Yesterday 2012...

Here it is the last day of 2012. Looking back I would say it's been a good year.

Since I am a huge fan of Oswald Chambers' daily devotional here is today's entry from "My Utmost For His Highest":

  

Devotion For December 31st
 

YESTERDAY
 

"The God of Israel will be your reward."

Isaiah 52:12
 

Security from Yesterday. "God requireth that which is past." At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise from remembering the yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God's grace is apt to be checked by the memory of yesterday's sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them in order to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual culture for the future. God reminds us of the past lest we get into a shallow security in the present.

Security for To-morrow. "For the Lord will go before you." This is a gracious revelation, that God will garrison where we have failed to. He will watch lest things trip us up again into like failure, as they assuredly would do if He were not our rereward. God's hand reaches back to the past and makes a clearing-house for conscience.

Security for To-day. "For ye shall not go out with haste." As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, unremembering delight, nor with the flight of impulsive thoughtlessness, but with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays present irreparable things to us; it is true that we have lost opportunities which will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ.

Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him.

 

WISHING YOU AND YOURS A WONDERFUL AND BLESSED 2013.

Happy New Year's Eve...

 

 

 Happy New Year's Eve!!!

 

Black-Eyed Peas For Luck...



In Texas we like to eat our black-eyed peas for luck each New Year's Day.

 Today I went to the pantry to make sure I had a can. Hoping I did because I will do almost anything to keep from leaving the house until the holidays are over. All I found was a 1 lb. bag of dried peas. I checked to see if I had bacon-no luck. Maybe ham-one huge frozen hock left over from Thanksgiving. What I did find was a pound of Jimmy Dean Sausage. That sounds pretty good to me. Black-eyed peas, sausage, onions, bell pepper, garlic, jalapenos, and anything else I can think of to throw in. Put it all in the crock-pot and cook for 6-8 hours. Make a pan of corn bread. Yum-Yum.

 

Here's wishing you lots of luck in 2013!!!

Three Hours Is Too Long...

Why are they making movies so long these days?

Hubby and I went to see two movies this week. We saw "The Hobbit" and "D'Jango". Both were nearly three hours long and felt like it.

I loved "The Hobbit" when I read it and although the movie followed the book it was simply too long. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best I give it a 3 for being so long and for being a trilogy. Sorry to any Hobbit fans who might disagree.

D'Jango was the same. It was simply too long. On a scale of 1 to 5 I give it a 3. I have too much to do to justify spending all day at the movies. Today we arrived at 1pm for the 1:30 showing and left at 4:30.

What happened to the days of hour and a half to two hour movies? Even "Gone With The Wind" had an intermission. I love going to the movies and will continue, but in the future, I will skip the three hour ones.

Have a great weekend!!!

The House At Riverton...

  

 

“Photographs force us to see people before their future weighed them down, before they knew their endings.” 

The House At Riverton

The House at Riverton is a gorgeous debut novel set in England between the wars. It is the story of an aristocratic family, a house, a mysterious death and a way of life that vanished forever, told in flashback by a woman who witnessed it all and kept a secret for decades.
Grace Bradley went to work at Riverton House as a servant when she was just a girl, before the First World War. For years her life was inextricably tied up with the Hartford family, most particularly the two daughters, Hannah and Emmeline. In the summer of 1924, at a glittering society party held at the house, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline and only they -- and Grace -- know the truth. In 1999, when Grace is ninety-eight years old and living out her last days in a nursing home, she is visited by a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer. She takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories. Told in flashback, this is the story of Grace's youth during the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege shattered by war, of the vibrant twenties and the changes she witnessed as an entire way of life vanished forever. The novel is full of secrets -- some revealed, others hidden forever, reminiscent of the romantic suspense of Daphne du Maurier. It is also a meditation on memory, the devastation of war and a beautifully rendered window into a fascinating time in history.~~Amazon

Author:Kate Morton

Published:2008

Purchase:Amazon.com

 

Review

 

My daughter texted me one day to say that she was reading a really good book. She didn't want to put it down, so I ordered it on the Kindle. I started reading immediately and immediately loved it. It has over 400 pages, but you will hardly notice. The story is told in flashbacks reminiscent of "Water With Elephants". I love to find a new author to read and will definitely be reading more of Kate Morton. I give this book 5 stars. I didn't want it to end.

