Christmas Celebrations

Last week I had the pleasure of going with our women's group from church on a Christmas tour of a family home. They had told us that this woman (with the help of her family) puts up 12 Christmas trees in her home. (I think there were actually a couple more than that, if you counted a couple little ones in the bathrooms).

This tree (above) was on the front porch, with it's very interesting welcome sign "Flakes Welcome".

She said each tree has a "story". The one above was in the front room as we came in, and she said for lack of better name, they call it the fancy, formal tree.

This was in sort of a children's play room/school room. It has bells all over it, and she said when the bells jingle, you know the kids are in there, fiddling with the tree.

Sort of self-explanatory, this is the "Patriotic Tree" .

This was in the Master bedroom. I really liked the little wooden churches underneath it.

This was in their son's bedroom. He apparently is into dogs, as it was surrounded by various stuffed dogs.

I thought this one was also unique; it was in one of the girl's bedrooms. [I thought the most amazing thing was that all the bedrooms were so neat. We asked one of the girls (about 9 years old) if it stays that way all the time. She said, "Not quite all the time!]

I think I got pictures of all the trees, but did not feel it necessary to share all of them. She said they each have their own tub and get put away in the attic, with everything labeled. (More organization and energy than I possess!)

I am also intrigued with Nativity sets, and wanted to share this one. It was beautiful.

I had to share with you the stockings on the fireplace. Apparently they are into western wear!

It was a lovely tour and a really nice family. It seemed to me that it was a little over done, but I believe they truly enjoyed meeting all the people who come through to see their home, and getting to know new people.

Did I mention, all of us women made a stop at DeBrand's Chocolate before going home! I had a sundae that was placed in an edible chocolate shell, with chocolate, carmel and pecans on it. Now that was truly indulgence!

A Friend's Christmas Open House

We recently finished a Women's Bible study at our church. A woman from Cecil, Ohio and her daughter Caci came from Ohio to join us. It was such a pleasure getting to know these ladies! Gloria has a pottery business that she's had for I think 32 years. She told us about it and said she was having an Open House this week, Wednesday through Saturday.

Thursday I decided to take a little drive and have a small adventure, so I went to Gloria's Open House. I was amazed at what she is able to do!

She specializes in making customized crocks, cookie jars, and old fashioned jugs. Many of them are featured on her web site, Emerald Forest Pottery.

The crocks above are a couple examples of her personalized work. You can give her a picture of your home, or a logo, or family name and she paints it on the crock.

But besides her customized pottery, she also has so many other items--plates, mugs, bowls, ornaments, oil lamps, etc. Another thing that is a signature trademark, so to speak, for her is that she writes a Bible verse, or if it's something small, at least a reference, on every piece of pottery she makes, including the customized ones. Often it is on the bottom of the item, but sometimes it's on the pottery itself--such as some of the bowls, that have a verse written around the inside rim.

Above are an assortment of items she had on display for her Christmas Open House.

This is an item she makes for Christmas, that she calls Snow Castles. There are Christmas lights inside that show through the windows.

She had a door in the back room that I thought was so interesting. As I was taking a picture of it she said, "I was thinking of painting over that door, but I get a lot of comments about it, so I guess I'll leave it as is".

Her work area is just in front of this door. It seems like it would be great to have the names of Christ and the words "The Lord is with you" so clearly visible while you work.

Gloria has such a sweet christian spirit, as does her daughter Caci, who was there helping her on Thursday. This was truly a fun afternoon. My only regret is that I didn't take anyone along to share it with me.

Companionship, Coffee, and Comfort

I must make a confession here; before starting to write this post, I decided to catch up on some other blogs. So now, I'm really not feeling very spiritual or Christ-centered, after reading the recent posts from my friend at Life and Godliness.

However, to try to redeem myself, I must tell you that the last couple of weeks I've been working on my annual Christmas letter/poem, and it always reminds me of the many blessings I've enjoyed, and especially how thankful I am for my family and good friends. I've also been concerned about the spiritual needs of my adopted daughter and her children. I was talking to her the other day, and I said, "I really want R.J. and Nyla to grasp the real meaning of Christmas". Nichole said, "Oh, they know! I asked R.J. the other day if he knew when Christmas was and he said, yes, it is in December on 2-5 (he said the numbers one at a time). Then I asked him if he knew what Christmas was. Immediately he said it is Jesus's birth." So Nichole said, I was glad that he thought about Jesus first, not Santa Claus or presents.

