My Saturday

Today was quite the day. Brandon had called me last night and told me that he found his wallet. It had been missing for a few weeks. Inside he had found a $10 gift card for Toys R Us and he wanted to know if I could take him to use it because it would expire on December 31st. I agreed, so today we headed off to the store, which is about a 40 minute drive from here. There was a storm warning in effect - a Nor' Easter was moving into the area.

When we arrived, it took us 15 minutes to find a parking place. People were cutting us off, flipping fingers and doing all kinds of obnoxious things. I couldn't believe the lack of Christmas spirit. Do people not value themselves more than this? Yes, they are behind in their shopping, but whose fault is that. Usually mine is done weeks ahead of time and I don't have to face the hostile shoppers. I must write a note to myself to remind me never to go shopping this close to Christmas ever again.

Once inside the store, Brandon has trouble choosing what he wanted to spend his money on. He knows he has to stay within his price limit. Jordan had $11 and Brandon had $15 in total. So, they had to find something in that price range. Jordan made his choice fairly quickly. Brandon took about an hour. He compares the things he likes and tries to figure out which will be available at a later date when he has more money. He finally made his choice at the checkout. Maybe he just makes choices more easily when under pressure. He does this often. We were able to get out of there and make it home in the nick of time. We were just pulling in the driveway when the snow started. All in all it was okay, but not so much fun as last week because the shoppers were so rude.

The storm didn't leave as much snow as expected but apparently the Nor' Easter was delayed. We are to get dumped on heavily around 7 am Sunday morning. When I wake up in the morning maybe I will find myself looking at a beautiful world that's dressed in a gown of lovely white. I'll be sure to let you know.

After the boys were safely home, I wrapped a few Christmas gifts. I still have a few to do, but the majority are done. I enjoy wrapping gifts and making them look so pretty, but I've run out of ribbon and I need a few things to add to the beauty of them. I usually tape a candy cane to the top of each package and sometimes attach a small Christmas ornament that I find at the dollar store. These make the packages just a little more festive. So, if I can get out of the driveway in the morning and the roads are clear, I will be off to the dollar store.

This evening, I watched The Christmas Shoes. The movie was based on the book of the same name, written by Donna VanLiere. I really enjoyed it. It was a heart touching story about two families that found their lives transformed by a gift of Christmas shoes that a boy presented to his dying mother. Be sure you have a box of tissues.

Tonight I read my comments and there was one from Anni, at Hootin' Anni's . She has honored me with this very special award. When I read Anni's post, it touched my heart. Thank you, my friend. You are very special to me.

The graphic at the top of this post is one of my Christmas postcards. If you would like to take a copy of the graphic, you are welcome. Merry Christmas from my home to yours. May the Light of Christmas shine in your heart and in your home. ~Blessings, Mary~

Friday Show and Tell

Wow! It seems like Friday was just here and it's here again. It's time for Show and Tell, which is hosted by Kelli at There is No Place Like Home. If you would like to participate, just click on the link and Kelli will explain everything. Thanks, Kelli for hosting this. It's a lot of fun to see what others post.

I promised to show some of you my Christmas angel. It was a gift from my husband last year. I love her. She stands 13 inches high and holds a dish for floating candles. The ones in the dish today are the roses that light up when you place them in water. They are lit, but it's very hard to tell. However, they are beautiful in the evening when the lights are turned low.

I received the most beautiful Christmas card today that I just have to tell about it. It is from Sharon at Sit With Me Awhile. Sharon is my Sister in Blood and I truly LOVE this card.

The card depicts the Nativity. This is the inside, which is a pop-up. The stable is 3-D.

Thank you, Sharon. This card is so beautiful. It will be going into my card collection once that Christmas is over.

Well, that is Show and Tell for me for this week. I hope you enjoyed seeing my lovely angel and the beautiful card. Both of these things are very special to me. Love you, Sharon.

