UhOh

UhOh ... I can't remember my last post! I'm sure it was before Christmas and I'm afraid I may have been whining :-( I was not feeling well for a while, but antibiotics have brought me around and I'm good to go! Good thing, too!

We had a very nice Christmas, with no baking done on my part (I rested a lot) but the tree got trimmed and the presents (bought through Amazon, mostly, 'cause I couldn't shop) were wrapped on time!

Christmas Eve found us at church with Bill and I along with two teens doing a comedic skit on travelers stranded on Christmas Eve (that told the Christmas story in a wonderfully funny way) and then singing in the choir's cantata. I'm so glad I was well enough to participate in all of it! We also had the Children's choir sing with us on a few numbers and they performed a couple of songs with hand bells. The brass ensemble started us off and the praise team finished us up with silent night, everyone holding a candle in the darkness. Praise be to God for His unspeakable gift!

Two days after Christmas, Bill and I headed for Lancaster Co with our 10 year old granddaughter to take in two presentations at Sight and Sound Theatre ... what a super time! She was quite taken by the performances and loved seeing the horses trot right up the aisle. I heard her actually exclaim "OH!" out loud when the first angel showed up in the air overhead during "Miracle of Christmas." ... She loved the music and prefered the CD of that show over "Voices of Christmas" which were familiar carols. She surprised me!

We ate a lot ... too much... at Millers and Hershey Farms but our favorite place was the Bird-in- Hand Bakery; too scrumptious to talk about here as I would drool on the keyboard!

Something new: Found many Amish riding on large wheeled scooters ... very intersting things that can move almost as fast as a bicycle since the wheels are larger than traditional scooters.

Stayed at the Sleep Inn in Ronks that borders on farmland ... perfect for this country girl!

Time for bed ...way too tired for typing and afraid my spelling may have suffered. I already checked to make sure my "wrapped presents" were indeed, wrapped and not warpped. Good night all ... have a safe New Year's Eve.

Where Does the Time Go?

Just when you think you have everything under control, the clock AND the calendar speed up! So much to do but I refuse to get stressed out :-) Years ago I caught on to the fact that cookie baking could take place AFTER Christmas, when the kids were home from school (and I was, too) and would enjoy them freshly baked from the oven. Computer generated address list/labels made doing my cards much easier and more fun ...no hand cramps. However, buying presents still took a lot of time ... til last year when I discovered Amazon!!!



These were just a few quick thoughts running around my head and thought I would share them. I would also like to share a link from an online blogging author who is offering a free copy of her book in a drawing. She has a very interesting, heartbreaking yet heart warming story to tell. I will enjoy reading her book whether I win or purchase it for myself! You can find her at http://aboutamish.blogspot.com/

"We're Havin' a Heat Wave ... a Tropical (well, not really....) Heat Wave"

Here me singing? I think Bing Crosby sang this ... It was a balmy 35 degrees here today which so SO much better than the 3 degrees I had yesterday morning!

I finally finished my outdoor decorating tonight ... I've been sidelined by a cold/layrngitis and with temps in the teens, decided the decorations could wait! I'm hoping for a little snow to brighten the lawn and then I'll take pictures.

An absolutely delicious Christmas Party tonight at the home of some friends from church. Everyone brings a dish to pass and there is always such an assortment of good things to eat. We brought Wasabi Peas ... pretty enough with red, green and white. Had a label made so no one just popped a few and got surprised :-) They were a hit with those who like hot/spicy/horseradish type things.

Did not get anything accomplished today ... overslept to begin with but Bill got up early to go hunting with a friend back in his hometown. We'll be eating venison this winter ... I can taste the steaks and gravy already!

Busy tomorrow with Church, Sunday School, birthday party for a little boy and then our choir will perform at the nursing home. We then go back to church for our play practice and then the evening service. Tired, already!

Snow Flurries!

It's been snowing all day but there's nothing to show for it. Lots of flurries, some of the flakes quite huge, have been cascading past my windows but appear to be blowing into the next county! I love the snow but hate the cold. Isn't that quite a combination? It's pretty hard to have one without the other, but all I ask is that God hold back the frigid temps and the wind! Please!

I still have to finish my outdoor decorations (just a bit) and our front yard will look very festive. I'll post a picture when it's ready.

Right now, I'm battling my first cold of the season (Zicam works great) and feel pretty good... good thing, too... I'm about to go help with the children at Bible Club. I take them into the gym to play dodge ball, tag ..etc. You know, quiet games :-) I'm sure I'll lose my voice but get it back in time for substitute teaching tomorrow!

My blogging friend has another cool giveway! http://ajoyfulchaos.blogspot.com/

Busy, Busy, Busy

This AM Mom Pitcher called to see if I would like to have lunch with her, Dad and Aunt Doris ... oh, yeah! What a great day! We met at Michael's, a very nice restaurant around the corner from The Red Lion Inn and enjoyed eating, talking, talking and talking! Amazing how fast the time went by ... but it did and we had to say our goodbyes. Aunt Doris will be leaving this week to spend the winter in California .. a much nice climate for her to spend the winter in. Her family lives there and she is sure to have a great time! God speed, Aunt Doris, and we'll see you in the spring!

A crisp, cold night here in NY and we spent some time in a live Nativity for the village of Northville :-) It's one of the few towns left that encourage this type of participation .. of course, it helps to have a Christian on the board for the Association! It's more of a "tableau" where we are "frozen in time" at the stable and not really acting. But it's fun to listen to parents as they explain to their children who all the characters are. Not quite in keeping with the Biblical account, we also have 3 wise men at the stable, though they really appeared later, after they saw the star and traveled "to the house" where the young child was. But nevertheless, I was a shepherd, Bill was a wiseguy and we managed to stifle our shivering for 30 minutes!

We were able to warm up by the bonfire afterwards with some hot cocoa and cookies but didn't stick around long enough to watch them turn the lights on the Christmas tree. The best pizza in town was calling me ... we enjoyed eating and then wandered back to where we parked our car at our church. A delightful evening.