Good morning Jo, and everyone else.
Beautiful Christmas tree and manger scene.
We haven’t had a Christmas tree since we left Annandale.
We always came to Chuck’s for Christmas after we moved and Linda’s parents (who lived in N. Va. ) died.
I went back to check yesterday’s blog. Just was well that I wasn’t around. I didn’t understand none of that.
Elvera gets desperate for something o do. I spent the afternoon going around doing and undoing things she did to help. No harm done. She opened a can of stew, but put in in a bowl of mashed potatoes. I fixed that. It’s just that she has so much to do in her mind. But nothing here that she can do.
That usually starts in the afternoon/evening.
After having seen the new Star Wars last night, I have to recommend you go see it. If you watched the others, you simply must see the “finale” to the Skywalker saga. We thought it was the best of the most recent trilogy, and was a fitting end to the saga. The SW fans in your family should enjoy it too. 🙂
But I am making my pineapple stuffing (goes great with the ham I’m making) now. Then if my daughter ever gets up, we’re making peanut butter cookies. 🙂
The finalized Christmas menu.
Burbon and brown sugar glazed ham
Pineapple stuffing
Roasted brussels sprouts, shallots, and bacon
Roasted lemon zested califlower
Pickled eggs and beets
Peanut butter cookies
And assorted appetizers
I’d rather have unpeeled potatoes, but I understand Mrs L when she says it’s more work to clean them than peel them. The problem is that if one uses a knife instead of a peeler, too much of the potato goes to waste. Oh well. If you’re going to peel them, then mash them, IMHO.
Potatoes belong in the compost or pig bucket. Chickens do not even seem to care for them. But, i understand there are people who like them so I allow them. I do not understand it. But if I have to eat a potato: baked with peel on.
Spin h casserole done. Sausage cooked for tomorrow’s breakfast. Green bean casserole done. Mac and cheese done. Potatoes to peel. Ugh.
I forgot to pick up Miss E’s locker from the jewelry store. I need to go do that.
Then I suppose I am going to have to clean this house a little
I will not be making the traditional Christmas Eve tortiere*, but perhaps later in the week I will be able to do so. There will be a traditional turkey dinner for Christmas.
My fever broke last night, and I think I have turned the corner. I felt well enough to venture downstairs again, although I have forbid any hugs for a little while longer. The difficulty in keeping the hordes from giving me a hug this morning reinforced the wisdom of keeping to my room yesterday. Third nephew, who has ambitions to be a doctor, so today, while I was eating my breakfast with my back against the kitchen sink, we discussed the relative dangers of different viruses and the differences between bacterial and viral diseases. Various members of the Eldest family were drawn in, until at one point, I had Eldest In-law, Eldest Niece and Nephew, Second and Third Nephew around me in a semicircle to listen and discuss. Eldest In-law is a scientist, so his offspring are all of an inquiring mind.
*My mother just came up to get my recipe. She and Eldest sibling are collaborating to make the tortiere.
Christmas trees were a must in the home I grew up in. I’ve had them on kind of a hit-and-miss basis since then, but they remain the heart of Christmas decorations in my mind. In college, my boyfriend had just moved into his own apartment and didn’t have a tree. I bought one — it was just big enough to cram into the back seat of my baby-blue VW bug — and took it to him. We are still in touch occasionally via internet msg’g and he mentions it still.
On the other hand … Putting up a tree means taking it down, which is not such a fun chore. It was always what we did on New Year’s Day after the parade (though my dad had a special dispensation to get out of it and was able to watch football all day).
So now I do try to get it taken down sometime before Jan. 1 so I can enjoy the New Year’s day off from work without having to work (too much) in the house.
Today is busy but mainly because I still have to work and produce some kind of a story. I need to pick up a gift card for Carol. It will be an Amazon card and won’t be for nearly as much $ as it’s sometimes been in the past; her brother in NJ sent her a $100 (visa) gift card and she wound up blowing it within 1-2 hours buying cases of potato chips & other junky food, along with a $35 watch for the boyfriend — though none of the rest of her friends seem to ever get gifts from her; so after that, I decided to keep the amount I give her this year more around $30-$50, but closer probably to $30 considering my own post-water heater budget, and Amazon only — though I’m sure one can buy junk food and boyfriend gifts from Amazon, too, she just better not tell me that’s what she did with it 🙂 .
