The Needle in a Haystack

Almost 2008!!!!!!

....this picture has NOTHING to do with the post but I thought it was cute and I hate a post without pictures...

.... Almost time to start with New Year preps.  Not so much this year as in a few years past.  When the boys were little we always had a house full to ring in the New Year.  Each of our boys were allowed to invite a guest or two to spend the night.  I spent most of the day making nibbles and crunchies... old stand bys like pigs in a blanket,chips and dip, nachos and cheese, sausage balls, veggies and dip...left over Christmas goodies.. and  punch.

.... The punch was one my mom use to make on New Years when my brothers and I use to be allowed to stay up and watch Dick Clark and the swarm in New York.

This is a sugar rush and a half put it makes the tongue happy

Citrus Punch
Orange Hi-C
orange or rainbow sherbrt
Ginger ale..
Mix equal parts of the ginger ale and Hi-C and float sherbert blobs in there... I'm telling you its good stuff... one year my dad even did a frozen ice ring with orange slices  to fancy it up.

... I always made a trip to the dollar store for festive glasses...it was so cute to watch them " toast" each other!

... After placing the food out , my boys and their friends would get down to serious business.... BINGO!  I would stock up on odds and ends at the After Christmas sales and number little bags  up to 50 or so... and we would play Bingo... the winners could choose a prize... sometimes it was a small toy, sometimes, homemade candies or store bought the day after Christmas... oranges... even funny things like over sized socks and a roll of TP from the dollar or thrift stores.  At 15 minutes to 12:00 the games were over... punch glasses filled and we went to watch the " ball" drop at Time Square. One year when Christopher was little he wouldn't say Happy New ..just " ching"  ( the sound the glass is suppose to make )....Lots of good wishes around and then Chris and I hit the sack..

.....In 1976 ( pre children) , I actually spent New Years  Eve in  Time Square.... it was one of those things that was  sort of cool to say " I've done that"... but over all... I wasn't impressed.... a gazillion folks smashed into  the place so we could barely see the apple come down...it was  almost noon the next day before we could make our way to our car and head back to Ohio... all I remember was eating somewhere in PA and seriously wishing I were home...

... however, there is another New Years Eve celebration on my list of things to do and I think next year I'm making the trip to fullfill a dream ( I'm being serious here folks).... The Mount Olive Pickle Drop  on the corner of Cucumber and Vine in downtown Mt. Olive NC.  The whole sheebang is over at 7:05 since the pickle is dropped at 7:00 Greenwich time.  Now fess up... how many of you out there wouldn't love to say you've seen the giant pickle drop???? If so, lets make plans to meet under the giant pickle Dec. 31, 2008.... until then......

...HAVE A FINE YEAR>>>>ALL YEAR LONG!!!!!!!

7 days with medicine...a week without...

.....that is so true about a cold isn't it... treat and it goes away in 7 days..don't and it lasts a week.  I'm on day 5 and still not quite up to "snuff"... very much up to "sniff" though! ~smile~
..Yesterday I spent the whole day in my recliner. Chris and Christopher took over kitchen duty in the evening for me and I was so grateful.  The picture shows how I spent the last couple of days ( minus the chamomile tea and honey).  Irish Folk tunes I received from Jamie, peppermints from my love, the latest Jan Karon from MIL, and the book Cheryl sent.  I also finished a baby blanket ,a couple of acorns AND a sweet little owl  for a friend's new grandchild in S.C.  A few years back Chris had the honoring of marrying the proud parents and it has been wonderful to watch their little family grow from one to two wee ones!
.. I really liked the pattern for the baby blanket and plan on making a couple of more to just keep back for charity projects or new little ones.  I have a pretty lilac yarn I have been wanting to make into something.

...My friend Beth  sent me good will wishes and suggested I make her Chicken Soup ..I had made it the week before when Christopher wasn't feeling well.. she was right !  A good bowl of her soup and a pan of cornbread made me feel tons better!

