Tis the season

Our Christmas holiday started on Christmas Eve candle light service at church.  It was really nice and the church was full.

 Then Christmas morning we drove the Hindsboro to see Kristyn and her gifts.  After we left there we headed to Charleston to see Clayton and Braden's Santa gifts.

At 10am our church had Christmas morning service.  Myron and Mary read the final Advent scripture and lit the candles.

Ronnie sang "Mary did you know" (one of mom's favorites)

One of the grandkids favorite gifts from Grandpa and Grandma was their sketch pads.  They played for hours with them.  Drawing all sorts of pictures.

 My gift from Brad and Sarah.  They made it out of reclaimed barn boards and an old window pane from the barn at Grandma Coartney's.  Sarah put an acid wash on the window panes.

 And here is the big present a puzzle letting them know they were going to get to go to an indoor water park.  The kids, big and little, are thrilled.  They had to go on a search and rescue mission to find all the puzzle pieces then put it together to figure it all out.

 We went to mom and dad's the Monday after Christmas.  Here are all of mom and dad's Great Grand's.

Here are all the Hawkins' minus Laura (she was taking the picture)

 Then a wicked game of TWISTER.  First the little ones then...............

 the BIG guys.   AKA Cary Hawkins and Josh Campbell

 That's all she wrote folks.  He was done!

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus right down Santa Claus lane.

Braden asked Santa for one front tooth.  The other one is already coming in.

Clayton sitting there smiling real big.  I thing he's almost as big as Santa and he's only 8.

Kristyn asked Santa for a baby sister.  Her parents said NO.  I really just don't understand.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Old Saddle

Mom got this old saddle years ago from Grandma Coartney.  It had sat in the garage for years.  It was Grandma Coartney's fathers saddle, Paul Wright.  The name on it says R.Flick, Cuero TX.  It has very intricate detailed leather work.  I believe this is one of things that we are now figuring out that Grandma didn't write a story about.  We really don't know the history on it and don't have anyone to ask.  What we do know is that Paul Wright (Grandma Coartney's father) owned it.  He was born in 1887 and died when he was 52 in 1939. My mom (Martha) was 2 at the time.  We don't know how he got a saddle to Illinois that was made in Cuero Texas.  Mom also said that one time the back had broken and Grandpa Coartney took it to Frommel's Hardware to their harness shop in Charleston to be repaired.  One of the wooden stirrups is broken but other than that it appears to be in pretty good shape.