2009 Resolution: Pay Attention To The Job At Hand

In New York City yesterday, there was an industrial-strength shredder set up in Times Square. The idea was that people would bring things from 2008 that needed to be forgotten.

People brought an assortment of bad memories from the year we are about to close out. Some were serious and some were more frivolous. It was simply a graphic to remind us we need to let go of 2008 which was pretty bad all round and start fresh in 2009.

This past year has been a strain on us all. I am not going to elaborate the things that have gone wrong.

On a personal note, I will tell you that as a crowning touch for us the other day, our bank bounced my Canadian Pension check ("cheque" for my Canadian readers). After twelve years, my pension check was bounced! We use the same procedure each time, and this month, they bounced it! (Basically, we write and deposit a check written off a Canadian financial institution U.S. dollar account and deposit it at the ATM here.)

Things like this happen all the time. . . to all of us.

Hello??? Is anybody paying attention to what they are doing?

It takes valuable time to straighten out mistakes like that. What a waste!

Now, it is entirely possible that we wrote the check incorrectly. If we did, wouldn't it be nice for the bank to telephone us and let us know? Oh, I forgot, they don't use telephones in financial institutions any more . . .

There is a very old expression that goes something like this: take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves!

When each individual starts to do their job with diligence, the entire organization's productivity will increase, the stock will go back up and our portfolio will go back up so we can go back to living the life we were living before so many large corporations had to borrow money from us.

Did you forget, government is funded by taxpayers? That is us. Yes, we had to finance some financial institutions and some car makers this year. Yes, yes, they borrowed from us. Let's hope they pay us back with a little better service than we are are getting.

Put down the cell phones, stop conversing with your fellow employees and please concentrate on what you are doing!

(Just to clarify, in our twelve years of marriage, we have never before had a bounced check.)

Three More Days . . .

Only three more days left in 2008 to tidy up and bring in the New Year!

The Scottish have a tradition that on New Year's Eve, they tidy their cupboards and clean house to be ready for the new year.

My Dad believed the Christmas decorations should be down before the new year, or there would be bad luck. (We believe that Christmas season does not end till January 6th, but, a few things could come down to give us a fresh start!)

Lots of people have lots of ideas, that's for sure. I have a few practical ones to help us out of this abysmal 2008 and into a fresh year.

Some of us need to take a few minutes here and a few minutes there to clear the clutter - a little bit at least, in each room.

We could round up those clothes we do not wear but that are in good condition and take them down to the Second Hand Store where someone else will find them and enjoy them.

Let's put up those new calendars around the house now. Most of them have December on them. We have had our Holly Weems' Century 21 Magnetic Calendar on the frig for a few weeks now! Ah, yes, perhaps I need to remove a few of the old things from that frig while I think about it!

In the office, there are a few things to be filed, aren't there? Uh, oh!

Hmm . . . I should make sure I do some form of exercise tape starting tomorrow, so I don't put that off! Richard Simmons would be perturbed to think we hadn't worked out over the holiday!

Must put all gifts away! Books on bookshelf or coffee table and clothing hung gently in the closet. (Of course, we did that when we cleared out a few things to take to the Thrift Store, didn't we?) Of course, I have to put my bath goodies away on the shelf.

Must find the spoon rest that went missing. When doing that, I can toss out a couple - okay, more than a couple - of things that are junking up the kitchen.

Must tidy shoes in closet - hmm, I already did that! Get out the writing paper or notes and thank the people who gave us nifty gifts! A book on scrapbooking! Wowee - that was perfect! Cash - that was perfect! Send notes to a couple of people we did not know where to send cards before Christmas - I'm sure they will understand!

Ask God to bless all the people who gave me chocolate for Christmas! I know that means my friends think I am slimmer than I think. I like those friends very much!

I always feel good about clearing and decluttering! It makes the house look a little larger and helps me to feel more positive about everything! So, let's do that - just a few minutes at a time and let's feel positive about having a fresh slate for 2009!

Time to Believe

Although not on this blog, I have written Christian articles elsewhere. This is a subject I have thought about a lot but I will just address it briefly this time.

There is an expression that in his worst hour, a person will believe.

That makes perfect sense, and I am counting on that to be true. It does make me sad though.

There is another expression that goes, "Better to believe and find out you were wrong than not to believe and find out you were wrong".

