Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Our WHITE Christmas

I almost didn't even post these pictures since we didn't get NEARLY as much snow as many places in our country... HOWEVER,  we did end up with about 4-5 inches --after it snowed off and on for about 2 1/2 days.  We missed the big, wet snow that clings to everything --since it went south and then east of us... We got all of our snow from the clipper system coming down from the north.  These systems bring terribly cold temperatures (wind chills in the single digits) --and bring the powdery, dry snow, including MUCH wind --blowing the snow all over the place.

On Christmas morning,   we woke up to only about an inch of snow...   By late that afternoon and all night,  it snowed again --and we picked up another two inches.  The day after Christmas (Sunday),  it snowed here most all day.   It did stop for awhile --so George shoveled the driveway.   BUT--that night,  it snowed hard again ALL night..  The driveway filled up with snow again --and we woke up Monday morning --with about 1-2 more inches of snow.   During this entire weekend,  our temperatures never got out of the 20's --and were much lower than that at nights.. I took these pictures  Monday morning --as it was finally beginning to clear up!!!!!  (And this was the ONLY time I got outside all weekend --except to fill the bird feeders.)

Here are some pictures of our White Christmas here in Fairfield Glade, TN.  Above I love seeing the snow on one of our wreaths.  Below are more.




This is one of the Holly Bushes in our front yard.





It is interesting seeing how the snow clings to the individual paving stones on our wall  (flowerbed along the road) in the front yard...





Can you see the PANSIES in this bed??????   ha ha.....   I hope the snow is protecting them from the frigid temperatures!!!!




You've seen the front of our house several times ---but here it is again all decorated for Christmas --with snow.






Several of you have asked about the back of our house --since I seldom seem to post pictures from the back..  Anyhow--this is it,  and you can see the wrap-around deck.  My bird feeding station is on the deck,  on the left.  (You can see part of the birdbath in the bottom of the picture.  We take it down during the winter since it is not heated.)




FINALLY,  for the first time in many, many days---I see some BLUE SKY....  This picture was taken from the backyard --looking toward the golf course fairway,  up the hill.  Seeing that blue sky was wonderful --since hopefully,  we'll have some sunshine soon!!!!

Well--that is it,  and I'll admit that  I was thrilled to have a WHITE CHRISTMAS --for the first time in more years than I can remember.  AND--to be honest,  I'm glad we didn't have a 'blizzard' like so many areas...  Our area here in the mountains and hills is on STOP even with a small snow..  I can't imagine how long it would take us to be able to get off of our hill if we had ALOT more snow....  We in Tennessee are not prepared for lots of snow!!!!

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas,  whether you had a WHITE one or not.

Hugs,

55 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good Morning Betsy, The snow is especially pretty with all of your Christmas decorations. Hope you have a wonderful day!

Big Dude said...

A house decorated for Christmas and fresh fallen snow just go together - like on the Chrisrmas cards. I'm glad we didn't get what New Jersey had.

Deb from WhatsInMyAttic said...

Ahhh, that blue sky! Beautiful picture! We didn't get too much snow, just about 5 inches at home, a little less above the C&D canal where I work. It was c.o.l.d. though, and the fine snow didn't settle, just blew and blew around causing roadway trobule.

Your house looks cozy and warm...like it is, I'm sure! Enjoy my visit today!

Jane said...

Beautiful photos - your house looks so warm and cozy! Stay warm!

Jane

Tabor said...

We got about the same amount of snow...but very wet and sticky and now turning to ice as it melted just a little yesterday.

Anonymous said...

Hi Betsy, You all got about the same thing we did. It is very cold here but supposed to get to 50??? I guess that is Ky. weather. I love the snow on the paving stones. It looks like an artist just painted it that way. I hope you and George have a wonderful healthy new year.

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

The snow certainly made everything look beautiful...but these cold temps are difficult...our snow didn't stick much...just a light dusting.
Now we look forward to a new year and hopefully some great things!!!

Ruth Hiebert said...

THe house and yard does look very Christmasy with all that snow.I bet the wreaths looked great at night,with the lights shining through the snow.
Blessings,Ruth

Dorothy said...

All your pictures are very beautiful and Christmasy looking! It snowed hard for two hours here Christmas morning and it was so pretty as it fell, but the temp was 32 and the ground was not frozen so we didn't get much on the ground.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Wow! what a pretty sight! Glad you had a lovely white christmas!!

Connie said...

