What's Your Word, Thunderbird?

Last week, I was reading an article in Guidepost Magazine by Debbie Macomber.  She suggests picking a word to guide you in the New Year.  You can pray and ask God what He'd have you pick or look for words that pop out at you in ads or other reading materials.

Immediately, the word Patience came to my mind and I knew it was my word for 2012.

The absolutely last time I prayed for patience I had twins.  I saw the correlation.  Most Christians will tell you NEVER pray for Patience (because God will send you a trial and you will need Patience to get through it.)  But nonetheless Patience is my word for 2012.  I can already tell its going to be a banner year for needing Patience and it isn't even 2012 yet.

Last Saturday, December 24th, I stopped by my mother-in-law's house on my way to walk.  I usually leave her paper and mail on the rail and ring the door bell.  It takes her from 3 to 5 minutes to answer IF she hears the bell at all....so I just sweep her carport and go on my walk.  But that day she "caught me". 

"Come in," I want you to see something, she said.  She had put her microwave on 90 minutes instead of 90 seconds and burned $8.00 worth of peanuts and chocolate to a crisp.  I mean a crisp.  The house smelled like the inside of a crematorium.

"I feel terrible; I was going to deliver homemade goodies to....and she listed six or seven friends and neighbors."  "I just can't do it!"  I assured her it was fine the people would enjoy their snack after Christmas.  MIL has frequent maladies shall we say, not to use the hypo, word.  So I really wasn't concerned.

Christmas Day she came over with more of the same complaints which we all did our best to assuage.

Monday she calls.  "I need to go to the doctor."  So I call and get the doctor's service who get his nurse to call because he is closed.  She wants her vitals etc....so I get my son-in-law, a physical therapist to go with me and check them.  Pulse normal, blood pressure normal.....another "malady"? 

Doc says bring her in Tues Am for a walk-in appointment at 8:30 am.  Off we go.  Long story short he admits her to the hospital ICU.  Eventually after many taxpayer funded tests they determine she has congestive heart failure due to her pacemaker's weak battery.  Going to put in a new pacemaker or battery early the Wednesday am.  Wednesday night, 9pm, her nurse calls....they just realized because she is on Plavix, a blood thinner, they can't do the surgery early the next am.

Thursday she has it done in the afternoon.  She is sent home Friday morning.  The woman is 95, she hasn't walked in five days but she is going home.  Medicare no payee....patient no stayee.

Despite my dread; she is home doing well.  Hubs has been stellar at running to and from the hospital and to and from her house.  Me I am trying to keep from throwing away, I mean recycling, all the clutter, I mean valued possessions.  I am going to need some PATIENCE!

Now what about you?  Do you have a word for 2012?  Let me hear from you, loyal readers.

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

 Our garden club went to Cheraw the other day to visit the Mennonite Restaurant called By the River's Edge.

 It was decorated in an old fashioned style.  See that dessert counter.  The waitress brought a sampler with twelve different yummy looking desserts.  We were going by Charlotte Alford's home for coffee and pie or I would have so indulged.  One of our members did get four different desserts in to go boxes to take home and savor.  Yummo.

                         Being a quilter I liked the facts that quilts were hung  around the restaurant.

 This is the owner.  She and her husband moved here from Utah two years ago.  They had done catering there but when the economy went south they needed to find another form of employment.  The Mennonite community in Morvin, NC, promised to help them if they would move here and open a restaurant.  Cheraw needed a nice place to eat and now they have one.

                                          I loved this poinsettia quilt. The flowers were 3-D.

 There is a lady artist in Cheraw who takes vintage clothes and turns them into paintings.  Isn't this awesome.  I have 3 vintage dresses I am going to offer her.

I like the chalk board wainscot  that they write on.

On another note this is my grandson, Gates the Elf, helping Santa, his Poppy, out of the helicopter that delivered the gifts to the BHHB yesterday.  I think he is a pretty cute elf!

 

Have you been anywhere new  over the holidays?  Tell us about it!

Walking Into a Winter Wonderland

 Welcome to my friend Eleanor's oh so tastefully decorated home.  Notice the ordinary but lovely rope on her wreath.  She had pine boughs tied with the rope in each window and on the mailbox.  Now why didn't I think of that?

 Her tree is just lovely with white star fish, white snowflakes and garlands of white buttons. 

 Don't you love the white button wreath, the nativity and garlands of shells and buttons?

 This grouping of paperweights and white pttery just pop with the red poinsettia.  How about the brown pillows with the white trees on the couch?

     A simple wooden nativity that looks like it came from a pop up book is just right in this space.

You can only see a corner of it but she has two Adirondack chairs if front of the fireplace.  Perfect in this house.

