Christmas at Cottage Green

What a special season Christmas truly is.  It’s not just one day, but a culmination of days.  Days of … cookie making, shopping and wrapping, decorating the house, watching Hallmark movies, drinking hot cocoa, setting up the manger, being with family and friends, caroling, and worship . Then, hanging up stockings, putting out cookies for Santa, sprinkling reindeer food on the lawn, and finally (there’s a sermon in here!) “joy, comes in the morning.”  It’s a season of busyness, frenzy, stress, wonder, love, sadness of “memories of happy years gone by” gratitude, reflection, and marvel.  Here’s a last tribute to our Christmas season and moments at Cottage Green.  There’s lots to re-cap and lots of pictures, so get yourself a “cup of cheer” and make yourself comfy!

Silent night, holy night.  All is calm, all is bright …

mantle twilight

“Not a creature was stirring, not even a …” porcupine! Christmas porcupine

… or a hedgehog! (:

hedgehog and porcupine

“Away in a manger, no crib for a bed.  The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head.”

manger 1

“The stars in the sky look down where He lay  The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.”

OUTDOOR MANGER.jpg

“Angels we have heard on high, sweetly caroling o’er the plains.”

angel.jpg

“Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays”

HEARTH

“O Christmas Tree, o Christmas tree how lovely are thy branches …”

Christmas tree

“Rockin’ around the Christmas tree …”

ornaments.png

“Santa Claus is coming to town …”

Lbuffetlit

“It’s a marshmallow world in the winter …”

ff cannisters.jpg“I’ll have a blue Christmas without you …”

 

BLUETUNNEL.jpg

“The holly bears a prickle, as sharp as any thorn, and Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ, on Christmas Day in the morn”

kitchen bar.jpg“Here we come a-wassailing …”

teacart

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire …”

fire

Then … family photos with little and big kids! ❤

“When it’s Christmas time in Texas …”

Texas

“It might just look like a summer day  There may not be snow in San Antonio  But it’s a Texas Christmas to me.”

HONEYWREATH

“Thank God for Kids”

“Thank God for kids there’s magic for a while …

(grand son <3)

PJ's.jpg

A special kind of sunshine in a smile …

(grand daughter <3)

gdaughter pkin

Do you ever stop to think or wonder why?  The nearest thing to Heaven is a child.”
KIDDOS“Daddy, how does this thing fly?”

 

 

Father Son.jpg“And a hundred other where’s and whys …”

(dear daughter-in-law DDIL <3)DDIL2

 

 

You really don’t know but you try, thank God for kids …”

(grand daughter and daughter <3) 

MOMMYBABYGIRL “When you look down in those trusting eyes that look to you, you realize …”

bike

It’s a love that you can’t buy thank God for kids.”

present hunt.jpg

Thank God for kids, there’s magic for a while …

gson.jpg

A special kind of sunshine in a smile …

laketime fineDo you ever stop to think or wonder why?  The nearest thing to Heaven is a child

cookies

When you get down on your knees tonight  To thank the Lord for his guiding light  And pray they turn out right, thank God for kids  Thank God for Kids”  ~ songwriters:  Edward Futch/Edward G. Futch

(our kids <3)

son daughter   Oh, I hope you enjoyed seeing our Christmas at Cottage Green and I hope you had a wonderful, blessed Christmas filled with moments that will warm your heart throughout the year.  Our grand daughter told me, “Grandma, I’m sad Christmas is over” … I’m sad Christmas is over, too, but I promised God I am keeping Christmas in my heart, all year long! ❤

His Prescence

From my cottage to yours  ~  Trenda

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Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

This week I’m joining:

Chloe Crabtree with Celebrate & Decorate

Barbara from 21 Rosemary Lane

 

 

 

Christmas Advent Calendar “Countdown to Christmas” DIY Project

It’s hard to believe, but it’s time to,

"Deck the halls again now...
For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
Candles in the window
Carols at the spinet
And we need a little Christmas
Right, this very minute
We need a little Christmas now."


~ written by Jerry Herman for the Broadway musical Mame

The countdown to Christmas has begun and these miniature envelopes you make yourself (use free link below) are a charming way to mark off the days until Christmas.

Continue reading “Christmas Advent Calendar “Countdown to Christmas” DIY Project”

From My Cottage to Your’s …

A little about my life and loves on Cedar Creek Lake …

 My husband and I live in the beautiful piney woods of East Texas on the banks of Cedar Creek Lake.  We love watching and being a part of all the seasons and changes that happen on the lake.

We moved here 28 years ago … and began the mammoth task of renovating our “tired” and “brown everything” lake house that was originally built during the early 70’s.

Slowly, with each wall we knocked down, each remnant of shag carpet we removed and the many gallons of white paint that we applied … our brown house began to disappear and the “Cottage Green” we had envisioned began to emerge.

It still seems like we are always working on our “nest” but we love seeing every result and improvement we make.

My love of decorating and crafts … 
When our kids were younger, I worked for an Interior Design Company decorating and accessorizing homes. I also gave weekly classes at Michael’s and was paid to teach other’s how to make holiday bows and wreaths…flower arrangements…seasonal door decorations…and girl’s hair bows. I love making crafts and from early autumn until two weeks before Christmas, I would sell my decorations at the local Craft Fairs.

Through the years I’ve continued crafting and decorating, but mostly  for our own home, for our family and friends, or for custom orders.I was blessed with a full music scholarship to college and pursued a double major of both music and education before I left my Junior year to marry my sweetheart … or as Anne of Green Gables would say … “my kindred spirit and dearest of dear husbands.”  His name is Richard.

We have been married for 44 years and he still makes my heart skip a beat whenever I catch his eye across a crowded room.

We have been blessed with 2 children, a son and a daughter, and we now have 3 dear grandchildren who are running in the same footprints our children did … and we’re still making memories at our cottage on the lake.

I hope each recipe, tablescape, decoration, arrangement, landscaping idea, and the whimsical way I like to decorate our home … Cottagegreenonthelake.com will inspire you … 4 the seasons!

From my cottage to yours ~  Trenda