Advent Happenings

So, life is busy here through the holiday season. How ’bout by you?

On my way to an appointment last Friday, it was raining, which was good, because we haven’t had any precipitation in quite a while. Just a light, steady rain. Nothing stormy.

I needed to drive fifteen miles to get to my destination, and I had no idea that just a few miles could make such a huge difference in weather patterns here in Illinois.

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Greetings

Happy Horrible Holidays

Good Day everyone. I hope this finds you in a bright, lovely start to the new year.

I had looked forward to publishing the many blog drafts I’ve had in my queue, but of course, God laughed at me for making plans.

Things I Learned from my Refrigerator

1. Don’t buy appliances from a company that is known to be struggling.
2. Don’t buy General Electric.
3. It’s good to buy an extended warranty on appliances (if it’s from a company that’s not struggling).
4. It’s good to have a spare refrigerator, even if it’s small.
5. Things will go wrong at the most inopportune time, like a broken refrigerator when I’m expecting lots of guests.
6. When something unexpected puts a kink in plans, I don’t handle it very well. My mind whirls in confusion, and I need someone to help me take the situation in bite sized pieces.
7. I shouldn’t berate myself for number six on this list.
8. I’m the only one I know that would offer my refrigerator as temporary storage if someone told me theirs had broken down.
9. My dad told me stories about how his dad worked at an ice company in the 1940’s, where he delivered blocks of ice for ice boxes in homes. In other words, old-time refrigerators. This makes me grateful for modern refrigerators, especially since I didn’t have one for three weeks.
10. Even after a problematic situation is taken care of, like finally getting the refrigerator fixed, something else may go wrong.
11. Don’t panic if I get a sore throat. It’ll pass.
12. When I get a nasty cold, take care of myself with lots of vitamins, rest and chicken soup.
13. Don’t worry about what needs to get done. Remain optimistic that the cold will be a brief setback. Like the refrigerator debacle, this too shall pass.
14. Despite these minor inconveniences, I’m extremely grateful for the blessings in my life. It’s good to be home.

A Glimpse of Halloween

What a perfect night for Halloween in suburban Chicago 2018. The temperature requires only a sweater. The sky displays layers of pale yellow to pinkish-gray, reflecting onto golden glowing trees.

Winter Cyclone

We’ve had six inches of snow or better for the last three weekends in a row. On top of that, my husband and I had a cyclone hit our house. It was named JNC. A picture of it is below.

Baking, Thanksgiving and Dysfunction

I hope everyone is enjoying family, friends, feast and some fine goodies. May those who don’t celebrate this American holiday be blessed as well.

I just finished making pumpkin cookies for Thanksgiving treats.

Sing-Along at the Theater

I’m a big fan of certain Christmas movies. I make it a point to watch them every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some of my favorites are Miracle on 34th Street, Polar Express and Scrooged. I know it seems unoriginal, but my number one favorite is It’s a Wonderful Life. Since my husband and I don’t have much of a family for the holiday, we make a date to watch it every year on Christmas Eve. This year, however, we did something different. We decided to go see it at a historical theater on the weekend before Christmas.

Florida Flurries

I thought you northerners might find it funny to see how Florida tries to bring winter to Christmas. For people who claim to love not having snow and cold, they sure go to great lengths during the holiday season to bring it here. See the snow at about 35 seconds in. How do they do it? Scroll below the video and I’ll tell you.

Almost Like Home

The chill in the air drifted me back home
…. and enveloped me so lovingly that I melded
into one with you …. but for only
the blink of an eye …. then, the bustle
and worries of the season returned,
leashing me once again. ~ Lori (L. Virelli)

Wintery Dreams

This time of year elicits dreams of palm trees and frozen tropical drinks with umbrellas in them, but not for me. I dream of quite the opposite.

From the upper peninsula of Michigan by Ms. Kathy

Reading, Writing and Visiting

An After Holiday, Holiday Poem

Presence

Church Windows

Some of you may have seen the recipe poll I put up to choose a recipe you’d like to see on my blog. The winning recipe was Biscotti (cookies).

Today I decided to share another one from that poll. Since I prefer chocolate in my sweets, this is one of my favorites. It’s easy to make, but a bit messy. It’s a quick recipe too, but it needs to go in the refrigerator overnight to serve the next day. Hope you like them as much as I do.

Baker, Not a Breakfast Maker

Take a recipe poll>>>