.. The guys are at the father vs sons  basketball game tonight.  Chris bought new shoes and ankle braces.. he is very serious about this years competition. I'll be anxious to hear the play by play.

.. I'm about to snuggle in with a cup of hot chocolate and  watch It's a Wonderful Life, one of those shows I just can't convince the guys to watch with me..
...

..I hope everyone has a fine night all night long... and Linnie, glad you had a great birthday!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

...I believe this was as quiet as my nephew Sam was all evening long!  You better believe I was right there with him along with Grandpa Dan, Cousin Jeremy & Uncle Chris doing what we could to get the bird to drink... FINALLY!!  I bet that's about how some of you felt about  my blog break... waiting.. waiting...

....I trust everyone's Christmas was the absolute best.  We had a wonderful time.  I can't say it any better then my dearest who wrote about OUR FAMILY CHRISTMAS .  It was so good having family together .

..the day started off with a visit from our friend bringing me some Tupelo Honey  and another jar of clover honey made by his own bees little hands... or paws.. or mouths..or what ever the bees use to make the honey.  I thought Tupelo  meant straight from his friends in MS. HA.. a tree~sigh~ so much to learn... You can read more about the bees and  tons more at Woodshavings , Jimmy's blog... He and his wife Shelley are some of our oldest friends in Oxford.  The honey came in so very handy as I picked up a nasty cold and have sipped warm tea for the last couple of days with lots of honey and lemon

... There were lots and lots of thoughtful gifts from family and friends.  I am so lucky to have a husband, children, aunts and inlaws who love me so much and know me so well. Every gift was just the perfect one.

.. I do need to tell you about the gift I opened from Joshua via Jessica his girlfriend.  There was a jar with the word BLESSINGS on the side...I opened it and pulled out the first slip of paper..there were the words.." Don't worry mom, I'll be safe"... the next said " I miss you MOM".. another said.. I Love you mom, I'll be home soon"... I had to stop after that one because there were 16 pairs of eyes on me and I was in TEARS!!!!  I still haven't opened the jar again...but I know the blessings are in there if I need them...

...We heard from Josh on Christmas... he doesn't have leave this tour but he was granted an R&R pass to Qatar  ...this is non chargeable... I am thankful his CO's saw that his buddy's injuries where effecting him. It will be good for him to get away and sleep with out fear of mortars and relax for a few days. The last 3 weeks in northeast Baghdad have not been pretty. (is war ever pretty????)

.. Now, as for my mom and her hip... she was not able to go home as planned but moved to a rehab facility.  We will all be hard pressed to get her out of there now... She was as chipper as I have heard her in awhile... she actually knows a few of the fellow inmates patients there and when not in ot or pt she is roaming the halls and even joined the balloon volleyball team...she has two wheel chairs and 4 on walkers on her team.  I tried calling her on Christmas and she was holding court to several visitors ...

...our family spent Christmas Eve day at The Durham Rescue Mission  the Cail's  joined us and we all worked straight and hard from 11-4:00 without a break.  They predicted 2500 folks but it turned into more like 3400 when the final folks came through the line about 3:30.  We were all worn out but happy that  we could help...

.....It's about time to snuggle in bed with another cup of hot tea and my latest read The Metcalfe Family Album . It is such a sweet book and I am in love with it.  I think I ordered from Amazon used books and paid no more then 5.50 including shipping  a big thank you to Clarice at Story Book Woods
for introducing me to the book.  A perfect read for such a weepy night!  Yes.....I said weepy.. It rained!! For all of us in the Southeast that is one of the best Christmas blessings...

.... oh! I can't forget a BIG thank you to Cheryl at Copper's Wife  for the wonderful book The Hidden Art of Homemaking  it is on my nightstand and next in line for my reads..

..I noticed that my blog has a birthday... Yesterday makes one year since I started The Needle in a Haystack... I do believe that is occasion for a blog give away!!  I'll announce more later this week when my head isn't so 'swimmy"

.... I pray all of you have a fine night...all night long!

