It's A Wonderful Life!

We had such a wonderful Christmas with our sons.  Here I am with both of them on Christmas morning, aren't they handsome?  Don't mind me in my jammies.. LOL . 
 
Even though our sons are older, they are kids at heart.  To see them open their gifts and their eyes light up, that is a gift from Mr. Hillcrest and I, that is dear to our heart.
 

 

Before we open gifts, we ather in our bedroom and say a prayer and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, because it is important to Mr. Hillcrest and I to instill these values in our sons that this is the true meaning of Christmas.  We have been doing this since they first could talk, and they can take this tradition and instill these values in their children,  (our future Grandchildren).  Here are some pictures of our sons on this magical day. 






 I am a truly lucky woman to have such a wonderful family.  We are truly blessed.  I felt it was a Norman Rockwell picture, with the fire going, the tree lit, the presents perfectly under the tree ready to be opened.  Bing Crosby singing in the backround, and having my family around.  Could you ask for anything more?

For dinner, we had a spiral ham with all the fixings, and lots of homemade desserts.  Now I am enjoying having my boys home on school vacation and looking forward to ring in the New Year with my family.  I wish all my Prim Friends a very healthy, happy New Year.  Till next time, see you next year, 
God Bless Prims, Tricia

A Holiday treat, in more than one way.

Here we are at LaSalette.  We had  such a wonderful time although the weather was very chilly!  The lights were absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed every second of it.



Over two million Christmas lights to enjoy.  Tis the season!!!



Here I am with our oldest son Steven,  one of my three favorite guys,  besides my honey and Matthew.   I can't believe he just turned 18, and he towers over me. 



More lights to enjoy, aren't the colors beautiful?



When we got home, we enjoyed "Monkey Bread".  The recipe that Grammy Linda        http://behindmyreddoor.blogspot.com/     had on her blog.  It looked so good that I had to try out her recipe, and now it is one of our favorites.  So please go to Linda's blog and tell her that Tricia sent you.  You will find this great recipe there.  Thank you so much Linda for sharing this delicious treat.

The Sights and Tastes of Christmas!!

  Christmas is a time when we transform our surroundings in a migical way. We decorate inside of our home and decorate outside of our home. What a gift to offer our family and friends to make our home a festive haven. Surrounded by treasured keepsakes and charming new creations we make. This is a great joy in our Christmas celebration.

  One thing that we do every year, Mr.Hillcrest and I pile the boys in the car and listen and sing Christmas music on the way to North Attleboro,(please don't let the boys know I said this ,lol because our oldest Steven just urned 18 and Matthew is going to be 15 Dec 19th but they still love going and hanging out with their parent, pretty cool) it is La Salette,which I went to when I was a child each year with my parents and I kept that tradition with my family, which means alot to Mr. Hillcrest and I.

  La Salette is a magical place with over 2million Christmas lights, it is a shrine and we listen to the Christmas music they play throughout the whole place and then we buy a candle and light it and say a prayer for the loved ones that have gone home with the Lord before us.Then when we are done we go out for a big dinner and then Mr.Hillcrest, the best husband in the whole world he takes all back roads home for us to enjoy the Christmas lights and decorations people have put up!!!These are memories that we are making for our family and of course most of you Prims know that I scrapbook so I have alot of pictures throughout the years of La Salette, the boys are so used to me taking pictures that they know when I take out the camrea they ask,where do you want us to stand Mom, and they don't complain. Mr. Hillcrest and I are truly lucky to have great kids like we do!!!

  We love the old cozy country Christmas in our home. We had our 1st true snowfall of the year, we got about 10 inches so I made beef stew and corn muffins and then we all snuggled in the livingroom with the fire going and the candles on and Christmas tree lights on and watched "Santa Clause is Coming to Town"
          You can't ask for more than to have your family with you!!



                  The Tastes of Christmas

Christmas time for me is to be in the kitchen baking Christmas cookies, for family, friends and teachers. I love to make delicious holiday cookies that have been past down from my great,great grandmother, to great grandmother to my grandmother to my mother to me. This is a true gift that I can give to my family and I am making a cookbook for my two sons so when they get married my future DIL'S can have these delicious reciepes that they can make their famlies!!!


My next post I will have a reciepe for you Prims that you just might enjoy!!
Until next time Prims
God Bless,
Tricia

Chrismas decorating at Hillcrest Home Prims

I am sorry prims for not posting sooner, but as you know, life can become busy around the holidays.  We have three birthdays, both our sons, and my honey, and our anniversary, and Christmas, all in one month, which happens to be December.  There are alot of beautiful pictures of our home, grab a cup of hot Chocolate or tea, you will be here for a little while, and enjoy our home as much as we do.  I hope you get some ideas from our pictures.




My first time making our prim stockings for Christmas, can you believe I did it, I am so proud of these.




I made this from a magazine photo and painted the frame, alot of fun!




One of our favorite corners


Here is our tree, every year each of our son receives an ornament from us until they leave home, there will be colored lights with their ornaments, then when they leave, my honey and I will be getting a huge twig tree, and putting all white light with the many prim ornaments that are already waiting for it.






