goodbye 2009...

It was predicted and it began right on schedule...it is beautiful, and it seems appropriate to end 2009 with the beauty of the *s*n*o*w*! May each of you stay safe, stay healthy, and know and share the message that GOD LOVES EACH OF US!!

special wishes...

This is the date 'our' first born arrived to be part of our lives. Hubby and I are very proud of Mike and all of his many accomplishments, son, husband, dad and hard worker! We love you Mike, Happy Birthday to you!!

our day...

Christmas Day brought changes for our family this year! Many happenings during the past few months, health issues for *hubby*, job stresses and everyday life necessities for me, and the desire to continue to do "it all", simply made for many changes in "our" Christmas celebration this year.

But you know most important for us was the time together as a family, the love that we share, and too remember "the Reason for the Season"

(in the evening it reminds us of the season)

(the table is ready for the *family gathering*)

(a little friendly game competition ~ grandsons)

(three generations, grandson doing the coaching for dad and grandpa ☺)

(a special gift, someone has a new camera, and loves it)

(new pillowcases made by me, as shown by the recipients, aka "the grandchildren")

A wonderful day and evening, lots of laughter and love and special times! Thank you to my family for understanding, this year needed to be different and it was very difficult for me to admit to the change!

"Christmas is not about a tree" as said by a very wise young grandson!

sharing the message...

Unto us a child is born, and he shall be called "Emmanuel" (meaning "God is with us").

Merry Christmas and many blessings to you!

stopping by...

I am trying to get it all done, but not having much luck! As my special youngest grandson told me a few years ago "Christmas is not about a tree" , I hold this thought! Thank you to my family for telling me its OK to say I can't do it, and to allow them to help! ♥Love you my family♥, you are showing me what Christmas is about!

just imagine...

If you could be Santa and be bearing 'gifts of plenty' and watch the faces of the children receiving the gifts. Working in a school I am very aware that there are children that do not have 'gifts of plenty' or sometimes the families do not have the means to provide more then the food on the table. With the economy what it is, a little help this time of year can make a HUGE difference for struggling families.

Our school district has taken on the opportunity to "make a difference"! Any school employee that would wish to secure the wish list of a child for Christmas only needed to speak to a school counselor and a list was made available with the details of the wishes of a child for Christmas! No names known, only a number to identify the packages upon return.

Today after school, list in hand, Mickey and I headed off to the local Wal-Mart to Christmas shop for a child, "to make a difference" for just one child. It is special to me for several reasons...shopping with Mickey is fun, she has very creative ideas as to what a child would like, and she is a shopper that knows how to manage a budget, when the guidelines say $50.00, that is what we spend! There are other more personal reasons why this whole process is meaningful for me...but those reasons are close to my heart, and will need to remain there for now!

We shopped, we found great things, we found a nice selection of many items on the list for the child, and we are feeling good about our purchases ~ and we stayed within the budget! If Santa had a budget and had Mickey to help with the organizing and planning, it would be a win-win all the way!

Have a wonderful weekend, good luck completing those many last minute projects, and watch for that *s*n*o*w* coming up the east coast!

needing to remember...

I am caught up in the rush, and the whining that goes with these last couple of weeks before Christmas! For my reminder I have put the clipart at the beginning of this posting! I will forget and 'yes' I will whine...but it is important to remember "Jesus is the Reason for the Season"!

I share a thought with each of you! Christmas is not about presents and being stressed, or as a very wise "youngest" grandson told me a few years ago "Christmas is not about a tree"...bless you Cameron, remembering your statement has pulled me back into reality many times when I feel the stress level creeping up on me!

Wishing for each of you a week of accomplishments without stress!

rewarded by the white stuff...

The *S*N*O*W* has arrived, the telephone call that I mentioned in my previous blog entry came this morning at 5:00, and I am a happy gal!
(this is what we see outside)

(oh so pretty)

(plans are made)

(projects in my brain)

(but first things first)

I am still in the organize and clean out mode, it is tough when we are just a few weeks before Christmas, and I have waited until the last minute to work at cleaning, decorating, and projects that I am determined to complete! Just watch me go!!

Wishing for a great day for each of you!

makes me smile...

I am not sure what "makes me smile" more (?) the anticipated school delay/cancellation because of a weather prediction OR the test run of the automated call system that the school has put into place. Either one, the system works, proven by the test phone call a few minutes ago, now I am hoping there is a reason to hear an early morning call on Wednesday!

The weatherman is predicting snow, sleet and freezing rain moving into PA on Tuesday evening into Wednesday...I could use another day off ~ tis the time for projects and gift wrapping!

daily inspiration...

I have found reading this to be a helpful daily habit...this online site offers so much, and speaks to so many issues. I always click first on the Daily Devotion section, most times the devotions remind me that I am not alone with some of my issues, and can even bring a smile to my day! After reading the devotions I try to find a few minutes to return to other topics offered, even recipes can be found! By the way this site was shared with me by a teacher friend at the school, she is not timid when admitting the Lord is a major part of her life and lives her faith without boasting! I wanted to share the site with all of you.

May you have a week of inspiration and getting many projects completed!

maybe tomorrow...

The weatherman is predicting it could happen tomorrow (Saturday)...but not enough to really make a problem! It is hard to believe that we had *S*N*O*W* in October, but November was free of the "white and fluffy precipitation" ...and now December ~~ oh yes I am ready, are you?

Have a wonderful weekend ~~ how about some quiet reading or maybe do a bit of sewing/quilting?

*Edit* ~ the beautiful snowflakes are falling today (Saturday), just as predicted!

rain, snow, sleet...

Despite the weather conditions that have happened during the past couple of months, and the fact that it is now December...these little flowers (there are only the two) continue to bloom and to share their beauty near my driveway.

