Happy New Year!!

Wow, soon it will be 2009. I can hardly believe it.

I've had an interesting day today. I am glad for many things today.

So, I hope your 2009 is better than 2008!!!

Be blessed in the year to come!!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation

Yarn

I bought yarn yesterday!

I got some Christmas money and my hubby and I got grandma to come over and watch the little guy and we went shopping and out for dinner.

The colors I bought are new colors. I have never seen them before. And, I bought too much!! But it was a good sale!!!

From the top left the colors are:
Earth
Deco
Saffron
Top right:
Meadow
Hepplewhite
Plum
And the one on top of them all is Candy Apple.

I bought six skeins of each color.

I can't wait to make some of the yarn in to afghans and shawls!!

Visitors

Christmas morning I had my Mother in Law for brunch. Right before we ate she noticed these deer in our back yard.

There were actually about 6 or 7 of them and we watched them for a few minutes out our back door.

My husband got these two pictures. The dogs started barking and the deer walked away.

It was fun to see them and watch them.

Caroling...................

I was reading a friends blog and she mentioned that she would like to go caroling at Christmas time.

She thought her neighbors would slam the door in her face.

Well, I think she should try it next year. I can't sing otherwise it sounds like a great idea!!

When I was young, our neighbors used to go caroling throughout the whole neigborhood and it was a treat to see and hear them each year!

Sunday Song

Chris Tomlin - Enough


All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

You are my supply
My breath of life
And still more awesome than I know
You're the coming King
You are everything
And still more awesome than I know

All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

You're my sacrifice
Of greatest price
And still more awesome than I know
You're the coming King
You are everything
And still more awesome than I know

More than all I want
More than all I need
You are more than enough for me
More than all I know
More than all I can say
You are more than enough for me

Twelve Days of Christmas

I thought this was interesting. I hope you do too.

The twelve days of Christmas:

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Malachi 3:10
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room
enough to receive it.

Merry Christmas!!

Some say the Star that was in the sky when Jesus was born was three planets in close proximity. The bible also does not say that the three wisemen were at Jesus birth, it just says they visited him.

Today is the day that most Christians celebrate Jesus birth, but we all know He wasn't born on December 25. That's ok. We still celebrate His birth.

We have no tree and we don't decorate our house, though I would love a cross or huge lighted star to hang on the house for passersby to see. I do send out Christmas cards because I love to send cards. And we give modest gifts to the children and young adults in the family. We don't have piles of gifts anywhere.

And we donate to Toys for Tots and some years sponsor a family.

I usually bake or make some food item for my brothers, my mother in law, mom and a neighbor .

And the nieces and nephews liked their crocheted hats!! I just have two hats I need to modify so it worked out well!

This time of year can be stressful and I pray you all have a peaceful celebration this year!!

Luke 2:8-14
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “ Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Thankful Thursday

Today Iris asked us to reflect upon memories of Christmas past. I have several I can think of:
*We always had a casual dinner on Christmas eve. Then we played Rummy with pennies for a while, then we opened gifts.
*The decorations in the old boxes.
*The gold angel ornaments
*Being young and carefree
*Each year my Grandma gave us a five dollar bill. I think she got them from the bank. One year it was in a can that we had to open then we used the can as a pencil holder!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke 2:11
For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

A visitor

This is a Red Bellied Woodpecker.

It has been visiting the suet feeder outside our dining room window.

It's not a very clear picture but you can google and find a clear picture.

My husband and I are birdwatchers and this is a new bird that we have seen. Though we have had a Pileated and Downy Woodpeckers visiting us before and there is a woodpecker that likes to peck at our log house!!

Sunday song

My little guy sang this at church this morning for the Christmas Program. It is so cute seeing the little ones in a Christmas program.

And, daddy got him singing it last night on video in his jammies!!

Away in a Manger

Away in a manger,
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head

The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing
The poor Baby wakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes

I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side,
'Til morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray

Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to heaven
To live with Thee there

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke 1:37
For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Today in History....

