RSS

Monday, December 31, 2012

News Flash

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are expecting their first baby! 
That was actually a news flash on TV today.
A slight complication in this story -- Kim is still married to her first husband, even though they separated after 72 days.

The media is celebrating this announcement as if it is such a wonderful event.

Doesn't anyone see a problem here?

I really have never figured out why Kim Kardashian or any of the rest of her family is famous -- maybe they're only famous because they believe their own press releases?

Sunday, December 30, 2012

It's almost over


The year is almost at it's end...and the new year is right around the corner.  It's a clean slate again -- and I wonder what will happen this year.  We are in an age group where our friends are entering nursing homes or getting Alzheimers, or even dying, and I wonder who of us will still be able to celebrate New Year's Day 2014.  I don't mean to sound morbid, but it's part of life.

One of the blogs that I like to read is this one:  http://theresnoplacelikehome-family.blogspot.com/.  This is a family that already has adopted eight (Yes, 8!) children from China, and in January they are traveling back to China to adopt three more girls.  They do this because they love Jesus and they love children.  It is an amazing family. 

Another blog I follow is http://www.abeautifulroad.com/.  I have lost count of how many Chinese orphans have been adopted by this family, all of them have special needs like severe heart problems, blindness, one girl has no arms, etc.; the parents are adopting these children because they love Jesus and they love children.  They too are an amazing family.

If you want to be blessed, read these two blogs. 

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas Day in Pictures

Today the family was gathering at Tanya's house for the Christmas get-together; we were a little concerned because of the snow last night, but it only was a couple of inches, and in Colorado the intensity of the sun added to the mag chloride they put on the streets takes care of the snow very quickly.

We went early to help with some of the preparation, so while Bill, Tanya and Paul were working in the kitchen, I was playing the new game with Joey and Carly:





Bill and Tanya provided the meat and beverages, while the rest of us furnished all the side dishes.  Bill got busy carving the ham (he took his right arm out of the sling for a few minutes to do this).




Joey and Carly enjoyed playing with 8-month old Avery:






One of the benefits of being the Grammy, is that I could sit in the living room and relax while everybody else was in the kitchen getting the food ready.  I found myself wondering if the meat was done, and if the potatoes were ready and everything was on the table, but then I remember that I'm no longer in charge and I didn't have to worry about a thing!



With so many aunts and uncles, there were lots and lots of presents to open:


My two beautiful girls, Carly and Tanya:





Joey and his Kindle Fire;  he's only six years old, but he sure knows his way around any electronics:


He is such a relaxed, happy kid.  I get really emotional when I think of what his and Carly's lives would be like if they had never found their forever family.



Joey loves maps, so I found this Discovery Kids flannel map set; it has labels for all the states, rivers, countries, etc.  He loved it!




At one point, Joey's stack of presents was as tall as he is:


Carly received a new doll named Julie from Mom and Dad:



Aunt Sharlene gave Carly a pretty dress with a matching dress for Julie:




I gave Carly a pretty trunk full of outfits I had sewed for Julie:


This is beautiful granddaughter Heather and her Mom Janette:



Granddaughter Renee with Avery (8 months) and Rachel (3 1/2):  Aren't they all pretty girls?


Avery and her daddy Adam:


Joey and Aunt Cathy busy with the Kindle:



Aunt Janette and a giggling Carly:


It was a wonderful day.  Several people didn't get into any pictures today:  Sharlene, Dale, Cindy, Darold, Scott, Jerry and Paul aren't in any pictures, but they were all part of the celebration.

It was hard to say good-bye, especially to Cathy who was flying back to Nashville early tomorrow morning; Darold is staying a few more days.  We sure do miss her and Darold, but Paul and I will be going to visit them in spring.

And so - Christmas is over for another year, but it's been a wonderful time of family togetherness.  We are so blessed that when we get together, we all have a good time. 

We're having a White Christmas!!!!!

