Happy New Year....

Merry Christmas Eve....

Alrighty! Christmas is here again, and I am last minute shopping as usual --- what fun!!! I love it!

From Good Old Days magazine:

The Night Before Christmas has been a favorite of children in the 19th, 20th and now the 21st centuries, providing "visions of sugar-plums" dancing through the heads of youngsters of all ages. It certainly remains the standard bearer for yuletide verse. Here are the words to Moore's classic poem:

'Twas The Night Before Christmas, when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap;
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

Choo, choo.....

Tomorrow is our "red hat" train ride from Cedar Park to Burnet ....What fun it will be...over 200 ladies riding on this train. Super-fabulous!

Update: It was so much fun! If you ever get a chance to go on this train ride, do so! And take the kids!

It's getting closer....

and, as usual, I will wait until the last minute. Isn't that part of the fun?!

Walking a rainbow trail....

"Walk on a rainbow trail; walk on a trail of song, and all about you will be beauty. There is a way out of every dark mist, over a rainbow trail." -- Navajo song

A better place ....

Come along inside... We'll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place.
—Kenneth Grahame, Wind in the Willows

I'm glad the Thanksgiving holiday is over....now we can buckle down and get ready for the big one -- CHRISTMAS!!

Tomorrow, tomorrow, we'll have pie tomorrow....

I've been baking for two evenings...almost finished.

It's getting closer.....

Thanksgiving is near and I am preparing my shopping list for this weekend. Oh, my, I am going to need a u-haul to carry all the groceries home. And two days to cook.

The election is over...let's concentrate on Thanksgiving now

Crustless Pumpkin Pie
from Coming Home with Gooseberry Patch©

4 eggs, beaten
15-oz. can pumpkin
12-oz. can evaporated milk
1-1/2 c. sugar
2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 t. salt
18-1/2 oz. pkg. yellow cake mix
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. butter, melted
Garnish: whipped topping, chopped walnuts,
cinnamon or nutmeg

Combine eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, spice and salt. Mix well and pour into an ungreased 13"x9" baking pan. Sprinkle cake mix and nuts over top. Drizzle with butter; do not stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour, testing for doneness with a toothpick. Serve with whipped topping sprinkled with nuts and cinnamon or nutmeg. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

So very true.......

During this election year let's be reminded of these words:

* You cannot help the poor, by destroying the rich.

* You cannot strengthen the weak, by weakening the strong.

* You cannot bring about prosperity, by discouraging thrift.

* You cannot lift the wage earner up, by pulling the wage payer down.

* You cannot further the brotherhood of man, by inciting class hatred.

* You cannot build character and courage, by taking away men's initiative and independence.

* You cannot help men permanently, by doing for them what they could and should, do for themselves.

Do you recognize the author?


It was Abraham Lincoln

Very, wise words, written years ago and we still don't get it.....

Happy Halloween!!

Boo!!

Appropriate quote...

"If it wasn't for dysfunction, my family wouldn't have any function at all" - Magdelana Yoder from Grape Expectations written by Tamar Myers.

I don't like IKE!!

After two weeks we are still trying to "get it together" from the devastating effects of that nasty hurricane....We had damage here at my house, but not nearly as bad as some. I'm so grateful. Neighbors are wonderful!

I love red hatting!

When friends move away....

I have been so very fortunate to have made some lovely and inspiring friends through my association with the Houston Hat Net (hat lovers/wearers in the Houston TX area).



First, Kate, a milliner/legal secretary who lived in Friendswood (just south of Houston)- I met her in a "ladies room" - we both worked for lawyers on the same floor of a large office building. Kate always wore the most beautiful hats (and I loved hats but was wary of wearing them), so we became friends. When I learned she was teaching millinery classes at Houston Community College, of course, I signed up when I could. She is a great friend and fabulous teacher! Kate moved to St. Gallen, Switzerland, and then to Arlington, Virginia.

And, Jill, also a milliner/librarian whom I met at once of Kate's classes. Another sister soul...she recently moved from Kingwood (just north of Houston) to Salt Lake City, Utah. In the picture below, she is posing along-side Harmonie the Hippo - an art car belonging to our sister/friend, Sue. (Jill, love the bare feet - one of my favotire pictures of you.) Jill is also a great millinery instuctor.



Links to their blogs are listed on my site.

I miss my friends being close to me - but I love the fact that I am able to keep up with their activities through their blogs. And visits, of course.

Wild woman... (me)

My babies...

My granddaughter Amanda and her daughter Zoe on Zoe's ninth birthday.

I am a Snapdragon...

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

Addicted to Blogs....

I'll admit it, I am a blog addict!
Not to blogging myself evidently, but reading blogs, and I have MANY favorites - too many to mention here, but in my Bookmarks is a folder for Blogs and it contains about 100 of them. And, I try to check them all daily. Takes a lot of time, of course, but as I said I am addicted, and love all the great information furnished on those blogs. Wonderful, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for sharing your lives and information with me.