The week of December 9-13 I watched (can't call it babysitting) 2 cute little girls --- Lilly and Ivy Jackson. I really wondered how it would go because entertaining little ones hasn't been in my "job description" for a LONG time. I asked God for a little help in this effort --- and the week was great. We had a lot of fun ....and Gary even got into it. We played lots of "hide and seek". You wouldn't believe how many really good hiding spots you can come up with in a trailer!!! We also decorated Christmas Ornaments and cookies and watched movies and played with play-doh and played catch with a ball......
This past Tuesday Gary and I went to Pierre -- to the capital building to view the Christmas Trees. The "theme" was something like "Christmas in the Great Outdoors". What a theme!!!! I loved all the trees!! There were trees with everything you can think of that would have to do with the Outdoors. I did get a few photos.......
This is the first one we saw ----- WOW I knew we were in for a treat!!
To me this looked like a big bunch of tumbleweeds.......??you think so. What a CUTE idea. Loved it!!
That is a lot - a LOT - of sheds. It will take Gary and I a while before we can put together a tree like that!!! Some people really have a good imagination!!
I did NOT get a good picture of our Lakeview CRC tree. But this is it. Yes! it was about the smallest tree in the place. But you don't get to pick you tree --- you are "given" a tree to decorate. And we are proud of it. It was a work of a lot of people doing different parts of it. And I do believe we ALL had fun.
After I got home I realized that this was a good choice ---- Hark the Herald Angels Sing --- and that little angel hanging right beside it "singing". Gary and I cut out those "cedar circles" and Sheri Tinant wrote the Christmas Carol or a Verse on all of them. Everyone that is a member or comes regularly to Lakeview CRC has one hanging on the tree with their name on it. We had some of the Release Time kids and the Detention Center kids painting the angels.....(should have a better picture of the angels on a different blog update I think.)
LaCosta had a hard time with "Let Heaven & Nature Sing" but she won out and got them cut out. The red star was another "homemade" item. And if you can pick them out on the tree picture --- there are little white birds --- put together by several ladies in the church. The real little ones of our church put the glue and glitter on the pine cones. So all in all --- it was a whole church affair.
Other groups from this area were represented by a tree also. St. Francis Indian School, He Dog Elementary, the Tree of Life and others. So it was a fun time checking out all the trees.
It's a wintery day here today (Thursday, Dec. 19). It was foggy this morning so the trees are full of white frost and it is so pretty. With the busyness of Christmas behind us ---- YES! we have accomplished it.....the presents are all purchased or ordered and sent on their way. We hope to make it back to Michigan to spend Christmas with our family ---- but the weather is being watched. We don't look forward to slippery roads on the Interstate where people drive like lunatics!!! So if need be the packages will be opened without us.
We wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!! May God bless each and everyone of you in 2014 and beyond.
Gary and Barb
