A Little Christmas Joy

Welcome Through My Back Door. I am having a cup of peppermint tea, because its cold here tonight. Why don't you join me and I'll tell you a little of what brings me Christmas Joy. It is the small traditions, not the big ones that
sometimes bring you the most joy. One of my favorite things is childrens books. I love to read them over and over, a tradition that started with my children and followed with my grandchildren. One of our favorites of course is The Night Before Christmas. I am showing you my favorite ones by their illustrations.

The one on the left is a Tasha Tudor. Every one loves her books and illustrations. Her St Nick is different and of course there is always a Corgi. The second one is a Susan Winget and is just beautiful. The children are just adorable. The third one is by Scott Gustafson and was given to me in 1987 by my two oldest granddaughters. It is sentimental. The last one is my favorite, by Will Moses. Oh my goodness, it is just wonderful. If you don't have any of his books you must get some. His illustrations are the best. Another of his that I love is, Silent Night. I hope you'll try to get at least one these.

In our family this one is considered a classic. The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg. We love this book and I have bought every child I know a copy. You can see how tattered this one is. I have worn it out reading it to my grandchildren. I have an old sleigh bell they hold while we are reading it. One year I talked my then 12 yr old granddaughter Olivia into going on the Polar Express train ride with me. She was a good sport and said she fun.

This is another one I have given to children. It is about about a little lamb who is crippled and can't do what the other sheep do. He is made fun of and called names. His best friend is an old cow named Abigail. One day he wants to go over to the next valley and isn't allowed to go. He stays home and something special happens that night. We all know what that was don't we? This is such a sweet book.

I love this book, its not a childrens book, but it is a wonderful book, by Tom Hegg. If  you have an older person in your life, you'll run to visit them after reading this. I am all set up for a cup of Christmas Tea.
I hope you have enjoyed my Christmas Joy. We all have these special little things that mean a lot to us. That's what it is all about.
Here is just a little more Christmas, Through My Back Door.

This is one of my oldest santas, but I still like him. (The lantern is like the one in my give away)

This is just simplicity. I am a simple person and love these simple decorations.

This tree has all the applesauce cinnamon ornaments on it and it smells so good. Next time I'll show you more simple decorations and some pictures of some of my family. Until next time I leave you with a simple phrase from the Polar Express, "May you ALWAYS hear the bell". I do.
Thanks for coming Through My Back Door where life is good.
betty

Thanksgiving Thankfulness

Welcome Through My Backdoor. I am so glad you stopped by. The mulled cider is on the stove if you would like a cup, then we'll visit for a few minutes. Even though my backdoor and inside Through My Back Door is decorated for Christmas, Thanksgiving is in my heart right now. With the big day next week I have been thinking of all the things I am thankful for. You know,  I realized there were so many I couldn't name them all and decided to just hit the highlights. First of all I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ who promised never to leave me comfortless. You know what He hasn't. Through the hardest of times He is right there.  I am thankful for my family. I don't know how to scan pictures or I would show them. Never the less I am thankful for each of them. Doug, Dodd and Renda, Deb and Michael, plus all my grandchildren. I have three that are married and I love them as my own. I am thankful for my two great grandchildren and the one we are expecting in March
These are the two we have now. Andrew you have met before,standing in front of Deb and Michaels' tree, helping with the give away. He is my joy.

This is the latest addition, Mollie Ann. We waited a long time for her and are so thankful she has arrived. She came on November 2, this year.(her mommy isn't going to like this picture but it is the only one I had of her, and I can't scan------yet)

I am thankful I have a back door for my friends to come through. For the friends that literally come through that door I feel blessed to have you. The girls in my card group that I have played with for 27 years, I am thankful for each of you. Linda A, Linda Y, Betty R, Regina J, Fran M, and Regina M, thank you for 27 years of fun times. The girls in my domino group. Dottie, Shirley, Janie, Mary, and Angela, thank you for the good lunches and the good laughs. There is Sharon, who owns the best prim store in Tn, The Speckled Hen, Carol who is my kindred spirit, and has been with me through highs and lows. For Linda B and there are many more, but I just wanted to hit a few.
For the people I have met in blogland and on the forums thank you for coming into my life. I am thankful for facilities that care for your loved ones when you no longer can.I am thankful for my sister in law Margaret, who is like the sister I never had.
I am thankful for our  men and women in uniform who have fought and are still fighting to keep us free. I am thankful for their families who sacrifice them to do their job. I am thankful for my Aunt Annie, who turned 90 and still loves life.
See what I mean? It could go on and on, but I think you understand how thankful I am.
Well I am thankful for a lot more than I have named, but I can't post a thankful blog without one more picture of the sweet rottie who lives here. Here he is with my friend Sharon. Do you think he likes her?

