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ITS JANUARY OR IS IT?

It's over for another year. All the hype, the planning, the baking, decorating - its done.
 As my daughter-in-law said "the 3 Kings have left and moved forward". So that's what we have to do, even though our decorations were cheerful and brightened up my day, they are now carefully packed away for another year. It would be so nice if I had a room where it would stay decorated for Christmas every day. I would keep the door closed so I would not tire of looking at it and I would open it whenever I like. It was a wonderful time to spend with family and of course our grandchildren made it so special with their laughter and excitement. Both Christmas and New Years were with family, wouldn't want it any other way as these are the special times we will bring to mind through out the year. 

The cookies are gone, can't even find a crumb thank goodness, along with the nut roll and apricot roll. - A great breakfast in my opinion is a cup of fresh coffee with a piece of nut roll. The nut and apricot rolls are my downfall, no will power whats so ever. This year I can even see extra rolls on my body - so sad, but so good, especially when you only get to taste it one time a year.

I found out that even with exercising 3 times a week, I can't lose weight unless I watch what I put in my mouth.  So I try to keep all  the good stuff out of the house. No chips, no chocolate (sad) and so on but at work it is a different matter. There is always chocolate around and usually something yummy to eat - if I don't see it I am fine but if I see it -nothing but trouble. I have to get off this fixation I have with Pepsi, I am craving it big time.

It's a strange winter we are having this year. One week we have balmy, almost spring like days, then a  few days of winter temperatures with just a dusting of snow -  in this area. Now they are saying we might actually get inches of snow! I am highly doubtful of that forecast, but it excites me anyhow hoping they are right. I love to see the  snow as it lays on the drab looking landscape making all look pristine as it first falls. Of course with the cars and the snow scrappers it doesn't stay that way for long, Unless your fortunate enough to have ground with woods behind you. It's great to hear the kids exciting screams when ever they play in the snow and watching their dogs running around crazy trying catch their flying snowball in their mouth.

As I grow older and my knees play havoc with my legs, I find I am not a confident walker, I am extra careful in the snow. I can understand why older people then myself don't care much to see snow fall if they have to walk or drive in it.

Did you receive a Kindle or Nook for Christmas? How about an i-Pod or i-Phone?  I have all 3 and love the idea of being able to take a book where ever I go by means of sliding it in my purse with almost no weight to it.
There is nothing like holding a real, honest to goodness book in your hands -  but to have the option of taking it in another form is priceless. If you don't have one of the above you truly are missing out. Magazines, newspapers along with books are all at your fingertips.  You can use your library card to borrow a book on your Kindle or Nook - just download "OVERDRIVE MEDIA" and your set. It is all free! Try it - you will love it.

I'm playing Words with Friends with friends and duh and the letters to make words with or my vocabulary is very limited which I doubt - I won't give up - I find it a challenge. If you would like to play a game - I'm here

Check out Sunny Carney's Blog on Face-book or Google her name - you will be introduced to a remarkable woman fighting to make people aware of a rare type of cancer and read about her fight.

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hear that they will make a Bald Barbie, how great is that? The little ones fighting this terrible cancer can now relate with a doll just for them, Hopefully it will make other children and their parents aware of the lives being affected by this terrible monster.

FRIENDS -RELATIVES?

YOU CAN PICK YOUR FRIENDS BUT YOU CAN’T PICK YOUR RELATIVES

Many times I’ve heard people say this and I wondered why.  At my age I am only now finding out. Maybe, no, not maybe, IT WOULD HAVE  bothered me big time – this rudeness -but after a few times of rudeness directed at me - I now just consider the source and let it roll off of my back.

Someone very dear to me, who I have known all my life said to me, why do you bother to go to all the trouble of doing this? You’re not going to hear from them for another year. I said oh, no, you’re wrong. This will get everyone together and  bring us close. All we have now are our cousins to carry on memories of our heritage.  But, of course I have been proven wrong.  -  There always has to be one or two, who can put a fly in water.

Then I was asked – why are you the one that always make the phone calls or send e-mails? Why don’t you wait and see if they call or e-mail you?  I said, I don’t know, If I want to talk to someone I just call or e-mail them.  I know now that I am a fool – just because I always think someone is as happy to talk to me, as I am to talk to them does not make it so.  And sometimes they are darn right rude!

