It's almost here!!!  Christmas carols abound throughout our home.  I'm singing along with my whole heart.  What a beautiful day this has been. 

Kayla and Lupe spent last night with their uncle, so it was just Rob, Andrea and me as the day started off.  I got dressed in a garnet-red outfit, skirt to the floor, garnets in my ears and at my neck and black open-toed shoes.  Peeking out from the shoes were toes painted to match with a silver snowflake on each big toe.  I felt beautiful.  Andrea was wearing a deep red satin skirt, red top to match and black open-toed shoes.  She looked just awesome!

We went on to church where we sang carols one after the other as if we could fill the world with Christmas melody.  As I was singing, somebody tapped me softly.  Lupe stood grinning up to me . . .her red blouse, black skirt and brand-new pink tennis shoes!  She couldn't have been more proud.  She went from person to person giving great hugs, showing off her new shoes.

Kayla was in back with her friends trying to hide her blue satin skirt and white top.  I knew the black open-toed shoes graced her feet because she wanted to look grown-up and dressed down.

The pastor gave the word - ahh - it was like a breath of fresh air!  Not a once-a-year, tried and true Luke preaching for him.  No . . . he taught from scripture about who this Jesus is - the one we celebrate today and tomorrow.  Nothing new, really but new in its presentation. 

                                

After church I was told not to leave right away . . . there were a a couple of things for the girls.  I was surprised to see a smoked turkey, a full turkey dinner and two presents each girl being placed in my car.  I told the gal that placed them all in the back . . . "please tell whoever it was 'Thank-you' " .  She leaned to me and said . . . "it was the local police department."   

                     

Placed under our tree and in stockings this year are gifts from what seems everywhere.  Small things from us, small things from others . . . big things from others.  What joy I have to know that Rob, myself and the girls are so loved that others thought to share with us.  As long as I live I will never forget.

            

In a few hours, we will all awaken to Christmas Day.  WE know what we celebrate, who and why.  Tomorrow however, we will all just be kids for a whole day.  The Lord will see us and know that we know and He will be glad.

               

FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS   -   MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

                Rob, Penny, Andrea, Kayla and Lupe

Merry Christmas

 

<TABLE class='MsoNormalTablestyle="BACKGROUND:' cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#33ff00 border=0 100%? WIDTH: #33ff00;> YOU CAN'T STEAL MY CHRISTMAS I don't know who they are Saying I can't greet the crowd The way that I want to Can't say CHRISTMAS out loud. I walk into a business place See things that I rather not see But dare I not say CHRISTMAS And ask for a "holiday" tree. What happened to freedom of speech And living in the land of the free How can they take my CHRISTMAS money But can't say <SPANSTYLE="COLOR: red?>MERRY CHRISTMAS to me. Men and women have given their lives So we could still go free I wonder how they would feel At saying " <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />HOLIDAY " TREE. Come on AMERICA let's wake up Don't let our freedom escape If they get by with doing this What else will they take. This is starting to get out of hand, And I've begun to keep track Well I've just about had enough I'M TAKING CHRISTMAS BACK. So MERRY CHRISTMAS AMERICA I hope this gets all over the net If we all stand united and take freedom back 'Twill be our best CHRISTMAS YET! EVERYONE <PCLASS=MSONORMAL>     I got this in an e-mail from my sister who got it from a dear friend.  The truth is that it does kind of bother me that the stores will put up "Happy Holidays"  "Happy Kwanza"  "Happy Hanukkah"  but not "Merry Christmas"   I am not offended by the celebrations of other faiths, but what about mine?  I believe in Jesus Christ,  I also believe in the God of Hanukkah.  I honestly don't know much about the celebration of Kwanza, but I'm willing to look it up and fine out.   The founding fathers of our country left England to escape religious persecution.  The Constitution of the United States was quickly amended to provide for certain rights, the first one being the right to speech, religion, assembly, press, etc.   I know I don't have it exactly word perfect, but there you are.   Now the ACLU, with government help is working to take away my right to practice Christianity. Hindu, Buddhist and Islam have more rights than Jews and Christians.  Where is the freedom in that?  What's happening in our country that those inalienable rights are no longer true for the vast majority?   I am proud to be a Christian.  That's whatmy mother taught me and I believe.  If you believe differently, I bet your mom or dad taught you as well.  We are blessed to have parents who love us enough to teach us our faith.   Blessing to you all,

 

 

 

Tags: holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Religious Freedom

I'm Okay - Really

                                

I've got two angels on my shoulder

Thank God for the life of our family!    I'm sorry I waited so late to make an entry.  I truly want to thank you for your concern for us.  Here's what happened and the updates.

