I'm off to finish my au gratins'.
Happy New Year!!!!
Oops, My Bad
For some reason, the first contest that I decided to hold on my blog went a bit wrong, and it's all on my part (and yes, watch for more, I think it's a fun idea and I look forward to giving away more prizes). Anyway, the tie that I mentioned in my previous post was incorrect. Katie, you and Stef tied. But don't worry, I'm sending the three of you each a little something because it was my mistake. Just chalk it up to my dementia. :)
I'm off to finish my au gratins'.
Happy New Year!!!!
I'm off to finish my au gratins'.
Happy New Year!!!!
We Have a Tie
We have a tie. . .the winners are Stef and Roxane. I might point out that they were the only two to play my little game, but they were both correct. Anyway, watch you're mailboxes, ladies!
"Where do I begin? About a love so sweet la la la la la, where do I start?" If you can't tell, I'm in a musical sort of mood today. I was hammering away on the piano earlier and came across the sheet music for the theme song of "Love Story". Kinda makes me want to watch it again.
Anyway, we had a blessed Christmas. Due to the weather, my Dad couldn't make it (I imagine many of you were stuck or had family stranded in one place or another) but he and Maddie are on the way I as type. I can't wait to see him - as usual, it's been too long. I'm sure Maddie is getting so big! It will be a circus around here with a large puppy, crazy Rudy and cranky Nala. My guess is that the cat will find his hiding spot and we won't see him for a few days.
We spent Christmas Eve with my family on Craig's side. It was a fun-filled day and night. The boys had a blast helping Aunt Amy pass out the presents, which is tradition. I think she's been the present passer-outer since before she could read. It truly was a fantastic day.
The Lovejoy's were stuck in town for Christmas so they honored us with their presence for Christmas dinner and conversation. Their daughter, Mariana, and Murray played until they were exhausted (little Mari is a smart one; Wade and Kristine have a run for their money). Maggie entertained us all just by being herself. She's so funny and charming and all around wonderful. I'm so lucky that she's my sister. Thanks, sis, for not sharing your reasons for not eating pork. I'll remember to make you something else from now on!
The rest of our holiday included blowing snow, shoveling, clearing sewer vents, and more blowing snow. Sheesh! This one will definitely go down in the books for the whitest Christmas ever.
The best part of the whole time for me was feeling Christ's presence in my heart. For the first time in a long, long time, I truly knew (and still know) that He is with us always. What a wonderful feeling!
I'm off to prepare for Dad's arrival. I can't wait to have us all together again.
Most likely, my next post will be in 2010, so I pray that the rest of your 2009 is beautiful.
Have a safe and happy New Year.
"Where do I begin? About a love so sweet la la la la la, where do I start?" If you can't tell, I'm in a musical sort of mood today. I was hammering away on the piano earlier and came across the sheet music for the theme song of "Love Story". Kinda makes me want to watch it again.
Anyway, we had a blessed Christmas. Due to the weather, my Dad couldn't make it (I imagine many of you were stuck or had family stranded in one place or another) but he and Maddie are on the way I as type. I can't wait to see him - as usual, it's been too long. I'm sure Maddie is getting so big! It will be a circus around here with a large puppy, crazy Rudy and cranky Nala. My guess is that the cat will find his hiding spot and we won't see him for a few days.
We spent Christmas Eve with my family on Craig's side. It was a fun-filled day and night. The boys had a blast helping Aunt Amy pass out the presents, which is tradition. I think she's been the present passer-outer since before she could read. It truly was a fantastic day.
The Lovejoy's were stuck in town for Christmas so they honored us with their presence for Christmas dinner and conversation. Their daughter, Mariana, and Murray played until they were exhausted (little Mari is a smart one; Wade and Kristine have a run for their money). Maggie entertained us all just by being herself. She's so funny and charming and all around wonderful. I'm so lucky that she's my sister. Thanks, sis, for not sharing your reasons for not eating pork. I'll remember to make you something else from now on!
The rest of our holiday included blowing snow, shoveling, clearing sewer vents, and more blowing snow. Sheesh! This one will definitely go down in the books for the whitest Christmas ever.
The best part of the whole time for me was feeling Christ's presence in my heart. For the first time in a long, long time, I truly knew (and still know) that He is with us always. What a wonderful feeling!
I'm off to prepare for Dad's arrival. I can't wait to have us all together again.
Most likely, my next post will be in 2010, so I pray that the rest of your 2009 is beautiful.
Have a safe and happy New Year.
Supercalifragalisticexpealidoshous
Do you think I have the correct spelling of the title? The first person who posts a comment with the correct spelling will win a fun prize (for real!).