Eleanor is a retired elementary school art teacher who has a gift for interior design.  There were so many more little vignettes I forgot to take pictures of .

It was like walking in a winter wonderland to enter her home.  Thanks for the invitation Eleanor!

Holy, Holy, Holy

Last week I attended a friend, Bernice Teal, funeral.  At the end, the congregation was asked to sing  the hymn"Holy, Holy, Holy".  This is a familiar hymn to me because my husband and I used to sing it with our boys when we put them to bed.  I don't remember why this became our tradition.

Today our "boys" are forty-four years old.  So hard to believe in some ways (they are still our little boys in our minds) and yet not in other ways (it does seem like a very long time ago that we were young parents.)

My devotion this morning was about Jesus being enthroned as the King of everything.  I began to picture Him in my mind as being in the throne room.  I really didn't have too good of an idea what a throne room looked like.

This is the image I found on Google images.  Then I began to imagine that I wouldn't be able to just run into this throne room and drop off  my prayer request and zip out.  I would probably have to show some ID to even get in the castle to begin with.  And does Jesus live in a castle..... if you know let me know.
                                This is the image Google had for Christ as described in Revelation.  Pretty fierce, eh?

My whole point is that Jesus is not still in a manger. The next time people on earth see HIM he will look like the image on the White horse.  And He is Holy, Holy, Holy,.....I need to approach Him as such.  Not like my best buddy.  What do you think?                                           

It's a Holly Jolly Christmas

 It has been a busy couple of weeks around the old Donnadale Corral.  Last week Granny took us on a bus tour trip to Myrtle Beach.  First Stop:  Ripley's Aquarium Santa Style.

                                               I was glad to see Ol Frosty Out and About in the 75% weather :)

                                             Santa and his elves stopped long enough for a photo shoot.

                                   Even the fish were on their good behavior with Santa around.

                                           Last night Hubs and Granny went to Gates' Christmas Play.  Hubs took the pics so blame him if you don't know which one is Gates.  His Nana doesn't know either.

                                         Week before last I made this lovely baby quilt for a high school girlfriend's grandbaby due in April.   Wasn't I smart.  It WAS to be a girl named Maggie and I almost put her name on it.  Good thing I didn't............turns out it is a BOY.  Back to the drawing board/sewing machine.  I really don't mind.....Kathy makes the loveliest hand made greeting cards and sends them to me for every holiday.  Hey I need to do a blog of all her cards....because I surely do save them and display them from year to year.

This is a Christmas pin I made using the design of my friend Charlotte and the beading I learned at QSC.  It is going in the mail tomorrow for a Very Special Friend to wear during the holidays.
Last but certainly not least, I went to a celebration party yesterday for this lovely talented young lady, Dr. Amanda Polson.  She went to Plainview, my school, and got her doctorate in Molecular Biology at USC.  She is already employed in their Biology Department....but graduated TODAY!  Her Mom taught with me at Plainview and is one of the quality few in our little group called the Beach Bums......and yes we still get together!

Tomorrow we head to Berkeley County for our granddaughter Megan's Chorus Performance.

How Holly and Jolly is your Christmas so far?

My Tribute to Our Son Todd

Forty-four years ago this December 16,  my husband and I were blessed with twin boys.

Todd, the one on the left is the oldest.  He got sick in the hospital and has had a visual impairment since then.  Here the boys are sitting on the kitchen table in my parent's house having a bedtime snack.

 Todd has always loved sports and has always been a #1 Clemson fan.

 He was a cub scout and a Boy Scout.  He set a troop record by eating 12 hot dogs (rolls and all) at a camp out.

 Not only is he a Clemson fan he is a die hard Redskin fan as well.

 One time he had a "Clemson orange" cake for his birthday.  My good friend Marcia came to the party.

 This is him opening a birthday present with my Dad watching.  I would almost bet my Dad had tears in his eyes.  He was so proud of Todd for overcoming  his handicaps.

 Here Todd is looking snappy in his sweater vest.  My Mom and I and his brother Wayne were helping celebrate Todd's Greatgrandmother, MaMa's, birthday.  MaMa pitched a many a ball to Todd despite her advanced age and arthritis.

                                                               Looking snappy in his sweater!

                                                    Graduating from Coker.

                                                         First apartment!

                                                     First real job at Santee Canal State Park.

                                      Wedding reception with his bride Rose King Chapman.

                                                               First Family Picture with Michael.

                                                  A candid photo with Michael.

                                                                Coaching basketball at Upward in Columbia.

                                                   Todd's family, Megan, Rose and Michael.

I am so proud of my son.  He has endured many hardships but still laughs at his Mama's jokes and loves his Daddy's cooking and his Granny's cakes.   God Please Bless Our Boy. He has been a huge blessing to us.