Our beautiful manger means so much to us


In the kitchen


The scale my honey bought me, full of festive pinecones.


Our great room has some elvish company


Over the kitchen sink looking through to the flower box full of greens


Another view


Our Christmas village gets new additions each year, many pieces are very old


This was my Mother in law's tree, we still have it with us.


In the bathroom

I hope you enjoyed you time here at Hillcrest Home Prims.
Until next time prims.

God Bless you all,

Tricia

Another Tree in our 1800 room

I get so excited to set up for Christmas. Some of you prims have asked to see some more Christmas trees that I put up in every room in our home.



I put this one up in our 1800 room and if you look on the window sill I have berries and white lights with a candle and I have them all done in every room. The first year I did this we had about five neighbors come
and tell us how much they love seeing the lights in the windows and I keep them up all winter long.



I do this now very year, and still get compliments.
I hope you all enjoy this tree and the BIG Christmas tree we are putting up this Saturday, with the homemade
prim stockings I made for the mantle!!!!!!!!!!

Until till next time prims
God Bless friend,
Tricia

Christmas Time!!

   There are a few things I would love to share with my Prims!
 
      Christmas is the time of year that we celebrate our Lord's Birthday on this
sweet day.
       We have a tradition here at Hillcrest Home, when we wake up the boys run
down stairs and come in our bedroom and hop in bed with us and we all hold
hands and  we all pray, then we all sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. I know that our
sons will keep this tradition when they have families of their own.
      I do believe that families need to have traditions in their families. We have been
doing this since the boys were born.
      Then Honey goes and puts Christmas music on and lights the Christmas tree and
lights all the candles and puts logs on the fireplace, then comes and gets us and we then all go
into the livingroom.
      Even though our sons are 17 and 14 when they open their gifts, my Honey and I
love to see their faces light up like a Christmas tree and the big smile on their faces,
just seeing that is such a great gift to my Honey and I.
      That is the best gift of all, to see my family around the tree smiling and laughing!!!!

   I have a picture that I would love to share with you!!
   I hope you enjoy it. It is a tree that is in my kitchen. I put up a tree in
every room.




                                  Christmas to my family is:

 Christmas smells like bayberries and pine tree our favorite

 Logs burning in the fireplace

 Smelling the turkey and dressing cooking in the oven

 Christmas tastes like crisp apple pies and great eggnog

 Homemade cookies and hot chocolate

 Mistletoe in the doorway

 Presents under the big beautiful Christmas tree

 Hearing Christmas music throughout the house and seeing the snow outside

 Hearing the laughter of our sons enjoying their gifts

 And we should remember it all began in the Manger!!!!!!!!!

 God Bless my Prim Friends,
 Tricia
 

Giveaway, Come on Prims

Hi, my prims, I only got two comments on the post
about your Thanksgiving tradition, and to comment if
you want to be entered in the Christmas giveaway.
If you just want to leave a comment about Thanksgiving
do that, you DON'T have to enter into the giveaway!!!

I just love to hear what all your prims do on Thanksgiving!
So, come on girls start typing!!!!
Till next time prims,
God Bless
Tricia
Hillcrest Home

This post is in Honor of my sweet mother-in -law

Tomorrow will be Nov. 5th, it will be a year that we lost my MIL, right off I want ot let you Prims know that my mother-in-law was a true mother to me in every sense of the word. I took care of her for almost the last 3 years. We miss her dearly. Taking care of her was a great joy to me. We got every close and had ALOT of great times and laughs and some tear along the way!
We want to celebrate her life and tell you a few things about her. She was a school teacher in Sherborn and then retired, loved to read books. She was an avid reader. She also loved to watch movies and politics on T.V. If you got in a debate with her except to lose she was very strong in her opinon.
I call her Mom so you prims know that, Mom also loved her computer, and was always on me to try the computer, I know she is looking down and is saying I told you so, it is easy, but I think the most things she loved was her wonderful son Ken that I am married for 20 years to and her wonderful grandsons, Steven and Matthew, which are our sons that she was so, so proud of.
They loved to go and be with their Nonnie, and I will tell you Nonnie really enjoyed having them.
I learned alot from her about her parents and about history any war or any President she knew it all . Mom was an open book. That can't shock you to much remember she was a school teacher. Once a teacher always a teacher.
Her favorite holiday was Christmas and you guessed it that is also our favorite holiday!!!!!

She told Ken and I when she is ready to go home with the Lord and see her parents that she will be on our shoulders watching out for us
I believe she is, for sure.
We know when it is our time to leave Mom,(Nonnie) will be at the stairs to heaven to bring us home!!
She was an amazing, strong woman and will be greatly missed by all including Ken's Dad, my father-in-law.
So Mom we honor you for your strentgh and courage and be so strong willed.
 Love your son Ken, Tricia and your two grandsons Steven and Matthew

Sunday Nov.1st is Here

Hi my Prims,

I have been busy since my last post. So, it is time to check in with all of you.