Too much to say, so many pictures and not enough time. Stay tuned; I promise a full post tomorrow (Wednesday).
God Bless,
M
Too much to say, so many pictures and not enough time. Stay tuned; I promise a full post tomorrow (Wednesday).
God Bless,
M
A Tribute to Lemmondrops
I've been putting off publishing this post, because I fear that it won't be as eloquent as it deserves and I don't want to sound maudlin. With that in mind, bear with me.
Tomorrow will mark the death of our blogger friend, Emilie Lemmons. She passed away last Christmas Eve after a long battle with cancer. On earth she left her two young sons; Daniel and Benjamin, her husband Stephen, friends, admirers and faithful readers. Emilie had many gifts; first and foremost, her role as a mother and wife. She also had the gift of expression. I so wish that I could have just a tiny bit of her talent. But what's most important (as our fellow friend Roxane , stated much more eloquently than I can) is that her children will know their mother by the honest and true words that she wrote, and of course, Stephen's memories. Although I never did have the chance to meet Emilie, she was a true inspiration. She helped me find passion; in motherhood, in writing, and most of all, the faith that I needed to find so much when my beloved mom passed away. From what I gather, Emilie was peaceful and humble; so much so that she never knew how very many lives she touched. She reminded me of my own late mom, who passed just one year before Em did. Emilie and I never did have the chance to meet but thanks to her, I found a wonderful friend, Roxane.
It may seem strange that I'm so enthralled with a woman that I have not met, but if you could spare a few moments, please read some of Emilie's posts. I promise that you will find yourself enthralled with a woman who loved her family, her life, and her writing.
God Bless, dear Emilie. We all miss you and know that you are at peace. Could you give my Mom a giant hug for me? I will return the favor if I ever get the chance to meet all three of your "boys".
Sometimes, there are days when you can write and write and talk and talk, but nothing eases the pain and sometimes, nothing makes sense. Today is one of those days. My prayer for all of you is that you have something or someone to be grateful for. I know that I am blessed with many!
Be safe in your travels this week, and Merry Christmas!
Tomorrow will mark the death of our blogger friend, Emilie Lemmons. She passed away last Christmas Eve after a long battle with cancer. On earth she left her two young sons; Daniel and Benjamin, her husband Stephen, friends, admirers and faithful readers. Emilie had many gifts; first and foremost, her role as a mother and wife. She also had the gift of expression. I so wish that I could have just a tiny bit of her talent. But what's most important (as our fellow friend Roxane , stated much more eloquently than I can) is that her children will know their mother by the honest and true words that she wrote, and of course, Stephen's memories. Although I never did have the chance to meet Emilie, she was a true inspiration. She helped me find passion; in motherhood, in writing, and most of all, the faith that I needed to find so much when my beloved mom passed away. From what I gather, Emilie was peaceful and humble; so much so that she never knew how very many lives she touched. She reminded me of my own late mom, who passed just one year before Em did. Emilie and I never did have the chance to meet but thanks to her, I found a wonderful friend, Roxane.
It may seem strange that I'm so enthralled with a woman that I have not met, but if you could spare a few moments, please read some of Emilie's posts. I promise that you will find yourself enthralled with a woman who loved her family, her life, and her writing.
God Bless, dear Emilie. We all miss you and know that you are at peace. Could you give my Mom a giant hug for me? I will return the favor if I ever get the chance to meet all three of your "boys".
Sometimes, there are days when you can write and write and talk and talk, but nothing eases the pain and sometimes, nothing makes sense. Today is one of those days. My prayer for all of you is that you have something or someone to be grateful for. I know that I am blessed with many!
Be safe in your travels this week, and Merry Christmas!
The Reason For the Season
We celebrated another "first" on Saturday. Murray received hockey skates for his birthday. The weather was beautiful and the pond behind the Beckerleg's had a shimmery, clean sheet of ice. Craig and I were prepared for the fact that Murray would be scared, even to put on the skates, but as soon as we began to lace them up he was thrilled. He kept repeating, "skate, hockey, ice skate, hockey" and when we finally put him on the ice he was in his own version of heaven. Of course he's in need of a lot of help (one person on each side) but even when he took his first fall he just giggled and got right back on the horse, so to speak. When we explained that it was time for a break and took him in the house, he cried, so Craig trudged back out and let him practice. We are thrilled that he enjoyed it so much. I suppose it's time to start saving our pennies - I wonder if Moorhead Youth Hockey has a lay-away plan? I did take a ton of video, but I can't seem to get it to download. I'll keep trying.
