Quick Monday Night Post

 Believe it or not, that's the moon out over Still Waters Pond, but the reflection is of the wall behind me in my "room with a view" when I took this picture looking out the window.  

And this was the sunrise yesterday morning...It's been very cool in the 40's in the morning and warming up into the 70's in the afternoon. Perfect weather, if one felt good enough to go outside and enjoy it.

Dear Friends, this will be quick, I promise. Tis the Monday before Christmas (on Thursday), and all through the house there are boxes of kleenex and trash cans filled with used tissues and blankets on chairs and me, sick with a very bad cold!!!  It hit me hard during the night Saturday night/early Sunday morning, with a very bad sore throat. Of course, our cantata was scheduled that morning at 10:00 and it was obvious I wasn't going anywhere!!! I had to notify our choir director that she would be down to just one alto.

And the recording we made at our rehearsal last Tuesday night wasn't very good she said, so they ended up recording it again live at the service, so I am not there...but you will hear a sweet baby crying right on cue when they are talking about the Baby Jesus! That was an added bonus not planned!... There was also a cell phone going off at one point, but thankfully the forgetful person discovered it quickly and silenced it.  That's why we normally record at rehearsals when there is no one else there in the audience, but still, it ended up beautiful and I am sure the people were blessed. I am told it was a full house.

Come Let Us Adore is the title, and you might recognize as few of the songs from some that I posted in a some of my earlier posts recently.

Anyway, I am laid up for the count...sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, aches and chills.  If I am not considerably better tomorrow I may see if I can get into the doctor before the holiday. On top of that, I lost a small filling from a tooth the other evening, and so I've contacted the dentist and they will see me Wednesday morning IF I am feeling well enough.  I may have to wait until after Christmas. Thankfully it isn't hurting or sensitive to hot or cold. It was such a small and old filling...but I do feel a jagged edge and so if I'm not careful I will have a sore tongue.

My bowl of beef vegetable soup that I created using a can of Campbell's Beef , Vegetable and Barley soup and a can of Mixed Vegetables.  It makes a very nice quick hot soup when you are too miserable to cut and peel potatoes and carrots and make homemade soup.

 And here's some funny pictures...that silly Muscovy Duck is still hanging around, and here he was the other night drinking water from the bird bath...

And here's Blackie, our noble "guard kitty" sleeping in his chair and not paying the duck a bit of attention!  The duck ended up knocking the bird bath over and hubby had to go out and fix it the next morning.  It's never a dull moment.

I just noticed the reflection of hubby's bare feet in the window...we were both standing there watching the duck and I didn't realize his feet were in the picture. Seems like I've been getting a lot of pictures of his feet lately. LOL.

It makes me think about the feet that Isaiah mentioned in Isaiah 52:7, and again that was quoted by Paul in Romans 10:15...

Isaiah 52:7

7  How beautiful upon the mountains

Are the feet of him who brings good news,

Who proclaims peace,

Who brings glad tidings of good things,

Who proclaims salvation,

Who says to Zion,

“Your God reigns!”

Romans 10:15

And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Years ago my hubby was called into the ministry and together God took our feet and led us to many wonderful places to proclaim the Good News, i.e., the Gospel of peace and salvation to many people. I am thankful that we said "yes" to the call of God to follow Him wherever He led us, and that we had a small part in this proclaiming the Good News of salvation. Now we are retired and not doing so much "proclaiming" as before, but in a small way I hope this blog is a way to still share the Good News, both now at Christmas and beyond.


Wishing you and yours a very blessed and beautiful Christmas and the Happiest of New Years. Good Night. Time for my nightly cold medicine and off to bed.

"Twas the Saturday Before Christmas..."

(Our front door-mat)

And all through the house not much was happening...except for taking two naps already today, which tells me that my body is saying enough already...slow down and rest or you won't make it until Christmas!  I've had such good intentions this Christmas and have really tried to get more things done, but I've reached my limit and I have to know when to say stop and take a break before you break. However, there's still gift-wrapping to do and baking and...the list goes on...but what is most important will get done, and the rest...well if it happens it happens, and if it doesn't it doesn't. 

I had good intentions of going Christmas caroling with a group from our church last evening. They were going around to sing at the homes of several of our church members who are homebound either by illness or "old-age", and I really wanted to be a part of that.  But as the day wore on I knew I wasn't going to make it for various reasons, mostly physical.  So I stayed home and prayed for them to have a good turn-out and a happy time for those who would be blessed by their singing. I've heard that it was really wonderful.

I don't know that our group looked quite like these folks, but this was how I imagined it in my mind...

I found these vintage carolers at a consignment market this past week for a very very cheap price and I couldn't resist them.  It's a little early Christmas gift to myself. LOL.  

One thing I did do was go to the Candlelight and Carols service at the little church out in the country on Thursday evening.

