Thursday, December 24, 2015

Ruth Logan Herne is my Special Guest for Christmas Eve

Cheryl, thank you so much for the chance to be part of the 2015 tour!!!!

This is our family tree... It's tucked in the corner of our family room, a room recently added to help house our six kids, fourteen grandkids, and big Blodgett/Herne family gatherings.


We finished the room a couple of years ago, but as a daycare provider by day, and sweet romance author by night, I didn't dare put the family tree in this room for obvious reasons:

Four four-year-olds and a two year old! So this is our first Christmas having a tree in the new family room, and I love how the tree is reflected in the windows at night. So pretty!

I can't see the new room from the kitchen, and youse all know what that means. If Mama/Grammy can't see you, anything goes!

But this tree is more than a pretty tree with lights. This is a memory tree. This is the most precious of precious trees, filled with rare, hand-crafted ornaments of the highest order. Here's a look at them:


A Christmas card from my son Seth, now a teacher, a small business owner and the father of three...

And here's an ornament he made us that met with a few rough scrapes over the years:


And here's Matt back when we called him "Buddy" in pre-school, now a puzzle-solving CPA and father of three:


And Sarah, so sweet, earnest and industrious from an early age, now a college professor at Duke University and mother of three:


And Bethy, in pre-school, charming hearts then... and now a mother of four, a wrap-around care provider and a free-lance editor:


And Zach, back in the four-year-olds Sunday School classroom, now a New York City lawyer and writer:


And Luke's pre-school pics disappeared, so I'll be recreating them this week. I have no idea where they got tucked last year, but that's not unusual around here! At 6' 2" tall and 190 lbs., Luke is our throwback because Dave and I are not big people! In both families, we were the runts of the litters, so we love that Luke ended up on the tall end of the stick because every family needs a Bumble:


So this is Lukie's ornament and Luke gets the honor of putting angels on treetops when he comes home...

And that's what makes this tree so special, and worthy of guarding! :) These memories are decades-old and priceless. They remind me of Christmas past, present and yet to come because we've got new ornaments to hang on our most special of special trees!


A New Generation!!!



More precious ornaments to mark the years, made by more precious children. To me, Christmas is always about the child, the Christ child, and what was given to us in that cool, dark hillside cave. A baby, born in a manger, a child of the poor. So I celebrate children, the gift of all ages... The First Gift of Christmas.

And I'd love to share some old-time Christmas cheer with you guys, so I'm giving away a copy of "A Heart Full of Christmas" and "Home for Christmas", two wonderful collections for Kindles! In the contemporary "Heart Full of Christmas", you'll meet the third Karralis cousin "Jake", and he's the kind of wonderful hero you'll never forget... and then in "Home for Christmas" you'll get my newest historical set in Second Chance, South Dakota, a story of new beginnings, strong men and the even stronger women who helped settle the West! Two sweet collections from top-name authors, written with faith, hope and ... you guessed it! Love.





25 comments:

  1. Blessed Christmas Eve, Ruthy & Cheryl! I LOVE the step back through time on your Christmas tree, Ruthy. We have ornaments like that on our tree, too, along with ones from places we've visited through the years. Thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. Glynna, merry Christmas to you! I love this tree, it's such a delight to be able to do it again. The kids will love seeing it when they get home for the holiday! I love these most precious of precious ornaments!!!

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  2. Mornin' Ruthy and Cheryl. :)
    I can't believe you managed to save all those ornaments.

    I think MOLD got them one year or mice, or water. I know, store them somewhere besides the basement.

    One year the girls made dried apple wreaths, pretty small, that were Christmas tree ornaments. Do NOT ask what a year in a rubbermaid tub does to dried apples and everything the dried apples touch.

    ick!

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    1. Oh, we've lost some! Mice-eaten, bunny-nibbled, coffee stained! And heaven only knows where Luke's went, so this week I re-made two from two of his kid pics (and you know when you're #6 in the family, there aren't all that many pics around. Poor Lukie!!!! ) But now I have two with him on the tree, before his flight lands. PHEW!!! :) I hear you, totally. And now I've gone to big Rubbermaid bins for all of it. The mice are discouraged by Rubbermaid. Who knew???

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  3. Morning Cheryl and Ruth,
    I love seeing your tree and how your children are remembered in the past and cherished in the present. Merry Christmas.

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    1. Merry Christmas, Jewell! I love all of this. Celebrating the humble birth with humble and heartfelt ornaments. Kid projects rock!!!

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  4. Love your memory tree, Ruthy! :) Precious! Merry Christmas everyone!

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    1. Sandra, thank you!!! Enjoy your Southwest Christmas, dear friend!

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  6. How sweet, Ruthy! Thirty-plus years later, the handmade ornaments our daughters made for us are still treasured and get special places on our tree.

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    1. Oh, yes, Myra!!! This is what it's all about for me, and we did these last weekend with the grandkids, "Bake-a-Memory" day... and we made ornaments for moms and dads to re-ignite the tradition.

      Best ornaments ever!!!

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  7. Ruth, your tree is beautiful and I love how it is reflected in the windows. The decorations are akso a reflection: they tell the history of your deep family ties! I wish you a very Merry Christmas with all of your loved ones!

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    1. Connie, thank you!!!! That reflection is a total bonus, I never thought of that until the first night we lit it... So special! Merry Christmas to you, and may God bless your new year with health and happiness!

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    2. Ruthy, I love your tree! It reminds me of our tree - so many memories! Our kids are all adults now but we love taking out the ornaments and remembering days gone by! (I couldn't post my comment individually so had to "add" to this comment! Don't know why!)

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    3. I'm not a bit surprised! I love those memories, those times gone by!!!! Comments get weird sometimes, I'm so glad you stopped by, Valri!

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  8. Ruthy, I Iove your tree! And I also love the memories there. We have similar ornaments that the kids made through the years. Such a wonderful way to remember!

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    1. Missy!!! It's a mom's walk down memory lane!!!!! Merry Christmas, my friend!!!

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  9. I love your tree with all your precious memories, Ruthy! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for spending Christmas Eve with us here. Blessings and wishes for the loveliest of Christmases and a healthy and prosperous new year in 2016!

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  10. What a great tree! And love the windows on that family room!

    Merry Christmas.

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  11. Beautiful abdominal I love the memories. Blessed be to you all.Merry Christmas to all.

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  12. Beautiful abdominal I love the memories. Blessed be to you all.Merry Christmas to all.

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  13. What a beautiful way to keep all the good memories.

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