Now, back to my original theme for this post. Ever since last year, I have been wanting a Keurig coffee maker. I just felt it was probably an extravagance, and I didn't really need it. A couple weeks ago Nichole, who was working at Kohl's, said that she had been checking out Keurig coffee makers all day and bagging them up, because they were on sale. Well, of course by the time she told me they were no longer on sale. BUT, she said they would be on sale again the day after Thanksgiving.

Well, I have made it my policy for many years now, not to go shopping on Black Friday. But I told Lynn that the coffee makers were going to be on sale. So my best friend and companion for life, my hubby, said, why don't you get one and let it be my Christmas present to you. So at 8:00 am on Black Friday, I made my way to Kohl's. The crowds really weren't very bad by that time, as most people had gone shopping at midnight and were going home to bed. AND, they still had coffee makers left--and I had a coupon for an additional 15% off!!

I brought it home, and it was still in the box. So a couple days later, Lynn said, "when are you going to open your coffee maker?" I said that I thought it was for Christmas. He said, I don't want you to wait, you need to enjoy it now.

I just want to say, I am so very much enjoying my Keurig. I can sit in my comfy chair, read, and have a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate, all of which are ready in just one minute. It seems to please my loving companion to see me thoroughly enjoying his gift. Last night he had been working hard, and came in for a break, and I was able to make him a hot cup of tea in just one minute! What can I say--Life is good!

My "Other" Family

I will be meeting with my family for a couple days this week. But, as most of you know, I've been mentoring a young woman in prison for the past 2 years, and she and her 2 kids and her grandmother have really become a second family to me. Nichole has gone to school while in prison, and taken a cooking course, and has developed a lot of skills that she didn't have previously. Most importantly, she has grown spiritually and has a personal relationship with the Lord.

(The above picture was taken in July, when I took the kids to see their mom in prison).

Nichole's grandma, Colleen, and I have kept in contact with the kids, R.J. and Nyla. They are 3 y/o and 2 y/o and are very sweet. Colleen and I bought them some Christmas gifts (from their mommy and from us) and took them over to them.

The children stay mostly with 2 great-aunts--Nyla is mostly with Renee, and R.J. is mostly with Donna and they are well cared for. However, the kid's father stays with his sister, and the children are in that home quite a bit as well. It breaks our hearts, as that home (with the father and aunt) is a poor environment for them.

Nyla and R.J. had been in separate homes, so when we arrived with the gifts, Nyla wasn't there yet. When she came, she immediately ran to her brother and gave him a big hug. It was so sweet, and it just re-inforced to me that it would be so much better if they could be together in a good environment.

It's hard to get Nyla to smile, especially for pictures. I don't think she likes having her picture taken.

We spent a little time with the kids. This is great-grandma Colleen loving on them.

This is the kid's Uncle Marcus. He is great with them, and helps take care of them when they are at Donna's home.

Nichole is supposed to be released on February 8th, as she's been given some time cuts for classes she took. However, with these last elections, they have a new commissioner, and he has said they were given too many time cuts and he is quite possibly going to take away 2 of her time cuts, which would mean she may need to stay another 60-90 days. I know if that happens she will accept it as the way it has to be; but I am very concerned about these 2 precious children. They need to be back with their mom and become established in a stable, safe environment. I would appreciate your prayers, for the kids and for Nichole, that she might be able to be released in February as scheduled.

Psalm 127:3 Children are a heritage from the Lord; offspring, a reward from Him.

Mark 10:14 Jesus...said to them, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

A Starstruck Christmas

What a fun, uplifting and inspiring evening we had! I had the privilege of attending the women's Christmas celebration at Wheaton Bible Church with my sis, Brenda, a friend of hers and a friend of mine.


When we got to the church, they had a living Nativity scene in front of the main doors. It was very cold, but these folks didn't seem to mind. (We thought at first she was holding a real baby, but it was much too cold for that!


I was very impressed--they had not one, but two live camels! The other one was standing but didn't get a picture. I don't think I realized how big they are.

This little guy was warming himself by a big heater they had there. Can you blame him? But what a sweet smile.

There were of course, sheep and goats as well. What a wonderful reminder of the stable scene where our Lord arrived here on earth.

