Cold and Dark Sunday Morning

It is very early -- barely six a.m.  Yet, I am up having my morning cuppa and putting off making oatmeal which I don't enjoy doing.  However, in a quest for better health  I will do in a little while.  I am alone since Hubs is still snoring away. I wouldn't be awake right now if I could  stay up a bit later but it seems that lately I am turning into a pumpkin about 8:30.  Hubs is into action adventure movies which I am not so I sort of just pass out from boredom.  If I sit and read while he watches, I put myself to sleep so I guess I am doomed to an early bedtime regardless of what I do.  However, it does cause me  to wake up early and here I am.  I have come to enjoy this quiet time before the rush of the day begins.

Last night we were invited to go to an outdoor shopping center close to my daughter's house.  We were going to see Santa for the first time with Beanie.  It was cold, I was concerned because we don't need another ear infection.  However, the line was short and  it didn't take long for us to have our turn.  I won't lie --- it didn't go well.  It was like Beanie knew it was expected of her to reject the whole thing and scream and scream she did.  It made me smile.  My own children didn't like the whole fake Santa thing either and, honestly, neither did I.  I have one photo of me at three taken with a department store Santa that I am keeping at arms length away with the look of sheer terror on my face even though I was smiling.  It was sorta funny and sorta sad.  I remember that photo being taken, though, and how I felt and I never pushed Santa on my kids.  That wasn't our emphasis anyway.  The shopping center was heavily lit and we enjoyed the lights as I continued piling all manner of cover on top of Beanie to keep her warm.  She looked sort of like a little mummy with pink mittens and a pink snowman hat sticking out!  I think she enjoyed it but what she mostly wanted to do was climb the stairs to the bar at the restaurant where we were having dinner.  Nothing like a flight of stairs to zap all the excitement out of Christmas lights, horse drawn carriages and Santa!

As I watched this little child take in all that was being offered I had some of the joy of the Christmas season return to me.  You know, things just aren't the same when you grow up and your children grow up -- the vision is just different which isn't a bad thing but it is different.  It was delightful to see Christmas through the eyes of a child again.

I have spent some time this morning studying the Advent lesson for this week.  We are doing the Advent candle each Sunday evening with Beanie.  Tonight the pink candle, for joy, will be lit and she will be doing the lighting with a lot of assistance, of course.  She seems to be enjoying our little ritual, she has been praying since birth so she very reverently folds her hands and is quiet through the prayer.  I like to think that these candles are as awesome to her as the lights in the shopping center.

As I sit here, with my warm tea, I am aware that the cold darkness of the morning is so representative to me of the quiet time before the birth of the Baby that would change everything like the light and warmth that will come when we light the candles this evening.  To me, lighting these three candles tonight will be more magical and meaningful than all the lights and horse-drawn carriages in the town center.   I hope Beanie feels it as well.

Well, guess it is time to cook that oatmeal -- we are going to early church and I always fast for at least an hour before communion so I best get on with it. Oh yeah, I have to wake up Sleeping Beauty in there, too!  Have a wonderful Sunday!

A View From a Window -- Thursday, December 8, 2011

Things don't look too different this week -- I didn't post last week because absolutely NOTHING looked different.  We did have a couple of freezes and a bit of snow earlier in the week so some of the plants -- the purslane to be exact -- are pretty well gone.  Other wise, just leaves and doves and birdseed that the squirrel likes to throw all over.  Wish I could have gotten a snap of him -- cheeky thing he is.  It is hilarious to see him and a couple of sparrows sitting on the bird feeder tray -- him making it swing with his chubby self.  I love watching the wildlife in the yard but, sadly, one of the ginger cats that tromp through on a daily basis was hit by a car last week.  I will miss him -- he made the squirrel duck for cover!


I also thought I would add this photo -- a view of The Village!

It is time for another Teaser Tuesdays, hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading.

My teaser this week comes from  Aunt Dimity Digs In by Nancy Atherton. 


