HAPPY NEW YEAR

Finally, it's almost here -- 2011.
I'm so glad.
2010 wasn't really a bad year. It's just the whole month of December was frigid and went on forever.

So I'm sure January will be cold too, but it's supposed to be.

What do you have planned for 2011?
Did you make any resolutions?

I don't make resolutions anymore.
When I did make them, I broke them, usually in the first 48 hours.

Now I make a "Things To Do In 2011 List".
Last year I did this and managed to accomplish 9 out of the 11 items on my list.

I figure by doing it this way I have a whole year to try and succeed.

So what is on my list for 2011?
I have 13 items this year.
Some of the top priorities are:
Finish the course I'm presently taking.
Finish the novel I'm writing.
Find a publisher for it.
Write more short stories.
Submit, submit, submit the stories I have written and will write.
Make another a quilt.
And a few mundane things, such as doing some things around the house.

One other thing I'm going to try and do, is stick with the Weight Watchers new Points Plus program.
I did something really brave. About three weeks before Christmas I joined W.W. on-line.
I figured it would keep me somewhat on track through the holidays.
I did gain over Christmas but went right back on program and have lost what I gained.

I just don't like wasting a whole morning going to a W.W. meeting. The on-line version is much better.
I've actually been a W.W. member since it started back in the 60's. I'm even a Lifetime Member, having accomplished goal in the 80's. Sad to say I go up and down like a yo-yo.

The previous Points Program was really good. The new Points Plus Program counts most fruit and vegetables as 0 points. This is good, because if you are hungry and run out of daily points you can eat a piece of fruit and not feel guilty.

So take a few minutes write you "To Do List" for 2011.
Good luck in accomplishing your goals.
Let's help each other with encouragement and good wishes.

I wish each and everyone a healthy, joyous, and prosperous New Year.

                   THE NATIVITY

Stars sparkling like tiny diamonds against a black velvet sky.
Shepards guarded their charges of wooly sheep as usual.
Suddenly they noticed an unusually bright star in the eastern sky.
An angel appeared to them.
"Fear not for unto you is born a King," the angel told them.
"Follow the star to Bethlehem where you'll find Him in a stable."

The shepherds heeded the angel's direction. They gathered their sheep and followed the Star.
In a lowly stable in Bethlehem they found the newborn King in a manger being tended to by His mother Mary and father Joseph.

The manger is filled with sweet fresh hay and the Baby is wrapped in swaddling clothes.
The Star they followed beamed down radiant light on the Baby.
An angel stood in reverence nearby.
The cattle, donkeys and sheep laid down and were quiet.

The sheperds bowed before their King, as angels on high sang, "Glory to God in the Highest."

This Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, as you attend church services or take a few minutes in the hustle and bustle. Stop and reflect on that moment the angel appeared to the shepherds. How frightened they must have been. Would you have been startled if it had happened to you?

The shepherds obeyed the angel and worshipped their new King.
He can be your King too. Just invite Him into your heart. Then you will celebrate Christmas in your heart everyday.

When you hear the Christmas carols, "Away In a Manger", "Silent Night", "O' Little Town of Bethlehem" being sung they will take on a new meaning for you.

God Bless each and everyone of you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

MY FAMILY ... CIRCA 1950's

"Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go."

In this case it's cross over the bridge across the icy river to Aunt Bell's house.

Aunt Bell was my mom's older sister. We always enjoyed visiting her and Uncle Murt and our five cousins.

That's where the above picture was taken.

Notice the Christmas light bulbs around the window.

Remember those? They were big and used to send the electric meter spinning.

I'm sure I have one or two of them among the Christmas decorations somewhere.

This picture was taken in the 1950's, I'm not sure which year.

While I'm writing this blog I'm watching/listening to PBS TV. They are broadcasting a show featuring many singing acts from the 1950's.

What is unique about it is that the singers are accompanied by a full live orchestra. What a sound. What lyrics. They really say something. The live instruments sure beat the artificially created music of today.

Singers like the McGuire Sisters singing "Sincerely".

Don Cherry and "Band of Gold", the Four Lads, "Standing on the Corner Watching All the Girls Go By."

