MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas Blessing

God grant you the light in Christmas, which is faith;

the warmth of Christmas, which is love;

the radiance of Christmas, which is purity;

the righteousness of Christmas, which is justice;

the beliefs of Christmas, which is truth;

the all of Christmas, which is CHRIST.

Wilda English

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Famly Christmas Party

3 guesses what we had to eat at our Christmas party. My son makes a mean piizza.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

We were created for community, fashioned for fellowship, and formed for a family, and none of us can fulfill God's purpose by ourselves. A good reminder as we enjoy our Christmas family gatherings.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

My cookie cutter wreath for the kitchen

Remember this...........

If the pace and the push, the noise and the crowds are getting to you, it's times to stop the nonsense and find a place of solace to refresh our spirit.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

Could we but live what Christmas means;

not one day, but for every day

what a different world this world would be!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

TIP FOR TUESDAY

A roast with the bone in will cook faster than a boneless roast. The bone carries the heat to the inside more quickly.

Blessed Sunday

I had a busy Sunday. We witnessed an adult baptism/profession of faith of a young lady who wished to join our church. I have the privilege of being her mentor. She was caught up for many years in a false religion; having left that, she was searching for something. God led her to our church . I am so glad she found a church home where she will be loved and cared for.

Sunday evening we went to the Fine Arts Center for the presentation of "Light Looked Down and the Word Became Flash" sung by the Allendale Community Choir. Our daughter-in-law sang in it. It was beautifully done.

A THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

The will of God will never take you

to a place where His grace

will not defend you.

Enjoy your day!

hmmm good!!

Me and my Pal

This is me and Lucy. Lucy is my grand-daughters dog. She loves to sit very close to me. She really is a very needy animal. I don't have any great-grandchildren yet so I guess Lucy will have to do. I love it!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good:

for his mercy endureth forever.

Ps. 118:29

Gratitude is the homage of the heart,

rendered to God for His goodness.

Nathaniel Parker Willis

Thanksgiving continued..........

Freely you have received, freely give.

Matthew 10:8

A week of Thanksliving

This week will be dedicated to THANKSLIVING

Giving is the secret of a healthly life....

not necessarily money, but whatever

a person has of encouragement and

sympathy and understanding.

John D. Rockfeller, Jr.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many;

not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

Charles Dickens

VETERANS DAY 11-11-11

A special thanks to all those who have fought to keep our country safe and sound.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

We don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

TIP FOR TUESDAY

Avoid stuck-on wax - Spray the inside of each hold lightly with non-stick vegetable spray before putting the candle in. The wax will pop right out for easy cleaning.

Busy weekend

Sunday was a busy day. Beside setting aside time for worship we visited families at two funeral homes. Two godly ladies were taken to their eternal home ; one last Thursday and one on Friday. Their funeral services are this morning at 11. Both were in their late 80s and had lived their last days in a nursing home. So it is the kids loss but definitely their GAIN.

I am always troubled about something when I go to a funeral home. So often it sounds like everyone is having such a great time seeing old friends/relatives that one forgets that there is a grieving family there. I know it is a time of healing but sometime there is just too much noise. Does anyone else feel this way? I remember when I was the grieving person and everyone was laughing and having a good time I wanted to say "listen up people - I just lost someone who was very dear to me - it is not funny! I don't feel like laughing right now - maybe later you can tell me that funny story. Maybe I have it all wrong - I did appreciate them coming; that meant allot to me; the hugs, the "I'm praying for you" etc. just not all the noise. I would like your thoughts on this. Maybe you can help me see it a different way. Thanks for listening..........

A THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

If you would make a man happy, do not add to his possessions but subtract from the sum of his desire.
Seneca

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

A quote from Esther York Burkholder -

Giving is a joy if we do it in the right spirit.

It all depends on whether we think of it as "What can I spare?" or "What can I share?"

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Tip for Tuesday

Finding favorites in Cookbooks: Note on an index card the name and page of the cookbook in which you can find favorite recipes then file in the recipe box under the appropriate category. You'll save time paging through a whole cookbook collection to find the recipe you want.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

Treat your friend like family and your family like friends.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

TIP FOR TUESDAY

Spray Cleaner, Using it all: Get out the last two inches in the spray bottle by dropping in some marbles to raise the liquid level back to where the spray pump works.

The Wedding

The wedding was a beautiful and we had a lot of fun with family and friends. Sorry for the poor picture; hopefully I will get some better ones very soon.

These are the two pizza kids getting married tomorrow. We are praying for a sunny day.

These are the two pizza kids that are getting married tomorrow. We are all looking forward to the wedding. Please for a sunny day.

A THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

You are valuable just because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done,
but simply because you are.
Max Lucado

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

TIP FOR TUESDAY

Is your homemade soup to salty? Add sliced raw potato to absorb the salt. Remove slices when they began to soften if you don't want to eat them. Works for me!

SUNDAY BLESSINGS

We had a busy Sunday. Doug (our future grandson) was baptized and made profession of his faith at our morning worship service today. He also sang "The Old Rugged Cross" as his testimony. Doug and our grand daughter Melissa are getting married on this coming Saturday. They just purchased a home in Allendale so they had us over to see the house. It's been a good day!

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

You will find that if you share your friend's burden,

both of you will walk a little straighter.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

TIP FOR TUESDAY

Do you have a problem with spiders and cobwebs at this time of the year? I do. We live in a wooded area and we get a lot of daddy long-legs at this time of the year.

