Throwback Post: Team TLC and Romano Duo Christmas Memories

**THROWBACK POST**

December 26 2011:

We had so much fun making rather Merry yesterday! To quote the oh so quotable Thomas, “I’m so excited my throat’s gonna explode!” Hope y’all did too! Merry Merry and Happy Happy from Team TLC!!!!!

December 25 2013:

There are always more hand made gifts than store bought gifts under our tree ….. The Haiku poems were a hit! I so much enjoyed making these!

A Mama always know how to pick out the most perfect and most comfortable jammie/comfy clothes ever! Thank you Mama! I may never take them off!

The homemade gifts have spread to The Romano Duo. The wish list T & L gave to The Romano Duo had mostly homemade gifts, and Legos!!) Beautiful short story my Mom wrote for us.

I have so very much to be grateful for, overflowing with gratitude and faith this morning. It’s a Wonderful Life, indeed!!

“A House is Just a House” by Patty Romano with love.

“Once upon a time there was a little family who lived in a house. In this house lived a Mom, a little girl and a little boy …”

A “Believe” shirt and a weather station! The Romano Duo blessed Lillian with such thoughtful gifts! She is a weather addict! And we LOVE to ‘believe’ in this team! xoxo

Thomas was so happy with the Lego set and new outfit from The Romano Duo. He wore the boots til he went to bed! Handsome and amazing young man!

December 28 2013:

The Romano Duo loved the Haiku poems I made them for Christmas! These were so much FUN to make …. especially the glitter!

December 29 2013:

Thomas loved his Christmas present from me. I think I’m gonna steal it from him! Turned out awesome.

“I love you to infinity and beyond … Always remember … You can do, be, or have anything you decide you want, as long as you use your imagination and your feelings as if you already have it.” -Team Member C

December 25 2014:

Yummy dinner at The Romano Casa last night! We stood by the fire to get warm and have our picture taken. Sending you so much love, light and joy.

My big gift to Thomas and Lillian. A handmade Team TLC Record Book. Spent hours making this and put tons of love into it. Also gave Thomas a Love Coupon for me to learn about Minecraft so I’d know more about and understand it and perhaps build things with him. Gave Lillian a Love Coupon for teaching myself to crochet so that I could teach her. They each got one store bought item. Thomas got a $10 old fashioned style watch that he LOVES! Lillian got a round faceted crystal to hang in her window. The Romano Duo did, however, shower all of us with other goodies. Blessed and grateful.

Instructions for the Record Book: Welcome to The Team TLC Family Record Book. A place to share your thoughts, memories, love and fun stuff about Team TLC or yourself.

Directions:

Take one part a great memory, idea or quote from yourself or another Team Member and mix equally with a great writing utensil and this fabulous record book.

Write with all your heart and watch the magic happen as you spread your thoughts across the pages.

Watch the love grow and grow as The Team TLC Record Book grows and grows with your magical words.

Save the last page to list the names of people who have shown you kindness. At Thanksgiving 2015 you can choose one person from your list for which to make or buy a gift. The catch is that you have to give it to them anonymously.

Have FUN!!!

Team TLC rocked around the Christmas tree at The Romano Casa yesterday. One with sparkling red eyes and one without! Thanks to the Romano Duo for the much needed gifts of pajamas, socks, shampoo and conditioner, lip balm, hand cream, essential oils, clothes for Lillian, and some just fun gifts too … Minecraft books for T, bags of random LEGO pieces for T, yoga cards and paint set for L, and gift cards for all of us for Grassroots Books! Grateful indeed!! xoxo

The other “handmade” gifts for Thomas and Lillian. I’ve been reading the Minecraft Essential Handbook today and found a few crochet tutorials. The gifts that will, indeed, keep on giving! HA!

Last of the gifts I made. Snowflakes for The Romano Duo. Thomas and Lillian made me some great handmade gifts. Still need to take a picture of those little treasures.

Team TLC + Lovey on Christmas morning. Thomas was a wee bit excited about the watch!

December 25 2015:

Most cherished gifts ever! Lillian made me a Christmas Ocean Book and Thomas made a game for me using Scratch. xoxo

Three adults, 2 kids, and 1 guinea pig in the 800 sq foot Team TLC love shack for the day. Perfect. Plenty of room for more love!! Great, simple dinner and relaxing day spent with The Romano Duo.

Team TLC emphasizes creating and giving homemade gifts. I put much thought into what to create for T & L and much loving time into creating the gifts. With the anticipation and excitement of a young girl, I could not wait for these to be opened. I loved creating, making, and giving these gifts. Also got to recycle and up cycle in the process! Cardboard box flaps, signs for labeling flowers and plants, and really, really old lined paper.
xoxo

The gifts I am most grateful for receiving! With all of us sleeping in the same room and with a patio light with no “off” switch, having complete darkness at bedtime has been challenging. Wahoo for the eye sleep mask! What a blessing! Thomas received one too and is thrilled. We have used the masks for 2 nights now and loved it! I have mentioned in blog posts about our tiny living adventures that the road noise is a challenge for me. No longer! These ear plugs are amazing! It is on my “to do” list to remove the light bulbs on the patio. Just haven’t gotten to it.

