Christmas Afterglow

Hello Friends!  I hope your Christmas was wonderful. We made it through December, and today finds me in a quiet place as all the Christmas decor has been put away for another year. It is a rainy foggy and cold day, a day meant for reflecting and counting my blessings for it has been quite a year that none of us could have ever predicted. 

Our family truly embraced the season and held tight the meaning as we attended Christmas Eve church service ...in our cars holding candles out the window singing Silent Night.  

No question the holiday season of 2020 was by far

very different from all our past celebrations. 

I truly missed those family members 

who could not be with us this year. 

 We all needed a little joy in our lives and

 so grateful for those we love whether physically near

 or in our hearts this year.       

Come on in our home...the door is open and our hearts are full.

Tradition at our house is cutting a real tree 

and decorating it with family ornaments...

including  a few Shiny Brites from my childhood.

 The antique engraving over the fireplace is quite special as my husband 

surprised me with "Meeting the Carriage" one Christmas.

My needlepointed tree skirt has seen many Christmas's!

Water is kept nearby for the tree drinks several pans of water a day!
Each ornament holds a memory of a special person or a place. 

Some of the ornaments I made before I was even married!

The handmade sled underneath the tree holds 
the Christmas books that love to be read year after year.

A roaring fire in the fireplace and 

the aroma of a real tree...smells of the season!

A place of honor for the nativity scene

Music plays an important role in our family as both

of our sons play the violin. 

This violin was their great grandfathers.

In the kitchen of our 102 year old home is the light fixture

adorned with fresh greens, berries and white doves. 

A bit of greenery and red velvet ribbon dress the kitchen clock .

Our kitchen is tiny by todays standards, but I love it.

Salt and Pepper shakers from a friend makes the red truck!

Vintage glasses and my grandmothers butter dish

The green lamp was a wedding gift to my mother and dad 

who had very little to begin housekeeping.

Nothing says warm and cozy more than 

a warm glowing lantern in the corner of the kitchen. 

Even my laundry room has a Christmas mouse or two.

And the Christmas cactus went crazy this year.

On a low kitchen shelf is a row of lighted treasures

 for our little ones to admire. Just perfect height 

for a two year old to "twiddle".

A Christmas plate my mother gave me 
the year we were married is a treasure I bring out every year.

Needlepoint pillows are my favorite.

I have such amazing memories as a child, especially of my grandmother. 

This book on a side table was a Christmas gift from her teacher in 1905 ! 

My mother used to read it to me before bedtime.

Christmas dinner was just different this year. 

Not all our family was together, 

and it just seemed so strange. 

No added leaves in the table, No tablecloth this year, 

but a gold table runner just seemed right. 

A favorite little boy helped me clove the oranges.

Though I could never forgo a candlelit Christmas meal 

on my Christmas plates, 

it is who sits around my table

 that really matters. 

 

 So today finds me in a quiet place, as we end this crazy year...

grateful for all my loved ones and blessings granted. 

However your holidays unfold, whether shared with an extended family

 or a small circle of loved ones, I wish you joy in the coming year and

may God hold us all in the palm of His hand.

I love when you leave a comment.

I read every one of them! 

You’ll find me on Instagram here:  Alda's Magnolia Hill 

Like to know when a new blog post is up and available to read? Subscribe for email updates, it’s free and your email will never be shared. Subscribe for free post updates !

Be sure and follow on...

                                                     INSTAGRAM     PINTEREST     FACEBOOK 

Out in the Fields With God

 Out in the fields with God...early morning walks offer a glimpse of fall ... a sign of the seasons turning. The fog blanketed the lake quite heavy this early morning and lifts as the day begins.

            “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
                                                                                                            ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:8‬ ‭

 Here, one can see the fog starting to lift off the glassy still water this morning. Fog must be almost everywhere as we are located in Arkansas. It is noted that  the foggiest place in the world is the Grand Banks off the island of Newfoundland, Canada. It is said to get  more than 200-days of fog per year.

 Buddy walks early in the morning and captured this image...By the time the sun comes up the fog has lifted off the water. The color around the lake is slow to turn this year. There are so many leaves to fall. 

Once the fog has lifted, look how the clouds 

are reflected in the still waters of the lake.

This is one of the most popular vantage points at the farm – the back of the carriage road leading to the woods and back pasture behind our lake. In this photo, it’s difficult to see where the carriage road leads, making it quite mysterious and even romantic. 

                      I love how the leaves carpet the carriage road.

My mother used to describe fog to be “as thick as pea soup”. This was originally used to describe the dingy yellow smog from burning soft coal common in Europe. Such fogs occurred in London until the Clean Air Act of 1956. 

We never really had pea soup at home, so I don't know where she heard that! 

Out in the Fields with God 

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The little cares that fretted me

I lost them yesterday,

Among the fields above the sea,

Among the winds at play,

Among the lowing of the herds,

The rustling of the trees,

Among the singing of the birds,

The humming of the bees.

The foolish fears of what might happen.

I cast them all away

Among the clover-scented grass,

Among the new-mown hay,

Among the husking of the corn,

Where drowsy poppies nod

Where ill thoughts die and good are born--

Out in the fields with God.

Out in the fields with God. 

I love when you leave a comment.

I read every one of them! 

Blue and Delilah say thanks for stopping by! 

HUGS! 

You’ll find me on Instagram here:  Alda's Magnolia Hill 

Like to know when a new blog post is up and available to read? Subscribe for email updates, it’s free and your email will never be shared. Subscribe for free post updates !

Be sure and follow on...

                                                     INSTAGRAM     PINTEREST     FACEBOOK 

Sights and Sounds of Fall

Sights and sounds of fall around the lake....

Buddy snapped a picture of the morning fog as it rolled on the lake. 

He walks around the lake almost every morning. 

The Canadian geese always find our lake tempting to fly in and check out the waters.

 

A bit of cotton reminds me of my mothers family as they 

were cotton farmers and the fall was like a holiday 

almost with the harvest season.

I saved seeds from my last years pumpkins and they grew like crazy. 

But one can never have too many, so a trip to the farmers market

 added a bit of color. Will save those seeds too!

Buddy's handmade built  wooden Spring Creek Bridge

 is my favorite in the fall with leaves carpeting the boards. 

I love the sounds of the carriage wheels as it rolls over the boards. 

I love to forage through the woods 

and amazed at the color for flower arrangements. 

Even the ferns in the front of the house

 take on a warm glow in the fall light. 

Smell of the woodsmoke ...

A lovely way to end the weekend

 with a bonfire by the lake. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

HUGS! 

You’ll find me on Instagram here:  Alda's Magnolia Hill 

Like to know when a new blog post is up and available to read? Subscribe for email updates, it’s free and your email will never be shared. Subscribe for free post updates !

INSTAGRAM 

PINTEREST

FACEBOOK