Merry Christmas!

May Christmas bring you peace and joy!

Snow at our house - LOTS of snow

Our back porch Friday evening during the storm

What a storm! We got about a foot of snow on Friday which pretty much shut everything down around here (Hendersonville-Asheville, NC), at least for a couple of days. Being down South where we don't usually get a lot of snow, our counties are not equipped to handle a huge amount of it, along with downed trees and power lines. We read in the newspaper that upwards of 50,000 homes were without power as of Sunday morning and the power company was still working hard. We were very blessed to keep ours.


The woods around our house

Yesterday afternoon we decided to go to town to get groceries. Mike wanted to make some tracks in the driveway to help the sun and melting process along, and he wanted to check out our state road. The first hurdle was getting down our long driveway which is steep, made of gravel and dirt, and full of potholes and curves, and no picnic on a good day but a real challenge with a foot of snow. Mike is a great driver but the car slid on the ice and got stuck in the ditch on the side of our driveway. I had to trudge back up to the house and get Johnathan (our 19-year-old) to come and shovel around the tires.


Looking down the first part of the driveway. The car got stuck a little farther down, around a curve.

Then Johnathan and I pushed, and finally after much spinning of wheels, Mike was able to drive it out of the ditch. Then Johnathan and I gasped as we watched the car slide over to the OTHER side of the driveway and it would have gone off the edge into the woods but Mike was able to steer it back to center and down to a level spot where he stopped and waited for us to hop in.



We slipped and slid all over the rest of the driveway, and got to the hill at the top, where we turn onto the state road. The snow plow had been by and piled a HUGE pile of snow there, so the only spot we could drive over entailed turning the wrong way, then turning around in someone's driveway to go towards town. The state road looked like a war zone. The snow plow had only plowed a single lane - quite dangerous on the blind curves but we made it. It's one mile to the main road into town, which was clear and all the streets in town were fine.

We went by our church and I dropped off music for my choir since I wouldn't be going to Mass at 5 p.m. This time of year, it's dark out by the time Mass is over. Mike said we would not be able to contend with our road after dark because anything that melted earlier would turn to ice. I know the choir can handle everything without me but I love being there and am sad when I have to miss it.


Our front walk

Then we got groceries at Sam's and Ingles and came back home. Mike decided to park at the bottom of the driveway so we had to carry everything up to the house. Huff, puff, what a chore!



We are so thankful to have a warm, cozy house and that God was blessing us so we didn't get stuck anywhere. It was fun to have Johnathan go to town with us. He usually goes his own way in the other car so we enjoyed being together for a change.


Footprints on our front steps


Our older car today. Most of the snow has melted off, but I think it's still impressive.

Fingerprint Friday - The light of the world

The Advent wreath at my church

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" - John 8:12

As we celebrate the birth of the greatest Fingerprint of all, I wish you a Christmas filled with blessings and joy!

~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
To find out how to join "Fingerprint Friday" and see links to other posts, visit Pampering Beki's blog.

Sweetest picture ever

(This photo came in an email.)

Fingerprint Friday - Waiting for Christmas

During this frantic time of year, I'd like to take a few moments to slow down ... and breathe .... and focus on the true meaning of the season.

In our church, for the four weeks leading up to Christmas, we celebrate Advent ... a time of preparation for the birth of Jesus. We sing beautiful songs, all with the theme of waiting. Here is a contemporary version of a favorite hymn you may be familiar with ... "O Come O Come Emmanuel".

Here are some excerpts from an article I found online. The traditional candle colors are purple and rose, but some people substitute red.

The Advent wreath is a popular Advent custom that originated in Germany. It consists of four candles (three purple and one rose), surrounded by evergreen branches. One purple candle is lit the first week, two the second, two purple and one rose the third, and finally all four in the last week of Advent. The light of the candles signifies the light of Christ, Who will come into the world at Christmas.

The Advent wreath helps us keep our thoughts focused on the coming of Christ at Christmas, so we should integrate it into our daily activities. The easiest way is to make it a part of our evening meal. The family gathers around the wreath and lights the appropriate candles. The father (or other leader) prays the Advent wreath prayer for that week, and the candles are left burning during the meal.

Advent ends, of course, with Christmas Eve, but that's no reason to put the Advent wreath away. Many people add a large white candle to the center of the wreath and light it, along with the other four, starting on Christmas and going all the way through Epiphany. It's a good way to remind ourselves that Christ is the reason for the preparations we made during Advent, and it also helps us remember that Christmas doesn't end on Christmas morning, after all the presents have been opened.

~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
To find out how to join "Fingerprint Friday" and see links to other posts, visit Pampering Beki's blog.

Day brighteners

FoxyGknits on etsy

I've been wanting a twisty scarf for ages and just couldn't resist this gorgeous color. From FoxyFknits on etsy. Super customer service.

Day brighteners

A wonderful Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, getting together with my daughter-in-law's huge family. The grandkids have so much fun playing with their cousins. So much to be thankful for!

My grandchildren


Ty


Meg


Paige


Stella, the children's new au pair from Brazil, with Paige and turkey cookie


Paige playing foosball


Ty playing foosball

My grandchildren's cousins


Lizzie


Madison


Lindsey


Carly - yum!
~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
To find out how to join "Fingerprint Friday" and see links to other posts, visit Pampering Beki's blog.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me — a prayer to the God of my life." - Psalm 42:8

May your Thanksgiving be blessed with love and peace.

Need a gift?

I have some listings on ebay this week if you'd like to look!

During this hectic season...

"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths." - Etty Hillesum

See more cute pet photos at dailypets.co.uk

Rules for Success

Bob Parson’s 16 Rules for Success (founder of Godaddy.com and Parson's Software)

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone.
I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up.
Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think.
There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be.
Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen.
Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time.
No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward.
Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide.
Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance.
I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.
If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing.
When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance.
Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around.
In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair.
Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems.
You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don't take yourself too seriously.
Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck.
None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There's always a reason to smile.
Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time!"

Fingerprint Friday - All together!

I was thrilled this week to get some photos from my son and daughter-in-law of when our family was together in August! So thankful for all these Fingerprints!

Grandma Judy (me) with Jocie and Meg, both 7...


The youngest, Paige, 4...


Three generations...


Cute cousins: the oldest, Stewart, 12 and the youngest, Paige, 4...


My three granddaughters...


My three grandsons...


All of us...


~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
To find out how to join "Fingerprint Friday" and see links to other posts, visit Pampering Beki's blog.

Featured!

Ho ho ho! Santa has been featured on foundhandmade.com on November 15, 2009.



This one-of-a-kind necklace can be yours!