Betsy, I'm glad you got snow for Christmas. I know how much you love it. I bet your pansies are crying a little though! We didn't get any new snow this time around (thank goodness!), but we still have snow on the ground from before. It hasn't been above freezing here for about six weeks, so the snow hasn't melted off. We are supposed to get maybe up into the 40's temperature-wise this weekend, so maybe the snow will finally melt off then!

Happy New Year to you! :)

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

Yes this snow was rare for us! First White Christmas in 128 years for Atlanta. Pretty but messy?
Love your pics!
kim

MadSnapper said...

the paving stones look like art to me, and your house looks like a chrismtas card.

Arkansas Patti said...

The front of your house is beautiful but I really like the back best.
Our poor pansies. Mine keep trying and I am doing all I can to help them but sometimes I think I should be brought up on cruelty charges as I see them struggle.
I didn't see anyone on the golf course. Come on, it is just a little snow.
Enjoy the pretty.

Lynda said...

Your stones with snow make it look like a gingerbread house! You took some gorgeous pictures and you definitely have some shots to make a picture postcard if you ever want to! THANK YOU for freezing just for us (and for your album, too). I like your back deck. It is so inviting.

Sharon said...

Hi Betsy,
Lovely snow, wasn't it? We had snow - I think 5 separate times over the weekend, but at first the temps were hanging around freezing so it would stay a while and then the ground would warm that batch up to slush and then it would snow again etc. Most of it is gone now and we have that lovely sunshine! After the prettiness of the snowfall, we still had that gray sky, ugh!

You should use that one of the front of the house on your Christmas cards next year!

Have a great day!

Ginny Hartzler said...

My favorite picture is the whole front of your house, so lovely and looking like something from a storybook. I notice that you have two sets of sliding doors out onto the deck! Is one in the living room and the other in the kitchen?

Karin said...

Great documentation of your wonderful snowfall! I'm with the others who said these photos would make lovely postcards! You two have a beautiful home and yard. That little patch of blue in the sky makes a person hopeful that the sun will come out again! Have a great week!

Peggy said...

Beautiful Betsy! My daughter Maggie and her husband missed a week of work because of snow and ice. They live on the top of a mountain that has a long gravel road. She said it was a sheet of ice. This was before the snow at Christmas so don't know how it is now. Last year they had to part at the bottom and walk in and out.

imac said...

Neither is the UK prepared for the amount of snow which we had.

Neat photos.

amy @ Life in Pink Hi-Tops said...

Beautiful snow pictures! Most of our snow is melting away!! Hope the sun comes out and warms us all up. It's 19 here this morning--brrr!

Jen said...

Pretty!!!; but sad when it has to interfere with peoples plans. Sorry to hear your son didn't make it up to see you .

DeniseinVA said...

Hi Betsy, lovely snowy photos. We didn't get more than a dusting, so our relatives 200 miles south of us had a pretty good blizzard. I'm so sorry your family couldn't get to see you around Christmas because of the bad weather, it affected so many this year didn't it? Hope you'll see them soon.

Tracy said...

Betsy, Your home is gorgeous and I can tell, filled with love. The individual paving stones photo was fun, as the light post with the big red ribbon!
As we are inundated with updates of the impending bowl game with the Tar Heels vs. The Vols, I think of you often and look forward to the game being played...so what's your prediction? I take the Heels as a 3-point favorite :)

Sunny said...

I love the design of the snow on your paving stones. We got most of our snow after Christmas!
Stay warm :)
☼ Sunny

Diane said...

It's nice that you guys down in the south had a lovely snowstorm which made it a beautiful Christmas for you. The West and East coasts got it the worst, it just went right under Wyoming. Whew! Diane

Barbara said...

Oh wow that is a lot to me, and stay warm my friend, hugs Barbara

Out on the prairie said...

You are higher altitude so get that snow possibly more.When I was in Knoxville they were complaining about 10 inches for the year, we had over 6ft last year.Get that sled out and have some fun. I have waited for the ice to get good, but it is still thin for a big guy like me.

Busy Bee Suz said...

Your home is SnOw beautiful....I know you love the cold white stuff! Enjoy!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Betsy, We had a surprise this morning - we awoke to a frozen lake here! The temperatures got way way low last night. The lake is completely iced - tho the ice is not thick at all. Weather forecast is for low 50's at the New Year. Have a great day! I enjoyed your post today as always!

Kay said...

Just beautiful. How often do you get snow? We get it maybe every 20 to 30 years where we live, although it is up in the mountains all winter.

Kay

SouthernSass said...

Lovely photos with the snow - I especially like the one where the snow was clinging to the wall. Happy New Year!!

mamahasspoken said...

We only got a dusting of snow over the holidays however thanks to the extremely cold weather the snow from previous weeks is still around and gave us our white Christmas.
Love the pictures of your house!