"Sally's words had a pathetic ring of truth to them.  No middle-aged woman in her right mind would want her neighbors looking on while she did jumping jacks."

Ok, it is sort of funny until I think about this middle aged woman doing jumping jacks.  Scary visual!

Today's Question at Musing Mondays over at Should Be Reading hosted by Miz B is "how many books do you read in a week? a month? a year?"

I never kept up with my reading totals before now.  I would just read.  Some books went quickly, some took  forever, and some didn't get finished at all.  However, now that there are a number of reading sites out there which host all manner of challenges, I have become more aware of how much I read.  I rarely complete a book in a week -- I am easily distracted.  Most would be done in two weeks.  I can read a couple of books a month if I put my mind to it and I have read about 18 books this year -- to date.  I had a goal of 25 but it isn't going to happen.  I am definitely not a fast reader but I am, what I would call, a steady reader.

Jingle Bells, Jangled Nerves -- What a Horrible Week


This past week was horrible. Not the whole week -- just the latter half.  Up until Wednesday we were having a really great time getting ready for Christmas, putting up the village and having a babysitting day.  Wednesday was planned to get some Christmas sewing done and finish some decorating.  We were having a ball around here just relaxing with the gorgeous weather and getting into the swing of the season.

Then the call came.  It was around lunch time on Wednesday when my phone rang.  It was my daughter's best friend from San Antonio who now lives in Austin.  It was unusual for her to phone, we talk on the computer from time to time but she never calls.  She lives on Ave. G in Austin, two doors down from a little, independent church which was begun by my cousin thirty three years ago and which he still pastors.  She had met my cousin on a number of occasions, once when we were visiting her.  She called to give me bad news.  My cousin and his wife had been killed in a horrific accident outside of Austin on a highway that was undergoing construction.  I simply couldn't process what she was saying.  I have never felt such shock, it was like I had been slapped.  We are supposed to go visit this young woman and her new baby and I had been planning on taking my cousins to dinner.  I was planning.  What was she saying?  This just couldn't be.

After much internet searching I found news story after news story, photo after photo and video after video.  I watched them even though I knew I shouldn't.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  It was horrific and tragic and my cousin was gone.  I spent the rest of the day trying to get information.  I called his church and was told that I couldn't be a relative, he didn't have any relatives.  They were rude.  I was hurt.  I had to break the news to my aunt and her daughter -- it was so sad because he was to officiate the wedding of my cousins child in January.  

I had a strange relationship with this cousin.  He was my father's first cousin, my second cousin, even though he was only three years older than I.  I know him even though we didn't talk on a regular basis.  I called on him many times for help and he was always there to help me.  I always looked at him as someone who would always be there for me  because he was always there for me.  I counted on him for strength and guidance on a number of occasions and I will really miss him. He was really a great guy.

His wife had said that she didn't want either one of them to "go" first and either one of them to have to live without the other.  I find it very comforting to know that is exactly what happened.  That just shows me, once again, that God listens and knows what is best for us.

I have been very sad but on Thursday, as I traveled to my daughter's house in the dark of morning, I could see his face and hear his voice telling me "we are fine (in the Texas drawl he had) -- don't be so sad -- just get on with it.  We are fine" and he was chuckling as the vision faded.  I know they are fine but it is really hard to not be sad.

The Unveiling of the Brinkley Christmas Village -- 2011

Christmas Crafting


I have always wanted to do more crafting at Christmas but I never seem to find the time and, before you know it, it is too late.  This year I started early -- like in the summer -- but I can't show you photos of those endeavors as they are gifts -- that will be a later post.  However, I did decide to do a little crafting for our Christmas Village.

As you might know, I have been collecting Christmas village houses for absolutely years and years and it was always a joy to play with at the holidays.  The last couple of years, though, I have gone apathetic toward it --probably because of my former cat -- (he is still a cat, he is just not mine anymore).  This year, however, because the Hubs is home, we decided to get an early, relaxed start on it so we could actually enjoy the process.  You can see earlier photos of the village here. 

