And the Oscar goes to.......

Cherished memories! We spent all our Christmases in Amery as the kids were growing up. We'd usually go for about 4 days of good family fun, good food, and making of memories. Almost every year all the cousins would entertain us in some manner. And this was the Christmas story acted out by Megan and Nicki as the angels,Tessa and Tyler as the shepherds, Matt as Joseph, Tara as Mary, and the baby that year was Trevor so, naturally, he was baby Jesus. It appears Mary was feeding him red licorice to keep him quiet. Life is good now, but sometimes I long for the "good ol' days".

I'm excited that I am going to mentor a young lady who goes to the university. Can't wait to meet her and start the adventure of walking side by side thru life. It's always fun to see what God has purposed and what He will accomplish if we are obedient!

Oh Christmas Tree

I finally put up a nice little fake tree. Still needs a tree skirt and some presents under it. Last night we went to the church Christmas celebration which was wonderful with cozy atmosphere, great food, music to make the heart sing, and a table full of nice people. We've been going to Bethany since before Tessa was born and whenever I'm at church I look around and find great comfort in seeing people I'm familiar with and have known for a long time--and some not so long. The bond in the body of Christ is joyful and comforting! I love the part of the body I belong to!

Name that item

I have moments when I know things I didn't consciously know I knew. The memory bank will spit forth information and I'll think, "Wow, I didn't know I knew that!" When I stopped at a garage sale one day, I walked right to this little metal cup thing and as I was paying for it, the lady selling it asked if I knew what it was. I replied of course, it's a cup for mixing flour and water to make gravy. I got in the van and wondered how I knew that. Now I think my mom must have had one for making gravy. I used it to make gravy and it worked great. And it's not huge like the Tupperware thing for that purpose.

Last minute

On Friday I went to a friend's house for ideas for a Christmas ornament because I had an ornament exchange party to go to on Monday night. Here it is. Lots of hand sewing, but I got it done--12 of them!
I got another idea so bought the necessary stuff and will make those this week to tuck away for next year. How unlike me that will be--actually having something done way ahead of time. The same friend just happened to have a dessert recipe for me too--Thanks Val!

Jami's gift

Tyler got Jami a new puppy for Christmas. Her name is Pucca and she is an awfully cute, tiny ball of fluff! Jami's been wanting a little dog for a long time and she's been hinting to Tyler......Looks like he got the hint--what a nice guy!

Sister Grandma

One of the cutest and most pleasant guests at Thanksgiving in Amery was Isaac. He is son of Tara who is daughter to my sister, Becky. He is so mellow and happy. Had a very enjoyable Thanksgiving. The food was great and fun to just be with family. Becky and I got in a few games of Upwords. We have an ongoing tournament that has been going on for years. When one of us dies, a winner will be declared. We also played Loaded Questions which is always good for laughs. Nephew Christopher played with us and was quite a hoot. In a few weeks we can go back and do it again!

Give it a hand

It's been my hand all my life. Pretty amazing when I think of all this hand has done in 56 years. It's had painted nails almost non-stop for 42 years. It loved doing schoolwork. It hated washing dishes. It loved to sew and still does. It's been held by John for 37 years--it's held by John as we pray together. It's raised 4 kids--feeding, nuturing, teaching, spanking, tickling, comforting. It is scarred from raising rabbits and scraping it on the cages. It held the hand of my daughter as we snorkeled together in the Carribean. It wears a ring bought on the cruise trip Tessa and I took. It tells a story of a blessed life!