First Week of December Blessings

Yes, it is December!  The last month of 2024.  Another opportunity to slow down (if that is possible this month) and focus on being thankful for all the blessings in my life.  Thankfulness isn't just for November; it's for every month, every week, every day of every year.  That's why I join Friday Fave Fives each week to reflect on all the blessings of those past seven days. Here are mine for this week.

1.  In a week of rather cold weather, I am thankful for warm clothes, a warm house and a car with heated seats.  A few days this week our temperatures have not risen above freezing.  I am thankful that I have clothes to layer to keep warm.

2.  Every year our town has what is called Sights and Sounds of Christmas.  Attendees walk from one church to another in the downtown area, listen to orchestras, bell choirs, chorale choirs, organs and trumpets and violins play and sing Christmas songs.  This is the second year The Professor and I have attended.  The weather was so cold and windy that we considered not going this year.  But we decided to brave the frigid temperatures and we are glad we did.  We bundled up and it was okay.  And the music was wonderful!

3.  Knitting is coming along.  Currently I have twe,three,four  five projects on my needles.  Three more Christmas mittens are finished.  I love to knit and I am so thankful that I can still create so many things.

4.  Recently, I noticed a news article about a new local coffee shop/bakery in town.  So The Professor and I decided to check it out, which of course means that we had to stop in and order coffees and a fresh cinnamon roll.  It was a plus.  So it looks like T and S will be joining us there for coffee date soon.

5.  Christmas decorating is 'almost' done.  Some things like the nativity set that our son made when he was maybe 11 is set up.  The village that surrounds the train track (yes, it runs!) is arranged on a special table next to the tree. No, the tree is not decorated yet.  But Younger Daughter wants to come over and help with decorating it.  The Advent candle for the first week (Hope) has been lit.

Happy First Week of Advent!

December Wrapping Up

The fourth week of Advent happened.  PEACE.

And then so did Christmas!

Where did the time go?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  Was yours white?  Ours wasn't, but I have enjoyed the snowy photos my sister-in-law in Oregon has shared with me.

Now it is that week between Christmas and New Years when we pause, take a breath, and eat all the leftover cookies.

Third Friday in December

Happy Friday!  And Happy Fave Fives Day!  Christmas is fast approaching.  Are you ready?  I am pausing and taking a deep breath to focus my attention on the blessings of this past week.  Here are just Five.  (Friday Fave Fives link.)

1.   Third week of Advent.  Joy.

2.  An older missionary colleague asked me about photos I might have of the national missionaries we worked with in our tribal area.  She and her husband had been mentors and teachers to the Hatam pastors before sending them to the Moskona tribe where we were assigned a couple of years later.  I have scanned many of the photos and was able to send them on to her.  Here are three of the Hatam missionaries praying for a newly appointed Moskona church leader.  These men (Bahar, Pete, and Abner) were mentored and then passed on their learning to others.

3.  Browsing the pictures brought back so many wonderful memories-- my younger son and his friend Simson (the son of one of the Hatam missionaries).

Our first village, Meyokda

Wow, this picture brings back memories!  Our Christmas card!

Yes, we are sitting in front of a MAF helicopter--our only means of transportation in and out of our village.

4.  Christmas cards and letters have been arriving in the mailbox!  I love receiving and sending those greetings and updates.

5.  Is it true that it isn't really Christmas until you post a picture of your Christmas tree?  Just in case, here is our tree this year.  Just lights.  No ornaments.  We looked at the tree and decided we liked it the way it is.  (the fave?  super easy)

May you continue to have a JOYous December!

Second Friday of December

Friday Fave Fives coming to you from Willow's Week here at my cottage.

 1.  Second week of Advent.  Peace.

2.  I am recovering quickly from the surgery and no longer need to wear a bandage on my face.  AND the Harry Potter scar is uncovered and noticeable.  (This is the fun part:  "What happened?"  "Voldemort attacked me, but fortunately he was a terrible shot.")

3.  Warm home.  We have had some frigid days and nights this past week.  Every time I walk into the house, I think how blessed I am to have a warm and safe sanctuary.

4.  Cook stove.  On that same theme, I am thankful to be blessed with stove and oven to use for cooking and even heating water to make tea.  Sometimes, I take things like that for granted.

5.Availability.  One of my daughters has needed lots of driving help this week.  I am thankful we can provide that help.  We are healthy and capable to drive.  We have a car.  This is why we moved here.

This week it seems that most of my faves are 'mundane' items.   But maybe the best blessings are the mundane, the simple blessings of the week.

First Friday in December

It's December!  It's Advent!  It's almost Christmas!  It's also Friday and time for Friday Fave Fives with Susanne from Living To Tell the Story.  I love the stories we tell on Fridays--the blessings of the week. 

1.  Christmas stockings.  It may be preliminary to open our Christmas stockings the day after Thanksgiving, but since the New Mexico and Arizona families were leaving that afternoon, we decided we wanted the fun and atmosphere of Christmas to be the final fun for the week.  The children received snow globes, and the adults scored gift cards. 

2.  On Monday, I had a small bit of basal cell skin cancer removed from the bridge of my nose.  Don't panic or worry--it was small, the doctor removed it all, and this type of cancer is not aggressive.  People with light skin and blue eyes (me!) often have these spots removed.  Add to my genetic makeup the fact I spent a decade living at the equator and two decades living in sunny SoCal, I am a prime candidate.  Right now, I look like I was in a fist fight (but you should see the other guy!) and I may have a small Harry Potter style scar for awhile which greatly impressed the grandkids.

