I'll See You All in the New Year....

For those who follow my blog, you have heard me mention I will be leaving today for TX to spend the remainder of the Holiday Season with my Brother, Mike and his family!!

I am very excited for this trip, I so love spending the time with my brother and his family! His three youngest of six are at the age you just never know whats going to happen. All good, of course!

I received a TX Message the other day from my 6 Year Old Nephew asking if Aunt K was going to "bring something" for him..?
I wanted to answer "NO, but can I come anyways??" just to be a bit "funny" but did not have the heart to disappointment him and feared he would not see my humor in that answer, so my answer was
"YES"!! Happily So...

I have my goodie bag ready to go...

I have decided to take the kids shopping for their gifts after we arrive in TX, making some sort of an adventure out of it. They will be able to chose several gifts spending a certain amount, then their brother/sister will make the final decision what will be purchased for the other, in private. Gifts will be taken home, wrapped and exchanged later when we do our family gift exchange.
I'll let ya know how that all works out..!

So, after this post I will not be posting for a while. I will have much to blog about I'm sure after my trip..!

I wish for All to have a very Blessed and Safe New Year!!
And I'll be seeing you in 2009
K

Skywatch Friday

For more Skywatch Friday, click on the link....
http://skyley.blogspot.com/

This Picture was taken in the City Of Nago,
by an Active Marine stationed in
Okinawa, Japan

Is that just not the most beautiful Sky you have ever seen...!

It has God's Hands and Presence All Over It..!!

Christmas...Gift Giving

Gift Giving.....

Gift-giving, mainly centered around children, has been an important part of the Christmas celebration since the holiday's rejuvenation in the early 19th century. Stores began to advertise Christmas shopping in 1820, and by the 1840s, newspapers were creating separate sections for holiday advertisements, which often featured images of the newly-popular Santa Claus. In 1841, thousands of children visited a Philadelphia shop to see a life-size Santa Claus model. It was only a matter of time before stores began to attract children, and their parents, with the lure of a peek at a "live" Santa Claus. In the early 1890s, the Salvation Army needed money to pay for the free Christmas meals they provided to needy families. They began dressing up unemployed men in Santa Claus suits and sending them into the streets of New York to solicit donations. Those familiar Salvation Army Santas have been ringing bells on the street corners of American cities ever since.

And least let us not forget the real importance of this day....

The Birth Of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Happy Holidays

Christmas....'Twas The Night Before

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore, an Episcopal minister, wrote a long Christmas poem for his three daughters entitled, "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas." Moore's poem, which he was initially hesitant to publish due to the frivolous nature of its subject, is largely responsible for our modern image of Santa Claus as a "right jolly old elf" with a portly figure and the supernatural ability to ascend a chimney with a mere nod of his head! Although some of Moore's imagery was probably borrowed from other sources, his poem helped to popularize Christmas Eve – Santa Claus waiting for the children to get to sleep the now-familiar idea of a Santa Claus who flew from house to house on Christmas Eve – in "a miniature sleigh" led by eight flying reindeer, whom he also named – leaving presents for deserving children. "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas," created a new and immediately popular American icon. In 1881, political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore's poem to create the first likeness that matches our modern image of Santa Claus. His cartoon, which appeared in Harper's Weekly, depicted Santa as a rotund, cheerful man with a full, white beard, holding a sack laden with toys for lucky children. It is Nast who gave Santa his bright red suit trimmed with white fur, North Pole workshop, elves, and his wife, Mrs. Claus.

Merry Christmas to All my visitors and Friends
K

Christmas...Sinter Klaas Comes To New York

Sinter Klaas, Sint Nikolass, Saint Nicholas or is it Santa Claus...?

Comes To New York

St. Nicholas made his first appearance into American popular culture towards the end of the 18th century. In December 1773, and again in 1774, a New York newspaper reported that groups of Dutch families had gathered to honor the anniversary of his death.

