Happy New Year! - a little late

I have not ever really been a big "resolution" type person. Mainly because I never have really kept them - so it seemed pointless to even pretend that I would...

I do however have a few goals that I want to accomplish this year. This will be the year I celebrate my 60th birthday.... wow... just typing that made me shudder.... I never imagined that I would be okay with being this old

I don't FEEL old and when I think of my age the number "23" always comes to mind. I'm shocked when I look in the mirror - especially in the morning - at how I have "aged".

So, here are a few of my goals before I reach 60:

1. To finish my doctor of naturopathy degree
2. To spend more time in prayer and study (I heard someone say the other day that if you spend an hour a day on a subject that in 3 years you would be an expert in that subject!)
3. Exercise and get in shape and that includes losing weight...
4. I also would like to take the real estate class and get my license ... (that is a real "maybe")
5. I plan to cook more meals at home - save money and take more trips...

I could say that I plan to drink more water and eat healthier and join a gym and do all that - I will drink more water, but I doubt if I join a gym. That involves dressing twice in one day and since getting dressed is such a chore, I don't want to do that.

The main thing is, "May you prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers." That is my prayer for you and yours, me and mine...

I missed it!

Well I missed it :(
I'm so sad...
Next time... There WILL be a next time (surely)
But, you can still join in the fun and catch up on all the fun vlogs over at 2nd Cup of Coffee...

Extravagant Love

This Christmas I was the recipient of extravagant love. I am so humbled and blessed by my gifts.... especially these...

In our church there is a precious little lady (really little because she is only about 4' 10"). She is the one who called me "an old shoe". She is 88 years old and cannot read. But oh, the love that outshines the most well educated and wealthy!

She blessed me with some pot holders - or "trivets" . They are handmade with much love, double thickness and hand crocheted. They vary in size and pattern. Here is a large one to put under pots or casserole dishes... (isn't it colorful?)

This is an assortment of the sizes and patterns ... yes, there are A LOT of them!

This is the stack of them... there are 13 in the stack... it is 7 inches high! (and I gave 2 of them away and I have 2 at my weekend parsonage!)

That was quite an act of love! She even taught me how to make them! She was not content to just give me one, but showered me with them.

Then, she out did herself in extravagance ... she began to crochet me an afghan... she said she got started and just kept going... it is very colorful and heavy and warm!

It is 12 feet long and over 5 feet wide!.... yes, it really is... I measured it... I mean... TWELVE FEET long... that is 4 yards!.... my husband and I can lie toe to toe and it will completely cover us... There is no telling how much yarn is in this beauty. I don't know how she was able to pick it up! She is small and frail and this is huge and heavy.

I would say that this lady of not much means, a widow, gave more than a mite. She gave abundantly of what she had and what she could do.

Yes, I feel loved. I feel humbled. I feel blessed...

What was your favorite gift this year?

Christmas Fun

Just a few pictures of our happy gathering ...

Christmas peace in the midst of the storm... our youngest is sound asleep...

The gifts are being handed out...

Patiently waiting to open up her gifts...


She woke up to something in her lap and isn't quite sure what to do with it...


We had a very great and blessed happy Christmas.... God's goodness to us is overwhelming! The best of all is the addition to the family. Our 2nd son's daughter announced the coming of another baby in July!

Yes, we are happy... yes, we are blessed... yes, we are so grateful!

Happy New Year!

Blessed Announcement!

Yep... we are going to have another grandbaby in July!!!! YIPPEE!!!! We are so excited!

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year. It was great having all the family together. Such fun and fellowship and love and joy and excitement. The kids all did so well and loved everything they got!

We are blessed beyond measure! We got everything we wanted - except maybe to see you and have spent some time together...

Merry Christmas and a very blessed and Happy New Year!

Dreaming...

(sing with me if you can...)
I'm dreaming of a WARM Christmas... just like the ones I used to know... where the sweat drops glisten and children listen to hear the pool is open today....
oooooooohhhhh... I'm dreaming of a WARM Christmas... with every Christmas card I write... may your days be Merrie and Bright... and may all your Christmases be warm.....


That's for all my Southern friends who are bemoaning heat... be thankful! Cold is ... COLD... many layers of clothes may keep you warm, but they also make you look and feel fat!... besides about the time you get them all on, you need to take them all off to make a "trip" before you go out the door... and I don't care how many clothes you have one... cold is still cold and not being able to bend arms because of the layers is uncomfortable!

I do have to admit... being with all the children and grandchildren does warm the heart and keep me warm inside... well worth the bundling!

Merrie Christmas!

Busy...

I've been REAL busy lately - like the rest of the world... I've been doing Christmas cooking! I have been humming around the kitchen just as happy as can bee! (yes, I typed "bee" on purpose since I said I was "humming")

I'm making Christmas bags full of homemade goodies to give to everyone in our church. It was quite an undertaking - but then, it is a retirement church and so I only needed about 50 or 60 bags.

