I'm not blogging much, am I? (I like stating the obvious.)

I have been having fun, fun, fun celebrating Christmas and now the New Year with my fun, fun, fun family.

I pray my readers have been having an awesome end of 2010.

I have put this quote on my posts the last couple of years on New Year's Eve. I better continue the tradition.

Written in 1908 by Minnie Louise Haskins: 

 

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
And he replied, "Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!" 

Judy

John 1: 14&16

And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth. For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift. (Amplified)

Well That Was Fun

I've been working hard on getting things ready around the house, and mostly in the kitchen, for Christmas this weekend and all the kids coming to visit! I am so excited to have them here all together!

I baked a total of five batches of these Butterhorn Rolls:

The recipe came from my grandmother. I first made them when I was in high school for 4H and the county fair. Oh they are soo good.

In my quest to get everything ready for the holidays coming up, I had an appointment to get my hair cut and colored. I haven't been able to, or wanting to, give up the gal that has done my hair for the past nine years, so I still drive the 90 miles back to the town we used to live in. Yes, I know I have a problem.

Yesterday in this State of the not so Great White North, it snowed. Shocking, I know. I think we've had something like 20 inches of snow this month. I checked the appropriate websites for road conditions and decided I would make a go of it. I got about 40 miles away, and the roads became very covered in snow. I was driving about 40 or 45 mph. UGH. I decided I just didn't want to drive the rest of the way like that, so I turned around. Well that was fun...

I called my Stylist, Hairdresser, Hair Lady.... (what the heck do I call her?) The Lady Who Does An Amazing Job At Making Me Not Look My Age. (I like that, but it may be a bit wordy.) Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, I called Deb, and she graciously let me make an appointment for tomorrow when she doesn't typically take appointments on Wednesdays. She's the best! See why I can't give her up? (Oh, no, I just checked the site for road conditions again, and the roads don't look so hot again.) (Shoot.)

Got a call from the son tonight and they are coming tomorrow night! WooHoo!

Merry Christmas to all my Internet Friends!

The One Thing That Remains Unchanged

The last year we lived in Singapore, my husband and I helped teach a 10th grade Sunday school class at the church we went to. Around Christmas time we talked about the Christmas story and what things were in the Bible and what things were tradition. This video reminds me of that discussion. (I will tell you some of those kids were bummed to find out the things that were just tradition!)

The Christmas Story

A Social Network Christmas

 Watch this.

It's Lovely Weather For the Hodgepodge Together With You

I'm joining Joyce@From This Side of the Pond today and answering her fun Wednesday Hodgepodge questions. After you read my wonderfully witty and thoughtful (oh, where is that sarcastic font when I need it?), click on over to Joyce's and read some more!

1. What does it mean to have the 'holiday spirit'?

You know, I have no idea. I have heard it talked about over the years, but not really sure what is meant by it. Maybe when I read the other answers I'll be enlightened. If it means that having the Holiday Spirit is being more kind and loving and giving, why reserve it for the holidays? Just saying.

2. What sits atop your tree (s)? Why?

A star. Because I like it. (How's that for logic?) But really? After 26 years of marriage, I am ready for some new and different decorations. One of these years I'll get out shopping before Christmas and find some new ornaments and a new star for the top. The one I use now is not very fancy and bought because the awesome red star that lit up was too heavy for the fake tree we now use.

3. When was the last time you gave yourself a pat on the back?
Monday night (and still today). I was doing laundry that day and noticed the dryer seemed to take a long time and was damp around the door when I opened it. The second load was even worse. So I started thinking about the possible causes. I wondered about where the outside dryer vent and was it buried in snow?  When Hubby got home from work, we headed outside with a flashlight to look. The vent was not buried in the snow, it is about 10 feet off the ground and had frozen shut! So hubby got a long-handled something out of the garage and reached up and popped it open! And the clothes dried beautifully! He was very proud of my problem solving skills. :)

4. Which of your senses is most sensitive this time of year?

My sense of cold! I went grocery shopping this afternoon and did not take off my coat the whole time. That is quite unusual for me, I typically can't stand to have my coat on for more than 30 seconds when I'm inside. Oh well, I'll thaw out in oh, four or five months.