The name Santa Claus evolved from Nick's Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas (Dutch for Saint Nicholas). In 1804, John Pintard, a member of the New York Historical Society, distributed woodcuts of St. Nicholas at the society's annual meeting. The background of the engraving contains now-familiar Santa images including stockings filled with toys and fruit hung over a fireplace. In 1809, Washington Irving helped to popularize the Sinter Klaas stories when he referred to St. Nicholas as the patron saint of New York in his book, The History of New York. As his prominence grew, Sinter Klaas was described as everything from a "rascal" with a blue three-cornered hat, red waistcoat, and yellow stockings to a man wearing a broad-brimmed hat and a "huge pair of Flemish trunk hose."

Check Back Tomorrow For:

Gift Giving

Christmas

The Legend Of Santa Claus

The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick. One of the best known of the St. Nicholas stories is that he saved three poor sisters from being sold into slavery or prostitution by their father by providing them with a dowry so that they could be married. Over the course of many years, Nicholas's popularity spread and he became known as the protector of children and sailors. His feast day is celebrated on the anniversary of his death, December 6. This was traditionally considered a lucky day to make large purchases or to get married. By the Renaissance, St. Nicholas was the most popular saint in Europe. Even after the Protestant Reformation, when the veneration of saints began to be discouraged, St. Nicholas maintained a positive reputation, especially in Holland.

Check back tomorrow for:

St. Nicholas Comes to New York

Created Treasures from Years Past.....

Oh...I so love creating and making Gifts for others, especially during the Holidays.

When I was Office Manager for a Family Practice, I designed this Sweat Shirt for the Staff to be given to each for their Holiday Gift of that year.

I took an Old X-Ray Film and designed the snow man, stenciled my design in the center of the shirt. I applied the face with paint and black marker, the hat and scarf are hand knitted and sewn on as are the buttons down the middle...
The snow Flakes are from a stencil I remember I had laying around...

This was one project I really enjoyed creating and giving, and I must say they were a Big hit...

The staff wore them our last day of work before the Holiday Break for Christmas and most continued to wear them through out the winter season. I made exceptions, as we had a dress code which did not allow Sweat Shirts.

I came across mine while I was cleaning out a closet yesterday..
Such Great Memories from years Past...!

Hope All had a enjoyable Last Weekend of shopping before Christmas....

K

Thru The White and Drifted.........ICE, OH!!!

There are not many things I hate, but ICE is ONE of them!!!
We had a horrible ice storm in my area starting early Friday morning, lasting almost the entire day.
It makes for a very cumbersome and stressful day, especially if your one of the Unlucky ones who has to venture out in it.

We had several accidents in my area yesterday....
One being a very good friend, Paula.
She is OK, but her vehicle is totaled after hitting an embankment.

Notice how my Oak Tree is weighted down from the ice. I am very fearful I will lose a branch or two. Unfortunately, I have the type of Oak that does not lose it's leaves until the wild winds set in some time in March....

The fire place was stocked with wood and I have plenty of candles through out house, so I knew we would be fine.

I certainly can do without all this "ICE" stuff...!!

Stay warm and be safe Holiday Shopping this weekend
K

George Washington Slept Here.......??

http://www.brickervillehouseshops.com/history.html

This Historical Restaurant is located in Brickerville, between my Home Town of Lititz and my current home in Myerstown, PA

The Old Beautiful Building dating back to 1753 sits at the corner of a very busy intersection where two State Roads connect.
Routes 322 East/West and 501 North/South

This originally was a Tavern and Stage Coach stop, with much speculation that Mr. George Washington himself stayed here on one of his many travels from Philadelphia to Washington, DC.