There are lots of different religions where beliefs are different of course, but I am talking Christianity here.

What is it that causes people to walk away from the Church?

I know some have been deeply hurt by someone within the church.

I myself have had two instances just since coming to Texas where I felt people were really, really mean to me. I read and I talked to my Pastor, and I came up with one thing that is very true for me. I have the "power" to forgive that person who hurt me and doing just that turned out to be probably the very best thing I ever did for myself.

Sometimes people will ask to be forgiven - that makes it easy! I am talking about forgiving someone who did not even ask. Why didn't they ask? Probably because after their anger had subsided and they were back to their real personality, they were too embarrassed to even speak to the person they had hurt.

Then, there is another scenario. That would be when someone who you really respected did something that you knew was not right. That would be a parent who left your other parent; a person close to you who did something blatantly outside the Christian mores. (As you age, you probably realize that back then you did not know all the facts.)

Especially in tough times - when we have financial stress, bad health, problems within our families - it is time to come back to our original faith we were taught from when we were little.

Go to church. Pray. If you cannot actually go to church, watch one of the services on television. Although each preacher is different, most have some fine messages.

Let go of the bad stuff that sent you away from your religion, whatever it was, and get back to some basics. The first time will be hard, but it gets easier and easier until you will not even stop to think about it. You'll feel so good. Maybe your problems will be solved. Possibly your health will be better. Maybe. Maybe not. But you will feel better about yourself and you owe that to yourself.

Have a blessed day!

Sweetest Little Dog On The Face Of The Earth!

I was offered a small white female Shih Tzu dog last night. She had come to the door of my friend's home, looking for someone to help her. I believe she lucked out on the door she found! My friend is very much an animal lover. On the flip side, the Shih Tzu is a breed very easy to love. I used to call them the Sweetest Little Dog On The Face Of The Earth!

The Shih Tzu was originally bred to be a companion to the ladies of the Chinese palace. They are very loving and just live to please their owners.

So, why - why would someone abandon this sweet little girl? Perhaps her family just could not afford to feed her and take care of her any more. Perhaps they had to move. Especially in a poor economy, we are going to see a lot of dogs looking to be rescued by some kind soul.

Now, don't feel bad because I did not take her. My friend will be happy to have her. She has lots of space and is used to the grooming this little tyke will need.

Her hubby went home to browse the ads to see if someone might be looking for this little doll but she was badly matted and kind of hungry, so perhaps someone let her off on the roadside.

The irony is that I was set to crop (scrapbook) some of my own Shih Tzu. I owned, bred and showed Shih Tzu for twenty-five years. I wanted a little chronology of my breeding and showing. I enjoyed my Shih Tzu very much. (The Shih Tzu breed was developed by crossing the Pekingese and the Lhasa Apso.)

I brought my last two homebred Shih with me to Texas - Sadie and Harry. They got along well and Keith suitably spoiled them. After Harry's death, we said that was it. Of course, we lasted five weeks until we chose Buddy the Lhasa - pictured below - to be part of our family.

I have chosen the Shih Tzu photo above because I think that is just about what this little girl will look like once she is cleaned up.

Especially over the holiday season, let us hope that all the little abandoned dogs and cats find as good a home as this little gal has found! Oh, and by the way - give your own dog a big hug for me!

Buddy Knows We Found Him In The Lufkin Daily News!

New Year's Eve Pie Chart - Just a Part of Why We Love to Read Real Newspapers!

At Facebook, you can join a group of people who want newspapers to still be around for a long time. Of course, I belong to that group. It's called Tell Five Friends How Important Newspapers Are!

Now, I liked to think that at least five people read this blog each day, so I guess I will have done my part. There is nothing quite like riffling through a real newspaper every day.

We subscribe to the Lufkin Daily News, which is part of the Cox consortium. It's a good little paper and brings us the highlights of what is happening in our city and Angelina County, along with some sports - especially local high school football in season. It has an editorial page with some very good columnists - some to the left, some to the right and publishes letters to the editor. There are features that everyone likes to see - although they might not admit it: Dear Abby, Dr. Gott, People, horescopes, comics. Especially on weekends, there are columns by local writers. You can find out what movie is playing and what's on TV. It's a source of general local information - stuff you can use. I read it cover to cover every day.