A Bit of a Blog Break

  My Mom ( the one without the hat) has taken a fall in Ohio's nasty ice and snow and has gone and broken her hip! 

My dear DIL Heather will have surgery Dec 21st to remove several ovarian cysts.

...not to mention I haven't wrapped the first package , sent the first card, and Christopher is due in Chapel Hill this afternoon for a test study on his cleft lip...so....
..I'll pop in from time to time...
...... as my husband so eloquently wrote in his BLOG
"I hope that you and your have the best Christmas ever and that it is based on one of the greatest truths ever:  God never forgets His promises. Whatever He purposes to accomplish, it will be accomplished. Because Jesus was born as the result of a promise, we know that all the promises He has made to us in Christ will come true."

...I think that about says it all ..

...God's Peace and Light.... from Oxford to Baghdad..

Merry Christmas

December 16th....was a near perfect day~~~

..I just had a day filled with wonderful things yesterday.... Ok, since I promised an honest blog, there was a brief time slot when I was having a self contained hissy fit over the fact I couldn't find green, red & white corn tortilla chips and fresh salsa to take to our home church gathering.... but after about 10 minutes I identified it for what it was and decided it was really my own fault for not planning a bit better and also for not rolling with the flow better... I added those to my list of " character flaws to work on in'08..( seriously, I don't have that list... but you know how I am about lists, so there MIGHT have to be one!!!)

... anyhow, we started off the day by visiting my inlaw's church, The Church of the Apostles,  both M&D-in law sing on the praise and worship team and we enjoyed so much the special music sung.  The pastor gave a wonderful wonderful sermon on God's sovereignty that both Chris and I enjoyed.  The crux?  God doesn't have a plan B...its all plan A.... good stuff... on the way out I commented to him that his sermon was very "Stott-ish".. Patrick took it as a great compliment because he has been reading Stott the last couple of weeks... If YOU haven't read any John Stott, may I suggest a couple of his works for your 2008 reading list. ( yes, I DO have this list going). 

...after service was lunch at Chili's... the food was Ok... I was really looking forward to broccoli- cheddar soup...and they didn't have any... this was another small chink in the day...but the fellowship of course was awesome!!!!

..they next couple of hours was a shopping blurr... but we survived... we can proudly wear the T-shirt... I really really am proud of my husband though, usually he is the one waving to the news camera as the mall closes on Dec 24... this year... he's FINISHED!!  I must be rubbing off on him!

.. Home church was a blast... lots of wonderful food ( but not red, green & white tortilla chips and fresh salsa)... we had chicken/pineapple kabobs, rosemary piwheels, piggies in a blanket, coconut shrimp cakes ( very good), chips and dip, cheese and crackers, tomatoes with fresh basil & mozzarella..I'm sure I'm forgetting something  but it was all delicious..
.. we then did a service of lessons and carols which he can find posted on my sweetie's blog HERE .. a time of communion...then it was time for presents!!


....  Did you hear it????  You should have... it was the squeal heard round the world when I opened our present from Ben ( I would link his blog but all you get is an Fttp error) 2 tickets ..IN THE ORCHESTRA SECTION to see Annie Get your Gun  in the off Broadway production in Raleigh.I LOVE old school musicals and can sing the score from just about all of them.  I was able to see The Wiz  on Broadway in 1976 which was my first and only actually Broadway production...but I have seen several off Broadway plays & musicals and must say I think I like them a tad better!  Anyhow, this was a custom made gift...Thanks Ben!!
..There was also lots and lots of fun gingerbread things, journals, smell goods and such form Dana and Mo... Dana gave me the cutest plate with gingerbread folks on it... I have to get the one she hid from me, a plate she hand painted for me with gingerbread peeps but felt it wasn't good enough... Come on now!!! a hand painted gingerbread peep plate painted by one of my peeps?????? I HAVE to have it!!!!!

...When I got home and checked messages, Josh had called... you know what that means... today he is safe... ALWAYS a blessing!!

