Christmas is over already? I can't believe it!

We had a wonderful Christmas Day. Very busy, but lots of fun. Our Christmas Eve service featured old-fashioned carolers, and the kids tried on the costume hats afterwards. Later that night, I made a Christmas Eve dinner of turkey, sweet and sour meatballs, shrimp cocktail, spinach salad, cranberry tea, cold cuts and cheese, salmon ball, and satin pie! It turned out pretty well and we have tons of leftovers.

Christmas morning we started with our traditional breakfast of grapefruit, sausage balls, and buttered raisin bread . . .still more leftovers. Then, on to presents. The kids had a great time with all of their clothes and gifts. Later that afternoon, we traveled up near Detroit for an extended family gathering. When I got home that evening, the cleanup process began. I told Brett that if a tornado would go through our living room, it might actually leave it cleaner than it was!

I'm back at work today after braving some scary black ice on the highways (again). At least it's only one day, and I'm sooo looking forward to the weekend, where I don't have anything planned and I intend to keep it that way!

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas too!

Happy Birthday, Brett

Happy Birthday, Brett

I am giving Brett a one day head start on his birthday. I hope you have a great birthday, Brett. I realize it will be a sad day in one respect---that of losing your Grandmother. I am so sorry she could not recover. She was a very special lady and I feel blessed for having known her for several years and looked forward to seeing her each Sunday in our Sunday School Class. My thoughts and prayers are with you and the family. I buried my Mother on Saturday before Christmas 39 years ago and it made for a very sad Christmas. I miss her still as I know you will continue to miss your Grandmother.

Kim, I am sorry about your accident yesterday. So thankful you are not injured. Cars are replaceable but people are not!!! No time is a good time for an accident but this is especially not a good time!!! I dread thinking how different it could have been and take comfort in knowing God was protecting you.

We have some cold, cold temps coming in tonight---an over night low of perhaps 3º. May need an extra blanket or two!!! We are still blessed. We do not have ice nor snow as so many areas have today and we do have a warm house and plenty food.

Stay safe and stay warm,

Dortha

Holland Cousins

Holland Cousins, 1983

This picture is for Kim. I was reading some "old" posts recently and in one of them, Kim requested that someone post a picture of the "Original Eight" that was taken in 1983. This is not the one she requested but was taken at the same time. The one she wanted was of the Eight acting "silly". I have not found it but I will and I will post it when I do. I think this one shows eight cuties. It doesn't seem possible that all but one of these cousins are now parents themselves---Keith being a father in waiting!!! His little boy should make his debut any day now. (Andrea's little girl is almost the exact age Andrea was in this picture.) Neither does it seem possible that the grandparents are now 80 and almost 84. Where have the years gone and how did they go so quickly?

All the more reason for making lot of memories. Cherish those in your life who are close to you, friend or family member, and let them know they are in your heart and are important to you. Tell those you love how much they mean to you. Time waits for no one and we must make the most of each occasion. Love with all your heart and you will be rewarded for the giving.

Good night now and enjoy the night sounds!!

Dortha

One Day Closer!!

All I can do today is ramble a bit. Nothing exciting nor news-worthy has happened on Holland Hill lately. Right now we have no icy roads but do have a drizzle and our temp is 32º, however, we have a promise that our temp will be in the 40's before day's end. That will be very welcome.

I suppose you could say I am having "with-drawal pains". I miss having our guests here. I have been slow getting my act in gear and getting things done since everyone left. Yesterday I spent the day addressing Christmas Cards but I did not finish so now my dining room table is covered with cards, addresses and such rather than the things that had taken up residence there while our guests were here. We like spending time around the table---after the food no longer looks enticing. It is a perfect place for conversations and sharing and making memories. We never seem to have enough time to "solve" all the problems but cherish the times we do spend together.

At this time, we all spend time planning and wondering what gift we should buy for whom. That was one of the topics we discussed. For many of us, funds are not so plentiful this year and no one knows what the future holds for any of us. We pretty much agreed that we don't really need gifts and now I ask the question, "Do the best gifts really come from a store?" Of course not. We all know the best gifts come from the heart. The best gifts are the legacies we leave, the love we give, the impressions we leave on the hearts and lives of others and the memories we make. To me, family is so important and spending time together is the greatest blessing of all. I am so thankful our family enjoys being together and that we are privileged to do so often. God is soooooo good to us.

Have a blessed day,
Dortha

Pre-Christmas Dinner

This was last week's pre-Christmas Dinner AND Vicky's late Birthday Dinner. The pictures do not do the occasion justice. There were 15 present. Sorry the camera does not do a good job taking pictures at the table. Remember to click on the collage and it will enlarge so you can see if you think Devin has enough food on his plate!!!! I think you can agree that we had a good time. Looks as if I didn't even include a picture of Vicky. There was one of her that was not a good picture and I honored her enough not to print it. Sorry Vicky, I did not get a good one of you. You are 'way down at the end by Ron in one of these but just doesn't show up very well.