The first part of the evening was a reception with hor d'oeuvres and desserts. They had food tables but also had volunteers from the church--including the pastor--walking around with trays of goodies for the taking. It is indeed a VERY big church, but you might want to try to picture approximately 1500 women walking around, munching and visiting.

The program theme was "Starstruck" and the decorations were great. (for some reason this blogger didn't take ANY pictures and had to rely on the ones taken by Brenda.)

There was some beautiful musical presentations, but the highlight of the evening for me was the speaker, Carol Kent. She has gone through an "unthinkable" circumstance in her life, but encouraged us by how she is walking through this journey with the Lord's help, and that we too can experience victory and even joy, in spite of whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. She shared several scriptures that were so appropriate. (I believe most of them were from the paraphrase "The Message".) There is a CD of her message available, which I want to purchase. I'm sure I will need to listen to it again, as difficulties come my way.

My friend, Mary, who is currently going through a very difficult situation was very encouraged. I was glad I had the forethought to invite her to go with us.

Ellie, Brenda, Me and Mary

For me, it was a wonderful start to the Christmas season. A big thank you goes to all of those who were involved in planning and serving, who gave of their time and talents to provide a wonderful Christmas celebration.

Christmas Thoughts

The tree is up, the Christmas poem written and ready to mail, and a few decorations here and there. Also, I have found some great CD's of Christmas music, some that I had and a couple new ones I bought. The music is probably one of my favorite things about the Christmas season.

I've probably said this before, but I want to try to focus this year on the true spirit of giving; looking for opportunities to do something for those less fortunate. I have been so blessed, and I am so thankful. I provided a couple shoe boxes for inner city kids, a project that our church does every year. Our class is trying to provide a good Christmas for a single mom and her 3 children that go to our church. But beyond that, I need to be sensitive to ways that I can be an encouragement to those who are going through hard times right now, and those who have a hard time at this season because of the loss of loved ones.

I found some quotes about Christmas and wanted to share just a few:

There has been only one Christmas--the rest are anniversaries. (W. J. Cameron)

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. (Roy. L. Smith)

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.

( Attributed to a 7-year-old boy named Bobby)

This last one is one I found by Oren Arnold, but I liked it so well, I added some of my own. So a few of these are his, and the majority are mine.

Christmas Gift Suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness; To a customer, good service;

To a friend, faithfulness; To a child, a good example;

To those down-trodden in spirit, encouragement; To your employer, honesty;

To your spouse, your heart; To everyone, love & kindness;

To the Lord, deep gratitude for His gift of Salvation.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Recipe Books Revealed

The big secret was finally out--and the recipe books were given to sisters and nieces at our Gisel Christmas on Saturday. You can tell from all the smiling faces that they were pleased to get them. Amy is in the front on the far right (in the pink--I don't always get my 'right' and 'left' dirctions very well).

I'm sure these will be not only used, but kept as a little piece of history from mother. The only problem is--what will I do with all my time, now that the books are completed? I know I'll think of something!

Apparently everyone wanted a picture of all of us with our books. It all of the sudden seemed quite funny to see all the men with their camaras, preserving this moment in time for blogs, scrapbooks, photo albums, facebook, etc. So of course, we had to get a picture of the men taking pictures.

We all met at the Holiday Inn Express in Fort Wayne and had a great time. They have a big breakfast room and sitting area combo that was great for us to visit, play games, etc. Following are some of the happy faces as we enjoyed spending time with family.

Amy (niece) and T.J. (G-nephew)

Lynn and I

Sheila (sister-in-law), Lowell (Bro) and Rog (b-i-l )

Dan (nephew), his wife Bethany, and niece Katie

Sis Lou, G-niece Tanyale, and her mom, Sharice

Sis Brenda and hubby Bob

We played a game called "Kemp", which I had never heard of before. You can play with unlimited numbers of people (each has to have a partner), and we started with 12 of us, but soon realized it was a little cumbersome with that many. We divided into 2 groups. I am not going to explain the game (not even sure I can do a good job of that); but suffice it to say, it was a bit hilarious and noisy. Thankfully, I don't believe the hotel was very full, or we could possibly have been considered a bit disruptive.

This was our group of six; I was Amy's partner and sitting across from her, but I'm hidden by Dan's head. As you can possibly surmise from this pic, T.J. was obviously the life of the party, and he and his dad Brian (white shirt) kept us in stitches.

