Happy New Year's Eve

.....IS ALMOST UPON US HERE IN 
THE UNITED STATES.  

 MANY BLESSINGS OF PERFECT
 HEALTH, JOY, HAPPINESS

AND WEALTH IN 2012 !

Funny postcard from 1907

Funny little postcard from 1907

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas weekend.

We did, but it went by too fast.   We saw Mike's

folks and sister Terri Christmas eve and Christmas day and then spent Monday afternoon and had dinner with my Dad and family at Outback Steakhouse.   I'll post a couple of pics of my nieces and nephew soon.  

I just love those kids !

Mike has been sick since Tuesday.   He never gets sick.

Last time he was like this was Xmas 1996!    He is a bit bummed to be sick on his time off.   So far, I am holding my own.  We have been taking lots of different stuff including soup that I added fresh garlic to and boy, it is potent!  Hopefully that  will kill off any germs incubating in me and the rest in Mike!   :o)

A good conscience is a continual Christmas. 

--- Benjamin Franklin

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah to all my friends near and far !
Healthy, Happy and Wealthy wishes in 2012!

CAROL OF THE BELLS

Hark! how the bells
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say,
"Throw cares away."
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
To young and old
Meek and the bold

Ding, dong, ding, dong
That is their song
With joyful ring
All caroling
One seems to hear
Words of good cheer
From ev'rywhere
Filling the air
Oh how they pound,
Raising the sound,
O'er hill and dale,
Telling their tale,
Gaily they ring
While people sing
Songs of good cheer
Christmas is here
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas

On, on they send
On without end
Their joyful tone
To ev'ry home
Ding, dong, ding, dong

From: http://www.lyricsmode.com/

 

Christmas bustle

One of the Christmas trees

in town.  This one is by the

Lakeport Museum.

Hope everyone is getting 

their Holiday preparations

together all in good time.  

I went out about noon and

it is amazing how many more

people are out and about

the couple of days before

Christmas.   Seems like people

come out of the woodwork

for sure.   :o)

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

KEEPING CHRISTMAS

by Henry Van Dyke

It is a good thing to observe Christmas day. The mere marking of times and seasons, when men agree to stop work and make merry together, is a wise and wholesome custom. It helps one to feel the supremacy of the common life over the individual life. It reminds a man to set his own little watch, now and then, by the great clock of humanity which runs on sun time.
~~~~~
But there is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas.
~~~~~
Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world; to put your rights in the background, and your duties in the middle distance, and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground; to see that your fellowmen are just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy; to own that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life; to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness --- are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.
~~~~~
Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and desires of little children; to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough; to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear in their hearts; to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you; to trim you lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you; to make a grave for your ugly thoughts and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open---are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.
~~~~~
Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world---stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death---and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas, and if you can keep it for a day, why not always?
But you can never keep it alone

Make me a child again for tonight.

Found this at an antique store

yesterday.  Love the sentiment.

Reminds me of the quote:

"Backward, turn backward

O Time, in your flight 

make me a child again

 just for tonight."

--- Elizabeth Akers Allen

Christmas Tree

My, how the time has flown, but 

it always does at this time of year.  

 You think you have plenty of time

 to do all the things you want and

 love to do and then, BAM! Christmas

is less than a week away.  Here is 

our Christmas tree and new electric 

fireplace !  I got it at Kmart and wish

I had gotten one last year.  We are 

having so much fun with it.    When

 we get home Mike will say, 

"I'll start a fire" and presses the button.

I hope our next home will have a 

real fireplace.  We do have a pellet 

stove in my studio, but it isn't the 

same as sitting in front of a real

fire.  Don't you agree?

Our Nativity.

For the past 2 weeks we have had

 robins visiting our yard late in the 

afternoon.   There appears to be

about 20 of them.

How many can you see in

this pic?   Click for larger view.

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

One of my favorite Christmas

 songs ------

Good King Wenceslas

Good King Wenceslas look'd out

On the Feast of Stephen,

When the snow lay round about,

Deep and crisp, and even.

Brightly shone the moon that night,

Though the frost was cruel,

When a poor man came in sight,

Gath'ring winter fuel.

~~~~~

"Hither, page, and stand by me,

If thou know'st it; telling,

Yonder peasant, who is he?

Where and what his dwelling?"

"Sire, he lives a good league hence,

Underneath the mountain;

Right against the forest fence,

By Saint Agnes' fountain."

~~~~~

"Bring me flesh, and bring me wine,

Bring me pinelogs hither;

Thou and I will see him dine,

When we bear them thither."

Page and monarch forth they went,

Forth they went together;

Through the rude wind's wild lament,

And the bitter weather.

~~~~~

"Sire, the night is darker now,

And the wind blows stronger;

Fails my heart, I know now how,

I can go no longer."

"Mark my footsteps, my good page,

Tread thou in them boldly;

Thou shalt find the winter's rage,

Freeze thy bloodless coldly."

~~~~~

In his master's steps he trod,

Where the snow lay dinted;

Heat was in the very sod

Which the saint had printed.

Therefore, Christian men, be sure,

Wealth or rank possessing,

Ye who now will bless the poor,

Shall yourselves find blessing.

A Bit of Nature...barks and acorns.

Oops...I forgot to post this lovely

photo from my sister-in-law Terri

last month!    She and a girlfriend

went on a retreat and found these

beautiful pieces of nature and arranged

them in a bowl.  Very pretty.   :o)

Christmas time is here !