...then I checked a couple of my blog buddies and found out I had won a drawing @Copper's wife.  Cheryl has blessed me so many times with her writings.  This was quite an honor...and I so look forward to reading The Hidden Art of Homemaking .  Its been on my list (yes, I have this list too) of books to read.  Thank you so very much Cheryl!!!

..What a great day... and I pray YOU have a great day.... all day long!!

Christmas Post #6

  ..So I was just commenting to Chris this morning that I didn't have any elf shoes...and here you go  Jenny, @ Allsorts  posted the pattern for these Elf Shoes ..you can see another take on them @ The Small Object Steno Pad if your heart is still beating after seeing her candle holders... we had to do a bit of a defib here when I saw them... Creative people... hmm... just amaze me..

Dear Santa,
...For Christmas I would like some creativity so I can quit bogarting everyone else's ideas.

Love,
Lea

....sometimes I am in amazement of how these brains work~sigh~

..Perhaps if I got out more and didn't spend so much energy excited over stuff like THIS  I could be more creative... but confess... building that snowman and coloring outside the lines by giving him three carrot noses or putting his head on the bottom... you love it too...

....a little plug for someone having a give away @Down on the Farm . I know Nick, Annabeth, and Molly read my blog and wanted them to see what she wrote about their Grandfather....and girls, how about some teddy bear chocolates.. I heard they were veeeerrrryyyy interesting!!

..Last night the guys had a game here in town... we won... Christopher hitting 3 3 pointers and having the privilege of being team captain.. afterwards was a rather chaotic but yummy time of fellowship at the local pizza place... we didn't get home til after 11:00.. so much fun!

...I think officially except for one more gift to make I am done!  Today I'll work in snips to package everything up and then I can concentrate on a couple of charity projects I want to see completed.

...I have a bit more baking to complete but nothing over the top...however, I will share with you what's on the menu for dinner tonight...

Chicken Bundles
1 tube crescent rolls
2cups chicken ( cooked)
1 pkg cream cheese
spring onion to taste
salt & pepper to taste
melted butter
pepperidge farm stuffing ( crunched up, herbed bread crumbs will work too)

.. soften cream cheese and mix with chicken.. add onion , salt & pepper...sometimes I add in green pepper, mushrooms.. what ever is on hand...
..place mixture in a crescent  roll and then cover the whole thing in melted butter then roll in the stuffing/ bread crumb mixture...  Bake according to the crescent roll pkg directions... we double this recipe..

... I'm off to take on the day...and I hope yours is a fine one... all day long!.

Christmas Post #5

..Yep, Burl and I do a mini song fest together every year about this time... The last 44 years I have watched Rudolf at least once every season... The only thing I miss these days is the sponsor... it use to be Norelco before they went all sensual on us... I mean, golly, who wouldn't buy an electric razor after seeing Santa ride down a hill on one?????  GE use to be the other sponsor... I don't even think there are light bulb commercials any more!!!  My husband  does a mean Yukon Cornelius imitation.....

...I feel the need to post a bit about our family gift this year... There are only three of us at home now you know, Jamie, Jeremy and Josh have gone and grown up ( rude children).. so one evening the two C's put their heads together and decided what we need is this:
  A week later in about 12 boxes we received it.... I wanted carpet~sigh~  but to show I'm a good sport I do it with them... it reminds me of a medieval torture device actually... and the pain probably is about equal... My idea of a fun Christmas gift is not one that requires ibprophen the next day...next year boys.... CARPET!

... Having gotten that out of the way, MIL's cataract surgery went well yesterday.  Today my friend Ingrid has her first  surgery for breast cancer... and I received a note from Jeanette who is in Chicago  with Cancer Treatment Centers of America helping her be more proactive with her breast cancer.

