Best of 2023

 

I have  not accomplished as much this year as in years past, but I have always loved making pillowcases for Ryan's Case for Smiles. So this year this blog post garnered the most views.

                                                      Quick and Easy

How did your year add up?

Linked with Best of 2023

The joys of Christmas

 Nothing fills my heart more than my grandchildren.  And it is so much fun to watch them having fun.

Two little munchkins with my daughter.

Hope your  Christmas was blessed!

Merry Christmas

 

May the celebration of the birth of Jesus inspire us all to rejoice and to serve Him with humble hearts. May we always remember the "Reason for the Season". That our Heavenly Father loved us so much that He gave His beloved Son to this fallen world, to die for our sins so that we may live forever with Him. It's a gift that cannot be earned or worked for. 

It's free to all men.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Prayer

 

Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the Song of the Angels,
the Gladness of the Shepherds,
and the Worship of the Wise Men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of Love all over the world.
Let Kindness come with every gift and
Good Desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the Blessing which Christ brings,
and Teach us to be Merry with Clear Hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy Children
and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with Grateful Thoughts,
Forgiving and Forgiven.

For Jesus' Sake....Amen          (Robert Lewis Stevenson)

What to do this Christmas

What to do this Christmas

This Christmas, mend a quarrel. 

Seek out a forgotten friend. 

Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. 

Write a letter.

Share some treasure. 

Give a soft answer. 

Encourage youth. 

Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. 

Keep a promise. 

Find the time. 

Forego a grudge. 

Forgive an enemy. 

Listen. 

Apologize if you were wrong. 

Try to understand. 

Examine your demands on others. 

Think first of someone else. 

Appreciate others. 

Be kind; be gentle. 

Laugh a little. 

Laugh a little more. 

Deserve confidence. 

Take up arms against malice. 

Decry complacency. 

Express your gratitude. 

Go to church. 

Welcome a stranger. 

Gladden the heart of a child. 

Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. 

Speak your love. 

Speak it again. 

Speak it once again. 

Christmas is a celebration, and there is no celebration that compares with the realization of its true meaning - with the sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself toward the core of life. Then, only then, is it possible to grasp the significance of that first Christmas - to savor in the inward ear the sweet music of the angel choir; to envision the star-struck sky, and glimpse, behind the eyelids, the ray of light that fell athwart a darkened path and changed the world. 

                                                                                             Author Unknown

Christmas Carols

The first Christmas hymns were written in the 5th Century. Originally composed in Latin, they contained primarily theological topics. Carols (noels), songs with more human and personal subjects, appeared in the 1200's. During the Middles Ages (AD 900-1400) people incorporated drama and plays into the celebration of Christmas. Carols became an integral part of these re-enactments. After the plays, carolers strolled down the street singing - thus, the birth of street caroling. Many of the traditional favorite Christmas carols, such as "O Come, All Yet Faithful" and "Silent Night" were written in the 1800's.The publication of Christmas music books in the 19th century helped to widen the appeal of carols. 

Christmas songs such as "Jingle Bells" and "White Christmas" came later and reflect a more secular viewpoint of the holiday. Handel's' Messiah, an oratorio first performed in 1742, had a modest public reception but gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the best known choral works in Western music. 

Musicologists agree that Christmas music is among the finest written in the world. 

ref- Wikipedia

American Holidays - Bill Perry

Wrestling match

 I have been wrestling with this Christmas quilt. 

I am determined to have it finished and on the bed before December 25!

But right now it is giving me a run for my money :-)

                                       Needle and  Thread Thursday  

                       

                                      Sew and Tell

                                      Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

                                      Finished or not Friday

                                      Peacock Party