I remember this being a Gas Station at one time. After several years of no operation, it was purchased and put back into operation as a Restaurant with Specialty Shops on the premises creating a Court Yard of Fine and Unique Treasures.
A few of the shops I enjoy browsing through....

http://www.brickervillehouseshops.com/shops/calkins.html
http://www.wertzcandies.com/
http://www.brickervillehouseshops.com/ANTIQUEbarn/antiquebarn.html
http://www.brickervillehouseshops.com/shops/countryclths.html



The Restaurant was recently sold with some minor changes made. Prior to this recent change in ownership, it served mainly has a Lunch Cafe with the best Salads, homemade soups, Sandwiches so full with meat you could order just a half of a sandwich
and the Best Chocolate Cake with PB Icing....
With the recent renovations, what was once a Gift Shop is now a part of the restaurant with a gorgeous bar and booths for dinning.
The old structure of the original building remains the same. The Floor is the original old wood flooring, as are the walls and the windows with the deep windowsills...

My husband and I recently had Breakfast and Dinner in this Historical Building.
I am happy to report the food is Excellent...
It now serves a full menu of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
The selections range from a Breakfast Sandwich to a Full Hungry Mans meal for Breakfast, Soup and Salad to a full entree for Lunch and for Dinner your choice can also be a Soup and Salad, a Hot/Cold Sandwich to a delicious Seafood or Greek Entree.
The area we had dined in for Dinner, is an open area to the outside walls from the original main part of the building, enclosed with huge glass windows over looking the Court Yard of Specialty shops....

The pictures are taken from our table looking into the original area of the building.
I loved the decor of this door frame.
The piece above the door is an old bed board turned upside down...
It was so Primitive and just so creative. In my excited voice as I was Ewwing and Awwing, I got the look of, NO we are NOT doing that in our home..!!

I love Old Historical Eateries such as this and it's even more pleasurable when the location is so close to home....

Happy Friday and Get Ya some Good Eats...!

WAIT.....WHERE'S THE CHOCOLATE??

The Holiday shopping is not complete until I make my annual trip to
my Home Town of Lititz, PA.....
http://www.lititzpa.com/

Lititz is home to many favorite attractions, and that's for another day and blog. Today is all about......Chocolate!!

In Lititz we have "The Wilbur Chocolate Factory"

Home of the Wilbur Bud

A Wilbur Bud is sorta, kinda almost like a Hershey Kiss.....
But oh so much better tasting!!!

The Chocolate consistency is that good rich chocolate taste in Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate.
I prefer the Dark Chocolate. It has a taste all it's own compared to other well known chocolates.

My Christmas gift to my extended family in Texas has always been a special delivery package of Wilbur Buds.
Almost always when I make a trip to Texas, you can bet there will be Wilbur Buds among the packing. This past Spring, my husband and I made plans with my brother and his family to vacation in Galveston, TX. During baggage check, one bag was over weight...You guessed it, the Candy!! What a relief to find out it was not due to my clothing....
I always pack extra carry on/fold up leather bags with me, so my husband pulled one out and placed the candy in the carry on bag and off we went....with 12 pounds of Candy in tow!!

Today is my shopping trip to Wilbur Chocolate Company

I hope you enjoyed this little bit of history from Pennsylvania. I so enjoy sharing my Home Town with you...!

Happy Day
K

The Stockings Were Hung By The Chimey With Care.....St Nicolas would soon be there??

Here they are..!!

The Handmade Christmas Stockings....

The picture shown was taken at the home of my Oldest Brother, Mike and his wife Trina.
They have six children ranging between ages 25 all the way down to 20 months....
My Sister In Law was so sweet for providing this picture for me...!

As I have mentioned in other posts, I did not decorate my home this year with all my usual Christmas Decor because of traveling to TX during the Holiday Season.

My Mother started this Family Tradition many years ago. As soon as a wedding or new birth was welcomed into our family, her first priority was a
Christmas Stocking!

Notice how some stockings are more "stretched" than others....!!??
My mother is to blame!!
She would fill those stockings so dang full of "stuff" you wondered how she got it all in there. But No one ever complained, we waited even as an adult with anticipation to see what "goodies" filled our Stocking.
My Mother LOVED Christmas, always on the search for those personal gifts for each of her children and Grandchildren that defined our own personality and likes....

