CHRISTMAS.....TENNESSEE STYLE..

When my wife gets in a mood to decorate the house for the Christmas holidays you better get out of the way!! Or help?? Why do women ask men their opinions on what looks better? I give my opinion but seldom does she take it to heart. It will be picked apart with the precision of a trail lawyer.
I did get to help put the tree into position and held the lights while she placed them around the tree in perfect order. It took about two hours before she was satisfied with her effort. I kept quite, well most of the time. When she had finished with the lights she asked"how does it look?" It doesn't look bad!! Wrong answer!! At this point she was finished with my help, so I was out of Dodge. She did the rest of her tree decorating without any help. It only took two days off on on before she finished. I think you will agree with me, it doesn't look bad??
She continued to decorate the house with items she has accumulated for years.












My photos doesn't do her work justice. I wanted a new camera for Christmas but Santa only left two shirts. Maybe next year.
All our kids, grand kids, their spouse and one great grandson were in attendance. The two year old when he open one of his packages with a jacket in it threw it down in the floor and started opening the toy gifts. He doesn't like clothes yet.
A great dinner was prepared by my wife. Baked ham, potato salad, mac & cheese, green beans, bake beans, slaw, rolls, tea and soda. Desserts included her delicious chocolate lush pie and pecan pie.
The rainy night didn't spoil the wonderful time each got to spend with family.

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE......

While searching for stories how people write messages in a bottle and throw them into a body of water in hopes someone far away will find their message and return where it was found. This story was too good not to share.
A family from Ohio was vacationing in Clear- water, Florida in Dec. 1984. They were on a fishing outing from a pier when their 7 year old son prepared a note with his family's address and phone number and requested the finder to get in contact with him. Roger's mother told him she didn't want him to throw the bottle into the sea. "That's, littering mom said but mom I will throw it when no one is looking."
In 2003 Don Smith of Saint Petersburg, Fl. noticed a bottle floating in the canal behind his house. He was able to secure the old Pepsi bottle with electrical tape around the neck from the canal. The content of the message had much more meaning than the weathered paper inside.
Don contacted the phone number inside and it was Roger's mom Lisa. She had remembered that day Roger threw the bottle into the sea.  She went on to tell Don that Roger had been killed in a motorcycle accident a few years ago. Don offered her the old bottle with the note Roger had written.
Lisa made a trip to Florida to accept the bottle from Don. This gave her a piece of her son's past. Don explained to her that; Roger's letting you know you can still find him. The old Pepsi bottle sets on Lisa's mantle today.