 

Happy Reading and Merry Christmas!!! 

The Party's Over...

We had to have an early Christmas party with our kids this year due to some scheduling difficulties. It was my turn to host. Originally I had it planned for December 22, but another family party was scheduled on top of ours and I try to remain flexible. So, between the birth of the new baby, the cruise and three weeks of being sick I almost ran out of time. I have been working non-stop trying to get presents bought and wrapped, Christmas cards mailed, house cleaned (oh my that was a killer), Christmas tree bought and decorated, and groceries purchased and cooked. Since hubby works out of town it all fell to Mwa.

I'll start with the baby. He has finally started to gain some weight and even smile. I was worried about him for awhile. He seemed so scrawny and wiry (hope those are acceptable words when describing ones newborn grandson). Every time I held him I would say, "There's just nothing to him". I was certainly in for a surprise when they arrived Saturday.  There was actually some meat on his little bones and then yesterday my daughter texted this picture of him smiling.

 I can stop worrying and will try to find better adjectives when describing him. Adjectives like precious, sweet, and cute and I may even  get to talk about his baby fat in a month or two.

The cruise was great as usual. We went to Key West and the Bahamas. I chose Key West in order to tour Hemingway's home. Hemingway had six-toed cats. After his death and after turning the home into a tourist attraction they continued to breed the cats. There were six-toed cats everywhere. They were under bushes, in the house, lazing on the porch, and one was even on the bed. We took a walking tour of that area and wound up at Hemingway's favorite hang-out, "Sloppy Joe's". It was a nice vacation.

Two days before the cruise I started getting the dreaded sore-throat. I was sick the entire cruise, and two weeks afterward. Finally went to the doctor. He gave me a Z-pac and some funny looking pills to take for cough. I coughed until my muscles hurt on the cruise, but the minute I got to the doctor's office I felt better. As soon as the sickness left and I got my energy back it was time to start preparing for the party. No time in-between.
I shopped, bought, wrapped, decorated and cooked. They started showing up about noon Saturday. Everything went off with out a hitch. It's amazing how long it takes to prepare and how soon it's all over. I cleaned some Saturday night and Sunday and by Monday was starting to feel a little like a free-spirit again. Today I'm sipping my "warm baudee" (at two my uncle couldn't say coffee), writing this blog and wondering what to do with all this free time. Well, actually I do have that party on the 22nd and my dad's on the 25th, but everything is squared-away, so I'll feel more like a guest and less like a host.

The Three Santa's.



Oh, I mean four.

They passed out the presents and we had another successful Christmas. Zombies seemed to be the sought after gift this year and they were in abundance at our party. And let's not forget Spiderman because what would any party be if "Pidaman" didn't show up.

This was our Christmas Elf that kept popping in and out of every picture we took. (I wouldn't pay the $30 for the one from Target  every one seems to be crazy about this year). I liked mine better anyway.

Even the donkeys got in the Christmas Spirit.

Have a great day and a Merry Christmas!!!

Token Gifts...

Fill a jar with a snack of your choice. Sketch a quick drawing on top of the lid with a Sharpie and tie on a ribbon.

I try to find lids without writing on them, but have used both.

You don't have to be an artist and when they don't turn out, like my gingerbread man, I just think, "Oh well, it's the thought that counts."

Have a great Tuesday!!!

Poor Kitty...

Whenever I leave the house I have a little orange kitten that loves to run down the sidewalk ahead of me. I am always afraid I might run over him. I play tricks to convince him to stay where I can see him as I drive off. Lately, when I tell him to stay, amazingly he does.

