Salty Sister Decorates - Christmas Mantle 2010

Hi everyone.  I hope your Thanksgiving was great.  We had a full house, I fed 10 adults and 7 children.  It was fun and all had a good time.

But, you know there has to be a but, and fortunately with that much family around there wasn't a butt, but there was sickness.  Our two 1 year olds came down with upper respiratory infections, viruses they call um, and four of us adults came down with the stomach flu.  Oh Yea, that was some fun.

All is well now and I'm off to tackle some Christmas decorating.

Linking with Layla at The Lettered Cottage
                      Julia at Hooked on Houses

So here it is I hope you like it and thank you for stopping by.

Thank you for looking hope you are having a good time looking at all the fabulous mantles.  Please let me know you came by with some comment love, I would love to come visit you as well.

See ya.

What a Cutie

I have a love affair with all things burro/donkey.  Love this little guy.

From his big brown eyes to the tuff between his ears.

Honestly, what I really want to say is, "now there's an ass".  I know, this is a family rated blog but this technically is an a_ _.  If ever you want to think of someone as an a _ _, think of this guy, he really is one!  Not your honey, he's not, he's just a man.

Talk to the Hand

The wise woman builds her house, 

but

 the foolish one tears her down.

Proverbs 14:1

Linking with Met Monday

The Wise Woman

There is this scripture that has been talking to me for a couple years now.  It speaks into my heart about my past, it reminds me of the things that fell down around me.  In my heart I know it was me, I am the only common denominator in all those circumstances that swirl through my memory.

But, God's Word never mocks, there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus, so these memories are not mocking or condemning me, but rather reminding me of the place He found me, keeping fresh the memories.

Maybe they are here to help someone who struggles or to find their way to a canvas that will whisper the Word of God to ears that hear.  God's Word will not return void . . . but always accomplishes what He intends, where He intends.  They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them.  Isaiah 55:11 The Message.  You never know who the Holy Spirit is convicting and re-constructing.  Amen.

It completely heals and fully restores, even to tiniest of details.

I had a best friend when I was young, during our fourth, fifth and sixth grades, she lived one block away.  Her Dad was the youth minister at the Methodist church, we attended a Baptist church, but when he noticed, or maybe it was her, that we weren't going to church on Sundays, they arranged it so that when they got to the corner they would honk their horn and I would come running out to ride to church with them. They moved and I never saw her again.

About ten years ago, I began to long for that friendship, the one that was clothed in innocence, all caught up in the youthful exchange of summers and so much laughter.  I began to ask God, in prayer, if I could find her again.  Just a few weeks ago He did provide and we we are now trying to catch up on forty years of living.  The point is, what has been tore down can be re-built, what is lost can be brought back around.

God's Word, through faith in Christ Jesus, restores and redeems my soul and my losses.  God created us for the love of us.  What was meant for evil, God used for good, for those who love Him, who earnestly seek Him.  He Loves us. ( present-active participle verb) I'm believing God.  :)

 The wise woman builds her house, 

but

the foolish one tears hers down.

Proverbs 14:1

My life experience with God shows 

that if you have been the foolish woman 

and tore your house down, with your very own hands, 

with God you can be the wise woman who builds hers.

Amen and amen.

Salty Sister Decorates Last Years Christmas Mantle

Hey, all you blogland decorators  yes I'm calling you.  Not yelling at you but speaking loudly to you.  It is almost that time again, yes it is, to decorate for Christmas and then show the rest of the world.  That's right, it puts lots of pressure on us here, but it helps me get it done.

So, to help us get our Christmas decorating party hats on and link with this years Christmas blog parties which, by the way, start on November 30th - hello!  Where did the time go?  Ya'll, I'm still stuck in August!




The talented and oh so clever Beth at "Stories from A to Z", is hosting a linky party featuring last years Christmas mantle.

This is an easy one for me since the work has already been done.  I've always been quick to link up with a no brainer, I"m just sayin.


Okay so, this is last years, simple, clean, I don't feel like messin' with it and I got no new ideas, Christmas mantle.

I spy a little soot that needs to be cleaned up on the front, oh well it was cold last year and we burned a lot of fires.

And this little dandy was my Christmas tree from last year and the reason I am including it in my Christmas mantle from last year's post is, it was my favorite story for the whole year.

I seriously didn't want to decorate, Rickey has just be diagnosed and we were beginning our walk through cancer, so I pulled this tree out and put a few large ornaments beside it and called it good.

Danya and her family came up the weekend before Christmas to celebrate with the Grands.  I won't bore you with pictures of the kids from that weekend but know this, I'm tempted.  Anyway, sweet Sarah Kate eye spies Nanoo Christmas tree and I overheard her tell Tyler, "Oh no!!  Look at Nanoo's tree!  Let's fix it."  So they pick the little tree up, sit it on the floor and hung the over sized ornaments on the small branches.  I watched as they stood back, cocked their heads to one side and said, "oh well, shrugged their shoulders and giggled as they ran off to finish building their fantastic blankets tents.

I loved it so much that this is exactly where it set for the rest of the month.  In my memory, though, I thought the branches were all bent over Charlie Brown style, but still a great story.

Happy decorating ya'll, let's do this thing.

From the Craft Room

Recent inspirations.

Three "Believing God" hands.

God is who He says He is.
God can do what He says He can do.
i am who God says i am.
i can do all things through Christ.
God's Word is alive and active in me.


My largest size canvas to date.

The first ones, playing with texture.

Linking up with Susan at BNOP for Met Monday.