Anyway, at some point I’ll head to up see her tonight, I’m unclear about my own church plans (she’s still unable to get out of the facility). Our own church has its Christmas Eve service at 5 p.m. — or I can catch a service near Carol at Hollywood Pres as they have several Christmas Eve services. The good news is that traffic on the actual holidays is always very light in LA, so the drive home later tonight should go quickly.
But tomorrow also is somewhat busy, a friend and I are going out for breakfast at Ihop and then I’m heading over to my cousin’s for an afternoon chicken dinner. She’s warned me she has no Christmas decorations up this year. But that means she also won’t have to dismantle anything. lol Kinda jealous about that part of it. It’s supposed to be raining again tomorrow, but the weather should stay clear (and cold) today.
Then tomorrow, it’s back to work again. These middle-of-the-week, orphan holidays are hard for working folks, sandwiched in between regular work schedules as they are. 😦
Not tomorrow, but Thursday heading back to work. Grateful I don’t have to work on the holiday though — my editor and his editor both are working Christmas day after the reporter who’d earlier volunteered to do it is no longer with the company.
It feels so strange to listen to all of you talk and realize that I am on the same day. Finally got my phone unlocked, it only took two years. Now I have to wait for a sim card to arrive in the mail. I suppose that I should wrap some gifts…..
You can get an Amazon gift card online and skip the store.
I AM making mashed potatoes, but the volunteer potato peelers all went to play disc golf first and Mr. Fit was out running.
So, I went to Safeway alone about 7:45. Honestly, Starbucks should have been giving us free drinks— all the folks who will be cooking all day were there together .. .
Home now and I guess I’ll start peeling,. . . But wait, here is Mr. Fit checking the sausage . . . .
Morning! It is a cold gray day here with no snow falling. We do have some on the ground so that makes it a White Christmas 🎄
Cookies are done. I went to the Post Office this morning (it was deserted) , then I stopped by Safeway. Michelle is correct. All the cooks were at Safeway. I stopped at the Starbucks counter and got my Chai. I then spotted a top round roast and decided right then and there that was going to be our dinner. It has been properly rubbed and is now in the fridge. I will cut up potatoes (unpeeled) and place around the roast with carrots. 😊
I’ve decided to use the baby potatoes, roasted, this year – simple to wash with their smooth skins. I know someone who will miss the mashed potatoes, but the simpler I can make things, the better. Plus leftovers can be fried up to eat with the leftover turkey and gravy – yum!
Today we’re going to try making crockpot mac & cheese. The annual Christmas Eve gathering at our dear friends’ home is “Cozy Christmas” so we’re supposed to wear warm pyjamas or sweats (whatever we’re most comfortable in) and bring a comfort food (if we want to). Husband will be wearing his jeans and sweatshirt as that is what he is most comfortable in 🙂
Our Christmas dinner won’t be until the 28th, so I have time to figure out how to fit everything into the oven.
Mashed potatoes made and in the crock pot for dinner. Food purchased, I don’t know if tlunch set up is organized it or not. I sent myself to the showers. I have ten minutes before the lunch guests arrive.
We had our Arrows family Christmas on Sunday. Hubby and I, the six kids, our son-in-law, our granddaughter, plus 3rd Arrow’s boyfriend.
DG, now four months old, had a blast with her first Christmas! She loved all the presents, the people, the music, the wrapping paper… 😉 Such a good baby, and so much fun!
Our meal was chili, cornbread, beans, peas, and woodchuck — I’ll tell you that story another time. 🙂
Christmas Eve services are at 4:00 and 6:00 today. 3rd Arrow sings in the choir, and I’m playing piano in the pre-service and viola in our church’s first-ever full orchestra. The strings play on most of the congregational hymns tonight, plus our regular string quartet will accompany the choir on one of their songs, and I will play my viola along with the pianist and choir on their other song. The part is intended for a cello, but is pitched high enough for a viola to play all but a few low notes. So I just omit those.
