Tuesday, December 27, 2016

A Full Heart (and a full belly)


The most beautiful tree that I've ever seen...


...a quiet room anticipating the squeals of delight made by the still-sleeping children...


...it was a time for the Rays to gather and celebrate the birth of Jesus.
So gather, we did at Adam's country place in hills of Tennessee,
although we were missing a couple of teenage boys.


It had been a long time since just the four of us sat down at the dinner table together...
...a rare photo op to be sure! :)



There were musical instruments, birthstone earrings, microscopes and knives...



...fuzzy socks, squirrel feeders, a little of this and a little of that...
and yes, even the whole seven season set of the Dukes of Hazzard!



Don't even ask.


But this is no joke...
Adam had this hammer engraved for his brother to commemorate the date of his sobriety.
(you may want to click to enlarge it to see better)
It took a few moments for the lumps in our throats to clear.


It felt like spring outside as the fog rose up out of the hollow.
~
We then all hopped in the pick-up for a Christmas morning field trip to the shed down below,
 to see what "Santa" had left for Parker and Olivia there.



I know you can't see what's on the box...
...but let me just say that when there are six hands working together in unison,
assembling the trampoline was a piece of cake!

 

I'm not sure who was having more fun...can you guess?


Spring weather also calls for spring chores!
Aaron was in his element as he "gifted" his brother with a nice, smooth driveway...
...all half a mile of it :)
~
And although we were eating all weekend long,
the Cinnamon Roll Casserole that we had for breakfast was the pièce de ré·sis·tance...
...and oh so easy too!


Here's the recipe:

2 cans cinnamon rolls
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
cinnamon
maple syrup

Take rolls from cans and cut into quarters and place in greased 9x13 inch pan.
Beat together eggs and milk then pour over rolls.
Sprinkle cinnamon and drizzle the maple syrup over all, to your own taste.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
When finished baking, drizzle melted icing over the all.
Oh. My. Goodness.


And of course, bacon makes everything better, right? :)
Now that it's all over, I am SOOO ready to cleans my body of all the junk food!
Can I get a witness?
~
Yes, it was a Merry Christmas, indeed.


Let earth receive her KING! 
Let every heart
Prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and heaven and nature sing!


Love,

21 comments:

  1. Wow Debby...it sounds like your Christmas was a wonderful one! That hammer...AMAZING! And what a treasure for sure. Love it!

    Those cinnamon roll bites look and sound delicious! I'll be making that soon.

    I hope you have a blessed New Year my friend!

    Hugs, Amy

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  2. A beautiful family gathering, Debby, with some wonderfully heartwarming highlights. Your cinnamon roll casserole looks scrumptious!

    Wishing you a Happy and Healthy 2017!

    xx
    Poppy

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  3. Hi Debby! Oh, what fun you all must have had for Christmas! Love seeing your family and those smiles. I agree with Poppy - that cinnamon roll casserole - yummy! Here's to blogging with you another year.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  4. I sure enjoyed the pictures. Looks like you all had a really special Christmas. That Christmas tree is beautiful. It is very old fashioned looking and reminds me of the lights we had growing up. Happy New Year Debby!

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  5. Well, yes, you can get a witness, but I am not tossing perfectly good food. Any other suggestions? Ha!

    What a wonderful day you had with your family. That hammer is a beautiful commemorative gift. Did you give the trampoline a try?

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  6. That's such a nice picture of your family together at the table. I know those moments--rare they are--oh, it's just our original family right now! I'm glad you had such a good Christmas, Great photos!

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  7. Oh, how wonderful! I loved seeing all the pictures...your home is just beautiful. I love the primitives! And, such a dear blessing to see you with your family all happy together and enjoying life. God is SO good! Sending you love and hugs, sweet friend. :)

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  8. Ohhhh! These pictures show happy people making memories together and that alone is a priceless gift.

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  9. "It took a few moments for the lumps in our throats to clear." ... and mine too!

    What a wonderful Christmas and thank you so much for sharing your family photo's.
    Special times indeed.

    Enjoy the remainder of 2016 and all good wishes for the coming New Year.

    All the best Jan

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  10. Oh, that hammer! Such a wonderful way to celebrate. Our grands received a trampoline, too - such fun.

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  11. Good Morning! I love the pictures. Your tree looks so pretty. So many bright smiles as the gifts were shared. The hammer is one of the sweetest gifts ever. Our little neighbor girl rec'd a trampoline for Christmas, too. May the Lord richly bless you and yours in the new year. xoxo

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  12. The hammer......lump in my throat also.....so very special. Merry Christmas my friend...your home and that TREE is beautiful! And you have a beautiful family!!

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  13. Lovely Christmas moments and memories. Love the hammer gift. Really awesome. Happy new year to you and yours!

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  14. What a wonderful Christmas, Debby, with all those smiling faces! Goodness, but that hammer was a thoughtful, meaningful gift, wasn't it? Your cinnamon casserole looks so tasty. I'd love a helping, please! Happy New Year, my friend!

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  15. Debby this was such a fun post and when you got to 'don't even ask' I cracked up. I think that some of your kids would get along with mine, just sayin' :)

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  16. Oh Debby,this post was delightful in so many wonderful ways~the laughter of the children, the gorgeous Christmas tree, the engraved hammer that would choke anyone up,the beauty of your country and that cinnamon dish, oh my!
    I believe I am going to make that for my husband on New Year's day. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.

    It has been a joy to follow along with you and I look forward to seeing what you share with us in the New Year.

    Blessings and much love♡

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  18. Oh my goodness. What a wonderful celebration!! He is good!!

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  19. I see you on Facebook, but I still love your blog. Happy New Year!

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  20. That is one FULL and beautiful Christmas tree. And oh, those cinnamon rolls!

    ~Sheri

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  21. Well it looks like you had an amazing and very blessed Christmas, Debby! I'm so happy for you and your family.

    Warm hugs,
    Carol

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Thank you for stopping by today! Your sweet comments are such an encouragement to me.