Right now, as a peach cobbler is in the over baking for tonight, I wanted to share with you an idea. We had several people over on New Years Eve and had a great time. One of the guests commented to Randy and I that he wondered just how many times he had been to our house for a dinner or fellowship. He said, “wouldn’t you love to have kept tabs on how many people you have had in your home?” I began to think about that. I wish I could go back in time with a journal and look to see how many parties, get-togethers we have had over the years. It made me wish I had done so. I think it would be fun to look back over the years and see just how many people had come through our many front doors. So one of my new years resolutions is this. Beginning on this past New Years Eve (3 days ago) I will begin to journal our parties, who attended, the food served and the general theme. As we have usually 2 to 3 functions at our house every month, this should fill up a journal pretty fast. Can I encourage you to do the same. It should be such an adventure to see how many lives are continually passing through yours. Let’s share some of the ideas and results. Will look forward to hearing fromyou.

Tomorrow, will be posting a new pasta dish.

Welcome to 2010. This year has begun with a new sense of cleaning out and reorganizing like never before. We have been over to Randy’s parents home cleaning out the entire apartment. Yesterday when we went to take his mom to live in the nursing home, because she has to have 24 hour care, reality set in about what is important and what is not. We both felt that truly for the first time, we were missing Howard, since his passing Dec 8th. It was just so odd being in their house without them there and seeing things from a different perspective. Randy found a little cookie jar that he remembered always getting cookies out of when he was little. He found a stack of all of his report cards that his parents had kept. Even the glass he wore when he was 10. We continue to uncover so many different articles that were important to both Hazel and Howard, but really, so much of it, will be taken to second hand shops or given to other relatives. While driving home, we both agreed that after we get through with this “empting out mission” we will make an attempt to get rid of things that are of no use to anyone or of no interest. Will our kids want any of the cookbooks which I have collected over the years? Will they want all of our old Christmas cards, the pictures from all of our “memory making trips”? Probably not. So come spring, we are going to truly put our noses to the grind and try to think ahead and get rid of things that we feel would just be thrown out one day anyway. It made me also stop and think about things that I continue to buy. Why am I continuing to buy more “stuff”? When we leave this life, we certainly cannot take anything with us. All we will take is the “heavenly treasures” that we have built. So this year will be one of examination. Am I being a good steward of the money God has blessed me with. Am I being a good steward of the time He allows me. What “heavenly treasures” am I building. What “stuff” that is so important to me now, will be important 20 years down the road. Probably not much. As we left Hazel in the nursing home yesterday, all she is allowed are a few pictures on the wall, several changes of clothes, but truly nothing more. That is what hit me in the face. All of the things that we consider important now, will one day be left behind. Do I treasure it more than relationships? Do I treasure it more than God? What will be left in the house should I have to be put in a nursing home. I pray that the treasures that I take with me are the memories of what people have meant to me. The memories of trying to do and be what others needed. Those are the things that I want my mind to be upon, not just “stuff” that remain in a house. I pray that God will allow me to be a treasure to others, as so many have been such a blessing to my life. Let’s make 2010 the “year of friendship and blessing others” Let’s build our “treasures” in relationships, not just with others, but with the Lord. May He be the treasure that we seek, but share as well, with others. Happy New Year to each of you.

We are coming upon a fabulous day, when we celebrate the closing of one year and the beginning of another year! What a great time to think about all the blessings God has poured out on us all. This past month, as you have read here on the blog, we lost Randy’s dad. A friend of mine sent a card to us and it went something like this. “In spite of our circumstances, we still have that unexpressible joy deep down in our hearts because of what Christs has done for us. We know that this parting will be just for a short time. We know that God has given us joy when we have had sadness. He has given us peace, when we have had times of unrest. He has given us comfort during times of pain. He has given us hearts of thankfulness in times when we felt we didn’t have much to be thankful for. He has given us love, when we were going through times of feeling alone and unloved. He has given us strength when we were feeling so weak and helpless.”

If we think back throughout this past year, I’m sure you, like me, have had days, maybe months when all we could do was cry out to our Lord because we just did not know what else to do. It was during those times when He leads us beside the still waters. He upholds us with His Righteous Right Hand. He carrys us when we just cannot walk another step. He lifts us out of the pit we are in, sometimes put there by the choices we have made. He is our Rock and our Redeemer. Let’s commit this new year, 2010 to Him and give Him our lives, our hearts and our talents. I pray that I won’t just give Him my agenda and expect Him to bless it. That I will trust him, allowing Him to lead me where He wants me to go.

I Kings 19 tells us that Elijah dealth with self-pity, but also loss of physical and emotional strength, but…….God in His mercy came to Elijah and gave him rest, food for strength and also showed him the plan  in which Elijah was to  prepare. It wasn’t until Elijah got away by himself, surrendered his heart and his will that God came to him in a gentle whisper. That is my prayer for my life this year. That I will step away from all the unnecessary “have to’s” of my life and “be still and know that He alone is God” and allow Him to show me in His own way, His will.

