Jo's Advent Calendar

We are so lucky to have a blogging friend who keeps us busy throughout the year with Blog Hops. Of course I am talking about Jo and the 2018 advent Calendar Blog Hop. I am day #8

Meet Angel Noell from Brooks Books. I love the patterns...they are on perforated paper and fun to do. I made a few changes: I added beads to the wreath and omitted the hair decoration. I used feathers for her wings. I also added specialty fiber to fluff up her stole. When Christmastime is over she hangs around in my bedroom. 

Each blog hop Jo has a question for us to answer. This year she wants to know what our favorite Christmas Carol is. This for me is a hard question, let me explain. Through the years my favorite carol have changed. When I was a child of course it was those Jingle Bells and Frosty songs. Then as a young girl "in love" with her soldier boyfriends (during the 60s and before Mr Horton) it was I'll Be Home for Christmas type. Then one day after leaving a hospital in Boston where my dad was for end stage cancer, Dennis and I stopped at the Chestnut Hill Mall to spend some time after a trying few hours. As we entered it happened to be the Christmas department of a store and ( for your listening pleasure click here)The Carol of the Bells was playing by George Winston. My heart immediately responded with a calm and soothing feeling. I had heard it before but this time it felt like it was playing just for me. 

The original folk story related in the song was associated with the coming New Year, which, in pre-Christian Ukraine, was celebrated with the coming of spring in April. The original Ukrainian title translates to "the generous one"^[4] or is perhaps derived from the Ukrainian word for bountiful (shchedryj),^[3] and tells a tale of a swallow flying into a household to proclaim the bountiful year that the family will have.

My dad passed on December 18, 1985 a few weeks after hearing this amazing carol as played by George Winston. So, although I love all Christmas music and play it all during the season, this is my uplifting song and yes it reminds me of the coming year and the promises new things to come.

Merry Christmas my friends and look forward to a New Year.

Rainy day bloom

Another day with rain... that started late the other evening and seems to be staying around. For the most time it is just lightly falling but the plants are sure loving it.

Remember that the Firecracker Bush was cut back....look at the blooms starting to appear. It may be December but that is what happens here in Arizona. It should fill out quite nicely this Spring now that it is thinned and dead branches have been removed. The Sweet Memory still has flowers but that will need a good trim in the Spring. In the meantime...

The Amaryllis has revealed that it is red and starting to open. There is another shoot lower on the stem that will hopefully grow to bloom around Christmas. The simple dowel support seems to be keeping it straight. This new idea of having the bulb in thick wax and not watering seems to be really working. I plan to try to plant it after it finishes flowering. Not that it has worked in the past, but who knows.
Earlier this morning I received a text with pictures from my friend Pam back in RI. She wanted me to see that she still puts the ornaments that I had made for her in the past on her tree..... including the two that Dennis had painted of the Grinch and one of Santa. It really warms my heart to know that she still hangs them on her tree and remembers our friendship.
Today will be a nice remain indoors out of the rain and nippy air and do.... not sure what but whatever I do or do not do,  it will be okay. I may do some tatting.... I am out of Denny's Angel's. The last one left here this past week.
Today is Pearl Harbor Day...77 years ago the phrase "A day of infamy" was started. As I have posted in the past, my dad was there on that fateful morning and was lucky to survive and return home at the end of the war.
Glad to have you stop by today. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship. Tomorrow Reindeer Food will be also flying to the special children on my list...still time of you need some with notes included. Just email me with child's name and address.

Christmas decorating and a gift arrived

Sometimes I sit and think and sometimes I wish I had just moseyed along. I miss having my Denny around and try to remember his words to me...… anyway, the phone rang the other evening and it was sis Lynowl worried about a package that was suppose to arrive for me around the 13th but now it was coming early!...it was arriving Tuesday by 9PM.  You see, sis can not have a package around and not open it immediately. I on the other hand can wait until the "time" …

Yesterday morning a phone call from Across the Courtyard from Robyn to tell me she could see a package left at the front door. There was no ringing of the door bell and this was early. I brought it in and texted sis to let her know it arrived. I opened the big box and this beautiful green silky bag appeared. No, I have not opened or peeked inside. Curious, yes, but I am patient.it sits prettily by the tree.
 I got to decorate again for someone else yesterday afternoon...Glenda. She asked me to add the ribbon (like my tree) to her tree. I was delighted. It was the first time since moving out here that I got to do this. I think I mentioned that I used to help decorate several homes each Christmas back in RI.

Wearing my Beaded Santa earrings, and juggling wire  was telling her that and  in RI I had a nice cobbler style apron to hold all my tools and before I knew it she appeared with this pretty apron...the very style I used to have and gave it to me. Not the I am doing more home decorating, but I will enjoy having it the next time I am juggling this and that while decorating. Her tree is pretty (already was) and some lights put around the other décor. It felt so nice to spread my decorating cheer once again. Today will be a quiet day. I have gathered all the ingredients to make Banana Nut bread and my crochet project will be finished.
Coffee has finished brewing and I think Eggo waffles would be good. Nice chatting with you today. Thank you for visiting and for your kind words. Thank you for your friendship.

A happy memory of Aunt Lucy

Brrr… another chilly morning here in Arizona. Our normal temps for this time of year are around 68 but it is only to be in the low 60s today. Guess I will have to wear long sleeves! I managed to wrap one gift to be mailed yesterday...I am really behind the schedule this year.  It is not for lack of spirit, just that I feel lazy this year. The cheerful spirit is all around me here.

Beside having a lovely violet and cactus in bloom, the Amaryllis is growing quickly....already is 6 inches higher than when I first posted. I will be looking for something to help support the shoot from toppling over. I think I have a solution …. at least I will try it later.
I have been busy crocheting a Christmas gift and rather enjoying it too. It has been a long time since I have had a hook in hand. It brings such fond memories to my mind which is a part of Christmas isn't it. Did I ever tell you about my learning to crochet? If not here it is; if so I still will share.
My Aunt Lucy (dad's aunt) taught me during the summer when I was just 8 years old. One morning she handed me a steel hook and a ball of kitchen twine. Aunt Lucy showed me how to make a chain stitch and told me to practice during the day. I loved it and by the end of the day that ball of twine became a very long chain. I handed it to her later that evening and she was impressed and I felt so proud. The very next day she handed me the hook and twine and during the day I would practice my chain . This went on every day. At the end of summer I asked her what was I going to make with all the chains. Aunt Lucy looked at me and said that there was nothing to make. I was puzzled as I had made a chain every day. Aunti then explained that I had learned well and my stitches were nearly perfect. Then she told me that each evening she would re-roll the ball of twine and hand it back to me the next day. I felt disappointed and she hugged me and said..... feel happy and proud that you learned to crochet and next year I could learn to make something. I went on to edging around handkerchiefs the next year and still have a few that I made all those years ago. Practice makes perfect for a happy childhood memory that is flooding me today. Happy too that you took time to visit. Thank you for the kind words and for your friendship.