Additionally, we used to subscribe to the Houston Chronicle to get the big city feel - especially for sports and finances. Then one day, they decided they didn't want to bother with home delivery to a little place like Lufkin.

We found that we could subscribe to USA Today and actually receive it by mail the same day. It's not the same as a big city paper, but we are used to the format because that is the paper we receive at our hotel door with our Priority or Honors card. So, I am used to it.

In the weekend edition of USA Today for Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week, they have presented something you would want to know, so let me tell you about it!

One assumes that more people than ever will be celebrating New Year's Eve at home this year and USA Today has published the following info which I will not credit because it is not too clear just who worked on this.

This has been a terrible year and one can only hope that 2009 will bring some remedies. So, since we are celebrating at home, what will we be wearing? Ah, yes, there is a pie chart with slices showing: 51% will be in pajamas or sweats with 4% in a bathrobe. I think I would lump those folks together for 55%. Fancy outfits will be worn by only 1% while 32% will be in jeans with a top/sweater. Now, 12% will be wearing other. Of course, I am kind of wondering what is left for "other", but that is fine. I love pie charts and I expect you do too! That's just another reason to keep on reading real newspapers!

For all the "high tech", don't you want a little break in your day where you can actually flip through the pages of a real newspaper? What about the want ads? Where do you suppose we found Buddy The Lhasa?

Ah, yes, all the little things that come to you in your local newspaper are well worth the subscription!

Thoughts of Boxing Day and The Young People Home for the Holiday

Even though I’ve been in East Texas for twelve years, I still think of the day after Christmas as Boxing Day. That comes from the English custom of opening Christmas presents the day after Christmas. Of course, that would never work in United States because nobody here likes to wait for anything!

Today the stores are open and all of them have big sales. So . . . for me that is a good place not to go! There are still friends and family to visit, neighbors to see, and there is lots of food still left to go around!

Now, I have an all-day scrapbooking event today. It starts at 10.00 a.m. and goes till midnight! I don’t even have to set up my stuff because it is all there in the crop room, waiting for me. Everybody takes food – you know, just like a Lutheran potluck - and we have a fine, relaxing time all day. It’s easy for me to come and go because I live really close. For today, I have selected some old pictures to crop. After holiday gift books for others, I think that’s what I’d like to do.

Scrapbooking is a perfect hobby for me because it is so calming. Today, I have a few more pictures of my Shih Tzu dogs. Now, I w; ll have a short pictorial of my 25 years owning, breeding and showing Shih Tzu. I have also collected some photos from my late teens and early twenties. It is good for me to compile those photos. I was not the most popular, nor the prettiest, or so I thought. As I look at those photos now, all these years later, I can see that I was more attractive than I had remembered. Back at St. Clement’s in Toronto, I had the nickname “Merry Mother Martha Jane”. So, I guess I was always interested in others.

That helps me to realize that it is important for me and for others to make sure we let young people know we think they are smart and attractive. A young person who feels good about themselves is going to produce better academically and enjoy life more. Young people are very easily influenced and one mean remark can nag at them for a long time. Youth cannot see that, but since we can, it is up to us to make sure they have a good feeling about themselves.

As we age, we learn that there will always be someone more attractive, more gifted at studies, richer, more outgoing. Somehow, most of us learn to be the best we can be and to gather round us those who make us feel comfortable.

Especially at church, I have young friends who are very impressionable, who are trying to find their way through the early years. I try to take time to stop and say something or ask them a question that will result in putting a smile on another face.

You can do that too – take a few extra minutes today to make someone else – especially a young person – feel good about themselves.

It sure is good to see the young people home for the holidays. We pray for their safe return back to school, work, and armed forces.

We sure have enjoyed having you home!

Merry Christmas to All!

The Christmas Carol Everybody Knows

Thinking about our Troops away from home today, I think about how many times you hear that soldiers were singing Silent Night while they were huddled together, far away from home. This is the Christmas Carol everybody knows. It is the one we will sing tonight at the end of our Christmas Eve service. It will be broadcast on radio and TV many times today and tomorrow.

Hope you are just about prepared to put aside everything else and enjoy family and friends on this Christmas Eve. God Bless America; God Bless Us All as we celebrate the birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Here are the words for you:

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "

Last Minute Tips - You Can Be Ready!

Today is THE day when you really can pull it all together. Tomorrow you want to be kicking back and ready for the friends and relatives coming in. So, let's get the chores out of the way.