One of the requirements every marking period for Mickey and her Biology class at the school is to take pictures of twenty-five growing organisms (I know there is a more scientific name)! I called her quickly and asked her to bring her camera, she will need to identify and describe where she found these, I will leave that part up to her ;>)!!



(trying to get it just right with her camera)

Have a wonderful day!

shoebox project...

A bit of extra time spent at the church today, allowed for the wrapping of 145 shoeboxes for the "shoebox project" supported by our church/congregation each year. We started a few years ago thinking that sending 50 filled shoeboxes for the project was a great contribution...and now we are at 145 boxes. Our group would have wrapped for hours and many more boxes, but the project leader in charge said "stop we now have enough boxes for the amount of things to send"...so we stopped!

I *kid you not* men were wrapping as well as the women! It was so great to see this group working together at the many tables in the social room, there were wrappers, tape pullers, and teens that were stacking boxes as fast as the wrapping was completed!




Merry Christmas to the children that will receive gifts thru the service known as the "Shoebox Project"...what a heart warming feeling to be a small part of this sharing of gifts!

sharing our day...

This year "our day" (Thanksgiving Day) was very different, God has provided so well for us, but still changes do happen!

(four teens at our table this year)

(the turkey ready for the carving)

(our college boy during the concert)

(our college boy following the concert, percussion is so much work ☺)

(this is what our college grad is doing now)

(here he is, and excited about it)

It seems so strange to have our family scattered, but we are so very proud of each of them! The concert for the college boy was last weekend, so the concert pictures are added so that I can share what he is up to this year. Dan is home for Thanksgiving, but joined the dinner group in time for the fun with the other teens. Joe was not in the area because he is proudly working with Habitat for Humanity in a different area miles away, he is saving his flight home for Christmas.

Scattered in the physical sense, but *our* family will always be in the thoughts and prayers of each other *everyday*, not just on the holidays! I am very proud of each of them, and I pray that they know of my pride and love!

to each of you...

THANKSGIVING GREETINGS coming your way!! Our family will gather for dinner at the home of my brother and his wife on Thanksgiving Day! We always have a wonderful time...family members drive the distance, we have watched our little ones become "beautiful" and loving teens and adults, still allowing their time with the *old folks* ☺...it is meaningful and very ♥special♥!

I am "thankful" that my days off from the office will begin on Wednesday, there is much to be done at my house! My plan is to do some major cleaning, things to be removed to a dumpster, and things to be put into a new storage place in an orderly way! Wish me luck, I always make these plans when there is a time off that involves *days*, but for some reason my plans don't quite happen! I am so determined ~~this time~~ I have gone so far as to order in a dumpster (which is presently placed in my driveway by the trash company), ORGANIZATION AND CLEANING WILL HAPPEN!!

My plan hope is to be self-disciplined in my computer use during my "days off from the office" meaning less computer time, and to have visible proof that I followed thru with my plan this time!

yep a bit early, but close...

I love Gooseberry Patch and the books they offer...this year is not an exception! I had to make a stop at the local pharmacy after leaving the office today, and in the magazine display I spotted this magazine...how cool is this? I am not sure if it would be considered a magazine, even though it was in that section, it does not have a hard cover like the traditional Gooseberry Patch books. It sure is full of great recipes and decorating ideas for the holidays, and 'minus the ads' that most magazines are loaded with! Even a working person would be able to find the time to do attempt most of the suggestions in this book magazine!

(what a great idea for using an old board and scraps of other projects to share a wish)

(a clever suggestion for walkway lattern)

Thank you to Gooseberry Patch for another idea filled publication to be used for Christmas 2009!

busy week...

This past week has been extremely busy for me...I will sum it up in a brief way!
(our high school marching band boarded the buses and headed off for the championships last weekend)
In regards to the trip for the ACCs, our band placed well, our tiny drum major did very well, and she will have the honor of leading the All Star Band in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade ~ we are very proud of her! Traveling the distance to see the band performances involving the grandchildren is not as easy as it once was...because the *hubby* is still recovering from the surgery required during the summer, we must stop often for leg stretches and that makes it slow going!

(in the middle of the week we were provided with the most beautiful sunset, God does beautiful work, I raced for my camera the colors changed before our eyes)



(school conferences for two days and an evening caused for lots of frustrations and extra work for teachers and secretaries)



(on my work table you see the makings for a holiday project ~ yes it will be completed, probably during the break in two weeks)

EVERYDAY IS A GIFT I needed the little clipart at the top of my blog entry to remind me, I can do it even when I am tired and not feeling on top of my game!

remembering...

Veterans Day ~ November 11th


•How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!
Veterans Day Quotes by Maya Angelou

seeing red...

This week at the school we were truly "seeing red", because it was the National Red Ribbon Week, and many schools were "seeing red"!

(the ribbon that many of us wore during the week)

One of the many activites of the week, a competition was held and doors were decorated ~~ all homerooms were encouraged to take part, and prizes awarded for the *best door* for each grade level! Not to be left out of the fun, we (secretaries) decided the office door would be decorated, but we did not compete!

(the office door gives what we hope is a positive ("paws"itive) message)

I am happy to say the students did seem to enjoy the activities, each day providing something different, our entire school district took part in some form. And of course the *national* theme is perfect and made it even more fun...our school mascot is the *Wildcat*...so "paws"itively made it that much better.

And yes I must admit, I know totally *drug free* for a school is probably not realistic anymore, BUT ONE CAN HOPE and PRAY that it could be true someday!

Please enjoy your weekend (!) ~ and remember to change your clocks ~ one hour back on Saturday night, isn't it true we can put that extra hour to good use?