Christmas Kitchen and The Merry Musical Blog Hop

Have you heard an old song by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers? 

"I'll Be Home With Bells On" 

It's pretty cute. I've added it to my massive iTunes Christmas song library. 

I'll be there with bells on was a regular phrase in my old bosses vocabulary. Cute, cute.  

At one point, before my old computer bit the dust, I had 24 hours of Christmas music. 

I love Christmas music. I love searching out old and almost forgotten songs like the one by

 Dolly and Kenny. 

I want to say a big thank you to Amber for putting this Merry Musical Blog Hop together. If you are stopping in from Pam @ Everyday Home, welcome. She has such a beautiful home. Stop in to see how music is woven through her home and life.

If you have followed Let's Add Sprinkles this Christmas season, you may remember that I've tried to reuse, recycle or repurpose decor instead of buying new.
I have bought a few new things but, by and large, I've stuck to that creedo.

Bells are back in style!
I want to say it started last year with a wreath from Joanna Gaines. This is the 2018 bell wreath.
When I saw these groovy bells at the thrift store, I knew it was meant to be.

I believe that they are from the 70s and that they haven't been cleaned since then, either.
Bar Keeper's Friend is my "go to" cleanser for brass, silver, or copper.
It almost does the work for me.

The bells polished up beautifully.

Bill and I tried to find the best way to string them up. Doubled up twine proved the best. He picked up some heavier twines at Home Depot but they were too thick by the time three knots were tied.

A couple of sprigs of my favorite faux greens and a bow finish it off.

The wire wreath form is from an old lamp shade.
The ribbon is fabric from the thrift store that I tore into strips.
I hung it on our faux vent hood.

This Christmas, I've tried to stick with decor elements that have a European feel.

The Old World Chalets go with the natural wood of the Christmas tree next to the stove.

The blue Belsnickel with the blue tree is a happy accident. I got the Belsnickel in NYC at the Green Flea Market. Sadly, it's closed now.

We are observing Advent this year with our church. I love it.

Some Swedish cookies go with the theme. The blue and white tin is full of Stroopwafels. We're about to give these a try. I saw them on a vlog and they looked fun and delicious.
Plus, they went with the decor.

I've never had a tiered tray until a few months ago. It's such fun to style but y'all already knew that.
I couldn't believe that I found blue and white candy canes. They are blueberry which sounds disgusting. I'll let you know if I try them.

The pie safe was moved to the kitchen and it's filled with our Blue Willow.

Another bell sits on top with greenery and a thrifted deer.

We'll be home with bells on this Christmas.
Read my favorite post about bells.

Now hop on over to see what Laura of Decor to Adore is up to. Her blog is always adorable.
Katie

An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

Follow The Yellow Brick Home     Everyday Living     Let's Add Sprinkles    Decor To Adore

Petite Haus      My Thrift Store Addiction      Botanic Bleu   Itsy Bits and Pieces 

Have A Daily Cup  Art and Sand     Belle Bleu Interiors     The Crowned Goat   

 Beauty For Ashes  Lora B Create and Ponder       White Arrows Home     Le Cultivaeur    Welch House 1900

Hello, Again

"Hello, Again"

I was riding around in the truck the other day and I heard this song by Neil Diamond. 

Hello again, hello

Just called to say hello

I couldn't sleep at all tonight 

I know it's late but I couldn't wait

 I don't know about you but when I can't sleep, I pray.

 I immediately thought of that.

Hello, my friend, hello

Just called to let you know

I think about you every night

When I'm here alone and you're there at home,

hello

When it got to the "here alone and you are there at home,"  I almost lost it.
It made me think of every lost loved one that has gone before me. 
I miss them so.

I'm sorry to the people that see my driving down the road weeping.
It happens. 
Nothing touches my soul more than an inspirational song.   
I know that this song was written for the movie "The Jazz Singer." 

I have absolutely no connotation for this song except that gleaned from listening to the lyrics because I never saw the movie. 
 Maybe, it's been crazy and maybe I'm to blame

But I put my heart above my head

We've been through it all 

and you loved me just the same 

and when you're not there
I just need to hear

 I'm so glad that there are people in my life that love me unconditionally. 
That is what drew me to my husband. 
I knew he loved me know matter what.