If one is given a stocking as a Gift, your Friendship is thought to be An Honor and very special to the person in my Family who chose to give....And with that in mind, you have to pass the question "Would Mother Approve??" And that was no easy task, mind you..!!
Mother was friends with lots and many different people, she was liked and loved by almost everyone and anyone who knew her, but she did have her own set rules and guidelines when it came to the
Christmas Stocking....!

My oldest Niece is planning her wedding for next March. Soon time to get those knitting needles out. And, Yes "Granny" would approve!!

BTW...Happy Birthday, Nicki!!

Less is Good....

My decorations on display this year for Christmas are those that have been given to me or I have made...

The bells shown are the ones I made for our Church Christmas party. One was placed at each place setting. The Prim Candy Canes I made from a pattern I found on a Prim Blog Site. The Green branch displaying the bells and Candy Canes was a find at the Salvation Army. I was in search of a canning basket and found two of these branches in a package for less than a dollar. They appeared to be in good condition so I purchased them and actually used the one branch to make the ornament you can see on the top of the branch in the picture, its a bit small to see, but I attached two small bells in the middle of two small pieces of the branch, attached them together and topped off with a bow.....

I decided to not hull all the boxes out of the basement and adorn my home with all the beautiful and festive decor I have collected and made over the past twenty years. This decision was solely made due to the fact immediately after Christmas day, my husband and I will be leaving Pennsylvania for Texas until the 3rd of January.....

The one decoration I do miss are the Family Handmade Christmas Stockings hanging from my mantel. But in order to do it right, I would have to pull out ALL the decorations and dress up the Mantel as it should be displayed this time of year...!

The Christmas Stockings I mention are a Family Tradition my mother started many years ago, learning how to knit them and continuing the tradition has been one of the many family ties my brothers, along with their children with my family have been able to preserve and pass on this tradition started by our Mother....

I will ask my brothers to take pictures of their stockings hanging, and post them to show how beautiful and special the stockings are...

As Christmas Day approaches closer with each passing day, I hope you and your family are finding Love and Joy during this Very Special time of year....
And Remembering the Reason For The Season..!

God Bless You All and Your Families
K

Chirstimas Party was a Success.....

This past Friday was my Church Christmas Party, Hosanna! Christian Fellowship...
http://www.hosannacf.org/hosanna/site/default.asp
I have taken on the role as "Social Planner" about a year ago....with that being said, I was responsible for planning, finding a establishment and organizing the event. I must say, it all came together very nicely and I was very pleased with the outcome.

The picture shown is one of the Table Center Pieces I spruced up with some Gold Glitter along with a Gold Metallic Bell Accented with Gold Ribbon at each place setting...
This years attendance was the highest in numbers we have had thus far for our Annual Christmas Party. I was a bit fearful we would not have a great turn out due to the economic state, but my fears were put to rest when the final count was well over my expectations...!!!

The event was held this year at a Local Fire Hall....yes, we downsized a bit one may say. We have in the past had our parties at the Best of the Best, costs being way over $20.00 per person, only to have the service crappy, food cold and not enough food to serve everyone for the first round with a Buffet style dinner. Last year's party was way over the top in price and very disappointing. So when it was time for planning this year's big event of the Season, It was suggested to me if I could find a hall that caters or a hall that may serve a "family style" banquet. I went on the hunt having several places in mind that were local and large enough to accommodate. Of course you always run into the high cost of rental and No entertainment permitted(which totally shocked me) I was very lucky in my find at a Local Hall that is very popular and serves, in my opinion, some of the Best Pennsylvania Dutch Food in the state!

Our Menu

Fruit Cocktail
Lettuce with Hot Bacon Dressing
Ham
Turkey
Potato Filling
Gravy
Green Beans
Sweet Corn
Rolls
Shoofly Pie
Apple Pie
Chocolate Cake with PB Icing
White Cake with Chocolate Whipped Icing
Coffee and Tea
This was an all you can eat family style dinner. You eat as much as you want and the food is served to you at your table all the while the dishes being refilled as they empty.... I can assure you, NO one went home hungry!

