Christmas Countdown - 2014

[Holiday]

Good Morning, MMC!!!!!! It's going to be another chilly one here with a high right around the freezing mark. The sun is out though so that should make it feel a lot better than the rest of the week when it was cloudy and windy. Not a whole lot going on here today. I need to run to Target at some point this morning and then it will be back home to watch some Nascar coverage. It's the last race or the year so I have to get my fill of it to carry me over to late February. I hope everyone is having a GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!

Enjoy Nascar today!!! Stay warm! (I love Target!)

 

[Holiday]

LOL!!!! I hope you realized it before you had a cart full of stuff!!!!!

(I may have got to the checkout a few times and realized that I forgot my wallet before)

I didn't even get out of the truck ~ I went to grab my purse to go inside & it wasn't there. Grrrrrrrr!!! LOL!

 

[brent]

Good Morning, Fellow Seasonals.
Yes, we have reached the 2nd day of Christmas Season 2014.

Are you enjoying yourselves?
I've been gorging on Christmas music and will soon start in on my Christmas movie collection.

But, the count never takes a break (except between Christmas Day and New Years Day).
Days to Thanksgiving: 13 (Hey. Under two weeks, now!)
Days to Christmas Day: 41 (Below the 6 week mark!)


Well, winter has definitely arrived.
We are at 38 degrees here and it's only going to get colder.
Mid 20's predicted for this evening.
And next week? Even colder.
BRRRRRR!!


Have a Fantastically Fabulous Friday, Friends.
And an Exciting Eve of the Weekend -- the first Weekend Eve of the Season!

Seems quite chilly for Raleigh! Brr, indeed! Have fun dipping into that movie collection, Crown! I am interested to hear your first selection.

 

[Christmasstar]

Special Post from Seawaters

I make notes all the time in my writer’s notebook where I keep track of words, phrases, memories that I want to refer to as I write for scrapbooks, journals, letters, etc. Amidst the rush to possibly see my son for the last time, I forgot where I put my writer’s notebook.Even though I did forget that, I did not forget what was in my heart.
For me, Christmas is a time for reminiscing, of bringing those memories to the forefront.
I once wrote to someone on MMC that traditions are a part of the glue that holds us together. They are not necessary, but they sure are comforting.If you ever find yourself at a point where you have to start over, don’t leave your traditions behind.They bring a sense of continuum to our lives, and they bring comfort to our children.The pain, though, is when one of those children is missing; it is also hard when one of the adults is missing.And it doesn’t even have to be that someone is missing.If a situation is so changed, that, too, can have a devastating effect.The thing is, we (have to) go on, no matter what.When my son was diagnosed with leukemia the day before Christmas Eve in 2007, I thought I would die.But life did go on.I was so subdued at Christmas, that I could hardly listen to Christmas music.Then I found out that keeping up that tradition was what helped me get through the holidays.At that point, I felt like all I was doing was “getting through.”Previous to that in 1999, my daughter had a stroke at 22 years of age.As a result, my granddaughter was born with cerebral palsy and had just gotten out of the hospital before Christmas.Twenty-two years earlier, my husband at the time, decided he didn’t want to be married; and he left when my daughter was three days old.Even though it was the first devastating thing to happen to me as an adult, it was also the thing that made me stronger.At the time, I couldn’t see that.But I carried on, on behalf of my children.There was really nothing else I could do.Then during Christmas 2011, I realized that I had cancer.It was scary, indeed, but nothing compared with those events that involved my children.I wish I had words of wisdom to share, but I do not.It is easy to say that time heals all wounds, and it does; but it doesn’t feel like it when you are going through a situation and when your heart is breaking, such as this past October when we found out my son’s cancer had returned as esophagus, colon, liver, and stomach cancer.
As a North Carolinian, I have always loved the writings of Thomas Wolfe from Asheville. Two of my favorite books by him are Look Homeward, Angel and You Can’t Go Home Again.Wolfe borrowed the title for You Can’t Go Home Again from a conversation he had with another writer.In the book, the main character realizes that "You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame ... back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time – back home to the escapes of Time and Memory."