This is me... busy and so happy... actually, I'm counting to see how many balls I have and how many more I need...



These are the bags... Rebekah helped me come up with the neat sticker that we put on each bag and then filled and stuffed and tried to make them pretty and festive looking.



This is some of the mess...

... and more fixin's and recipes (notice the very stained cards... yes, they have been used quite a bit. I actually have some new, fresh ones but these are my favorite ones.

The bags were quite a hit and much enjoyed and appreciated. We packed them with Snickerdoodles, Chinese Rocks, Christmas fruit cookies, Buffalo Chips, Holiday Button Cookies, Trail Mix, Caramel Popcorn, Chocolate Peanut clusters, and Date Nut Krispies - all, very single one - homemade with love...

Hope you have a very Merrie Christmas!

Fun link..

This is something fun to do and it helps...

Match the cookies and Pepperidge Farm will make a donation to help fight breast cancer.

I have to warn you, though... it can be addictive!

http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/pink/game.aspx

Tuesday Twos

Two grandchildren who are two... (almost 3)

Two days of ice/snow...

Can you guess which on I'm MOST thankful for?

How can this BE???? part 2

Yesterday it was a beautiful 75 degrees....
This morning, this is what I see from my kitchen... it was 12 degrees with a wind chill factor of -3 degrees!!!!

I'm not going far today... just from one room to the next....

How Can this BE????

Today we had the craziest weather!!!
Living in South Georgia, we were used to the weather changing a lot, but this has been the wildest weather day EVER!
Today was gorgeous! Blue sky... a few clouds... nice soft breeze ... 75 degrees... sun shining... it could not have been nicer!
Then... about 3:30, the wind started blowing and by 4 it was 55 degrees! By 5 it was 45 degrees and by 6 it was 32 degrees... it was suddenly 20 degrees and sleeting/snowing!!!!!
The temperature dropped 55 degrees less than 5 hours!!!!

We left the house going to Christmas Train to enjoy some good times with our sons and their families.... Fortunately, I dressed in layers, but not enough! The wind was icy cold and cut right through everything I had on...

We did have a great time and really enjoyed ourselves and family and the entire experience. I'd do it again (just wear more clothes!)

By the time we got home, the streets and highways were covered in snow and they were salting them...

I'll post snow pictures tomorrow...

25 Days of Christmas Give Away....

So I was blogging along, singing a Christmas song... and came across a really neat fun blog! My friend, Beverly, at Dancing With Daffodils shared a brand new blog that I have added to my blog list and I plan to visit often!

Seven chicks is hosting something called "25 Days of Chickmas" and they are giving away things for 25 days! This is day 11... so you need to go over there and check it out! I mean HURRY! Time is running out!

They have a real cute button and someone with intelligence will be able to put it in their blog... but NO...not me!

Anyway, I love give aways... this is a really neat thing to do..

In fact, I'm going to be doing a "Pay It Forward" one soon... so hang around! I have some neat things up my sleeve to give...

Merry Christmas!

Thursday Thirteen - Things I have to do before Christmas...

Thirteen things I have to do Before Christmas

1. Get Hugsum a really nice creative Christmas present that he will LOVE!

2. Do Christmas baking (cookies, candy, bread, etc.)

3. Find 60+ mugs for 50 cents each... to make Snowman Soup gifts (hot chocolate)

4. Get the ingredients for the Snowman Soup...

5. Wrap presents

6. Figure out Christmas dinner menu

7. Attend Christmas parties

8. Go to Christmas Train (a HUGE Christmas witnessing event sponsored by Church On The Move - the one all our children attend). It shares the story of Jesus. It lots of fun and exciting and is sold out completely this year. (it is done 4 nights a week from Thanksgiving to Christmas! I don't know how many thousands of people go through, but it is a huge amount!)

9. Sew ... surprises

10. Load pictures on a Scandisk for a gift.

11. Get Andy (dog) groomed

12. Keep grandchildren

13. Clean, clean, clean, clean... nuff said about that!

Another Memory

Since today seems to be wandering down memory lane, I thought I'd share another special memory.
I love coffee... but I like instant coffee. Don't shout me down.... the brewed coffee seems to be too strong and bitter. The instant is easier for me to drink. It may be because that's what my parents always drink.
Some of my earliest memories are of sitting in daddy's lap and smelling coffee. Getting a "coffee" kiss. That is a special comfort smell... coffee, with french vanilla creamer... takes me back "home" to being a little girl again!

4:44

That's what time I saw on the clock this morning when I woke up.

Now, if you read that "four forty four" you are reading it normally.

I happen to read it "faux fauxty faux".... without fail.
I can't bring myself to say or even think of it any other way.