We are also very fortunate to have an Entertainer in our Congregation, Chris Poje, who donates his time and talents every year.
http://www.itsshowtimedj.com

Chris makes sure we all have a blast, getting everyone involved in the fun and dancing...

Before the evening came to an end, I was approached by many who very much enjoyed this year's event and I was asked to reserve a date at this year's location for Next Year's Party....

And I was very pleased to hear the "chatter" at church this morning how "great" the party was this year...!!

Great Food and Good times, All was a success!!

My Dear Aunt Sally........

I recently received this Family Picture from Myrtle Beach, SC of my Dear Aunt Sally, Uncle Jim, my cousin's, Todd and Shane, Todd's wife, Shannon and Granddaughter, Peyton....

My Aunt and Uncle Retired to Myrtle Beach several years ago, leaving Pennsylvania behind, but not forgotten..
Their son's are both Teachers who followed them South...And they thought they were getting away from it ALL...??!!

This is a very special Holiday for my Dear Aunt Sally. She was diagnosed two years ago with Lymphoma. She had a horrific past two years of powerful Chemo Therapy treatments, causing many side effects to the point of total debilitation...

With a very strong will to live, she over came the illness that once had invaded her body and reduced her to 94 pounds with little or no strength to lift her head from a pillow...

She is currently free of the toxic illness, has gained most of her weight back, resumed her "exerzise" class, has that spark again in her eyes, a chipper voice along with her very boisterous laughter, All which have always defined
that one and Only,
Dear Aunt Sally..

Happy Holidays and A Blessed New Year
To My
Dear Aunt Sally, Uncle Jim and Family

You Can't Catch Me....

An I had but one penny in the world, thou should'st have it to buy ginger-bread.
" William Shakespeare, Love's Labours Lost

I found a site that is very popular this time of year,
The Gingerbread Construction Company
http://www.gingerbreadusa.com/

My Niece and Nephews in Texas have a little surprise coming their way....!

Hopefully the little visitor won't run as fast as he can.......

What's Christmas with out the Gingerbread Man..?


Gingerbread Man Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed brown sugar

Directions: Mix 2 cups of the flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Mix the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour with the ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. In a 1 quart, wide mouth canning jar, layer the ingredients starting with the flour and baking powder mixture, then the brown sugar, and finally the flour and spice mixture. Pack firmly between layers. Attach a card to the jar with the following directions: Gingerbread Cookies 1. Empty contents of jar into a large mixing bowl. Stir to blend together. Mix in 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine, 3/4 cup molasses, and 1 slightly beaten egg. Dough will be very stiff, so you may need to use your hands. Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 3. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Place cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. 4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven. Decorate as desired.

Gingerbread has been baked in Europe for centuries. In some places, it was a soft, delicately spiced cake; in others, a crisp, flat cookie, and in others, warm, thick, steamy-dark squares of "bread," sometimes served with a pitcher of lemon sauce or whipped cream. It was sometimes light, sometimes dark, sometimes sweet, sometimes spicy, but it was almost always cut into shapes such as men, women, stars or animals, and colorfully decorated or stamped with a mold and dusted with white sugar to make the impression visible.

The term may be imprecise because in Medieval England gingerbread meant simply "preserved ginger" and was a corruption of the Old French gingebras, derived from the Latin name of the spice, Zingebar. It was only in the fifteenth century that the term came to be applied to a kind of cake made with treacle and flavored with ginger.

Ginger was also discovered to have a preservative effect when added to pastries and bread, and this probably led to the development of recipes for ginger cakes, cookies, Australian gingernuts and flavored breads.