I used to teach my students about “Makin’ Memories.” I don’t think they realized that when I told them my family stories that I was really reliving those memories as if it were yesterday.Some of the voices in those memories have been silenced, but they still ring true in my mind.
It sort of reminds me of what Walt Whitman wrote:
There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of
the day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years….
These became part of that child who went forth every day, and who now goes, and will always go forth every day.
What will I be remembered for? What memories will I leave with my own kids and with my former students?Will they remember…?What memories will have become a part of me?
I constantly ask myself how did that time get to be so long ago? One evening during Christmas, I withdrew a picture from an old album, reminding me of those long-ago memories and reliving those scenes as if they were just happening.Throughout that evening, those memories paraded past my eyes and my heart.
Later, in the glow of the streetlight filtering through the open drapes, we all looked like ourselves again. Tootsie with a new perm, Tim wearing his cowboy gloves and sporting his toothy smile, Daryl grinning while holding his Hopalong Cassidy rifle, and Vickie without wrinkles or splashes of gray in her hair.I was holding the hand-me-down doll and the box in which my new Brownie had recently been nestled.Reluctantly, I opened the photo album and replaced the picture in its proper spot.I knew, God willing, I would do this again next Christmas, just to see if the ghosts of Christmas past would come and visit.
Signing off as usual: And thus, we have come full circle since last year, and so it is now…the beginning of the new Christmas season.God bless us, everyone!

thank you ((((HUGS))))

 

[threeyoda]

Went to see a show at the theater last night, and when I walked out of the theater after it was over around 10:30, it looked like a full-on snowstorm. It was very cool and very Christmasy!

Looking forward to Thanksgiving in under 2 weeks and the start of the Christmas season for my family when Santa arrives at the end of the Thanksgiving Day Parade!

 

[brent]

Good morning, everyone!

My ears are ringing and I am tired! It's a good thing that it is Day 2 of the Christmas Season. I don't think I would have been able to stay awake while driving this morning if it wasn't for the Christmas music. I listened to one of my favourite (newer) Christmas albums "Snow Globe" by Matt Wertz on the drive, then began a decade-long favourite of mine, "Barenaked For the Holidays," of course, by the Barenaked Ladies. Normally it is a somewhat short 25 minutes to teach, instead I am about a 50 minute drive away today.

The concert last night was a lot of fun. It was great seeing one of my favourite bands (The Planet Smashers) play, again. It was my third time seeing them this year, and I've enjoyed myself a lot every time. After seeing them so much (27 times), they've come to know me and always say "Hello," when they see me. It's always good to know that they recognize and are appreciative of their fans.

TODAY!!!! Well, today is the day. Today is the day that Kim and I push our way to the very back of her closet and bring the three big rubbermaid contains of Christmas decorations into the living room to decorate. This year, we will have "Christmas" by Michael Buble and Vince Guaraldi Trio's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on vinyl to carry us along. Hopefully Simon the cat doesn't get too carried away! I'm sure he will though... decorations and a brand new Christmas Tree?! Simon won't know what to do with himself!

While walking to meet my friend Sean last night, I saw a house about four down from me that was completely decorated for Christmas. All the lights were crystal clear and filled so much of the house. I wanted to take a photo last night, but I was in a bit of a rush... and there were already a few people outside looking at the house. I will take a photo tonight or tomorrow.

Well, the bell for class will be going shortly. My break for the day is done... Have a great Friday, everyone! The Christmas Season is here. The first weekend of the Christmas Season is so close. Christmas is everywhere! It is fantastic. Merry Christmas!

 

[Christmasstar]

Here are some snow pictures I promised you

 

[Holiday]

Went to see a show at the theater last night, and when I walked out of the theater after it was over around 10:30, it looked like a full-on snowstorm. It was very cool and very Christmasy!

Looking forward to Thanksgiving in under 2 weeks and the start of the Christmas season for my family when Santa arrives at the end of the Thanksgiving Day Parade!

So many exciting things to come!!! :grin:

 

[Holiday]

Good morning, everyone!

My ears are ringing and I am tired! It's a good thing that it is Day 2 of the Christmas Season. I don't think I would have been able to stay awake while driving this morning if it wasn't for the Christmas music. I listened to one of my favourite (newer) Christmas albums "Snow Globe" by Matt Wertz on the drive, then began a decade-long favourite of mine, "Barenaked For the Holidays," of course, by the Barenaked Ladies. Normally it is a somewhat short 25 minutes to teach, instead I am about a 50 minute drive away today.

The concert last night was a lot of fun. It was great seeing one of my favourite bands (The Planet Smashers) play, again. It was my third time seeing them this year, and I've enjoyed myself a lot every time. After seeing them so much (27 times), they've come to know me and always say "Hello," when they see me. It's always good to know that they recognize and are appreciative of their fans.

TODAY!!!! Well, today is the day. Today is the day that Kim and I push our way to the very back of her closet and bring the three big rubbermaid contains of Christmas decorations into the living room to decorate. This year, we will have "Christmas" by Michael Buble and Vince Guaraldi Trio's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on vinyl to carry us along. Hopefully Simon the cat doesn't get too carried away! I'm sure he will though... decorations and a brand new Christmas Tree?! Simon won't know what to do with himself!

While walking to meet my friend Sean last night, I saw a house about four down from me that was completely decorated for Christmas. All the lights were crystal clear and filled so much of the house. I wanted to take a photo last night, but I was in a bit of a rush... and there were already a few people outside looking at the house. I will take a photo tonight or tomorrow.