That is all for today!!!!
Dortha

Meals at Jan's and here

Some of these pictures are from our Thanksgiving Dinner and Brunch. Two of them were taken at Jan's house while we are enjoying the wonderful brunch she and Sherlyn prepared for us. I will find some more that were taken last week. It is never easy to get a good picture taken during a meal but at least we can see who was here. Enjoy!!!!

Christmas 2008

This collage of pictures should be proof enough that we had a great visit with our visitors. The days passed all too quickly but the memories live on. We are thankful for the time we can spend with family. I will post another collage of the group of guests who joined us for meals and visits last week. We are so blessed and wish EVERYONE who could not be with us a wonderful Christmas and look forward to seeing you another time.

Love to all,
Dortha

A Cold, Cold Monday!!

I am very thankful that I have a warm house today. Our temp is 14º which was our over night low. Yesterday at this time the temp was in the 50's or 60's. We had some freezing rain over night with more promised for tonight.

Well, I haven't posted for a few days the reason being, I have been busy with and enjoying my company. It has been good to have Andrea and family, also Roger, here. We have seen Roger five times this year!!! We like that!!!! Even so, we never seem to have enough time to say and do all the things we would like to do. We do cherish our time with our family. The days and years go by much too quickly.

More later,
Dortha

Brownies Anyone????

Brownies Anyone??? We have extra!!

Dortha

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Mom! Hope you have a great day, though it sounds like you are stuck at the shop by yourself. We had fun visiting over Thanksgiving, despite it being cut short by the circumstances. Hopefully this weekend you and Dad can go out and celebrate your special day. Thanks for being so giving and loving to us all!

Happy Birthday, Vicky!!

Happy Birthday, Vicky!!

I wonder if you will get the day off work!!! I remember a few years ago when you THOUGHT you were getting the day off and then I made an appointment for you to meet with a client!!! (Sorry!!!) Roads were snow covered and icy but you made your way to the appointment anyway. I hope whatever you have planned for today will come to fruition and that you have a great day.

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!!
Dortha

Another Cloudy Day!!

The Sleigh Ride!!

Looks like fun!! I have never ridden in a sleigh but I have ridden in a horse drawn buggy, also horse drawn wagons. That was the norm for travel during my early years. Very few people had automobiles. Even though my Mother owned her own automobile before she married, she never owned another during her life time. My generation has probably seen more changes than any other generation ever has or any ever will. The many changes boggle the mind. There are so many things we now take for granted that were only dreams not so long ago. We are a very blessed people.

Well, it is much later than when I began this post. I was signed out of the account 3 times so I just gave up and put it on hold. I do not understand why that happens and I do not like having to sign in again and again, typing in my user name and password each time. At least I do not lose what I have typed as it is waiting for me as a draft.

We have a very dreary day. Have had some rain over night and light rain most of the day. We are promised snow later this afternoon and tonight. That will be OK so long as it is not too deep and doesn't get too dangerous for traveling. I don't want to be house-bound too long. I still have some getting ready for my company 2 days from now.

Guess what!!! I just got signed out again!! Does anyone have an answer or a solution? It doesn't happen ONLY when I am blogging. It happens other times as well. I still don't like it but don't know what to do.

Stay safe and stay warm!!

Dortha

Cloudy Monday!!

We Must Remember!!!

With all the hustle and bustle we experience at this time of year, let us not forget the REAL meaning of Christmas. Except for Jesus, we would have no Christmas.

We had a good week end and I trust you did as well. It is always good to find ourselves in God's house and enjoy the Christmas music and messages, also the fellowship with friends. We are blessed indeed!!! Today I will do some shopping and will then spend more time getting ready for our company later this week. We are promised much colder temps tomorrow so I will take advantage of the not-so-cold temps today.

Thoughts to ponder: Somewhere I read the following; For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it one a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. Remember if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.

This would be a good time to put those helping hands to work. There are so many who need help.

Dortha

Ryan Is Finally Coming Home!

Although Ryan is excited to be coming home for the holidays, I'm not so sure he will be accustomed to the temperatures that we have here. Since going into the Marines, he has spent all his time in California or Florida. He is in Pensacola now and he has had nice weather up until this last week. He said when they lined up outside the other morning it was 30 degrees. Quite a shock to the system when you are used to warmer temps.
Yesterday, Mom, Courtney, Stephen and I went down to Silver Dollar City to see the Christmas lights. It was so beautiful and it got us all in the holiday spirit! I think the last time I had been to Silver Dollar City was about 10 years ago and I had never seen their Christmas lights. Mom and I used to have season passes and we would take all the kids when they were younger. I remember pushing Ryan in a stroller up and down all those hills, so it's been quite a while! I hope everyone is having a wonderful Holiday Season!
Love to all!
Sherlyn

Sat. Night

I enjoy the Christmas programs and songs. For me they promote the Christmas Spirit. I am listening to Andy Williams' Christmas Show. The music is so nice and inspiring. I try to keep caroles playing somewhere in the house.

