Christmas- The Birth of Christ

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over
their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of
the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel,
praising God and saying,

Luke 2: 8-14

After a Long Pause

To any readers I may have left after this long pause, forgive my lack of attention to this blog.
I have had a husband recovering from heart surgery and my time has been otherwise directed. [ understatement ]
He is doing well and things are getting back to normal.
We look forward to Christmas with the family together and celebrating so many blessings we often take for granted.

Thanks, Dad, for the suggestion and shove I needed to get a new post up !
Wish you and Mom could be here too.
Unfortunately your own heart surgery is keeping you close to home as well.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday! to my wonderful husband, the father of our three girls

and 'Poppy' to our 7 grandchildren!

Out-Takes

Mine was the back up camera in the photo shoot of our family this past weekend so I will post some out-takes, silly or otherwise less than perfect pictures that nevertheless tell part of the story of our family.

You can probably tell who the life of the party around here is.

{Probably due to the fact that they don't have to try to get 4 children to at least look pleasant at the same moment.}

To become a grandparent is tho enjoy one of the few pleasures for which the consequences have already been paid.

~ Robert Brault~

Heart Breaker Eyes

5 year old Leif was given the task of pounding flat a bunch of staples so this board could be re-hung in a fixing project. He was so happy to be given a real job and so cute in the knowledge that he was being a helper to Uncle Ben. (Well, this child would be cute doing anything, right? Those heart breaker eyes!)

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

~Benjamin Franklin~

The Little Things are the Big Things

"The art of contentment is the recognition that the most satisfying and the most dependably refreshing experiences of life lie not in great things but in little. The rarity of happiness among those who achieved much is evidence that achievement is not in itself the assurance of a happy life. The great, like the humble, may have to find their satisfaction in the same plain things."

Edgar A. Collard, 1974

Domestic Divas

Ilex and her best friend Adalaine are house/dog sitting for Ben and Shannon this week. When they came over here yesterday, (decked out in two of Shan's many darling aprons), to borrow an ingredient for a salad they were making, I decided that a photo shoot was definitely in order! I think they are having a blast being "on their own" keeping house in the little "cottage".

Domestic Divas

Well, not too serious after all.

Back to back

They faced each other...

Nature is only the Image

Nature is mortal; we shall out-live her. When all the suns and nebulae have passed away, each one of you will still be alive. Nature is only the image, the symbol; but it is the symbol Scripture invites me to use. We are summoned to pass in through Nature, beyond her into that splendour which she fitfully reflects.
And in there, in beyond Nature, we shall eat of the tree of life. At present, if we are reborn in Christ, the spirit receives life from Him at a thousand removes--
The faint, far-off results of those energies which God's creative rapture implanted in matter when He made the worlds are what we now call Physical pleasures;and even thus filtered, they are too much for our present management. What would it be to taste at the fountainhead that stream of which even these lower reaches prove so intoxicating? The whole man is to drink joy from the fountain of joy.

C. S. Lewis in "The Weight of Glory"

Squirrels

This is the prize winner of the contest sponsored by Power Line blog to illustrate the debt issue our country is facing. I think it's worth watching and passing along. Watching squirrels somehow makes the topic easier to visualize. Justin, the producer of this short video, has done a great job and been chosen as number 1 from over 200 entries. More of the top entries can be seen here.

They asked Justin to share his thoughts on the contest and his video:

"When I first heard of the contest, I found it hard to believe that anyone would put up such a great prize to offer creatives a chance to dramatize the debt crisis. Most people don’t want to think about debt or the dangers it holds. Wars and environmentalism have attracted most of the attention of creative people in our culture–and not usually for a good result. But when you consider what debt can do and has done to nations throughout history, we’d be fools to not recognize our country’s solvency as the single greatest issue we face today. In my piece, I wanted to not just show how bad the problem is- which is in itself a noble effort since 15 trillion is hard for most to comprehend–but I sought to convey how we got to this point, and our choices moving forward."

Oh, to be a child again

Childhood + Summer + Water = Bliss

(even straight-out-of-the-well cold water!)

No common kiddie pool for us. How about a clean horse trough with sparkling fresh, and yes, cold water.

Fuel up.

If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in the water.

~ Loren Eisley ~

The Debt

A short video from Power Line today.

Time Warp Birthday

Casey turns 40!

a truly psychedelic party is held in his honor

It's intriguing how costumes, in this case a "Seventies" theme,

will loosen people up in just the right?! way.

Even Drake got into the swing of things (literally) when he got

that 'magic' Afro wig on that came to the party on Ben

but made the rounds to most of the guys!

Aged Hippies

And Lola knows that Cheerios are definitely a vintage thing.

Family Reunion-Northern Edition

Another annual reunion this time on hubbie's side. Six siblings and their children and Grandchildren makes for a very large group. We always have great fun together talking, eating, playing and just catching up.

Lola was being her photogenic sweet self so she gets a collage all to herself.

California Dreamin

Being with my Mom and Dad in California while my Dad recovers from open heart surgery has kept me away from this blog for a while.

My brother and his wife and and their daughter, who is home from college, live on a lovely piece of property with my parents.

The sun shone absolutely every day I was there!

We enjoyed meals together every evening. They love good food and are all great cooks.

The beautiful garden was in full bloom! Roses in every color, clematis, lavender, {blackberries for the above cobbler} lilies and other things too numerous to mention.

And the good news is that Dad is getting stronger every day! Miss you all!

Mother's Day

Nothing like getting my posts out of order----

But I forgot to share these Photos that we managed to take during the hubbub of Mother's Day. The girls and I seldom get to pose together. (With so many adorable children around.)

We had to step out in the rain (to get that natural light you know!) and found a dryish spot under the trees.

Memorial Day

John Quincy Adams once said, "You will never know

how much it has cost my generation

to preserve your freedom.

I hope you make good use of it."

"Miracles do not cluster. Hold on to the Constitution of the United

States of America and the republic for which it stands. —What has

happened once in six thousand years may never happen again.

Hold on to your Constitution, for if the American Constitution shall fail

there will be anarchy throughout the world."

~Daniel Webster~

Armed Forces Day

The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated on May 20, 1950, just a month before the Korean War started [and four months before I was born]. The new holiday was established the previous year.

I thought this would be a good day to share this photo of my amazing Dad who fought in WWII.
We all love him so much and are praying for a resolution to his health problems this year. He has shared so much of his wisdom and insights over the years and continues to be a wise and caring Dad, Grandpa and Great Grandpa to our whole clan.

Love you, Dad!

Driving

My patient [ doesn't he look patient?] Hubby gets to do all the driving on a trip like this. I think he actually liked this route better than the one we usually take up I-5 due to the beautiful scenery, more challenging driving experience and slower pace. We both enjoyed it immensely. Most of these photos are taken from the moving car except for the last one of the elk herd. [and the first one]. That one we had to stop for. [Sorry Honey, no fantastic racks. It's not hunting season anyway!]