The manufacture of gingerbread appears to have spread throughout Western Europe at the end of the eleventh century, possibly introduced by crusaders returning from wars in the Eastern Mediterranean. From its very beginning gingerbread has been a fairground delicacy. Many fairs became known as "gingerbread fairs" and gingerbread items took on the alternative name in England of "fairings" which had the generic meaning of a gift given at, or brought from, a fair. Certain shapes were associated with different seasons: buttons and flowers were found at Easter fairs, and animals and birds were a feature in Autumn. There is also more than one village tradition in England requiring unmarried women to eat gingerbread "husbands" at the fair if they are to stand a good chance of meeting a real husband. Of course, you could always visit Elizabeth Botham & Sons, a family-run craft bakery on the North Yorkshire coast of England, and sample some authentic pastries.

If you lived in London in 1614, your family would have gone to the Bartholomew Fair on August 24. Of the special cakes prepared for holidays and feasts in England, many were gingerbread. If a fair honored a town's patron saint, e.g., St. Bartholomew, the saint's image might have been stamped (and even gilded) into the gingerbread you would buy. If the fair were on a special market day, the cakes would probably be decorated with an edible icing to look like men, animals, valentine hearts or flowers. Sometimes the dough was simply cut into round "snaps."

Gingerbread-making was eventually recognized as a profession in itself. In the seventeenth century, gingerbread bakers had the exclusive right to make it, except at Christmas and Easter. Their street cries could be heard well into the nineteenth century, but in 1951, writer Henry Mayhew sadly recorded that "there are only two men in London who make their own gingerbread nuts for sale in the streets."

Of all the countries in Europe, Germany is the one with the longest and strongest tradition of flat, shaped gingerbreads. At every autumn fair in Germany, and in the surrounding lands where the Germanic influence is strong, there are rows of stalls filled with hundreds of gingerbread hearts, decorated with white and colored icing and tied with ribbons.

Oh What A Joy....

With the Holiday Season in Full Swing...
The Joy of it all is the
Traffic!!

As I plan for our Church Christmas Party for this Friday Night, I found myself having to tweak the gifts I am making for all in attendance...

As I prepare to leave my driveway, my first clue should have been the 5 minute wait I had just to pull out onto the main roadway...

As I approached town, I remembered looking at the clock thinking, wow...this is like 6PM rush hour only to be reminded it was 4pm.
Even though the drive into the City was pleasant and moved at a steady pace, the closer I became to the Mall, the traffic increased considerably...

I mean, there were Frickin' Cars, Trucks, Buses and People EVERY where!!

And lets Not stop at that RED Light, People!!


On my return trip home, the traffic was worse if that's even possible...
And to make things even more unpleasant, and I am all for safety especially when it involves children, those blinking Blue tinted florescent lights on School Buses are enough to make one have a seizure!!

You have cars and people coming at you in every imaginable direction, trying to keep your attention to your surroundings and what others are doing, to have this Blinking Blue Hue in the distance making your eyes blink, roll and yes..I had to close them, to escape the blinding distraction....

Thank Goodness I had stopped for an Ice Coffee on my way to the Mall...
I had something to slurp on to ease the mind and turned up the Christmas Tunes after I got as far away from the Mall as possible....

Happy Shopping...!!!

Homemade Goodies For The Holidays....

Christmas with my Bestest.....

This Beautiful Primitive Christmas Wall Plaque was a
Christmas Gift from my Best Friend, Kathy.

I am so amazed that Kathy and I are so much a like in our thinking....
It's really quite scary sometimes...

This year I made Primitive gifts for my gift giving with friends and family, my list of those who were receiving prim creations included Kathy....

As I opened my gift, Kathy shared when she was out shopping with her Teen Daughter, Amy
they saw this plaque and thought of me...

We had a good laugh after our gift exchange, which comes so easy for us when we are together...

We had not discussed prior to gift exchange the word "Prim"....
Nor Has it come up in a conversation recently!!

Of course, I had no difficulty finding a home on my Wall
for my newest Treasure...!!

Ava Lee

A very dear and long time friend, celebrated her birthday this past Monday...

We have know each other since Kindergarten!
Yes, that's right, for 42 years we have been friends.