Mom n Frank, and myself, and my daddy went in together and got Lillian a laptop. Look!!! They are sitting next to each other … Lots!!! First, they were each on their blog making entries. Then, Thomas helped Lillian create a scratch account and taught her how to use it. Love!! xoxo

December 28 2015:

Last day for the Romano Duo. They leave really early in the morning! Had a great lunch with them today. xoxo

December 29 2015:

Thomas’ gift for Lillian …. Freehand fairy portrait … Love, love, love!!!

2021 Christmas Fayre – Books and Candles and Handmade Gifts

Beginning tomorrow, Friday, December 3rd, and running throughout the weekend. Join us for great gift ideas. Each day will hold different and beautiful gifts. With books, candles, and handmade gifts, there’ll be something for everyone! Have a browse and invite your friends too. The more the merrier! 🎄🎄🎄

Follow the link to join us:

https://fb.me/e/2Kno9aVkk

Team TLC + Romano Duo + Robert Christmas 2019

December 25 2019

Oh my goodness! Thank you Romano Duo!!

Homemade gift I made for Lillian. This was great fun! Using a book that was destined for the trash, I randomly opened the book and scanned for phrases to make into a poem. Challenging! 💙💙💙

Beautiful gifts from Thomas and Lillian. 💚♥️💚♥️💚♥️

Homemade gift I made for Thomas. This was great fun! Using a book that was destined for the trash, I randomly opened the book and scanned for phrases to make into a poem. Challenging! 💜💜💜

I am incredibly blessed.

A good time was had by all. Team TLC + The Romano Duo + Robert

These two stoke the embers of my heart, giving me strength when I wish to be weak. There is no greater gift.

My eyes nearly began sweating when I opened this gift. A magical bird made from recycled material. Beautiful!!

Christmas Eve dinner was a big scoop of the homemade green bean casserole I had just made. Followed by a piece of apple cranberry pie. Christmas dinner was nearly the same, adding a big scoop of my mom’s potato salad. Yum!!! 💚💚💚♥️♥️♥️

Christmas gift from my brother. My eyes got sweaty over this one. And, y’all, I have absolutely no recollection of this, nor of even being this person. I’m smiling though. Always smiling. 😁♥️

Homemade gift I made for Mom and Frank. This was great fun! Using a book that was destined for the trash, I randomly opened the book and scanned for phrases to make into a poem. Challenging! 💙💙💙 🧡🧡🧡 For Robert’s gift I created a larger than life heart flower. 💚💚💚

December 31 2019:

Lillian thinks I made a masterpiece with the candy canes. Ha!! The vases are packed so I grabbed the French press container and added the candy canes. The inside of the French press fell apart, and I was wondering what I would do with the glass. Improvise!! ♥️💚

 

 

Creative Gift Giving on Just the Positive

December 5 2019:

I recently offered a suggestion to a wonderful and uplifting gift giving blog post on Just the Positive. Warmed my heart to see my suggestion of writing a special poem and using upcycled materials to make into a wall hanger (along with many other suggestions from others), including two photos of last year’s gifts. I needed my heart warmed. (Thanks Jackie!) Check it out. You may see something that inspires you!

Click the photo below to read the article …

Merry Merry Joy Joy – Team TLC Christmas 2018

December 25 2018:

Merry, Merry!! Joy, Joy!!! Oceans of love!!! 💚🎄❤️🎄💚🎄❤️🎄

My non- traditional Christmas dinner!

Beyond Beef Burger topped with romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, hot and sweet jalapeños, sautéed crimini mushrooms and sweet onions with a side of roasted delicata squash. Patty made me my own batch of potato salad! Yum!! Washed down with blood orange Italian soda.

And, another of Frank’s virgin Bloody Mary.

My homemade gift to Thomas. Favorite color is a shade of aqua and favorite color combination is yellow and white. xoxo

That is Thomas

A beaming smile
To light the way.

A mind that
Craves to know
The why, the how.

A heart that
Thumps, thumps, thumps
With the wonder
At every pondering.

A young person
Making way
Through this
Crazy thing
Called adolescence.

Conversations,
Never dull.
Conversations,
Always full of passion.

A beautiful
Shining human
That is this one
That is Thomas.

Love,
Camilla🚀💞
Mom
xoxo

My handmade gift to Lillian. Her favorite color is blue, favorite color combination is rainbow colors, and she loves glitter and sparkles.

Magical Fairy Drops

She is a fairy
A fairy whom
Likes a berry.

She is a fairy.
A fairy that’s
Definitely not hairy.

A lover of shadows
A lover of weather
She is a fairy.

Inspired by the sparkles,
Lifted by the rainbows,
Delighted by the
Pink and orange sunsets.

Eyes shining bright
To behold the
Beautiful sky.

All aglow with
The sighting of
The magical moon.

