Praying for Sunshine!

I awake startled!…

Hearing my son’s voice…

Not the voice I like…

That troubled voice…

I know he is not here… but, my anxiety level… is in full force… my heart pounding!…

having to get up to collect my thoughts… and know all is well…

He is safe where he is… and I am safe where I am…

Maybe… my mind is telling me…

You made the right decision…

God reminding me of how our world had become… NOT GOOD!…

So… I make my coffee… sit down and regroup… and here I am expressing my most inner thoughts…

I hope all will bear with me for a while…

I have lots of thoughts running through my head…

chest pounding with emotions that only a Mother (or Father)… can relate to concerning their child…

I will be happy again!…

I will wrap my mind around the beauty I always saw in daily living…

I will sustain…

to maybe help others in this kind of trauma…

 

I try to remember the moments of joy I had this past Christmas…

My wonderful Grandchildren…

Carson-10 years old…

Kennedy- 13

and Taylor will be -21 in a few weeks…

 

Presents for my Grandkids… that they seemed to really like…

Making Carson’s clock with his old Hot Wheels…

He was wanting to hang it right then!

 

Baking cookies… enough for many families and friends…

A husband who has had treatments for cancer all year sitting with us… and doing well…

 

Maybe not a gusto laugh… but, many smiles as I took in the faces of my loved ones…

My youngest son with his little boy!

 

The gifts I received from caring hearts…

The Christmas cards… with the well wishes for a Happy Holiday from friends/family…

The joy of having my youngest Granddaughter lay in my lap as I scratched her back and put my fingers through her long blond hair…

She is taller than me… and an avid Basketball player…

 

The wonderful food prepared by my daughter-in-law as always…

smiling all of the time…

 

Our Funky Christmas socks… worn by all!

The kind words of family and friends as they felt some of my pain…

The joy of having my troubled son with us… watching him talking and at times struggling … to fit in…

My Granddaughter’s boyfriend sitting among us… with a smile on his face… as he took in what Family can be like…

Blessings from my Lord…

surrounding us in the most difficult times…

I’m beginning to feel …

Not perfect…

but, if I let the sunshine through…

I might recover!

 

 

The Christmas Tag! (2015)

Meghan has posed these questions on her blog…

thought I would give them a try with answers from Christmas past and present…

https://gotmeghan.wordpress.com/author/gotmeghan/

What’s your favorite thing about Christmas?…

 

Decorating… people visiting… making cookies  …

and the remembrance of Jesus… when He came to Earth…

What is your favorite Christmas movie?…

Oh, so many!…

Christmas in Connecticut

Christmas Vacation

A Christmas Story

Real tree or fake tree?…

Always REAL when young…   The fake ones REALLY looked fake!…

but, now… A fake one is fine… Also got smaller as we grew older…   and kids not around as before… Still think they are beautiful!

Giving presents or receiving them?

LOVE giving presents!…

 

finding just “the right” thing… making things… and the wrapping…

I picked  black/white snowflakes paper since my tree was a Snowflake Tree…

I made the following “Tea Cups” for my BUNCO crew…with their name on them filled with a few goodies…

 

 

Do you open your presents Christmas morning or evening?

We celebrate more on Christmas Eve… with our little family which includes Grand Kids…

but, a little something for Christmas morning is wonderful…

What tops your tree?

Always a STAR was the tradition when growing up and early years with my kids…

Later I have had Big Bows, Santas, Angels and this year Snowflake… 

As a kid, what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?

I loved surprises… and let “Santa” do the picking…

Was always happy… A live pony was probably in the back of my mind … NO!… never received…

Handmade Christmas cards or bought?

All cards are great!… I like making them on the computer… from my tags for packages to cards sometimes… HOMEMADE has always appealed to me!

  

Our nephew who lives in Iowa… always gifts us with his art work on the envelope of the card he sends…

Just beautiful!…

and my card tree holds cards from friends and relatives… even a sweet card from a blogging friend in Cornwall England…

What’s your favorite Christmas food?

Jam Cake, Fruit Cake, Mince Pie, Spumoni Ice Cream…

need I go on???

Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?

Since the Grandkids came … we always go to my youngest son/wife’s house…

Dinner with dishes from all attending… games for the kids… games for the adults… Watching the kids is the best!…

A cousin and her husband came from TN for years… but, unable to the last couple of years… we miss them!…

We’ve done the “ugly sweater”… and this year it’s “the funky Christmas socks”…    filled with goodies and exchanged through a game we play…

Always something fun!

Traditions are awesome… make some of your own!

Passing God’s Tests!

        I WILL GET IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!…

With a son who has Bi-polar disorder… It seems he finds this time of year EXTRA STRESSFUL!…

and we get the repercussions…

I have to pull myself up and continue on… or I would definitely lose it…

Almost have…

Bobby has only one more treatment on the 14th of December…

The biggest Christmas Present for me and him this year!…

Almost a year of running to VA… ENOUGH!