As we prepare for the wrap-up of advent and the celebration of Christ's birth, I've noticed a pretty awesome change in myself these days. This year I've spent more time reflecting upon our blessings, asking questions and learning more about our faith, and pondering the wondrous gifts we received when Christ died on the cross for us. Tonight will be the first time I attend reconciliation in 5 years. I'm apprehensive, but I love the feeling of being cleansed and am so grateful that Jesus died so that we can be forgiven of sin. I pray that my faith journey will flourish in the days and weeks to come. I have to thank my friend Roxane for this gift of new-found faith; through her and her wisdom I've embraced Christ in ways I hadn't dreamed possible; of course I know that God gave us the gift of our friendship and for that, I am honored.
May you have a blessed Christmas filled with peace and joy!
As we prepare for the wrap-up of advent and the celebration of Christ's birth, I've noticed a pretty awesome change in myself these days. This year I've spent more time reflecting upon our blessings, asking questions and learning more about our faith, and pondering the wondrous gifts we received when Christ died on the cross for us. Tonight will be the first time I attend reconciliation in 5 years. I'm apprehensive, but I love the feeling of being cleansed and am so grateful that Jesus died so that we can be forgiven of sin. I pray that my faith journey will flourish in the days and weeks to come. I have to thank my friend Roxane for this gift of new-found faith; through her and her wisdom I've embraced Christ in ways I hadn't dreamed possible; of course I know that God gave us the gift of our friendship and for that, I am honored.
May you have a blessed Christmas filled with peace and joy!
Too Much Tragedy and TV
I'm on my way to pick up Murray early, but I had to post first.
First and foremost, I would like to request a prayer for babies and their loving parents.
A small bit about unemployment: it seems I've been bored for too long. My good friend informed me a few minutes ago that I need to set a schedule and stick to it. It works for him, so I'm going to attempt to act like I have to go to work tomorrow (plus I have an interview) and get on with my day. Instead of watching re-runs of "My Wife and Kids", "Full House" (which is completely cheesy and my guilty pleasure) and "Desperate Housewives" between loads of laundry, my plan is to get active again. When I'm not applying for jobs, I could volunteer or do something to help out a person or family in need. I want to get back to water aerobics as well.
This morning I woke to the sounds of one of the animals vomiting. Turned out to be Rudy, who has not been ill in his five years of existance. We're diligent about our vet check-ups, so I couldn't figure out what was happening. He was sick every half-hour from 2am to 6am. Every time I cleaned up the mess, he looked at me with those big brown eyes and you could just tell how embarrassed he felt. I called the emergency clinic at five am and after consultation they assured me that it was probably a diet issue. We are strict on their diet - 2 cups of Iams twice a day, so I surmised that he must have eaten something that wasn't dog food behind our backs. I held his food today until noon, and so far he hasn't been sick. I am so relived. I love our animals so very much, as you know.
I've discovered over the last year that there are so many hardships and devastation in the world. Our family has had several in the last month or more so today I pray that joy will come to those who have been afflicted by tragedy.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Peace to all.
Ree
P.S.Since I've written this post, I have set up a volunteer schedule that I'm quite thrilled about. More on this later.
First and foremost, I would like to request a prayer for babies and their loving parents.
A small bit about unemployment: it seems I've been bored for too long. My good friend informed me a few minutes ago that I need to set a schedule and stick to it. It works for him, so I'm going to attempt to act like I have to go to work tomorrow (plus I have an interview) and get on with my day. Instead of watching re-runs of "My Wife and Kids", "Full House" (which is completely cheesy and my guilty pleasure) and "Desperate Housewives" between loads of laundry, my plan is to get active again. When I'm not applying for jobs, I could volunteer or do something to help out a person or family in need. I want to get back to water aerobics as well.
This morning I woke to the sounds of one of the animals vomiting. Turned out to be Rudy, who has not been ill in his five years of existance. We're diligent about our vet check-ups, so I couldn't figure out what was happening. He was sick every half-hour from 2am to 6am. Every time I cleaned up the mess, he looked at me with those big brown eyes and you could just tell how embarrassed he felt. I called the emergency clinic at five am and after consultation they assured me that it was probably a diet issue. We are strict on their diet - 2 cups of Iams twice a day, so I surmised that he must have eaten something that wasn't dog food behind our backs. I held his food today until noon, and so far he hasn't been sick. I am so relived. I love our animals so very much, as you know.
I've discovered over the last year that there are so many hardships and devastation in the world. Our family has had several in the last month or more so today I pray that joy will come to those who have been afflicted by tragedy.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Peace to all.
Ree
P.S.Since I've written this post, I have set up a volunteer schedule that I'm quite thrilled about. More on this later.
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