Do you remember Gogi Grant and the "Wayward Wind". These were just a few.

These entertainers are all around our age and still look and sound pretty good.

There was also video of the late Rosemary Clooney singing "Hey There" and the late Johnny Ray singing "Cry".

How many afternoons we would run home from school to watch Dick Clark's Bandstand from Philadelphia. Most of these artists received their start on that program.

Then in our home area we had radio station WARM twenty four hours a day playing all the latest hits.

The 50's were a great era weren't they? Then we had to grow up. It's been quite a ride.

Sis and Bro, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. My wish for you both is that 2011 will be one of happiness and joy and good health.

NO ROOM

"No Room" is the title of a song sung in church this morning.
Actually it was a solo sung by my husband. I'm not biased or anything, but he sang it very well.

The song was written by John Peterson. John is a modern day writer of spiritual songs that speak to the heart.

Some of the lyrics are: No room - only a manger of hay. No room - He is a stranger today. No room - here in this world turned away. No room - here in the hearts of mankind. No room - surely the world is blind.

You might think it is all about the glorious night, our Saviour, Jesus was born.

But think about those words. They are very relevant to today.

There is no room for Him in public places. Why, because a few say He offends them.

What is so sad is that He died for them as well as those who accept Him.

Those who shun Him celebrate the holiday known the world over as "CHRISTMAS". Do you see what the first six letters spell?
Those same people that don't want Him in public places, profit from the holiday either with a paid day off or in their business.

Polls say that somewhere between 75-80 % of Americans claim they are Christians.
Imagine if all those Christians made room in their lives for the Christ of Christmas.

Perhaps if they did, He might notice, and our country would turn back to the basic values upon which it was founded.

What about your life? Do you have room for Him? Can you find a few minutes in your harried day to give Him some thought?

Take some quiet time, get to know Him again. Your life may take on a peace you don't have now.

Think about this -- if you don't make room for Him -- will He make room for you when you need Him?

God bless all of you.

CHRISTMAS PAST

Can you remember when you were a child anticipating Christmas?
The anxiety, the joy, the waiting, wondering if it would ever get here.

When my brother, sister and I were young, we waited for the Sears Roebuck Christmas catalog to arrive.
We then pored over it for days, choosing what we wanted Santa to bring us.

Of course my sister and I would pick the most beautiful dolls and my brother would opt for the flashiest truck or car.
Then we would write our letters to Santa with all of our requests.

Two weeks before Christmas my Mom would bring out her scrawny, little table tree with the pointed lights. The unique thing about these lights were if one bulb burned out the whole string went dark. What fun it was screwing and unscrewing bulb after bulb until the culprit was found. Luckily there were only about fifteen or twenty bulbs to a string.

Mom would spend those weeks baking fruitcake, assorted breads and batch after batch of cookies. We were the official tasters. We got to eat the broken ones. Yummy.

Several days before Christmas, Dad would haul in the big platform and fresh tree. He put them in place and then put up the tracks for his Lionel trains. We were kept occupied playing with the trains. I can still smell the smoke from the locomotive. Oh, wait, I think that smoke is coming from my husband's trains.

The tree wasn't decorated until Christmas Eve, while we were asleep and the Plastic-ville town appeared as well.

Christmas morning we would get up early and wake our parents, who probably just got to sleep. They went to Christmas Candlelight Service at church at 11:00 PM and then trimmed the tree and put out the gifts.

Our gifts were never wrapped in Christmas paper. Remember this was the 40's and 50's, we weren't affluent. Even though there were no tags on the gifts, somehow we knew which pile was ours.

My sister and I received dolls, a book, and clothes which included a blouse or sweater, socks and always underwear. Mom was very practical.

My brother received a car or truck, a book, and clothes also.

There was always a large box of Crayola crayons which was to be shared by the three of us. Remember those boxes of 64 crayons with all the neat exotic names?

Each of our stockings held an orange in the toe, some assorted nuts, candy and maybe small items like a toothbrush, or comb, etc.

Usually the gifts we had picked out of the Sears catalogue weren't there.
But you know, that didn't matter to us. We were thrilled with whatever we received.

What about your memories of Christmas past, were they good ones?
Are there some you can re-create for your children?