December 18


Mayflower passengers come ashore at Plymouth Harbor

On December 18, 1620, passengers on the British ship Mayflower come ashore at modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, to begin their new settlement, Plymouth Colony.

The famous Mayflower story began in 1606, when a group of reform-minded Puritans in Nottinghamshire, England, founded their own church, separate from the state-sanctioned Church of England. Accused of treason, they were forced to leave the country and settle in the more tolerant Netherlands. After 12 years of struggling to adapt and make a decent living, the group sought financial backing from some London merchants to set up a colony in America. On September 6, 1620, 102 passengers--dubbed Pilgrims by William Bradford, a passenger who would become the first governor of Plymouth Colony--crowded on the Mayflower to begin the long, hard journey to a new life in the New World.

On November 11, 1620, the Mayflower anchored at what is now Provincetown Harbor, Cape Cod. Before going ashore, 41 male passengers--heads of families, single men and three male servants--signed the famous Mayflower Compact, agreeing to submit to a government chosen by common consent and to obey all laws made for the good of the colony. Over the next month, several small scouting groups were sent ashore to collect firewood and scout out a good place to build a settlement. Around December 10, one of these groups found a harbor they liked on the western side of Cape Cod Bay. They returned to the Mayflower to tell the other passengers, but bad weather prevented them reaching the harbor until December 16. Two days later, the first group of Pilgrims went ashore.
After exploring the region, the settlers chose a cleared area previously occupied by members of a local Native American tribe, the Wampanoag. The tribe had abandoned the village several years earlier, after an outbreak of European disease. That winter of 1620-21 was brutal, as the Pilgrims struggled to build their settlement, find food and ward off sickness. By spring, 50 of the original 102 Mayflower passengers were dead. The remaining settlers made contact with returning members of the Wampanoag tribe and in March they signed a peace treaty with a tribal chief, Massasoit. Aided by the Wampanoag, especially the English-speaking Squanto, the Pilgrims were able to plant crops--especially corn and beans--that were vital to their survival. The Mayflower and its crew left Plymouth to return to England on April 5, 1621.

Over the next several decades, more and more settlers made the trek across the Atlantic to Plymouth, which gradually grew into a prosperous shipbuilding and fishing center. In 1691, Plymouth was incorporated into the new Massachusetts Bay Association, ending its history as an independent colony.

*1865 Slavery ended in the United States as the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was declared in effect.
Amendment XIII

(The proposed amendment was sent to the states Feb. 1, 1865, by the Thirty-eighth Congress. It was ratified Dec. 6, 1865.)
Section 1

[Slavery prohibited.]

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

*1787 New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

Thankful Thursday

I am really late today with my TT post. My husband is home and throwing me off my schedule!!

Today I am thankful for:
* husbands knee healing well
* my little guy
* baking
* snow--my little guy loves the snow
* for my freedom

Joshua 23:6
Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left

Mark 2:17
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Sooner or later it was bound to happen....

My husband and I are older parents of the little guy. I had the daughter when I was younger. People often think that our daughter is the little guys mom when we are all out together.

I am older by four years than my husband. I have gray hair that I color so it isn't gray and my hubby has gray hair that he doesn't color.

The little guy calls daddy "papa" or if you watch Oobi, "papu". Most people think he is calling daddy, papa = grandpa.

Today my husband had some knee surgery and after I picked up the little guy from school, we went to see papa. Daddy did well with the surgery and we were all hanging out just waiting for him to become un numb.

The nurse came in and and the little guy called daddy papa, asking papa to hand him something. The nurse thought he was asking her and said, "oh, grandpa can get that for you."

I immediately corrected her and told her that we were older parents. It was very briefly an awkward moment but over all not too bad.

I know it will happen again in the future but I don't care. We are blessed to have this little guy in our lives!!

Here are the last two hats I am making right now!!!

They are both made with Red Heart yarn again.

The white one is a baby hat.

Sunday Song

Shouts of Joy

Shouts of joy
And victory resound in the tents
Of the righteous of the Lord

The Lord's right hand
Has done mighty things for us
The Lord's right hand is lifted high
The Lord's right hand
Has done mighty things for us
The Lord's right hand
Reigns on high
The Lord's right hand
Reigns on high

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalm 118:15-18
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation
Is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the LORD.
18 The LORD has chastened me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.

