“And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”
Luke 1:30-31
I know, nothing fancy about this Christmas decoration. But it was at sunrise on a beautiful, calm, and pleasant morning last week and there is a story. I had to replace this section of the privacy fence and in doing so I eliminated a group of ditch lilies and a wild grape vine that had resided on the old fence for years. It looked so bare. I remembered several wreaths that had been hanging from the rafters of one of my storage buildings for ages…I never throw anything away (bad habit). A couple of red bows from Hobby Lobby and you have a simple country kind of Christmas!
The pumpkin retirement center…you might say they’ve been “put out to pasture”.
I am hanging on to a bit of autumn so bear with me for a minute. The colors that are still around are too nice to pass up!
The autumn fire sedum has given us some very nice displays since late spring!
Even the lingering dried hydrangeas contrasted against a Japanese maple adorned for autumn is helping transition the garden into the colors of the Christmas season!
One of the Christmas angels failed to get placed on the tree!
Our only camellia bush has been blooming for weeks and I believe it’s the best year ever for blooms. It’s called Yuletide Camellia Sasanqua.
I suppose in an attempt to redeem myself with PJ concerning my habit of keeping everything; I found myself figuring ways to put things to good use. I located more old wreaths in the garage that already had bows (no purchase necessary) and hung them on shepherds hooks. The hooks which were also found in the garage seemed appropriate for the season. Do you see a lamb peeping through the wreath?
Unusually warm weather brought out bats on several evenings last week. It is not often we have several consecutive days of mid 70’s in December. Have you ever attempted to take a pic of a single flying bat? They were darting around while I was out to take in a sunset so I thought, why not! Thankful for digital. Could’ve used up a roll of film quickly with nothing to show.
Our throwback this week is 2019. I am not sure if Queen EM was really happy with the situation but she managed a smile. Princess EK, at 8 months old, is clearly entering panic mode.
For many years Noccalula Falls Park has held Christmas At The Falls. The annual event typically runs from Thanksgiving through January 1, and attracts visitors from far and wide.
The train ride is very popular and of course, here we are waiting in line to board!
P J and I had never attended Christmas At The Falls but we definitely enjoyed it. So many displays and thousands, maybe millions of lights (we didn’t count them)! We certainly recommend a visit.
It was a calm and mild evening for a walk through the park!
This is my version of Christmas lights. My Charlie Brown tree from our woods is a scraggly ole thing but we love it just the same.
A Savior has come! Merry Christmas to you all.
An awesome late November sunset reminded us we had been blessed with another day.
Wishing you a super week!
”Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”.
Hebrews 13:8
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace,Life and Linda
Lovely pictures! I really enjoy them!
Thanks so much!
This was a beautiful way to begin my day. Putting the pumpkins to pasture made me giggle. You gave “life” to the beautiful wreaths wanting to adorn again. The angel was perfect as the other two in Santa’s lap! It’s the ordinary that are extraordinary and you bring life to it all to make it so! PS I DID the see the lamb peeking through the wreath! I have an eye for such! 💛❤️💚🎄🎄
Thank you dear one. You are spot on with it is the ordinary that is the extraordinary! Happy Sunday, Karla ♥️🎄♥️
I’m sorry I’m late on this response! You are so welcome! I hope your week is going beautifully! 💚❤🤗
EK is getting so big! I love your wreath-on-hooks idea and may have to borrow that one for my yard. I, too, have trouble giving things a toss that “might” come in useful someday. Those look great. And I, too, have a pumpkin retirement community in the back corner of the back yard! They provide something for the squirrels (and whomever else) to do and eat! What a lovely Sunday morning visit!
I am glad to know someone else has a pumpkin retirement community! As always, thank you for your visits, Jeanie!
I love how you embrace life and decorate!! Simple is becoming my mantra as I grow older. Appreciating the colors of Fall is one of them! I too linger on those vivid Fall leaves and pumpkins. I so adore the smile of your Fallen Angel, her sweetness shows the glow of her crown too😉😍🎄
Thank you Penny. Simple is a good thing. Happy Sunday!
EM is so precious in her Christmas dress and her bare feet. You are so blessed to have your sweet family so near to you. The pictures of Christmas at the Falls are beautiful. Quite sure your grands are the reason you finally got to see the beauty. Butch, PJ isn’t the only one in the house that loves to decorate. Love your simple Charlie Brown tree.
Alice, RM is in the Christmas spirit. He is decorating everything outside. Wishing you a joy-filled day!
Such happiness in each photo… Made my day! And that adorable angel… A blessing! The photo of the queen and princess is so precious. Thank you for this especial post. Happy Sunday!