Life is too short to be sarcastic to a person. Life is too short to exclude a person from a gathering because of a hang up.  Life is too short to be around people who try to make their opinion of you – your own.

So you stay away from those people – and feel a hell of a lot better.

LET'S HAVE A LITTLE CHRISTMAS

It's official - the Christmas season is upon our household! I think this is the first year our tree is up so early and we have our number 2 son, Brian to thank for that. Thanks, Brian - you did a great job. Our lights are out, another first for being early. Our wreaths are also up so, our house is now deemed  decorated and ready for Santa!  We do not have one ornament on our tree, just lights, more lights and red bows - tastefully simple.

Its so nice to come down  the stairs in the morning seeing our tree in our living room - I'm loving it!

That's about all that is done tho - I am at a loss as to what to get our grand kids - they all want electronics, even our youngest I'm not sure what to buy, and I'm even at a loss for our kids.
last year I had a lot of luck on line, but not so much this year. I've added to my gift giving also - 4 more are added on to my list - all for a good cause.

I'm always afraid I will disappoint someone with their gift. Then when you think you found the "gift" - on Christmas you findt out that - nada - nope you didn't find the right gift.  So out come the receipts or the gift vouchers and they have to go back to get what they want. There  should be a law that no one is allowed to return anything unless it is the wrong size .

I truly miss my parents, more so during the holidays then at any other time. It was always festive at my parents home. All the wonderful smells that hit you when you opened the door and hearing Christmas music playing.

 To this day, I know no one else who could come close to having all the friends like my parents did. The phone rang constantly and  people were always coming over for coffee or baking with my mom. 
My dad was president of No. 1 Fire hall for years and my mom had that magnetic personality that drew people to her.
Now a days people don't just drop in for coffee, at least not on my street. In the summer we are lucky if we saw two people outside!  When we lived on Pittsburgh Street and Grant Street,  people did come for coffee or were always outside stopping in to talk, This street we live on now is an old street and people pretty much keep to themselves.  It was very hard to get use to when we moved here, no traffic sounds, lack of people. It was very lonely for me.  But, just like with everything else that happens in life, I adjusted and got use to the quiet of people and traffic. We were only the 9th or 10 house built on our street. We had loads of blackberry bushes and apples. Slowly more houses were being built but the people stayed inside. Now the street is filled.  I love my backyard because our property ends where the woods start - nice and peaceful.  My boys were little and when they started school I met a lot of nice people and joining the PTA helped a lot.  You know, I don't think it is called the
PTA any longer. I'm not sure on that --I will have to ask.

My mom and dad always made the pizzales together. Just the two of the two of them with Christmas music playing. Their love was strong and my dad put my mom on a pedestal till the day he passed.
Gosh, how I would truly love to have Christmas one more time with my parents. Sometimes that feeling is so very strong, like I just want it to happen, right now.
 I wonder if anyone else ever feels that urgent need?

I do  reading about blogging and they say you should not talk about yourself. You should talk about something interesting to draw the people to your site.  I could do that - I could talk about how I love to make home made bread or the time Brian made 1 pie and used 5 lbs of flour and yet the pie was delicious. I could go on and on but again it is about my family and my self.  That's OK by me if no one is drawn to my blog or they don't find it interesting. I write for myself.  I wish my sons and their family would read it tho, so they could find out about their parents lives. But they are sons, and not one of them comment on it to say if they read it or not and I am not about to ask, I just assume they don't.  I'm not their number one person, they idolize their dad, they are always calling him about this or that. They have a lot in common with him, hunting, music, computers - so much more. My oldest son calls and ask about recipes or he calls to tell me about a memory he has about my parents. Both Brian and Ron always play polka's because every time we visited my parents on Sunday, polka's were always playing. Doug and Jeff were much younger and dont remember  much about that.

I will continue this at another time . . . . . . . . . .  . . .maybe, or just start another titile blog

In the meantime I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season - Merry Christmas to all in case I don't post till after wards.
Also I have a very special prayer request - please pray for the lady who is having a health problem. so it is nothing serious

rockportdee@yahoo.com

Let us remember the true meaning of Christmas    Happy Birthday Dear Jesus
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Oh Theres No Place Like Home for the Holidays

Here we are, the week before Thanksgiving, and  Christmas tunes are playing on the radio continually, they won't stop till Christmas Day. We will be so sick of this beautiful music because of repetition over and over again.
Not only that, but there were at least 6 trees decorated and all through the lobby of the hospital when I was there on Thursday.
And driving home this evening one house has their tree up and lit, they had their curtains open and the tree was lit in its glory.

