feel the peace of this wintry season; and especially the peace which passeth understanding, as we seek to become a little more like the One who gave His life for us, that we may live eternally.

Here are a few photos of Christmas decorations around our home (our idea of Yuletide decorating is to find whatever looks cheery and bright, add a few greens, a few new items, and call it good :) ).

~We were so excited to win this ornament and postcard from Audrey Eclectic!~
~Mr. Horse looks rather pleased with his new decorations!~

~And new vintage elf-men; a gift from Grandma~

~Our sweet adopted neighborhood grandma gave us this China doll. We named her Mirette, after the character in this wonderful book our dear friend Lynn sent to us~

~A new Nutcracker from Grandma and old Dutch children that belonged to my grandma~


~New and old, this and that, happily residing together~

~And AnnaMarie painstakingly made this teeny-weeny Nativity scene for us-Can you see the gold threads in the Wise Men's clothing?~

Love to all, and a merry, merry Christmas,

From all of the Graham family to yours!

Blessings in the Snow

Dear Readers,

Thank you for stopping by our home to visit today. We went to the funeral of a dear lady from church on Saturday,who died suddenly last Sunday while visiting her parents. She was one of those women who are everyone's "mother", in addition to having eight children of her own. I found out she died because another lady from church called to see if the quilt that was found in her car was mine. It was, and she was going to finish it for me, as she had another quilt of ours.

Although we are all grieved by her going so quickly, I think it a beautiful tribute to her life, that it was spent in service of her fellow man. She lived all my "farmgirl fantasies", milking goats, raising a beautiful garden (Which she shared with us this summer), and hand-crafting her children's clothing and quilts. I want my life to be like that; just doing the work that is close by, filling the days with loving deeds and kind words. So like the Savior. And as we never know when our time here will be over, may we live each day in readiness for whatever may come.

Goodbye, dear Marylou!

On a lighter note, we woke up to a soft, beautiful snowfall this morning, and felt enveloped, if for a short while, in the peace of its silence. After morning chores, everyone went out to play in the snow, reveling in one of life's most simple pleasures, snow man-building!

One of the snow festival's less enthusiastic participants

Now that it feels more like Christmas, we shall perhaps be more industrious about working on those Christmas projects today (Too bad we put off getting greenery from the woods for decorating!)~and maybe we'll get going on our "extreme hat makeovers" we are in the middle of, too!

"Find an old hat, cut it up,

You'll soon have a bonnet, with any luck!"

Dear St. Nicholas left gifts for the children on Saturday
The Little Drummer Boy

We'll leave you with this little story from 1895's "Pansy Magazine":

"A Happy Christmas"

Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming! That is what little Lucy sang as she went through the hall with ahope, skip and jump, clapping her hands for joy.
"And what is little daughter going to do to make somebody happy on Christmas day?"
Papa asked this as he came out into the hall. Then he kissed Lucy goodbye, took down his hat from the rack, and went out of the front door before she had time to tell him.
Lucy stopped running, and looked out of the window and thought about it.
Then she went upstairs to momma and said:
"Mamma, what am I going to do to make somebody happy tomorrow? What can little girls do?"
"You can be just as sweet as a rose all day, and obey mamma as soon as she speaks. That will make me very happy," said mamma.
"But I want to give something to somebody to to s'prise 'em and make 'em glad," Lucy said.
"Who is there that you would like to surprise?" her mamma asked.
Lucy thought a minute, then she said:
"Mrs. Bly."
Mrs. Bly lived in the "Home for Aged Women." She was a nice old lady, and Lucy often wen t with her mother to call upon her.
"Very well, dear," said mamma; "there is your gold dollar; if you want to give it you may."
"May I buy 'zactly what I please, Mamma?"
"Yes, dear."
"O, how nice!" said Lucy.
"Can't we go right now, right off, to buy it?"
Mamma said, "Yes" again, and Lucy ran off to get her hood and cloak and mittens. In a few minutes she was out on the street with mamma, gazing into all the shop windows. "What shall I buy? What shall I buy?" she kept asking.
Mamma said a little shawl for Mrs. Bly's shoulders would be nice, or a pair of warm stockings or a handkerchief. But Lucy shook her head.
"Wouldn't she like a bu'ful dollie or a sweet little kitty better?" she asked.
Mamma had to laugh at that.
Just then Lucy cried out,"There it is! I see it! That is what I want!" Guess what it was?
It was a beautiful, large rose bush in a pretty pot. There were two roses on it, and plenty of buds. So they went in and bought it.
The man said he would send it up right away. Old Mrs. Bly was sitting in her rocking chair knitting. There came a knock at the door. She opened it, and who should there be but Lucy and her mamma, and a boy with a rose bush! How surprised Mrs. Bly was, and how pleased, when she knew that little Lucy bought the plant with her own money.
"You dear little lamb," she said; "it will make me happy. It is like the roses in my old home."
When Christmas morning came, Mrs. Bly cut off one of those lovely roses and put it in a vase. She carried it to a poor old lady across the hall who was ill in bed, and it made her glad.
So you see little Lucy made three people happy that Christmas day--the sick old lady, Mrs. Bly, and herself.

````Mrs. C. M. Livingston

Home Decorations for Christmas

Dear Readers,

We hope that you are enjoying a day as beautiful as the one outside our door, full of sunshine and fresh air!

Here is a little article for you to enjoy, from Modern Priscilla Magazine, December 1922, entitled "Home Decorations for Christmas":

"Christmas and Easter are the two most precious festivals of the Christian year. Each is a time of surpassing joy, but the happiness is of a quality too great for cheapness, too high to be tarnished with any triviality. recognition of its beauty sets the note for the celebration of Christmas and all decoration in honor of the season.

That Christmas is a generous day, a day to commemorate with giving, we also recognize. It is fitting that our decorations themselves be, in a sense, a gift. We want to gladden the passer-by with Christmas cheer and we therefore commence to decorate our houses at the front door. If the entrance is a colonial type , laurel wound around the columns, connected by festoons to a wreath, makes the most effective treatment. If there is no porch, a wreath fastened to the door with a big bow of crimson ribbon is the usual treatment. Add to this a wreath at each window and the house is beautifully dressed.


If we are near enough to woods and fields to get Christmas greens, the decoration provides pleasure beforehand in family excursions to gather materials and for happy evenings fashioning them for use.

Keep all greens out-of-doors in the cold until they are fastened up in their final position. The dry heat of the house withers them rapidly (Ed note: misting them frequently with a spray bottle helps.).

Making wreaths is a simple task. For a foundation, heavy wire or willow twigs may be used. Sprigs are bound on with string so that the wreath looks equally well on both sides. Laurel makes the best wreaths. Hemlock is beautiful but it scatters badly when dried and makes hard work for the homemaker. Balsam is excellent material and pine, with a few cones, is perhaps best, next to laurel. Each cone should be wound at the base with fine wire and enough wire left to make a stem easily fastened to the foundation circle of the wreath. Another pretty addition is made of bunches of "everlasting" dipped in red ink.

In winding a wreath do not use too long a string. It saves time to use short lengths and tie them together.

Alum solution will coat greens with mock snow which sparkles merrily in the light of the Christmas lamps.

Lovely Christmas bouquets may be made of evergreen sprays, pine cones, and branches of colored "everlasting". A basket made of six-inch twigs, tacked together log-cabin fashion, and filled with dried moss, makes an excellent holder for such a bouquet. Wind florists' wire around each piece, or group of pieces, and stick the wire into the moss.

For the Christmas tree, in addition to the ornaments we buy, there are lovely home-made trimmings which add much to its meaning and charm. These may be prepared by the children.

Hang a polished red apple for each person o the tree with bright ribbon. Each person, too, should have a stocking, made of tartelan, filled with homemade candy. White tartelan is the best to use for the stockings. Sew the two pieces together with scarlet worsted.

Other things for the tree are paper cornucopias. Use two thickness of paper for these. The outside piece should be a square,the inside one an oblong the same width as the outside square, but twice the length. Place one end of the oblong on one side of the square, shape the cornucopia, and fasten the side. This will leave the inner piece projecting to fold over generously after the cornucopia is filled. They look most attractive when the inside paper is white and the outside gaily colored. Salted nuts are about the best thing to put in these cornucopias.

Gilded nuts and strings of popcorn with a cranberry every few inches are time-honored features of the tree that nobody forgets. Surprise nuts, two empty half-shells glued together over a poem or tiny favor are most enjoyed.

Cookies cut in quaint shapes, suspended by ribbon, complete the perfect tree.

For lights safety dictates tiny electric bulbs in place of candles.

Keep all the tree ornaments, which are not perishable, in a plainly labeled box until the next season's use. By keeping over what we have and adding a few every year, a gorgeous tree soon blooms at Christmastide and we save money to give to those whose Christmas days are less gay and joyous than ours."


Blessings to you,

Marqueta

"If any little word of ours
Can make one life the brighter;
If any little song of ours
Can make one heart the lighter;
God help us speak the little word,
And take our bit of singing
And drop it in some lonely vale
To set the echoes ringing.

It any little love of ours
Can make one life the sweeter;
If any little care of ours
Can make one step the fleeter;
If any little help may ease
The burdens of another;
God, give us love and care and strength
To help along each other.

If any little thought of ours
Can make one life the stronger;
If any cheery smile of ours
Can make its brightness longer;
Then let us speak that thought today.
With tender eyes aglowing,
So God may grant some weary one
Shall reap from our glad sowing."

~Anonymous