Snow Days Are For Eating

 

The 4th or 5th flower arrangement!

Hi friends: I've been doing a whole lot of messing around today, rearranging my flowers for the umpteenth time this morning. This is the latest iteration of the arrangement since I started back around my birthday. I keep feeling like I'm getting new flowers each time I toss the dead stems and come up with a new look. 

Speaking of "messing around," that's what I've been doing a whole lot of today. It's supposedly a "snow day" today and many of the schools were either closed or on two-hour delays this morning. There hasn't been much snow at all. Just flurries or snow showers off and on. As you can see, there's nothing on the ground at our house. 

Nothing to see here-at least snow-wise!

I had already decided that today was going to be a stay-at-home day, so I have "looked" for things to do all day. Let's see, I made breakfast and then lunch for The Mr. and myself. Today's menu for lunch featured homemade vegetable soup with couscous added in the bowl. Days like today make me want to "munch" and I have been munching on carrot sticks, honey-oat bars and cookies. (Sigh) Yes, cookies...oh well. Two out of three isn't bad!

Why do snow days feel so different from regular days? I think of when I was a little kid and we actually had snow days off from school. Now, there are only possible delays and "virtual school" days, more's the pity. I feel sorry for kids today who don't have the pleasure of a true "snow day." Waking up to see snow on the ground, waiting by the radio (no television closings in those days) to see if your school district was closed and then hearing those magic words...."Wood County Schools are closed, " oh that was sweet to the ears!!

I was never the type of kid who wanted to play in the snow much. I might put on my coat, hat and gloves and walk around outside a little but I wasn't into building snowmen and such. I really didn't have anyone around my age to build a snowman with or throw snowballs at. But, I still looked forward to having snow days off from school. On those days I could spend time reading, watching favorite television shows, sleeping late and, yes, munching on my favorite snacks. Guess old habits die hard, right?!

Of course, not all snowfalls back then resulted in a snow-day off from school. I can well remember pretty heavy snowfall in which the schools stayed open and the bus drivers would put chains on the bus tires. I can still recall the sounds of the tires with those heavy chains ka-lugging through the snow and pulling up to the bus stop. It would be freezing outside and, sometimes, inside the bus. It was always wonderful to finally pull up to the school and exit the bus moving into the warmth of the classroom. Sometimes, you could smell lunch cooking from the cafeteria and the delicious smells of hot rolls, mashed potatoes and meat gravy would waft down the hallways. There was a feeling of being safe and sound, snug in the surroundings, that I think I still wish for on days like today.

As I have been composing this post, the snow has increased, blowing strongly against the window panes. The flakes are bigger and the fog has descended into the valley. It's looking as if the snow may decide to lay-on after all. 

Maybe, if that happens, there would be another snow-day tomorrow! A day for staying warm and cozy, munching on good foods, reading interesting books and day dreaming of snow days gone by!

******************************************************** 

Speaking of books, here's a peak at what I have been reading. 

I'm delving back into the "Cat Who" series by Lillian Jackson Braun. I find her books so entertaining and cozy. Just the perfect type of book to curl up with on a snow day. The antics of Koko and Yum Yum, the two Siamese cats who live with Jim Qwilleran and help him solve mysteries, are the perfect combination of cuteness and cat intelligence. 

I'm also giving Susan MacNeal another try with this book in the Maggie Hope series. This time, Maggie is traveling to Washington, DC soon after Pearl Harbor was attacked and is helping Eleanor Roosevelt out while also acting as Winston Churchill's typist. These books remind me of the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. However, I haven't been able to get into this series as much as I did the Maisie Dobbs series. I find that too many WWII books are not good for me to read. While the books are interesting historical fiction accounts, the subject matter can still be a bit traumatic. That's why the Cat Who series is lovely to sandwich in-between readings of these other heavier tales. 

Hope you are staying warm and dry, friends!  How do you handle cozy snow days?

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Winter Decor, Shackets and More

 Little Bits of This and That

Hello friends!  Today, in true "this and that" fashion, I'm sharing several things with you. I did do a little more winter decorating and thought you might enjoy and get some inspiration from what I have done. This is a favorite silly snowman that I leave out all year in our downstairs family room. I moved him up to the foyer to have pride of place on my little foyer table. There is an opening on the back for a tea candle to be inserted so I placed a flameless candle inside to light up prettily at night. I think the snowman's colors, big shoes and crazy hat are just hilarious and add the right touch of winter humor to the table!

Here's a glimpse of how the foyer table looks at night with the snowman glowing and the Amazing Grace lantern shining forth from the bottom tier. The foyer gives off such a warm glow when the lights shine forth. And you know that light is an important word to me this year!