I’ve shopped some for my Grandkids…

Kennedy… my 13-year-old Granddaughter is pretty much complete…

she is my fun one to buy for this year…

Grandson Carson… 11 years old… is too…

but, the 20-year-old… a little to do for her…

We  drew names between the adults as I’ve said before…

I can finish that quickly!…

Our dryer being out… has us running to the laundromat…

Interesting experience… for sure…

We have an area in our end of town… where for a better word…. Refugees…

have been placed…

Not a lot of English is spoken… but, with us having to use these facilities… until probably after Christmas… we will be making contact with people we do not normally see…

It is an awakening adventure…

Language can be… a barrier… but, it doesn’t seem to stop kindness flowing if you allow it…

My husband having chemo has him wearing his Viet Nam Service Cap a lot… Loss of hair being that side effect…

He is shown such respect…

A little boy and his mother told him, “Thanks for your service”… and this has happened several times…

A lady in clothes that are wrapped around her in so many directions… beautiful dark skin  … offered to help him load clothes yesterday…

and shared her Fresh Cherries with me…

as I see… a token of kindness….

We have shared fabric softener … quarters… etc. … and smiles abound…

Hearing “God Bless You”…

One gentleman even asked in his own way for instructions on use of washer/dryers…

 

Not knowing how the machines worked…We communicated enough for him to get the idea… with a gratefulness that shown on his face…

Maybe… just maybe… we are given these little tests  from God to check our Humanity…

I hope we passed!

 

 

Jotting Down a Few Things…

I’m really ready for some new happenings… Christmas is put away…

and as you can see…

Kit Kit was so unhappy when we were taking down the tree!

Maybe short trips...

A visit to relatives… 

Paint my kitchen and bathroom… 

Maybe add a few new things to change the look a little…

Need to purchase some linens… January being the time to do this…

I’ve ordered myself a pair of new shoes for work…

What with my bone spur on the side of my foot… I need good support… 

My cousin bought me new drawing pencils for Christmas… and I felt like a kid again!…

Love paper and pencils… so… I will try my sketching techniques soon!… 

Trying to get back to water aerobics at the YMCA… 

I’ll continue my part-time job … until I feel impelled to quit or do something different…

I doubt that I could ever find anything I like better!…

SUMMER… want to return to Savannah, Georgia…

Need to know if I still have that achy feeling to move there… 

I want to grow some container tomatoes… 

and put new rails around front porch and steps…

New flooring for kitchen, hallway and living room… is on the agenda too… 

The way it looks… after writing this list… I better begin immediately! 

 

 

 

“Give IT Away!”

I spent my four hours with my Seniors today… knowing I would be off the next two days…

Nothing much different from any other day… but, you could feel the excitement in the room…

I experienced those same feelings when I was working in the Public School system …

The air would be almost electrified with that feeling that Christmas and Summer Break can only bring!…

These adults probably have had more Christmas than most people have had in a lifetime…

we had played games...

we had made Christmas crafts… 

we had made goodies/sweets for them to taste… 

we had watched Christmas movies…

we had made cards…

we had a Santa visit…

we had enjoyed Christmas music…

we had decorations everywhere!…

we had given gifts…

and one thing I noticed…

They were all thankful!… so pleased… surprised… with the Joy that showed on their faces…

Some have families… some don’t…

Some are well taken care of…

Some barely get by…

I have worked in this program for a year come this January…

and I have found so many blessings…

I read this quote from

https://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/

this morning… and it pretty much sums up how I feel about “my purpose” here on Earth…

PICASSO quotation: “The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away.”

I hope you have found your gift or will… this coming year…

and then... Give it away!...

You, then… will feel the Joy of what Christmas is all about! 

 

 

 

How We Celebrate…

Christmas is celebrated with my “Little Family” on Christmas Eve at my son and daughter-in-law’s home…

We share gifts with the Grand-kids… have a wonderful dinner mainly prepared by Melanie…

 (I was asked to make a niece’s BEST macaroni/cheese)... They know how to put the pressure on me!…

No one makes it like Carol!… but, I will try my best!… 

We play a game or two… (I usually come up with something)…

We are to wear ugly sweaters  … I choose ugly/funny T-shirts for Bobby and myself…

These were last years… I’m still thinking on the new ones I picked up at the Thrift Store…

Sweaters are WAY TOO HOT for me!…

Of course the kids opening their gifts from all of us is the best part!… 

I had a little trouble with shopping  for them this year… Oh, if they were small again!…

I have an 11-year-old Grandson… He wasn’t as bad!…

A 12-year-old “Pre-Teen”... most difficult one!… and usually my easy one!…

An almost 20-year-old... I know she probably would prefer gift cards /money...but, that’s not MY WAY!…

maybe one gift card… but, I love giving presents!… so we will see if my choices hit their mark!…