But the part is written in bass clef, which I’ve never had to read before as a violist! Needless to say, I’ve practiced that piece a lot this month, and am no longer mixing up which clef I’m in. 🙂 Hoping it all goes fine tonight, as the viola music I’m reading tonight is written in treble or alto or bass clef. Good for the ole gray matter, switching to and fro with all those clefs. 😉
The worship leader and choir director are both treating all of us instrumentalists and singers to soup, cheese and crackers between services, too, a very thoughtful gesture.
Enjoy your celebrations, and Christmas blessings to all of you!
Ok, I sent Carol her amazon gift card via text. That does make tonight much easier since I won’t have to make a stop at CVS to get the card. Think I’ll try to hit our church service at 5 p.m. and then head up to her place for a fairly short visit so I can get home at a reasonable hour.
Meanwhile I found a short story I’d filed late last week that got lost in the shuffle and not used, so I was able to send that to the editor for tomorrow. No word yet on when we’re ‘free’ but I have very little I can actually do from here on out and our deadline is early, 4 p.m. today — just keeping tabs on my email and messages while trying to pick up a bit around here.
I agree with mumsee on baked potatoes with the skin on. Yum!
A dish from Puerto Rico my grandma made was papas rellenas, stuffed potatoes. She’d bake the taters until the skins were hardened, scoop out the white, mash it and mix it with beef and peas, then stuff the skins and bake a little longer. I miss that dish. Maybe I can find it online or see if my siblings or cousins have it. Grandma never wrote down her recipes, so we can never get them like she made them.
I was reading through World Magazine’s list of deaths and came across this entry:
“Lamin Sanneh – 76 / Jan. 6 / Muslim convert to Christianity who taught theology for decades at Yale. He authored or edited more than 20 books on Christianity and Islam, including Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture.” (https://world.wng.org/2019/12/2019_deaths)
I immediately thought that is a Gambian name, both given and surname. So, I looked him up. Sure enough, he was born and raised in The Gambia: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/evangelical-history/lamin-sanneh-1942-2019/. In reading about his work, I see an influence on those who instructed me when I was in that country. Wonderful to reflect on the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit in raising up the Church from all corners of the world.
I love hearing what everyone is having for Christmas dinners. My brother is making turkey and dressing along with turnip greens he grew. I will take Brussel sprouts and a garbanzo bean lomein dish that everyone likes. I may make a sweet potato souffle, and Wesley may make some pumpkin scones.
Dinner is done. Kitchen is clean. I took Bitty Niece her locket. Niece was very appreciative. Bitty Niece is Teeny Tiny. She had on a newborn onesie and it swallowed her. I had to give her to her great grandmother and come home.
Little Miss is snuggled in her Daddy’s arms falling asleep.
All my Chicks except one are in the nest tonight. I am a happy mother.
Woodchuck tastes like hamburger, cream of chicken soup, creamed corn, and french fries on top of it all.
It’s a recipe of my MIL’s. She had made a new recipe once when my husband and his siblings were growing up, and it happened to be the day they’d shot a woodchuck in their yard.
The hungry boys wanted to know what was for supper, and she replied, “Woodchuck!”
The name stuck, and is known by a new generation now. 🙂
35 minutes until Christmas! Wesley is wrapping gifts♡ Down to the wire.
Merry Christmas, Y’all!
The Christmas Eve service at my church was wonderful. Art went to it with Wesley and me since he did not have to sing at his service. So thankful we could all go together.
We are doing a Staycation instead of going to Hilton Head. I am thankful we’ve all agreed to that since I am having the knee/leg issue. Also, Wesley will have a chance to visit with friends so it all is good.
One of my favorite moments in our service this evening was the offertory, a duet by a young (20s) sister and brother who play piano and cello, respectively. She often arranges traditional songs in interesting combinations. This evening they played “What Child is This” interwoven with “Carol of the Bells”.