To add a little winter to the front door, I decided to hang my ice crystal wreath that I fashioned a couple years ago. You know I love the blue and the ice crystals add just the perfect touch pinned to the styrofoam wreath. This was probably one of my easiest and most favorite crafts that I have created over the years!

And now, on to something entirely different. Have you jumped on the "shacket craze" yet?  I bought this shacket for myself, actually before my birthday, and then decided to delay gratification until Christmas. So, I wrapped it up for under the tree. I am so very happy I bought this for myself! It is extremely soft, warm and cozy and the blue/tan goes with several tops I own. I just love it. I had a shacket from years and years ago (probably the last time they were in style 20+ years ago and called something else!) and I had worn it to the point that the material had worn down to the nub and there were balding patches on the sleeves! I truly wore it out! So, I'm really happy to have this cross between and shirt and a jacket to wear once more. (Still not sure I can part with my old one, though! 🙄🥴)

On the day I took these pics I felt like adding some jewelry to the look. I'm wearing my silver disc earrings and the blue crystal butterfly necklace that my wonderful AIG friends gave me for a retirement gift.

You can see the necklace a little better in this pic. So pretty and I treasure it. 

In other news, here's a visitor we had at our back door the other day. He wanted to know if Cassie would like to come out and play. She decided to decline the offer. 

Yesterday, I woke up craving pancakes. I set to and whipped up a batch and I couldn't resist snapping a pic of how mouth watering they looked on the plate! They were delicious, if I do say so myself, and I enjoyed every bite. I use a Heart Healthy Bisquick mix and add milk rather than water. I also always add vanilla to the mix which I think creates a delicious flavor. Sometimes, I only use egg whites, which results in less fat/cholesterol as well as a thicker pancake. Yesterday, I added a whole egg, however.

The Mr. has done a good job keeping me in fresh flowers since my birthday. These were purchased for our 40th anniversary. They smell wonderful and are staying fresh for a long time. I still have some of my original birthday ones on the mantel. I just keep taking out the dead flowers and changing up vases and adding fresh water and some of the flowers go on and on. I do enjoy fresh flowers during the winter time when there are no pretty live flowers in my back porch planters. It cheers me up no end!

And finally, Garden says that since Cassie was in the bear picture that I need to put a picture of her in the post. So, here she is looking cute on our living room rug. You know how these clever cats are.....they both demand equal billing!!

And that's it for a little bit of this and that in my life right now. How about you? What's happening in your life that you would like to share? Any bears at your back door? Cats on your rug? How about pancakes for breakfast? Be sure to let me know about your "this and that" happenings in the comments. I can't wait to hear from you!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Welcoming the New Year and A New Word

 

Hello friends!  I certainly hope your new year is off to a great start! After saying that The Mr. and I would be spending New Year's Eve in our living room watching the ball drop I actually ended up going to bed and to sleep and slept right through midnight! How's that for an exciting evening? I'm still finding that I am pretty tired each day, with the aftermath of Covid, so I actually wasn't that surprised when I slept through welcoming the new year! We also had a lovely day celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday but, again, it was pretty low-key. The Mr. took a hike and then we went for a drive. We may do something more exciting later but we were both happy with our day and that's all that counts right? If you missed my last post about our wedding 40 years ago you can catch up here. 

I want to introduce you to my "word of the year" in today's post and I must tell you that I have gone round in circles trying to decide on this one. Several really good words have come to mind and I have gone back and forth before deciding that my word for 2023 is going to be "light." I finally decided on this word after reading and re-reading Psalm 27. 

"The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? "

I also have spent a lot of time thinking about this verse from I John 1:5

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. "

I just find that I am looking for ways to put light into my daily living (such as with candles and my little white light tree) and I am looking for where light is shining in my life and in the world around me. I want to really be on the lookout for the "lighter" things in life that bring me moments of happiness and joy. I want to notice when good things happen and not just dwell on the negative. Last year was a really tough year for me and for my family as a whole. Losing two beloved family members was hard. But, along the way there were also good things happening. Hope was a major part of last year (you may recall that hope was my word for 2022) and I continue to hope for positive things. But, I also want to be the light in all of the situations that occur in my life and to bring the light of Christ to the world around me. And, to recognize the light that Christ brings into my life on a daily basis. 

So, my word to focus on for 2023 is Light! I hope that you will take the time to read all of Psalm 27 and I John 1 for yourself. Remembering that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all is so important, I think in today's world. There is a lot of darkness around but God's light shines through all the darkness. I am going to work on keeping that uppermost in my heart this coming year. 