This was what I saw when I looked out the living room window this morning:



And it's Christmas in the house too:


Last night was one of the best Christmas Eves that I can remember.  We finished all our "to-do" list before noon and we were able to relax.  At about 3:00, Dale and Cindy, and Darold and Cathy came here, and we started playing the game "Suspend" which I had recently bought.  It's a simple but complex game of taking turns balancing rods on a center rod; we've been having a lot of fun with it.


Darold, with Cathy's help, tries his hand at the balancing act.



Dale next - with Cindy helping him concentrate:


     At about 5:30 we all headed off to our church for the Christmas Eve service, Jim and Janette joined us there. Our church has a puppet ministry, I had never seen them perform, but they opened the program and absolutely amazed us!  They were very professional!  After that, the praise band and the congregation sang several Christmas songs and then our pastor led us in partaking of communion.  It was a lovely service made even more so because the church has been decorated so beautifully for Christmas.

     Then we all headed back to our house where Darold started cooking the oyster stew; the rest of us started munching on all the good food that was prepared, and again started playing the game.

     This is Janette having a bowl of the oyster stew; Cathy is just enjoying the evening after a very stressful year of moving out of state and having a very demanding job:


Back to the game - Cindy trying her luck:


Besides the oyster stew, there were lots of munchies:


Jerry and Sharlene joined us later after having their Christmas with Jerry's family.  We no longer draw names to exchange gifts, but to my surprise, I received some beautiful gifts from everybody.  I am blessed!

Monday, December 24, 2012

Dreamin' of a white Christmas

If the weathermen are right, we'll have a white Christmas, and I really hope they're getting it right this time!
The forecast is that it will start snowing this evening (like while we're at the Christmas Eve church service) and continue through tomorrow morning with about three inches of snow.  That works for me!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Coming home for Christmas

I've been thinking how it used to feel when I lived a long distance away from my parents and I would come home for Christmas.  There would be such a feeling of anticipation and as the car or the airplane, whatever the mode of transportation was, got closer to the destination, the anticipation grew till finally I walked in the door and was home again!  It was always such a good feeling.  A feeling of safety and security.  And even though the word "love" was never mentioned, the feeling of love was there. 

After my Mom died in January of 1972, I could no longer go "home".  Home didn't exist.  And when my Dad died almost twenty years later (two days after Christmas in 1991) I realized that I was the "older generation" now.  So now I am the "home" that family comes to. 

I am blessed because my daughter and her family live in this state; it's about a 45 minute drive from where we live so we are able to see each other quite often.  And Paul's children all lived in this state till this summer when Darold and Cathy moved to another state.  But last week, they came home - and it was so good to see them again.  They were here Friday evening and we enjoyed visiting over dinner and then played a new table game I had recently bought.  Yesterday eleven of us met for lunch at the Cracker Barrel restaurant; we enjoyed good food and lots of conversation and laughter.  Tomorrow evening all of Paul's children will be here; we'll first attend the Christmas Eve service in our church, and then we'll all be back at our house for oyster stew and other goodies, although for me - oyster stew isn't a "goodie".  Our Christmas Day dinner and gift exchange will be at my daughter's house and everyone will be there except one granddaughter and her family from out of town, but we did get to see them yesterday.  Nine-month old Avery is the newest great-grandchild in the family; her older sister Rachel is 3 1/2, and then Joey and Carly are 6 and 7, so it will be a lot of fun watching the children open their gifts.  We all used to draw names for gifts, but it became hard to buy for each other because we all have everything we need, so now we just give gifts to the children. 

There were many years in my life when I was very lonely, when my daughter and I were alone, and later after she left for college and marriage - I would often be alone and lonely.  This was especially true at holiday time because my friends would all be with their families.  But one year, I think it was in the early 1980's, God gave me a special promise, it was the verse found in Psalms 68:6 "He sets the lonely in families".  Those of you who have received a special promise from God know what I'm talking about.  You know that you know it's a special promise!  But time went on and my circumstances really didn't get better and I would think of that verse and wonder if it was all my imagination -- but it wasn't -- I knew it was a promise. 