While they were playing I looked up “What Child is This” in our hymnal (The Worshiping Church, 1990), and sure enough it had the words Roscuro mentioned the other day.
One thing I enjoy about the Christmas Eve service every year is mingling in the lobby afterward. The best part is catching up with some of the young adults I watched grow up who now live in far-flung places and come home for Christmas. They’re up to such interesting things, these people I held in the nursery, taught in elementary Sunday School, or watched playing with my own children.
We had a good service as well, “Joy to the World,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Silent Night” …
The message was good, touching on why Jesus became man, believers’ eventual (physical) resurrection — he also mentioned Machen’s book “Liberalism and Christianity” which came out in the 1920s. I read it, but it was some time ago, and didn’t remember that some of the book’s emphasis was on the growing dangers of what was then still a fairly new government public education system.
But the point being, I suppose, was that what we’re seeing now in our culture had seeds going back nearly 100 years.
Nothing springs up in a vacuum, either with one particular generation or news event.
Drove up to see Carol and her beau, Charles, after that, we had a nice visit that lasted a little over an hour. There was some (not tons of) traffic heading up, not quite as much coming home so I made good time both ways.
Wandering Views 
Ooh, I don’t know if I ever got to be FIRST before!
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I can delete it if you want…..
😎
Merry Christmas Kevin. 🙂
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Good night, Chas
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Good morning Jo, and everyone else.
Beautiful Christmas tree and manger scene.
We haven’t had a Christmas tree since we left Annandale.
We always came to Chuck’s for Christmas after we moved and Linda’s parents (who lived in N. Va. ) died.
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I went back to check yesterday’s blog. Just was well that I wasn’t around. I didn’t understand none of that.
Elvera gets desperate for something o do. I spent the afternoon going around doing and undoing things she did to help. No harm done. She opened a can of stew, but put in in a bowl of mashed potatoes. I fixed that. It’s just that she has so much to do in her mind. But nothing here that she can do.
That usually starts in the afternoon/evening.
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I’m headed to the kitchen. Does anyone want to peel potatoes with me?
Here’s a description of the next 19 hours: https://www.michelleule.com/2019/12/24/christmas-eve/
Merry Christmas!
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Michelle,
No spoilers ahead.
After having seen the new Star Wars last night, I have to recommend you go see it. If you watched the others, you simply must see the “finale” to the Skywalker saga. We thought it was the best of the most recent trilogy, and was a fitting end to the saga. The SW fans in your family should enjoy it too. 🙂
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Peel potatoes?
Nope. 🙂
But I am making my pineapple stuffing (goes great with the ham I’m making) now. Then if my daughter ever gets up, we’re making peanut butter cookies. 🙂
The finalized Christmas menu.
Burbon and brown sugar glazed ham
Pineapple stuffing
Roasted brussels sprouts, shallots, and bacon
Roasted lemon zested califlower
Pickled eggs and beets
Peanut butter cookies
And assorted appetizers
Mmmmmmmm…….. 🙂
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I’m hungry now, AJ. Sounds good.
I’d rather have unpeeled potatoes, but I understand Mrs L when she says it’s more work to clean them than peel them. The problem is that if one uses a knife instead of a peeler, too much of the potato goes to waste. Oh well. If you’re going to peel them, then mash them, IMHO.
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Here is a good read from Disrn.com, the news site hosted by Adam Ford “The Historical Event that Outweighs all Others”.
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Potatoes belong in the compost or pig bucket. Chickens do not even seem to care for them. But, i understand there are people who like them so I allow them. I do not understand it. But if I have to eat a potato: baked with peel on.
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Spin h casserole done. Sausage cooked for tomorrow’s breakfast. Green bean casserole done. Mac and cheese done. Potatoes to peel. Ugh.
I forgot to pick up Miss E’s locker from the jewelry store. I need to go do that.
Then I suppose I am going to have to clean this house a little
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Thanx Peter
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I will not be making the traditional Christmas Eve tortiere*, but perhaps later in the week I will be able to do so. There will be a traditional turkey dinner for Christmas.