And here is my little white light tree that I typically put out each year after the Christmas tree comes down. I added a couple of my favorite little snowmen to create more of a winter vignette. This is the extent so far of my winter decorating. Time will tell if I add more or not. One of the words I kept pondering as a word for the year was "simplify." And I still think it is an important word for me to ponder. I think that simplifying life as much as possible is probably a good idea. I had "simplicity" as one of my words in both 2019 and 2020 and I didn't want to choose a similar word again. But, somehow, simplify seems different from simplicity. Perhaps I am splitting hairs here but simplify seems to be much more about just making life easier in all the ways we can. Sometimes, life just gets way too complicated whether it is with daily schedules, too many "things" to keep up with in the house, etc. So learning how to simplify life in general would be a wonderful way to also be able to see all of the "light" around us wouldn't it? And, it would make life a little lighter, as well. 

Lots of ideas to think about here in 2023! How about you? Have you chosen a word (or words) for the new year? And where in your world do you like to bring light or see light? Be sure to share in the comments, okay? I love hearing from you!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Happy New Year, Celebrations and More

 Welcome 2023

picture courtesy comfortspringstation.com

Hello friends!  Happy New Year to all of you.  I hope that you are well, happy and have been enjoying the Christmas season to the fullest. As my fur babies, Cassie and Garden, informed you in their Christmas post, I have had Covid for the last two weeks. I continue to recuperate and am doing well but find that coughing attacks still happen throughout the day and I need to rest frequently. From all I have read and heard this is completely normal. I am so grateful for prayers, support and love from my family, my church family, my friends and all of you, my dear readers. It has meant so very much! I am also so very grateful to have been fully vaccinated and boosted before catching Covid. I am certain that the vaccines have helped me to not have a worse case. Although Christmas Day was a bit of a downer, as I spent it in bed, I have truly enjoyed much of the Christmas holiday. I still have our lovely Christmas tree up and just love the colorful and bright lights. There are no big plans for New Year's Eve celebrations. The Mr. and I will spend it in our living room watching the ball drop. 

But guess what is happening on New Year's Day??????

We will be celebrating our 40th Wedding Anniversary!

Where on earth have the years gone?

It was fun to look back at our wedding photos and remember that day. The church is the one I grew up in and the members were kind in leaving their poinsettias on the altar for our New Year's wedding. The big advent wreath was still hanging above the altar and the nativity was on the altar table. See the brass quintet in the choir loft? Two of the players were our music teachers growing up. It was very special to have them play at our wedding. And my sister is at the organ while another sister was my matron of honor. The children are my nieces and nephews. The Mr.'s brother was his best man and two lifelong friends were the ushers. Our wedding was definitely a family/friend affair!

I love this stained glass window at the back of the church and I'm so glad our photographer shot this picture of us in silhouette against the stained glass. It's one of my favorite photos from our wedding day.

I love this saying that was on our wedding napkins. It is so very true that the more love is shared, the more it grows. 

It was a cold and cloudy January 1st in 1983 when we were married but we lucked out and had no snow! Here we are leaving the church in The Mr.'s Torino. We ended up having that car towed off the street about three months after we got married. But while it lasted it was a great car! It brought us to Asheville the very next day after our wedding and we began our married life together with many adventures to come! 

And here we are, 40 years later. And, yes, we're still having adventures!

The years go by so quickly. And, for many reasons, I'm kind of glad that this year is almost done. There have been too many sorrows this past year. But, I don't want life to speed by so quickly. I want to savor time, continue to enjoy being together with The Mr. and our fur babies and enjoy all the good things that life has to offer. There is so much to be grateful for. And I surely am thankful for celebrating 40 years of marriage to The Mr. on New Year's Day!

I hope you enjoy a wonderful New Year's and I will be back next week with some thoughts as 2023 gets started!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Cassie Cat Chat: The Christmas Fur Edition

 Pawsitively Ready For Christmas!

🎜🎝  "On the first day of Christmas my true cat gave to me....

🎝 "A dead mou-ouse under the tree...."

Garden, will you please stop singing that song?!  I'm trying to write a blog post for Love. 

Hey, can I help it if I'm in the Christmas spirit?! 

🎶Fa, la, la, la-la....la, la, lah.....lahhh.......

"You know you're not helping you little furball! Love has been sick and she asked me to write a post wishing all of her readers a Merry Christmas!"

Have you told her readers that Love has the pawronivirus?

Sigh...I was just getting to that. Get your four paws over here and help me find the keys. Wait, shove over, don't push me off the computer!

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Anyway, as Garden was just rudely interrupting me and blurted out, Love has been sick with what she thought was a cold but turned out to be Covid.

