Something to drink to

I find it difficult to avoid the process of reflection at this time of year. As much as the transition into a new year may feel like an arbitrary measure of time, the urge to reflect upon the past and imagine the future seems to trickle in to every thought.


Lately I have been thinking a lot about focus. Where are my attentions being paid? To my family? My religion? My work? I have concluded that my focus has of late been skewed and, like my husband, I need to re-focus the lights on the stage. I am trying to move into a practice of greater multi-mindedness, both in my daily dealings as well as in my broader pursuits. Such as re-instituting habits that I’ve neglected. I need to write and study more often. I need to constructively challenge myself. I am no longer a single college student. I need to constantly push myself to more extroverted thinking.

I am open to development and change; however it is so easy to go for stretches of time without questioning whether I and/or my family are moving forward. As of late I have found myself so immersed in work and the pursuit of licensure that I feel that I am neglecting the other aspects of life that make it well rounded and full.

My New Year’s resolution is not built of a list, but of a concept, broaden my focus and my prospective.

Here is to the New Year! May it bring the best out of us all. *Cheers*

Time to Celebrate

Adam and my Christmas was absolutely fantastic. It was days spent with all those we love and care about…What more could we ask for? It was a white Christmas in our own house, with our own tree, and our own puppy. All I can complain about is that the Christmas vacation was not as long as hoped. I worked right up till the afternoon of Christmas Eve so I didn’t get much of a break but the time I had was well used. Besides I don’t mind the work I do.

I must admit that I am already missing the Christmas music, lights, food, and parties. But the New Year is upon us and that is indeed time to celebrate. It’s a time of reflection upon the old and preparation for the new. It is still a time for family, light, and music…whether it be Christmas-ee or not.

The Coming of the New Year always makes me think of the poem by Robert Frost.

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

We'll each have paths to choose from in the coming year. We need to remember our promises, promises to others, to ourselves, and to God. No matter how tempting the lovely woods may be we have “miles to go before [we] sleep”.

I hope that you all had a very merry Christmas and I wish you the most joyous of New Years!

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

A few weeks before the Christmas of 1897 a young girl wrote to the editor of the New York Sun.


‘Dear Editor,

I am eight years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in the Sun, it’s so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Yours truly,

Virginia O’Hanlon

Virginia looked in vain for many days to see is her letter has been answered. Then, just when she was beginning to give up hope, the following editorial appeared.

‘Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been effected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there was no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus? You might as well not believe in friends! You might get your papa to hire men to watch all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders that are unseen and unseeable in the world. Your tear apart the baby’s rattle to see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, not even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernatural beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus? Thank God, he lives and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay ten times ten thousands years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.’

I full heartedly agree. Thank God he lives.

Three Wise Men

In Christian tradition the Magi, also referred to as the Three Wise Men, or Three Kings, are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts. In Mathew it states that they came "from the east" to worship the Christ; Matthew does not mention their number, but because three gifts are mentioned as having been given to the Christ Child, traditionally there are thought to have been three Magi.


After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? They had seen his star in the east and come to worship him. When King Herod heard this he was troubled. Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and told them to find the child. When they found the child they were to report back to Herod so that he too may go and “worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way. When child they where overjoyed. On coming to the HOUSE (not stable), they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They then presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
They are mentioned twice shortly thereafter, in reference to their avoidance of Herod after seeing Jesus, and of what Herod had learned from their earlier meeting.

The visit of the Magi must have taken place several months after the birth of Jesus. Evidence for this can be found in the Matthew 2:11. “And when they were come into the HOUSE, they saw the young child with Mary his mother…” Two things are reviled in this sentence. One: Jesus Christ was not a baby, he was a young child. And 2: the visit did not take place at the manger where he was born, but in a house. Another verse that leads to the belief that Jesus was about two years old at the time of the visit can be found in Matthew 2:16. In this verse Herod sent a decree that all children under the age of 2 were to be killed. He choose the age 2 because of the information that he acquired from the Magi of the exact time of the stars appearance. It is safe to assume that Herod wouldn’t have ordered a massacre of children from two years old and under if the Wise Men had given him the information that the Christ child was just born the day before. It can also be implied from Herod’s inquiries that the Wise Men set out from their homes from the day Jesus was born, which would have been the night they saw the star, which means they probably had to travel for awhile to get to Bethlehem.