12 Christmas Things about Me Huppla

I've been tagged by Denise of Samaritan Women and these are the rules:

1. List 12 random things about yourself that has to do with Christmas.
2. Please refer to it as hoopla and not the dreaded m-word.
3 According the the creator, Andrea, you must specifically tag your people. There's none of this saying, "if you reading this consider yourself tagged.
4. Hurry, Christmas is coming and Andrea would like as many people to get involved in this as possible so it can make the rounds and we can read 12 things about everyone and Christmas.

So here goes:

1. I have always had Christmas with my family. In 1974, I traveled to British Columbia on Boxing Day and I have traveled to Florida twice just after Christmas, but never have I been away from my family on Christmas Day.

2. When I was a child, I alway helped Grandma do all of her Christmas baking in the old wood stove. We made molasses cookies, sugar cookies, cake doughnuts, both white and dark fruitcake, fudge and other candy, refrigerator cookies, homemade chocolates and more. It was all made more delicious because I was with Grandma. She always let me have at least one cookie while it was still warm out of the oven.

3. The entire family (at least all that would fit) would hop onto the horse-drawn sleigh and travel to the back of Grandpa's farm. Each family would chose the perfect Christmas tree and the men would cut them, put them onto the sleigh and home we'd go. Dad always let us help put up the tree. He would put the lights on it and then Mom and us kids would decorate it. Grandma and Grandpa put their tree up on Christmas Eve.

4. My first husband died on December 31st unexpectedly. He was 31 years old. I still have at least one of the decorations that we put on our first Christmas tree. Each year at this time I think of him often, but instead of thinking of his death, I think of the fun we had at Christmas over the years. That is what he would want me to remember.

5. Every year since the grandsons have been little, we have gone Christmas shopping together and also have made Christmas crafts. This year we are making snowmen stockings. I will try to get some photos.

6. When I was little, we opened our gifts Christmas morning. We were never allowed to open anything on Christmas Eve. When my brother, sister and I got up in the early morning hours, we could play with whatever Santa had left because those gifts weren't wrapped. We couldn't open the present from our parents until they were up and breakfast was over.

7. One year I was visited by Christmas angels. That was 1987, and my daughter and I were struggling. A friend from the US sent a gift of basic neccessities such as shampoo, conditioner, deodrants, food staples and other things. The gift was received thankfully. Then, the week before Christmas, a man knocked on my door and asked for something to eat and a hot drink. We had very little, but I offered him tea and toast and he gratefully accepted. I noticed that he had no gloves. I gave him a pair that had belonged to my first husband. I also gave him socks that had belonged to my first husband. Since my daughter and I lived alone and I didn't know him, I took his food to the front porch. He told me he understood this completely. I went into the house for a moment and when I came out, the man had disappeared. I ran to the corner to see which way he had gone and there was no sign of him anywhere and he hadn't had enough time to get out of my sight. To this day, I feel that I entertained an angel unawares. His demeanor, gentle voice and kind spirit shone through. I will never forget this man. On Christmas Eve a taxi pulled up and the driver brought us a huge box of Christmas goodies and enough food for Christmas dinner and more.

8. When my daughter and I was traveling to British Columbia on Boxing Day 1974, (she was five) we landed in Calgary and that is as far as we went for 48 hours. There was a blizzard and we were stranded in Calgary airport. I met a woman there from Reno, Nevada who helped this young mother and her daughter cope with all of the chaos of that time.

9. It doesn't seem like Christmas to me if there is no snow and if I don't put up a real tree. For a few years when I lived in an apartment building, I had to have an artificial tree. It just wasn't the same. The fragrance of a real spruce or pine tree is a smell that I associate with Christmas, as is the fragrance of baking cookies and cinnamon candles.

10. The best Christmas present I received as a child was a record player. It was brown and beige metal and could play 78s, 33s and 45s. Along with the record player was a record of Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Rain Deer. They were both sung by Gene Autry. I often wonder what Mom and Dad had to give up to buy me that record player.

