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!