Holidays celebrating the arrival of the Magi traditionally recognize the distinction between the date of their arrival and the date of Jesus' birth.
Christianity celebrates the Magi on the day of Epiphany, January 6, the last of the twelve days of Christmas, particularly in the Spanish-speaking parts of the world. In these Spanish-speaking areas, the three kings receive wish letters from children and magically bring them gifts on the night before Epiphany. According to the tradition, the Magi come from the Orient on their camels to visit the houses of all the children. They visit everyone in one night. In some areas, children prepare a drink for each of the Magi, it is also traditional to prepare food and drink for the camels, because this is the only night of the year when they eat.
In France and Belgium, the holiday is celebrated with a special tradition: within a family, a cake is shared, which contains a small figure of baby Jesus, known as the broad bean. Whoever gets the "bean" is "crowned" king for the remainder of the holiday
In New Orleans, Louisiana, parts of south Texas, and surrounding regions, a similar ring-shaped cake known as a "King Cake.” The baby Jesus is represented by a small, plastic doll inserted into the cake from underneath, and the person who gets the slice with the figurine is expected to buy or bake the next King Cake. Most of these cakes are made with cinnamon-flavored twisted dough, thin frosting, with additional sugar on top in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of gold, green, and purple.

When I hear stories about the Three Wise Men who visited the baby Jesus Christ, I wonder what would had have happened had they been three wise women.
For a start they would have arrived on time, mainly because they would have asked for directions along the way. They would have helped to deliver the baby, cleaned and tidied up the stable and made a meal for Joseph and Mary. Above all, they would have brought along some really useful and practical gifts.

Mistletoe, a kissing tradition

Mistletoe bears fruit at the time of the Winter Solstice, the birth of the new year, and may have been used in solstitial rites in Druidic Britain as a symbol of immortality. In Celtic mythology and in druid rituals, it was considered a remedy for barrenness in animals and an antidote to poison. In some places one sprig of mistletoe would be put away to be kept all year to bring luck to the household. If a baby was born, a piece of the mistletoe would be placed in the cradle to keep the child from harm. Sometimes a sprig of mistletoe would be given to a cow that had calved to bring good luck to the herd. Although the fruits of many types of mistletoe are actually poisonous if ingested because they contain viscotoxins.

An ancient name for mistletoe is ‘the wood of the holy cross.’ Mistletoe was never taken into a church at any time. The tradition says that mistletoe was once a tree which furnished the cross on which Christ died. Afterwards, all mistletoe shriveled to its present size, dwarfed to a parasitic vine in shame and anguish.

A popular myth says that mistletoe was cut with a gold sickle and it lost its power if it fell and touched the ground. This is a confusion with the Holly 'holy' Tree, the most sacred tree of the druids (after the Oak) due to both plants being green all year, having colorful fruits and sharing similar history of winter months. Mistletoe was very important to the Druids. The Arch Druid was said to cut the mistletoe with his golden sickle every November. It was caught in a white cloth by four virgins and utilized in the ritual sacrifice of white oxen, thought to be an alternative to human sacrifice.

In ancient times, the mistletoe was thought of as the plant of peace and friendship. If enemies met under a tree on which mistletoe grew, they would lay down their arms and call a truce for the rest of the day. If friends met beneath a tree bearing mistletoe, they would consider their friendship to be blessed with good luck.

According to a custom of Christmas cheer, any two people who meet under a hanging of mistletoe are obliged to kiss. The custom is of Scandinavian origin.
A large bough of mistletoe would be picked to form the centre of a huge garland to be hung in a room or hall. Any young woman who stood beneath the garland (or kissing bough) would expect to receive a kiss. It would bring her luck and ensure her of marriage. She also had the right to pluck a berry from the mistletoe for every kiss she received. Once the sprig had no more berries, it was no longer lucky to kiss under it. After Twelfth Night the mistletoe would be burned, otherwise the young men and women who kissed under it might never marry.

In Norse mythology, Baldr was a god of vegetation. His mother Frigga, prompted by a prophetic dream, made every plant, animal and inanimate object promise not to harm him. But Frigga overlooked the mistletoe plant — and the mischievous god Loki took advantage of this oversight, tricking the blind god Höðr into killing Baldr with a spear fashioned from mistletoe. Baldr's death brought winter into the world, until the gods restored him to life. Frigga declared the mistletoe sacred, ordering that from now on it should bring love rather than death into the world. Happily complying with Frigga's wishes, any two people passing under the plant from now on would celebrate Baldr's resurrection by kissing under the mistletoe


I need to hang more Mistletoe. Thank heavens for Christmas traditions, especially for the ones that provide an excuse to kiss.