There is a tree in the middle of the village that we decorate -- sort of like Rockefeller Center if you use your imagination!  The year Hubs had his surgery, he couldn't really manage the big tree so we opted for this little one and it served the purpose nicely.  In fact, I am considering not putting the big tree up this year at all.  I digress.  Anyway, this year I decided to go with a "natural" look for the town center tree and this is what I came up with -- pine cones, paint, glitter, rusty jingle bells, ribbon and candy canes.  I think it came out rather nice, actually.

Adding little eye screws to the pine cones wasn't easy

All done

creamy white paint to add "snow"

that was a quick snow storm!

Added a little gold accent to the rusty bells -- later added white paint

clear glitter

never have used clear glue before -- it worked really well

can't see the glitter but it is there

wasn't really happy with this but it was done so I left it alone

added the ribbon hangers to the glittery pine cones

Hubs in the beginning stages of the "process" -- it takes a while to build a village

Uh - oh , the book props are coming out

Next blog you will see the finished village! We have added things from those first photos a couple of years ago and we have tweaked it until we think it looks "right".  Can't wait to see what you think!

Musing Mondays


It is time for another Musing Mondays hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading.  Today's question is -- "Will you be buying books for the holidays, this year.  If so, for whom and why?"

I have already done.  I buy books every Christmas for almost everybody on my list.  My hubby is always looking at some sort of woodworking or barbecue book.  My kids and their spouses read and, of course, there are the children.  I don't think there can ever be enough books in the home of a child.

A View From A Window -- Or In My Case -- A Door


A while back, Jane from The Maple Syrup Mob began a weekly Thursday post of a photo taken from the same window.  It should be interesting to see how the scenery changes throughout the year.   She invited anybody who wants to join in to--well, join in.  So, here I am, playing catch up, as usual so I have two weeks worth of photos.  I will honestly try to do better this week but, in all fairness to me, this last Thursday I had to chop pickles and make dressing and quietly supervise the bird roasting or rather smoking -- my hubs does a mean turkey in the kamado.

Anyway, here we go.  These photos are taken from my back door, with me inside, of my back garden.  It is  a little shabby right now because the weather was so horrible over the summer and almost everything went dormant and now it thinks it is spring and everything is coming out -- including the weeds.  There is no keeping up with the weeds.  The first three photos were taken Thursday week.

The next two photos were taken this past Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.

I don't see much difference between the two except I think the hollies have more berries in the more recent photos.  Can't wait to see what is left of the garden this next week after these horrible winds we are having.

Just Letting You Know--


I am not dead.  I am just swamped.  Have been doing some babysitting and planning a birthday party for my 90 year old mother in law whose birthday is tomorrow.  I said I didn't want to plan this party -- I said it loudly -- yet, here I am planning the blasted party which just goes to show that when I tell people they don't listen to me, I am right no matter how much they protest!!!

I have been in the mood to Christmas shop but not in the mood to go shopping.  Clearly there is conflict there.  So, I have been letting my fingers dance around the keyboard and am shopping online.  This weekend is a special weekend here in North Texas -- we are all being encouraged to shop  at our favorite local, independent, small business.  I would love to but -- well, I went by my favorite little independent, local, small toy store today and everything is twice or three times as expensive in the store as it is online.  It used to be a very unique little place but now, yeah, not so much.  So, I don't guess I will be doing my bit for local, independent businesses this weekend.  Well, except for the party venue so that must mean something.

So, if anybody has missed me, that is where I have been --- sitting, sitting, sitting, planning, planning, planning.  Now I have get in the mood to cook for Thanksgiving.  Whew, I think I am tired already.

The Forwarder I Go, the Behinder I Get


Thirty days of Thanks --

November 11 -- thanks for the veterans ( my dad, grandfathers, uncle, and cousins) and for our current military personnel.  They do a vital job and yet are so under appreciated.

  November 12 -- Thankful for a fun activity today.


Current Read:  Still reading The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin.  I am behind because I left the book at my daughter's house on Thursday but I will catch up tonight.

Diet and Exercise Update -- What diet?