Fun and Memories

Tomorrow is the big day and while I can still do nicknacks inside, the outside must be complete as I will not be able to traverse the front stoop. My style for Christmas decor is a mix between quirky cute and semi formal nice. So outside will be mostly fun. I wrapped concrete blocks in cute Christmas cloth added bows and solar lights and hope they can withstand the coming snow.

IMG_20181108_140824 — Frosty, Bing and Dasher

I have been waiting 2 years for this “fast growing” evergreen to get big enough to decorate. Its still small but I don’t care, it is now covered in solar lights. They are small enough where their weight should not hurt the limbs. Frosty is a bird feeder and filled with sunflower seeds. Bing is a penguin and of course everyone knows who Dasher is. His nose is not red so he can not be Rudolph. Both of these critters are solar lights that light up in the evening. Christmas should always be fun, something to help you create wonderful memories and enjoy the season. That may be why I do so much Christmas. If you missed my post yesterday and want to see the first posted tree, that is the most formal tree and is all white. It is located in the dining room and beneath it is my village. Check it out here if you wish. The tree that is in my bedroom is my fun tree.

IMG_20181108_154144 — The tree with Santa and Chris Moose

The angle at the top, my oldest son made when he was 3, in 1981, you do the math. Wow, where did time go.

Other things on this fun tree are other ornaments my children made over the years, fun ornament gifts from friends and quirky things I have found over the years. I am a big fan of the S’More ornaments. If you are not familiar as to what a S’more is, its a campfire treat with graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows – way too sweet for me but I love the funny ornaments. I will post a few today and post some throughout the season. Do I have enough to last all season long, maybe not but I did find another bag today of ornaments I bought at the end of the season last year. So at least you can join in on my fun memory time.

IMG_20181108_154326 — My Patriotic Group

The Patriotic group has a S’more dressed up like the statue of liberty and an eagle carrying the American flag.

IMG_20181108_154255 — S’More and his snowman

IMG_20181108_154314 — Roasting a hot dog over a pine cone

And as I always share my thoughts on kindness, remember to always be kind.

More gallery of village buildings

IMG_20181105_142920 — Lawyer and Police Station

IMG_20181105_143039 — The Holiday Store and the Dress Shop

Its Beginning to Look…, #1 Liner Wed

Sometimes as adults we forget to have fun and enjoy the simple activities of fun shared with friends. That is a lot of what blogging and prompts for fun are. A chance to share with blogging friends around the world the things that we enjoy doing. That is what Linda G Hill has done for us to share with each other activities that make us smile using One Liner Wednesdays.

Back in 2000, a friend of mine and I decided to make our own village for Christmas. They were just beginning to get popular but were expensive. The craft stores has ceramic ones that were unpainted that fit more into our budget so we bought a few and spent time in the evenings enjoying each others company and painting houses and business for our own villages. Soon as we got one finished, we would go see what else they had and is was a fun filled summer of adult painting. Sharon even went to Florida to see her family and found a different ceramic store that had other version and brought more home. By the end of the summer we looked at each other and went oops…guess we had too much fun. We both had well over 50 houses and businesses…and no where to put anything that large. I also dated and numbered mine just to keep track of them.

It was such a fun summer of talking and sharing we did not pay attention to how many we actually did. It was “oh, look at this one and gotta have that one” and so on. I gave away several then realized the ones I gave away were houses and almost all I had left was business, so I quit giving them away and found a way to display them. I currently have 41. Here is a picture of the main village located on the dining room table with the 4.5′ white tree. However, there is the outskirts of town grouping in a different location where the country church, the Red Lion Inn and the new addition this year of a Christmas Tree farm and covered bridge. I will post closeups of the houses/businesses throughout the holidays.

IMG_20181107_085732 — Skeeterville Township

Remember as this is the holiday season of Thanksgiving to be thankful for all your blessings. And as I remind myself, always be kind. An act of kindness can bring ease not only to your hurting soul but to the receiver of that kindness as well.

