Happy New Year!

2014 is almost over and 2015 looms on the Horizon, in just three more days it will be New Year's Day.  New Year's will be here before we know it and a new year will be beginning.  What a wonderful time of year.  I love the start of the new year.  January is the month I like to take time to reorganize things around me.  I enjoy my Christmas Decorations and usually leave them up for a week or two more.  My move to East Tennessee has brought a wonder about all things Tennessee.  I am really enjoying my New Home.  I enjoy meeting new friends and getting to know what this area has to offer me.  At this time of the year I do miss my family back in Wisconsin and Minnesota and across the country, I sent them my Love.  I am so glad for Social Media such as Facebook because it gives me a way to enjoy seeing my family as they grow and do special things with each other.  I just recently discovered Skype.. Oh' what a Joy.  I was able to talk with my family face to face in real time on Christmas Day.  I was so excited Christmas Morn to talk to my Daughter Nancy, she and I had set it up to use Skype on Christmas Day.  Oh' what a great gift I felt I had given myself by putting it on my computer and phone.  It was wonderful.  I felt like a delighted child opening my bestest Christmas Present.  I could not contain my Joy! I have to laugh at myself but that's OK, at my age of 72 a bit of Joy is welcome.  lol

Merry Christmas 2014

Merry Christmas December 2014 

To all my Family Merry Christmas from my home to yours.  It is Christmas Eve Day and a warm 60 degrees outside, a bit overcast with a slight drizzle most of the day but Warm, gotta love it.  I spent the past week and a half celebrating the Christmas season with my new friends down here in East Tennessee.
This is my 1st Christmas Season I will be away from all my Children having moved away from the Minnesota/Wisconsin area in May of this year to East Tennessee to a small town of Newport TN.  It has been an interesting and exciting time for me getting to meet and make new friends and neighbors, A lot of new experiences.

Yesterday Eve I sent at my church helping with the House of Prayer Christmas Party.  I helped to give out gifts to the girls and boys and goodie bags to the adults.  there was a band singing Christmas carols and bags of food for holiday meals were handed out to each family that was able to attend, they were so appreciative.  One Grandmother had tears in her eyes as she told us about her granddaughter opening up her present of a doll and with delighted glee held it to her bosom.

 I felt so blessed to be able to do such a little thing & pay it forward,remembering myself as a child receiving the gift of love and food from a group carolers from a church that had adopted us as their holiday family and each year at Thanksgiving and Christmas they would bring us a gift of food and a present for my brothers and I to put under our tree.

Above is my Christmas Tree this year with all the memories of christmases past unwrapped with each ornament as I placed it on my tree.  Yes my tree is full, full of memories that come with each ornament that I place on my tree...

This Filigree Star is the Oldest Ornament on my tree. My husband and I bought as a set of 3 or 4 Filigree ornaments containing the star, a box, an elongated 4 sided star and one other the year we went to Gimble's Store in downtown New York City to buy our first Artificial Tree.  That tree lasted over twenty years and many memories were placed on it year to year.  I'll have to search in my box of photos for a picture of it.  I'm sure you children remember it well.

This little felt hat is one of my 1st gifts from my children.  Raymond Jr.  It was made at school and attached to a baby food jar that had a Santa face painted on it with a cotton and beard.  The jar broke long ago but the hat is still in good condition, but the cotton it is a little brownish from wear so I will refresh it this year before putting it away.










This  Ornament is my newest one, given to me this year
 by my daughter Elizabeth so I can remember what a REAL winter looks like.. Very apt since it is in the 60's here today with no snow on the ground and no cold chilly wind in sight. it has an opening in the back for a Christmas light.  I like the effect the blue light has on it don't you.


I think I need to blog about those ornaments and their special memories.  I will make it a challenge for myself for the year of 2015

More Christmas Pictures of my Family coming in. Love this picture - How exciting! 4 Genrations

Baby Amelia Lynn Elizabeth Swett with mom Rikki Mack, Grandma Bobbie Mack & Great Grandma Bev Holweg Merry Christmas to all!

