Farewell 2012

I had some great things happen in 2012. Some expected and some unexpected.

Here are some of the highlights:

We started the year watching the University of Kentucky Wildcats play basketball and win the NCAA championship with our good friends Karen and David.

In the spring, Asbury University's Men's Tennis Team went to their National Championship.

The men in our family gave us a run for our money this year. Tim had hip replacement surgery in January.

My father beat prostate cancer, and my brother beat thyroid cancer in 2012. God blesses all these wonderful men with great and caring doctors.

My mom and dad.

My brother's family.
Jessica, Eric, Chris, Carol, Kelli and Rob.


















In the spring, Amanda announced she was expecting. In December Allie came into the world three weeks early at a whooping 7 lbs and 11 oz. Big sister Brooke was excited!

Thanks goodness we celebrated Brooke's third birthday early. Her parents are so smart.

It's been a year of celebrating life, family and friends.

I hope you had a great 2012, and I hope 2013 will treat you even better.

The Girl in the Glass

I just finished reading The Girl in the Glass by Susan Meissner and was completely delighted.

I was pulled into this story from the first page.

Meg Pomeroy has dreamed of visiting Florence, Italy since she was a child and listened to her grandmother's stories. Her grandmother had a picture from Florence that captured Meg's imagination. At her grandmother's death, it becomes her father's responsibility to take her. He promises for years that they will go together, and even as an adult she believes her dad.

At last he buys her airline ticket and promises to meet her there. So off she goes. Once in Florence she discovers her father stood her up.

The week that unfolds for Meg will delight you.


Susan Meissner weaves together the present and the past beautifully. Not only does she help Meg connect the dots to her own past, but she meets a woman there who teaches her about the history of Florence in a personal way.

This could be the most beautiful book I've ever read.

Christmas Villages

I've always admired Dept 56 Christmas villages but never thought they were in my budget. So I've enjoyed other people's collections.

Last year a friend gave us a Dept 56 lighthouse. That's all it took.












I started small and ordered Mr. and Mrs. Clause drinking hot chocolate. That was it.

This year I decided the New England Village was going to be our village.






Here's where I got into trouble.......I went to eBay. I'd start bidding low. I had a price in mind that I'd never go over even when adding the shipping cost.

When somebody else outbids you they ask you to put in a new bid. Right away they can tell you if you're leading or not. If you're not the leader they suggest you HURRY and bid again before it gets away.

I've always known my kids were competitive, but now I know where they get it. If you're not careful you bid until you get the lead. It's kinda hypnotic.

One time I had to let the item go. Sigh. So I began a new search and found the same piece for less money with another seller. Lesson learned. Always check and see if another seller has the same item before getting carried away.

It's been fun adding a few more pieces. One problem though buying pieces this way is I don't really have a good theme going.

Some people are bigger than others, and I'm still trying to figure out why.

Hopefully by next year, I'll have learned how to bid and add onto my collection in a more systematic manner.

I'd love to hear any suggestions you might have.

Flu season

I hope you are all staying well. Flu season arrived early in Kentucky. I got my flu shot in October and so far so good. But I had an upper respiratory infection before Thanksgiving that went into bronchitis, and I still can't shake this cough.

When I first get the sniffles I start taking vitamin C and crave chicken noodle soup.

I want to share a chicken noodle soup recipe with you.

Start with 3 quarts of chicken broth. (Store bought is fine if you don't want to start from scratch.)

If you boiled your chicken cut it up to add to broth later, or you can add cooked chicken from the store and cut it up.

Next take:
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery
2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I love them but my guys won't touch them.)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Add carrots and celery to chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Next add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package.
When they are ready you can add mushrooms, rosemary and chicken.
Cook a few more minutes and enjoy.

Do you have a favorite food you enjoy when you feel a cold coming on?

Do not worry

I know many of us are worried about money. Some of can barely get through a normal month, and now Christmas is coming.

Society tells us we need to give all these great gifts to others.

Stores run great sales with huge percentages off regularly priced merchandise.

Still it costs something. So once again our eyes are taken off Jesus in the effort to celebrate Christmas. How ironic is that?

I was reading Matthew chapter six this morning. In the margin I have written,

WORRY- Casting doubt on God to take care of us.

Wow!

Here's part of chapter six from the New Revised Standard Version.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.


Don't forget what the season is really about. Jesus.

I hope if I keep my eyes on HIM, I'll worry less and enjoy these days before Christmas more.

I hope you do too!

Everyday hero

Today I sit by my window writing and look down at my backyard. My throat's sore, and my eyes sting from allergies. I tried working outside but didn't last long.

My sweet husband, Tim, is outside by himself raking pine needles to use as mulch on our garden.

A horde of young girls have pulled up on skateboards behind our house to enjoy the neighborhood sidewalk. They are giggling and having a good time. At one point they even had flutophones and were playing them. If you knew how much my husband detests flutophones, you'd know how funny it is.

He continued to work while the girls played and talked and never once complained.

Yesterday, we watched two-year old Brooke all day. Once I took the dog out, and Tim held Brook in his arms down on the patio. I could hear him talking to her about how many fingers she had on each hand. He drained the hot tub yesterday, and of course Brooke wanted to help. Tim always works fast, no matter what he does. But he slowed his pace to allow Brooke and me to help with the hot tub.

All kinds of people,do big heroic things. This weekend, Tim may not have done anything newsworthy, but he's my hero.

God Bless America

It's almost over except for counting the votes.

When I walked into the building to vote, I saw a man lying on the floor and a woman lying on a couch.

One elderly lady passed out and fell backwards knocking three others over during her fall. At least three of these people went ahead and voted. It was being debated whether the other person would need to go to the hospital.

I saw on the news one lady voted while in labor on her way to the hospital.

People voted in shelters and tents in areas hit by hurricane Sandy.

One voter wrote in names of his father, college professor, and dorm director in positions unopposed. What an honor. This kid actually put some thought into those positions instead of checking the obvious vote.

My stomach is in knots as I watch the election returns.

Whatever happens, I hope and pray God will bless America.