Three years ago............

Three years ago on this day I quit smoking forever.

I am so glad that I did. I feel so much better.

For my Dad, Aunt And Grandma...

I thought of you with Love today:

I thought of you with love today but that is nothing new.
I thought about you yesterday and days before that too.

I think of you in silence I often speak your name
All I have are memories and your picture in a frame.

Your memory is my keepsake with which I'll never part
God has you in His keeping I have you in my heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I miss each one of these people that touched my life.

My dad, because he was my dad and gave me a good life growing up.

My sweet Grandma because she was always there for me.

My dear aunt because she understood!

I miss each of these people daily and think of them often. It brings back good memories.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 John 1:6
And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday again. Another week gone by.

Today I am thankful for:

*feeling well
*my little guy, who kisses me on my forehead when I am not feeling well
*my husband and his stable job
*the time of year
*having more than enough
*SNOW!!! My little guy absolutely loves the snow and to go sliding down the hill in our back yard!
*God's grace and mercy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 John 1:6
And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

Proverbs 8:32
Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.

More hats

Three more done. I only have one left to make!! YAY!

The blue one is for my nephew who is almost three, I hope it fits.

These hats are all made with Red Heart yarn. All the other ones have been made with Red Heart as well.

Christmas Invitation

You are cordially invited to

A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!!

Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ

Date: Every day. Traditionally, December 25
but He's always around, so the date is flexible...

Time: Whenever you're ready.
(Please don't be late, though, or you'll miss out on all the fun!)

Place: In your heart.... He'll meet you there.
(You'll hear Him knock.)

Attire: Come as you are... grubbies are okay.
He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about
new white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the last.

Tickets: Admission is free. He's
already paid for everyone...
(He says you wouldn't have been
able to afford it anyway...
it cost Him everything He had. But
you do need to accept the ticket!!

Refreshments: New wine, bread, and a
far-out drink He calls "Living Water,"
followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!

Gift Suggestions: ; Your life. He's one of those
people who already has everything else.
(He's very generous in return though.
Just wait until you see what He has for you!)

Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth,
Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness,
Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power,
Eternity in Paradise, Contentment, and much more!
(All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.)

R.S.V.P. Very Important!
He must know ahead so He can
reserve a spot for you at the table.
Also, He's keeping a list of His friends for future
reference. He calls it the "Lamb's Book of Life."

Party being given by His Kids (that's us!!)!
Hope to see you there! For those of you whom I will
see at the party, share this with someone today!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Christmas songs..

Long ago I never really paid much attention to the words of Christmas songs.
I always had favorite ones. Lately I have really been enjoying the songs and have paid more attention to them.
This is one of my favorites.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing
“Hark the herald angels sing” Christmas Carol was written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley founder of the Methodist church, in 1739. A sombre man, he requested slow and solemn music for his lyrics and thus “Hark the herald angels sing” was sung to a different tune initially. Over a hundred years later Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) composed a cantata in 1840 to commemorate Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press. English musician William H. Cummings adapted Mendelssohn’s music to fit the lyrics of “Hark the herald angels sing” already written by Wesley.

Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled
Joyful, all ye nations, rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King

Christ, by highest heaven adored
Christ, the everlasting Lord
Late in time behold him come
Offspring of the Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the God head see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel

Mild he lays his glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Risen with healing in his wings
Light and life to all he brings
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness
Hail, the Heaven born Prince of Peace
Hail the Heaven born Prince of Peace
Hail the Son of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings
Risen with healing in His wings
Mild He lay His glory by
Born that man no more may die

Come Desire of nations come
Fix in us thy humble home
Rise, the woman's conquering seed
Bruise in us the serpent's head
Adam's likeness now efface
Stamp thine image in its place
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Isaiah 40:11
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Hats

Three more hats.

After I got the sizing right I had to start over. So I actually have lots of hats!!

These ones are for my Sister in law, and two nieces.

