Gearing up for all the Christmas Excitement. . .

What a difference a week makes.

After a quiet, and uneventful time last week, this week has been hopping. . .

Dave’s sister was performing at the Houston Heritage Society’s Candlelight Festival at Sam Houston Park in Downtown Houston, and got us free tickets for Saturday night. . . thanks Sis!

It was really great, and we highly recommend that you make plans to attend if you are in the area at Christmas time. . .Sam Houston Park is located on Buffalo Bayou with the downtown skyscrapers creating a backdrop.

There was a huge crowd, and a long line waiting to hear the Houston Boy’s Choir perform in this old German Church. . .

The boy’s choir has been performing at this event for over forty years. . .

Carolers entertaining the crowd

This gentleman was set up on the porch of an old log cabin, letting the kids sign their names with a quill and ink. . .they really seemed to be enjoying the experience. . .

There are several different eras of Houston History represented in the restored homes in the park. . .this is the Staiti Home, circa 1913. . .and was where our sis was performing. . .they told me I couldn’t take pics inside. . .but here is a You Tube Clip of the performance. . .Mary is the gorgeous one on the far right. . .it’s only a couple of minutes long!

Now on to the rest of our week. . .

It’s time for the Kid’s Christmas Drama at church. . .so of course, we want to help wherever we can. . .which just happens to be the props department. . .

One of the Dads did the cutouts. . .so this is what we started with. . .

and here was the finished product. . .it doesn't look like it in this pic, but it really is painted a beautiful gingerbread caramel color

some of the Moms were going to finish glittering it up and such. . .

While I worked on the Gingerbread House,

Dave took on the Castle and did a really great job. . .

I wish I could show you, but my pic of the finished product didn’t come out. . .

I’ll take more Sunday Morning, so you can see how wonderful it turned out. . .

In addition to painting props, this week,

our son celebrated his 35th birthday, (good grief)

so on Wednesday night we had all of them over for soup and cornbread that I had made, and a delicious homemade cheesecake that his better half Lori had made. . .

before the cherries were added. . .

it was wonderful, and worth every delectable calorie. . .

I can assure you that these poor old bodies are not used to all that exercise,

and we are feeling it today. . .

so we are taking it easy until our grandson’s basketball game this evening. . .

check in next week to see how he did!