.. ready for a few recipes and such? 
Jesse and I had a great time making the pretzel bites the other day... big discovery was finding out you could do a mock turtle
1 waffle pretzel
1 rolo candy
1 pecan halve
place the candy on top of the pretzel and stick in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 4 minutes... remove and place a pecan halve on each candy... delicious!!
.I am almost finished with the last of the Christmas gifts I am making this year...but right after the holidays ( maybe even Christmas week), I'm going to try my hands at these:
I think they are awesome!  You can read more about them at Craftster .

Clarice @storybook Woods  has some wonderful Christmas ideas including bottle brush trees that I just flip over every time I see them!!

Beth at Learning Together did a fun post on Christmas Carols.  Our family has done this before at our big get together..

...so much to do today.... so...

... buy your wife carpet, pray for the troops... and have a fine day...all day long...

Christmas Post #4

...Saturday I was able to talk to Josh on a web cam!  Oh what joy I had in my heart seeing my boy!  He was able to give me a virtual tour of his little room.  A wooden cross with white Christmas lights draped over it, a 12 inch tree with an ornie on it, a pillow I had made for him he sleeps with at night, his weapon, a piece of shrapnel and hanging on the wall above his bed a replicate of Van Gough's  "Starry Night".  A Christmas present to himself. There is a man in the slum of Sadr City who will paint anything you want, a street vendor.  Josh loves this painting and so he paid the Iraqi a bit to paint it for him.  There is something  almost surreal about going out in the morning with your weapon to patrol violent streets and coming home in the evening with a Van Gough to hang over your bunk ... war is crazy stuff... but the Iraqi's family will eat, be able to buy a few hours of electricity,

.... I was reminded in an email today that no where in scriptures does it tell us to celebrate Jesus's  birth... but we are to celebrate HIS offering through communion.  I wonder why we don't commune every day then?  Our little church doesn't do it often enough... great points to ponder.

...I myself am battling  a bit ( alot ) of materialism right now... what is important... where is my focus... where is my joy... where is my peace...

..Jesse is coming over this morning to bake a Christmas goodie with me..
Christmas Ornie Bites.  These are very very easy and the kiddos can join in the prep.

..Waffle shaped pretzels
..M&M's
Hersey's Kisses

.. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
place waffle pretzels on a cookie sheet and top with an un wrapped hersey kiss.  place in the oven for about 5 minutes until the chocolate becomes soft... take out and while still warm still an M&M into the warm chocolate.

...These make a great snack.  I plan on putting some in small bags to give to the neighbor children.

.. Now I have a motivation to learn to knit... how about these little tykes
Korknisse  I'm wondering if I could come up with a crochet version that would be as cute..???? I heart them!!

..This will be a busy week...please say a prayer for my mom in law and my friend Ingrid who will be having surgery this week.

.... Love your husbands, pray for the troops, commune... and have a fine day... all day long!

Christmas Part 3..and Hanukkah

Isn't this the sweetest little nativity set?  We bought it for Christopher when he was about 5 months old. He would chew on it, as he grew he would line the nativity up with his army men , now they just set on the shelf at Christmas and make us smile.  I'm not even sure where we bought them

... Last night was a gem of an evening. We had dinner with some of our oldest friends at a really nice Raleigh restaurant called  Bogart's the food is very good and the company was EXCELLENT.   We have been getting together with this group of friends at least 3 times a year since 1989.  It was great doing a catch up and also thinking back over this past year.  It's been a tough one.
Al retired as Dept head of Meteorology @ NCSU.    His wife Mary retired a couple of years ago from Duke  They had fully expected to travel and enjoy some other projects but find themselves as full time care takers for Mary's mom and  clearing up her brother's estate.

Judy & Warren also found themselves going a life change as Judy's folks moved into their home and they are not care takers for them.

.. David just missed the cut from his job so he is secure for another 6 months to a year.  His wife Jen is still recovering from what she calls her last cruise.  She had taken several of her students and their daughter MAggie on this cruise   ...I think that would turn me off from those sort of trips myself. 
Our little group will be 20 years old in 2009 and we had talked about a cruise together until this happened to Jen... maybe a nice beach trip is in order now!