Rob was up early.  He was concerned for us because the house was very, very cold.  He turned up the heat and lit a burner in the kitchen.  We had left the heat on low during the night and had asked them to leave their door open so the room would not be so cold.  The girls also got up early to get ready for church.  I slept in.

I heard Rob and the girls trying to wake me.  I just couldn't wake up.  My head was pounding so I just snuggled back into the blankets.  When I finally did rouse, I was disoriented and could not wake up fully.  Even coffee didn't help.  1 bird was dead and 3 were dying.  A nurse friend told me to go outside because Rob had said it was carbon monoxide that killed the birds.  I stayed outside until Rascal died in my hands, about 45 mins to an hour.

Then I came back inside, sat in my chair in the living room.  It was nice and warm.  In a little while I began to feel worse and asked Rob to turn the heater off.  I went to the bedroom.  I didn't get better.

We went first to urgent care then to ER.  They took me right in.  I was treated so nicely even though I was really out of it.  After tests determined I had carbon monoxide poisoning, they put me on 100% oxygen.  They also did a CT scan on my head (apparently I still have at least some of my brain in there).

I stayed some hours before being released to come home.  I went straight to my room and to bed.  Iwas still way too sick.  I was going to make an entry, but could only type just a few words.  That's what you got.

Our landlord bought carbon monoxide detectors and new smoke detectors last night.  After a look at the insides of the heater, he also bought us a new heater.  The range is basically new, so we are all right now. 

I still have a blinding headache.  I'm a tad afraid of the heater.  I know it's safe - we have the detector and the light is green - I can see it from my chair - still, I am a little freaked.  We could have died!  For the cost of a CO2 detector, this never would have happened. 

Please,  IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR . . . GET ONE!  Our landlord bought ours, but it's not worth putting it off.  Please don't let cost make you wait. That thing was up before I went to bed last night.  Well, I was already in bed . . . but before I went to sleep.  My sister, her husband and grandson were poisoned several years ago.  She was in the hospital several days.  Their grandson survived only because he screamed all the way in the ambulance. 

Again, thank you so much for your concern for us. 

              

                   Rob, Penny, Andrea, Lupe and Kayla

Quite a Day

                                          

Short and not so sweet or not so sweet . . .    Had hard time waking up this morning - Sunday.  Bad headache.  Turms out it is carbon monoxide poisoning.  Spent several hours in ER and have come home.  I'm freaked out.  Afraid to sleep/  Very sick.  Every one else is fine.  Lost 4 birds.  I can't stay awake now.

God bless you all, Penny

Monday Morning Question

Krissy asked us if we liked to ride around looking at Christmas lights when we were kids and if we still liked to do it today.  Well, I could have just written yes and yes in her comments and be done with it.

But not Penny!  Nope!   Gotta tell a story.

I grew up in and around the city of Pasadena, California.  As I have told you before, my mom loved to get "lost".  I call it a serendipity now.  When I was very small, mom would take us up the hill to a place called Chaney Flats or the hills above Altadena.  She would tell us we were lost, but she always managed to park high enough up those hill to be able to see the lights of the whole Los Angeles basin.  There was no smog yet, no smog alerts, just twinkling lights before us.

In Altadena, there is a street they call Christmas Tree Lane.  There are conifers that line both sides of the street and reach way up to the sky.  It's an amazing two blocks of trees.  At Christmastime, the city and private parties would work to cover the trees completely with lights.  Ahh, I loved that!  It was like being in a wonderland where stars had many colors.  Before I became a teen, the town decided to just cover the front of the trees.  There really is a difference.

There was a housing development in Pasadena called Hastings Ranch, where my mom and I would go every year to see the homes.  One curving block had little stars in all the parkways.  They decorated not only their homes, but the parkways as well.  You do know parkways don't you?  Well, anyway the stars would light up as you drove by.  This was a special tradition in that development that one of the conditions of sale of a home there was that the new owner continue with the tradition.  They had Candy Cane lane which went several blocks.  The homes were decorated so beautifully!  Seeing the lights was always a Christmas favorite for me.  I wonder if the tradition is history now?