3.  Since my activity is limited for a week, The Professor has been taking fine care of me.

4.  Younger daughter has been changing the dressings on the wound.  Since she is in nursing school, this is right in her bailiwick.  Actually, it has been fun.  "Oh, the swelling is down."  "You are healing fast, Mom."  "The doctor did a great job with those stitches."  "How many times did you ice it today?"

5.  First Sunday of Advent.  I love celebrating Advent!  This week is HOPE.

Happy December!  Happy Advent!  HOPE!

Celebrating December

I always have such great intentions of posting more her at Willow's Cottage.  And then the week flies by and it's Friday again.  So here I am with the one tradition I manage to keep-- Friday Fave Fives with Susanne.  Click on the link to see what other people are thankful for and blessed with this week.  Here are mine:

1.  Between the rain storms, we managed to get in two great walks. Since Friday was #optoutside day, we chose to walk around Ventura Harbor.  Ocean. Sand. Seagulls. Boats.  Is there a better way to spend the day after Thanksgiving?

 harbor entrance

so many boats!

2.  Then on Monday, The Professor volunteered his time to light a concert.  So I spent the time he was hanging lights and doing whatever it is he does to create that amazing ambience to walk all around the perimeter of the university.  It's a beautiful campus, having been renovated from an old state hospital done in mission style architecture. (and only 1 mile from the Pacific Ocean!)

 a view of the campus from above on the hill with the water tank

looking east through the palm trees to the hills that surround the campus

3.  The concert!  Channel Islands Community Chorale which also includes students from the university sang two concerts on the weekend.  We attended both--Sunday afternoon and Monday evening.  The Professor wanted to hear the concert before he did the lighting.  I have friends who sing in the chorale, so it was a double blessing for me to hear them sing Mozart and Rachmaninoff as well as numerous contemporary composers.

4.  I love Christmas!  I've started doing a little bit of decorating.  First:  advent wreath and candles.  This week is Hope!

5.  We joined several people from a current and former Bible study group for a Christmas dinner.  A few years ago, the group was so large that we split in to two groups.  But we still get together for a holiday celebration every year.  It was great to see these long time friends again.

I think that December is mostly about celebrating.  Celebrating places and people and beauty.  And anticipating Christmas!

A Blessed Christmas!

God Bless Us One and All

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Herein is LOVE

not that we LOVE God

  but that He LOVED us.

Third Sunday of Advent

PEACE

Yesterday was the second Sunday of Advent.

PEACE

November Thankfulness #29

November 29th, Sunday
Today is the First Sunday of Advent.  Each Advent season, I create an Advent wreath.  With a one year old scheduled to join us for Christmas, I have been searching for ways to keep burning things out of her reach.  So the Advent candles are tiny this year and on the table (and easily moved to the kitchen bar).  I call it the Minimalist Advent Wreath.

Thankful for HOPE.

First Week of Advent

1. I admit to not yet being in the Christmas spirit. Because I'm not a shopper, the gift giving part of Christmas does not excite me.  However, our family tradition of drawing names and buying ONE gift for ONE person helps me generate a little bit of interest in that part of Christmas.  This month I'll be planning and purchasing a gift for my youngest girl.  Of course, The New Boy is exempt, but we'll be choosing a small gift that will fit in his suitcase and instead focusing on an activity to enjoy together during the days we'll be together.

2. However, I do love Christmas music!  As I am typing this, I am listening to Celtic Woman singing O Holy Night.

3.  Although there are no decorations inside the cottage yet, the December camellias have been decorating their bushes along the side of the front porch.

4.  The box of hats for the Chicago area food pantry kids' Christmas party was sent off just before Thanksgiving.  I heard this week that it had arrived--all twenty-six hats inside.

5.  Now I am knitting some Christmas projects.  No photos of those yet--obviously.  That would spoil the surprise.  I'll give you a hint, though.  They involve several balls of different colors of yarn and a knowledge of fair isle technique.

I shall light the second Advent candle this weekend, the candle that represents LOVE.  It follows the first candle, HOPE.  This week, among my offerings of gratitude through Friday Fave Five, I send my LOVE to all, friends and family, and my thanks to Susanne for hosting FFF every Friday.

Answers to the Pandora Dilemma

The Professor's comment on my previous post should provide illumination and instruction for the people who live in my universe.

Go to 'www.pandora.com and register using your email address. Once you are registered, you will be asked to, "Enter an artist, song or composer. We'll create a radio station featuring that music and more like it." The songs will play on your computer.

I've been listening to "Classical Christmas" and "Celtic Christmas" music this afternoon.

This evening, I am thankful for another safe, speedy and uneventful road trip through four Southern California counties.

And tonight I will light the first Advent candle.

A Thankful Month, Day Final

November has been a wonderful month of thanksgiving. I have thoroughly enjoyed focusing my blog posts on giving thanks. On this, the last day of November, I do not want to stop being thankful. It is said that it takes a month to develop a habit and I like to think that this month of intentional thanksgiving has jump-started a habit of gratitude in my thoughts and actions.

And so today, I am thankful that Rebecca started this focus on her blog and encouraged others to follow her example. I am also thankful for the source of all thankfulness, The One Who will be the focus of our thoughts in December, during Advent Season. We will light our first advent candle this evening.

O Emmanuel, Jesus Christ,

desire of every nation,

Savior of all peoples,

come and dwell among us.