Christmas

Mr. Outdoors and I celebrating 48 Christmas' together, so Blessed to have each other.  A very laid back Christmas for us this year, I only put up a small tree.  The gifts are wrapped and baking will be happening tomorrow...Merry Christmas 2012!

Necktie pillow

Love this necktie pillow from pinterest.....also this Christmas tree skirt!  Amazing what ideas people come up with...such creative minds.

I do not like it

This is a very different Christmas for Mr. Outdoors and I. Normally our Christmas' are fun filled and intense with shopping, cooking and being excited for all the fun Christmas holds. We are losing his youngest brother to bone cancer.  He has fought the fight for 14 years and it just keeps coming back.  Brother Bill retired from the Highway patrol as a Major, retired from the Marines also as a Major and worked for a branch of the Government in charge of personnel.  Acquired his Masters degree at middle age, raised 2 boys and a daughter who have turned out to be not only great people but the sweetest kids you could ever meet.  The first wife and Mother of his children did not have any interest in raising the children, enter second wife.  She has been and continues to be such an awesome woman and member of our family.  Has taken such good care of our brother all these 30 years, and we applaud her for all she has done.  Compassion knows no one greater than Elaine.  So we are spending days by brothers bedside, telling lots of fun stories of Mr. Outdoors and his childhood,sitting there ever watchful should he need something, all the while knowing these are his last days here on earth.  Such an unreal feeling...losing ones siblings.  I do not like it.  I do take comfort knowing he will be in the arms of our Father and joined with his parents in Heaven.  God Bless our Brother.

Our hearts are sad tonight as we mourn those precious children and adults who were killed in Newtown, Ct.  What a sorrowful time for all of us, especially all those parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters who have lost their loved ones.  We have to take comfort that they are now in the arms of our Lord.

Delicious December

 We have had a great 5 day retreat with our son and Grandchildren up in Colorado.  The ski resort is making snow every day, they , like the rest of us simply have no moisture whatsoever.  Granddaughter and son Mark, she has been skiing since she was a little thing.

 Grandson gearing up to go snowboarding.

 Mr. Outdoors and our son, love that they all ski together.

 Granddaughter so lovely.

 I have lots of kitchen help!

Mr. Outdoors and I, our 48th Christmas together, such a lucky woman I am!

Early Christmas picture........love my family.