Whats wrong with everyone?  Why is everyone so determined to by- pass a wonderful holiday?
Thanksgiving.  A day to thank God for all of our blessings, to spend the day with our families- together, instead of hurrying through dinner because of the great sales being held. Trust me, they will have more great sales..For people leaving the gathering early so they can go home and get ready to shop is ridiculous. Stay with the family, play games or watch a special program, share the day with your loved ones AND 
boycott the stores now - before it gets out of hand and Thanksgiving will be known as a great shopping day instead of being known for what it is THANKSGIVING.

Everyone is so into material things, that they forget the real meaning of  the holidays. ALL the holidays, not just this one. Step back and look at what the world is turning into - really -  look around, take a good look and realize that you do not want to be a part of the material things, of rushing out to get a good deal, to stand in line with all the others for the same deal. Be thankful for your love ones around you and enjoy them -

Mom, whats Thanksgiving?

In the years to come, when some of us no longer walk the face of the earth, will the Thanksgiving Day holiday still be celebrated? You know the one - where family and friends gather together like the Settlers and Indians did to gave thanks of gratitude to God.

A day for being thankful for all of God's blessings. Yes, we are thankful every day, but this is a special day of thanks. A day spent breaking bread with our family and friends, followed by the guys watching football, the boys playing football outside (weather permitting). The women, if not with the men watching football, then together talking about everything & anything, while the young girls play with each other or everyones playing family games. Some families spend Thanksgiving going to the theater together or skiing. We spend the day with music. Our family (except for me) can sing and play instruments together making them popular among friends and family. They are known as The
 Family Tradition Band. Some of you may have heard them play at functions.

What we are NOT doing is going shopping for Christmas specials, ordering on line or doing anything not related to Thanksgiving.  Media and retail have been advertising for weeks, actually when the Halloween decorations went out, so did the Christmas ones! Crazy, eh? but so true. I walked into a store and saw the Halloween and Christmas decorations side by side. It first made me mad and then I felt sad, still do for that matter. They are trying to by pass Thanksgiving, because it is not a big money maker for them, so they are pushing Christmas shopping.

Who of you remember when we kept holy the Sabbath day? All the stores were closed, it was a day of worship and rest for everyone. Everyone stayed in their "Sunday" clothes and spent the day with family or exended family. But slowly the stores, one here, one there started to open up on Sundays and pretty soon every store was open and no one treated Sunday as a day or worship or rest.

Thats what will happen with Thanksgiving unless we do something to stop it. Stop this insanity by NOT letting them win, not shopping for Christmas until AFTER Thanksgiving. Or else someday, when some of us no longer walk the face of the earth, there will be a little child looking at a beat up, dog eared Thanksgiving book asking their mom and dad - what's is this about? Whats Thanksgiving?

Think about it `~`~HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE`~`~` 

OBSERVATION OF LIFE

     LIGHT UP NIGHT FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18    downtown    Pittsburgh - and it is not a joke!! 

Rushing through the holidays of life is not something I want to do, I want to enjoy Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas - I like to give each holiday its due.
When I worked full time, Halloween came and went, along with Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was not able to enjoy any of it the way the it should of been enjoyed. Working 8 hrs, coming home and taking care of the house, cooking, plus washing etc., did not leave much time for extra work that come with the holidays. There is the hustle and bustle, the fun kind, and then there is the" I hate this because I don't have the time and still do everything else that needs done". Having to go back to work the next day took away from all the happiness of the holiday I just celebrated. A lot of people are fortunate to schedule their vacations around the holidays but not many.
My dad use to take the week between Christmas and New Years off and during that time we would visit relatives, have relatives and friends over.  It was always such a fun time.
Everyone thought it was awful  when the stores would decorate for Christmas the week before Thanksgiving, BUT NOW, the stores are in full Christmas decorations by the early part of October.
So, how can I enjoy and celebrate the holidays before Christmas, whenever Christmas decorations are all I see when I go into a store now? They have the Halloween decorations up with the Christmas decorations. Thanksgiving, I hardly see any Thanksgiving decorations out except in the grocery store.
I feel bad for the kids today, I was able to enjoy the Happy Day kind of life. Today - Mayberry would be hard to find anywhere.