And God kept that promise.  He set me in a loving family; on Christmas day there will be 18 of us, enjoying each other's company.  He also set me in a larger non-related family; I now have a wonderful group of friends that are as close as family, and then I have the special "family" of the ladies in my Sunday School class at church.

All I can think of is "Praise God from whom all blessings flow!"

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

About yesterday's post

The first story was that in China, a man had invaded a school and stabbed 32 children to death.

Later, the story was corrected that he hadn't killed anyone, but slashed 22 children and one adult.
And it was a relief that 32 children had not been killed.

What kind of world is it when it's a relief that children were only slashed, not killed??????

Monday, December 17, 2012

More tragedy

With all the news focused on the school shooting in Connecticut, we have hardly heard that on Friday - the same day - a man in China entered a school room and stabbed 32 children to death. This is beyond terrible, beyond evil.  From what I've heard, this happened in the same province where my grandson came from.

LATER:
I did some checking on the internet and found that the above story is not accurate.  Here is the report:

BEIJING — A knife-wielding man injured 22 children and one adult outside a primary school in central China as students were arriving for classes Friday, police said, the latest in a series of periodic rampage attacks at Chinese schools and kindergartens.
The attack in the Henan province village of Chengping happened shortly before 8 a.m., said a police officer from Guangshan county, where the village is located.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-attacks-22-kids-knife-china-school-article-1.1220230#ixzz2FNBDOO00

Grieving for the families

The tragedy in Connecticut is almost too awful to believe.  So many more details are coming out now, such as that the shooter had a huge amount of ammunition with him; evidently he was going to keep on shooting till he heard the police sirens coming closer.  But really, twenty innocent little children is twenty too many. 

It has also been revealed that he had Aspergers Syndrome.  This brings it home for me.  I have a friend who has a seventeen year old son who has Aspergers.  It has been very difficult for her.  A few weeks ago he was acting out in a violent way and she had to wrestle him to the floor and sit on him while another of her children called the police.  She and her husband have been very worried about him because of the kids he hangs out with, and also because another of her children told her that this boy has a gun.  The family decided to move out of this city and out of this environment, so on Christmas Eve day they are moving to another state where they have more family and he will have better influences.  I can't imagine how she feels to know that the Connecticut shooter had the same illness that her son has. 

And I find it ironic that his first victim -- his mother -- loved guns and with her children did a lot of target shooting and that she was killed by her own gun.

I get tired of hearing "guns don't kill people, people kill people".  I don't think anyone in the Sandy Hook community believes that, and I certainly don't believe it.  There is no reason on earth why anyone not in the military and not in law enforcement has to own a high powered assault weapon.  I'm not going to criticize anyone who goes hunting to put food on the table, but it was not done in my family when I was growing up, and I couldn't do it myself. 

Saturday, December 15, 2012

"Gotcha Day"

Today is Joey's "Gotcha Day" - the day he was placed in the arms of his daddy in China.  Poor little guy - he had no idea what was going on; he had been in an orphanage for almost three years, had seen only fairly short people with black hair, and here was this very tall, light haired man holding him and taking him away from the only home he had ever known.  No wonder he was shell-shocked!  We didn't hear one word from him for a very long time.  (Now he talks and laughs all the time.)  I can't find a picture of Bill and Joey on that day, although I know I have one some place, but here is a picture of Paul holding both Joey and Carly a couple of weeks after his arrival in his new family's home.


And here is a picture of Joey taken this fall:



Amazing what four years of love, good food, fresh air and sunshine can do!

My heart is breaking for the families of those children in Connecticut who were slaughtered yesterday while safely (?) in their schoolrooms.  When Joey and Carly's daddy heard about the shooting, he went to the school and brought them both home; he knew they were safe in their school, but he just wanted them close to him.  Thank you Bill!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

So thankful!