I heard the bells on 

Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth,

 good-will to men!

--- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A postcard my Grandfather

received about 100 years ago.

I am finally getting the lights on

our Christmas tree!   It has been

sitting for a week now, unadorned.

Do you have your Christmas tree

decorated with lots of lights and

ornaments?   :o)   I would love to see

 photos of your tree!   Just leave me

 a comment so I can check it out.

Thank you.

I'll post pics of ours once I am done.

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

HAVE A ENCHANTING WEEK !

Thanksgiving Photos

And lastly for November

a few photos from

Thanksgiving at my cousin

Cindy and her husband

Rey's home.

Chef Rey (who really

is a chef :o) checking

John Wayne facts.

The apron had an oven

mitt shaped like a gun.

Coco the dog, sweet boy

who is mostly blind and

deaf.

The boys - Mike, Greg, Rey,

Tyler and my Dad, Roy.

The girls - Chelsea, Peggy, Lori

 & Cindy minus Aunt Jan & Linnea

Around the table.   Everything

was so delicious!  Rey made

a lovely brussel sprouts dish

with bacon and almonds.  He

took all the leaves off their little

heads first and then sauteed them,

 adding crispy bacon and toasted

 almonds...yum!

My beautiful Goddaughter

Chelsea & I.

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

For man, autumn is a time

of harvest, of gathering

 together.  For nature, it

is a time of sowing, of

scattering abroad.

--- Edwin Way Teale

Colorful November Days and New Lambs too!

Before December 1st rolls around, I

 thought I would finish up with my November.   :o)

A few photos of our yard in Autumn.

I just noticed today that the purple

tree below has lost all of it's leaves.

    

The photos don't quite capture

 the lighting and brightness

of the trees and shrubs.

 Mid-November front porch. 

Fall pansies on the front porch.

Pistachio tree out front.

A brave little fuchsia that toughed

 out a cold snap in mid-November

and still bloomed.   But then, of

course, I cut it to bring inside!

 A little lamb off Old Lakeville Road

 between Novato and Petaluma.

We stop every year on our way

home from Mike's parents either 

after Thanksgiving and/or Christmas,

  just in time to see these

darling new-born creatures.

 We love the way they jump

and scuttle about.  I think I have

 mentioned before that when we

lived in Fortuna 15 years ago, our

 neighbors had about 12 sheep and

one year I got to hold a newborn

 lamb.  One of the greatest thrills in

 my life!   Its little head felt like

 a head of cauliflower and had a
waxy feel to it.  I'll never  forget
how it felt.   I have a hard copy
 photo somewhere.

A set of dark-headed twins,

probably born within a day of this pic.

One is sitting close to mommy's

 rump and the other is about 3 feet

to the right of mommy's head.

Click on photo for larger view.

New lambs with their mommies.

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

I will find new meaning

 in every joy and sorrow.
In that silence I will hear

 the voice of Spirit, and

 freed from this world I

 will see another order where

 the end is another beginning.

--- Rumi



A few birthday presents

My birthday was a couple of

 weeks ago and I wanted to

share a few things I received...

From Mike...Gorgeous purple roses,

 a shabby "mercury" glass vase

 & a cute little bear, all delivered in a box.

The roses were hardy and

opened up perfectly.

A darling witch from my

friend Marie...love her!

Also from Mike...an original

 watercolor, Pumpkin Mermaid, he

found on Ebay from

Camillion Creations .

Paul and Cheryl took me out for

dinner for the 5th year in a row,

as Mike was out of town. 

Cheryl gave me this fabulous
tote/shopping bag with mermaids
and other nifty sea creatures...
I love it!
~~~~~~~~~~

Hope everyone had a wonderful

Thanksgiving weekend.  Ours was

 fun and we got to spend time with

both sides of the family.   Mine

on Thanksgiving and Mike's folks

on Friday night....the four of us had

 dinner at Benihana's ...always good!

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

God gave you a gift of

 86,400 seconds today.

Have you used one to say

"thank you"?

--- William A. Ward

HAPPY THANKSGIVING !

In Everything,

 Give Thanks.

1910 postcard

Click on postcard for larger view
and easier reading.

It's hard to believe it was a year

 ago we went to Disneyland for

Thanksgiving.  Here we are at

Steakhouse 55 located in the

Disneyland Hotel.

Out dinner reservation was at

 8:45 pm, the earliest we could get

 in and that was after I made

reservations 3 weeks in advance! 

  I have to say the food was just

 so-so, but the decor was lovely as

you can see.  Huge photos of classic

movie stars from the 1950's.

Around the table from left: 

my stepmom Linnea, my

brother Anthony, my husband Mike,

 my brother-in-law Herman, other side,

 my sister Amanda who is holding

Princess #3,  Princess #2

(who you can't see),

 Prince #1 and Princess #1,

me and my Dad Roy.

This year we will see my

Dad and Linnea, but no siblings

or nieces or nephew.  :o(

We'll have dinner at my cousins, so

I will see them, an Aunt and my

lovely Goddaughter and her brother

(my cousin and kinda nephew!  :o)

The next day we will see my

 wonderful in-laws and have

dinner at Benihana's...YUM!

From a postcard 100 years old 

Postmarked 1911

May all who are reading

 this have multiply blessings

 of the above menu.

THANK YOU GOD!