Christmas Specials Fill The Air Waves

I am so grateful for DVR!

DH and I have spent every evening in the month of December watching at least one Christmas special and sometimes we stay up late and watch more than one. 

Hallmark Channel is full of cheesy, gooey, sappy, wonderful Christmas Specials. So, I recorded about 4 dozen of them and we are watching them. When our day is finished and we finally settle down in front of the fire with a cup of cocoa, and have a couple of dogs curled up next to us is now a tradition.  Even if we get company, we just invite them to get comfortable because that is what we are doing. 

I have a few favorites.

"The Christmas Card".  The story comes to life as a daughter of a wood mill sends letters and Christmas cards to soldiers for Christmas.  Of course, one card falls into the hands of a handsome, single, and lonely guy who finds the girl who wrote the letter.  Yes, it is sappy.  But the wood lodge (house) they live in is beautiful.  The snow scenes are spectacular.  The love of a family is charming. 

"The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is one we liked.  I mostly liked it because the male star in the movie is the most handsome dude EVER!  I don't think I will delete this movie, EVER.  He is one that has the twinkle in his eyes, messy hair, and a great sense of humor and adventure.  He isn't afraid to 'bend' a few laws to impress the girl.  I loved it!  I loved all of it's sappiness, gooeyness and him!

This guy reminds me of dentist I used to work with.  His name is Nate Yetter.  He is 'this kind of handsome'.  He has the same twinkle in his eyes, and smiles and teases and is a great dentist.  He is married to a beautiful gal, and they have a ton of the cutest kids in the world.  Watching this movie brought back some good memories of when Nat worked at Arrowhead Lakes Dentistry.  He brightened each day, gave us all nick names..... I was "Sist'a T".  He nailed that one.  I knew, and he knew, what the "Sist'a" stood for. 

So, you need to set your DVR for "The Most Wonderful Time Of the Year" and watch Henry Winkler play a conniving uncle who helps this handsome guy meet his niece and help them fall in love.  It is a cute show.

And Christmas would be complete until we watch "The Miracle on 34th Street".  I love it! 



This heart warming favorite has been around since 1947.  That was before I was born, sheesh!  But, back then  love meant something.  It was tender and strong.  Today, the soap operas have ruined what the true meaning of love is.  (Cheating and lying and being unfaithful in many ways isn't love.  It is trash.  Now you know how I feel about the time wasting, mind polluting, twisted family values of soap operas.)

Doris Walker and Fred Gailey will always be a favorite love story.  They are the reason I shop at Macy's!

And then there is "Charlie Brown Christmas".  My favorite childhood Christmas Special.  I remember when it would come on once a year, on a Sunday night.  We would schedule our family around this special.  I still love the original voices.  The original music.

 And best of all I love the Christmas message.  The real Christmas message.  The message that includes Christ.  We see signs that say "the reason for the season" and still that doesn't include what it should.  Children know the reason.  Children teach us.  They know it means more than a Christmas tree.  It means more than Santa coming down the chimney.  They know.......Luke 2:1-20.

  

My children have grown up listening to the account of the birth of Jesus Christ.  They hear it read by their father every Christmas Eve.  I suppose most families do the exact same thing. That is when we quit worrying about the trees, and the commercial side of Christmas. 

 Charlie Brown teaches us in such a simple way, the true meaning of Christmas.

With just a few pictures of that timeless show, you can hear the voices of the children.  You can hear the singing of the choir.

You can fill the love of the True Meaning of Christmas. 

This is what I believe!

May you enjoy the wonderful Christmas Specials on TV.  But, I pray each of us will find to read in

Luke 2: 1-20 the account of the birth of Jesus Christ.  Read it throughout the Christmas season, several times. We might try to read it every day between now and Christmas Eve. Ponder the importance of this scriptural record.  Because IT tells The Reason For The Season.  We have 12 days......12 days to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. 

Merry Christmas.

Love, Me

Festival of Trees

One crisp morning I said to DH, "I would love to go to the Festival of Trees".

He said, "OK".

And we went.

I saw some very wonderful, imaginative, gorgeous trees.