The Lord also does this for me. 
I stray. 
I forget my devotion to Him and all that He has done for me.

  

Hello, my friend, hello

It's good to need you so

It's good to love you like I do

And to feel this way 

When I hear you say,

hello

He has seen me through so many storms.
I need Him.

  
Am I perfect representation of the Christian walk?
Heavens no!
I know without a doubt that He is always there. 

Hello, my friend, hello

Just called to let you know

I think about you every night

I know it's late 

But I couldn't wait

Hello

"I couldn't wait."
Oh, that I would feel that way about prayer and reading my Bible.

I know that when I'm awake in the middle of the night, it is time to pray. 
Someone - Somewhere needs prayer. 
I think about Him. 
What do you do when you can't sleep?
Katie 

Here is a link to the song. 

The Scoop  
A Stroll Thru Life

"I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day"

l had wanted to re-post this from last Christmas. In light of the tragic events of yesterday, it seems fitting.

My heart is broken about the shooting. I hope these words I wrote last Christmas will make sense today.

Merry Christmas!
 "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day." is one of my favorite Christmas songs. I remember hearing this song for years, but I never really listened to the words until I downloaded the Bing Crosby version.

 I have three versions, Bing, Sarah McLachlan and The Carpenters. I love them all and can listen to each version one right after another.

I loved hearing church bells when I was a kid. There is something romantic and quaint about the sound. I hear mechanized bells near my house sometimes but it doesn't sound the same as those rung from a bell tower. Why don't we hear bells anymore? Is it a sound ordinance thing or have all the bells been silenced for other reasons? My school is on the grounds of a church that has since moved. We have bells that are broken and the headmaster told me the estimate to get them fixed was about 300 thousand dollars. That's a huge amount of money just to keep a charming tradition alive.

Church bells were rung to announce services, weddings, funerals or some other happening in the community. During WW II they were silenced in Great Britain only to be rung in the event of invasion. Have most of them been silenced since then?

This song is based on a poem written in 1864 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem is based on Luke 2:24. "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth goodwill toward men." We were a nation in the midst of the Civil War when the poem was written. But there were other things going on in the life of Longfellow as well. His journal entry for Christmas in 1862 read, "A merry Christmas say the children, but that is no more for me." That was the year his wife died.  There is no journal entry for the next Christmas. His oldest son was killed in battle in 1863. In 1864 he must have begun to heal from his grief because that is when he wrote the poem.
These are the last two verses;
And in despair I bowed my head.
"There is no peace on earth," I said.
"For hate is strong and mocks the song,
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor does He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, goodwill to men."

This song seems as applicable today as it was in 1864. The Civil War ended shortly after the poem was written. I'm sure it seemed like God was sleeping or dead during the Civil War.
This week I heard a casual mention on the news that all troops were out of Iraq after nine years. We should have had bells ringing for that!
I have had times in my life when it seems that God is asleep. I know that He is not, but He is working behind the scenes in ways I cannot see. It seemed like that last spring when my baby brother had a devastating stroke. I knew God was there, but it was too new and too painful to see what He was doing. I hope that years down the road, by His grace, He will reveal to me and to others exactly what He was up to. In the meantime, I can trust that He is here and healing just as He was healing the grief Longfellow was feeling  in the years preceding this wonderful poem. This song gives me hope and comfort. I know it did last Christmas. I probably teared up ever time I heard it, because the grief was so fresh. My brother continues to recover, by God's grace.

I love Christmas. It isn't just the trees, decorations, gifts, family, memories and traditions that I love. I love that God was not dead or sleeping when He sent His son to earth to be a sacrifice for me. God came down to earth to become man and walk among us. 

I hope you have ''heard the bells". Have a blessed and peaceful Christmas.

Sprinkled with bells and hope,
Katie

The bells are vintage.
I have seen the little porcelain bell on E-bay. It is Japanese.
Linking with,
Funky Junk Interiors
Metamorphosis Monday.
My Heart Lives Here