My fever broke last night, and I think I have turned the corner. I felt well enough to venture downstairs again, although I have forbid any hugs for a little while longer. The difficulty in keeping the hordes from giving me a hug this morning reinforced the wisdom of keeping to my room yesterday. Third nephew, who has ambitions to be a doctor, so today, while I was eating my breakfast with my back against the kitchen sink, we discussed the relative dangers of different viruses and the differences between bacterial and viral diseases. Various members of the Eldest family were drawn in, until at one point, I had Eldest In-law, Eldest Niece and Nephew, Second and Third Nephew around me in a semicircle to listen and discuss. Eldest In-law is a scientist, so his offspring are all of an inquiring mind.
*My mother just came up to get my recipe. She and Eldest sibling are collaborating to make the tortiere.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Christmas trees were a must in the home I grew up in. I’ve had them on kind of a hit-and-miss basis since then, but they remain the heart of Christmas decorations in my mind. In college, my boyfriend had just moved into his own apartment and didn’t have a tree. I bought one — it was just big enough to cram into the back seat of my baby-blue VW bug — and took it to him. We are still in touch occasionally via internet msg’g and he mentions it still.
On the other hand … Putting up a tree means taking it down, which is not such a fun chore. It was always what we did on New Year’s Day after the parade (though my dad had a special dispensation to get out of it and was able to watch football all day).
So now I do try to get it taken down sometime before Jan. 1 so I can enjoy the New Year’s day off from work without having to work (too much) in the house.
Today is busy but mainly because I still have to work and produce some kind of a story. I need to pick up a gift card for Carol. It will be an Amazon card and won’t be for nearly as much $ as it’s sometimes been in the past; her brother in NJ sent her a $100 (visa) gift card and she wound up blowing it within 1-2 hours buying cases of potato chips & other junky food, along with a $35 watch for the boyfriend — though none of the rest of her friends seem to ever get gifts from her; so after that, I decided to keep the amount I give her this year more around $30-$50, but closer probably to $30 considering my own post-water heater budget, and Amazon only — though I’m sure one can buy junk food and boyfriend gifts from Amazon, too, she just better not tell me that’s what she did with it 🙂 .
Anyway, at some point I’ll head to up see her tonight, I’m unclear about my own church plans (she’s still unable to get out of the facility). Our own church has its Christmas Eve service at 5 p.m. — or I can catch a service near Carol at Hollywood Pres as they have several Christmas Eve services. The good news is that traffic on the actual holidays is always very light in LA, so the drive home later tonight should go quickly.
But tomorrow also is somewhat busy, a friend and I are going out for breakfast at Ihop and then I’m heading over to my cousin’s for an afternoon chicken dinner. She’s warned me she has no Christmas decorations up this year. But that means she also won’t have to dismantle anything. lol Kinda jealous about that part of it. It’s supposed to be raining again tomorrow, but the weather should stay clear (and cold) today.
Then tomorrow, it’s back to work again. These middle-of-the-week, orphan holidays are hard for working folks, sandwiched in between regular work schedules as they are. 😦
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Not tomorrow, but Thursday heading back to work. Grateful I don’t have to work on the holiday though — my editor and his editor both are working Christmas day after the reporter who’d earlier volunteered to do it is no longer with the company.
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I’ll bet Kim knew enough not to get a photo of herself in one of the Christmas ornaments.
Funny, because reporters become very adept at avoiding the camera out on assignments, you learn to always walk or stay behind the photographer.
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Any time anybody mentions Texas, thirteen year old reminds that he and dad went to Ihop in Houston. He is fond of that place.
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It feels so strange to listen to all of you talk and realize that I am on the same day. Finally got my phone unlocked, it only took two years. Now I have to wait for a sim card to arrive in the mail. I suppose that I should wrap some gifts…..
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You can get an Amazon gift card online and skip the store.
I AM making mashed potatoes, but the volunteer potato peelers all went to play disc golf first and Mr. Fit was out running.