The adults draw names going on three years now… and that seems to work out just fine!…

We even put a few hints with our names to help with gift buying…

We are so blessed to have each other!…

but, we do have a slight sadness…

My daughter-in-law’s Daddy  has contracted cancer… I hate that word!…

but, for the moment is making it OK… and we will enjoy our Christmas this year with all of us!…

We will laugh… smile… hug…tear up…and be so thankful!… for all we see before our eyes…

Grateful for this year ending… We’ve had a few sad happenings… and looking toward 2015… 

A New Year is like walking into the unknown…

We will take each day as it comes…

We really have no choice…

but, we do have the choice of how we react to the happenings…

Keep Your God close by… 

Lean on Him in times of heartache…

Lean on Him in times of sadness…

and remember to lift up Praise to Him in times of Happiness!…

Merry Christmas Fellow Readers and Writers…

You have been an intricate part of my life for many years now…

God Bless!

 

 

 

 

I Have a Lot of Christmas!

Most of my Christmas items are Thrift Store finds… Usually brand new in their original boxes… and some older… almost antiques…

This cute toy has two fuzzy little reindeer… who prance when turned on by a little switch…

My Daddy and my brother both loved Christmas toys… and I guess I followed their thoughts…

This is an older piece … a Christmas flowerpot…

We have our original Nativity that we bought when we got married… but, I also liked this one that I found…

All white porcelain trimmed in gold…

This little guy is about 2 ft. tall… My niece drew my name at last years BUNCO dinner…

and I received him as my gift… I think he’s adorable!

This Musical Santa plays many songs… Keeps a great beat to every song on his drums…

My husband can’t resist pushing the button every time he passes…

My collection of Snowman Candles on my Snowman Plate… I’ll never burn them…

they are way too cute… The one does have a place for a candle… so it can be lit…

I say “NO MORE CHRISTMAS!”… but, again… I couldn’t resist these three cute Snowman Ornament Photo Holders…

They were brand new… in original box… and cost only $2.00…

They have such details!…

Having 3 Grandchildren… I imagine their pictures will be placed in them…

  

I hang Christmas Cards we receive on some wall plaques I have behind the Christmas Tree…Works great!

   

I received these three from fellow blogging friends… It made me so happy to get them in the mail and open them!

I’m trying to use up any ingredients I bought for my cookie making…

so…

I had 4 packages of Apple Cider Muffin Mix…

I divided the 1 can of “More Fruit Apple Pie Filling” I had… between the two batches of bread…

leftover almonds and pecans were divided between them also… and then stirred in a pinch of Ginger and Cinnamon…

Sprinkled with Cinnamon Sugar and baked…

 

It made two big loaves… and now, my husband wants to now when we are going to cut one…

although I had plans to keep in case visitors dropped by…

Since it is the Holiday Season... I believe he will get to taste pretty soon… Why not!

 

 

 

 

 

Day# 1 Christmas Baking Has Begun!

Three of my Christmas “goodies”... done!…

Many more to go!…

I know I have to get started on my baking, candy making… to get it in the mail!…

Every year I get a list together of a few new items to make… and some old reliables…

My relatives in Georgia are my guinea pigs… (Bobby’s three sisters and families…) trying out my recipes… a tradition I started many years ago…

Last night I mixed up my batter for “Cherry Chewy Cookies”... a recipe I saved from “Can’t Stay Out Of the Kitchen”…

Cream everything but, flour, cherries, pecans and coconut…

Fold in these ingredients next…

Place rolled balls onto baking sheets covered with parchment paper…

Bake 375 degrees for 12-13 minutes…

I added 1/2 of a candied cherry to top…

This recipe made 5-1/2 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1- cup brown sugar

3/4- cup butter

1- egg

2-tbsp. milk

1-tsp. vanilla

2- cups all-purpose flour

1/2- tsp. salt

1/2- tsp. baking soda

1- cup quartered candied cherries

1- cup chopped pecans

1- cup coconut

and then an old recipe I have made off and on for over 40 years… “I can’t even believe that!”…

**************************************

“Candied Strawberries”...

My Dad brought home this recipe for me to make…

He wanted to give them as gifts…

He bought all of the ingredients…

I was married with two young boys… and loved doing for Christmas anyway!…

I made so many of these… I couldn’t look at a strawberry for a year I know!…

I found a copy of this recipe on Cooks.com…

Mix all ingredients in a big bowl… Best to refrigerate at least an hour or overnight…

Shape into strawberry shape… just play with it…not that hard and doesn’t have to be perfect…

I like placing them in small muffin tin papers…

Decorate a green leaf on top with canned green frosting…

can be frozen… until ready to serve… Keep refrigerated…

Just a few on a cookie tray adds some color…

I doubled batch to make 5-1/2 dozen…

INGREDIENTS

1-cup coconut

2- pkg. (3oz. size) Strawberry Dry Jello

3/4 – cup sweetened condensed milk

1- cup ground almonds…

1/2- tsp. vanilla

Roll in extra dry jello

********************************

My one other recipe I made today and will definitely make a few more batches... Easy and pretty!

