Tree lightings and a Christmas Tea

 I have been feeling a bit blue these past few weeks as I have been really missing my daughter.  This will be the first time in her entire life that she has not been a part of our Christmas celebrations. However, the reason for the season has not changed, and I have some lovely friends who have been helping me get into the spirit of the holidays.

My husband and I went down to the cove park in town to attend the local Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony last weekend. It was fun to see our little town all decked out in its Christmas finery.  The community band was playing, children were busy writing letters to Santa, and free cups of hot chocolate were being passed around while we waited for the tree to light up.

It felt almost magical looking out over the lake at night.   

 

Our local town museum was open.  So we stepped inside to see the old turn of the 20th century mill house all decorated for the season.

 

We were so busy looking around inside the house that we missed the actual tree light ceremony, lol!! When we stepped back outside there it was, our city tree marking the beginning of our town's Christmas celebrations. 

Walking back to our car we spied this home all decked out like Babes in Toyland. I was a huge Annette Funicello fan as a child.

 

Three days after that lively celebration, I was invited to an amazing Victorian Tea given by one of my bible study friends. My friend is of Norwegian descent and her entire home was a refection of her love of her cultural heritage and more importantly her love of God. 

 

 

She put the Afternoon Tea served at the Royal Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia to shame with her gorgeous table settings and delicious menu of tasty treats, all of which she made herself.  There aren't enough words to describe all her wonderful flavor combinations.

 

It was such a lovely presentation.  It felt like we were transported to another place and time.  I couldn't have imagined a more delightfully charming and delectable way to begin the Christmas season. I returned home with a heart full of appreciation to have been given the opportunity to celebrate, not just good food, but also the company of wonderful friends.

 

As this Advent/Christmas Season continues to unfold may each of you be blessed with your own opportunities to share special times with those who are near and dear to you.

 

Adieu!

 

 

 

 

Thankful Thursday

It's been a number of years since I have written a Thankful Thursday Post.  However with this being Thanksgiving Day, it seemed a good time to stop and think about all the little things that have made this such a lovely autumn.

1.  I am in recovery from a heart ablation that was performed last week after spending some time in the emergency room for afib a few weeks earlier.  Still a little weak-kneed but getting stronger everyday.  All my family is out of town celebrating Thanksgiving in other places this year which has made it possible for me to just relax and recover.  Good health is always something to be thankful for.

2.  The heavenly scent of fresh flowers, a gift of color and beauty from a friend.

3.  A brisk fall morning in the park.

4.  A bowl of delicious home-made soup to warm up the heart on a chilly afternoon.

 

 

5.  Precious time spent celebrating with grandchildren.  It's possible some of my children may be moving out of state in the next few months so I will take every moment I can get.

 

6.  The joy of sharing a Thanksgiving Day feast with special life long  friends.

 

 

For each treasured moment imprinted on my heart I give thanks to you Lord/!

 Adieu!

 

Happy Saint Patricks Day

My dad's father was Irish and his mother was German which made him half Irish and me a wee bit Irish. 

  I'm not sure who enjoys celebrating St. Patrick's Day more, the Irish or the Irish Americans.  Did you know that the first St. Patrick's Day Parade was held in New York City in 1792?  And that the original soda bread was made by the Native Americans right here in North America hundreds of years before it made it to Ireland?  Wherever it came from the Irish have made it their own.  It's just not Saint Patrick's Day without leprechauns, shamrocks and Irish soda bread.

I used to have a wonderful recipe for Soda Bread which I used to make and bring to school each year in celebration of the patron saint of Ireland, but then several years went by when Saint Patrick's day didn't fall on a school day and over time I lost my recipe.  This year, I decided to revive the tradition but I needed to find a new recipe.  Last night I put it to the test.

 

This is my loaf all ready to go into the oven.  There are several traditional reasons given for why the cross is cut across the top.  Some believed it was to allow the devil to escape the bread while it baked and thus bring good luck.  Others say it's just so the bread can be easily broken into four pieces.  Still others believe it to be the Christian cross.

Here it is all crusty and warm from the oven...

and finally all sliced and ready to share with friends.  I hope you enjoy the day.  Don't forget to wear green and put an O' in front of your name.  After all everyone is a wee bit Irish on Saint Patrick's Day.

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face

The rain fall soft upon your fields

And until we meet again

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day

Now that my children are all grown up and with no grandchildren on the horizon, I don't really do much decorating for Valentine's Day anymore.  However, I couldn't let the day go by without putting out a few little touches to brighten the season.

Whoever and wherever you are I hope you felt loved today.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Summer Sunset on Independence Day

We have been having a very long hot summer, breaking records for the month of June with temps up into the 90's.  With all that heat came a sense of lethargy, lots of iced tea and afternoon naps and figuring out ways to keep cool. Now that things have cooled down I would like to share a bit of our summer with you.

Living up on the hill we have just a "peekaboo" view of the lake.

From the back property fence

From the deck

However we are blessed with wonderful friends who live on the lake and with whom we recently spent a lovely summer day in celebration of the 4th of July.  There were about 30 young people all gathered down by the shore enjoying the water and setting off fireworks while us "old folks" sat up above on the decks.

 

One of the best parts of the day for me was watching the sunset, something we can't really see from our house. 

Through the unbrella on the deck casting light on the water.

 And with the setting of the sun, soon there were fireworks all around the lake as people gathered to celebrate our Independence Day. This was taken from a neighbor's dock. Now imagine hundreds of fireworks just like this being set off all around the lake.  It's a spectacular light show that went on for several hours.  So here is a thank you to God for giving us such a wonderful place in which to live and here is wishing you wonderful summer memories.

 Wishing you beautiful summer memories.