Gifts: Hope you have all your presents bought but if there is something you feel you still need, you might consider trying Walgreen, CVS or Shoppers Drug Mart. (What, no Shoppers Drug in your neighborhood? Wish there was one in my neighborhood: it's another thing I miss from Canada!) We were in Walgreen last night and they have a huge number of ideas as would the other major drug chains. There are CDs, TV promoted items, massagers, perfume, candles, potpourri, wrap, candies, etc. Parking was not too bad and check out was fairly easy.

Groceries: Okay, this one is the tough one. Make sure your list is complete and that you already double-checked that you don't have an item on your "goody shelf that will do. Make your list flexible: if you look for one exact item, it could be difficult, so write "cocktail rye or similar; olives - stuffed or plain". Stop to look up and smile at the other shoppers because - guess what? They are in the same situation as you are! Give them a "Merry Christmas" and you will make their day and yours a little better.

Wrapping: Enlist some help with the last minute wraps and try to use gift sacs if possible - pick those up at the pharmacy or food store.

When you are out, keep your stops to a minimum.

One stop you do make might be at the drive-thru to get tonight's dinner - a nice simple Burger King or McDonald's. The Pizza deliveries are going to be backlogged. Know that up front.

House still not spic and span? Back at the drug store you could have picked up some potpourri. That is amazing stuff that just sends a wonderful scent through the entire house. Put some at the entrance, some in the living areas and some in the guest bath.

Change the towels in the guest bath and give it a quick clean up. That might be the one place family and guests will notice.

If you live in a house like ours, the dining room table is one of the first things your guests see. So, even when you are not ready for a meal - put out some candles and a dish of fruit or candy in the middle. Put on a Christmas CD. Turn on the Christmas lights early - inside and out.

Don't forget to send a Holiday Message to everyone on your e-mail list. Not everyone is as fortunate as we to have people coming in to visit. They will really appreciate that you are thinking about them! We use Jacquie Lawson Cards. I think we renewed at $12 for the year. We definitely got our money's worth this past year. The cards are fun and beautiful! Find them at www.jacquielawson.com.

Kick back. Remember, if their house were spic and span, they would have invited you there!

I may not be Martha Stewart with a fleet of workers at my house but there is more than one Martha way to get it done!

Have a great day! I mean it!

Honest Ed Goes To Washington!

Long before chains of discount stores, in Toronto at Bloor Street West and Bathurst, there was - and still is - a huge store with fluorescent lights flashing round the building and people lined on the sidewalks waiting to get in each weekday morning. It is named after its founder, Ed Mirvish and called HONEST ED'S. There is a sign that welcomes customers, "This Way, You Lucky People!"

Ed Mirvish used to sit in his second floor office overlooking the store and dreaming up the punchlines for his full page ads in the Toronto dailies. He loved his business and had a flair for the outrageous. Every day there was something marked down to a ridiculous price and every day there was always a crowd waiting to get in to shop.

Ed Mirvish was also a patron of the arts, with a personal art collection, more than one theater and he even bought up some houses on Markham Street at the side of the Store to help out artists. This man just loved life and it was reflected in the projects he took on and the rewards heaped on him.

Seldom comes along such a flamboyant person who actually does so much for a city, with so much fun as Ed Mirvish. He also had some restaurants - one called Ed's Warehouse with carousel horses hung suspended from the ceiling.

Well, it seems about 4 years ago, when he was having his 90th birthday, the Toronto Police Force named a horse for Honest Ed.

Two horses from the Toronto Police Horse Guard will be in Washington for the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Mr. Mirvish died at age 92 a couple of years ago but I can assure you he would think that was some bargain that a horse named after him would be doing that! Why, he probably would have had a special sale in honor of Barack Obama!

I imagine his son is still running the businesses and so, I'd like to suggest to David Mirvish that he put on sale plain ties for $3.65 Canadian on January 20th. (That translates to about $2.98 American today - genuine value!)

June Cleaver - Leave It To Beaver: Barbara Billingsley is 93 Today!

No, no, of course, that can't be right! Apparently so! Leave It to Beaver aired from 1957 to 1963. (There was also a program called Still the Beaver aired 1985 to 1989.)

In the original sitcom which was a must-watch in every household, father Ward Cleaver was played by Hugh Beaumont. Wally was played Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers played the Beav.