It's always a highlight of our Christmas season. Our church choir sings a couple of songs and so does another church choir, and it's a wonderful time...

We close by gathering around the Nativity scene outside with our little candles and sing Silent Night. And then the church provides a delightful time of food and fellowship afterwards.

Another reason I am trying to just rest and take it easy today is because tomorrow morning at church our choir will be presenting this Cantata:

It requires standing and singing (with a couple of quick sit downs and back up again between a couple of songs) for at least a half hour, and although I love to sing and enjoy doing this every year, it can be quite exhausting if you aren't feeling quite up to par. So I am praying that I will feel MUCH better tomorrow morning and that God will give me the strength to get through this without any difficulty. I'm concerned that I may be getting a bit of a relapse either of the walking pneumonia or something since I am so tired...so please say a little prayer for me to be able to do this tomorrow without harm to myself or anyone else around me.

Here's a few photos of Blackie for the Blackie fans out there...I know some of you have become real fans and are hoping he will someday be able to move into our house where he will reign and rule...LOL...

Here's one of his favorite places to hang out during the day and watch the world go by...

He feels safe up there in that tree when there are loose dogs running in the neighborhood, like there were today...

But when I came outside to get the mail he saw me and came right down to see me.  

Like all cats, he loves high places, and that's one reason I'm not sure he'd do well in our house as we have a lot of things up on high places above the cabinets and other shelves, etc., and I can just imagine things going crash all through the night.  Time will tell who wins out...

I know some of you who have been my friends for a long time may wonder why you don't see much of "Baby Elva" anymore...well she's still here, "alive and well", so to speak, and here she is all dressed up for Christmas:

For those who don't know about Baby Elva, HERE is a link to her story from the beginning.

If you look at her older pictures in the link, you will notice here that her hair is a bit different. That's because over the past 15 years! (I can't believe we've had her that long!!) that we've had her, her hair started to kind of "rub off" and get thin. So I finally decided it was time to give her a new hairstyle, and I found this wig online for her. It really changes her looks to more of a toddler look than a baby, but that's okay since she's 15 years old now! LOL.  Anyway, Baby Elva is a special part of our lives and I wanted you to see her all dressed up for Christmas!

Oh, here she's sitting with my little "Bear Bear", which was a special gift from my hubby when I was in the hospital one time.  He's now also a special part of our lives...

And of course we can't forget Lily Grace and her dog Bailey...she wanted to be in the Christmas picture too...so here you go...Merry Christmas from Bear Bear, Baby Elva and Lily Grace and Bailey to you!

While we're at it, we might as well add Lily's friends, as they are getting ready to have their "Happy Birthday to Jesus" Christmas tea party:

And here's the Martin Sisters, ready for their Christmas tea...

And Santa and "Pammy"  Doll...

"Pammy Doll" was a gift from my mother many years ago. 

She made the dress for her to resemble the dresses she made for my sister Doris and me when we were little girls...

Doris on the left with her Bride Doll "Florence", and me with a baby doll on the right.

Here is the note my mother wrote in the little card when she gave this to me...

Not sure if you can read it and it's starting to fade, but it's pretty special to me to have this sweet gift from my mother.

HERE is a link to a very special TEA PARTY that I had with all the dolls a few years ago.  I hope you enjoy it as I had fun doing that. Actually, this was before Lily Grace came to live with us, so she's the only one missing from the group.

But here is the greatest group and celebration of all...Here is the reason why we celebrate and sing and rejoice...Jesus! The Savior is Born!!!  None of the rest of this means anything without Him.

Luke 2:14 NKJV

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

I believe! Amen.

Thursday Thankfulness...Making Room for Jesus...

As we are drawing closer to the end of the year, I've been reflecting on some thoughts about what I've learned and how God has  blessed me and taught me throughout the year.  My "One Word" for 2025 was "Wisdom", and I've been scratching my head and asking myself if I've truly gained any wisdom this year, or have I stayed the same?  I'm not sure it is anything I can put into words or give any tangible proof that I've grown in wisdom, but as I've sat here contemplating what to write this morning, here's a few verses that have come to my attention while I was inserting pictures from the past few days with no  apparent rhyme or reason...and God helped me find these words to share...

Revelation 3:20 NKJV

20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 

If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, 

I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."

Interestingly, a little later today I saw a post on Facebook with a door much like mine, and the thought was about making room in our hearts for the Baby Jesus during this Christmas season and beyond...opening the door and welcoming Him into our lives both now at Christmas and forever... (look for (The HomespunWife, and her poem, "Is There Room" on Facebook.)  

That made me think about this old hymn, "Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne"...

1 Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,

When Thou camest to earth for me;

But in Bethlehem's home was there found no room

For Thy holy nativity.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

There is room in my heart for Thee.

