My Christmas Painting

See my new Santa painting? I was so excited when I won it in a blog giveaway. My good blog friend Linda, over at https://lindaslifejournal-artlady1948.blogspot.com/ is the artist who painted it.

I have the perfect small wall for it in the living room.

She is such a talented artist; the detail is so good.

I have never had a picture painted on a REAL canvas! As soon as I opened the box, I could smell the fresh oil paint! Here is her signature. What an awesome Christmas gift, everyone will be asking me about it! Thank you again Linda!

“Let them praise his name in dance; strike up the band and make great music! And why? Because God delights in his people, festoons plain folk with salvation garlands!”

Psalm 149

Gingerbread Houses

Here are some gingerbread houses from a contest we went to. Do you have a favorite? This is a Gingerbread Mill.

Not sure what this one is!

A Frame house.

This one is a pig house. See the pink pigs in front of it?

This one has pine trees in front.

Here is the front view of a gingerbread train. See the passengers boarding it?

This one has a pretzel fence.

This one has Christmas trees around it.

This one has a sleigh, a pond, and a Chex cereal roof.

Here is a gingerbread tree house!

A candy corn roof on this one.

This one has a corral with animals in it and a pond.

And this is an English cottage, complete with thatched roof.

 “My people will live in a peaceful neighborhood— in safe houses, in quiet gardens.” 

Isaiah 32

Bringing In The Sheaves

Because there are a lot of farms around here, there are also a lot of sheaves. They are used for several things, including feeding livestock. People also use them for outdoor decorations in the fall. These are just a few I came across recently.

 “You’ll see your children grow up, your family lovely and lissome as orchard grass. You’ll arrive at your grave ripe with many good years, like sheaves of golden grain at harvest.”

Job 5

Winter Grass

I was delighted when we spotted this bush a few blocks away. And of course I HAD to show you. To me, it looks like fire and snow. O.K. maybe snow on hay.

 “Exhausted, he fell asleep under the lone broom bush. Suddenly an angel shook him awake and said, “Get up and eat!”

1 Kings

Cowboy Church

I am wondering how many of my blog friends have Cowboy Churches nearby. I would think perhaps my followers from Texas. Cowboy Church is really big here, and there are many. There are signs posted everywhere, and ads in the paper.

Here are the Cowboy Commandments:

Don't shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair 

    advantage.

Don't go back on your word or a trust confided in you.

Tell the truth.

Be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals.

Help people in distress.

Be a good worker.

Keep yourself clean in thought, speech, action, 

    and personal habits.

Respect women, parents, and the law.

I guess I should check it out one Sunday.  Just find a horse and mosey on over. Could be fun.

“You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.”

Matthew 16

School Days

The pre-school of our youngest granddaughter Jazz had an open house last month. Complete with a hot dog meal! Here are the two us us, big & little.

Here is Jazz with her older sister, who has learned to pose with "attitude".

They had put up large boards to show off the students artwork.

They had made trees out of jigsaw pieces!

And spiders from pom poms and pipe cleaners.

She showed me the class hamster!

Anne Marie was there too. Almost as tall as me now!

On the way out of her classroom I spotted this cute bird's nest hanging up in the corner.

It was so cute that I had to make a fun edit!

“With the Feast already half over, Jesus showed up in the Temple, teaching. The Jews were impressed, but puzzled: “How does he know so much without being schooled?”

John 7

Chinese Lanterns

When we saw this fruit in the store, it brought back memories. When Phil was a little boy, he and his friends would find them on the ground and eat them. I had never seen such a thing before!

Their correct name is Physalis, or Ground Cherries. But people call them Chinese Lantern Plants, Aztec Berry, Bladder Berry and many other names.

They are completely enclosed in a papery husk, and can be used in the same ways a tomato can. I think they are so cute!

“Then God said, “I’ve given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth And every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food. To all animals and all birds, everything that moves and breathes, I give whatever grows out of the ground for food.” And there it was.”

Genesis 1