Thank you for your sweet visit, Maristella. Wishing you a beautiful week!
Such a beautiful post this morning. The pumpkins look beautiful in retirement and the fading hydrangeas against a sea of red speaks of the changing season. The Yuletide camellia is so beautiful. Love all pics of the girls. I really like your Charlie Brown tree. I, too, am going to borrow your idea of using the shepherd hooks for my old artificial wreaths. I use them for ferns all summer. I like your connection to the shepherd’s hook and CHRISTmas. Have a blessed day.
Thank you, Dianne. Happy Sunday to you and yours!
Pam and Butch, The pics are wonderful. The bat shot is amazing! Capturing it was quite an accomplishment. The sky was a beautiful backdrop too. The girls have really grown. EK is a sweet angel indeed! The outside wreaths are nice additions and we love your Charlie Brown Christmas tree! The Falls are even more gorgeous when adorned with lights. Enjoy your day sweet friends. Clara❤️
Thank you, Clara. Have a wonderful week ♥️
Gorgeous photography today, and such lovely memories to share.
Thanks so much, Carole!
Pumpkins to pasture rated a big chuckle….and Christmas at the Falls was enchanting… how fortunate we were to be invited to tag along without waiting on line. The resurrected wreaths against the fence were a study in gifted simplicity. Great photo.
Speaking of which, the queen and princess photo is a candidate for a greeting card. Perfect models and perfect Santa. We
have shared your sunshine and comforting temperatures over the past weeks, but late this afternoon through evening the
storm clouds should break and bring in the more seasonal chill. In the meantime I will feast on your usual Sabbath fare
that pleases the senses and gives glory to our Creator. Blessings, dear Pam and Butch.
I am so glad you could follow along and not wait in line. We could have storms tomorrow afternoon as a cold front pushes through. Have a lovely week dear one!
I love all the ways you used the old wreaths, so festive and the Charlie Brown tree looks wonderful. Christmas at the Falls looks amazing, how fun! My camellias have been profuse this year, maybe all the rain we had this summer? I love the 2019 photo of the girls with Santa and EK looks very grown up in front of the tree! We’re still smiling about the game yesterday, wow, best game ever!! Have a wonderful week Pam and Butch!
Jenna
Thanks Jenna. Butch is decorating everything outside it seems 🤣 Yes, what a great game!
Good morning, Pam and Butch! The tree on the porch with pretty colorful lights looks perfect! That sunset is gorgeous! We have been in the 70s here, too. It’s like April instead of December. The light display in the park looks like a wonderful way to spend a December evening. Wishing you both a blessed week ahead!
Thanks so much, Shannon. It is supposed to get colder here as a cold front pushes through tomorrow afternoon!
Good morning Pam and Butch. It is such a delight to visit with you this morning and see all the lovely photos. More and more, Butch – I do believe you are related to Mike. Truly you would be in your element in Mike’s garage. Thank heavens we only have one. Precious Emma, I could just squeeze her and I know you all do.
Have a wonderful day and week ahead!
Thanks so much for your sweet visits, Sandra. Maybe we should get Mike and Butch together. It sounds like they would have much in common. Happy week to you♥️
Your morning post just hit the spot with me today. I have spotted so many over the top Christmas decorations, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. Knowing I could never come close to putting up decorations to match those. Then, you show that simple is so much better! I can do a wreath, with a bow.
Nonie, simple is perfect, always and always. Sending prayers 🙏🏻
Keeping it simple today as your wonderful photos are keeping it simple and sometimes we just need to remember…..Psalm 46:10!!!
Hugs Always
Kari
Yes, Kari…being still and knowing that He is God!
Hugs,
Pam
The pictures of the Falls area are beautiful, especially the falls themselves. And the sweet angels are precious. My pumpkin plan was to launch them down a hill; I gave them a good heave ho, they didn’t roll! Tell Butch I saw a really good country wreath down my road…a giant tractor tire painted green with an enormous red bow! It was actually charming, believe it or not!
Thank you, Roxanne. You sound like me trying to heave ho pumpkins into the woods. Happy week!
I read your comment to Butch about the giant tractor tire painted green, he was impressed!
Another beautiful post – I always love coming here to visit with you all. God bless you for all you do to make this such a welcoming, comforting blog!
You are a gem, Pam. I love all of these wonderful posts. Thank you for the joy!
Our pleasure, thank you Sharon!
Gorgeous autumnal colours and I like the wreaths on your new fence!
Love the photos, especially your Christmas angel!
Thank you, Donna!