You see, the reason we went is so I could get some ideas to do the top of our tree.  I couldn't bring myself to place an angel on top of the tree one more year.  It isn't that I don't like angels, because I do.  But, I am tired of our angel.  Instead, she is a decoration on the counter in our powder room.  She lights up, and is a great night light.  That is where she is staying this year.

But, I wanted to do something, well, out of the ordinary.  Something with ribbon, sparkles, maybe silk flowers.  I just needed some inspiration.  Feathers seemed like a good idea.  You know what I mean?

I hadn't thought of using a lantern.  Hummmmmm!

My tree isn't flocked, but some of the ones I saw makes me want to get one.  But where would I put it?  I have several trees, and manage to put up several every year......but I don't think I am going to buy another one.  Although, I have a bunch of brown and gold ornaments, that don't show well on green trees.....Oh, maybe I will get another one after all..... DON'T TELL DH!

There was one tree that was completely Dr. Seuss.  I loved it!

A nursery would love this.  A Preschool.  A Daycare.  Me.
I would love to have it downstairs in the family room.  It wouldn't match anything, but wouldn't the little kids love to play around and with it!  Oh, I would if I were a small child.  That is one tree that a mama could say...."Yes, go ahead and touch!".



And the little ones could rearrange the stuff at the bottom and think they had the best grandma in the whole world.  Well, they do, so I guess I don't need to give them the tree (this year) after all.




 And there were lots of ideas for doors, and wreaths, and oh, so much to see.

And the ideas to decorate the mantel were spectacular.  Nearly everyone in my new town has a fireplace, whether it is wood burning or gas, the mantels need some attention at Christmas time.  There were so many beautiful ones. 

So, we got in the Christmas spirit and got our house decorated.  I have enjoyed every minute of it.

Now, I will confess, we had the Festival of Trees in November.  And yes, I had my house completely decorated for Thanksgiving, in Christmas decorations.  I felt a little guilty about doing it so early.  I felt just a tiny bit guilty not decorating for Fall, or Thanksgiving, but I AM SO GLAD NOW THAT I DID IT. We have been able to invite friends and family to our home, and it looks so nice and cozy.  We have watched a Christmas special nearly every night in December and with the Christmas decorations all around us, it has been magical.  Romantic.  Spiritual.  Comforting.  Peaceful.  I have felt the spirit of Christmas, the real meaning of Christmas more this year then I have in many years.  I love having the decorations done early.

I hope you get inspired to change a few of your decorations, and feel the spirit of Christmas in doing so.

Merry Christmas....Happy Holidays......

Love, Me

Lemon Pie, Idaho Style

I love playing and playing and playing and searching and searching and ..
on the computer.  And I will give credit where credit is due.

Today, I found a new recipe: It came from Meridian Healthy Living Examiner.



Sour cream lemon pie offers a creamy alternative to traditional lemon pie recipes. For those busy Idaho cooks who aren't fond of, or would rather not fuss with meringues, just spoon this filling into a baked pastry shell and chill. It's a fast, easy, and delicious dessert!
Sour Cream Lemon Pie

• 1 ½ C sugar
• 3 Tbs cornstarch
• 3 Tbs flour
• Dash of salt
• 1 ½ C water
• 3 egg yolks – slightly beaten
• 2 Tbs butter or margarine
• 1/3 C lemon juice
• 1 C sour cream
• 1 baked pastry shell

Combine sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt. Gradually stir in water. Cook in saucepan over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Reduce heat and cook two more minutes – stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir about one cup of hot mixture into beaten yolks. Combine this with mixture in saucepan and return to a gentle boil. Cook and stir for two more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Gradually stir in lemon juice. Divide filling and pour one half into pastry shell. Allow remaining filling to cool for a few minutes. Then add the sour cream and beat until combined and smooth. Spread sour cream mixture over bottom layer of filling. Allow to cool and then chill in refrigerator prior to serving.


Continue reading on Examiner.com Lemon pie with sour cream Idaho style - Meridian healthy living | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/healthy-living-in-meridian/lemon-pie-with-sour-cream-idaho-style#ixzz1fthMqALq

Love, Me