(you can listen to the whole song here:)

The best part of that song is the refrain that repeats, 

"O Come to my heart, Lord Jesus, There is room in my heart for Thee."

And that is my prayer...that there will always be room in my heart for Christ.

But I got sidetracked there...I was talking about wisdom, wasn't I?   However, when we make room in our hearts for the Lord Jesus, that is probably the wisest thing we could do, Amen?  Anyway, moving along, these were some other verses that I came across this past week:

Psalm 90:12 NIV

12 Teach us to number our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Proverbs 2:9-11 NIV

9 "Then you will understand what is right and just

and fair—every good path.

10 For wisdom will enter your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

11 Discretion will protect you,

and understanding will guard you."

(Morning sky over Still Waters Pond earlier this week)

Jeremiah 6:16 NIV

16 This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;

ask for the ancient paths,

ask where the good way is, and walk in it,

and you will find rest for your souls..."

Galatians 5:1 NIV

5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, 

and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

At our Ladies' Bible Study on Monday, one of our sweet ladies gave us each a new journal for a Christmas gift.  There was a variety of types and styles, and we could choose whichever one we wanted.  I chose this one, because I loved the verse that was written on the front:

Matthew 19:26 NKJV

26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

(Excuse the picture from my lap while sitting in my recliner early in the morning)

And while we ladies were all talking and getting into our Bible study for the day (we are studying the book of Philippians, btw), one of the ladies said something about our "Lessons and Blessings"...and that struck a chord with me as I looked at us each sitting there with our brand new journals, and I piped up and said..."Oh, what a great thought for us each to pursue as we start the new year with these lovely journals...we should use them to write down our "Lessons and Blessings" for the year and see how God teaches and blesses us throughout the year!"   Everyone nodded and agreed and I thanked the Lord for His "wisdom" at that moment, and I immediately wrote that down on the first page of the journal for future reference and remembrance (because if I don't write things down when I am thinking of them, it will be gone in a flash...)

And so that is how I am closing out this old year and looking forward to the New Year, thankful for the "wisdom" God has taught me this past year, and looking forward to the Lessons and Blessings He will show me in the New Year.  I haven't decided upon my new "One Word" for 2026 yet, but I believe God is speaking to my heart and by the time the New Year rolls around I will know what it is. So stay tuned for that. 

But first things first...Christmas is coming next week, and that is what is predominantly in my mind right now.

That, and Blackie, our sweet porch kitty.  He was looking up at me while I was taking pictures of the still very still and dry "Still Waters Pond".   By the way, we are supposed to get some rain tonight and maybe tomorrow, so here's hoping and praying they are right this time!

Somehow when I went back into the house and then went out on the front porch to put out the flag, as is my usual morning routine after I feed Blackie on the back porch, he somehow appeared on the front porch and scooted in the front door when I opened it. He's getting pretty good at that and I have to be quick to catch him. He thinks it's a game and I guess I sort of play along...

Because here's what happened...I grabbed him up and carried him over to look at the Christmas tree (while he wiggled and squirmed and tried his best to get down)

(oh, do you see hubby's big feet? He was sitting in his recliner and taking these pictures. Funny, huh?)

(And please excuse my hair...it

 was still wet from my morning wet my hair and style it and let it dry on its own routine)

As you can see, I had my hands full, so after we walked around looking at all the lights and decorations in the house, I took him back outside and put him down on his own back porch where he belongs! LOL.

A little later that morning hubby and I went to Walmart, and as we were checking out this interesting  lady was walking around wearing a Christmas tree on her head!  It was all lit up and very clever indeed. I did ask her permission to take her picture, and I also asked if her headdress was for sale, but she said "no, it was too much work to make another one."

She looks like a fun person!  That made our Walmart shopping experience a bit more interesting and joyful. You just never know what you'll see at Walmart! LOL.

Another thing I'm  thankful for are crafty people...One of our ladies at church made these cute little candle jars for the choir members...she decoupaged tissue paper on a glass jar, and in this case the tissue paper had all kinds of music notes and scales on it, and then glued a black ribbon and bow around the top to match...

And then put a little string  of fairy lites inside to light it up! You could probably use the little battery operated votive candle lights too if you didn't want to use the wired ones, but it sure made a cute little candle to set about! What a thoughtful gift! People are so clever!

Speaking of choir and music, tonight we go to the little church out in the country for their annual Carols and Candlelight service, and our choir will sing a couple of songs. It's always a very special time.  I will share more about that later.    And our own Christmas Cantata will be presented this Sunday morning in church. We did our dress rehearsal and recorded it Tuesday night. We did okay for the most part, but I know I flubbed up a couple of times, which will probably show up in the recording, but we did our best and hopefully we'll do even better Sunday morning. Praying our voices hold up. There's a lot of colds and illness going around. Tomorrow night there's a group of us who plan to go do some caroling around town at the homes of some of our church's shut-in people.  I am planning to go unless the weather gets too bad or my voice gets too stressed...