We originally weren't going to get together at Christmas, as it is difficult to get everyone there with bad weather, long distances, etc. I am so glad that we decided to still have a family gathering for those that could make it. If my math is correct, this was a little less than half of us, as we have a total of 40 in the family and we had 16 of us there.

We had a great time, and plan to get together with the whole family in June, when the weather is more conducive to travel. I am truly thankful for each family member. My husband said, "you have a great family. Everyone is so nice and you have such fun". I couldn't agree more.

The Secret Project

Some of you will remember that a few weeks ago, in one of my posts, I mentioned a secret project that my niece, Amy, and I were working on for a Christmas surprise for our family. It all sort of started, I believe, in late summer, when we obtained some recipe boxes that held my mother's recipes. Amy had one box, and I had the other two. I started typing some of them, to make them more readable, and thought I would put them in a book. Then I decided that my sisters (and sister-in-law) would enjoy having them also. And I just happened to find these really cute recipe books online and bought 4 of them.

Then I called Amy. I thought maybe she would have some recipes I would like to include, and she had said she was going to type some of them also. So I asked if she had started typing any of the recipes yet. She said she hadn't started yet, but then she said, "I thought it would be great to put them in a recipe book for everyone". Well, I explained that I had already planned to do that for my sisters, and she sort of insisted that the grand daughters in her generation would love to have them also.

We agreed to do this, keeping it a secret from everyone else. At the time, I didn't realize how MUCH of a project it would turn out to be. We felt like we needed to type them to be more readable, but decided we would also like to make copies of the originals, so they could have them in mother's handwriting.

Did I mention, I have 4 in my generation, and 7 nieces (granddaughters) so we would be doing 11 books!

I quickly found the web site where I had gotten the books, and ordered the books, plus some additional recipe cards to go in them.

What a process! Amy typed the recipes she wanted to include, and copied the originals, and gave them to me. Because we live so far away from each other, and of course I am retired and have lots of time, I told her I would get them all put together.

I took the typed recipes, cut them to fit the recipe cards, and glued them to the cards. Then I put them in the plastic inserts, and put them in categories with tabs between each (cookies, meats, etc). I found plastic protector sheets to put the originals in, but they were too big, so I had to cut them down and hole punch them to fit, and then of course put the originals in the plastic sheets.

We ended up with 60 recipes in all, so you can do the math--60 x 11--for all the books. Above is a sample recipe page with 2 recipes per page.

Lest you think I'm complaining, and that this was drudgery, that was not the case. I really had fun doing it, although at one point I was feeling very overwhelmed, and wondering if I would ever complete the project. I kept Amy up to date on the progress; at one point a friend was going to help me, but the day that we had designated for her to help she was sick.

I am now very excited to see if everyone likes the books as well as I do. You know how I am with poems, so I just had to write a poem to go in the front of the book. This was the poem, called "Recipes Remembered".

We all can remember so many good things to eat
From Bernice's kitchen, most were healthy, some sweet.
Old recipe boxes among her things were found,
Browsing through them, what treasures did abound.

It seemed only right to preserve them in some way,
To pass on to future generations one day.
There are cakes, breads, casseroles, and cookies by the dozens,
Some were provided by sisters, aunts, friends and cousins.

This recipe book was put together with love (and lots of glue!)
We hope it will bring pleasure to each one of you.
As you look through this book, and try some of the recipes,
We're sure it will bring back many fond memories.

So now the secret is out! Our family members will be receiving their books at about the time this is being posted. (A few of them of course, will not be able to be there, so some were mailed.

Remind me next time I get a great idea like this, that I might want to pencil in a big block of time to get it accomplished! We hope it will be something to treasure, as well as providing lots of good eating.

Christmas Card Connections

Every year for the past several years (actually possibly 12-15 years) I have written a Christmas poem about the events in our lives during that past year. I actually started writing poems back when I was in grade school or junior high. One year back then, I wrote a poem for every member of my family. I still have them, and they are of course a little humerous now.

And every year for the past few years, I think, maybe I really don't need to do that--just send a little card to people I don't see very often. But I guess that writing poems is in my system, and every year, at some point, I get inspired and sit down to write my poem.

I also have thought about trying to shorten the list of people I send them to. But then I remember: I LOVE getting Christmas cards in the mail! There's just something about touching base with people that maybe you don't even see at all anymore, but they have a place in your heart. Family and friends are so important to me, and so I continue to send out many poems.