Anonymous said...

The front view of your house is so picturesque in the snow. I love your wrap-around deck!

Anonymous said...

S N O W !!! I know how you love it, so I'm happy ya'll got some!!!
We didn't get any tho, none that stuck, anyway... it flurried a lil, but no accum!
Thank you so much for your comments about my colorful blog... I thought it suited nicely w/ the festive New Year decor! LoL! =)

NCmountainwoman said...

Betsy, you forgot again to keep that snow in Tennessee! We got dumped on as well. I wish I could have enjoyed it like you do. I was so mad about the snow I didn't even get out to take any pictures.

Glad you enjoyed your white Christmas. For someone who loves snow as much as you do, I'm sure it made your Christmas even merrier.

Jo said...

So hard for me to imagine snow but you depicted it well, Betsy. I love the way it clings to your paving stones. And hope with you that your plants and flowers are protected. Bless you my dear friend. (((Hugs))) Jo

Mary said...

Wonderful snow shots! You got about the same amount of snow that we did from the same system. Sure looked pretty!

Darla said...

It was that crazy wind that blew in the few snowflakes here. These photos are beautiful, especially with the blue sky peeking through.

Together We Save said...

Wow - you got lots more snow than we did. I was kinda sick with the flu and had tons of company so I made no pictures. :-(

DIGITAL WORLD PAGES ARCHIVE said...

Your home is very beautiful!!!

~mel said...

Your house and wreaths look so pretty! Isn't it refreshing ~ new fallen snow ... everything looks so crisp and clean.

I think we're heading south towards TN the first week of Feb. I hope we don't travel through too much snow then ~ because I'll be ready to get away from it for awhile.

Lola said...

Your home looks so festive with decorations & the snow. I love it. Love that back deck. Are there 2 patio doors on the back on either side of chimney?

Mrs. Norton said...

You have a lovely home! Snow is pretty, ain't it. Thank goodness for that.

I Am Woody said...

I am glad to see the snow anytime. But it sure is making work SLOW up there on the plateau!

carolina nana said...

There is just something very special about Christmas decorations covered with snow.
I can't remember the last time I have seen that in my area so this year was truly special.
We got above freezing today for the first time since the snow. We are suppose to hit 50 by Saturday but the nights are still going to be cold.
Blessings to you.
Marilyn

amelia said...

Hi Betsy,

I love your pictures as always but have you thought of getting a heated birdbath? The birds need water all year long and it's hard for them to get when everything is frozen.

We have had ours for a few years now and it's always full of birds and squirrels. Anyway, just a thought..

LV said...

The snow certainly provided some very pretty sights around your place. It can truly be beautiful, but still glad we do not get very much here. Stay warm and have a great New Years weekend.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Hi Betsy

You were very lucky not to get the blizzard we had. It was a really bad storm with high winds that mad eit very dangerous...out only relief was that it occured the day AFTER Christmas Day so most people were able to travel for the holiday. I'm happy to hear you had a good Christmas ..ours was wonderful..we were out at my older brother's house, He has nine grandchildren so they made it lively!:)

Your house is beautiful! Enjoy this week before new years!

SquirrelQueen said...

While I looked at your photos I found myself humming "Winter Wonderland", that's what your place reminds me of Betsy. I really like the pattern of the snow clinging to your paving stones.

We had a white Christmas but our snow had been around for a week and was not nearly as pretty as yours.

Unknown said...

As *unfond* of Winter and cold temperatures as I am, I still like a little snow every so often. No way could I handle what they got along the east coast!
You mentioned being lucky not to have cats around..girl I feel lucky TO have them. Foxy is the only cat who goes in and out so I can control when she goes birdwatching. ;) She was right at my feet as I took photos too.
Enjoy your snow..I'm ready for Spring!

Unknown said...

Oh, Betsy, it is so beautiful. It just makes the celebration of Christmas even more beautiful when there is snow.

We had a white Christmas ... it snowed all day but there was no accumulation, durnnit! Just gave the day a wee bit more beauty & romance ...

Hope you had a blessed & joyful Christmas celebration ...

Happy New Year my friend ...
Hugs, Marydon

KathyA said...

We escaped almost unscathed. Had a dusting the day after - but still patches of snow around for Christmas. Did you see that New Brunswick, Canada had 27" -- silly as it seems - it's unusual for them.

Your deck looks inviting, even in the snow. We can sit on the swing and drink hot chocolate. :)

The Retired One said...

love the one with the blue sky the best...it is wonderful!

Unknown said...

All your photos are beautiful!