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Happy New Year….

Jan2
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Happy New Year…

It is so hard to believe it is the year 2013. When people tell you that the older you get the faster time goes by they are sadly correct.

The Christmas tree has been taken down – the decorations have been packed away for another year and the memories a tucked safely into my heart to pull out whenever I need to smile.

So did you make a list of New Year’s resolutions? I did not – I don’t want to disappoint myself. There are some changes that I want to make but they are not necessarily things that I need to share. They are more things that I will work on changing to make myself happier.

I have started a sort of gratitude journal – I had read about it in an Oprah magazine. No groaning – I don’t usually put much stock in Oprah-isms but this one sort of hit me. She mentioned that she started to write down things – things that she was thankful for.

So I have started to do that – every day or two I write down something that I am thankful for – some days it is something as simple as the love I feel from my family – or the fact that the sun is shining. When you actually stop to think about your life you usually don’t have to think for too long to realize that you have something to be thankful for. So one of the resolutions that I will share, is to take the time to be thankful and to write it down to read another day.

Today I am thankful for the beautiful snowy view out my windows –IMG_2328

 

I am thankful for my warm, snuggy home –

Gracie

Gracie

I am thankful for the furry chocolate lab that is asleep on my feet. I am always thankful for my wonderful family.

Stop each day and think about what you are thankful for….however simple it may be.
Be thankful and be kind….

Faith

SNOW DAY…

Dec30

It started to snow yesterday around 4:00 and snowed until this morning.  This time it was just snow so it is the light fluffy snow.  I love to see the tree branches coated with the snow in the morning light.

Big Old Oak tree

Big Old Oak tree

I love the way the snow just sits on top of everything it lands on.

Front Light

Front Light

I love the snow before we walk in it, or plow it out of the way.  It looks so pristine and fresh. It is almost time to un-decorate the house.  I will do that tomorrow – I was talking about taking it down in bits and pieces but I know that will not happen.  Once I get started I will not stop until it is all packed up and put away for another 11 months.  I have promised myself to get started on my Christmas shopping and sewing much earlier in 2013.  It should be interesting to see if I actually do it.  It is not a resolution but it is something that I would like to accomplish.

Front Yard

Front Yard

I was thinking about going snowshoeing but the wind has really picked up and I really don’t like the feel of snow whipping into my face so I will probably wait until the winds die down a bit.

I have 2 loaves of honey Oatmeal Bread in the oven and it smells soooo good.  I am thinking of making some Clam Chowder to go with the soup for later.  I will get some sewing done and watch some football.  It will be a lazy day and that is good.  Homemade Bread and chowder, a fire in the fireplace and football on the TV.  Sounds like a plan to me.

Have a nice winter day!

Be Kind….

Faith

Walk on the Beach….

Dec28
Do I really want to go swimming today?

Do I really want to go swimming today?

On Christmas morning we went for a walk on the beach.  It was snowing alittle bit and it was cold but it was so refreshing and such a nice way to spend some family time together.  There were very few people on the beach so we took Gracie off of her leash.  She was one happy dog!  You could almost see her smiling.

Happy dog!

Happy dog!

When I saw Chuck take Gracie’s leash off the first thingI said was “I wonder how long it will be before she is in the water?”  I don’t think that I could have counted to ten before she was bee lining towards the water.

in she goes

in she goes

We had such a good time letting her run – and run she did!  She darted in and out of the water, she ran towards us like she was going to run right smack into us and then she would veer off.  This dog was Happy, Happy, Happy!  The perfect Christmas present for Gracie.

We are so blessed to live so close to the beach.  We can go for a walk by the ocean everyday.  Of course we need to dress a bit differently at this time of year but that is OK we love it.

Flotsam & jetsam & snow on the beach.

Flotsam & jetsam & snow on the beach.

We got a good amount of snow yesterday and hopefully we will go snowshoeing this weekend.  They are talking about another storm on Sunday.  I would love it if we got more snow.  Another walk on the beach might be on the TO DO list for this weekend.  In addition to taking all of the decorations down and cleaning the house.

Have a great day….if you live in an area where you have snow go for a walk in the brisk winter air.

Be Kind….

Faith

Post Christmas…

Dec27

At the present time there is a Nor-Easter raging outside.  It is an ever changing day here, one moment it is raining and the next it is snowing.  I do anticipate that we will lose power at some point in time because the winds are really howling.  It doesn’t seem to take much to make the power go out these days, and our area is always one of the areas that gets hit with power outages.  I am so glad that we had the generator installed.  No worries when the power goes out.  We have heat, hot water, some lights and my freezer and fridge have power so I don’t lose all of the food in my freezer, I can cook because I have a gas cooktop so we will be just fine.

I have family flying out of Albany, NY today – flight is delayed at this point.  Hopefully they will be able to get safely off the ground soon winging their way to sunny Florida.

Island Star for Charlotte

Island Star for Charlotte

This is a quilt that I made for Charlotte –it is a flannel quilt because Charlotte, like many of the young ladies in our family, is always cold.  It is named Island Star.  The pattern is from a book written by M’Liss Rae Hawley called More Fat Quarter Quilts.

Island Star Blocks

Island Star Blocks

I didn’t use fat quarters but I did use leftovers and some scraps.  I love making flannel quilts but you have to be careful not to use a pattern with too many small pieces.  It is hard to get your points sharp when you are using flannel.

Close up of Island Star

Close up of Island Star

Since it is a stormy day here – I will probably work on the next step of Easy Street so that I can share it on Bonnie Hunter’s page later today.  I will start planning some new quilts that are bouncing around my head and I will think about dinner tonight.  I love to cook hearty meals on snowy days.  At this point the plan is Penne ala Vodka and a pork tenderloin.  If the power goes off that will probably change since I will not be able to roast the tenderloin.

If you are in the Northeast stay safe and dry.

Be Kind….

Faith

MERRY CHRISTMAS….

Dec25
MERRY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas to all of my friends and family spread here and there. It is very early on Christmas morning. The rest of the house is very quiet, not at all like when the kids were younger when they woke us up before dawn. They would be so excited they could barely stand it. Those days were wonderful and that is what makes Christmas so much fun.

IMG_2322

I have to say that I love this stage of Christmas in my life. We sat in the sunroom last night, after a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner, we listened to Christmas music and talked. We told old stories about Christmas pasts and we laughed about each other’s memories. We talked about what our favorite Christmas memories were, we talked about what our best ever gift was. It was relaxing and enlightening and wonderful.

 

 

My daughter Elizabeth and I will watch “A Christmas Story” today. It is one of our traditions that started many years ago – Elizabeth was sick one Christmas and we sat and watched it together. That started the tradition. We will open gifts, eat a big breakfast, watch sports and Christmas movies, eat too much dinner and too many cookies.

Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread Cookies

We may take a walk near the ocean either on the beach or along the ocean. We will be together, we will laugh, we will tease each other and we will make new memories.

I hope that you have a day worth remembering at a later date, a day that will stay with you throughout the year to make you smile in a quiet moment. A day that is not about the gifts, or the menu but about the time together. Enjoy, and take the time to appreciate your blessings.

Be kind….
Faith