I am so excited that Christmas is almost here, (in 2 more days), Here are some more new Christmas pictures of my family



My Youngest Son Earl and his Beautiful Family, Rikki and Baby Amelia

Earl Swett & Ernie Henderson Jr. Earl is holding Nephew Ethan Henderson and Ernie Jr. is holding Cousin Amelia Lynn Elizabeth Swett

Christmas Pictures 2013

I love this time of year when my family gathers thier children together and makes christmas pictures.  They are the highlight of my Christmas Season.  Last year I took all of the photos and Scrapbooked them.  This year I plan to do the same and also to share them here on my Family Blog.  I hope you will come back often to see the updates. 

My Newest Photos are of my Son Earl with his beautiful family Rikki and Baby Amelia. 

Here is Earl with His my Grandson Ernie Jr and little Ethan and Baby Amelia. 






The 1st of the Christmas Photos Here is my grandaughter Cindy (Henderson) Weber with her handsome husband Carl and lovley daughters Aaliyah & Alexys



The 2nd Christmas Photos is of my newest Grandchild Amelia Lynn Elizabeth Swett.  Taken yesterday as she visited Santa for the 1st Time.  Amelia was born the day after Thanksgiving to my son Earl and Fiance Rikki. 

Baby Amelia seem so small in this Giant Chair with Santa 

 

Another picture just came in.  My great grandaughter Rose Marie Schurr was taken by her Mommy, My granddaughter, Breanna Blucher brought her to See Santa too this year. .

I just visited my Grandaughter Susan's facebook page and was able to capture this photo of my Great Grandkids Brianna, Nathan, Nathalie & Mason Bowes visiting Santa over the weekend. What a wonderful family Susan and her husband James have.

 

 

 

More Photos - Here is my new great grandson Emmet born this October on his 1st visit with Santa and Mrs Claus and Mom & Dad too - what a nice family picture

Update 2015 - Christmas Time is almost here.

Here again it is December 11th, and again I'm not ready for Christmas. A lot has happened in these 2 years. I now live in East Tennessee and my daughter Nancy has married Thomas and moved to Georgia with Zuri who is now a sophomore.  My youngest son Earl has married Rikki and their little daughter Amelia just turned w 12 days ago. There have also been new additions to the family making it larger than ever.

(Today is December 11th 2013 - It is hard to belive that Christmas is almost here. Just 2 week away and I am not ready. I have made my list of family like I do every year using a sheet of paper folded in half, then half again then into quarters then in to eights so I have 4 folded boxed across and down. In each box I write the name of my child by order of birth, Raymond, Ann, Nancy, Michael, then skip down 2 boxes and write the other's Marie, Paul, Earl & Elizabeth. Beside Each name i put thier Spouse or fiance'. Then I list each childs children/spouse and thier children by order of birth. I have been doing this for years and for me it works out well because it folds down to a small square that can be carried with me while shopping or preparing for christmas. This is how I keep track of my large and wonderful family.  Then I look at birthdates for the kids - grands & greats and mark them down.) Hope I didn't leave anyone out.

Wow! what a large and growing family.  I am truly Blessed!) check out My Family

 Raymond Swett Jr. 
Jessica/Brian Moore
  Brian Jr 10 -13., Emily 7-8, Vinnie5-6
Elizabeth
  Kyeigh, Cameron
Justina/Jared Mead Married ()
Christopher 

Ann/Ernie Henderson (Died 4/1/2015)
Ernie Jr./Abby Henderson
   Ethan - toddler, Preston
Susan/James Bowes
   Brianna, Nathan, Nathalie, Mason
Cindy/Carl Weber
   Alexys - 3-4, Aaliyah - 2013
Michelle
Tommy
Philip teen
Sarah teen
Julie teen

Nancy/Thomas McLaughlin-Walter
Zuri 

Michael/Kirsten Swett
Sara 
Alan 
Ashley 
Heather teen
Nickholas 10 - 11

Haily teen


Marie/Brian Newell
Johnny
  James - toddler
Caroline/Nels Barbeneckt
  William- 3-4, Hugh 2015
Breanna
  Rose Marie 3 - , Caylee 2, baby boy due soon
George - 9

Jan/Tyler
  Cylus  3 his dad is Aaron  (divorced)- toddler, Isahia 2014
Bobbie/Josh Mills
  Emmet -  2
Lisa/Javiar Gonzalez (married Nov 2014)
Cayden 11/2015

Paul/Shannon
  Ruthie Jo, Echo, Nichole (Shannon's daughter)

Earl/Rikki
  Amelia - 11/29/2013

Elizabeth/Derek