5. What do you have too much of in your kitchen?

I have too much non-use of my mixer. (How's that for an awkward sentence?) I really miss baking every week for our Bible study group.

6. What do you do for meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Big meal? Breakfast tradition? Open the cookie tins and have at it? 

We don't really have a set tradition. We have always had our family Christmas on different days to accommodate the extended families, so we have done different things over the years. If we plan on opening gifts in the morning, we'll have a nice brunch and later in the day we'll have a special, big meal. The menu varies.This year we are actually having our family Christmas ON CHRISTMAS DAY! I can count on one hand the number of times we have done that.

One tradition we do have is we DO NOT wash the dishes before we open gifts. I'll put the food away, but the dishes wait. When I was growing up, my mom insisted the dishes be all cleaned up BEFORE we could open gifts. I remember well that sometimes it would be my day to wash dishes and my siblings would yell at me to hurry. You'd think they would pitch in and help? Nope. My mom still wants the dishes done before the gift exchange. These days, the men are the ones usually cleaning up.

7. What is the best thing about winter?

When it's over. Seriously. When we had a huge snow storm here the beginning of November, a friend who lives farther south asked a few days later if the snow was melted yet. Um. No. Not until April.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I might as well post a random video. I think I've done that on most of these hodgepodge posts. This one has a Christmas theme. (and for you Caleb...)

House Pictures -- 4

These are the last of the house pictures. This post is pictures of the basement rooms. (Except for my sewing room and my hubby's shop. Those rooms aren't finished yet.)

Our exercise room. 

The Guest Bath in the basement.

The Guest Bedroom.

Family Room. I really like the windows and the light that comes from them. The room feels very cozy to me. We bought the piece under the TV in Singapore. I really love it. The long skinny thing in the wall? A fishing basket from Indonesia.

The roll top desk is from Malaysia.

This bookshelf is full of mostly children's books. We loved reading to our kids when they were little and there were just too many books we couldn't part with.

And there you have it. This now concludes the photo tour of our new house.

The Latest From the Not-So-Great White North

It's been quite a winter already up here in the North Country.
This was a month ago.

And now we are on storm number, oh I don't know, 568? And it's only December?

I see a loooong winter ahead.

Here's a shot of what came through here yesterday:

There's a road under that snow.

It took the snowplow driver 5 tries to ram his way through that drift.

Needless to say, we were snowed in. The snow plows were pulled off the highways Saturday because of the 30-40mph winds and blowing snow.

Here's my hubby using our way-to-often-used snow blower to clear off the driveway.

Have I mentioned that I have never (kinda on purpose) never learned how to use this? Yes. I am smart.

Yesterday we hunkered down in the house. Hubby worked on building some shelves for his shop and I took a nice warm bath and did some baking.


I made Swiss Cheese Mustard Bread (the rectangle loaves) and Italian Bread. Yum. Yum. Yum. I wish I would have thought about more baking when I was at the grocery store on Friday and I would have bought more ingredients.

Before the storm came at its strongest, we went to a concert Friday night. We bought season tickets for the Opera House (just a big old theater) in town. We were highly skeptical of Friday's performance because it was a Country Music performer. The hubby and I? NOT fans of country. We promised each other that if our ears were hurting by intermission, we'd leave.

Well, we actually, sort-of, kind-of liked it. Despite the fact that we only sorta recognized one song in the whole first half of the concert. The second half was Christmas music.

Hoping I get out and about tomorrow, but with a low of -15 tonight and a high of 7 tomorrow, maybe staying inside in the warmth sounds better....

House Pictures -- 3

**Before we get on with the next round of pictures...Our daughter-in-law was released from the hospital Friday morning! The doctor is unsure what caused her severe vomiting. At first they thought it was sepsis (a potentially serious blood infection), but they now wonder if she had a severe case of food poisoning. What ever it was, we are so thankful for her healing.**

Our Master Bedroom.

The Master Bath. Oh how I love that tub!

I discovered Red Letter Words through another blog that's called Nesting Place (which is a fun design blog). When I was exploring the Red Letter Words website and saw this verse, I knew it would be great in our bedroom. I love to read this verse right before I turn off the light at night and when I wake up in the morning.

