Morning ladies. Sorry I didn't get to peek in yesterday but all I did was run here and there. Thomas's Christmas program was yesterday than I had some stuff to finish up for him and the stocking stuffers. WHOOPPPEEEEEE I AM DONE SHOPPING AND EVERYTHING IS WRAPPED!

Maggie: I used to love the White Elephant parties. Rarely did anything get brought that was "good." We had a very conservative church and one of the elderly ladies brought a talking beer stein. I thought that might make people uncomfortable, but everyone clamored for it! Never know, huh? I miss my friends at that church so very much but can't say I miss the church and what the current pastor did to it. We went from a church of about 200 in worship to about 35 because of him and he is still there. I believe though that God has kind of special rules for pastors and he will have to answer for what he did to a church that flourished for almost a 100 years.

Jean: I am so very very sorry about your friend. I will pray for her healing or at least God providing comfort to her in her last days and if he chooses to take her, he will end her suffering soon. I think so many times, we humans struggle with what is right when it comes to situations like this. We know that what is best for the person is a quiet death as what they must have to manage every day must be quite horrible, but yet our selfish side does not want them to go from this earth. I told my hair dresser just yesterday that there are only 2 people that I think I would grieve an overly long time for, my spouse and my grandson. I love my children, but I learned to let them go when they became adults and know I would eventually be able to get over their deaths, but Jack and Thomas would be another story. I just have to accept that God is omnipotent and omniscient and as he created us, what he does with us and when is up to him. I will keep you both in my thoughts this week!

Well, I have cookies to start today, ugh. In fact, today AND tomorrow so I am going to go back to bed for just a little while then get started.

Have a great weekend.

Faye

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Just have a moment and wanted to say Hi to all! Hope you all have a very Happy Holiday and a very Happy & Healthy New Year.

Finished everything yesterday! Feel good about that. Now, tomorrow, we will go to DD#2's Christmas party. It is a much scaled down event, from over 100 to just both sides of her family about 26. We will see DD#3 and her family and will bring the Christmas gifts for her kids as she will be celebrating Christmas with her FIL who is a widower and lives alone in NH. Should be a fun day. The only one missing is DS & family from NC.

Talking about the Southern contingent I must pass along a cute story from them. I sent their Christmas gifts and also some Reindeer Dust (Oats & Glitter in a glasine bag) this is to be spread on the lawn Christmas Eve so that Santa's Reindeer can find the house (Glitter) and will have something to eat (Oats) while he is delivering the gifts. Little Catalina is 3 and her mother was explaining the story to her just before Cat's other Grandmother dropped by.
Well, Cat began telling her Grandmother the story of how the oats were for the Christmas GOATS and that she would throw them and they could CATCH them! I wish they had been able to capture that on video! Well DIL sent me the story and DS added his 2 cents worth with the bottom line.
And a new Cassidy Family Tradition is born...Catching the Christmas GOAT!

JEAN: So sorry to hear about your friend....she will certainly be remembered in our prayers. Boy, it won't be long before your Holiday Vacation! Enjoy it and your grandkids...this is when they are especially precious.

MAGGIE: It is so good to see that you are able to get here on a more regular basis. That party sounds like fun and the gifts were something anyone would enjoy. That turkey breast sounds good....maybe you have given me the best idea for us for Christmas...since it will be only 2 for dinner, then of to visit the local kids.

FAYE: I know what you mean about who you would miss most. I, too, have let the kids go when they grew up and married. They have their own lives to live and their own Holiday traditions to build. We are close and visit but unlike some people we do not try to put ourselves into their everday lives. I remember when we were young and had a young family I loved the space our families gave us.

Gloria in MA....off to pick up the house and maybe even make some cookies for tomorrows party.

Hi, again! To answer you question JEAN...The idea of glitter & oats is something I picked up a few years back at a craft exhibit. Don't know where it orginated. I put a couple of teaspoons of oats and a sprinkling of glitter ( any color) in a small glasine bag and staple a little card that says

On Christmas Eve sprinkle this Magic
Reindeer Food on your lawn.
The Magic glitter and the smell of oats
will guide Rudolph to your house.

I also have a small picture of a reindeer that I add to the card.

The kids love it and I have to make about 25 extra for neighborhood kids that DH knows from his dog walk route.

MAGGIE...don't know if they eat the glitter but I like to think it sticks to their noses and, when they get home, their moms wonder where they have been all night.

Take care and have a great Holiday.

Gloria -- What is a glasine bag???? I copied your "recipe" and poem . . . if I can keep track of it until next year, I will make some for my grandkids.

Maggie -- Good idea to use the colored sugar!

J.

Morning ladies. Never heard so much discossion over "goat food" in my life!

Gloria: I absolutely love the idea and think it sounds like a fun thing to do for Thomas. Granddad plays Santa Claus (though a skinnier behinded Santa you will never see ) and this would be great to add to that.

Maggie: The current preacher is what our former preacher called a 5 point Calvanist when I asked him why he was teaching the way he did. Besides preaching for at least an hour and dull dull dull, he bagan teaching errant stuff to what our church beliefs were ie that you couldn't have eternal security for the afterlife, he believed in total separation from other churches and that included ones with the same beliefs, he was very power hungry and rewrote the constitution of the church, called an emergency business meeting on a night something was going in that most of the congregation was involved in elsewhere so he could shoved it through a vote then had the power to have a board of his choosing (we have three boards that work as one, deacons, which minister to the people, elders which minister to the financial and spiritual part, and trustees to are responsible for the building and grounds etc) that served indefinitely instead of our 4 year sit out one year style that had worked since the churches beginning. Add to that the fact that he was teaching erroneous Biblically and we LEFT! We were HIGHLY involved, Jack was a deacon, the SS superintendent, the adult SS teacher that the adults loved so much they left their other classes to join his (it tripled in size in less than a year from word of mouth). I was the junior church teacher for 4-5 year olds, the missions secretary and the ss attendence secretary. We hung in there for 18 months after our other pastor left for the mission field and even then, Jack asked for a meeting with the board and Biblically explained our problems with the church with scripture and he came home, said it was no use, that the board wasn't going to listen and we were leaving. It killed us to leave, but we just had to. As for your party, I remember a couple other things, a tricycle and a kid's old fashioned potty chair at ours. I can't remember what I ended up with, but Jack ended up with a suede sport coat that was too small and looked like it was worn during the disco era!

Jean: We must remember that beauty takes work!

Everyone have a great Sunday. I have cookies I have to finish today and I am still pooped from yesterday!

Faye

Jean: I get my Glassine bags at Michaels Craft Store. I don't know if they have them where you are. That idea of using red sugar is terrific and I will adopt it for next year. Thanks Maggie.

Got to run.....lots to do before DD#2's party. Have a great last Sunday before Christmas

Gloria in MA