As I have gotten older, my love for decorated homeshas not waned.  I can go alone or with others and "ooh" and "ahh" still escape my mouth as I see the lights adorning each home. 

I love the celebration of Christmas.  It has always meant the celebration of the birth of Christ to me.  A long time ago when I was a kid, there wasn't any controversy and often Jews and Christians alike would come together to celebrate.  I did this with my friend Mady whose home was decorated with lights and a Menorah.  I listened to her parents tell the story of the Miracle of Lights. We sang songs that sounded foreign to me, but I gladly sang along to learn how they celebrated. 

Then Mady would come to my house to share Christmas with me.  She would listen as my mom read the Christmas story and sing our carols with us.  Mady and I would exchange small gifts at each celebration.

I still have wonder at Christmastime.  I never want to forget Who I am celebrating whether this is the actual time of His birth or not.  I like the lights, films and stories about Jesus and films and stories about Santa Claus and the other characters we associate with Christmas.  I love to see a Menorah shining in a window.  I love to hear the story again. 

Enjoy the lights.  Relish in their glow.  I will relish as well the glow of the Eternal Light.

Pearl Harbor

              

Is your flag outside today?  Today is the day that will stand forever as our entrance into the second world war.  65 years ago, at Pearl Harbor a surprise attack by the Japanese changed the U.S.A.  forever.  Entombed in Pearl Harbor to this day is the U.S.S. Arizona with her men.  There is still oil slowly bubbling up from below.

Flying our flags today shows that we remember now and will continue to remember the men and women who lost their lives that day.

To learn more about Pearl Harbor Day go to Pearl Harbor Day Remembered or use you own search engine to look it up.

As we remember this day, let us pray for the men and women of the armed forces of the U.S.A. serving around the world.

 

 

fun & Games

 I got this from Val at There Is a Season.  Thought I'd play along.  Have you tried it yet?  Just write out your own answers, post and leave your link with Val. 

              

 

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?  Paper

2. Real tree or artificial?   Ours is a pre-lit artificial.  It's very pretty, but I'm going to hang evergreen garlands around for the delicious aroma.

3. When do you put up the tree?  Ours is up - we start decorating the week after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down?  Rob wants to take it down almost the day after Christmas.  I prefer to leave it until January 6.

5. Do you like eggnog?  Mmmmmmmmmmmm... YES!  Mine has to be soy, however..
 
6. Favorite gift received as a child?  More likely than not it was a Ginny doll or a Mme. Alexander doll.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?  Yes!  More than one!

8. Hardest person to buy for?  My husband, Rob.  If we have the $$ he pretty much buys it when he wants it.

9. Easiest person to buy for?  Our friend Hank - he's going nautical this year.

10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards?  I have a few people we will send cards snail mail to - maybe 20 or so.  Some others I will send e-mail because I don't have an address for them.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?  My Auntie Merrie cameto our house to bring gifts. My older sisters got really cool stuff - then Auntie Merrie handed me a small but beautifully wrapped gift.  I couldn't have been more than 6 or 7 years old.  I ripped the paper off and opened the box to reveal a bow-tie!!
 
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?  Mine is "A Christmas Carol"  new or old. color or black and white, it doesn't matter.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?  I start thinking about it in October, buy some in November and buy the rest right up until Christmas Eve.
 
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?  No I haven't

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?  Turkey or Roast beef, mince pie with hard sauce, pumpkin roll, veggies with onion sauce, rolls with real butter, eggnog, I could go on forever . . .

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? The more colors, the better

17. Favorite Christmas song(s)?  "The Carol of the Bells"  "O Holy Night"   "Angels We Have Heard on High"

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?  Definitely stay home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?  "On Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, on Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blitzen!"... and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer (copied from Val.  I could only remember three + Rudolph.)
 
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?  We have a star on our tree, but I prefer an angel.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?  Christmas Day.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?  Lack of courtesy.  It seems like everyone is focused on themselves and will walk over you to get what they want.  I have to use an electric cart and people just don't see me.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?  I like the ornaments to reflect who we are.  Rob collects nutcrackers - we have a ton of them.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?  Food, glorious food, hot sausage and mustard.

25. Do you have Jesus in your heart this Christmas? Absolutely positively!

Thanks, Val.  This was fun to do.  Blessings in Christ,  Penny