As I mentioned earlier today, we would be attending our first Christmas Party at noon today. It was very nice------ just as I had predicted. I suppose there were close to 100 in attendance. The food, music and entertainment were most enjoyable. Wellington Place South has a super nice banquet room---round tables, white table cloths, beautiful china and glassware. Our menu consisted of ham, potatoes, green beans, jello salad, roll and pie. Young people from our church served us so we felt royally treated.

I am getting some menu plans put together for next week when our company will be here. It doesn't take long to get tired of turkey so we may not have another one. A turkey breast perhaps but part of last week's turkey went into the freezer. When Ryan comes home, we will have ham!!! He thinks he can eat 2 or 3 all by himself. I promised him we will have plenty!!

Remember to find your way to God's House tomorrow. From Him all blessings flow!!

Dortha

Eighteen More Days!!!!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!! We will attend our first Christmas Party today and we received our first Christmas Card yesterday----courtesy of Scott, Heather and the girls. Sooo cute!!! Perhaps we need a little snow but no ice please!!!!! Today we have beautiful sunshine and right now the temp is 33º. It will get warmer but not too much.

We are counting the days until Andrea, Kelly, Marshal, Emelia and Roger arrive for an early Christmas visit. We will be celebrating Vicky's (?) birthday while the company is here. We find lots of reasons for throwing parties!!!! Vicky had been our only family member with a December birthday but now she has to share with Brett and before the month is over, she may be sharing with Jaxson. Seems as if he may not want to wait until his scheduled arrival date in January. I understand Jessica is now on total bedrest.

Our party today is a catered noon meal at Wellington Place South. It will be super nice. Next Saturday we will have our annual class party. It also will be catered. I am taking Andrea, Kelly, Marshal and Emelia as my guests. The season is getting 'busy'!!!

Enjoy the day AND the Season!!

Dortha

Close to Christmas!!!!

Early Christmas Wish!!!

I realize Christmas Day is yet several days away but I do not think it is too early to constantly remind ourselves of the "Reason for the Season". It would be very difficult to forget the reason or to ignore the reason since we can drive only a few blocks before seeing all the glistening and beautiful lights and displays in yards and on buildings that are there for our enjoyment. There are many reminders that it is the season for buying and giving gifts, for family dinners and reunions and for celebrating the birth of our Blessed Savior. That is as it should be. Let us not get so involved in gift giving that we forget the Greatest Gift of All!!!

I was saddened today when I received an e-mail telling me that ABC News has banned all news personnel from wearing flag lapel pins or any patriotic insignia. Wouldn't it be our duty to boycott ABC's sponsors? We are watching the very things our Military is fighting to preserve being taken from us. What will be next? How can God be pleased? The Ten Commandments are not multiple choice. God Does Not Change--He is the same, today, tomorrow and forever. Why cannot everyone just let Him be God?

Thanks for stopping by-----if you did!!!!

Dortha

Cloudy & COLD Wednesday!!!

Sorry, Officer, I Didn't Mean to Speed!!!

I don't have any interesting news today so will share a cute picture. On a gloomy day like today, we can use a little humor.

Things are really quiet on Holland Hill. We grew accustomed to all our company last week and now we miss them. We are looking forward to more come next Thursday, however. Kelly, Andrea and the children, also Roger, plan to be here for several day. That will be good. We haven't seen Andrea and family since August and we are glad we can have an early Christmas with them. Then the day after they leave, Ryan should arrive. I believe he will be here for 17 days. He should have a lot of things to tell us about his Marine days.

Our nice days come and go. Yesterday was nice and sunny and today is cold and cloudy with a promise of some moisture and temperature down in the teens tonight. At least we don't get tired of one kind of weather since it changes often. I hope we will have nice weather this Saturday. We have a Church Christmas Dinner scheduled then.

Remember, of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important and the happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts!!

Have a great day,
Dortha

A New Month!!!

We Continue to be Thankful!!!

Even though Thanksgiving Day is now history for 2008, we continue to count our blessings. We had a blessed week with our out-0f-town guests as well as our local families. God was so good to give us great weather and many hours to share thoughts and memories while at the same time, making new memories. Everyday, simple things may become the greatest and most treasured memories of tomorrow. I am grateful for the bounty of love and memories that are mine forever to cherish.

There were some anxious and sad moments because of the terrorist attacks in India resulting in Blake Bartlett's being held captive and Jessica and Keith's not being able to join us during the week. We rejoiced with Blake's being released and that he is now home in Ohio, also that Jessica has some relief from her pain. It was a wonderful week. It would have been even more special had more family been able to be with us; however, we are expecting Andrea and family also Roger to visit in a couple of weeks. That will be another blessing.

It hardly seems possible that today can be the first day of the last month of 2008. Only 30 more days this year and only 24 days until Christmas. The year has seen many changes and no doubt will see many more come January 2009. We can only trust that God will continue to protect and supply our needs.

Speaking of a new month, that would mean Birthday time, huh???? We don't have very many for December however, the ones we do have are as follows:

Birthdays:

Vicky...........................................Dec. 10th
Brett............................................Dec 21st

Thought for the day: Most people sparkkle and shine when the sun is shinning but when darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within!!! May we all let our lights shine!!!!

Love and memories,
Dortha