An Army in the Flood and Fire

 We got one of those phone calls yesterday evening that makes it hard to be so far from our family. Our son called to say he was heading to the hospital with his wife. She had been vomiting quite severely and they just knew something wasn't right. Turns out she has a not-very-serious (but serious enough to be admitted to the hospital) infection in her blood (sepsis). She's been getting antibiotics and is doing much better. She has an Army praying for her. (I'd appreciate prayers from my Internet friends, too!)

Our son is a music junkie. He says he turned on his iTunes this afternoon to random and this is the first song that played:



(It is basically the 23rd Psalm.)

His comment on his Facebook page was "Random song, huh God?"

God is so awesome in His tender care of His people.

This verse came to mind:

When you pass through the waters,
   I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
   they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
   you will not be burned;
   the flames will not set you ablaze. 

Isaiah 43:2

Hopefully our daughter-in-law will be able to go home tomorrow morning.

Good 'Ole Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Have you ever been on a real sleigh ride? How about the warm weather version - a carriage ride?

No! and No! And I really, really, REALLY want to do BOTH of those!! I have a BIG birthday coming up next month and I have entertained the thought of a carriage ride around Central Park. But, you know, it's January and I think it's likely to be COLD in New York. And, oh how I have dreamed about a sleigh ride in the snow in the mountains. But, we live a looong ways from the mountains and from New York.

2. What's your policy on 'chain mail'...you know, the emails you receive that are often some sort of poem/blessing/good wish that ask you to send it on to 10 or 12 friends? Do you delete without opening, read and trash, read and trash and then worry you won't be blessed/lucky/protected? Do you delete the sender from your contacts or just go ahead and send the love onward?

Most of the time I just delete those types of emails without reading them. Sometimes I glance at them. They are always stupid. Does someone really believe they would be blessed/lucky/protected?

3. Who is your favorite character in any of the Christmas movies and why?

Mary Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life. I just love how she consistently has her heart set on George. LOVE this scene:

4. Share a favorite quote. 

Several years ago, my father-in-law photographed a very old headstone in New England that said "She Done All She Could." I want that as my epitaph.

5. What's your favorite holiday scent?

My mom's Swedish Rye Bread. Mmmm. I think I need to make some.

6. Does the Christmas season stress you out? In what way?

Sometimes. This year I'm feeling a little stressed because I just cannot get my self in the mood to drag out the Christmas decorations. I guess I have a couple more weeks before the kids get here...

7. What's the best thing about your life right now? 

The BEST thing is the fact that Jesus Christ is my Savior. The next best is being able to live with my Best Friend, my hubby. I'd truly be lost without either of those.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My grandma used to use Dippity-Do on my hair when I was little. She would put my hair in pigtails and then use Dippity-Do to plaster the little hairs down. I remember sitting in church with her and picking at the stiff hairs. Oh, the memories.

(How's that for random?)

House Pictures -- 2

Time for some more photos of our new house. Here's a shot from the Dining Room into the Kitchen. Notice the wonderful Cabinet (under the calendar) that adds a little more class than the mixer box did...

The sign above the window over the sink says: Rejoice in His Salvation. Love it. Through the french doors is the Four Season Porch. We hang out there a lot. I love all the light/sunshine. (Well when there is sun the in winter in the Upper Midwest.)

A view from the Four Season Porch. The doorway on the left leads to the Laundry/Mudroom.

We really like having this space for laundry and for coming in from the garage and taking off our shoes and hanging up the coats. Oh, and can I say I LOVE our new washer and dryer? After going the last 6 weeks in our old house without a working washing machine, to have these is such a blessing

Looking into the house from the back door.

Our Thanksgiving Vacation

I want to post a few shots from where Hubby and I went for the Thanksgiving weekend. We loved the warmer weather and how it didn't really seem like winter. (Right now it's 15 degrees and we're waiting for a snowstorm.)

Here's the view from our bedroom.

We rented a unit in this house-looking building.

We had a very enjoyable, relaxing weekend. We loved the weather. No coats needed.