Merry Christmas, One and All!

I had to sneak in here to wish all of my special Blogger friends a very, very merry Christmas. May your days be filled with great food, good memories, and loving fellowship. I hope everyone gets a chance to hold their loved ones near. To those that are faraway, I hope you get a chance to speak to them during this season. I want all of us to have the opportunity to share blessings with those in need of hope and blessings. Keep those that ensure we have a safe and peaceful Christmas in our hearts and minds. Let's say a prayer for those who have lost loved ones this year. And please remember the reason for the season!

Have a prosperous New Year!

Morning Chat

I'm caught up on my Christmas to-do list. I'm taking a slight break before the chaos of Christmas travel and my usual end of the year melt down begins. I have a cup of coffee and a piece of Mounds dark chocolate coconut candy so I'm all set to sit down for a visit with my favorite Bloggers.

I haven't thought of any particular topic for this morning's chat. But when have you known me to write about anything other than what's rattling around in my head at the moment? Which brings me to my next question? To those of you who have hit the phenominal stage of "late" mid-life; do you often feel like you've been crowned the world's NUMBER 1 airhead? For those of you who may not understand what I'm talking about, let me explain. I feel like half my brain has left the building and the other half doesn't know whether to stay or join it's counter part. And my face?  Forget about it! It never saves me any shred of dignity. It melts into a look of, "Duuuhhhh! this woman has checked out!" But the few times that I feel as if I had made a valid, intelligent remark, everyone else was looking at me with one of those "Wow! Are you for Real" stares and glares. The wise thing at this time of life would be to become the silent type. Nod my head when spoken to. Remain quiet and aloof. Appear mysterious and intelligent.~~~~~Yes, that would be very wise!~~~~~But highly unlikely to happen in my situation. In the last 4 or 5 years, I talk, talk, talk and then I talk some more. I bet there were 2 or 3 women that just popped into your mind. You know the ones. The one you see walking your direction in a grocery store or department store. Before she sees you, you make a mad dash down a side aisle to avoid her....not caring about how many people you knock down along the way. Yes, I would be one of the older ladies you would be running from. Chatty, God love her, has become immuned. She loves me so much, she is willing to risk embarrassment. She is still willing to go out in public with me. Although, I suspect she has forewarned people she knows rather well to brace themselves for anything should they meet us out and about. To the rest of the public, she just smiles and shrugs her shoulders. I am blessed to have a daughter with a lot of patience and understanding.

Brain hop (warning: my brain has moved on to another random subject far removed from the last one)........

I'm in need of doilies. I've seen them in antique shops. The prices are outrageous. The ones that are reasonably priced are either badly discolored or stained. In my twenties and thirties, I didn't decorate with doilies because I thought they were out-dated. But now, I think doilies would be a cute touch to my living room furniture and the center of my dining room table. I don't know what kind of stitch you call it but I want the delicate crochet doilies not the thick knitted ones. I call the ones I want the spider web looking doilies. It's not the technical name. I know them when I see them. I also want cream color or taupe...(or whatever they are calling the off white color these days).

My grandma spent her free time crocheting and knitting. That was back in the day when TV watching was limited to an hour of the evening news. The rest of the evening was spent making what we call crafts these days. But to her, it was just a way of life. She had doilies on every table top and shelf she owned. She gave doilies to everyone in the family. I moved a few times when I was younger. During one of these moves, I misplaced the ones she gave me.  The rest were sold on auction at my grandparents' estate sale.  When I was pre-teen, my grandma tried to teach me to crochet and knit. I thought it was something that older women did in their spare time so I was not attentive. If I could go back, I would pay more attention to what she was trying to teach me. She quilted, too. What a silly child I was. That inattentive silliness caused me to be an untalented adult. There's so much that I could do to improve my wardrobe and home decor if I could sew, crochet, knit and quilt. I guess I'm never too old to learn. This winter when we're snowed in and I have nothing to do, I may try to teach myself to crochet. There is so much access to information on the internet. I'm sure I could find a "'How-To" site somewhere. I wonder if my remaining half of brain will stay focused enough to learn. If not, would any of you nice ladies be needing an extremely long crochet chain?

Gearing up for Christmas

Yes, the Chat House is getting in the Christmas spirit.

Come with me while I take you on a tour of what I've been up to.

Step up.

Come on in.

This is just something we threw together. I have a very nice nativity set. But we have a lot of little ones coming to the Chat house this year. I don't want too many little pieces sitting out. We have to be careful with those little ones, you know.

Next, we have some of the ornaments that are hanging on our tree. I would show you our tree. I have a picture of it on my camera. But it was taken sideways and without loading it onto my computer, I don't know how to flip it. I flipped it on FaceBook but I can't find a place to do it on Blogger. My computer is getting low on memory...whatever that means. I know it can't be good. I don't want to risk over stuffing it so I'm not taking any chances. You'll just have to look at a few of the ornaments that are hanging on my tree.

And here is my table.