Anxious for some holiday posts?  Here goes  thanks to Martha you can sign up for  Craft-of -the -Day   There are some of the absolute cutest things to make.

Don't forget this is the week of Hanukkah.  You can read about it history and traditions HERE.  When the boys were little we would celebrate one day of Hanukkah , tell the story, eat special foods and receive a small gift.  As Christians we wanted to understand the celebrations and festivals that Jesus partook of as a child.  What he learned and looked forward to.  One of the fun things we have done in the past was to make a small pinch pot out of
Homemade Clay  then we added a bit of olive oil and some cotton embroidery thread that worked as a wick.  When lit we could understand the miracle of the oil lasting 8 days during the fight with the Maccabees. The boys loved it!

We also played the Dreidel game using  M&M's  instead of gold coins.  I ordered  a pack of plastic dreidels from Oriental Trading Co  . We all had so much fun playing.  You can play an online version Of the Driedel Game  by going to Billybob's site.   

..There are alot of other fun activities on their  Main Page

... No celebration would be complete without a good meal. We love  LATKES .  I usually make a recipe similar to this minus the nutmeg.  We also have roast chicken . 
..If you have youngers (or even older children) you might want to give your own celebration a whirl. 
..Tomorrow Chris and I will make donuts and I'll make sure to post pics and recipes!

... I'm off to get ready for a date with my Josh in Iraq via web cam and 2:00.  It will be the first time we have been able to talk this way and I am so thankful for the folks who are making this possible for me.

... Until later..... have a fine day... all day long!

Christmas post Part 2

... Continuing all the wonderful Christmas things we do or find...

....We watch A Christmas Story every year.  One year my mother actually bought Christopher a Red Ryder B-B- gun for Christmas.  Sure enough my mother just had to say " You know he's going to shoot his eye out"... he hasn't..its been 5 years now...AND none of the boys have licked a frozen lamp post.. fun movie I suggest every sit down and laugh over..

...One thing we try to do every couple of years is to visit the local( an hour plus away)planetarium and see The Star of Bethlehem This is a really interesting must see.  If you live in the Raleigh/ Durham/Chapel Hill area it is worth going to see. If not, check with your local planetarium and see if they have the program.  Unbelievable!

.. Of course your going to have to come home, turn on the tree lights and make a cup of hot chocolate.  Years ago my mom in law gave us a batch with the recipe that I have been making every year.

Hot Chocolate Mix

 

Ingredients
1 8-quart box powdered milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
15 ounces powdered chocolate drink mix
8 ounces non-dairy coffee creamer
Mini marshmallows (optional)  Instructions
1. Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Use 1/3 cup of mix per 8 ounces of hot water.

Yum!!!

I think to go in our goodie baskets for neighbors this year we will try make these gingerbread folks at Simple Folk .  Scroll down to her Dec 4th post.  Also a fun blog to just read a bit .

.. Finally, Our family loves Caramel Corn... Chris could eat a TON of it!!  We're going to try this Caramel Corn Recipe  from Cheryl @ Copper's Wife
.. Young and old mums alike will glean alot from her writings.

.... Life has been nice and easy at the farm. Our own rhythms have been  calm and quiet.  However, many many prayer requests have come to us.  Cancer, broken marriages, jobloss , illness...the list goes on.  Chris, Christopher and I take the responsibility to pray very seriously.  We lift up every request we get together every evening.  We consider it an honor to be entrusted to pray for someone.  So if you need us. we're here!

... Off to wrap a few presents and plug away at the gift that just doesn't seem to be finishing on its own ( go figure)..

....Before I go, I want to make everyone aware that Fox News is collecting letters and cards for the wounded in the Baghdad hospital.  The address can be found HERE  I can not impress on you the need to let these soldiers know how much we care.  Morale tends to be low, especially for the wounded this time of year.  While I miss my child so much, he is Ok, for today.  When you write out your cards this year, take the extra minute to address one to this cause.  We might not like the war... but we love our soldiers who are dutifully doing what their government has called them to do.