Icicles, dew drops,
Puff balls, fresh snow,
Spring flowers,
Summer showers,
Autumn leaves
These are a few of her
Favorite things.

She is a fairy.
She is Lillian.

Love,
Camilla💙🌈
Mom
xoxo
2018

Handmade gift for Frank. His favorite colors are blue and orange. xoxo

The Italian Named Frank

Always ready
To celebrate
And to do it
With flair!

Good food and drink
He’s always happy
To serve up.

Willing to help,
Ready to give hugs,
With much love.

One whom can
Be counted on
To bring along
The silly side
Of any holiday!

Fra-gee-lay … it must be Italian!
It’s a Major Award!
Merry Christmas, The shitter was full!

Love,
Camilla😜💖😂
xoxo
2018

Handmade gift for Robert. One of his favorite colors is green. 💚💚💚

Handmade gift for Mom … Patty. One of her favorite colors is merlot. This was as close as I could get. xoxo

Ode to Patty

Always there,
Always with
Love to share.

Always with a
Comfy and cozy
House to share.

She makes
Us giggle
She makes
Us wiggle …

She makes us wiggle?
Well, not really, yet
That’s the word
That shot forth!

Deeply for her
Family she
Does care.

Always there,
Always with
Love to share.

Love,
Camilla 💖
xoxo

Handmade gift for Carolyn. Her favorite color is purple. Love you dearly, SongBird …. 💜💜💜

Dearest Carolyn – SongBird,

To have someone
such as you
to hold a mirror
so that one may
fully see the path
she has travelled
and continues to travel.

To have someone
such as you
shower your kindness
and generosity upon she.

To have someone
such as you
to share what
she needs to share
knowing it only
deepens the relationship.

To have someone
such as you
is a blessing
of the highest
and brightest.

I am blessed
by our friendship
I love YOU

Yo Cosmic Sista!!
Camilla – LoveSeed 💖
xoxo

The Italian Named Frank

Handmade gift for Frank. His favorite colors are blue and orange. xoxo

The Italian Named Frank

Always ready
To celebrate
And to do it
With flair!

Good food and drink
He’s always happy
To serve up.

Willing to help,
Ready to give hugs,
With much love.

One whom can
Be counted on
To bring along
The silly side
Of any holiday!

Fra-gee-lay … it must be Italian!
It’s a Major Award!
Merry Christmas, The shitter was full!

Love,
Camilla😜💖😂
xoxo
2018

That is Thomas

December 25 2018:

My homemade gift to Thomas. Favorite color is a shade of aqua and favorite color combination is yellow and white. xoxo

That is Thomas

A beaming smile
To light the way.

A mind that
Craves to know
The why, the how.

A heart that
Thumps, thumps, thumps
With the wonder
At every pondering.

A young person
Making way
Through this
Crazy thing
Called adolescence.

Conversations,
Never dull.
Conversations,
Always full of passion.

A beautiful
Shining human
That is this one
That is Thomas.

Love,
Camilla🚀💞
Mom
xoxo

Dearest Thomas: May You Ever Know

January 19 2018:

Finished Thomas’ Gift! Now I can move on to the 2018 Theme Poster!!

Who else likes to use recycled items for gift making?

I so much loved making this. I like to use recycled items so this is on a piece of cardboard. The top and bottom border, flower stem, and two hearts are candy wrapper (Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Honey Mints) as Thomas loves the color and we save them (and I love that they are only 3 ingredients).

The tree is from an old calendar, the cow is from an old issue of Edible Reno-Tahoe magazine, the house and cat are from an old Trader Joe’s circular, and the rest is glitter glue! Made to hang with a piece of old hemp shoe string. About 5 years ago a friend gave us rolls and rolls of this hemp string. Still using it!

He loves trees, cows, and cats, and I know he would love living in that house … xoxo

Dearest Thomas

May you always ask questions,
May you always engage others in conversation,
May you always seek to understand.

May you ever know there are times when silence is the Way.

May you continue to be an explorer in the sea of knowledge,
May you filter that knowledge through the knowing of the Heart,
May you love this life and live it to the fullest.

May you ever be connected to the knowing of your Heart,
May you ever still …. Go here to read more …

Poetry: May You Ever Know

Thomas Christmas Gift 2017 #1

Thomas Christmas Gift 2017 #2

Thomas Christmas Gift 2017 #3

Dearest Lillian: May You Always

January 17 2018:

Finally finished Lillian’s hand made Christmas gift! Just need to add string for hanging! xoxo

Dearest Lillian

May you always live with an open and light heart,
May you always live knowing you are unconditionally loved,
May you always live knowing and allowing peace, joy, and abundance.

May good fortune smile and shower upon you,
May joy stalk you and be hidden in every nook and cranny of your life,
May peace float always above you as a puffy cloud in a bright blue sky.

May the shadows ever be …. Go here to read more …

Poetry: May You Always Know

Lillian's Christmas Gift 2017 Finished #2 Lillian's Christmas Gift 2017 Finished #4

Lillian's Christmas Gift 2017 Finished #1Lillian's Christmas Gift 2017 Finished #3