Do You Still Believe In Christmas??

         Do you still believe in Christmas? Do you think you can ever find a gift that is special enough? We are celebrating the birth of Christ.  So should it be about loving our fellow man?
I do and I believe it can still happen.  Here is why....

A few years ago I was having one of the worst times in my life. Some self inflicted - others not so much. I had been through a lot. One thing being a car accident that seemed to be a fender bender but had left me with 5 ruptured discs.  I had spent a summer almost bedridden. Only my 2 sons actually knew the severity.  They had taken care of me.

My oldest son was living with me and had been through a divorce and was having a really hard time. He had lost his home, needed a car and was down on his luck. We were both very broken people. Just in different ways.

He seemed to get really happy all of a sudden and told me he had met a girl....on Facebook!! I of course thought he had lost his mind. Could you actually find a girlfriend on Facebook? I was from the old school. We met the old fashion way.  But is a blind date or a friend fixing you up that much different?

He then announced that he needed me to finance his trip to Texas to meet her.  I gave him a real fast absolutely not!!! I could not afford it and for the first time probably in his life I gave him a no and was not changing my mind. That was very rare for me. He could normally talk me into anything. I stuck to my word. We argued and he was going no matter what.  He still didn't break me.

So he called my very best friend since 5th grade,  Brent Greer.  And he told him he would give him the money.  Brent  said anytime he had talked to me about money that I became deaf!! Kind of an inside joke meaning I can be a cheap skate!! Well that's what friend are for right!!! To tell your kid's how well they know you.
So because of one mans kindness I now have 2 of the most beautiful grandchildren you have ever laid eyes on. I have a few more and I think they are all gorgeous!! By the way the girl he met on Facebook is their mother and like a daughter to me. I could not have handpicked a better wife for him. My life is back on track and I am happy and blessed.  Joseph still needs a car or maybe a van!!

 Thankfully we are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas. Because my friend was kind enough to have a beautiful giving spirit even if it was September. So sometimes we receive Christmas through the blessing of friendship all year long.

I sure hope that is the way Jesus meant for it to be. Merry Christmas all year long!

Southern Fried Squash

 I have been blessed with lots of squash this year!! I am so happy to have a garden. I love to watch things grow. My grandparents always had a huge garden and fed so many people. They never wasted anything and if they had too much they would give it away.
This is how my mother and grandmother would cook their southern style squash.
Wash and slice 3-4 yellow squash and put in bowl of water. Mix 1 cup  of cornmeal and 1/2 cup flour with about 2 teaspoons of onion powder & pepper to taste.Put cornmeal mixture in a plastic bag. Drain squash in a colander and put in bag or cornmeal mixture.Shake well and make sure all squash is well coated. In a large non-stick skillet put enough cooking oil to cover bottom of skillet.Cook on medium heat going higher if you need to for browning. Just watch closely. I have also used olive oil and I really can't tell any difference. Layer your squash in the skillet and chop about 1/4 cup of  onion on top of this. Cover with a lid. Every few minutes turn your squash until all of your squash has a pretty light brown color. You will still see some yellow and that is just that way you want it. Total cooking time is probably going to be about 30 minutes.
This recipe is from watching my Mother Anna Jean French & my Grandmother Vira McIlwain for many years. May they Rest In Peace.

Christmas Dress
I made this pillowcase dress for my granddaughter to wear at Christmas. If you are interested in instructions write me. 

Watch this video!! Henry is my cousin's dog and he is the most adorable dog!! Next to mine of course. He has as much personality as a human and he loves to open presents!!!

I bought a $1 piece of burlap and made this snowman!!! I used paint from Wal-Mart. You will need lot's of white because the burlap sucks it up fast. For the decoration on the scarf & hat I used rhinestones from Hobby Lobby. I then made it a outdoor flag by using some yarn to sew a loop to hold it on the flag holder.

Happy Fall Ya'll!!!

I just wanted to show you a few pics of my Fall Decorations!! I got in the mood yesterday and started decorating. My daughter helped to breathe new life into my wreaths. Sometimes after being put away for a year they need it. She is so talented that I think she could be a floral designer. She and I love to craft. By the way Fall is my favorite time of year!!

We went to the Reelfoot Lake Arts & Crafts Festival. If you have never heard of it....you need to Google it. It is the most awesome place to spend the day and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and the arts & crafts. It is definitely worth a trip to this area to come to this beautiful place.

The highlight of the trip was the beautiful two ladies in the last picture!! My daughter and the newest addition to the family, my granddaughter Aniston. My daughter said "We are gonna start her crafting early."

Bedding for Baby Bed

My daughter told me while she was pregnant that she wanted me to make her baby bedding. I had a sheet,bumper pad and a baby blanket for my 3 kids. She wanted a bed skirt (dust ruffle) with anywhere from 4 to 6 rows of very full pink ruffles. She also wanted to have the bumper pad covered with a coordinating fabric that she had picked out. I told her that I didn't even like to sew. I was reminded that I had made her pageant dresses and she had won the pageants. I had made everything imaginable ...how could I not like to sew. She would let me off on the quilt because she pitied me after giving me all this work .....I guess. So I moaned and groaned and offered to pay someone to do this. I got the guilt trip of  "Surely you wouldn't want a stranger making your Grandchild's baby bedding?" She knows me too well and the guilt trip always works!!

I start out with my 30+ year old sewing machine and things are going downhill all the way. I tell her this may not happen at all. I finally decided that it was time for me to have a new computerized sewing/embroidery machine. This was a major turning point and I started making ruffles and more ruffles. Before long I had a room full of ruffles and was almost ready. I sewed them on my bottom template and went to her house, sewing machine in hand. We measured sewed, pinned and measured some more. After most of the day had passed we were done. We could barely contain our excitement and pride in our work.

The arrangement above the bed was all my Daughter's work. I didn't do any of the wall hangings. I think she did a great job. She is very talented.

By the way, we made it just in the nick of time. She went into labor that night and my beautiful baby Granddaughter Aniston was born the next morning. After seeing her I would do it all over again. She was worth it all and more!!!

If you would like the instructions to make this please feel free to comment. You can also e-mail me at lanah43@hotmail.com. In the near future I plan on posting them on this page.