I am so thankful for my friends.  There were many years when I was very lonely; times when I moved to a new city and didn't know anyone and it took a long time to develop good friendships.  But I have been so blessed here, my life is enriched by my circle of friends.

For instance, yesterday my friends Janet and Phyllis and I had a "ladies day out", and did some shopping in our locally owned shops.  The town we live near used to be just a small town, but now it's a suburb of Denver - but it still has the small town flavor.  Several new shops have opened recently, including a dress shop that carries merchandise that comes from Canada rather than from the usual places overseas.  That shop was our first stop and we really enjoyed browsing through all the pretty things. 

Our next stop was at a town about fifteen miles further out, this was a store with many unique hand-made items as well as other collectibles.  Each of us found some very nice things that made their way into my car.  There was also a little coffee shop in this store, and we relaxed over a light lunch, just enjoying the Christmasy ambiance. 

This town also had an antique shop that we visited which was filled with very old clocks; the sound of all the tick-tocks was somehow very comforting to us senior citizens -- I'm not sure why that was. 

But it was just a very enjoyable day.  Yesterday started out  very cold, only about 14 degrees in the morning, but with the sunshine, I didn't even need a coat - just a nice warm sweater.  That's Colorado!

Today was another great day with friends.  The planning team of my local Christian Women's Connection met for our annual Christmas potluck and party, about fifteen ladies came together at Andrea's very beautifully decorated house.  We started with our monthly prayer time, sang some Christmas carols, ate LOTS of food and then had an ornament exchange.  I have known most of these ladies since I moved to the north end of Denver, and they are all very dear to me. 

Then this evening my husband and I went out to dinner with our friends Glenn and Phyllis; we have a habit of eating out together every Wednesday evening, usually Janet and her husband Denny join us, but they were not able to join us tonight.  It's so good to relax with friends, visit about our family activities while having some good coffee and a light dinner.

So when I think of all my friends who are close here, and all my friends who live a long distance away, I just feel very blessed!

Monday, December 10, 2012

A very cold morning

Brrrrrr - it was cold out there this morning.  As I write this at 10:30, it's warmed up to 31 degrees - heat wave!  I have to venture out later on to go see my chiropractor.  Till then, I'm in my craft room sewing doll clothes while I'm listening to Il Divo's Christmas CD.  Wonderful music!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Still no snow!

The weather forecast was for a snowstorm in the mountains yesterday, with a possible six inches of snow here in the city.  And yes - it did snow in the mountains, but did it snow out where we live?  No!  Not one flake of snow!  I was so disappointed when I looked out the window this morning and nothing had changed.  But it was cold!!!  The thermometer read 20 degrees as we left for church this morning; I actually pulled out my cold weather coat from my Nebraska days, warm gloves and a scarf.  But the sun was shining - that's Colorado!  It might be very cold, but the sunshine makes it bearable!

I love the ladies in my Sunday School class.  There were only about ten of us present this morning, but we have all come to love each other and support each other when someone is going through a rough patch in life.  We also went to a Bible study on the book of Revelations; we were in chapter 19 this morning where John describes the great wedding feast will take place.  I'm looking forward to the rejoicing; I'll be rid of my cane and will be dancing with the best of them!!!

An update on the stray cat situation.  After I fed him Tuesday morning, he disappeared, so I assumed he had either gone home or gone to someone else's farm.  Wrong!  He was back on Thursday morning, determined to come into the house, and I was just as determined that he wouldn't get in.  But I have such a soft spot for stray animals, I couldn't just let him stay out in the cold and fend for himself, so we took him to the county animal shelter where he will be put up for adoption. 

There is an article in the Denver Post today that reveals that there are 100,000 feral cats in Denver, and it's not their fault -- it's the fault of humans who originally abandoned their animals. 

Once again I took a bad fall.  One of these days I'll really hurt myself.  This time there were a few drops of water on the bathroom floor and of course one of my feet found them and one leg when out to the east and the other leg went out to the west and I landed in a very awkward position on the floor!  Fortunately nothing was really hurt except my pride, but I will be going to the chiropractor tomorrow to do some fixing in my joints. 

I've read the Sunday paper, checked my emails, and now it's time for a nap!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

The unpleasantness of country life

Generally, living in the country has many advantages, but there is one big disadvantage.

People seem to think it's OK to dump their pet dogs or cats at the end of our driveway, thinking they will find a good home.

It happened about twelve years ago when a very hungry cat found us; she has lived with us ever since and has earned her keep by catching mice, rabbits and unfortunately - also birds.

Another time someone dropped off a Great Dane puppy - and we saw him do it, but we couldn't stop him.  We didn't keep that dog.

This past Sunday a cat appeared at our door.  He was all gray, and very obviously used to humans.  He really wanted to come in the house, but I didn't want that, one cat is enough, thank you!  He is very playful and friendly, but since I didn't want another cat, I decided not to feed him so that he would wander on to someone else's yard.  It didn't work.  He liked it here.  I cannot stand to see animals starving or suffering, so I started feeding him.  Now the problem is what to do with him!  I've contacted a cat rescue organization, and they'll let me know by Thursday if they have space for another cat.  If they don't -- I'll cross that bridge when I get to it!

In the meantime - I'll just keep feeding him, unless he decides to bless someone else with his presence!

Sunday, December 2, 2012

A beautiful day - but where's the snow?

It is unbelievably warm today, as it has been the last week or so.  But we need snow!  We are desparately in need of moisture because of the drought, but also -- I need snow to put me in the mood for Christmas!  I could never live in a place that has a hot climate all year - I NEED SNOW!

It's been a busy time for me.  Yesterday afternoon I was invited to a ladies Christmas tea at my friend Phyllis's church; there were lots of goodies to enjoy, good music, and a very good speaker.  Before I went to the church, I stopped at Kohls to do some shopping -- BIG MISTAKE!  Now I remember why I have a rule to never go shopping on weekends!!!  It was a madhouse!  I stayed in the store just long enough to determine that I didn't want to be there.

This morning we went to the church we formerly attended; I still publish the newsletter for the Deaf ministry in that church, and they had asked me to attend today so they could present me with a gift.  It was good to see a lot of my friends again, and I enjoyed the Deaf worship service.  They "sang" several Christmas songs - using their hands of course.  One of the interpreters "sang" the song "Mary did you know" with her hands, while the CD was played for those of us who could hear.  The special speaker was from North Carolina and spoke about when Jesus healed the paralyzed man whose friends let him down through the roof.  The speaker wore a robe such as they wore in Bible times, and had several masks:  one mask when he was speaking in Jesus' voice, another mask when he was speaking as one of the friends, and another mask when he was speaking as a Pharisee.  It was a very good presentation and had everyone's rapt attention.  There were interpreters who interpreted the sign language for those of us who didn't know American Sign Language. 

As a thank you gift, they gave me a lovely glass box and on the lid was the sign for love.  It is so very pretty.  I was trying to remember how long I've published their newsletter, I think it must be about six years already. 

Then we met some friends for lunch at the Village Inn, after which came nap time.  In my spare time I'm sewing doll clothes for my granddaughter who will be getting a new doll for Christmas.  It's so much fun sewing these outfits, except for when I have to thread the needle - my eyes really have a problem seeing that tiny hole in the needle!

Tomorrow morning - a fun time at our Christmas party with the ladies of the once-a-month Bible study; ladies I have known for many years.  We all bring food, and we each bring a wrapped gift; the gifts are distributed during a game in which we can either keep the gift we have or exchange it with a gift someone else has.  It's always fun.  After that I'll stop in at the nursing home to visit my friend Evie.  I have to confess that it's not easy for me to go to the nursing home and see so many elderly people in such situations, but I haven't been to see her for a long time and I'm feeling guilty about it.  When I'm there, I always wonder if some day I'll be a patient in a place like that. 

And now - time to relax with a cup of tea....