Ah. Christmas. Family. Love.

Christmas Eve starts at 9am at my parents house. We gather for a big ol' country breakfast. What a great way to start the day! Then after we've had our fill, it's on to the gift exchange. Among other things....Ryan got a nice pair of gloves. (and all of us Mother's know that boys need new gloves every year :)

Kyle got a new hat! The kind that keeps your ears warm....like Elmer Fudd wears.....

My niece, Tayler, opening gifts. By the time she was done she had a head full of Christmas bows.

We got Dad and Mom a new Garmin. Whoo-hoo! Mom was ready to go for a drive and try it out!

This is my brother after opening the gift we gave him :)

Purple was the color of this Christmas! I got two of these awesome fleece jackets in different shades of purple, a purple scarf, purple gloves, a purple shirt and a purple robe. Good thing I love purple!!

It fits!!! I have worn it everyday since I got it. It is sooo warm and soft. I wish I didn't have to cover it up with a winter coat..unfortunately it's too cold for the jacket alone.

....and my hubby got a purple dress shirt and tie. I love that he has to dress up for work now. He looks so handsome!

After work, Briahnna came over to open gifts, too. Isn't she beautiful. I have never seen a bad picture of her, she is very photo-genic. (hey, nice bag....lol!)

Our tree....Christmas morning.

The boys bright-eyed and ready to rip and tear! This is my favorite Christmas moment every year!

How appropriate.....a Beatles ornament for Kevin :)

OK....never thought I would do this....get a gander while you can.....me without makeup or my hair combed AND in my jam-jams. It's a first and probably a last!!

Even the furry children received gifts!!! Buster was the only one that opened his all on his own. Oh my another squeaker....how many does one dog need Santa???

We spend the rest of the day with Kevin's family starting off with Christmas dinner. Then the massive gift exchange with all 29 of us! It is utter chaos and I didn't get any good photos. We are all in one huge great room and everyone is opening presents at the same time so I have photos that encompass several people at once. Not any good candid shots....my bad. I will keep that in mind next year because I would love to show off my in-laws.....they are amazing folks!

Well.....there you have it......our beautiful Christmas moments. Hope you all have a warm, loving, joyful Christmas as well. Now onto the New Year's festivities!!!

Wishing you all a very Merry CHRISTmas!!

Wrapped gifts last night, oh what a relief it is :) I have a few lil' things to buy today then making approximately 125 peroigies for Christmas! This is my last post for a few days while I (and hopefully you) are off enjoying the Christmas festivities with my family. I will be back posting pictures of our family gatherings next week. Blessings to you and yours.......and let us never forget.....

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!!

and the winner is.......

First of all let me apologize for the delay in doing the drawing. I was not feeling well and wasn't in the studio. But, now that things are back on track, the winner's name is in the artwork above.

Congratulations!!

hey, ya gotta have dreams....right?

Remember what I said in a prior post......hard to tell reality from photo editing. I had fun creating this picture. What a dream come true it would be to be featured on the cover of this magazine :)

last give away of 2010

Last chance this year to win! I am giving a lucky winner this small garden flag featuring a plump and happy Santa :) My way of saying "Merry Christmas" to my blogger friends. Just post a comment here or on facebook to enter....good luck!

Snow Fun....

It is Tuesday and the second snow day in a row for the boys!! I had to go out this morning and the roads were very icy. The temperature is too cold for the salt to melt the ice! By the time I was returning home, the main roads were getting better....I could see pavement anyway. Sooooo, we'll see about tomorrow. It would be a Christmas miracle if they had a third snow day :)

WISHING YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

photo effects....

I took these fun photos this morning with my Droid X using "solarize" photo effects. Playing around with photos can be addicting. It is so fun to see what you can come up with. I also love using picnik.com for altering photos.

Are ready for Christmas?......Kevin and I were going to take today off to start our Christmas shopping, but we had a snow storm yesterday and the kids have a snow day today. Sledding is on their minds for the activity of the day........I must say the new fallen snow is beautiful! Stay warm y'all!

One of my favorite things about Christmas...

The Holy Rosary Catholic School's Christmas program!

