Twenty Years Ago

Twenty years ago, on December 17th, hubby and I were married at 3pm. We didn't have a big wedding, just a small get-together at Mom's house. We were married in front of the fireplace in the living room. My daughter was my Maid of Honor, my niece was my bridesmaid. My niece has two boys, Griffyn 17 months and Tarryn 4 months.

My nephew was 2 years old and was the ring bearer. He is 22 today and has kids of his own, including a set of twins. Dwight's best man was his brother. His oldest brother brought his girlfriend and her little boy. The boy and his mother both died in a house fire a few years later.

Hubby and I didn't do much today. We went to the doctor and he gave us antibiotics for our sinus problems and my ear infection. That nasty bug that was a virus turned into a bacterial infection. We ordered out for supper and had chicken and ribs. Neither of us felt like going out.

Hubby and I don 't do anniversary gifts. We figure it is too close to Christmas. We usually do go out to dinner, but neither of us felt like it tonight, so we ordered in. We enjoyed our chicken and ribs with baked potato, buns and coleslaw and toasted each other with a glass of sparkling cider. It was a lovely meal and we both enjoyed it.

Twenty years sounds like a long time but it has passed quickly. We've had our ups and downs just like every couple and have climbed mountains and trudged through valleys, but have stuck together through thick and thin. I think we both deserve medals. LOL

Have a great day and remember to do a random act of kindness. ~Blessings, Mary~

One of my Favorite Things: Christmas Books

In late November, I hosted a Christmas book swap. Today I received a wonderful book from my partner, Paula of On A Rainy Night. Our Simple Gifts: Civil War Christmas Tales by Owen Parry beautifully wrapped.

Also in the envelope was a beautiful card, which included a note and The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. I've been wanting to read this book for a long time. Thank You, Paula. You did a great job of chosing my Christmas book. As you know, I love history and am a Civil War buff. A perfect choice. I look forward to reading both of these books and will definitely being doing reviews as I finish reading them.

If you remember, last week I posted that Peggy of Hidden Haven Homestead had sent me a beautiful book through my Christmas Book Swap. It's a lovely book and I've just finished reading it. There are many beautiful stories included in the book, along with a bit of Christmas history, tales of Christmas at the Graham's, recipes, crafts projects to do with kids and lovely poems and pictures. This makes a marvelous Christmas gift. If you still have to buy for a book lover or for someone who loves Christmas, I highly recommend this book. It is full of the Spirit of Christmas.

A Christmas Memory

I remember as a child looking forward to hearing Christmas songs on TV. Among my favorites were Silent Night, Hark the Harold Angels Sing and O' Holy Night. The Christmas music in those days were not the modern carols of today. My favorite carol at the time was probably O' Little Town of Bethlehem. I was probably drawn to it because I loved babies, loved reading the Christmas story and because I could relate to being in the stable with the animals all around.

Then, in 1957, I heard a song that I had never heard before. I sat on the floor and listened as the words drifted from the old radio that sat on the shelf above the couch. The name of the song was Mary's Boy Child and it was sung by Harry Belafonte. Today, I heard the song on the radio and it triggered this memory. Since I'm still far behind in all my Christmas preparations and am still fighting this virus, I am making this a short post. Enjoy! ~Blessings, Mary!

PS. Be sure to turn the music player off at the bottom of the page in order to hear this lovely Christmas song.

Awards

Once again, I've been presented with some beautiful awards. I am always honored when my blogging friends pass these on to me because I know that others are enjoying their visits here.

This beautiful Friends award was given to me by Sharon at Sit with Me Awhile and Mari at My Little Corner of the World. Thank you, Ladies. I cherish your friendship. All of my friends are welcome to take a copy of this award.

The Christmas Spirit Award was passed on to me by Hootin' Anni and Sharon. Thank you, Ladies. I try to carry the Spirit of Christmas with me all year long. This is for all of those who have done a good deed this Christmas.

Here are the rules for the Christmas award.~~~~~

You must be a true Christmas lover to receive this award.

The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with Christmas.

You must link back to the person who gave you the award.

You must list 5 things that you love about Christmas.

If you can't limit it to 5 things, then keep going till you run out of space!

Pass the award along to as many people as you like. That can be 1 or 50. It's up to you! But, you must pass it on to at least one person in order to keep the Christmas cheer going! Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving them a comment.

The five things I love about Christmas are:

1. Watching all of the children in the family open their presents.

2. The magic and enchantment of the season - the Christmas Spirit.

3. Christmas carols.

4. Shopping for others. I always try to buy something that I know they will love.

5. Getting together with family.

6. Going with hubby and the grandsons to get the tree.

7. The keeping of family traditions.

8. Christmas dinner at my mothers.

9. Reading Christmas stories and watching Christmas movies on TV.

10. Celebrating the birth of Christ.

The Butterfly Award was given to me by Deborah, Mama Bear and Mike. Thank you. I'm glad you all think my blog is cool. If you are reading this post, I would like to pass this award on to you. Enjoy!

It appears that I've been good. Jackie passed this award on to me. Thank you so much, my friend. I really appreciate it.

I would like to pass this award on to all of the blogs I read on a regular basis. I love visiting all of my friends, though I'm a bit behind right now.

And now for an award that I would like to pass to all of my friends, readers and followers. It is another Spirit of Christmas award and one that I gave out last year. Please accept it as my Christmas gift to you. ~Blessings, Mary~

Be sure to drop by and visit Hootin' Anni. She is having a Blog Giveaway. If you haven't met, Anni, you will love getting to know her. She is a wonderful lady with a heart of gold and she's been blessed with many talents.