I wish each and every one of you a happy New Year in 2008! We will be spending New Year’s Eve with family and friends, eating all sorts of yummy food, visiting, and playing games. We’re supposed to take Rotel Dip and chips, Coke, and Sopapilla Cheesecake, so I had better go get busy in the kitchen. But before I start cooking, I want to say, “Blessings in 2008!”
I have been so busy this past week with Christmas and visiting with different relatives that I haven’t written much on my blog. Hopefully, this next week will not be quite so hectic and I’ll be able to write more. So… please bear with me and I should be back to writing on a daily basis real soon. Also, our daughter and son-in-law gave me a digital camera for Christmas, and I’m so excited to have my very own camera and to not have to borrow our son’s anymore. I plan to incorporate pictures into more posts starting in January.
“The Party Starts Here.com!” has just about every kind of invitation you can think of, including your traditional kid’s party invitations as well as holiday invitations, first communion invitations, open house invitations, wedding invitations, and even pet party invitations. They also have photo cards, graduation announcements, thank you cards, and birth announcements. They have cards for all occasions and also offer exclusive designs and custom designs.
For more than 19 years, Outer Banks has been a reliable source of vacation rentals. They have been featured in the Washingtonian magazine and have had more than 6500 customers this year alone. They represent only the finest rental beach homes and have rentals in Corolla, Duck, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head & Southern Shores where you can enjoy the beach and relax. Sounds like a great place to retreat and get away from the stresses of this busy world.
Dear Readers, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Our family had a wonderful Christmas together. We had Christmas Eve dinner at M’s house. We were all together: my husband, our daughter & son-in-law & Baby J, our son, “M” who is our son-in-law’s mother, and his sister. Then we had dinner on Christmas Day at our house.
Last Christmas Eve, we found out the wonderful news about our daughter expecting a baby. And now this Christmas Eve, we talked about the awesome blessing and joy that four month old Baby J is bringing to our lives.
As I sat rocking my precious grandson to sleep, I thought about how over two thousand years ago Mary rocked her baby Jesus to sleep. One of my favorite Christmas songs says it this way, “Mary rocked her savior to sleep.” Mary must have had so many thoughts going through her head as she rocked her precious bundle of joy. She must have relived her encounter with the angel Gabriel who told her she would have a baby who would be the son of the Most High. She probably relived her visit with the shepherds who came and shared with her and with Joseph about the angels visit with them in the field where they were told “good news of great joy.” This young mother, Mary, had the most awesome experience that any mother could have…rocking and cuddling her precious baby who would bring good news and great joy to the whole world.
There is so much to see and do in Florida. We went on vacation to Orlando two different summers. Each summer we went to Disney World and Universal Studios. One summer we rented a car and drove to the east coast and visited the Kennedy Space Center and several of the beaches along the east coast. Then we drove to the west coast and went to a couple of beaches along there. If you are going to Florida, you might consider an Orlando rental home.
If you have to clean up broken glass, carefully pick up the large pieces, place in a paper sack so they won’t tear a plastic garbage bag, and then place in the garbage. You can use a vacuum cleaner attachment to pick up the smaller pieces. If there are tiny pieces of glass that you can’t see very easily, then wet a cotton ball or Q-Tip to pick up the smallest pieces.
I can’t believe this year is almost over. It’s not many days until the new year, and I guess people will be making New Year’s resolutions. I imagine a lot of people will have on their list of resolutions to lose the weight they may have gained during the holidays. I know that will be on my list. Some will be taking bodybuilding supplements, and some will be exercising more, and some will be dieting. I plan to try to eat healthy and exercise more!
I see a lot of Christmas cards that have the word “Peace” on them. Peace is something that people wish we had in this world and something that people want in their own personal life. There is a peace that is so special to me, a peace that no matter what is happening in the world….it’s always there. The Bible tells me about that peace and says not to be anxious or worry about anything, but pray about everything, and thank God as requests are being made to Him. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, keeps my heart and my mind in Christ.
That tiny little baby named Jesus Christ, who was born over two thousand years ago, brought a peace to this world that is beyond human understanding. I am so thankful for that gift of peace.
Family traditions mean so much, especially during the holidays. I can think back to my childhood and visualize our Christmas tree with our family around it. I can remember being with relatives at my grandparents small, two bedroom home, all of us crowded in there having the best time telling stories of long ago and laughing and eating the most delicious food. One of our food traditions that we have now during holidays is a simplified version of a strawberries & jello dessert. When our daughter was little, she didn’t like the sour cream in it, so my mother made a special version with just strawberries, strawberry jello, & Cool Whip. We still make it 20 years later, and I think of my mother nearly every time we make it. She passed away several years ago, so that simple recipe is a special family tradition. When Baby J is older, I wouldn’t be surprised if he likes “Mema’s Strawberry Dessert.”
Jude has some good thoughts about family traditions. Click here to read more.
The Amby is the original and safest hammock bed for babies in the market today. This world wide patented natural motion bed has been used worldwide by maternity hospitals and homes for the past 18 years. The Amby Baby Motion Bed has been recognized in the United States by the JPMA, a highly regarded certification authority, for its safety and effectiveness. If you have a baby with colic or reflux, a premature baby, or a baby who is a restless sleeper or short napper, then you especially might want to check out amby baby which mimics the natural movements within the mother’s womb.
This pie crust dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Here are the ingredients:
Cut shortening into flour and salt. Combine egg, water and vinegar. Pour liquid into flour mixture. Blend with a spoon just until flour is all moistened. Roll out pie crust as needed.