Visiting this wonderful place certainly satisfied my love of cabins, and decorating for Christmas, all wrapped together in one neat little package.

 Jerry and Jean Shore, of Jonesville, NC are awaiting the arrival of loved ones who couldn’t be home for Christmas. The cabin will remain adorned in all of her Christmas glory until that last family member gets to celebrate in this special place.

This amazing little treasure, that was home to 13 children, was taken apart piece by piece. The logs were numbered, the fireplace stones were saved, and she was moved from her original location. She was rebuilt on the Shore property, and appears to have always been sitting in that very spot. She’s perfect in every way.

Located just steps from the Shore home, the cabin is a cozy meeting place for friends and family gatherings. The beautiful stone fireplace is but a stage. As the door opens, it’s like pulling back the curtain on a play. A blue, red and yellow fire dances along the hand split logs, and provides a welcoming show. Once inside, you never want to leave.

The Shore cabin. Ahh such a beautiful winter retreat. I know … I know … you want to go inside. Prepare to catch Cabin Fever!

This is the time of year that we’re reminiscent of the year before, and ponder what the new year will bring.

Events from the previous year, that God used to shape and mold us, are clearly realized. We are not the same people we were a year ago as we embark upon a new year of life. We celebrate the good times. Our Facebook pages are filled with photos of the moments we wish could last forever. A multitude of smiles cover our walls with vacation spots and sporting events in the background. Life certainly has been good!

However, mingled with all that joy, we’ve suffered tragedy as well. Couldn’t God shape and mold us more gently? Must we suffer unbearable heartache to grow? Why doesn’t God erase bad memories from our minds? Doesn’t he want us to be happy? Why does my sin affect the lives of those around me and devastate the innocent? Is that fair? 

We’ve sat on the sidelines and watched loved ones torn apart by unforeseen circumstances of life. We’ve attended too many funerals, watched too many marriages fall apart, and cried too many tears.

But I know joy comes in the morning. Even when life is unfair, painful, and doesn’t make sense any longer, my Redeemer lives. He is still on His throne, and is crazy about me. Sometimes we live our lives into a corner. We don’t know which way to turn, and hit a wall each time we try. We don’t know how we wandered so far from God, and the way home seems impossible. Our lives are so out of control that we are hopeless beyond words to describe it. May we fall on our knees before God and ask him to take the reins, rein us in, and rein in our hearts once more and forever more.

The new year may bring more suffering, but God has promised not to put more on us than we can bear, because we have no idea of what he bore for us. I’m looking forward to and fully expecting more blessings, more laughter, and a deeper faith for the new year. Come what may, I know God can turn tragedy into blessing, evil into good, and disgrace into honor. Let’s go forth in life with an eagerness, liveliness, and dependence on Jesus Christ. He is our creator, sustainer, and the lover of our souls.  Buckle up! It’s going to be a great year.

Give God the glory for the great things he has done!

This is an informal table setting that may be used as a guide to setting your Christmas table. My table is more informal than the setting above. We have dessert after dinner. The table is cleared, and set againwith with clean silverware, napkins and dessert plates. Therefore, the dessert fork and spoon are not added to my table setting.

For the Christmas holidays, I use a white tablecloth. I’ve stopped stressing over getting the creases out , and by the time the table is fully set, most of the wrinkles and fold marks are hidden.

Two chargers are added to balance the decorations.

Matching wreaths are placed upon the chargers and candles are placed in the center.

Use the pieces you have, and set the table according to the way your family enjoys a meal.  We like coffee with our meal, so cups are put down when the table is set. We may have a water glass and a soft drink glass as well.

 If you’re serving wine, replace one beverage glass with stemware.

Try to incorporate something interesting for children when setting the table.

Use the color charger you enjoy. Gold, silver, or red are good choices. My dishes have a lot of red in them, and the table would look just as nice in red.

Set the table early and enjoy dining by the Christmas tree!

Merry Christmas!

Electronic equipment … Grrr … The tree at the end of the sofa is where all the ugly electronic equipment is, and can’t be moved. We placed the equipment on a black fringed footstool with elephant print upholstery, and tucked it underneath the tree as much as possible. We are pretending to think it looks good. Use your imagination here. (The reindeer didn’t make it )

 

Decorate according to your personality. However, if I see an idea at a friend’s house that I like, I have no problem stealing it, and using it myself. Imagine that!  

AGgi

                                       Before                                                                                                                                                                            After

I hold the undisputed title of the least organized person in the world. So if I can organize, trust me, anyone can. 

After the Christmas holidays, my husband and I carry everything back to the attic. “Where does this go?”  Being the neat freak in this couple, my husband assumes there is a place for everything. My reply is the same, “Just set it down anywhere. I’ll put it up later.” Well, later never comes. Out-of-sight-out-of-mind is the code by which I live. Once the attic door is closed, I don’t think of it again until I need something. I’m not one of those people who can’t sleep at night because I know something is out-of-place. Hardly!

 During the year I work around Christmas decorations to find what I want. Fourth of July decorations, and beach items are usually replaced because I can’t find the things I bought the year before. This year I acquired another skeleton because some of my Halloween decorations were buried. Sound familiar?

Determined to organize this year before decorating, has made a huge difference. I must admit I found a new Christmas tree I didn’t know I had. Yes! I was happy about that. Not sure where I intended to put it, but I’m positive I had a plan at the time. I know … I’ve got a problem.

Christmas is the best time of the year for me. I get excited about decorating. Knowing where everything is has made decorating  even more fun. Who knew! Imagine that.

Now that I’m finished decorating, this side of my attic is practically empty, and waiting for the decorations to be returned to their designated place.  This is totally not me, but I like it.

     AGgi