Well, the bell for class will be going shortly. My break for the day is done... Have a great Friday, everyone! The Christmas Season is here. The first weekend of the Christmas Season is so close. Christmas is everywhere! It is fantastic. Merry Christmas!

How exciting to be putting up your decorations tonight!!! Hope your day at school goes well! Glad you had a fun time last night! That's cool that the band recognizes you!!! Have a great day Brent!

 

[HomemakinGirl]

Good Morning and Happy Friday MMC!
I'm off to do some Christmas shopping, I love it!
Be back later, I hope everyone has a fabulous day!!!

 

[Bradmac]

TGIF, my Christmas friends!

It's a little chilly here in the coastal empire this morning, and I like it! It was 38°F when I got to work this morning. Nice!

I have a busy day at work today, and a busy weekend planned, so I need to buckle-down and get it done. I hope to go see Interstellar tomorrow afternoon. The matinee prices are easier to handle .

I hope y'all have a great day! cheesy

 

[Holiday]

Here are some snow pictures I promised you

Beautiful pics CS! Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[brent]

Special Post from Seawaters

I make notes all the time in my writer’s notebook where I keep track of words, phrases, memories that I want to refer to as I write for scrapbooks, journals, letters, etc. Amidst the rush to possibly see my son for the last time, I forgot where I put my writer’s notebook. Even though I did forget that, I did not forget what was in my heart.
For me, Christmas is a time for reminiscing, of bringing those memories to the forefront.
I once wrote to someone on MMC that traditions are a part of the glue that holds us together. They are not necessary, but they sure are comforting. If you ever find yourself at a point where you have to start over, don’t leave your traditions behind. They bring a sense of continuum to our lives, and they bring comfort to our children. The pain, though, is when one of those children is missing; it is also hard when one of the adults is missing. And it doesn’t even have to be that someone is missing. If a situation is so changed, that, too, can have a devastating effect. The thing is, we (have to) go on, no matter what. When my son was diagnosed with leukemia the day before Christmas Eve in 2007, I thought I would die. But life did go on. I was so subdued at Christmas, that I could hardly listen to Christmas music. Then I found out that keeping up that tradition was what helped me get through the holidays. At that point, I felt like all I was doing was “getting through.” Previous to that in 1999, my daughter had a stroke at 22 years of age. As a result, my granddaughter was born with cerebral palsy and had just gotten out of the hospital before Christmas. Twenty-two years earlier, my husband at the time, decided he didn’t want to be married; and he left when my daughter was three days old. Even though it was the first devastating thing to happen to me as an adult, it was also the thing that made me stronger. At the time, I couldn’t see that. But I carried on, on behalf of my children. There was really nothing else I could do. Then during Christmas 2011, I realized that I had cancer. It was scary, indeed, but nothing compared with those events that involved my children. I wish I had words of wisdom to share, but I do not. It is easy to say that time heals all wounds, and it does; but it doesn’t feel like it when you are going through a situation and when your heart is breaking, such as this past October when we found out my son’s cancer had returned as esophagus, colon, liver, and stomach cancer.
As a North Carolinian, I have always loved the writings of Thomas Wolfe from Asheville. Two of my favorite books by him are Look Homeward, Angel and You Can’t Go Home Again. Wolfe borrowed the title for You Can’t Go Home Again from a conversation he had with another writer. In the book, the main character realizes that "You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame ... back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time – back home to the escapes of Time and Memory."

I used to teach my students about “Makin’ Memories.” I don’t think they realized that when I told them my family stories that I was really reliving those memories as if it were yesterday. Some of the voices in those memories have been silenced, but they still ring true in my mind.
It sort of reminds me of what Walt Whitman wrote:
There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of
the day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years….
These became part of that child who went forth every day, and who now goes, and will always go forth every day.
What will I be remembered for? What memories will I leave with my own kids and with my former students? Will they remember…? What memories will have become a part of me?
I constantly ask myself how did that time get to be so long ago? One evening during Christmas, I withdrew a picture from an old album, reminding me of those long-ago memories and reliving those scenes as if they were just happening. Throughout that evening, those memories paraded past my eyes and my heart.
Later, in the glow of the streetlight filtering through the open drapes, we all looked like ourselves again. Tootsie with a new perm, Tim wearing his cowboy gloves and sporting his toothy smile, Daryl grinning while holding his Hopalong Cassidy rifle, and Vickie without wrinkles or splashes of gray in her hair. I was holding the hand-me-down doll and the box in which my new Brownie had recently been nestled. Reluctantly, I opened the photo album and replaced the picture in its proper spot. I knew, God willing, I would do this again next Christmas, just to see if the ghosts of Christmas past would come and visit.
Signing off as usual: And thus, we have come full circle since last year, and so it is now…the beginning of the new Christmas season. God bless us, everyone!

