Day Three Hundred Sixty Six 2012

Tonight’s December thirty-first,
Something is about to burst.
The clock is crouching, dark and small,
Like a time bomb in the hall.
Hark, it's midnight, children dear.
Duck! Here comes another year!
~Ogden Nash

Day Three Hundred Sixty Five 2012

My family got hit with the stomach flu bug after Christmas. Daughter Kelly was the first to get zapped, then they started falling like dominoes. Grandson Knox, grandson Elijah, and son in law Kerry suffered (or are still suffering) with this crud. Daughter Holly is iffy at this point. Hubby Neil says he refuses to get it, but it’s not looking too good for him, either. Kelly is over it, and Knox has finally come through it, as you can see from the picture. I’m patiently waiting my turn at this, for no one seems to escape it once exposed. Keep a good thought for us! Hope you all stay healthy on this next to last day of 2012. Today is Day Three Hundred Sixty Five, but this was a leap year, so we get an extra day. Happy New Year’s Eve Eve!

Day Three Hundred Sixty Four 2012

Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery.
~Bill Watterson
We didn’t even get an inch today but watching it fall was a thing of beauty, as always. Hope we get some more this winter.

Day Three Hundred Sixty Three 2012

To get (grandson) Knox to eat, sometimes his mommy has to resort to making him laugh, which distracts him and makes him open his mouth long enough to shovel in some food. It works. Wish you could hear his belly laugh in this picture.

Happy TGIF, everyone! Rock on!

Day Three Hundred Sixty Two 2012

Granddaughter Shelby and grandson Elijah are on Christmas break from school until the new year. They brought their bikes to my house today (Shelby got hers from Santa) and rode around for a while in spite of the 30+ degrees.

See that little face in the bottom middle window? Grandson Knox had to be content to watch his cousins from inside the house.

Someday

Shelby was stylin’ in new jacket, boots and knee socks. Love the purple bike.

Daredevil Elijah—riding one-handed! Then they headed inside and thawed out with some hot chocolate (with marshmallows, of course).

Day Three Hundred Sixty One 2012

"I am a Jedi, like my father before me.” 
~Knox Skywalker

Day Three Hundred Sixty 2012

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE MABRY CLAN!

For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home. ~W.J. Ronald Tucker
Those of us who could be together this evening enjoyed all these things—fellowship, a whole lot of feasting, giving and receiving (also known as ‘Dirty Santa’), and also a whole lot of good cheer, and home, too, as my sister Ann and her husband Terry open their home to all of us at Christmas. Thanks for hosting our holiday happy time together, Ann and T! As always, it was very merry and bright. I am so thankful to be blessed to be a part of this awesome family. Love to all of you. Merry Christmas!

Day Three Hundred Fifty Nine 2012

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE RANFT, MYERS, KIMBROUGH FAMILIES!

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.
~Burton Hillis
We had ourselves a merry little Christmas tonight!

Day Three Hundred Fifty Eight 2012

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.
~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Day Three Hundred Fifty Seven 2012

Keep your Christmas-heart open all the year round. ~Jessica Archmint

Day Three Hundred Fifty Six 2012

Looking through one of the beveled glass windows in my front door this afternoon I could see three suns. That would have been a nice reality on this cold and blustery first day of Winter—the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Happy TGIF and Happy Winter, everyone! (The Mayans had no clue. I'm not surprised. Are you?)
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Wishing my brother in law, Terry Sissom, a very happy 56th birthday today!!

Day Three Hundred Fifty Five 2012

Grandpeeps Shelby and Elijah are out of school for Christmas vacation (winter break for the politically correct). They were here today, amusing themselves watching America’s Funniest Home Videos, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Captain America on Netflix. Shelby was productive and made colorful braided bracelets out of embroidery floss for each holiday. So far, she’s made ten. They’re very pretty.

I was productive, too, and made some cranberry white chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. From scratch. They turned out pretty tasty. Blustery weather here all day—rain and wind and now it’s cold. The grandpeeps are hoping to see some snow. The ground is too warm for it to stick if it did snow, but I wouldn’t mind seeing a few snowflakes. (FYI: today is the last official day of Autumn, although people have been saying it's Winter since before turkey day)

Day Three Hundred Fifty Four 2012

“I bought my brother some gift-wrap for Christmas. I took it to the Gift Wrap department and told them to wrap it, but in a different print so he would know when to stop unwrapping.”