Yeah, and we've been working our poor paws off trying to take care of her. 

That's true. I've barely gotten a cat nap in since she got sick, there has been so much to do!

Making sure the pillows are fluffed on the bed...

Giving her medicine when she needs it.....

And singing to her!!  🎜  "I'm dreaming of a full catbox...."

Garden, stop playing around! I need to get this post finished up! Go check out the food dish. 

Anyway, we have been very busy these last few days. Love is doing much better but has to continue to get better until Christmas according to orders from her veterinarian. 

Mumbled crunching from a distance...."And tell them that Softie isn't sick!"

I was just about to say that, Garden. Paws crossed that we don't have to put Softie in the kennel and take him to the vet!

So, that's the news. We all hope you have a fun and festive Christmas! Please remember the true meaning of Christmas and all of the animals surrounding baby Jesus in the manger. They were among the first to see Him!

And remind them of all the fun Christmas Movies like,"The Pawler Express and Frawsty the Furman!"

I just did, Garden. Maybe we could end this post by singing a song together? 

Hold on,  I'm coming to sing with you...

🎜 "Dashing down the hall, paws flying this-a-way

       O'er the bed we jump, meowing all the day

      Knocking over Love's glass, interrupting her nap

      We're awfully glad she loves us lots 

      And puts up with our crap! "  🎜

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Love,

Cassie and Garden 

(And Love and Softie too!)

      

*Cassie and Garden story by Debbie Ross

*photos by Bill Ross and Debbie Ross

A Little Christmas Celebration

 

Hello friends!  Thought I would share some lovely pics from the home of my friend, Ruth Ann. She is so kind to host our women's gathering each year and her Christmas decor is just beautiful! 

Ruth Ann is such a gracious hostess and has a knack for setting a beautiful table for all of us and for placing Christmas decorations in just the right places.

Aren't these place settings lovely? And looking into the kitchen you can see the lights, greenery and ribbon that bring Christmas cheer. 

How clever is this window pane in green that is just perfect for holding small Christmas decorations? So cute! Sorry that I didn't take the picture straight!

Little touches like this red bow under the mirror add a festive touch, don't you think?

And here is her beautiful tree all decorated. I cannot tell you how good the fresh pine smelled. It makes me wish for a real tree instead of an artificial one!

Pockets of Christmas were everywhere. These carolers were handmade for her as a gift many years ago. Aren't they precious?

Family antiques hold holiday decor upstairs. 

And even the bathrooms hold fun Christmas figurines that add to the festive look throughout the house!

Here's a look at some of the women in my women's group. We consider ourselves sisters in Christ and our yearly Christmas celebration is always a time of joy for all of us. We missed two ladies who were not able to be with us this year. And two other members of our group were not there yet when I snapped this photo. The laughter we shared was special indeed! (And the food was delicious too!)

And on another note, here are some lovely flowers The Mr. picked out for me as a late birthday gift. I love the red and white together and have them prominently displayed on the mantel. That's the place I have found that keeps a certain little cat (Cassie!) from getting into them. They smell good too!

I'm feeling a bit bummed today because I feel like I am taking a cold. I'm hoping it will be short-lived. (My home Covid test was negative thank goodness.) I was sick over Christmas last year and I don't want to be sick again this year! I have lots of things I want to be doing and so prayers for a quick recovery are appreciated!

Hope you are well and enjoying all of the Christmas decorations, celebrations and gatherings. I am so thankful for my friends, sisters in Christ, family and special gatherings. 

"A friend loves at all times"

Proverbs 17:17

Until Next Time,

🎄

Debbie

Christmas Tablescape and A New Christmas Sweater

 

Hello everyone!  I thought you might enjoy seeing a Christmas tablescape today so I got creative. Red is always eye-popping for the holidays and this tablescape certainly does not disappoint when it comes to including red! The red ornament tree as a centerpiece is just gorgeous and cheerful!

The place setting features Better Homes and Gardens plates in the Barn pattern with red cloth napkins and red poinsettia placemats underneath. 

Don't these plates just portray a beautiful scene? I like the fact that they can be used not only for Christmas but all Winter long. 

And as I continue to spread Christmas cheer today, here's a peek at my new Christmas sweater. I don't think it qualifies as an "ugly Christmas sweater" at all.  I appreciate that it is blue and white and could be worn after Christmas as well as during. I'm enjoying it. I haven't picked out a new Christmas sweater in a long while so it was a fun find at Sam's Club this year. They may have some left if you are interested!

How are you spreading Christmas cheer right now? 

Until Next Time,

Debbie