"O' COME LET US ADORE HIM, CHRIST THE LORD"

Every year the teachers and students put on an amazing show. Each grade, K-8, presents a few songs and/or skits to entertain their friends and families. Some are just plain funny, some are incredibly adorable and some move our hearts and bring tears to our eyes. I am so thankful for Holy Rosary Catholic School.....a place where our children can celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

Sorry....but I just had to share......

I received this image in an email today........after I was done laughing, it struck me that you just can't believe everything you see in pictures.......there are some reeeaaalllly talented photoshop artists out there that can make photos like this one look so authentic......scary......btw, nice arms, Sarah....or whoever you are ;)

New "Chunky" Prints on Etsy

"Blessings"
5 x 7 print on wood

I just love these "chunky" lil' prints. They can hang or just stand on their own as they are 1.5" wide! I have them for sale on my Etsy shop now....they are priced just right for Christmas gifts.....and best of all......I am having a sale!! When at the checkout just type in "MERRYCHRISTMAS2010" to receive 20% off your entire order :)

and the winner is...........

My handsome husband hadn't left for work yet, so I had him draw the winner!

Congratulations to "Lavendar Dreamer"! You are the winner of a new car!!....ooops, I mean the winner of some awesome Christmas paper products for your holiday entertaining. (believe me...I wish I could be like Oprah and give away a new car :) But until I hit it big, we will have to settle for some pretty licensed products!!

I actually did two drawings this time. I had so many friends that live nearby enter the drawing that I decided I would draw a "local" winner and an "out-of-town" winner. The local winner was my dear friend, Keri Zuwala!!! Congratulations, Keri, I will deliver your goodies within the week ;)

A big thank you to everyone who entered the drawing. I loved reading your favorite things about Christmas! I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a blessed 2011!

Advent

Advent is a period of spiritual preparation in which many Christians make themselves ready for the coming, or birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ. During this time, Christians observe a season of prayer, fasting and repentance, followed by anticipation, hope and joy.

Many Christians celebrate Advent not only by thanking God for Christ's first coming to Earth as a baby, but also for his presence among us today through the Holy Spirit, and in preparation and anticipation of his final coming at the end of time.

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Yesterday my Mother and I attended Holy Rosary's Advent Tea.....it was even more amazing than last year. The "theme" of the advent tea was "Fear Not....Have Faith". As we arrived the pianist and singers where welcoming everyone with beautiful sounds of Christmas. They started the afternoon with a Christmas story from Joseph's perspective. It was a unique look into what Joseph must have felt and thought at the time when Mary came to him and told him that she was with child. The story followed Joseph and Mary all the way to Jesus' birth. It was really beautiful, filled with pictures and music.

Then after we enjoyed refreshments and fellowship they had a second program called "Mama Bella". Rosemary was the narrator and several women acted out the parts......

It was a Christmas Story about an old dressmaker who lived in a one room house in a small village. She spent her days mending villager's clothes or making quilts. Christmas was coming and she was to spend it alone as her family lived far away. The night before Christmas she fell asleep in her rocking chair reading the Christmas Story in her Bible. While sleeping, God spoke to her and said that Jesus would be in the village on Christmas Day and that she was to look for Him. She would have to recognize Him. She didn't sleep at all that night and when morning came she looked out her window onto the village street and saw the street sweeper passing by shivering from the cold. Even though she was on a mission to locate Jesus, she felt bad for the man to be working in the cold on Christmas Day, so she invited him inside for some hot tea. After he left, Mama Bella kept looking out the window for Jesus to appear when she saw a young Mother walking by carrying her tiny baby. She opened her door and invited the young Mother inside and offered her some soup and tea. The young Mother gave the baby to Mama Bella while she warmed her hands by the fire and sipped her tea. Mama Bella noticed the baby did not have booties, mittens or a cap to help protect her from the cold on their long journey to the next village where they were headed to live with family. The young Mother explained that she couldn't afford much for her baby so Mama Bella outfitted the child with a sweater and cap that she had knitted and was saving for a special occasion. As the day went on and on, Mama Bella was discouraged that she had not found Jesus yet and was afraid she had missed him while she was tending to others. Throughout the day she passed out homemade bread to the hungry and a few coins to the poor. When the day ended, Mama Bella was exhausted and sat in her rocking chair......very tired and sad. Again, she started reading her Bible and fell fast asleep. Mama Bella was startled from her sleep when she heard the voice of God again, but He assured her that she had seen Jesus. "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me.....I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me." Matthew 25:35

What a great message to keep in mind all through the year, but especially at Christmas time when so many are struggling. We need to keep our hearts open to those less fortunate and share our blessings with them. I hope you enjoy your advent season, too, preparing for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. God Bless........

enormous blessings can come in mighty adorable packages

What an inspiration she is........and what a great story that we all can learn from.

