More Christmas

Not home much as we gather with family visiting in town.
We'll have a lot to do when we are finally back here.
Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas 2009

May the peace of the season fill you as we celebrate the reason for the Season!! Enjoy the time with your family and friends. It is this time that the memories are made from.

Silver Lining

Too Many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
- Maurice Setter


There almost always is a silver lining if you look hard enough for it. It often can be hard if we are looking for "Perfect". You know that saying a bad day at the beach is still better than a day at work. I have found that setting my expectations lower often leads to some amazing events. I know that may sound anti -productive. Aren't we a society that says set your expectations high or you will never go anywhere? In some instances that os true, regarding education and jobs but when we look at how we spend our time or the receiving of "things" we need to modify and adjust. Having kids helps a great deal with this. Your time is not your own and you never know when you will have time. So make the best of whatever time you get when you get it. Gifts- expecting nothing means anything you get will be great! The perfect vacation, time and experience tells me and shows me that adversity in weather and circumstances if with in reason allows for a more meaningful experience.
Don't overlook the silver lining, it may be hiding the gold!

Looking inward . . . .

The Elves in the Kitchen . . . .

Lot's happening in the kitchen these days. Cookies, Candies, Gingerbread houses . . . coffee cake, chex mix, Sticky buns, appetizers, it is all good and all messy. Everyone has had a hand in the making and baking.

We have our favorites that we make every year and then some are biannual and some new every year.

Messy parts of Holiday

The Holidays are not without the messy parts.
All the baking, pans, flour, sugar . . . . then the wrapping, ribbon, tape and paper scraps . . . . the card sending, envelopes, letters, stickers, stamps, It can create quite a messy area when you have it all out.
I would not trade any of it.
Sometimes I would like more space out of the public eye for some of the mess but that is all. The rest can stay as it is part of what makes it all a whole. It is the preparation, the waiting, the hurrying. it is almost here are you ready?

Christmas Quilt

This was created to fill the need that every child have a special Christmas Quilt. so my old friend who now has a beautiful daughter adopted from China has a Christmas Quilt. I love to do things like this. I like to create with my hands. I love putting all the colors together. This had not pattern just strips fit together with center Santa Theme fabric. Doing it this way, I had to do a bit of fussing to make it all work but in the end it was fine. I used Satin Blanket binding for the edge, it was a fast way of finishing it as well as it goes with the book Pumpkin Blanket which is a favorite of my kids.
I did not make it very big- 40 inch square which means it may not have growing power but we'll cross that bridge later, for now it will be just right.

Elf buisness going on here

Well I know it is not for everyone but making things is what I like to do. I love looking through books for just the right idea. Trying to figuare out if I have what I need. The biggest thing I never have is enough time. Always pulled in a 1000 directions and the interruptions, that really can eat up time. So this time of year I am busy baking, making art, sewing, knitting, quilting, but then again I am all year through. it is not just a Holiday thing.
Right now we are down to about 3 days and I have a weeks worth to finish!! wish me luck

Signs of the Season . . .

Ordinary moments

As said before, the ordinary quite often is the extraordinary. Do we ever know when the last time we will do something for a loved one whether it is because they outgrow it or because other forces have changed our paths. Enjoy each moment. Live, laugh , love, but the greatest of these is Love. Be sure to sit in front of your Christmas Tree and enjoy it. Be sure to read the family Christmas books that you love, in other wards as the clique says " stop to smell the roses"

Lake Effect Snow

The southern and eastern shores of the Great Lakes of North America are notorious for the heavy snowfall they receive each winter (Fig 1), especially from late November to early January. This is due to what is known as the lake-effect snow, and it may lead to large regional differences. For instance, 50 cm of snow may accumulate over the course of a few days near the shore, and 50 km from the lake shore the ground may be bare. Lake-effect snow occurs elsewhere as well, e.g. near Lake Baikal in Russia, but nowhere is it so pronounced and has it such an effect on ground and air transportation.

Last week we were getting Lake Effect from Lake Erie which is unusual. THe bands were very strong and went in land much further than usual.

Lake effect influences our every days- we could get a lot or nothing. We can get snow when there is no storm moving through. we can get inches and feet of snow thanks to the big lake Producers. As soon as Lake Erie freezes over the Lake effect ends. Lake Ontario is much deeper and does not tend to freeze over ever.

Christmas Trees

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Just a few of the trees in our house. As you can see we have an everything goes Tree - all the ornaments have a story. Being that our house is 187 years old . . . how many Christmas trees has it seen? What did they do during the Civil war, during WWII? I am sure many years it was as cold as it is right now. We have not turned on the Furnace yet- heating with our wood stove ( Center of the Universe) it is not to bad. Today we are having 40-50 mph winds and snow so it is rather drafty and not getting to warm but then that is why I knit and quilt after all. Need to rationale it somehow.
We love our tree and all that is on it.m It is one of the traditions we love best. What traditions do you love about the Holidays?

Always out of Season

What is life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night,
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime,
It is the little shadow that runs across the grass
and loses itself in a sunset.

Death comes,
and always out of season.
It is the command of the great Spirit
All nations and people must obey.


Excerpts from book: Beyond the Ridge by Paul Goble
A Lakota story about how they view death.
It is well done.

This book has Grace and simplicity in the discussion of loss and death.
Sometimes living with each other is a challenge but living without a loved one is so incredibly difficult. The grieving process is so individual and often very long.
The hard part is when the rest of the world is back to "normal" and you are not and that they expect that you should be. The best gift is of your time/& presence, words are often unnecessary.
After living through calling hours and having a good friend there for us- just in the room it was just the best. There presence said I care and love you and it made the difficult task all that much easier. Unfortunately we have been able to return the favor- not something you would like to have to do. Accompanying someone on their journey of grief is perhaps one of the greatest gifts you can give.
In memory of my cousins wife who left to fly with the Angels on 12/4/09
A life ended all to soon. Godspeed Jean. You are missed.

Morning Light

Well this is early morning light here at Chestnut Hill. It is not everyday we get sunshine here in Western NY so we need to note it when we do! Right now with the sun lower in the sky both in the AM and PM it is very pretty as it shines into the house.

December List

whoops hit enter which posts this without making an entry.

Anyway . . . . our list for things we wna to do or do in December.

1. get the Tree and Decorate it
2. Decorate the house
3. put up the trains
4. go to Holiday Concerts one for each kid plus the Community band
5. Go to Teazarr at church
6. Go see Firetruck Parade
7.Work at Food link
8.Watch Polar Express
9.Read favorite Christmas books with cocoa
10.drive around to see holiday lights
11.Watch the Grinch
12.Angel Tree gifts
13.Christmas caroling at local adult home
14.make/send Christmas cards
15.Make Gingerbread houses with Searings
16.Make/decorate Anise cookies
17.Deliver Neighbor gifts
18.Make holiday candy
19.Go see fantastic Mr. Fox
20.Go see Firetruck Parade
21.Get a Poinsettia
22.Make a special ornament
23.Make Greenery arrangements
24.Breakfast with Santa
25. go see trains
26. Put green on Grandpas Grave
27. make a wreath
28. go for moonlight walk
29. Review 2009
30. plan for 2010
31. Wrap gifts~~

December Corn Picking

To my cousins in the south of here I live in the city . . . . but we are suburban rural. I have many amenities nearby but yet tonight in this early December winter night they are picking corn. The field to the west is tonight the field to the east is still standing. The dog barks at the corn picker machine. I like to hear it but it is to cold for the windows to be open like in the spring when they are planting. Last week they were harvesting beans on the way into the kids schools and the road was white out or "bean out" conditions. The Chaff made it very hard to see. We also know we are rural when the manure spreader is making its rounds!! PEE U
Our December sky does not look like this picture, it is gray dark and no sun.

December 3 Holiday Cards

First Snow

Not lasting snow but first snow none the less. Always fleeting always beautiful.

December First

Wow how did it get to be the last month of the year so fast?
Why does December go so fast?
How can we stop and smell the roses in December?