Merry Christmas from Dobbins!

Welcome to Mistress Maeve’s Christmas village. I’m Dobbins the postman and so very happy to greet you and wish you the merriest of Christmases.

Mistress Maeve doesn’t know it, but all of us here in Christmas village are, in fact, real. We live our lives and carry on quite nicely when she’s not looking—even when she thinks we’re boxed up and tucked away in storage.

Unfortunately, Mistress Maeve’s cat, Spaz, is very much aware of us and the vile beast has become somewhat of a pain in our backsides. He delights in knocking us off our feet when Mistress Maeve is about, and we have to remain on our backs in the snow until she looks away.

See the house with the porch full of cats? That’s my home. I admit I don’t have the heart to turn away a stray of any kind, but my home is filled with the love they give me in return for a meal and a warm place to rest their weary heads.

Looks like old Mr. Macintosh’s pump is froze-up again. Mrs. Macintosh must be doing laundry even in all this snow. That long underwear on the line will freeze for sure.

I’ll leave you now to wander about on your own without my blatherin’ in your ear. My wife tells me I do tend to go on too much so I’m doin’ my best to keep that in mind whenever new folks come to visit.

But once again, I do wish you a fine merry Christmas and a prosperous and healthy New Year to boot.

Your new wee friend,
Dobbins

Holiday Adventures...

I couldn't resist sharing some pictures of my family's annual cookie and craft day. Sharing a day of love, laughter and a few mishaps is the best Christmas present I get every year. May you all be as blessed as I am. 

Ah come on. Don't leave. We'll let you play too!

Of course we're being NICE!

They assigned me the green dough.  They didn't tell me I'd be stained green  until it wore off.

I'm not stupid. I know about green food coloring.

Ok. It's loaded. Is the safety off?

Look. All you do is click it like this.

No. That's not how it works. Here. Let me do it.

I've got this. Watch!

There. I fixed it again. Now, watch this!

I don't think anything is coming out.

It's easier to use a cookie cutter, Mom.

We'll let mom fool with the cookie shooter. We'll do ours this way.

Hmm...now which one do I want to decorate?

Ok. I've got all the ribbon and glue ready. Are y'all gonna make some ornaments or not?

Mine is gonna be great.

Sometimes you have to approach these crafts at just the right angle.

The Master Dragon Goddess at work.

Her creation. Sir Christmasticus Hollymund Joyten

May you all enjoy good health, bubbling laughter and the joy of being loved!!

Christmas is EVERY day for me...

Hubby and I finally got the last of the gifts wrapped and stowed around the tree. He scanned the packages and said, “You don’t have anything under there.”

I laughed and replied, “I don’t need anything under there and besides, YOU already broke our agreement of not buying gifts for each other.
He grinned and shook his head. “I told you. That wasn’t a Christmas gift. It’s an I love you gift.”

If you happen to visit my Facebook page, this is the picture I posted of Mr. Sneaky’s I love you  gift.  This behavior is just ONE of the reasons I feel like every day is Christmas and have felt that way pretty much since June 1979.

That was when my knight in shining armor rescued me from an emotionally abusive hell. It’s been a long road and a painful struggle, but he’s taught me (and is still teaching me) the meaning of love, acceptance and trust.

Along the way, I received the wondrous gifts of two amazing daughters. Sometimes, I still look at them in disbelief. How could I have given birth to such two beautiful individuals? And then there’s my granddaughter. *sigh* Such a delightful gift. She gifts me with joy every day.

I’ve worked at the same job for twenty-three years. My co-workers are more like family than long time friends. I know there are lots of folks who’d love to have that gift.

Every day of my life, I receive more gifts than I could EVER begin to list here: laughter, renewed health, the devoted love of my dog, generous folks who take the time to let me know they consider me a friend. Never underestimate the power of something as simple as a smile or telling someone you care.

So, while I treasure this time of year. Christmas is every day for me.

At our house, it's all about the memories

I believe one of my favorite things about the holidays is all the gorgeous decorations. I love the lights, the velvety ribbons, the sparkling baubles gleaming at every turn. I so admire those talented folks able to turn their trees into designer-inspired works of art. But those of you who know me, know all too well that I’m just plain old me. And our family’s tree doesn’t quite fall into the “carefully decorated” category. We don’t have a perfect, color-coordinated decoration that’s suitable to grace the cover of a magazine. Our delightfully chaotic tree is all about the memories.

Hubby and I have been together forever. This is our thirty-first Christmas shared and we’ve collected a dated ornament for every year. You’ll also see a U.S. Air Force ornament commemorating the years he served our country.

Look a little closer and you’ll see the wonderful ornaments my granddaughter made. Those ornaments are more precious to me than all the gold in the world.

There’s also ornaments both daughters made. Their creativity makes me laugh. She told me the word “earth” was too long for the ornament –so she improvised.

Every time I look at that tree, I relive the happy times, hear the laughter, feel the warmth and love of all the Christmas’s past. So, looking back on this post, maybe it’s not the actual decorations that bring me such joy –maybe it’s just the loving memories they trigger. *Sigh*