Our Last Holiday Gathering, My FIRST Selfie Stick Photos and Wishing All a Happy New Year!!!

My sister, Deanie, gave me the best gift EVER!!!!

A SELFIE STICK!!!!

How fun is THIS???

This is my very first pic EVER using a selfie stick!!!

That's Deanie's husband behind me, Charlie!

We were photo bombed by my sweet brother in law, Jerry!!!

I have the best brother and brothers in law EVER!!!

That's Lonnie (my one and only brother!) to the left and Nita's husband Mike beside Lonnie!

I left Louis Dean home alone - again!! - and drove over to Fort Worth for one last gathering of the clan for this year of 2015! This was a special night because our sister from Alabama and her family were in town to join us!

Nita put on quite a spread of Mexican casseroles, salad, and dips!

It was FUN like a PARTY!!!

This is Shari, who is our youngest sibling, with her granddaughter and Lonnie.

Trish is Deanie's daughter and so talented!!!

She makes the best Christmas gifts and that night she gave Nita a lovely wreath made of fresh rosemary and tied with a burlap bow!!! I'm going to make one for ME!!!

Nita is a perfect hostess!!! She makes throwing a party for 14 people AFTER a full day of work - arriving home only 45 minutes before we all started arriving - look EASY!!!!

It was a fun evening full of laughter and cutting up!!!

Just look at all the smiles!!

Mother had seven children in all. Five girls and two boys.

Shari - 4th in line - had a twin brother who was stillborn.

So Lonnie is our only surviving brother.

And a precious one he is!!!!

Here are the sisters all lined up but not in order of birth!

I am the oldest and then Deanie, Nita, Luann and Shari.

This is Luann!!!

Our story is a complicated one but Nita, Deanie and Lonnie are all full blood siblings with the same mother and father. Shari and Luann are full blood sisters with the same mother as we but a different father. I, on the other hand, am the 'odd man out' with the same mother but unknown father.

It is amazing how life works out! Though we did not all grow up together, God had an ultimate plan for our lives and we are all grateful for where we are today.

I am a firm believer in Romans 8:28!

"All things work together for good for those who love the Lord."

And we all DO!!!

He has done that for all of us......

We talked and laughed and yes, we cried a few tears together.

You couldn't tell it by these happy faces!!!

It was a wonderful way to end our year!

It's ALWAYS a good thing to spend time with family whenever you can.

None of us know when it will be the last time!!

As everyone was leaving, Mike and Nita and I were playing in the LED light display on their front lawn! We were all dancing in the lights and Andie hopped out of the car and joined us!!!

I am here to tell you that we had so much fun!!! We couldn't capture it in photos but it was cold outside and Mike would blow on the lights and it looked like fireworks going off!!!

Andie was outlined in the colors as she danced around!

I'm glad that at 67 years old, I can still 'dance in the light!!'

I spent the night at Nita's and her guest room is one of THE most special places on earth!!!

The bed is a Sleep #! Her curtains have black out fabric! She has a fan for noise and sleep is more blissful here than anywhere else I can think of!!! Nita sprayed the pillows and sheets with some essential oils and had a bottle of water beside the bed. I slept like a baby!!!

This morning I drove over to Deanie's to have one last visit with her and mother in 2015!!!

Mother loves it when I take pics of us together!!!

She always likes to look at them on my phone and she picks which one she wants me to post on Facebook!

Here are a few Christmas pics I missed earlier!

Mother on Christmas morning!

My sweet sister, Deanie, and her daughter and granddaughter!

This is a pic of me on Christmas morning as someone STOLE my Christmas Quilt made by my niece, Leah!!! Never fear! I 'Stole' it back!!!!

Mother and her niece, Paula. The two oldest members of our family.

Deanie took Mother to visit her last week and Andie went along and played her flute for them!

Now here we are on New Year's Eve!!!

I cam home this afternoon and we popped corn and watch Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider.

I have a bottle of bubbly chilling for when 2015 turns into 2016.

We will be heading down to the ranch soon and I close with this photo from my favorite winery - which just so happens to be located not too many miles from the ranch!!!

Wishing you all a Happy and BLESSED New Year!!!!

YOU have the power to make it so!!!

No matter what!!!