I was going to use a different table setting because this set is missing a plate. But they belonged to my grandmother. I consider it an honor to display them at Christmas.

For a couple of years, my employer gave me sets of Stemware for Christmas. I think this set goes quite well with my table setting, don't you? And I found the cutest napkins to match!!

Even though I can't show you my big tree, I'll show you my table top tree.

Well, that's all I've done so far. I may or may not add more. It just depends on if another wave of creativity hits me.

My town is not doing a holiday home tour this year, so I hope you will be sharing your Christmas decorating pictures.

News from Chatville

Good Morning, my fellow bloggers! Wait a moment while I dust off the cobwebs. It's been awhile since my last visit.

How's your December going so far? Are you knee deep into Christmas preparations? I have all of my Christmas shopping done, wrapped and waiting for the tree to be put up. That will be done this weekend. I was going to shoot for today or Saturday but that looks to be out of the question due to a lot of family to-do stuff. But it's fun to-do stuff so I don't mind procrastinating about the tree or holiday decorating. As it is every year, the tree will be put up soon and taken down (hopefully Jan.1 or Jan. 2). I don't mean to sound like a scrooge, but about 4 weeks of tree domination is all I can stand. I don't know how those of you who put up more than one tree in your house do it. But kudos to you!! I don't have that much motivation. Maybe one day the whole holiday bonanza will happen at my house. But for now, I have small children that visit who just love to play with ornaments and any decor they can get their hands on. But I love to go to other houses and look at the creativity and holiday splendor. So go on with your creative selves...but don't forget to invite me over for a look-see.

Tonight we're going to a wonderful display of village lights. I haven't been there since my daughter was a tot. We're all looking forward to it. (It never hurts to let the kid in you come out). Then tonight our oldest granddaughter will be playing in a basketball tournament. Yes, I said granddaughter (earlier statement of "kid coming out in me" slowly vanished as I made THAT remark). I have to take a small pause to brag on this kid. Have you ever met a child that can naturally do anything she sets her mind to? That's this child. She's highly competitive. No matter if it's something physical or something as simple as a board game. She sticks with determination until she has it mastered. She's small and wiry. I really enjoy watching her play basketball. She's in and out with the ball before anyone knows she's there. Am I ashamed of myself for bragging?....No, not at all!! You see, she's my step-grandchild. I have nothing to do with her greatness, talent or skill. Therefore, shamelessly brag I will.

Tomorrow night, we will "Walk through Bethlehem". This is something a church in Chatville does every year. It's amazing. They have everything set up in the time of Jesus' birth. Everyone stays in character. You are assigned to a Family tribe. While you wait for other "Families" to finish their journey, you can mill around the pottery and jewelry making market. There are people actually making pottery and jewelry. Children are allowed to make their own bracelets.When your Tribal name is called, you meet the leader of your family tribe at the entrance of the journey. You are then taken outside. The mission is to go with your family to pay your yearly taxes. The path winds around and is realistically staged. You are taken though a market where you can sample cheese, grapes and other goodies. The leader encourages everyone to taste but not to tarry "for we must not be late to pay our family taxes". He then warns us not to talk to the beggars along the way. The path is set up with small tents, huts and outside fires to warm by. There are real animals. Did I mention they have real camels? I told you they make it authentic. Along the way, horse mounted Roman soldier persecute and taunt the Jewish families. (yes, the horses are real). Before we go in to pay taxes, we run into the three wise men who tell us of the Messiah's coming birth. After paying taxes, our family decides to continue the journey to find the Messiah. We stop at an inn to seek shelter for the night. They tell us they have no room. They were so sorry. They explain that because of the large crowd that is in town to pay taxes there is no vacancy in town. Earlier, they were forced to turn away a man and his very expectant wife. Our leader tells them the news the wise men shared with us earlier. We all wonder if this could be the people we are searching for. We leave the Inn. We stop at another roadside fire. A man comes out of his hut and tells us many wonderful things he's been hearing that night. Then up in the sky an angel appears and tells us of the birth. Two more angels appear and sing. We then find a stable to perhaps take take shelter for the night. As soon as we enter, we hear singing. We see Joseph with Mary holding Baby Jesus. The Pastor and his wife say a small blessing and invite us to walk to the church building where the ladies have hot chocolate, coffee and homemade cookies waiting for us. For me, this event ushers in the real meaning and spirit of Christmas. We're meeting my husband's niece and her children. This is their first time to experience this event. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces as they take it all in.

I would like to take a moment to send a prayer to a mother and fellow blogger who suffered such a tragic loss this year:

Lord God, source and destiny of our lives, in Your loving providence You gave this boy to grow in wisdom, age, and grace. Now You have called him to Yourself. We grieve over the loss of one so young and struggle to understand Your purpose. Draw him to Yourself and give him full stature in Christ. May he stand with all the angels and saints, who know Your love and praise Your saving will. Amen.