Well, what a fabulous Christmas Eve. It is cold here, rain will be turning to snow, we are told and the kids have begun to file in. Am home by myself for a couple of hours while some are at the show, Frosty is working for a few hours at his office, friends have dropped over today to drop off goodie bags and it has been a wonderful reminder of what Christmas is truly about. I have printed out Luke 2 so the kids can take turns reading the Christmas story tonight after dinner. We are going to Christmas Eve service and then come home to Italian food. This will be a great year. I love having the house full of laughter and craziness, it makes the tiniest bit of quiet time so very special. It also reminds me of when they were little that the house was always full of noise and how I dreamed of one day having a quiet house to sit by the fireplace, watching the lights on the Christmas tree and reading a novel, listening to Christmas music. What world did I think I would be living in. Not this one, I’m sure. One adult child is always running out to get Starbucks for themselves, AND hot chocolate from Starbucks for the kids, because they don’t like just the hot chocolate that comes in the little packets anymore, AND I find 2 hours later, that each of the hot chocolate cups are still half full, because they ran out to go to the mall. We had planned on seeing a 1:20 show, but the kids were bored walking around the mall, so they go to the noon showing. The italian restaurant calles me to tell me that I need to pick up my salad at 3:30 because if I pick it up at 5:30, 20 other people will be there to pick up orders and we will have to stand in line. One of the grandchildren threw up on our comforter last night. One of the grandkids is entering the “teenage” years, and doesn’t talk, she just texts. So I have to go retrieve my phone from it’s charger, because one grandkid keeps my phone drained playing games on it, so I can text the teen to see what she will eat. She goes back and forth between being a veggan or eatting only pizza or chicken nuggets. The lights have gone out on our prelit tree in the kitchen. Our garage now smells like throw up because the comforter has been thrown out there, because it is too big to wash and the dry cleaners are closed until Saturday. I fixed my “famous coconut cake” only to learn now that one of the familes is not eatting coconut anymore. I have listened to Brittney Spears sing Santa Baby, so many times, that I am now walking around with ear plugs.

So, two days after Christmas, we will be alone, again. We will sit by the Christmas tree, with the two strands of still working lights on them, get out our novels and our Barry Manilow music and talk about the last week. Then I will get tears in my eyes, because everyone is gone and the house seems so quiet. But…….how blessed we are that we have adult children who love us and are so good to us. God is so good to our family. I pray that we will honor Him in this season of Christmas by making Him the honored guest in our home. Merry Christmas and don’t forget to share with your family what God has done for you. Let’s share with  our children and the grandchildren the truth of God’s Word to carry in their hearts for generations to come.

Thought I would pass on to you something that I have been doing this year for some friends. Frosty and I had gone into Z Gallery and found these beautiful trays which were embellished with rhinestones around the edges. They sold for almost $40.00. I told him, “hum, we could make those and certainly a lot cheaper than that. ” So that is exactly what we did. We went to Hobby Lobby where they have beautiful red, silver, gold trays and black, red, gold and silver chargers which you can use for cake plates. Then I bought some rhinestones there in the craft department and came home and put different disigns around the edges. They are just beautiful and we have made about 20 of them for gifts. Everytime we give them, the recipients are just so excited. They make a beautiful tray for candles, cookies, cupcakes, etc. Thought you might want to try your hand at this. A very inexpensive gift to make, but look so expensive. Only 2 more days to our day we celebrate the Savior coming to live among us. Merry Christmas.

Yesterday was such a bittersweet day. My father in law, Howard’s life was celebrated and then laid to rest.  His life was what some might call “ordinary”, but those who knew Howard would never agree with that term. Howard was one of those men who you could never say anything negative. He loved his family and was a hero in every term. He served not only his country with pride, but his family and the Lord. He will certainly be missed. His sister Loura, at the ceremony, gave different stories of his life. She ended up saying that the dictionary should have Howard’s name beside the word “hero”, because he was in every instance, just that. My husband, Randy, became a different man in my eyes yesterday. I cannot imagine getting up and speaking at one of my parents funerals. But he did, Randy felt that he needed to honor his dad by standing and saying what he had meant to him and in so doing, has taught not only me, but our children, that it is never to late to honor our parents. Randy was not afraid to show his emotions for his dad. I cannot say that I could have done what he did. Thank you, honey, for not only showing us different sides to your dad, but to you as well. You are following in his steps every inch of the way. Your heart and your actions were so honoring to your dad and to your mom, who sat and watched you become just a little more like your dad yesterday. You did him proud.

Ok, this is great and quite a pretty addition to any buffet this time of year! Some friends got it off the internet and served it at a group Bible study and then again for a ladies ornament exchange. It is like drinking a milkshake made with snow and ice cream and peppermint.

If you serve this in a punch bowl, hang peppermint candy canes on the bowl’s rim

1 quart eggnog

1 1-liter bottle club soda, chilled

1/2 gallon peppermint ice cream, softened

Hard peppermint candies, curshed

Stir together first 3 ingredients in a punch bowl. Sprinkle with the crushed candy and serve immediately.

Punch may be made ahead without the candies and chilled 2 hours. Stir well and sprinkle candy just before serving.

Will have a recipe tomorrow, but today, am just giving thanks for God’s presence in our lives as Randy’s father, Howard passed away last night. What a difference it makes to know that your loved one will be waiting in heaven when we get there. That this goodbye was not the end. What a wonderful father and husband Howard portrayed to the world. His family was his life and his actions simply showed that he was so grateful for being blessed with two wonderful boys, one of those my husband. Howard raised both Don and Randy with Godly convictions and taught them the importance of family. We will miss you Howard,we will miss you saying, “get on in this house, young lady” . You were so loving and so accepting of me and I have been blessed to have called you my father in law. You were an amazing man. Fought in the war, took his family to church, taught them to love the Lord, provided for them, took care of his wife for 65 years. You were simply adored and loved. I look forward to when I see him in Heaven, welcoming me with “get on in here, young lady”! He was a treasure to all of us.