When that time rolls around I see it (usually in the afternoon) ... I think it (faux fauxty faux)... and I smile. It evokes memories of long ago and my mama. I think we first "heard" it that way from movie and since then that is how we say it everytime.

In fact, I always want to call mama at that time just to talk. She doesn't remember "faux fauxty faux" any more. But, she is always sweet and laughs.

What everyday, ordinary things take you back to childhood and good times?

Decorating and such

See what I found under my Christmas tree? Posey... she is about to go to sleep. She's growing like a weed and so sweet! She loves to look at the lights on the tree. It is "safe" to put her down there when the other kids are taking a nap. Otherwise, they love to kiss her play with her and try to pick her up.... not so good...

This is the part of the decorations that did NOT get put up in my house... they are still waiting to be put back up in the attic... hopefully before Christmas!




The placement of decorations gets tricky... precious little hands seem to be attached to growing LONG arms... they love to reach and touch and feel.... They are so good most of the time not touching. But, there are "those" times when it becomes overwhelmingly tempting to look with the hands!

This Christmas has promises of great fun and excitement. I can't remember enjoying Christmas so much in many years. Having little people around is fun! (even needing to adjust the decorating is worth it all!) I'm so excited! I can hardly wait for Christmas morning! But, one of the great and wonderful things is that all this season I have been getting to enjoy my grandchildren being around! God's goodness overwhelms me sometimes!

I'm Back and meme

Sorry I've been missing and guilty of doing other things (FACEBOOK)... and enjoying grandchildren and Christmas prep/shop/figure/decorate/party/eat.... well, you know the routine.

Also, I have finished 4 courses in about 4 weeks and am working on two more... fun and interesting stuff!

I"m going to be more diligent to post more and include pictures.

I won't bore you with all the mundane details. I'll just let you know I've missed you! I have not even read blogs! That is bad!

Now for the fun part...

Imerie over at The Green Grass Grows All Around, has tagged me for this meme and here are the rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Here we go....

1. I used to love to cook. ... well, bake. When the kids were all at home I baked a batch of cookies, or brownies, or pie, or cake, or candy EVERY day! It was not there the next day. That's why I baked more. Fortunately, they were all very busy and athletic and did not get fat. But, their teeth did suffer and I wish now that I had known how bad all that sugar is for us.

2. I did not drink ANY water (unless forced) for probably the first 50 years of my life. Something I'm not proud of and am working to fix now. I drank/drink constantly. I keep a glass fixed at all times. The problem is that I was drinking sweet tea, Coke, Diet Coke, Diet Dr. Pepper.... (oh, the other night our waitress said she lost 70 pounds in about 6 months ... HOW? she switched from Dr. Pepper to DIET Dr. Pepper... that is ALL!!!)

Back to water - now, I try to drink half my body weight in ounces of water every day (meaning IF I weighed 100 pounds (hahahahahhhhaaaaaa)... I would drink 50 ounces of water). Then, I can drink other things... but mainly need the water.

3. I have a gazillion cookbooks and love to read them. They each have a special memory attached - like where I was when I bought it, or who gave it to me, or someone I love has a recipe in it... or I WANT to be able to cook like that... I rarely ever cook anymore. Sad, but I do love to read my cookbooks! In fact, I bought one the other day at Ross. It is really neat! It is one for Chinese, Japanese and Thai cooking for the American kitchen... it is so cool! Really - it is and I love that kind of food. I can do it, sure, I can...

4. I love a clean house. I HATE to do floors and unload the dishwasher. I used to play a game with Rebekah... I knew she hated to load the dishwasher (and strangely, I don't mind and even enjoy loading it) So, I would say, "do you want to load or unload the dishwasher?" She always chose to unload (which it needed right then so it could be loaded). It worked great until she went away to college... Now, I have to do it all and it really isn't so bad...

5. I look forward to snow a nice heavy snow - no ice... and then spring can come. I only need one snow to do me. Last year I kept waiting for a good snow to play in. All we got was blowing snow and a light dusting. They are predicting snow tomorrow here. I think I'm excited.

6. I have as many Christmas decorations still packed up as I have out. My favorite time of year is Christmas and I love to decorate for it. I love it! I have to be careful when I'm out because I want to buy every decoration, ornament, wreath, dish I see... and, they all are special to me. When I put ornaments on the tree, each one evokes a neat memory or feeling of love and peace and contentment. I seem to relive the moment I got it.

Okay, so that is my randomness... hope it was repetitive and I was able to come up with something that you didn't know about me.

Hope you have a very Merrie Christmas.... I'll be back, hope you will be too!

Best Compliment EVER!

This morning I was at Church and a precious little lady - 88 years old...

...she gave me a big hug and said, "do you know why I love you so much? You're just like an old shoe!"

I take that right proudly... she said, "you FIT! You are comfortable to be around..."

That made my day, my week, my month and my year! That's a keeper!