I wish each and everyone of you a Happy Thanksgiving and remember to cherish your time together.
Before you go out Through My Back Door I want to sneak in a little Christmas. I am finished with my decorating and have been listening to Christmas music for two weeks, but don't tell anybody, they'll think there's something wrong with me. sssshhhhh!

Yes the woodcarver and Deb did this. I love the flying santa, he is different. I think Amanda came up with that design.
 This is just a shot of the greatroom with a few decorations.

 Well Thank you for coming Through My Back Door where life is good.
betty

50 Followers Give Away

Welcome Through My Back Door, this is a cool rainy day here in East Tn, but something
exciting happened here. Fifty of you have followed me Through My Back Door and  I am doing a give away. I was so excited that you have chosen to follow this little blog, but as I have said before I am humbled too. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now on to the giveaway.
I don't know how to do the number generated thing so this is what I did. I wrote each followers name  on a piece of paper

Then I cut them out, folded them and put them in this. Then I gave them to Andrew, my four year old great grandson.

and he did this 

and it says : Sandra , from Daybreak Place!!!!!!!!!!!Yeah Sandra

 This is what you have won!

Debbie made the sugar cone and the ornament hanging on the lantern. My friend Carol and I did the applesauce cinnamon bowl fillers, and the lantern and the battery candle came from  the best prim shop ever, The Speckled Hen, in Clinton Tn. I hope you enjoy it all.  Again I want to say thank you to the other 49 of you. I wish I could send each and everyone of you something other than a thank you. I hope you continue to come Through My Back Door.
I want to show you what Andrew was doing today before I had to enlist his help. He and his Granddad,(yes the woodcarver and worlds best son in law ) were putting up the outside Nativity. This is a tradition Deb and Michael started when Curt was two. Now Curt is 23 and away from home in pharmacy school, so Andrew is the helper. He actually has taken part the last 2 years

He is kissing the baby Jesus before he laid Him in the manger and we didn't tell him to

.I just wanted to share this with you and hope you enjoyed the little field trip down to Deb and Michael's to choose the give away winner.Did you notice the tree Andrew is standing in front of? It is all Michael and Debs carvings.
This is another little Christmas vignette. I will show more Christmas Through My Back Door next time. Hopefully  my back door will be decorated by then

Thank you for coming Through My Back Door where life is good
betty

Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (Inside)

Welcome Through My Back Door where its beginning to look a lot like Christmas-------INSIDE. Outside will be decorated next week. This is the last time this year you will enter Through  My Back Door with fall decorations. The inside halls have been decked and I am enjoying looking at the lights and listening to Christmas music. Some of you think I have lost my mind I suppose,(oh my I hope not) but I love Christmas and just couldn't wait to decorate this year. Judy Condons new book, Simply Greens, Simply Country, as well as the APP magazine and Country Sampler, just pushed me right into the decorating mode.  I must admit I didn't have to be pushed very hard.
I am not going to overwhelm you with pictures this early, but thought I would show you a  few of my favorite Nativity sets.

This is my favorite. One of my friends, Linda A, who is so NOT prim, had my name in our card group last Christmas.  Even though she is not prim, she knows I love it, so she made this for me. I was over joyed. (her family wasn't as they had to smell it baking in the oven) I thought what a wonderful thing for her to do for me. don't you agree? I'm not telling her, but I am making her an old fashioned apple stack cake this year. It is her favorite. sssshhhh don't tell her.

This is not a Nativity of course, but it is special, not the Byers Carolers so much as the Bible and the glasses. They were my Dads and every year we open to Luke 2 and put his glasses on the Bible. We did this long before he passed away with another Bible and glasses, but after his death we have used his for over 30 years. The Bible is absolutely falling apart, but I won't have it rebound.

This little set I bought in Pigeon Forge, Tn this fall. It isn't as clear as I would like but these are children doing the Nativity. The wise men are carrying a block, a train, and a truck. I just loved it when I found it.The angel is wearing a pinafore!

This is just a Jim Shore set, but I like the vibrant colors he uses. I always like to put the donkey next to Mary, because he must have been so pleased he carried her there, and I visualize him as being protective.

This the Nativity I have in the kitchen. It is children too. It is so simple I just had to have it. I keep a Nativity in every room and the living room has two. None of these are spectacular to anyone but me, but they are ones I like most.  Its the simple things in life that are loved Through My Back Door. Nothing fancy around here.

