Outdoor Wednesday

Good Morning to you.  So what is your weather like today?  Although this isn't a current photo, I love the contrast in the sky, snow and the trees.  If you were to gaze upon our Rockies this morning they would be totally covered with the white glistening stuff.  Such profound beauty.  Today has dawned bright and sunny, cold and crisp with frost on the ground but promises to warm up later today.
I want to ask you when you officially start decorating for Christmas?  When I was growing up my parents waited until the week of Christmas and I remember decorating the tree on Christmas eve.  Having said that though, one reason was because the left the tree up until mid-January.
For our family, we have always gotten a tree the day after Thanksgiving and started decorating immediately.  Now that we have a fake tree, which I fought getting but absolutely love, we decorate the entire house the day after Thanksgiving.  Forget those sales, I'd rather be home with Christmas carols playing and figuring out where to put all the decorations.  I do remember the first couple of years of being an empty nest and it wasn't much fun decorating without my girls but I think I've adjusted to it, plus I love having decorations that my grandkids love like my sled filled  with stuffed animals.  There are so many traditions we each have so I know I'll have lots to blog about in the coming days.
Stay warm but remember to give thanks.  I'm thankful that we have a home to decorate each year and that we have family and friends to celebrate with.  I am thankful that we celebrate the birth of our Savior.
Blessings,  Noreen

Tuesday Blessings to you~  Firstly, I want to say how thankful I am for so many of you concerned about my neck yesterday; I am blessed indeed!  I took it easy the whole day, applied a heating pad to it along with a topical lotion with menthol and just babied it.  I am pleased to say that I slept well last night and woke up a 100% better today.  Big hugs to each of you.
As I talked to a good friend yesterday about Thanksgiving, I mentioned I'd be making sweet Potatos and my friend, who lives in the south, wasn't familiar with how I make it.  So that got me to thinking about all of us and the different dishes that each region has.  I thought it might be fun to share those favorite dishes for holiday meals-here in the States Thanksgiving, in Canada your Thanksgiving is at a different time, and those around the world.  So share with us what your favorite dish is and why.
For Thanksgiving my favorite part of the meal was always Yams/Sweet Potato casserole.  It differs from Sweet Potato pie as I know you'all have in the south.  My mom always got canned sweet Potatoes and mashed them up, added brown sugar and butter.  My recipe is just a tad different and I've adapted it from my sister's recipe that she faithfully always brought for Thanksgiving.  I do mash up the yams but I add fresh apple bits and any/all dried fruit I can think of-especially apricots.  I believe my sister would add a touch of maple syrup or pineapple juice and I add just a touch of maple syrup.  I bake it for about 25 minutes at 350 and then for the last 5 minutes I add mini marshmallows on top and broil those to get them nice and brown. You have to watch them though that they don't turn too crisp.  The marshmallows actually melt and this dish is so yummy.  I am not a huge mashed potato fan so give me this dish and I'm content.
The other thing we always had was Mincemeat pie in addition to Pumpkin pie.  My brother loves Apricot pie so often there might be Apricot for him.  So that is my Thanksgiving traditions; I will be taking Green Beans to our daughters as well as some Sweet Potatoes.
How about you?
Today I'm thankful to be back to normal and for sunshine.
Blessings my friends,
Noreen

Morning Tweets,  So hope you had a wonderful weekend filled with lots of love.  We had a very relaxed one filled with crafts.  Hubby and the two grandsons started building model planes(wooden)last year but it was a bit tough for the little guys to do so dear hubby brought them home a while back to work on.  He spent a good part of the weekend working on them while I started working on some Christmas ornaments.  I did find that the ornaments are extremely small and since they aren't paper pieced it was very difficult to do.
I plan to double their size so that sewing them will be easier. 
The last couple of days my neck has been a bit stiff, probably because one night I tried a different pillow~I know pretty lame.  Last night I ended up having spasms all night long every time I moved.  I would even try to adjust my arm or leg and my muscle would cramp up.  Today I took a hot shower and it is a bit better but still stiff so I think I'll just stay in where it's warm and take it easy.  We had a light dusting of snow on the ground this morning so it is a perfect day to be inside.  I do hate it when I just have to rest, seems to me that I'm just wasting time.  I've never had neck spasms before and they sure reminded me of charlie-horses you get in your calf.  But in all this, I realize how much worse it could be and I'm thankful for being retired and able to stay at home.  I'm thankful that this to will pass.  I'm thankful for winter weather which makes staying inside more acceptable.  I'm thankful for our technology that will allow me time on the internet, visiting you all.
I am thankful to be alive for such a time as this and for God's great mercy on this gal.  I am thankful that He knows my frame and temperament and gives grace for the moment.  Hard to believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  How about you, what are you thankful for today?
Blessings, Noreen

Sunday Blessings to you.