The true blessing in all of this, is that every year we get many Christmas cards sent to us; I think maybe we are getting more every year. I love seeing the different cards and reading the notes, and many of them also have letters with updates on their family.

As I mentioned, some of these friends I see only rarely and maybe haven't seen them at all for many years. But true friends remain friends forever. I can't help but think about the song by Michael W. Smith: Friends are Friends Forever.

And with the faith and love God's given, springing from the hope we know

We will pray the joy you live in is now the strength you show

We'll keep you close as always, it won't even seem you've gone

'Cause our hearts in big and small ways, will keep the love that keeps us strong.

And friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them

And a friend will not say never, 'cause the welcome will not end.

Though it's hard to let you go, in the Father's hands we know,

A lifetime's not too long to live as friends.

Also, at this time of year, we pause to remember that we will always have a friend in our Lord and Savior; one who will never leave us or forsake us, one who will never disappoint us, one who will love us more that we can ever love Him. Let's give Him all the praise and glory this Christmas season.

Getting in the Spirit of the Season

This past Sunday I was privileged to attend the "Living Christmas Tree" presentation downtown Fort Wayne at the Scottish Rite Theatre. This has been done for many, many years; it used to be held at Blackhawk Baptist Church. However, I don't think I've ever seen it before. There were 77 choir members from the community. They started out singing as carolers in front of the huge Christmas tree on stage. There was also an on-going drama. Then about
half-way through the program, the choir members were actually in the tree, with only their heads and white shirts showing.

I was SO glad that I went to this performance. The music was just so uplifting, and I was able to just focus on our Lord, coming as a baby, but then also going to the cross, and coming to life again, in order to provide us with our salvation and fellowship with Him. The program ended with the Hallelujah Chorus. They gave 4 performances; I can only imagine the impact on the members of the choir. I know I get even so much more out of music when I'm participating. It was an amazing tribute to our Lord and Savior.


It's also relaxing for me to just have my tree lights on while I'm reading or studying, and sipping on coffee or hot chocolate.

My husband surprised me by buying me a real wreath. The pine scent filled my house for several days. It came with the bow on it, and i added the other decorations. It's been a lovely addition to my Christmas ambiance.

My nativity scene is one that came from Haiti, thus the figures are Haitian. My husband and I have a heart for the people of Haiti, and will be going there for 2 weeks next March.

This basket was given to me last year by my step-daughter, Janelle. It still looks nice and looks good on my dining room table.

I have been so blessed this past year, and I just want to focus on giving the Lord all the Honor and Glory this season.

For unto us aa child is born,

unto us a son is given,

and the government will be upon His shoulders

And His name will be called

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father

Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9: 6

Let us come and worship, come and worship, Jesus Christ the Newborn King! Hallelujah!

Christ the Saviour is Born

One of the things I love about this time of year is that are many ways to cause us to focus on our wonderful Lord. Saturday night I was privileged to attend an open house at South Scipio Church, where Rebecca's husband is the pastor. (You can see more nativity sets at Rebecca's blog).

It was a really wonderful display of so many nativity sets (Rebecca could probably tell you the number). Some were large and elaborate, some small and simple, some very unique--made out of every day items you could find around the house.

Some of you may remember the Titus Project I've mentioned--a mentoring program for teens sponsored by my church. Erin is the student I've been mentoring, so I invited Erin and her sister Emily to go with us to the open house. I think they truly enjoyed the display.

It goes without saying that no open house is complete without refreshments. It also is a known fact that it's perfectly OK to have your dessert before your meal. We enjoyed some cake and punch, and then took the girls out to the Harlan Cafe for supper (or I guess it's dinner if you're from the city).

I have also befriended and mentored a young lady who is in prison, and she asked me to send her a picture of the manger scene to put on her locker, to remind her of the true meaning of Christmas. So I've thought a lot about the manger and the birth of our Lord.

It is good for us to celebrate Christ's birth as a baby in the manger. But I can never think about the manger without thinking about the reason that the Lord of the universe would humble Himself and come to earth. I am so thankful that He not only came as a baby but He went to the cross and rose again, to provide a way for us to live eternally with Him.

You came from Heaven to Earth, to show the way,

From the earth to the cross,my debt to pay,

From the cross to the grave,

From the grave to the sky,

Lord, I lift Your Name on High!