Today is Nov.1st that means you guessed it; it is time for Thanksgiving this month.

Our family really enjoys Thanksgiving. We have alot to be thankful for and alot of giving to do.

I think about the Pilgrims landing here in Plymouth, Mass. and the Indians were so kind hearted to share their Thanksgiving dinner with the Pilgrims and show them how to make a big feast and then invited the Pilgrims to come and sit around the table and eat together. What a beautiful day that must have been!!!

What we do at Hillcrest Home is bake pies the night before, apple and pumpkin. Then when we wake up in the morning, you guessed it we ALL watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on T.V. While we are watching the parade we have cheese, crackers, dips spreads, and a bowl of nuts that you have to crack open and we enjoy watching the parade and even at my age I still to this day get excited to see Santa at the end of the parade,LOL.

So, with the big turkey cooking and smelling the whole house, and the fireplace going, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, but right here at Hillcrest Home with my family!

Then we sit at the table and every year, everyone has to say what they are thankful for, and as I look around every year and see my sons growing up before my eyes and the loving, wonderful husband I am married to, I get tears in my eyes because that is what I am thankful for EVERY YEAR, MY FAMILY!!!!

So, I would love to know what you Prims do on Thanksgiving Day. I would love if you leave me a comment about what you do on my blog and put down that you would like to be in my giveaway, my 1st giveaway, nothing big, but it will be for Christmas. If I didn’t already tell you, Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday!!! Okay get typing my prims and don't forget put in your comment that you want to be entered into the giveaway.

I will announce the winner Nov.16th.

Till next time Prims

God Bless,

Tricia

Our trip to the Yankee candle headquarters

My honey and I decided to take a trip to see the foliage on the way to the Yankee Candle Factory in Deerfield, MA.  The colors were breathtaking.  I sure did enjoy the ride with my honey and the stops along the way to see the foliage and views.



When we arrived, I started to get all excited when I saw the factory with the sunny blue sky hitting those beautiful mums, a slight breeze and a few leaves falling, I knew it was fall.  Then my honey and I got out of the car and as always held hands.



Deerfield MA is a quaint town nestled in the hills close to the Berkshires in western Ma.  It has all the character of a small New England Village, and when you drive through it, the feeling of prim is everywhere.



I took a picture of my honey inside the Yankee shop that sells Chrismas villages and all of the sudden it began to snow inside the building, and I saw that sign and had my honey pose next to it.  Of course, being the gentleman that he is he posed for me, he is a real trooper.



Here is a picture of one of the many beautiful villages that we saw there. Why we love to look at the villages is because we have our own village that we set up before Thanksgiving. We truly enjoy setting up for Christmas at Hillcrest home, early every year.



I don't like getting my picture taken, lol, but i figured to show you prims, that I was there doing plenty of shopping that I love to do with my honey.  We got our tarts, and our favorite one that we get every year is the Balsam Fir.  It makes the hole house smell like Christmas time, our favorite time of the year.



O.K. girls, last picture of me with you guessed it, Santa.  I just fell in love with him because he is so Prim.

There were so many things to see that I could not possibly post them all on this blog today. My Honey and I had a quick bite to eat and then we hit the road for Hopkinton, MA.  It was a beautiful drive home,anytime I am with my Honey is a special time.
 I don't care where we go as long as I am with him!!!!!
Till next time Prims
God Bless
Tricia
Hillcrest Home

October in Hopkinton

This is a picure of our living room, I really enjoy the fall time.
Seeing the leaves change color and going for a long drive with
my Honey to see the colors change on the trees.

Also, I love the crisp air when you go outside and then I want
to bake and cook, which I love to do.
I bake pumpkin pies, apple pies and blueberry pies. I love the smell of
fall time when I am baking those pies and then making comfort
food for my family is a gift that I am able to give to them.

The picture you see is of our mantle with the woodstove which is
another thing I love about fall. My Honey has already used it and up put up the screen
and just seeing that first fire of the year is so exciting!!!!!

But I have to say that Christmas is my FAVORITE time of year. I will
talk more about that later.

There will be fun things on my blog, I will be doing more than a few giveaways
before Christmas, what a treat that will be,but for now thank
you so much for stopping in and visiting me at Hillcresthome Prims.
God Bless
Tricia

Great day

Hi everyone, it was such great weather here. I feel the fall crisp air, it is coming soon. I love the fall time, baking apple pies, hot cider, using our wood stove,snuggling in one of my homemade quilts. I love also to sit outside and look out at the lake and feel the breeze,boy what the life. Then planning on cooking a roast or beef stew for my Honey and two sons.
I believe we all need to take life and enjoy every minute of it with your family the people you love. Always  make sure you tell your loved ones you love them everyday!!!
Enjoy your night!
God Bless
Tricia

Welcome all to Tricia's Blog

Here, you can post all of your latest ideas relating to primitive country and colonial decor.  All new members are always welcome to this site, and we love to see all the prim items and displays you have to share.