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Gallery of Christmas Village

IMG_20181105_142905 — City Hall, the Clock Tower(also new) and The Library

IMG_20181105_142929 — The Fire Station including a fire truck

The Grand Questions of What and Where

It is getting to be that time of year where we decorate the house to show our fun side or serious side of decorating. Some are very modern, some very traditional and then there is me with what strikes my fancy at the given moment. I don’t really have themed trees but I they are on the specific side. My biggest tree 7.5′ is in the living room and that one generally has the more traditional of nicer type ornaments; the 4.5′ tree on top of my dining room table is decorated all white tree with the village beneath; then there is the fun 6.5′ tree in my bedroom at the bump out window. I am on schedule to be complete by Wednesday and will share my fun when complete but for now I though I would share Santa and Chris Moose as they discuss the best placement ideas for the lights on the tree in the bedroom. Its can be a big discussion…

IMG_20181105_124659 — Santa and Chris discussing lights

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Christmas is a serious as well as a fun and wonderful time for all of us who are still kids at heart. I wish each of you the very best holiday months as you spend time with family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Make sure you hug them all and let them know how very special they are to you.

And as always, I close with a reminder to us all, including my self, Be kind. Sometimes during the hustle and bustle of the holidays we forget and become rushed and self absorbed. If you are too busy to really speak. them remember to smile – a smile can turn a frown upside down.

Thankfulness Weekly Challenge

In the United States, November is the month for Thanksgiving, a time to be thankful for the blessing you have received throughout the year. It started with thanks for the harvest and shared with the American Indians who taught the new comers how to plant foods for survival in a new land.

Today, those who can, celebrate with family being thankful for each other usually surrounded by a meal. There are many around the world who have very little but still manage to be thankful for what they have. On Facebook, there is a daily challenge to post what you are thankful for and I thought it would be nice to do a weekly challenge to post all the things we are thankful for, in any way you like to share. If you want to share, ping back here so that we can all share in your thankfulness and add Thankful in your title to reflect the season. I will post this each Sunday through the end of the month. Enjoy.

November Thankfulness

Nov 1 – I am thankful for God allowing me to be part of His Kingdom.

Nov 2 – I am thankful for living in a country that allows me to do and be anything I want.

Nov 3 – I am thankful for being able to have wonderful memories of my childhood.

Nov 4 – I am thankful for Sundays and the freedom to be able to worship my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without persecution.

As you play along, always remember to be kind.

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So, What’s Your Point, #SoCS

Points and opinions everyone has them. Sometimes the passion of those points/opinions can cause conflicts between two views of a same situation. We are heading to a marvelous time of year across the world that, regardless of the faith you may practice, it’s a time of year to share love and kindness. So I challenge anyone of all faiths to come together in love instead of standing toe to toe in asking “What’s your point”.

In the Christian and Catholic faiths we both follow Jesus Christ and during Christmas there are several points that float through the season. Christmas is the symbol of Jesus’s birth, but to the commercial world its all about Santa, buying and getting. I have a very large stuffed Santa and display him every year but Santa is not the point. Christ is the point. The stories of Santa, Chris Kringle, Pere Noel, or Father Christmas along with many other countries versions all stem from the love of giving gifts to children.

What better gift to give anyone is a “get out of jail free” card from God in the form of His only Son. Wow, what a gift from God to all of His children.

While I do go over board on decorating, I look at the tree as His tree of life and the lights as His love shining in the darkness. The very first object that goes on the main tree,(there are many) the tree in the living room, is the Christmas Nail. It goes inside the tree not as a decoration but as a symbol of my love back to Him. It is an ever reminder of what He did and does for me.

I an tagging in with Linda G Hill on Streams of Conscious Saturday and her prompt for the day is point. Come join in on the fun.

As we approach another worldwide day of celebration let’s all celebrate it together on November 13 – World Kindness Day. Showing Kindness is a point of view we could all use.

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Bridges @ Iowa and Illinois, A Photo a Week

Living on one side of the river and working on the others can cause a transportation problem if we did have bridges. There are some places around the world that have ferry boats that take people and sometimes cars from one side of the river to the other.

Where I live on the Mississippi we have numerous bridges, some for cars and some for trains. Most have identifying names so in conversation you can tell what side of the quad cities you are referring to. There are 4 cities linked together, 2 cities on each side of the river that the only way you can tell what city you are in is by the street name. For instance if you were on 49th street and all of a sudden you were on 1st street, you went from Davenport to Bettendorf in Iowa or from Rock Island to Moline in Illinois. On the far west side of town you have the first bridge, the Blue Bridge(that used to be the yellow bridge) which is actually the 280 bypass. The next bridge east is a railroad bridge and coming further east you have the newer bridge, the Centennial Bridge, which connects the downtown areas of Davenport and Rock Island. This is the bridge where all the 4th of July festivities are surrounded. A barge is put in the middle of the river and is where they shoot off fireworks. The next bridge over is the Arsenal Bridge and Lock Dam that goes from Davenport’s east side the the Rock Island Base. Coming further east is the I-74 Corridor bridge which is in the process of its 3rd and massive rebuild. The the last bridge for the area is the I-80 bridge which will probably be the next rebuild project one the I-74 bridge is complete in 2020.