O Tannenbaum

Most people think that the tradition of lighting and decorating a fir tree at Christmas time originated in Germany.


A decorated tree in the home was familiar to the Romans, who enjoyed the festival of Saturnalia. Sometimes they used to put twelve candles on the tree (one for each month of the calendar), and on the top they placed an image of Apollo, the god of the sun. They also decorated their houses with branches of bay and laurel, on which they hung trinkets and tiny masks of the god Bacchus.

In Northern Europe the Teutonic tribes used to decorate trees in honor of their chief god Odin. They used such things as apples and cakes made in the shape of fish, birds or animals. These decorations were a symbol of Odin’s favor towards his people.

The Druids also used to bring evergreens indoors during their winter festival, as these trees appeared ‘not to die’ during the winter months, unlike the others whose spirit, the Druids believed, had departed. The evergreen branches symbolized the return of life and growth in plants and trees. As Christianity spread, the winter rites continued but were changed in honor of Christ as the ‘bringer of new life into the world.’

In Northern Europe, where there were so many forests, it was natural for the branches of the fir trees to be used as the emblem of renewal. In Latvia and Estonia in the 16th century, evergreen trees were decorated with roses every Christmas Eve.

It was the German reformer, Martin Luther, who is said to have introduced the Christmas tree as we know it, with its mass of beautiful shining lights, inspired by the observation of stars shining through the fir trees.

Gradually the practice of decorating a tree with ornaments and lighted candles spread across Northern Europe and into Scandinavia. Austria is said to have had its first tree in 1816 when Princess Henrietta set one up in Vienna. In 1840 Princess Helena of Mecklenburg brought the idea to Paris. In England it has always been a custom to decorate an evergreen garland called a ‘kissing bush’, but in 1841 Prince Albert, Consort to Queen Victoria, introduced a tree decorated with candles, tinsel, and ornaments as part of the Christmas celebrations at Windsor Castle. After that, the Christmas tree soon became an English tradition.

Ta Da.

Our Roman, Teutonic, Druid, Latvian, German, and English inspired Christmas tree mixed with a little American pizzazz to give it some real style.

Adam and my favorite ornament.

A bit Teutonic tribe derived I suppose, but none the less cool.

Blanket

I have been told that I need to post pictures of my latest project. My grandmother taught me how to Fillet crochet and this is my first (if you don’t count the 3 inch  frog I began with) finished Filet project! I think it turned out rather well. The pictures don’t give it much justice, but you’ll get the basic idea. Also this is a birthday slash Christmas present…so don’t tell my aunt.

p.s. They’re roses

Here is the blanket in its entirety. It’s a throw measuring 4 X 6 feet.

You can’t see much detail in this picture so I took some close ups.

A close up of one of the panels. The angle is kind of funny. Sorry about that

The blue background helped the image come out.

The yarn is really soft. It is also eco friendly. It is made from recycled plastic bottles.

Weird I know, BUT SO COOL. I can crochet with plastic bottles, what can you do?

So that’s it! That is my blanket. I’m excited that I am able to do something that my Grandma taught me…Granted I am defiantly not as talented as her yet, but I’ll get there. And who knows maybe one day I will be able to make family heirlooms that my grandchildren will fight over for years to come.

Aussie the snow Pup

Yesterday morning we awoke to a surprising 6 inches of snow. As the day continued that measurement just continued to grow. Aussie has seen her first snow. However the experience of cold powder reaching up to tickle her belly is a new sensation.


She gingerly stepped in the snowfall while she sniffed the ground. Once she got over the initial shock of it she decided that she liked this white stuff and went tearing through the back yard. She went back and forth, up and down, over and under, and all over the place. She would dig her nose deep into a snow drift then flip her head up in the air flinging snow everywhere! She was even trying to pounce the falling snow and trying to catch the flakes in her mouth! When we were finally able to get her to come back inside she had a pile of snow sitting on her snout! Her face was covered in white. It was so funny! Adam and I had a great time watching her; we even made a song about her adventures. It goes like this:

Aussie the snow pup
Was a very spastic dog
She’d run here and there jumping everywhere
Even chewing on the logs

Aussie the snow pup
With her nose all tuft with snow
She’d slide here and there crashing everywhere
It was fun to see her go!

There must have been some Husky in that young Australian pup
For when they placed her in the snow she began to lick it up!
Aussie the snow dog
Tried to lick at people’s hands
So we’d tell her no so she’d lick the snow
then barked catch me if you can

Thumpety thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Look at Aussie go
Thumpety thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Over the hills of snow


I will have to take some picture and I will post them soon.
Happy Snow Day!