This sitcom was set in prosperous times and the Cleavers lived in a lovely, oversize house on a tree-lined street with sidewalks and spacious lawns. Suffice it to say that Mrs. Cleaver was a stay at home mom who spent a lot of time in the kitchen and served the family dinner in the dining room.

I can picture Mr. Cleaver at the head of the table dressed a bit more formally than most fathers today. (Even my own Dad used to change to a sport shirt and casual slacks from his business suit when he came home).

If you go back as far as we do, hope you have fond memories of watching this program!

The Joy of Christmas Wrapping

Uh, oh . . . didn't I say I should toss this paper last year? It's thin and it rips just when the package is about wrapped.

Hum . . . where is that cap for Meghan? It's not with the unwrapped and it's not with the wrapped.

Square boxes are really hard to wrap!

There were three rolls of Scotch tape here a minute ago . . .

I should have bought more gift sacks.

Yes, this is the last year I'm using wrapping paper . . . too much like work!

Hmm . . . why is the tissue paper so small I have to use two sheets just to line the box?

Uh, oh - Pink for Meghan, Green for Meghan?

Let's just put this stuffed Teddy for Ava up really high where Buddy can't find it!

Oh, oh . . . that was the garbage bag, Keith . . .

There really isn't enough room to wrap stuff . . . funny though, we have the dining table and two other tables set up.

Are we disorganized? Did we buy enough? Did we buy too much? Is this the right color?

Yes, yes, we are wrapping and so, probably are you. No matter how much preparation goes into it all, well, Christmas gifting is a tough job.

How does Santa do it, year after year, after year? Mrs. Claus and the Elf's, of course!

Pulling It Together For Christmas

Well, I was cropping (scrapbooking) last night instead of finishing my wrapping and decorating for the Christmas Season. I am not too worried, as the Christmas season will actually begin for us on Christmas Eve and goes through to January 6th (Little Christmas).

Each year since I have been in Texas, I thought about my Dad suggesting that all decorations be down before the New Year or there would be bad luck. That was one of his beliefs.

In our subdivision, which is pretty keen on outdoor decorating, the outdoor displays used to come down on December 26th.

We do have outdoor lights and two beautiful wooden angels, silhouetted against the house, a banner and a wreath on the door, so it looks from the outside as though we have "our act together".

Today, I'll chip away at the wrapping and Hubby and I will bring a little tree and trims down from the attic.

(Yes - we mailed our Christmas cards quite some time ago!)

If you can relate to any of this, then hopefully, this weekend you will be able to pull it together and be ready for family and other company coming to visit. Do remember that it is not necessary to put up every decoration you have.

Of course, if you have a "Buddy", like our Lhasa Apso, you'll need to keep things up off the floor and all the plush toys as far up as you can put them.

Plush toys? Well, yes - my greatest find this year was a beautiful large lady bear with a hand-made, layered crocheted dress for Ava. (I guess she will have to put it up on her dresser; I don't imagine it's for playing.) I do have plush toys (well hidden) for Buddy, of course! and I have a wonderful plush singing On The Road Again . . . You know, that's as Texas as it gets! For those of you up north, well, Willy Nelson is pretty much equal to Gov. Rick Perry and Lyle Lovett as representing Texas!

You'll also notice I say "I have" this and "I have" that . . . How many Hubbies actually hit the stores to purchase the gifts? No, that would be the wife's job, wouldn't it?

Well, as a fabulous consolation, Hubby made the house pretty much sparkle while I was cropping last night. And . . . of course, I have a little more cropping to do today, soooo . . .

Never, never say never - because today and tomorrow, you're going to pull it together and be able to enjoy this Season.

Well, that's a classy way to move out!

Today, George W. and Laura Bush unveiled portraits of themselves. This one of Mrs. Bush seems to capture her serenity and her love of books. It's very nice! The one of the President captures him without a tie in a more informal pose..

This is a very nice tradition as the President and First Lady leave the White House - oh, in about 32 days - and head back to Texas.

Relaxation: An Essential Part of Your Day

No matter how many problems you have during your day – at work and at home – it is an absolute must to wind down, preferably at the end of your day.

Dinner together is not always possible generally because of schedules, but sitting down with spouse and/or family to share a meal should be a priority. Try for this as many nights a week as possible.