In following Nancy Merrill’s prompt of Bridges I am featuring the center most bridges of the area. There is also a smaller river in this area, the Rock river that flows into the Mississippi that has several bridges as well but they are not as photographic as these. So enjoy. I do apologize for the gray day but its that kind of day.

IMG_20181102_112343 — The Centennial Bridge with the Railroad bridge in the distance.

IMG_20180713_131048 — Paddle boat ride up the river showing construction on I-74 Corridor Bridge earlier this summer

These two pictures below show construction barges and cranes. In October you could main frames for the structure footings and some of the first sections of the bridge are complete. I will send update maybe in the spring.

The area I live in is really not that big in comparison of the larger metro cities but is big enough to need several bridges to carry people from side to the other.

In closing today I close with a wonderful smile as a reminder to always be kind. your kindness may be the only nice thing that person may get on a given day.

smiling — This smile can turn any frown upside down.

Mosaic Snail, Escapist Coloring Club

I forgot to take a picture before I started coloring. This one was pretty intense but fun at the same time. It is a great way to relax, I color for about 10 minutes before bed. It takes my brain off of the hamster wheel of life.

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Join in on Linda G Hill’s prompt for Escapist Coloring Club. It is a great way to relax and enjoy each other expression of their or their children’s expressions of fun.

In closing I remind myself and others to always be kind, it may brighten someones day.

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Red Doors, Thursday’s Doors

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During the middle ages church doors were painted red to signify the blood of Christ and as a sign of the cross. The red doors of churches also symbolize a place of sanctuary, refuge and safety from physical or spiritual evil/danger.

When I saw these wonderful doors, I wondered how many other doors of churches in my area are red and there were quite a few. Even a few residences had red doors. Enjoy these door, while some may be rather plain, I lean back on the wonder of showing the love of Christ on a door.

I thought this next door was interesting which at one time was possibly a home or apartment complex but now serves as one of the residences for St. Ambrose College.

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There can be some much wonder when you take the time to study the details our world. The beauty and the complexities of why we are where we are today.

And as you reflect on this beauty, remember to be kind. A kind smile can break the tight hold of fear or despair that may be chocking someone.

The Yard is Done, #1Liner Wednesday

Fall brings about a flurry of cleaning projects to get ready for winter and I am on a time schedule. So the last 2 days I have not touched my computer much other than to read some of your wonderful stories. But alas, it is all done….outside. Thanks to Alternative Design Landscapes Specialist out of Bettendorf Iowa I have new steps and a new wall that were rotting railroad timbers and a new mailbox to keep the mailman happy and Mimi less stressed.

And while that was going on, the plumber came out to fix a leaky outside faucet before it got cold and I got all the flower bed cleaning done. All in all a busy but productive two days. Now I can sit on the sofa and play on the computer while watching the birds eat and fight over the new bird feeders. They are so fun to watch. The feeder is close to the evergreens where they zoom to hid when spooked only to peek out to make sure all is clear before heading back to the feeders.

Mostly what I have are chickadees but this big fella enjoys the sunflower seeds as well.

IMG_20181031_085148 — Dirty windows too…work never ends

I clean the windows about every two weeks as Mimi loves looking out as well and leaves her nose and slobber marks. And of course we have to warn about the dreaded mailman. The ice box was added as an incentive to save the window seal.

She is so funny as she looks around at me while she is barking like “Do you not see this?” In reality she is just a silly old lapdog baby.

And in closing I remind myself and everyone else to be kind. It is a inexpensive gift from God that reflects His love.

Come follow along with Linda G. Hill’s One Liner Wednesdays and enjoy the fun.

A Sunday Prayer

I thank you Lord for the wonderful people who share your love and gives us peace and assurance of your presence. Help us to take this love and reflect it on others as we go our way on this earth as we always remember to be kind.

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