WARM HEARTS at CHRISTMAS TIME!

As promised... this is my version of our  CHRISTMAS WISHES 2012... and although 
it is very cold outside... I hope the events in 
and around your Christmas have left you with a WARM HEART... I know Christmas warmed 
me up from the inside out!

     "Keep your Christmas heart open 
       all year round." -Jessica Archmint

A little crafted card for my blog readers...
(I didn't get many made this year... still a big
KRIS-MESS in my basement and on my crafting table!!!)

My sweet hubby and me on Christmas Eve sharing time
with his family at his parents' very warm and love filled home.

Blanche and Greg... the most loving and sweetest in-laws
I could ever hope for!
This was Christmas Eve.

My adorable 4 year old "pug-boston cross" doggie...
SHUFFLE on Christmas Eve...
she was truly a BELIEVER!

My son, Colin and his girlfriend, Caro...
This is an emailed photo of them in Nova Scotia from a summer holiday they took.
They live in Montreal and do not do a big celebration at Christmas time!

This is my daughter, Jana and my son in law, Nels.
This was after their trip home from celebrating this Christmas
 in Edmonton with Nels's family.
This was taken on boxing day when they dropped off
their kids for us to babysit.

This was taken after our early Christmas Celebration with the kiddies
December 21st.
Mariah is now 6 and Beau is 2 ...
such a fun age for CHRISTMAS!!!

Mariah asked for "BANGS" for Christmas!
This was a texted photo of a before and after taken and sent by her mommy
 after Mariah's Auntie Ingrid cut bangs and full filled her wish!

Here is an adorable pic of my oldest brother Bob
with my grandson, Beau yesterday,
with the guitar they gave him for Christmas.
You can just see the admiration in Beau's eyes as he looks up to
his great UNCLE BOB!

At our annual Boxing Day open house...
a photo of me and my two fantastic brothers...
Brian & Bob.

My sister-in-law, Arleen and my Brother Bob
as they arrived at our boxing day due yesterday.

My Sister-in-law, Bev with her husband, Ralph and their boys
Sam and Luke with Luke's girlfriend, Kirsten.
This was taken on Christmas Eve at the Raskob family gathering.

My sister-in-law Brenda and her husband Mark with their kids,
Rowen and Maxwell ... yesterday as they arrived at our Boxing day event.

My cousins, Bev and Gwen arriving to our house yesterday
 to share some holiday cheer with us!

A photo from the fall of 2012
Us enjoying a meal out with Jana, Nels and our sweet grandkids!

Now that is a TREE-normous TREE!!!
Here I am at the annual BSOBAD Staff Christmas Party
with Brenda owner of the Dance studio where I work,
...and good friend of mine, too.

At the annual 2012 Wheaton Dealership staff Christmas Party...
this is Brian's boss... ROSS and his lovely wife, TRONA. 

A photo from summer of 2012...
on our deck with my nephew, Alec and my niece, Emily...
 and their mom, Gail... with Brian and me.

A photo also taken last summer of my father -in-law, Greg...
and his two sons, BRUCE and BRIAN!

Representing ... my mom and dad in HEAVEN...
I feel their warm hearts and spirits lots all year round.


"Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts."
-Janice Maediere

This is my CHRISTMAS WISHES
blog post...and as you sit down to read it,
I want to not only extend my wishes, but want to say thank you for stopping by to see and read it.
I also want to express my gratitude for all the Christmas cards, photos, wishes and gifts I received from friends and family at this time of year... I am forever GRATEFUL!

I chose to include family and work boss photos only in this blog... however that being said,
I have taken so many photos of gatherings involving friends lately... which will have to go into a different blog at a later time!

I wrote a Christmas wishes blog on December 22nd of 2011, which summed up the family members very well... and we are  all pretty much the same this year... but one year older... (and ofcourse wiser!!!)

Many milestones and highlights took place this year... which I hope to include in my reflections of 2012 blog post at the end of the year.