Christmas Cards

A considerable amount of strategic planning is required to ensure that maximum effect is gained from sending Christmas cards. Timing, size and quality are of paramount importance.


Sending Christmas cards too early is not only ineffective but can be humiliating for the sender. It reveals one's position, discloses the size and quality of card, exposing oneself to the possibility of a devastating counter-attack. On the other hand, a very late Christmas card runs the risk of negating the recipient's ability to respond, and reduces one's total card count.

It is certainly better to be on the early rather than late side, for the get-in-quick Christmas card sets the pace and compels the opposition to reply. It is a brave opponent who will respond with less than an equal-to or better-than card.

The next thing to understand is the value of size in Christmas cards. Important people, or at least people who think they are important, send big and important looking Christmas cards. This makes the recipient feel small; which is precisely what is intended. This can be quite costly, but usually worth it.

There is also a place for very small and/or very cheap Christmas cards. They imply bad taste, poverty or disrespect to the recipient, and will guarantee deletion from their Christmas card list. These are particularly effective for terminating pointless long term Christmas card exchanges with people like the Burkenshires you met in St. Luis in 2001, and can't even remember what they look like anymore - or was it Bullwins?

First-time Christmas cards sent on impulse to recently made friends should be avoided, for they can have devastating consequences; like those nice Bullwins people you met in Kansas City. Whilst it might be a nice surprise to get a lovely card in return, you might not be very pleased when they arrive at your front door on Boxing Day - or was it Burkenshires?

Thanksgiving-ness

T’was the night of Thanksgiving
But I just couldn’t sleep,
I tried counting backwards,
I tried counting sheep.

The leftovers beckoned –
The dark meat and white
But I fought the temptation
With all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation,
The thought of a snack became infatuation.

So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door,
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickes and carrots, beans and tomatoes.

I felt myself swelling, so plump and so round,
‘Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky,
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.

But I managed to yell as I soared past the trees …
Happy eating to all – Pass the cranberries, Please!

May your stuffing be tasty,
May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes ‘n gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious,
May your pies take the prize.
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all … Pumpkin Pie!!!

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *    *     *   
Our Thanksgiving Holiday was full of gorging ourselves with deliciousness. I must confess that we had about three Thanksgiving dinners in all. Thankfully they were spaced out between days of glutton-less-ness.

Our fridge is bulging with leftovers. It makes my tummy ache just thinking about it. We are trying to come up with creative ways to use our surplus scrumptiousness that are less than “Thanksgiving-eee”.

TONIGHT ----- TURKEYLOAF! WooT!

Any creative left over ideas? Feel free to send them our way. Our stomachs will thank you!

Aussie

Remenber when we had a cute little puppy?

8 weeks

Well...

She's grown

14 weeks

She likes to play hide and seek

And she still looks like she is wearin glasses

All we can say is that she is still cute

Don't you agree?

Just Lazy.

Happy Veterans Day!

I know that this is a day late, but I didn’t get the chance to yesterday.

Happy Veterans Day!

I got the honor to ride in the Ogden Veterans Day Parade this last Saturday. I had the chance to ride side saddle with an old friend of mine (which I was excited about). It was a slow moving parade so I was able to interact with the crowd. I let all the horse crazy girls pet my horse (his name is Shiki), ask about side saddling, and even my dress (which was much to big, but what can you do when you have to borrow). And because it was so slow I had a few chances to gallop up and down the parade route. That Was Fun!

It really was an honor to participate. I am very grateful to all those who've served, are serving, and will serve.

That is Cindy behind me in the red dress. She was the one who tought me how to ride.

I rode with the Utah 2nd Cavalry

It was late notice so I didn’t get the chance to invite people…I wish I had more familiar faces in the audience. Not even Adam, or my parents could make it.

My Aunt Gail and Uncle Earl who live in Ogden where able to come. She took the pictures for me.

My Gubby and grandma where there too…under much distress! Gubby doesn’t much like drawing attention to himself. He was supposed to ride on the Marine Veteran’s float but refused…that is until the float passed him sitting on the sidewalk with his Marine Corps hat on and was ordered by a superior officer to get on the float. He could refuse his wife, but there is no saying no to a comanding officer. They stopped the parade until he got on. It was good for him. He is the one with the red hat and the big smile. He is amazing.

Again

Happy Veterans Day!

I am truly grateful for the freedom we enjoy because of your sacrifices.