Happy New Year...

 

Cleaning and cooking for two days produced a wonderful New Year's Eve party with family and friends. Lots of food, music and Texas 42. The last of the partiers left at 2:20am. and made it home safely.

Happy New Year!!!!

 

 

New Year, New Slate...

Today starts a new year and, as I am a person of lists, I have been working on my resolutions. It's not that I always keep them, but it never hurts to "regroup", have goals to think about, take a minute to look back over the past year, and decide what was worth doing and what wasn't.

For instance, I've been trying to learn to play the mandolin, without practicing, wonder how that's going to work out. Yeah, maybe I better add that to my resolutions list.

And how about the one every body has on their list-diet and exercise.

My list goes on and on. I think I'm going to add: 

Resolve to stick to my resolutions.

Here's the best part of 2012 for us.

Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!

 

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!!!

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!!!

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!!!

Happy Fourth Of July...

A Texas Fourth of July.

 Hotdogs, watermelon, music and fireworks.

Happy 236th Birthday America!!!

Carlsbad Ain't Bad...

Just returned from a wonderfully, fun and quick trip to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. It's about six hours from home. We left Saturday morning and returned at 3:30 today. Approximately three-thousand people went through the cavern on Saturday and another three-thousand or so Sunday.

Luck seems to run in spurts for us and this weekend Lady Luck was hiding behind every nook and cranny. To start with we arrived at the cave before it opened making us one of the first to go down. The elevator signs warned you might have an hour wait to get on one when you were ready to come up out of the cave. We walked up to an elevator got in and rode to the top-no problem, but when we got out there was an enormously long line waiting to get tickets to go down. The sign for the elevator had been changed to say you would have an hour wait. People were literally everywhere. Moral of the story-get there early if you plan to enjoy your tour without fighting the crowds.

Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Down, down, down.

How would you like to climb down this way?

Or this way?

That's how they did it in the 20's.

Looking up from just below.

I've visited this cave at least a half-dozen times and never get tired of it. If you feel up to a 3 1/2 hour slow walk then put on your walking shoes and visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Hope everyone had a nice holiday.

Enjoy the week ahead.

Happy Easter & Happy Birthday...

We had a successful egg hunt yesterday despite the 2.5 inches of rain we were blessed with. We huddled under our umbrellas and waited on the clouds to break.

It didn't happen,

so, the eggs were hid, and the hunters hunted,

and prizes were claimed under a covered bridge.



 Afterwards, we celebrated Fuzzy's 2nd birthday and Tallfeather's 7th birthday with a family party at "Texas Roadhouse."  

The birthday boys.

The presents.

Happy Birthday!!!

It's hard to believe my little "Fuzzy" is two.

Have a great week!!!



Looking Forward To 2012...

Hubby left about 7pm to drive the two hours it takes to get back to the city and back to work. Getting back to "normal" is always an adjustment after so much free time.

 I am dedicating Tuesday through Friday to packing all bits and pieces of Christmas away,

working on the nearly one dozen sock monkeys I promised would be ready by Christmas and weren't,

 and finishing a good book, which if I'm not careful will take precedence over everything else.

I love the idea of starting a new year and am looking forward to 2012. A new year is like a new beginning it causes me to rethink my priorities and focus on things I need to work on. I am a list person. Before I go to sleep at night I get out my pen and paper and make my list for the next day, so I have my list for 2012 and am ready for the challenge ahead.

I hope everyone has a great week and a great 2012. Christmas will be here before we know it.

Thanksgiving Has Come And Gone...

Thanksgiving has come and gone. We had a truly wonderful holiday with much to be thankful for. Twenty-two family members gathered at my dad's house on Thursday for turkey, dressing, ham, potatoes, baked beans, corn, yams, deviled eggs, banana pudding, apple pie and a host of other goodies.
We come from a family of musicians that love to play "Texas 42", so after feasting comes great music and then games of "42" that last into the wee hours of the morning with champions that have bragging rights until our next family get-together. Here is a clip of my oldest brother playing an old fiddle tune called "Billy in the Lowground" and across from him is my youngest brother playing guitar.

On Friday we gathered again. This time at my daughter's house for a feast that rivaled the one from the day before. We took the annual photos of the grandkids.

This will be my last post until Dec. 5th. I will not have internet access until then.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and survived Black Friday.   

Gobble, Gobble...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I hope you all have a great Holiday!

Thanksgiving Proclamation 1789...

I had never read this before and for that matter didn't even realize it existed. Our preacher put it in the bulletin this week and I thought I would share. The very words that President Washington used in this proclamation tells me for sure that the separation of church and state was not intended to be interpreted the way our government, justices and the ACLU interprets it today. I am interested to know what you think.  

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

     Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor;
       and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."
     Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
     And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
     Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3rd day of October, A.D. 1789.

G. Washington

Have a wonderful and grateful week.

---

Crisp Peppernuts...

Today I started preparations for the holidays and part of those preparations include making Crisp Peppernuts. Peppernuts are wonderful little cookies about the size of a quarter. The recipe is similar to that of ginger snaps, but includes Anise. Anise has a licorice-like flavor, although if you don't like licorice you will still like these cookies.

 At the beginning of the holidays my youngest always calls me with this question, "Are you making those little cookies this year?" I call them buttons due to there tiny size. Give me a steaming mug of coffee and a handful of buttons and the holidays have begun.

  

Ingredients:

 1 1/2 cups of butter * 2 1/4 cups of sugar * 3 Tbs. of molasses * 3 eggs, beaten * 5 5/8 sifted flour *  3 tsp. soda * 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon * 1 1/2 tsp. cloves * 1 1/2 tsp. ginger * 1 1/2 tsp. Anise oil

Cream butter and sugar. Add molasses and eggs. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Let set in fridge over night. Roll in rope shape (about 1/2 inch round) slice and put on cookie sheet. Bake in 375 degree oven about 7-8 minutes.

 One Christmas I received these little cookies along with a coffee mug from Hubby's sister who lives in Kansas. She said some people put more Anise than others and some add nuts and other items. I have always followed the recipe, but you can adjust them to your own taste. Hubby thinks they would be good with lemon, so this time I divided the dough and added lemon extract. We'll see.

Enjoy and have a great day!!!