~Stephen Wright

Day Three Hundred Fifty Three 2012

Grandson Elijah looked everywhere for our crazed version of elf on the shelf this afternoon after school and could not find him anywhere—not even upstairs. And then his sister Shelby was surprised to find the elf lurking in the freezer, just waiting for little kids to open it up for a tasty frozen treat, which is usually the first thing Elijah does when he gets here after school each day. He was too freaked out just looking for the elf to even think about grabbing a Bomb Pop. The elf didn’t mind the freezing cold, by the way. After all, he lives at the North Pole. So now he’s moved on. Who knows where he’ll appear next. You better watch out!

Day Three Hundred Fifty Two 2012

Baby, you can drive my car. Beep beep'm beep beep yeah!

Day Three Hundred Fifty One 2012

HAPPY 34TH BIRTHDAY, HOLLY!

My daughter Holly celebrated her 34th birthday today. Here she was at the age of one, sitting on her Grandpa Ranft’s lap. They were pretty good buddies, and I know she’ll appreciate this picture because we were just remembering him today and how he always unclipped his clip on tie and hung it from the front of his shirt when he was done with it.

Happy birthday, dear daughter Holly! So hard to believe our Christmas baby is 34 years old. We wish you all the best of everything today and always. We love you more than you will ever know.

Day Three Hundred Fifty 2012

Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of year
Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share
Sleigh bells in the air
Beauty everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
And joyful memories there
Christmas time is here
We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year...
~Vince Guaraldi  from ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’

Day Three Hundred Forty Nine 2012

Grandson Knox does not like balloons and keeps a safe distance when Grandpa tries to get him to see how much fun they really are.

Still skeptical about the balloon, Knox decides going near it is just not worth the risk. (This fear stems from his birthday a couple of weeks ago when one popped beside him and scared him half to death.) He’s been pretty good about the Christmas tree. He wants to touch, of course, but knows he’s not supposed to, so he’ll steer around it. Most of the time.

Day Three Hundred Forty Eight 2012

Once again, grandson Elijah crept around the house after school today, on the alert for the whereabouts of his Granny and Grandpa’s somewhat crazed and creepy version of elf on the shelf. (See Day Three Hundred Forty Five 2012) He couldn’t find it right away and went to use the bathroom. He closed the door and locked it and about two seconds later came right back out and announced to me, “He’s in there.” I went in there to look and, sure enough, there he sat right above the toilet. Elijah insisted that I move it (which is totally against the rules—you’re not supposed to touch the elf or he’ll lose his magic). I reminded him of this, but he refused to use the bathroom with the elf in there, saying, “I don’t want him watching my business.” Well, how could I argue with that? When you got to go, you got to go, and a man needs his privacy. I moved the elf. Much to Elijah’s relief (in more ways than one). Magic or no magic, I’m sure the elf will be somewhere else tomorrow. Waiting. And watching.

Day Three Hundred Forty Seven 2012

Alas! How dreary would be the world if there was no Santa Claus!... There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.
~Francis P. Church, New York Sun, Sep. 21, 1897

Day Three Hundred Forty Six 2012

Grand daughter Shelby was all decked out today, looking like Christmas, in her candy cane socks, red T, and snow white boots. She is beautiful, inside and out.

Grandson Elijah got in on the photo action and struck a pose. He cracks me up, makes me laugh at least once a day. He was freaked out again by our version of elf on the shelf (see previous post). The elf had mysteriously moved. Creep-worthy to a six year old. Fun for Granny and Grandpa.

Day Three Hundred Forty Five 2012

YOU BETTER BEHAVE! ELF ON THE SHELF IS WATCHING.