Nuggets for today, from Jesus Calling:
"Bask in the luxury of being fully understood and unconditionally loved.  Dare to see yourself as I see you: radiant in My righteousness, cleansed by My blood.  I view you as the one I created you to be, the one you will be in actuality when heaven becomes your home.  It is My Life within you that is changing you from glory to glory. Rejoice in this mysterious miracle!  Thank Me continually for the amazing gift of My Spirit within you.
Try to depend on the help of the Spirit as you go through this day of life.  Pause briefly from time to time so you can consult with this Holy One inside you.  He will not force you to do His bidding, but He will guide you as you give Him space in your life.  Walk along this wondrous way of collaboration with My Spirit."

As we go through each of hour of the day, with all the difficulties we encounter, let us turn our eyes upon Jesus and thank Him that He has promised to meet every need.  In times of duress, let us call upon His Spirit to help us and to reject those thoughts that we are alone. 
Abundant grace to you,
Noreen

Winter Wonderland

Happy Friday Friends,  It is hard to believe that our long and beautiful Autumn has come to an end and winter is here.  Don't get me wrong I love the white stuff, especially when I can just stay in and enjoy it from the windows.  I will admit though that yesterday's snow looked especially beautiful as I was driving to my study.  Fresh snow on the trees is simply breath taking!  By noon it had stopped snowing and being that it was such a wet snow the roads were clear.  This photo isn't very good but it gives you the idea.
Today is relaxed but I did find out our oldest daughter and three of her kiddos have the stomach flu; hopefully the rest of the family won't catch it.  I plan to make up a big pot of chicken & rice soup to take up later, for the weekend or when they are up to eating just a little.  We also have a Scholastic Book Fair in town and I hope to go find some books for the grands Christmas stockings.  This weekend I hope to begin making quilt-ornaments for our December tea party.  I will leave some for the little girls to do, but I will tackle the cutting and most of the stitching; I would love to get those done.
I am thankful for this new season and the promises & hope that it will be a dryer winter than last year.
I am thankful for the many, many blessings the Lord has showered on us.
I am thankful that we didn't catch that flu bug and the ability to cook for our children and grandchildren.
I am thankful for my dear hubby and the man he is.
I am thankful for the friend who tutored me in quilting when I lived next door. 
I am thankful for all that I have learned in the Beth Moore study on the Fruit of the Spirit.
I am thankful for the Lords redeeming love.
How about you?  What are you thankful for this day?
Weekend blessings,  Noreen

Greetings friends,  More than half the day is gone and I'm just now sitting down to try to post this Thankful Thursday.  Firstly, I want to thank all our family and friends who have served our great country.  I salute you and truly say thank you. 
This is the Autumn quilt I just finished; I think it is my favorite and I am going to be using it until the first of December.  I love the colors and richness and it is hard to believe it was the easiest quilt I've ever made.
We woke up to several inches of snow this morning; it was wet so made traveling to my ladies study relatively easy.  The study was incredible as always; I think Beth's lessons touch each of us regardless of what circumstances we are in.  After the study, we met at our leaders house for a simple salad lunch and fellowship; such deep and loving bonds we've formed and before you knew it two and a half hours had passed and it was time to depart.  This group and study have blessed me so much; I am thankful that the Lord uses Beth's studies to touch the lives of many. 
The rest of the day should be relatively quiet and relaxed.  I am looking ahead to our family girls tea party in December and will have to begin making ornaments for all the grands. 
I hope you are staying warm, inside and out, and resting in the blessings He bestows.
Hugs, Noreen 

Happy Wednesday to you.  Do you ever have days when you don't feel like you've got much to share? I sure do; so thought I'd let you know that the movie we saw yesterday was called RED and it was quite good.  Definitely a guys movie and if you gals need to take your man to the movies you would probably enjoy this too.
A bit of a comedy but also some good acting.  When we entered the theater it was raining and when we came out the ground was dry but the temp. had dropped.  We went to dinner at Outback and enjoyed ourselves; a good date.  Later, I happened to be talking to one of our girls and she told me it had snowed for an hour but the snow melted the minute it hit the ground-we had no idea.  Today I'm making binding for my quilt and will hopefully get it on; I love the look of this quilt and I think it will be one of my very favorites.  Hopefully I will be able to post photos tomorrow. 
Today I'm thankful for an afternoon when I can just stay in and quilt.  The snow is headed our way and tomorrow is supposed to be stormy.  I've got a luncheon after our study so I'm hoping the weather isn't too bad.
Blessings to you today!
Noreen