Lacoochee kid

Where did the year go? That's what everyone always says, isn't it. Someone said that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The nearer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. The year sort of goes like that too.

In a football frame of mind yesterday, I went to the grocery store and ended up buying some chips and salsa. There just are not really healthy chips, are there...but they surely are good. I had planned to watch the Penn State-Texas A&M game with the faithful in Sarasota last night, but fog rolled in about 6, and I decided it would be better for people on the road if I stayed home. And so I did. It's not quite as much fun to watch it alone as it is with a crowd. But Penn State prevailed. It didn't look like they would at the start.

I find it a little sad when Christmas is over. All the pretty decorations come down, and it's back to business as usual. Last year I wrote a post in which I quoted from Lauren Winner's book, Girl Meets God.

She writes: "The calendar tells us that this all culminates on December 25, but really the whole season slouches toward Easter. Jesus became incarnate now, in the manger of Bethlehem, but if His incarnateness is meant to make Him more relatable to us, if we are meant to have better access to God because our God has a body like we have, if we relate to Him better because He knows what it is like to weep and throw up and be tempted and suffer, then the Incarnation that starts on Christmas isn't finished until Good Friday. And the miracles that start in the strange inexplicable Virgin Birth aren't finished until the Resurrection.....Even his birthplace takes us to the Last Supper: Jesus, the Bread of Life, is born in Bethlehem, bet lechem, "house of bread," and at the Last Supper, He will break bread for us, and then on the cross He will break His body. Nothing in Scripture, even the names of birthplace towns, is coincidence."

I didn't have an opportunity to sing in my church's Christmas concert this year because I had been away so much, but I had the privilege to listen. Some of the songs were traditional; some were new. This particular one expresses to me, like Lauren's quote above, what Christmas really is all about. The title is "I Believe" written by Natalie Gr*nt.

In a land far away, timestood still long ago.
There were shepherds in fields,
This is how the story goes, the story goes.

Woman with child and an inn with no room.
Born in a manger, foretelling a tomb,
This is how the story goes.

But it's more than a stable,
and it's more than a fairy tale,
and more than my mind can conceive--
I believe.

The wise men saw the baby boy
the angels called the Son of God.
Heaven's child, the great I AM,
born to take away my sin through nail-pierced hands
Emmanuel has come. I believe.

Two thousand years, still the story lives on.
God's gift to us, sent to earth wrapped in flesh,
His only Son--His only Son.

And the heartbeat of heaven confounded our wisdom,
But it's still the simple truth that set me free.
I believe the wise men saw the baby boy
the angels called the Son of God.
Heaven's child, the great I AM
Born to take away my sin through nail-pierced hands.
Emmanuel has come and I believe.

Precious child, how can it be
That God's great plan for history
would send you to a lonely tree,
That you would come for one like me?
I believe.

I called my daughter this morning to tell her where I would be during the day. She commented that I hadn't posted since Monday. I guess she checks up on me that way. I've been reading everyone's posts and commenting, but I haven't posted all week.

I was reading over at Jamie Dawn's about the nostalgia that arises during the Christmas season. Sometimes it's happy memories, sometimes sad, or a mixture of both. One morning this week, as I woke up, my husband was on my mind. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him, but that morning he was especially on my mind. As I got into the shower, the tears began to flow mingling with the water from the shower, much as they had done in the weeks following his passing. Even though the love of family and friends is present, the one who is missing always brings a bit of sadness.

The music of Christmas is so wonderful to me. Last night my hand hit my remote in such a way that I came across a channel that I didn't even know was on my TV. Several months ago, I signed up for Ver*zon Fios, and on channel 894 is the Worsh*p channel. It was on our regular cable for a long time and then went off. I felt like I had found an old friend. What joy to listen to the music of Christmas and see the beautiful scenery that accompanies it.

A blessed Christmas to you all. I leave you with one of my favorite Christmas songs.

O Come, O Come Immanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.


O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

The temperature dropped 35 degrees overnight here in Florida. Some areas in the central part of the state had freeze warnings. Later in the week temperatures should be back up to 75. I remember when I first lived in Cincinnati after I graduated from college. That was the furthest north I had been, and when I saw the little bit of snow that arrived during that first winter, and as I watched older people out shoveling, I realized why Florida had such an appeal.

I had a young man come visit me on Friday. It was rather cloudy, but he kept saying, "This weather is incredible." He had flown from Wisconsin the day before where there had been a foot of snow on the ground. I took him for a drive over the Sunshine Skyway and then out to the beach. He was amazed. It's interesting how our everyday life becomes so commonplace. I find that when I go to Virginia and enjoy the mountains that I'm experiencing the same awe that he did.

Anyway, today, there is not a cloud in the sky; the air is cool. One might need a sweater or a light sweatshirt. To those of us who live in Florida year-round, we look forward to this all year long.

Are you a fan of the Food Network? I am. Right now the Barefoot Cont*ssa is on working her magic. A favorite of many is Paula De*n. She's a hoot, isn't she. She has a recipe for fudge that I intend to try one of these days. My problem is that I watch these shows, but I rarely cook any more.