We lived very near one another when we were 5 years of age. Jacque moved after Kindergarten into a more rural area, which then meant we no longer would attend the same school...
We did however reconnect in our Middle School years, we spent a lot of time together during those years, then when the boyfriends started and other interests and activities, our time together was less, but she was always considered a very good friend to me...

I remember the day my father passed away, the start of our Senior year in High School, she was right there for me...Only as a good and true friend would be. Something I have never forgotten and hope I never shall...


Jacque is the Mother of Four and recently was blessed with her first grandchild, a beautiful granddaughter, Ava Lee.

I took a picture Jacque had posted of Ava and did some minor adjustments to the background, purchased a frame I felt J would like displaying her beautiful Ava and sent it off for her Birthday...

I received the call on Thursday from J, one of pure excitement and gratitude for giving her such a beautiful gift...

The photos below are Ava and my dear friend, Jacque as a baby...
You certainly can see they are Grandmother and Granddaughter!!





Happy Birthday, Jacque....!!!

Skywatch Friday..click title for more skywatch

I am sure there will be many posts this week showing the
Moon, Jupiter and Venus

Here are my shots from Central Pennsylvania
I am looking to the South at 6:00pm on Monday, December 1, 2008

I was unaware this was taking place
my son Txt me telling me to grab my camera and go out and find the Moon...

The sky was so clear and the vision was spectacular!!!

Back Tracking Turns Productive...

Ever have one of those days you have "stuff" to do and you find one more thing your certain you can accomplish before heading home..?

Well for me, today was one of those days..

Yesterday I went home to Lititz, which is about a 25 minute drive for me. I like the Hallmark Store in Lititz so much better than the one close to my home. They seem to have a bigger variety of items and displayed in a way that is very appealing...I NEVER leave that store empty handed!

I had made several purchases for the holiday season, one being a little trinket for my Best Friend, Kathy for Christmas. The words it spoke and the colors had her name written all over it.
As I was searching the store for gift boxes, the clerk checked out my items and had forgotten to place my Friend's gift in the bag. Later in the evening I discovered the gift was missing, so today was back tracking day...

I started out at Pizza Hut with my Son accompaning me..he had a day off today. Pizza Hut Buffet was one of our Favorite things to do when he was in grade school and Middle school years....Since he as been out of school for 3 years, its not something we do very often... His current job is in sales and since Black Friday he has been working very long days. So today was a much needed day off for him...I hardly see him let alone have a meal with him due to his work schedule so I'll take what ever time I can steal to catch up with him....

I also made out my grocery list for the few items I still needed to start some baking tomorrow. I thought I would also take advantage of the grocery store aside of Hallmark, So I darted into the local grocery store and then Hallmark to pick up my "Gift" that was left behind.

After the Hallmark store, I headed straight for Starbucks...as my Friend Laurie says, I am a "Starbucks Nut"...

Then it was on the road back home. As we were coming up over the Mountian, I asked my son if he would have time to stop by the Verizon Store with me so I could get a new Cell phone. My phone was over three years old and not holding a charge regardless of how new the battery was...so since my son is the technology guru, I welcome his input on new toys in this high tech world...

I am very please with my phone, thankgoodness I had the rollover for my numbers..!!


I must admit, even though I had to do some back tracking today...
It turned out to be a very pleasant and productive day!!

~~I finished out the evening working on a craft with glass ornaments..I'll post on that another day~~

Days of Christmas

Over at my Mid-Western Friend's site
Candy

Is her crafty and special way to count down the
Days Of Christmas
For her two adorable little men.....


She purchased inexpensive colorful stockings, enough for the month of December
Labeled each stocking with a number for the Day it represents
The labels she used are actual labels cut in half and hand wrote each with a
dark marker...
Hung a strand of lights along her banister
Purchased single clips for each stocking and attached each stocking across
the string of lights individually and in chronicle order..



She then filled each stocking with a small gift/treat for each of her sons




We can all agree the look on each of their faces tells the rest of the story....