I'm still here.....

"Vote"
watercolor for 2012 Country Bears Calendar
© Teresa Kogut

It has been way too long since my last post and for that I apologize. Last week was really busy preparing for the Mt Pleasant show and so far this week I just haven't had any good ideas to share. I guess I am suffering from burn-out.

The show last Saturday was terrific. My Mom and I had many laughs and we had the pleasure of meeting many nice people. Oh, I do have to share an embarrassing story with you all. A lady was in my booth looking at my prints and reading all the quotes when she said, "oh, there's an error on this print"........I wanted to crawl under my table I was so mortified! There it was.....glaring at me....I had painted "loose" instead of "lose" on my painting!!! I had made prints....I had posted the painting on my blog and facebook page, I had even sent the art to my agent on cd for her to license and none of us caught it!!!! Needless to say, I took the prints down immediately at the show and as soon as I got home, I fixed the painting....it is one of my favorites and just had to fix it right away. Anyway, thought you might appreciate that story.

I hope this post will unclog my "blog mind" and I can post more this week. Wishing you the best!

Christmas give away

"Peace & Joy" paper products

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" ............. New samples just arrived from Creative Converting! They do such a wonderful job and who doesn't need cups, plates and napkins during the holiday season!! All you need to do is comment on this post telling me your favorite thing about Christmas and I will enter your name in the drawing. The winner will be chosen Dec 1.....good luck!

"The Life of Abraham"
acrylic on antique board 20" x 15"
©teresa kogut

Don't forget to vote today!!!

No Excuses!!!! Just do it!!!

Then relax and say a prayer for our beautiful country :)

Mwah-ha-ha-happy Halloween!

Photo editing is sooooo fun......but it's also a time-sucker! Had a lil' fun using picnik editing some recent photos. My children, furry and not, wanted to wish you all a very fun, safe and

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Dad's Birthday!

My Dad's birthday was yesterday and we enjoyed spending time with him and my Mom last night! Do Kyle and Ryan look a little younger here??? Well....silly me, forgot to bring my camera from the studio so I didn't get pictures from last night's celebration. The above photos are from September 27, 2003......these are a couple of my favorite photos of my Dad with the boys....just precious :) Love you Dad, Happy Birthday and maaaannnny more!!

Inspiration Monday......a day late

A Mother's Prayer

God, give me wisdom to see that today
is my day with my children,
that there is no unimportant moment in their lives.
May I know no other career is as precious,
no other work so rewarding, no other task so urgent.
May I not defer it, nor neglect it,
but by thy Spirit accept it gladly, joyously, and by thy grace,
realize that the time is short and my time is now.
For children won't wait!

-Helen M. Young

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My Aunt Jeannette mailed this poem to me a couple of weeks ago and I hung it next to my computer to help me remember all the wisdom it holds. For time is short and our babies grow up so fast. I also chose one of my very favorite artist's paintings to adorn this post. Mary Cassett's art is simply beautiful and touching. Hope you enjoy.......

My boys...my heart....

My favorite!!

My Mom doesn't care much for the serious poses, but I really like this one!

Last weekend I took the boys to a local park in hopes of getting some great photos of them with the beautiful autumn colors....well....it was a success! It isn't the most enjoyable thing for them to do, but I insisted. Remember last week's post about taking pictures of my furry children, a.k.a. Buster and Daisy, well it is a similar experience with my boys. One is serious, the other smiling...then vice versa......or silly, quirky smiles......or goofy poses. It was much easier taking their individual shots but even then, they were challenging. But like I do with the dogs....take many, many pictures and I am bound to get great ones!!! I am very pleased :)

Now....for some silliness....

You can almost see their halos, can't you?
They posed like this to be funny but I love it!