We have just shared a marvelous few days with family and friends...and an abundance of WARM HEARTS gathering.
So many good visits, with both family and friends along with so many gifts both given and received along with WAY TOO MUCH FOOD!

I love all things about Christmas...
(except when it is time to put
away all the decor again!!!!!)
So therefore I will choose to leave
mine up a bit longer!

We did an early Christmas Celebration and gift opening with Jana, Nels and their sweet kids, Mariah and Beau on December 21st.
The kids were happy with what they got and very appreciative, too. Beau seemed to want to protect all his things by hovering over it if any one came near it... saying "MY SHTUFF!"
Mariah got many wishes full filled this year...
She asked for the Gingerbread Hello Kitty from build a bear and got that
...along with many other requests.
She also received the book
"TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS" which I recorded my voice reading the story...
and she kept saying "BEAU...
GRAMMIE D is TALKING IN THIS BOOK!...
SHE IS RIGHT INSIDE THE BOOK!"
Mariah also asked for bangs for Christmas...
and her Auntie Ingrid was able to cut them for her when they spent Christmas in Edmonton.

Jana and Nels traveled to Edmonton to share Christmas time this year with his family. They had so much fun and lots of family time as they spent the four days all under one roof at Nels's parent's place in Edmonton,
with ALL his siblings.

We did our traditional Christmas Eve get together at my in-law's. We shared yummy appies and visits and
watched them open their family gifts.
I enjoy time spent with them
when ever we get together.

Brian and I had a quieter Christmas this year...
We had a small gift opening with just the two of us...and  our doggie, Shuffle... who was into every minute of Christmas this year... She was under the tree and had two gifts open before we even got into the room and under the tree!
Brian made a delicious turkey supper and my brother Brian joined us for that
on Christmas night, too.

Boxing day we spent with friends and family popping by for our traditional open house.
We always look forward to the visits spent in our cozy warm house... sharing lots food, fun with family and friends along with warms hearts!

We had Mariah and Beau for the evening too, as their parents rolled in from Edmonton and went out to celebrate with
their friends last night.

We have had a great season once again...
and enjoyed seeing lots of our in town relatives.
My son is not a big fan of Christmas and all the things that go with the season, so we choose to see him in the summer time.
This past summer we did enjoy meeting his girlfriend Caro...and spending some time with them in Montreal. We did have a great call from Colin on the weekend...and I felt good hearing the happy tone in his voice!
Once a mom always a mom...
so his happiness means a lot to me!

Mom and Dad are with me in spirit always...
and I especially think of them at Christmas time with all the extra angel ornaments around!
They are the ones who instilled my love of this season in me... they loved Christmas, too!

As I mentioned... we pretty much are all doing the same type things one year later...
and for those who follow my blog... you will know what we do... and if you don't you can always go back and read any of my previous blog posts from the two previous years.
(they can be re opened on the right hand
side of the page in the archives.)

I continue to feel blessed in my life in so many ways. Christmas is a busy and hectic time of so many things, but I'm glad I am able to spend a lot of that time with my family and friends.

I was so pleased to see so many of my relatives here yesterday along with lots of good friends, too, and thanks for coming by to help us keep our Hearts Warm through the whole year!

We look forward to more gatherings to come in the near future...
but for now from our home to yours...
WARM WISHES... WARM HEARTS!
As I look at the calendar...
it's December twenty seven,
I feel lots of warmth
from my dear ones in heaven.
Another Christmas has come and gone...
But the festive details
live on and on!
Especially around my decorated home,
As I write today's edition of the blog poem.
I spent this season with some of the best,
Sweet family and friends
and I truly feel blessed.
Many a gift was wrapped and unwrapped,
And many a photo was captured and snapped!
Many fun gatherings to ring in the times,
All gathered up to print in my rhymes.
As I recall another wonderful year,
 I hold on real tight to all things so dear.
This poem is filled with love and hugs, too,
And lots of warm wishes
coming right to YOU!