Just four hats left to make and I will be done with them for my nieces and nephews.

I might try slippers next!!

Sunday Song

Aaron Shust
Stillness (Speak To Me)

I come to You, oh God, in the stillness of my heart
I need Your healing and Your voice in the stillness of my heart
Speak to me and show me who You are
Rescue me with Your unfailing love and mercy
Speak to me and show me who You are
Hold me tightly in Your arms and never let me go
I hear you calling out my name in the stillness of my heart
Your grace is given me again, now I open my heart
I remember singing praises to Your name every day with all my might
How I long to sing to You again

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalm 53:2
God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Thankful Thursday

Another Thursday is here. It's been an uneventful week. I am thankful for that!

* my husband getting off work early this week
* for Wii bowling. We are having a lot of fun with bowling, golf and baseball so far
* for my little guy doing so well in school
* my mom's continued good health and healing with her knee rehab
* bright, sunny, cold crisp snowy days. But I know by January I will be weary of the
cold and snow
* for the Christmas season. We are very minimal in our gift giving and I am thankful
for that

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jeremiah 31:25
For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.

December 4

Two years ago at this time I would have given birth to my third child. Instead I had a miscarriage and with it the end to the dream of not having TWO only children.

I am convinced my boy would have been a wonderful big brother. If the way he behaves with other children is any indication. He absolutely adores babies and smaller children.

My daughter is a terrific big sister to the boy. They absolutely adore each other and it is fun to see them together.

So, we go on with life and remember the babies that aren't here with us.

I also lost a baby on the 5th of December many years ago. That was my first loss.

It saddens me to know I could have had more children. I know my lost babies are safe with Jesus too. I know I will see them all again one day.

I know God has a plan, sometimes I just wish I knew WHY!!!

I am thankful for my living children.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James 2:26
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Job 37:5
God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.

December blankets

These are two blankets I made for a friend to give to people she knows having babies.

They are made with Bernat Baby Coordinates Sweet Stripes. It's a self stripe yarn!!
It's the only self stripe yarn I have bought and it was fun to work with.

It's made with a skein of Sunny Stripes and a skein of White together.

One of the blankets is 34 inches long and 37 inches wide. The other one is 36 inches long and 27 inches wide.

December 1st

Wow, I can't believe it it the first of December already.

We had our first significant snow fall yesterday and the boy went sliding down our backyard hill. He loves the snow. He even helped daddy with the driveway!!

We are all done with Christmas shopping, though I have the baking to do. It's still too early to bake though.

My mom is doing well with her rehab. It's not as easy to see her so much this time since the little guy is in school now. But I go when I can. I'll be seeing Mom this weekend and I talk to her every day.

Saturday is the Army - Navy game. We go to the Air Force base and watch it with Naval Academy Alumni. Last year there were a few from my Husbands class that he actually knew! And there are older alumni, which is always fun--they like to talk.

Daughters cat was very ill--she will have an expensive vet bill this time around. He can go home today though.

Had a visitor in my yard this morning. As I was getting ready to bring the boy to school, I went out to start the car and there was a dog in the driveway. A Border Collie!! We had Border Collies and this one looked similar to ours.
Friendly, but skittish. And he knew how to sit. I just couldn't get close enough to see his tags. So I put my card in the mailbox--he wanted to follow me but we live on a busy road and I told him no. He followed me anyway and just at the moment his owner showed up. She drove by and I pointed to the dog--who is Skippy and she pulled into our driveway. Skippy ran from his home about half a mile away and knew he was naughty. He was even skittish with his mama. But she got him into the car. Skippy is 9 months old. I told her if she ever lost him again to come looking and I know where they all live now.

A happy ending to what could have been a tragedy with the busy road. We have lost 2 dogs to the road before we got a fence.

Busy making a couple of baby blankets for a friend that asked if I could make them for her to give to her friends having babies--I'll post pictures when I am done.

Still working on a few hats for the nieces and nephews as well. Need to get them done before the 24th.

I think that is all for today. I am glad the Skippy thing worked out the way it did!!

Have a great day today!!