I have been gone since Tuesday and arrived home tonight just after dark. He ran to greet me as usual. I got out of the pick-up and went to my car to get the mail. A friend puts it in the front seat whenever I am gone for more that a day or two. This time there were several boxes of Christmas items I had ordered. I stood with the car door open for a full minute looking at return addresses to see what had arrived. I then gathered up what I could safely carry and gave the car door a gentle shove. I didn't slam it. I was coming back to get the rest of the mail, so I gave it a push, not caring if it closed all the way or not. What I didn't realize was my little orange kitten decided at that very moment to leap into the floor board of the car. The door caught him just right and broke his neck. It was very sad. I hadn't even named him.

Internet kitty.



On a happier note, here is a Santa picture of my brother and myself in 1959. We were at Leonard Brothers in Fort Worth, Texas.

I love pictures like this.



Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!!!



 

Seventeen Shopping Days Left...

A couple more gift cards and I'll be through with my Christmas shopping. Yeah!!!



Who would have thought a GI Joe would cost $30.00 (if you can find one). I guess it was a bargain though because you can throw him up into the air and his parachute will open. I wonder how many times he'll need to be rescued from the top of a tree or house?

 

 

And the "Walking Dead" Zombies-OMG-I don't even want to go there.

 

 

The one bargain I did get, after pawing for 20 minutes through the $5.00 bin of  Christmas CD's, was three Bing Crosby CD's.

Merry Christmas!

Have a good weekend!!!

Yesterday's Thrift Find...

Thomas Kinkade's "SANTA'S WORKSHOP TOYS" for $3.15.

It's going to take center stage on the living room mantel.
 

Have a great day!!!

Movie Review...

Lincoln

 

Lincoln is a 2012 American historical drama directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as United States President Abraham Lincoln and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln. The film is based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography of Lincoln and covers the final four months of his life, focusing on Lincoln's efforts in January 1865 to have the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution pass the United States House of Representatives.~~Wikipedia

 

Review

Hubby and I went to see Lincoln last Saturday to celebrate his birthday. He loved it! It was approximately 2 1/2 hours long, but seemed less. It was well done, but what Steven Spielberg isn't? Daniel Day-Lewis was superb. The only problem I had was with the slant I felt Hollywood put on it. I was expecting Hollywood to put this slant on it and I wasn't surprised and still enjoyed the overall movie. I give it 4 stars for being a good historical drama. I would watch it again simply to see Daniel Day-Lewis' performance. If you get a chance I recommend it.   

 

Have a great middle of the week!!!

Happy Count Down...

Time to get out the Advent Calendars

and start the countdown.

Have a nice week!!!

Damaged Goods...

 

"As Clayton's hand opened, palm up, Joanna plopped the warm, heavy object into his hand. ' Why don't you hold it for a while.'"

 

Damaged Goods

 

"When Joanna Lucas moves to a small town to escape a scandal and a scoundrel, she finds herself in trouble again when she befriends a stripper-turned-Mormon, a one-legged woman thanks to a loose tiger, and a dirty-minded troublemaker with a love of inane questions, and they take on an industrial town. Erin Brockovich has nothing on these ladies! Prepare to laugh out loud and cheer them on as they set out to right a terrible wrong . . . no matter how outlandish things get."~~Amazon

 

Author: Alexandra Allred

Published: 2011

Purchase: Amazon.com

 

Review

 

When I decided to read "Damaged Goods" I wasn't sure if it was my kind of book. I don't usually read the more light-hearted, humorous, with quirky characters kind of books, but once I started it I knew I would finish it. Even though this book is fiction and full of humor the author addresses serious environmental issues that could affect us all. I give it three * stars for being a good book, with well-developed plot and characters.

     

Happy Reading!!!

 

 



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Number Six...

 Jesse Lawton

 Born November 5th, 2012.

Have a great day!!!