So, I went to Safeway alone about 7:45. Honestly, Starbucks should have been giving us free drinks— all the folks who will be cooking all day were there together .. .
Home now and I guess I’ll start peeling,. . . But wait, here is Mr. Fit checking the sausage . . . .
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Morning! It is a cold gray day here with no snow falling. We do have some on the ground so that makes it a White Christmas 🎄
Cookies are done. I went to the Post Office this morning (it was deserted) , then I stopped by Safeway. Michelle is correct. All the cooks were at Safeway. I stopped at the Starbucks counter and got my Chai. I then spotted a top round roast and decided right then and there that was going to be our dinner. It has been properly rubbed and is now in the fridge. I will cut up potatoes (unpeeled) and place around the roast with carrots. 😊
LikeLiked by 4 people
I’ve decided to use the baby potatoes, roasted, this year – simple to wash with their smooth skins. I know someone who will miss the mashed potatoes, but the simpler I can make things, the better. Plus leftovers can be fried up to eat with the leftover turkey and gravy – yum!
Today we’re going to try making crockpot mac & cheese. The annual Christmas Eve gathering at our dear friends’ home is “Cozy Christmas” so we’re supposed to wear warm pyjamas or sweats (whatever we’re most comfortable in) and bring a comfort food (if we want to). Husband will be wearing his jeans and sweatshirt as that is what he is most comfortable in 🙂
Our Christmas dinner won’t be until the 28th, so I have time to figure out how to fit everything into the oven.
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Nancyjill, pot roast sounds so good.
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Mashed potatoes made and in the crock pot for dinner. Food purchased, I don’t know if tlunch set up is organized it or not. I sent myself to the showers. I have ten minutes before the lunch guests arrive.
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Merry Christmas, dear wanderers!
We had our Arrows family Christmas on Sunday. Hubby and I, the six kids, our son-in-law, our granddaughter, plus 3rd Arrow’s boyfriend.
DG, now four months old, had a blast with her first Christmas! She loved all the presents, the people, the music, the wrapping paper… 😉 Such a good baby, and so much fun!
Our meal was chili, cornbread, beans, peas, and woodchuck — I’ll tell you that story another time. 🙂
Christmas Eve services are at 4:00 and 6:00 today. 3rd Arrow sings in the choir, and I’m playing piano in the pre-service and viola in our church’s first-ever full orchestra. The strings play on most of the congregational hymns tonight, plus our regular string quartet will accompany the choir on one of their songs, and I will play my viola along with the pianist and choir on their other song. The part is intended for a cello, but is pitched high enough for a viola to play all but a few low notes. So I just omit those.
But the part is written in bass clef, which I’ve never had to read before as a violist! Needless to say, I’ve practiced that piece a lot this month, and am no longer mixing up which clef I’m in. 🙂 Hoping it all goes fine tonight, as the viola music I’m reading tonight is written in treble or alto or bass clef. Good for the ole gray matter, switching to and fro with all those clefs. 😉
The worship leader and choir director are both treating all of us instrumentalists and singers to soup, cheese and crackers between services, too, a very thoughtful gesture.
Enjoy your celebrations, and Christmas blessings to all of you!
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woodchuck?
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It must be a thing Dj because he did chuck wood didn’t he? Or did he? Oh 6 you are keeping us curious!! 😜
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Ok, I sent Carol her amazon gift card via text. That does make tonight much easier since I won’t have to make a stop at CVS to get the card. Think I’ll try to hit our church service at 5 p.m. and then head up to her place for a fairly short visit so I can get home at a reasonable hour.
Meanwhile I found a short story I’d filed late last week that got lost in the shuffle and not used, so I was able to send that to the editor for tomorrow. No word yet on when we’re ‘free’ but I have very little I can actually do from here on out and our deadline is early, 4 p.m. today — just keeping tabs on my email and messages while trying to pick up a bit around here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Does woodchuck taste like chicken or chuck roast?
I agree with mumsee on baked potatoes with the skin on. Yum!