Sleep is extremely important to how well we perform our daily tasks and how we respond to others in our work and family relationships.

Falling asleep in a recliner while grading papers is quite common among teachers, I gather. Probably many others doze off while attempting to beat a deadline. This is not a good way to get your required amount of sleep.

Taking time to kick back, play with the dog, chat with your spouse and listen, really listen to others helps all of us do our daily routine even better. At the end of the day, it is good to wind down and clear the work, troubles and finances from your mind.

Most everything looks better after a good night’s sleep and early morning is an excellent time to finish off projects and come up with solutions to problems. If you rise really early, it is a chance for you to be quiet and work without interruption.

If you are a regular reader, you know I often mention something I think will take your mind away from problems. So, you know I believe very strongly in what I am saying.

There is worry enough to go around, but let us find relaxing, ordinary or even silly things to really relax.

Oh, yes: let’s make a couple of decisions about those holiday (formerly “Christmas”) tasks.

With one week to go, a very good time to shop is very early in the morning or late at night. If you could manage going to Wal-Mart at about 2:00 a.m., your gift list could be totally fulfilled. (Of course, you should get some sleep before heading over to Wally World.)

Ditch the wrapping paper and use gift sacks.

Are you certain you want every decoration out this year? You could just pick a few, you know.

Are you sure you need a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings or would everyone be just as happy with a buffet of goodies? Relaxed rather than formal could be very good this year.

No apologizing! This has been a rough year, not just for you but for all your friends and family as well.

The ticket is to kick back and enjoy friends and family – especially those coming in from out-of-town. They won’t mind, as Grandma called it – “Store Bought” - if it means getting to sit down and chat with you.

Take a deep breath, now and have a piece of cheese or a cup of yoghurt . . .

Today is Big Dog Day: Taking a Look at the Newfoundland

The largest dog I have personally owned is Red, The Boxer and of course, that is really a medium-sized dog.

We once tossed out the Trivial Pursuit card because we considered the answer for the largest dog to be incorrect. (Trival Pursuit buffs do toss out a few of the cards!)

Big Dogs are individuals too and if we are looking at some of the major purebred big dogs, we are looking at some gentle giants who make fine family companions. Now, it is a given that one has to have a clear coffee table, lots of large expanses in the house, and a large backyard. It is a given that a large dog eats a lot, but generally they eat what you set down for them - good, crunchy kibble with perhaps some gravy on top. (Not that our smaller dogs would ever waste any food . . . )

My personal experience with large dogs is that they generally train more easily than small dogs and have more confidence.

Probably because I am Canadian, I will tell you that the Newfoundlander is just about the gentlest giant dog you could pick. Not only is he very handsome, he also can be a fine rescue dog. He is a natural swimmer. He is a very lovable dog, once you accept the fact that he is very, very large!

I'll leave it to you to go the American Kennel Club website if you would like to know more about the Newfoundland who is a breed indigenous to Canada.

www.akc.org

Time Person of the Year: Barack Obama!

Of course! Now, let's all pull together to make 2009 a very special year!

Welcome Home, Soldier!

Granddaughter Meghan is on her way home from South Korea today. I'll bet she won't be wearing her combat boots as she rushes from security to see her parents today.

We have been praying that her trip would be safe and uneventful and we are so looking forward to seeing our girl.

We generally make macaroni when she comes over and we have a few little gifts for her. She will be amazed at Ava. Ava grew real tall since Meghan saw her at her Baptism, a year ago September. Ava, of course, is a real little girl now, a person in her own right. (I also know that Meghan will feel a little sad that she missed watching Ava at her different stages, but I have lots of scrapbook pages to show her!)

I should mention that her brother (and Nadine) will be in from L.A. We are truly blessed to have everyone here at Christmas this year!

Many other families will get to see their soldiers, sailors, airmen & marines too, but many will not. We pray for all families who will not have their children and grandchildren home this year. God Bless!

Mary Poppins!

Well, you know you have gifts to wrap and perhaps decorations to put up and a tree to trim indoors. Now, it's not a Christmas film, but the movie, Mary Poppins is absolutely my favorite of all time. It's light and has lots of music. You don't have to really be watching to enjoy it while you get your Christmas in order.

Mary Poppins is on the Family channel tonight. It will surely help you to relax and you'll have those gifts wrapped and the house decorated at the same time.

Have a calm day!