For those of you who do like shortcuts, I have a great fudge recipe for you. You can use your imagination with it, and it only takes a few minutes to make.

Directions for making fudge: Melt one bag of chips in microwave or on top of stove. Stir in one can of frosting. Add extras. Enjoy.

Rocky Road - 1 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips, 1 can chocolate fudge frosting, 1 1/2 cups of marshmallows, 3/4 cups chopped mixed nuts.

Toffee Butterscotch - 1 bag of butterscotch chips, 1 can caramel pecan frosting, 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, 1/2 cup almond brickle bits.

Peppermint Swirl - 1 1/2 cups white vanilla chips, 1 can vanilla frosting, 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract, 4 drops red food coloring, 2 tbsp. peppermint candies, crushed.

Favorite cookies and cream - 1 12 bag vanilla chips, 1 can Oreo frosting, 10 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, cut into quarters, 3 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed.

After you melt the chips and add the frosting, add the quartered cookies, spread in pan, and sprinkle with crushed cookies.

Let me know if you try any of these and how you found them.

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,
strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls,
but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen,
baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals
and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime:
but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another cook.


If I work at a soup kitchen
carol in the nursing home,
and give all that I have to charity;
but do not show love to my family,
it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels
and crocheted snowflakes,
attend a myriad of holiday parties
and sing in the choir's cantata
but do not focus on Christ,
I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home
that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids
to get out of the way,
but is thankful they are there
to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those
who are able to give in return;
but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things
endures all things.
Love never fails.


Video games will break,
pearl necklaces will be lost,
golf clubs will rust;

But giving the gift of love will endure.

Thanks, Pastor Tim.

Yes, Christmas came early for our little family this year. I flew to Virginia on the second. Sarah drove to Knoxville to be in a girlfriend's wedding, and then she drove up on Sunday. For a few short hours we were together, and so we had Christmas dinner and had tons of fun watching Ella open her presents.

My daughter-in-law had this little tree that she had had for years. She said if it got destroyed, it wouldn't matter. But Ella has learned very well. Her mommy told her to touch with just one finger, and she was very good about it.
We opened our gifts before we ate so that Ella wouldn't be too tired. She really got the hang of opening the gifts. Such fun! Her aunt Sarah brought her some shoes and pretty shirts, and, oh yes, she brought her one of her Eeyores from her vast collection. Pooh can't be by himself in the bedroom.
I found this puzzle online. When you match the animal to its shape, it makes the sound of the animal. Pretty cool, and it's not too loud, which makes everyone happy.

Monday morning Sabrina dropped me off at the airport in Charlottesville. According to schedule I would have a two hour wait in Charlotte. I sort of looked forward to that because there are so many neat shops, namely The Chocolate F*ctory. As it turned out, the plane coming to Charlottesville had been fogged in in Asheville earlier in the morning, so it was an hour late coming. When we did board, the pilot made up some time going to Charlotte.

I don't know if you've ever been there, but it is a long walk from the express flights (little planes) to the other gates. I took advantage of the carts and got to my next plane with plenty of time to spare. Before I left I called the airline to see if they had any first class seats available. They happened to have some on the trip from Charlotte to Tampa, and so I used some of my air miles to upgrade. The only trouble with that is that one gets so spoiled to the nice big seats.

I'm still trying to catch up. Every time I come home it is one doctor appointment after the other. Thank goodness they're only maintenance. And so I'm just now getting to posting again.

It's always good to go away and good to come home again. I think my next trip will be in February after our Sweet Adelines show.

This Florida girl is cold in Virginia. And guess what! It's snowing. Flurries, but it's snow, and there is a little accumulation. I've taken a couple of pictures to remember it by. I know when you live in a place where you have lots of snow that it is not remarkable, but I would think that the first snowfall of the season must be something to see.

I've been by to read all your posts, and I'll take some time to comment today. Ella is at the sitter's so I have lots of time to read and comment. When I arrived on Sunday, she looked at me with a little recognition. Her parents show her my photo often, and she knows Grammy in the picture.

It's amazing the growth one sees in a month in a toddler. Her attention span is much longer when she listens to stories, and she has added many more words to her vocabulary. I'm getting to know Winnie the Pooh all over again. When I was here in October, I bought her the DVD, and David said after I left, that she had fallen in love with Pooh.

When Sarah was a baby, I recall that the first cartoon that she reacted to was Winnie the Pooh. It was on TV on Friday nights, and I remember her sitting in her daddy's lap, grinning from ear to ear at the shenanigans of those animals. It's fun to see that happening again.

I've taken a couple of pictures of Ella, but I haven't uploaded them yet, but they'll be there.

As Tigger says, "TTFN." Ta-ta for now.

Tomorrow I'm on my way to Virginia. I'll bet you couldn't guess. I'll be there for just a week this time. Sarah's driving to Knoxville on Thursday to be in a friend's wedding on Saturday, and then she's driving on up to David's. We'll have a day there together, when we will do our Christmas early.

I'll be posting from Virginia, hopefully with some photos of you know who.