11. When I was six, I went to a one-room school. We all had a part in the Christmas concert. I was to recite Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Mom made me a beautiful turquoise dress made of crepe paper. She bought star stickers of silver and placed them all over that dress. She also made me a star wand to hold. Mom still has that dress packed away in a box. It is a bit yellowed here and there but is in marvelous shape for its age. It is a treasure to me.

12. Every year since I was a child, I've celebrated the birth of Jesus at Christmas. I've attended many wonderful plays and concerts that were centered around His birth. Christmas is my favorite time of year. Lights twinkle on the snow and windows are lit up with Christmas trees. It's like the world takes on a special glow.

Now, because of the rules, I must specifically tag some people. Here goes:

Karen of Karen's Korner

Anni of Hootin' Anni's

Carole of Pea's Corner

Michele of Writing the Cyber Highway

Tina of Tina's Odds and Ends



GirlyTags.com - Girly Comments & Graphics

What's Happening Today?

Well, first of all I'd like to announce the winner of my little contest where my readers had to guess what was in the packages that I wrapped for my grandsons to have on December 25th. These will not be going with us to Florida. All the travel games, window writers, movies and stuff that we're giving them are all in a big Disney World bag that we brought home with us last time. Each day the boys will get to pick something out of the bag to do that day. The gifts that I posted are to keep them occupied until the 27th when we leave.

And the winner is... Drum Roll please...

Kristen of Mama's So Called Life. The packages contain Lego. A bionicle for the younger one - Santa is bringing that to the older one - and a Lego Fire Boat for the older one. Hopefully, this will keep them busy until we leave.

In other news, when I woke up this morning, the world was white. I took Meeko for his walk. Here are our footprints in the freshly fallen snow.

And here is the scene we saw of our neighbor's property. Notice the snow on the cedar hedgerow. It was so pretty.

Meeko was enjoying the snow so much that I couldn't resist taking this photo. Notice his eyes. He looks as if he is in paradise and to him, this is paradise.

He loves the snow and is never happier than when he is playing in it. We had a little game of snowball fight. I throw the snow and the tries to catch it in his mouth. If he misses, he pounces on it. He is so funny. Don't mind the old boxes on the porch. They are waiting for recycling day.

Please continue to pray for my beautiful friend Deena from Can I Be Pretty in Pink. Deena had surgery for breast cancer yesterday. Her friend, Church updated us in the comment section of Deena's blog last night and this is what she had to say:

Church.... Deena thru first phase surgery and in flap phase now. Sentinel Lobe cancer positive, all nodes hard. It is 6:30pm 12-12-07. Chemo and radiation will begin in 4weeks. No nerve damage. Her daughter Nicole is very scared and wants to relieve her mother of this path. This 25 yr old is a mother herself. She is also trying to help stabilize Deena's husband, Rich, who is distraught at results. Let's keep this young woman in prayer also along with the whole family. I will post more if I get anymore info tonite.

I phoned Deena's daughter, Nichole, last night and she told me that Deena is going to have to undergo treatment in the form of chemotherapy and radiation. Nichole and Deena's husband, Rich, also need prayer, as they are going through a very difficult time right now. Thank you all for holding Deena and her loved ones up in prayer.

Denise at Shorty Bear's Place honored me with the Bodacious Blog award, as did Sharon at Sit With Me Awhile. I didn't know Sharon had given it to me until I visited her blog to tell her that I was giving it to her. Thank you, Denise and Sharon.

I would like to share this with the following people:

Anni at Hootin' Anni's.

Carolyn at Talk to Grams

Sharon at Sit With Me Awhile

Denise at Samaritan Women

Mary at Isabella's Closet

There are so many others that I would like to bestow this award on because their blogs are all bodacious, but always limit myself to five. Thanks to all my friends and readers who leave words of support and love.

Thank you, Denise, for sending me this beautiful button. It is adorable. ~Blessings to all, Mary~