To my knowledge, this woman does not read my blog. But she and her family have been through so much. Her blog and her son's journey through this life have touched so many, many hearts. As a human, woman and mother; I send warm compassionate prayers and thoughts her way during this emotional season.

To the rest of you I wish a blessed Christmas season. Let us hug our loved ones tightly and never take for granted the blessings we have today.

A MUST Read!

I suggest you all buy a copy (or lend a copy to someone else if you have it) of the newly released "Heaven is for Real". Here is the link:

http://www.heavenisforreal.net/

Lesson Learned

I was in such a funk for awhile.  I've never been one to be moody or depressed. So I couldn't fully comprehend what was going on with me. Over the last couple of years, I have survived 2 audits for two different companies. Both audits were completed and closed quite some time ago. The outcome was good for both of them. But I suppose that's what threw me into a gloom and doom mode for months afterward. I had such a forebode feeling that I couldn't seem to shake. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. In fact, I insisted on looking for something to worry and fret about. I dug through paper after paper. It was unreal. I was in such deep concentration trying to piece this thought with the last thought that communication with me was nearly impossible. I could see myself over obsessing and not letting go. But for the life of me, I couldn't stop. Whenever I had concrete proof everything was fine on one thing, I'd dream up something else to have the "What ifs" about. Stress, stress, stress!!!! It was horrible.

Chatty works for a very small company. Her boss is retiring from her company and moving his tax office to another location. In the process, he is taking another co-worker with him. Chatty tends to closely bond with people. So losing a co-worker and confidante has been very hard on her. Not knowing what her new boss will be like and possible company policy changes has also had her stressing. She tends to hold everything in and not talk to people about her worries and concerns. I could see it was wearing on her nerves and her health. So being the good mom that I am, I started talking to her about how stress can create major health issues. I told her there were no problems that could not be resolved in a positive way. First, she needed to acknowledge the sadness of not seeing her co-worker on a daily basis. Then I convinced her to express all of the frustration and emotional turmoil she has been bottling up for the past couple of months. That part was kind of exhausting.  We discussed every possible scenario. We prayed about it. After awhile, she made positive resolutions about certain negative situations that might arise. She looked like a huge weight had been lifted. I left her room shaking my head. All of that stress and panic over the unknown is utterly ridiculous and unnecessary.

Then it hit me!!! Like mother, like daughter. We were both being plagued by the same demon. That demon's name was "Panic". He was attacking in our vulnerable areas. He was causing constant worry when there was nothing to be worried about. When we could get away from him, he would come tapping on our shoulders and whispering in our ears. A little bit of worry and concern was not good enough, he would say, "You're forgetting about me. You need to pay closer attention to me."

Ah-ha.. Now I had him. I had finally identified him. I went straight to my room. I had a sit-down with my Heavenly Father like the one I had just had with my daughter. Oh what a relief!!! The Lord put all of my past concerns in a healthy perspective. I left my room panic-free. I, too, felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders.

Now I can be the crazy old woman everyone has come to know and love. I also learned a very valuable lesson. Less prayer time and less Bible study can make room for all kinds of demon varmints to plague a soul. I had been slipping in those areas. Without constant communication and firm faith in the Lord, the world is a VERY scary place.

A Great Finish to a Rocky Start.

After subjecting you to the rantings of a chocolate-deprived lunatic, I thought I would change things up a bit and share something fun.

This afternoon I attended my niece's bridal shower. It was not your ordinary bridal shower, either. This one had a theme. Chatty and two of my nieces are very nostalgic. They love old music. They like most things from the 40s, 50s & 60s. They grew up talking to each other about old clothing fashions, old movies, old cars, etc. When my youngest niece started planning her wedding and asked Chatty to be her Maid of Honor, I suspected things would be a little different from the traditional showers and the usual wedding events. So it didn't surprise me when the Bride-to be's sisters and Chatty announced that they were giving the Bride a 1950s themed Bridal Shower. Chatty is making an album for her cousin that will be full of pictures of every event leading up to the wedding. She left me in charge of her camera for taking pictures of the bridal shower. I was so busy taking pictures with her camera that I didn't have a chance to take many pictures with my camera. But I will pick a few of what I have and share with you.

                                               Chatty applying the Bride-to-be's make-up

                                                The Maid of Honor and the Brides' Maids

                                                                        The Cake

                                                 The Bride-to-Be and her Maid of Honor

                                                     The 50s Diner the girls created

                                                             The Groom's mother

                                                                     The girls again

                                                    My sweet mom. Grandmother of the Bride

                                                   Yes, I had to get my 2 cents in, too.

And last, but certainly not least, this is a prize that I won.. I answered the most questions correctly on one of the games. I got to choose my gift. Of course I picked the Movie Night gift. It has a movie, popcorn, a Coke, a box of some kind of gummy fruit....AND 2 boxes of chocolate. You can rest assured that I won't be having another  melt down tomorrow morning! I won another game, too. I was gracious enough to donate that gift to the bride-to-be....but I refuse to give up my chocolate!!!!