“Christmas Fudge”... from… share-christmas.com/recipes/fudge…

 

 

Boil sugar, butter, heavy cream (half/half) and salt for 5 minutes… stirring often…

remove from heat and stir about 5 minutes…

Add powdered sugar, vanilla and chopped red and green candied cherries… folding in…

Pour into 8″ X 8′ pan…

Cool and cut into small squares…

Store in air tight container

I’m hoping to get 25 pieces ( 2-dozen) + 1 … from this pan…

INGREDIENTS 

1-cup sugar

1/2- cup butter

1/2- cup heavy cream

1/8 tsp. salt

2- cups powdered sugar

1-tsp. vanilla

1/2- cup red candied cherries( chopped)

1/2- cup green candied cherries chopped

All of these are quite easy… very tasty… and will be fun to make!

 

 

 

After Christmas “FINDS”!

Cleaned out my pantry to start off my day…

Did I plan to???

NO, but, when it hits me… I do it!…

Why not!

and it feels so good to accomplish these things…

********************

Have you ever found Christmas remnants after Christmas…

These are the things I found yesterday around my house…

A Santa hanging high… you have to know I’m kinda short!…

An Angel holding a kitty…

I like cats so much… maybe I didn’t really want to take it down…

A few ornaments in the bathroom… They matched so well… they just blended in…

*******************

Do you after Christmas shop?

I like to… but, only a few oddities so far this year…

Unique Thrift shopping had me finding this cute older Santa Sleigh with Sweet Reindeer…

It requires batteries and when inserted later… it worked!…

The little reindeer move their legs and it plays various Christmas Songs…

I played it for the last time this morning as I will pack it away until next year…

Another thrift find…

Snowman Candles… aren’t they the cutest!… Using them as my winter centerpiece on my kitchen table… 

Makes me smile!

A brand new Christmas Mug with a pretty ceramic topped spoon to match… These 50% off sales at a thrift store are the best finds…  

A few boxes, wrapping paper, clings , pot holders, placemats… was fun to find too…

I’m a “think ahead” girl…

I will still be on the look out for more bargains… because like I’ve said before…

“The fun is in the hunt!”… 

Related articles

• Just a glimpse…… (angiesgrapevine.wordpress.com)
• The best time to shop at a thrift store ()

Candy Cane Cherry Pie and Brownie POPS

I’ve never baked so much as this Christmas Season…

Cookies of all kinds… and then more cookies…

I was then asked to bring dessert for our Christmas Eve Party at my son’s…

I had seen a recipe… not really a recipe… just a design you can make with Crescents Dough and Cherry Pie Filling…

2- packages Crescent’s Dough…

1- Can Cherry Pie Filling

Powdered Sugar + Milk for glaze

Makes 2!

******************

Lay out dough in shape of Candy Cane…

on a cookie sheet…

I love parchment paper for baking… slides right off…

Save a little of the dough for the stripes…

Spoon half of can of Filling over each candy cane…

Bake for approximately 12-13 minutes until golden brown…

Drizzle with a little glaze over the top…

I just covered my baking sheets with wrapping paper to make more festive… and added a green bow of ribbon…

This was hit… served with Cherry Bourgoden Ice Cream with Chocolate Chunks…

I then thought “CHOCOLATE!”… for the kids…

and bought “Fudge Brownie Pop” Kit…

I made 2 packages for a total of 24 pops…

You make brownies as per recipe on package…

when cooled a little cut into 24 pieces…

(remember I made two packages)…

Roll each brownie while warm into balls…

Cool in refrigerator… and then melt 1/2 of chocolate wafers in microwave…

dip sticks in melted chocolate and insert into brownie balls…

let cool in refrigerator again…

Take out and melt rest of wafers… dipping and spooning chocolate over balls… sprinkle!

I tied little pieces of red and green ribbon to them… after cooling…

 a little time-consuming… but, all ingredients included in box except for the egg, oil and water…

and they look so cute… and really chocolatey!

With all of the cookies my daughter-in-law had made…we had plenty to choose from!

Great fun!

Related articles

• Chocolate and Candy Cane Dipped Peppermint Oatmeal Cookies (skinnymuffinrecipes.wordpress.com)
• Candy Cane Cups for Thanksgiving (babyjill7.wordpress.com)
• Candy Cane Chocolate Recipe (jessamyflo.wordpress.com)
• Candy Cane Double Chocolate Cookies (cookmequick.com)