Secure an old sock on a yardstick with rubber bands and use it to get cobwebs out of the corners and high places. Works for me.

Monday Shopping

I'm going shopping (2 p's or 1? I'm never sure) anyway I'm going shopping with my daughter
today. My hip is still giving me grief but I hope it holds out while we are away. Hopefully we will have time for a bite to eat somewhere afterwards. Neither one of us are great shoppers so it will be a quick trip. Always nice to spend time with Patty.

Forgotten Man Ministries

Thursday evening I attended the Forgotten Man Ministries Banquet at Bauer CRC. A delicious dinner was prepared by Beechwood Inn Restaurant. Information was given about the Ottawa County Jail. Two inmates spoke of their time at the jail and how the Bible class helped to show them a better way to live. The jail has a host of volunteers, men and women, who bring the Good News of the Gospel each week. Our County Sheriff allows the volunteers to come in. Not every jail allows this. They thank God for this privilege. Not everyone changes their live but thank God for those who do. It was a worthwhile time spent.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

Think of life as a good book. The further you get into it,

the more it begins to make sense.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

My husband had the camera!!

TIP FOR TUESDAY

I am back from a few days at Mears camp grounds with family and friends.

My tip is for cleaning the lint from my sewing machine. A well washed and dried mascara brush will clean bobbin and shuttle carriers in the sewing machine. It fits into those tight places and you can twist it around to pick up lint. Works for me!

TIP FOR TUESDAY

Take the perfumed sample paper inserts from magazines and tuck them into your lingerie drawers, clothing or linen closets, and with your stationery and greeting cards for free aschets.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced.

Live your life in such a manner that when you die the

world cries and you rejoice.

Indian Proverb

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

TIP FOR TUESDAY

When you want only one slice of onion for a burger or other sandwich, there is no need to peel the whole onion. Slice through the middle of the onion, cut off one slice, put the two parts back together, then wrap or seal in a plastic bag and refrigerate.

We spent some time at the Chateau Chantal Vineyard - Winery - B & B in Traverse City last week. We had a sunny day and vineyard was beautiful. We went with my two brothers and their wives and we had a great time.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

Jumping to conclusions is not half as good

exercise as digging for the facts.

LABOR DAY

Hope you're enjoying Labor Day with family and friends. Summer is past; autumn/fall will soon be here. We have a few trees turning fall colors already. Seems good to have the weather a little cooler.
We are off to Traverse City for a few days with family. Stay safe and enjoy the day.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

If we can't be thankful for what we receive,

we should be thankful for what we escape.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

TIP FOR TUESDAY

Pasta Cooking: Ending boil-over and Pasta Stuck to the bottom of the kettle.
Grease the pot (or spray with non-stick spray) before putting the water in to boil. Note: Also spray the colander so that draining pasta won't stick to it.

Enjoy your day!

Feeling better

I'm finally feeling better although I still can't hear very well. Seems so good to not be so tired all the time. Had a wonderful day of worship today; had a outdoor worship service with our neighboring church this evening. The weather was beautiful - big bouncy white clouds and a lot of sunshine. Hard to imagine hurricane Irene on the east coast. I'm keeping those people in my prayers. Have a great day.

I've been sick

Last Wednesday I came down with a bad cold. I coughed constantly, day and night. I can't hear, having both ears closed off. Finally this pass Wednesday I went to the doctor. She says I have acute bronchitis and a double ear infection. She put me on azithromycin and a cough syrup with codine. I don't cough as much anymore but stay very tired and light headed.

When I watch TV I have the volume up as far as it can go because I can't hear. It is driving my husband crazy. Hopefully it won't be long before my hearing is back.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

Do not sit and idly wish for wider, new dimensions where you can put in practice all your good intentions, but at the spot God placed you, begin at once to do little things to brighten up the lives surrounding you.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

TIP FOR TUESDAY

Micowave Tip: When warming a micowave dinner which should be rotated during cooking place a wooden toothpick under the front of the dish, then move it with the dish as you rotate it. For example, start at 6 o'clock; move to 9; then 12, and so on. You can tell at a glance how often the dish was turned. Works for Me!

Family Gathering

My family (my sister/husband, and six brothers/wifes) spent the day together at my sisters cottage in Upper Silver Lake. It was a beautiful day. Some of my family aren't so young any more so it is very nice to all spend some time together. Would you believe I took my camera along but forgot to take pictures? I thought of it when we were leaving to go home. Next time we get together I am going to tie my camera around my neck!

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

If you were another person, would you like to be a friend of yours?

I'm asking God to help me to be sensitive to the needs of

those close to me.

Tip for Tuesday

When re-wrapping meats for the freezer , cut the label off the original grocery package and tape it to the newly wrapped one. The label has all the information- type of meat, date of purchase and weight. No more guessing whats in the package.

BACK HOME

We have returned home from our vacation. Had a great time with family and friends; very hot and a lot of rain. I was afraid our little trailer would float right out of the park.
You should have seen the weeds in our flower garden when we returned home. Our flowers looked great too. All this rain has helped everything look so healthy but it does the same thing for the weeds.
So we have lots of work to catch up on - laundry, ironing, weeding, cleaning..........the list goes on and on. It good to be home!!

VACATION TIME