I think last Christmas was the first time I’d ever heard of The Elf On The Shelf. According to Wikipedia, once everyone goes to bed, the elf—which apparently sits on a shelf and spies on the kiddos all day long  (which supposedly encourages them to behave themselves so Santa will bring lots of presents)  flies back to the North Pole to report back to Santa about what activities, good and bad, took place throughout the day. Before the family wakes up each night, the scout elf flies back from the North Pole and hides. By hiding in a new spot each morning around the house, the scout elf and the family play an on-going game of hide and seek. The original story was created in the 1960s but these shelf elves have been around since the fifties. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elf_on_the_Shelf

Neil and I have had this kind of creepy and crazed looking elf for as long as I can remember, and Neil insists of dragging it out every Christmas. Last year, grandson Elijah noticed it, so Neil started moving it around when Elijah wasn’t looking. At one point during our family Christmas dinner, the elf ended up sitting right beside Elijah at the table. Needless to say, it freaked him out. But, as freaked out as he was, the first thing Elijah asked about when Christmastime rolled around again this year was the elf. He saw it sitting on the shelf after school this afternoon. And it freaked him out all over again. But he’ll be looking for it tomorrow. Who knows where it will be sitting next. Waiting. And watching.

Day Three Hundred Forty Four 2012

IT’S TIME TO DECORATE THE CHRISTMAS TREE!

Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.
~Mary Ellen Chase

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Day Three Hundred Forty Three 2012

It’s Time For A Little Merry And Bright


It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air."
~ W. T. Ellis

Day Three Hundred Forty Two 2012

Neil and I did a bit of Christmas shopping today in the Nashville area. We stopped in at Bass Pro Shop and I couldn’t resist taking a shot of this bear. I had to laugh when I saw this picture on my computer this evening. That tree limb sticking out behind his paw makes him look like he’s on stage, belting out a number—maybe a Christmas carol. Cracks me up.

On our way back home, we decided to stop by the Christmas tree farm and chop down the tree we picked out a couple of weeks ago. Actually, Neil used a saw to cut it. Hope to get it decorated in the next day or two. Stay tuned.
And a Happy TGIF to one and all!

Day Three Hundred Forty One 2012

“May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow. May the soft winds freshen your spirit. May the sunshine brighten your heart. May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you, and may God enfold you in the mantle of His love.”
~Irish Blessing
(And may your runny nose have a short life in this cold and flu season. I’m just saying.)

Day Three Hundred Forty 2012

Sunshine is a welcome thing. It brings a lot of brightness. ~Jimmie Davis
(My thoughts exactly!)

Day Three Hundred Thirty Nine 2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUNT JOY!

My Aunt Joy Brown was  born on this date in 1914 (the year World War 1 began, the president was Woodrow Wilson, the first red and green traffic lights were installed (in Cleveland), the Panama Canal officially opened, and a postage stamp cost 2 cents.) She is 98 years old. But you’d never know it. She’s still tap dancing, after all. She feels those aches and pains, of course, but she’s still going strong and refuses to stop. So family and friends gathered together once again on this date to celebrate the life of Joy Brown. She relished every moment of it (even though she couldn’t hear half of it) and plans to do it all over again next year. Happy Birthday, Aunt Joy! I love you, and as I’ve always said, I want to be just like you when I grow up.

Day Three Hundred Thirty Eight 2012

Grandson Knox took his aunt Holly and cousin Shelby out for a little walk on this most gorgeous afternoon. One year old Knox is really starting to get the hang of this walking thing.

Day Three Hundred Thirty Seven 2012

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, KNOX!

Grandson Knox William Kimbrough celebrated his 1st birthday today at Granny and Grandpa’s house with his family.

PUPPY DOGS was the birthday theme. Arf!



Big birthday party fun with cousins Shelby, Julia, Sarah, and Elijah.

He boogied to some keyboard tunes before the party got started.


He was not happy to wear his party hat.

Singing the birthday song and ready to blow out his number one candle.

Birthday cake tastes pretty good, but I don’t like having it on my fingers.

Presents!

He got cute clothes and jammies…..

and really cool toys to play with. This one tasted good, too, like birthday cake.

This looks like fun.

Some new wheels for the birthday boy.

Dad took him for a stroll.

Now that was fun!

Party Hounds!  Behind the swing: Kelly Kimbrough (Knox’s mommy), Kerry Kimbrough (Knox’s daddy), Great Aunt Jane Foy, Great Uncle Don Foy, Uncle Jerry Myers, Great Aunt Ann Sissom, Great Uncle Terry Sissom, Granny and Grandpa.  On the swing: Cousin Elijah Myers, Cousin Sarah Foy, Knox Kimbrough (Birthday Boy), Cousin Shelby Myers, Cousin Julia Foy, and Aunt Holly Myers.
It’s so hard to believe you’re already one year old! Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy! We Love you so much!!