A dish from Puerto Rico my grandma made was papas rellenas, stuffed potatoes. She’d bake the taters until the skins were hardened, scoop out the white, mash it and mix it with beef and peas, then stuff the skins and bake a little longer. I miss that dish. Maybe I can find it online or see if my siblings or cousins have it. Grandma never wrote down her recipes, so we can never get them like she made them.
LikeLiked by 4 people
I was reading through World Magazine’s list of deaths and came across this entry:
“Lamin Sanneh – 76 / Jan. 6 / Muslim convert to Christianity who taught theology for decades at Yale. He authored or edited more than 20 books on Christianity and Islam, including Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture.” (https://world.wng.org/2019/12/2019_deaths)
I immediately thought that is a Gambian name, both given and surname. So, I looked him up. Sure enough, he was born and raised in The Gambia: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/evangelical-history/lamin-sanneh-1942-2019/. In reading about his work, I see an influence on those who instructed me when I was in that country. Wonderful to reflect on the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit in raising up the Church from all corners of the world.
LikeLiked by 4 people
I love hearing what everyone is having for Christmas dinners. My brother is making turkey and dressing along with turnip greens he grew. I will take Brussel sprouts and a garbanzo bean lomein dish that everyone likes. I may make a sweet potato souffle, and Wesley may make some pumpkin scones.
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Dinner is done. Kitchen is clean. I took Bitty Niece her locket. Niece was very appreciative. Bitty Niece is Teeny Tiny. She had on a newborn onesie and it swallowed her. I had to give her to her great grandmother and come home.
Little Miss is snuggled in her Daddy’s arms falling asleep.
All my Chicks except one are in the nest tonight. I am a happy mother.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Woodchuck tastes like hamburger, cream of chicken soup, creamed corn, and french fries on top of it all.
It’s a recipe of my MIL’s. She had made a new recipe once when my husband and his siblings were growing up, and it happened to be the day they’d shot a woodchuck in their yard.
The hungry boys wanted to know what was for supper, and she replied, “Woodchuck!”
The name stuck, and is known by a new generation now. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
35 minutes until Christmas! Wesley is wrapping gifts♡ Down to the wire.
Merry Christmas, Y’all!
The Christmas Eve service at my church was wonderful. Art went to it with Wesley and me since he did not have to sing at his service. So thankful we could all go together.
We are doing a Staycation instead of going to Hilton Head. I am thankful we’ve all agreed to that since I am having the knee/leg issue. Also, Wesley will have a chance to visit with friends so it all is good.
LikeLiked by 2 people
One of my favorite moments in our service this evening was the offertory, a duet by a young (20s) sister and brother who play piano and cello, respectively. She often arranges traditional songs in interesting combinations. This evening they played “What Child is This” interwoven with “Carol of the Bells”.
While they were playing I looked up “What Child is This” in our hymnal (The Worshiping Church, 1990), and sure enough it had the words Roscuro mentioned the other day.
One thing I enjoy about the Christmas Eve service every year is mingling in the lobby afterward. The best part is catching up with some of the young adults I watched grow up who now live in far-flung places and come home for Christmas. They’re up to such interesting things, these people I held in the nursery, taught in elementary Sunday School, or watched playing with my own children.
LikeLiked by 4 people
We had a good service as well, “Joy to the World,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Silent Night” …
The message was good, touching on why Jesus became man, believers’ eventual (physical) resurrection — he also mentioned Machen’s book “Liberalism and Christianity” which came out in the 1920s. I read it, but it was some time ago, and didn’t remember that some of the book’s emphasis was on the growing dangers of what was then still a fairly new government public education system.
But the point being, I suppose, was that what we’re seeing now in our culture had seeds going back nearly 100 years.
Nothing springs up in a vacuum, either with one particular generation or news event.
Drove up to see Carol and her beau, Charles, after that, we had a nice visit that lasted a little over an hour. There was some (not tons of) traffic heading up, not quite as much coming home so I made good time both ways.
I’m watching “White Christmas” tonight. 🙂
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I love “Carol of the Bells.” We did that once when I was in choir (at a former church), so much fun.
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