Little Count Downs....12 Days of Christmas

What are some of your Favorite little FUN things to do with the kids during the Holidays...?

I always enjoyed planning the 12 Days of Christmas when my son was younger....

Last year I sent those little gifts for the 12 Days of Christmas to my Niece, Shayna and Two Nephews, Seth and Little Man, Keegan who live TX ..

They had so much fun waiting for that time of day to open their little surprise...

I only wished I had lived closer to be a part of the excitement, since we had not spent any part of the Holiday Season together...

This year we will be together between Christmas and the New Year!!
So they must wait for their
"Surprises"

Week One of Advent....HOPE

With the start of the Holiday Season, as a Christian.....

I celebrate the start of the season with

Advent






The first Week of Advent is
HOPE


As we journey together we walk in the light of Hope, trusting that God will bring us hope as God has in the past, and we can be assured will do again.

Advent is....

For many centuries, the Church has identified the

beginning of the Christmas celebration with a time of reflection and expectation called Advent.

The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival" and, when used in conjunction with Christmas, reminds us of the anticipation and expectation held over hundreds of years by the people of Israel for their Messiah and promised King.

For centuries before Christ, Hebrew rabbis methodically and passionately taught the Jewish people that Messiah was coming. They taught that the people should be ready to embrace their King when he appeared. They emphasized the need for holy living and obedience to God's law.

This explains how the lowliest shepherds and fishermen of that day were acquainted with the promises of a Messiah. This season of preparation was all by God's design.

Today, we mark Advent in the Christian church with the display of a wreath - its circle reminds us of God Himself, eternal and endlessly merciful. It is evergreen - reminding us of the hope of eternal life.

The four outer candles incorporated into the display represent the time of waiting and preparation for the Messiah during the four Sundays of Advent (thought by many theologians to represent the four hundred years of prophetic silence between Malachi and the angelic visitations of the Gospels).

The light of the candles reminds us of the Light of world, and the prophetic promise of His coming. The white central candle of the Advent wreath, lighted at Christmas, reminds us of the fulfillment of His first Advent and the pure, humble means by which He came.

I Love A Parade....

Today I will be attending our town's Annual Holiday Parade....
I love a parade at any time of the year
But I Especially love a Holiday Parade
There is nothing more exciting at any age
waiting for that first glimpse of
Santa





I have two favorite places I like to sit and watch the parade,
the first choice being near the judges stand and of course the food
If I am unable to find a spot at my first choice
I then move down the street a bit and watch from a friends
business along the parade route on Main Street....
The second location is a bit farther from the Hot Chocolate
and Hot Dogs, but its worth the walk...

After the parade is the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting at the,
oh so Humble Square in Myerstown...

This Christmas Tree is a Huge Evergreen that had been planted many years ago..
It sits patiently from year to year on the corner intersection waiting for the one time of the year all the town folks gather around singing Christmas Carols and it shines so brightly with all the beautiful adorned white lights....

Secret Santa Christmas Swap...

I recently participated in a Christmas Swap hosted by

Jenn at...
http://bittersweetfixinsnprimitives.blogspot.com/

My Secret Santa was Beth from

http://myprimcottage.blogspot.com/

Instead of taking a group picture of my gifts, I placed them throughout my home and took the pictures. I am sad to say, I won't be doing a lot of decorating this year, with a grown Son and my Husband and I leaving for Texas on the 27th of December to spend the remainder of the Holiday with my brother and his family, I have decided to keep the Holiday decorations to a very minimum...

My gifts from Beth above are...

Peace Ornament, Christmas box filled with Holiday Potpourri, The Card behind the Christmas Box, Three Snowmen Ornaments, star candle with greens, Christmas Stocking and the "Honor Christmas In Your Heart" Towel....

Thank You, Beth....!!
Your Gifts are beautiful and I love each one!! They have found their own niche in my Home....

Thanks to Jenn for organizing this Christmas Swap and her hard work that goes into such an event...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS