Busy Days

I've been so busy I forgot to post a post today! Been getting ready for Christmas, shopping, practicing for our Christmas cantata...

I'll let you figure out which one is me.

My son is one of the narrators...he did a great job! These pictures were from our Dress Rehearsal Thursday night. Our performance will be Sunday morning at church.

Also been watching the birds in "Still Waters Pond", when I can sit still long enough to relax and enjoy them...

 This white egret has been coming back quite often to pat the water with her foot and stir up the minnows or whatever it is she is fishing around for...

 I think she got a leaf here...probably not what she wanted...unless it has some tasty bugs on it...

 And these two are still hanging around...looking quite proud of themselves...

 Maybe we need a caption contest for them...

And even though this is a bit blurry, it shows that there are two male Wood Ducks and two females...so they must be traveling together...

So, what do YOU do to relax in between all the Christmas activities that are going on?  I know that in the New Year I am going to be more intentional about spending more time with the Lord, hopefully outdoors as weather permits...I'd like to get back to writing like the "Secret Garden Chronicles" I used to do again.  This time it will be from a new perspective...I really haven't established the "secret garden" yet here in this new home...but there are plenty of places to sit and meditate on God's Word and spend time in prayer and pondering what the Lord is speaking to me at that moment.  

That's my goal for the New Year...I know I need to get back to that "place" in my walk with the Lord. This past year has been just too busy to concentrate for any length of time, and I miss that daily communion with the Lord. 

How about you? Perhaps you can also be looking for that special spot where you can spend time alone with the Lord and be more intentional about what His message is for you each day. Maybe we can encourage one another in our pursuit of being still before the Lord... and then perhaps we can each write about our experiences...just a thought.  I know that with all that is going on in our world and nation today, we need to spend more and more time in prayer and in reading God's Word and spending time with the Lord. We need to strengthen our armor  (Ephesians 6:10-18) as the battles are getting harder.

Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!"

Psalm 46:10

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

The Armor of God

10 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."

Yes, this is what I know I need.  I hope you will join with me in this pursuit of growing in Christ in the New Year.  Maybe we can remind each other to keep looking up!

In the meantime, enjoy your Christmas with your loved ones and family...and keep Christ is Christmas in every way that you can.  I may not have too much time to write over the next week, so just be safe and be blessed!

"I'd Still Like to Go to Grandma's House for Christmas"

This morning I was enjoying some special cooking time in my kitchen. It was a chilly morning, and our "kids" (The Newlyweds) were coming over for lunch...

So I decided to make a pot of "Hobo Stew" (See recipe below)

And as I was working in the kitchen, I thought it would be a good time to start listening to some Christmas music, so I pulled out some favorite cd's and started singing along...

And then one of the songs on the "Joy to the World" CD with the Gaither Homecoming Friends was

"I'd Still Like to Go to Grandma's House for Christmas"

You can listen along here:

"Oh I'd still like to go to Grandma's house for Christmas
I can hear those happy Christmas carols ringing in my ear
Oh I'd still like to go to Grandma's house for Christmas
She always sang a happy song, Christmas was a happy time of year
I still remember going through her front door Christmas day
I'd see a proud and peaceful smile on her tired and wrinkled face
I still can smell those pumpkin pies a'coolin' by the stove
But the thing that I remember was when Grandma'd squeeze me close

With all the family gathered, we were sure to have a crowd
My uncles talked about hunting and my aunts just talked real loud
But that didn't bother Grandma, she was glad we all were there
She was queen on Christmas, crowned with silver in her hair

But now she's gone and we all spend our Christmases at home
You see, all the aunts and uncles have grandkids of their own
Lord, let our homes be filled with love and joy like Grandma knew
'Cause I know she'll have a merry Christmas celebrating there with You

Oh I'd still like to go Grandma's house for Christmas
I can hear the angels singing, I hear Grandma loud and clear
Oh I'd still like to go to Grandma's house for Christmas
She's there singing a happy song, Grandma's home for Christmas this year"

And of course I started thinking about my sweet mother-in-law, "Nanny", who loved to listen and sing along to gospel music all the time, and who will be celebrating Christmas in Heaven for the first time this year:

And I really started missing her...Because ever since we moved to this house she was a frequent "guest", most every weekend for about six years, as most of you know. She would spend the weekdays with her other son and his family, and then we would meet 1/2 way and bring her home to our house for the weekends, usually Friday-Monday.  This continued until she finally reached a point where she needed more complete care, and she went to live in a very nice nursing home for the last year of her life.  But during her days here, we made lots of memories together...and many of them were in this kitchen together.

While she was able, she used to help me any way she could...drying dishes and putting them away, helping mix up cookies and watching how I baked things...she loved being here in the kitchen with me, and I enjoyed her company.  I often wish she was still here to chat with while I'm cooking.

 She loved peanut butter cookies...and of course had to sample the results:

Here she is all decked out in her Christmas top, with a necklace that had little twinkling Christmas bulbs on it. She loved showing that off!

And here's a flashback to when our three sons were little and we loved going to "Grandma's House for Christmas"....You can see they were all very excited to be together!!!  (Don't you love that fancy tree?)  Now, looking at this picture, I just realized that "Nanny" is standing behind our son Matthew, with her arms wrapped around his waist, and they are both probably making a very loud noise...and then also Granddaddy is sitting down there on the floor in the front...and now they are all up there in heaven together, where it's Christmas every day!!!

 "Oh I'd still like to go Grandma's house for Christmas

I can hear the angels singing, I hear Grandma loud and clear

Oh I'd still like to go to Grandma's house for Christmas

She's there singing a happy song, Grandma's home for Christmas this year"

Vivian Ruth Martin Steiner, "Nanny", 7/23/1923-8/13/2018  

Here's the Recipe for Hobo Stew:  (Nanny loved this too!)

Hobo Stew

Cook a couple of slices of bacon, chopped into smaller pieces, in the bottom of a large soup kettle or dutch oven.

Brown 2 lbs. ground chuck in the pot, and drain off fat.

Add 1 medium chopped onion to the meat and cover and cook until onion is tender

Add 1 can diced stewed tomatoes (I used the ones with green pepper & onion added)

Add approximately 3 cups of water to the pot, cover and let simmer while you chop up the next ingredients:

Add four medium, peeled and cut potatoes

Add four or five peeled and sliced carrots

Add two cups of chopped cabbage.

Add salt and pepper and garlic powder to season.

If needed, add more water, cover and let cook until all vegetables are tender.

(All ingredients can be added according to how much you want to make! This will make a nice dutch oven pot full of stew)

Serve with fresh, hot cornbread. We like to crumble our corn bread onto the stew.

We used to make this in Girl Scouts, and would put all ingredients in a large metal coffee can, cover tightly with foil, and bury under the coals of our campfire and let it cook all day. It would be delicious for supper!

O Christmas Tree!

We finally got our Christmas Tree from the forest...

Before:

Yes, it was HUGE!  Kind of reminds us of the Griswold Family Christmas, doesn't it?

Well, anyway, we made it home safely with the Tree

And now, you might like to listen to this beautiful Christmas music on this YouTube video while you enjoy the pictures of our "Florida Cracker Christmas Tree", year Two! (for more about last year's adventure with the tree, click HERE)

After:

The Nativity of our Lord

 Our "Angel of the Woods" watching over us...

 And other special angels scattered throughout...

And so funny friends...

 Special memories of dear ones...

This little walnut shell ornament was the first decoration I ever made for our first Christmas together as a married couple, 48 years ago!  Originally I made quite a few of these, but this is the only one that has survived all those years!!

These are just a few of my favorite ornaments scattered throughout the tree.  Nearly every ornament has some kind of significance and memory attached to it.  Our tree would never win any prizes for perfection...but it wins all kinds of prizes for providing a sense of peace, hope and much love for those represented throughout this tree...and happy memories...

Isn't that what Christmas is all about?  Peace...Hope...and LOVE for all of mankind?  Isn't that why Jesus came to us that day so long ago...to give us peace...hope and love?   And aren't we, who are called by His name (Christians), supposed to be sharing that peace, hope and love with everyone we meet?  It isn't always easy. We all have our personal challenges with situations in our families, friends, neighbors, work, even churches...but at this time of the year, let us each make an extra special effort to spread Christ's peace, hope and love to all...and then may it continue on throughout the New Year as well.  That is my prayer and my hope. May God give me the strength and love to do just that. How about you?