I can't let you leave without showing you at least one of my son in laws wonderful santas. You know of course he is a pharmacist by profession but a master woodcarver by hobby. He carves as I have told you before and my daughter Debbie paints. They make a good team and are very generous. YEAH ME! I will show you more but this is the one for tonight

This is one they designed when their children were small. He is a two-faced santa. This is his happy face and the other side is his mad face. If the kids misbehaved, santa was wearing the frowny face, if they were behaving, this was the face they saw. I don't know if you can see it well enough, but he does have a twinkle in his eye. I will try to show the mad face before Christmas. I promise I will show you more santas.
Well I hope you enjoyed our visit tonight. I am so happy you came Through My Back Door where life is good.
betty

I guess you see I am only 3 followers away from a give away. If it happens before Christmas it will be a Christmas one. I am humbled by those of you have chosen to follow, as I never expected anyone to be interested in what I had to say!

This, That and The Other Thing

Good evening everybody and welcome Through My Back Door. This is a little about this, that and the other thing. It is cool here in East Tennessee and a little rainy, but that can't put a cloud on the things going on Through This Back Door. We are so happy to have welcomed a little Great Granddaughter into this world on Tuesday. We have been waiting on her for a long time. Her name is Mollie and she is Andrews baby sister. I will post pictures later.

On Monday I went over to my friend Carols for lunch. We ate homemade soup out of the pumpkin bowls. We also had pimento cheese sandwiches and homemade pecan pie. Yum. It was so good. Debbie calls Carol my kindred spirit. We have been friends for over 30 years. This is her house all dressed for fall.  She has a wonderful house and some of you will recognize it from being in Country Sampler 2010 HomeTours this year. The fun thing we did after we ate was tie our ornaments we made back in July for our Christmas tree.(Remember last time I told you Christmas is coming Through My Back Door) I hope you enjoyed our little road trip, out and Through My Back Door. Carol has a wonderful home and I love going there. I bet you did too.

Well that was that and this is the other thing.  I thought I would share a few  butterchurns with you. I used to have more but downsized a little bit. This glass churn was my maternal grandmothers and I am so glad I have it . The blue Dazey churn is dated 1917 and I love the color.

This cedar churn was made by a cooper from Hancock County, Tn and is signed, Henry Spurgeon, 86 years old 1986. A friends father cut the cedar and gave it to him to make it for me. I truly love this churn. By the way that is my grandma's bonnet and apron on the chair. Also the chair was made by my maternal grandfathers great grandfather for his wife.

 This churn is from Sevier County, Tn and was given to me by mother many years ago. The dasher was made by paternal grandfather and the lid by my husbands grandfather in 1940. It is special in a lot of ways. Well we have covered a little bit of this, that, and the other thing today. Tomorrow all the fall decorations are going out and the Christmas is coming in. When I invite you Through My Back Door again it will have a completely different look.I can't wait until you come again Through My Back Door where life is good.

Only 12 more followers and I will do the giveaway. If it happens before Christmas we'll do a Christmas one! Thanks to each and everyone of you who follow this little blog. Again I am humbled.
betty

Goodbye Fall and Hello Christmas

Good morning and welcome in Through My Back Door! I am so happy you stopped by for a little visit. I wanted to share a little fall decorations with you before they leave. (Yes they are leaving.) (No play on words there!) I love fall! I love the colors and mums, well everything that goes along with it. In July I was looking at all the fall pictures and just counting the days until I could put "on the fall". I hope fall doesn't think I am fickle, but now I am ready to say goodbye to fall and bring out the Christmas. It really isn't my fault. Its these wonderful magazines that encourage it. Not to mention some of the blogs I read
so anyway fall is leaving Through My Back Door.

Sarahs' dough bowl fillers is one fall thing I hate to put away. I have so enjoyed them.They are just like her, they make you smile when you see them. These little pilgrims on the left were carved by my wonderful son in law.(Hope he doesn't read, this. don't want to give him the big head)lol. I have the worlds best son in law.I tell him he is my favorite.(of course he is my only one), but he is a master woodcarver. He carves and my daughter Debbie paints. They make a wonderful team. So I hate putting these little guys away. I know they could stay out until after Thanksgiving, but we don't do Thanksgiving Through My Back Door anymore, so they will move into the German cupboard until next year. However, just a hint, Santas are his specialty! Can't wait to share those with you.

Well that is a few fall images from Through My Back Door. Hopefully you enjoyed your visit. I certainly enjoyed having you Through My Back Door where life is good.