Meanwhile, as I've been sitting here writing, I've been enjoying this view from my window here in my "room with a view":

It's kind of cloudy out, and actually now they are saying it's going to start raining in a few minutes (hope, pray!)

You can see we still have a bit of fall color over there on the other side of the pond where there are a few maple trees.   And you can also see how dry the pond is...so please pray for that rain to come here!

This Bluebird has been out there periodically...still too soon for nesting, but they come and go and check things out at their "house"...

And just now there was a bit of a standoff at the bird bath:

I think the Cardinal was patiently waiting his turn for a bath, but that gray Catbird was taking his sweet time...

So finally the the Cardinal flew away and the Catbird had the birdbath all to himself.  I think I could actually hear him singing as he bathed..."O Solo Mio"....LOL.

And with that I will close this post for today.  I am thankful for YOU, and your kind comments on my previous posts. I've been trying to get around to visit but it seems like as soon as I think I'm caught up there's a whole new bunch of posts to read! If you're like me, most likely our time for reading and writing is going to get less and less in the next few days as we get closer to Christmas

I will close with this song that is actually from our cantata, "Close to Christmas".  

 "Come, close to Christmas, behold the wonder, look what God has done, sent His one and only Son...Come, close to Christmas, see, hallelujah, this is what we've waited for, God with us forevermore!

Come and worship, Come and worship, worship Christ the King...Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ the newborn King..."

"O Come to my heart, Lord Jesus! 

There is room in my heart for You."

Amen.

Tuesday 4~Holiday Express

 

Holiday Express


Welcome Friends.. to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.
The holidays are coming fast! They are loaded onto the Christmas Express train and there is no stopping them now.
Are you ready for them this year?

As ready as I can be. I've had a slow start due to being sick earlier this month, but I am feeling better now and playing catch-up.


1. Is your tree up? Yes  How tall is it? 7 feet.
what color lights?  White. Here's a picture:

 
Are there lights in the window? Not really in the window. On the door? On the front porch and yard.

This is our grapevine tree that we actually made from our own grapevines at our last house in the forest. It has held up very well, even if today the wind was so hard that it blew it over and I had to go pick it back up! Thankfully nothing was broken and the lights still work.

This little tiny Nativity scene is on the very top:

Our front yard  tonight:

2. Got a menu for Christmas Eve and Day?

I haven't thought about Christmas Eve yet. We do have a church service to go to, so we will probably have a simple supper before church.   On Christmas day (after discussing it with my sweet DIL Rose)  it sounds like we will be baking a ham and scalloped potatoes this year.  That's just simpler and we haven't had ham in a while, so that will be fine with me. I'm all for keeping things simple when I can. LOL.

3. Who is coming for Christmas or who will you visit?

It will just be our kids here with us on Christmas Day.   Our extended family lives too far away to come on Christmas Day, so we always try to meet them on another day usually after Christmas. So far I know that we will meet up with hubby's brother and family on Saturday, Dec. 27th, at a restaurant about 1/2 way between our homes, which is an hour's drive for each of us to get there.  I haven't  talked to my sister yet to see when we might meet them. We may end up meeting  at the same time as with the rest of the family. We've done that before and it saves us from having to make two separate trips.


4. What is your favorite Christmas memory.?

I will have to sit here and think about that for a while. There's so many. Do I go back to my childhood, or to my own children's childhood? They were all so wonderful.  

Here's a Link to a post I did a few years ago entitled "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas".  I've shared it before, but I don't think most of you have seen it. It has memories from when our own little family was young and we were away from "home" for Christmas and feeling kind of blue...but it has a happy ending.

And THIS link goes back to my own childhood Christmas memories.  Rather than write them all over again, it's probaby easier to just click on those links and see what those special memories were.  I enjoyed re-reading them and re-living the sweet memories.

I know you've probably seen all of these things before, but there's really nothing else new to report right now.  This week will be busy with finishing up Christmas shopping and then onThursday evening our church choir goes to sing at a church in a neighboring community and join them for a candlelight service. We do that every year and it is always very special. I'll share more about that afterwards.

Lately we've been listening to excerpts from Handel's Messiah, in which the words for each song come straight from the Bible.  Here's a couple of passages that are included.  Next time you listen to Handel's Messiah be sure to listen for these verses.   An interesting study is to look up each of the different passages that are included in the music throughout the whole musical. You will be amazed!

Isaiah 60:1-3  King James Version

 1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Isaiah 40:9-11 King James Version

9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

10 Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Matthew 11:28-29 King James Version

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Okay, that's my post for this Tuesday 4 and more. I hope you enjoyed it.  You can join in HERE if you wish.  Thanks, Annie, for another good post!