Excellent, heartfelt post, Seawaters. As it was mentioned, I am sure that wasn't easy to write, yet it was written so beautifully. Thank you.

 

[Holiday]

Good Morning and Happy Friday MMC!
I'm off to do some Christmas shopping, I love it!
Be back later, I hope everyone has a fabulous day!!!

Have fun shopping HMG!!! Hope you find some deals!!! xx Enjoy the Christmas music on XM!

 

[Holiday]

TGIF, my Christmas friends!

It's a little chilly here in the coastal empire this morning, and I like it! It was 38°F when I got to work this morning. Nice!

I have a busy day at work today, and a busy weekend planned, so I need to buckle-down and get it done. I hope to go see Interstellar tomorrow afternoon. The matinee prices are easier to handle .

I hope y'all have a great day! cheesy

It was 21º when I came to work this morning. :cold: You have a heat wave! :lol: I hope you get to see Interstallar tomorrow!!! Have a great Friday Brad!!! And a great weekend...

 

[Christmasstar]

Found this on sale at Target this week

If I had little ones this is something I would get

 

[brent]

How exciting to be putting up your decorations tonight!!! Hope your day at school goes well! Glad you had a fun time last night! That's cool that the band recognizes you!!! Have a great day Brent!

Thanks, Holiday! I hope you have a wonderful Friday, too!!!

 

[brent]

My across the creek neighbours put their lights up over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and I look forward to it every year. Think I'll stick a card in their mailbox even though I don't know them - just to say Merry Christmas and thanks for decorating early.

I actually had the same thought last night. I'd never considered such a thing before, but thanking them for their decorations and warmth just feels like right. Thanks for sharing, Auntie, it is great to know that others want to show such appreciation!

 

[Holiday]

There aren't a whole lot of things better than quitting time on Friday! My sister & I are heading to "German Family Christmas" this afternoon! The little shops in 2 adjoining towns have their Holiday open houses this weekend. I'm really looking forward to it!!! Always fun. The "Cottage Cafe" has an Espresso Bar today we are going to check out!

Have a wonderful weekend MMC! Stay safe & warm!!!!

 

[made582]

Went to see a show at the theater last night, and when I walked out of the theater after it was over around 10:30, it looked like a full-on snowstorm. It was very cool and very Christmasy!

Looking forward to Thanksgiving in under 2 weeks and the start of the Christmas season for my family when Santa arrives at the end of the Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Enjoy the snow, Threeyoda!!!!

Good morning, everyone!

My ears are ringing and I am tired! It's a good thing that it is Day 2 of the Christmas Season. I don't think I would have been able to stay awake while driving this morning if it wasn't for the Christmas music. I listened to one of my favourite (newer) Christmas albums "Snow Globe" by Matt Wertz on the drive, then began a decade-long favourite of mine, "Barenaked For the Holidays," of course, by the Barenaked Ladies. Normally it is a somewhat short 25 minutes to teach, instead I am about a 50 minute drive away today.

The concert last night was a lot of fun. It was great seeing one of my favourite bands (The Planet Smashers) play, again. It was my third time seeing them this year, and I've enjoyed myself a lot every time. After seeing them so much (27 times), they've come to know me and always say "Hello," when they see me. It's always good to know that they recognize and are appreciative of their fans.

TODAY!!!! Well, today is the day. Today is the day that Kim and I push our way to the very back of her closet and bring the three big rubbermaid contains of Christmas decorations into the living room to decorate. This year, we will have "Christmas" by Michael Buble and Vince Guaraldi Trio's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on vinyl to carry us along. Hopefully Simon the cat doesn't get too carried away! I'm sure he will though... decorations and a brand new Christmas Tree?! Simon won't know what to do with himself!

While walking to meet my friend Sean last night, I saw a house about four down from me that was completely decorated for Christmas. All the lights were crystal clear and filled so much of the house. I wanted to take a photo last night, but I was in a bit of a rush... and there were already a few people outside looking at the house. I will take a photo tonight or tomorrow.

Well, the bell for class will be going shortly. My break for the day is done... Have a great Friday, everyone! The Christmas Season is here. The first weekend of the Christmas Season is so close. Christmas is everywhere! It is fantastic. Merry Christmas!

Glad to hear that you had fun at the concert last night!!!!

Have fun teaching and decorating this weekend!!!!

Here are some snow pictures I promised you

It looks Beautiful, Star!!!!

Good Morning and Happy Friday MMC!
I'm off to do some Christmas shopping, I love it!
Be back later, I hope everyone has a fabulous day!!!

Have fun shopping, HMG!!!!!!

TGIF, my Christmas friends!

It's a little chilly here in the coastal empire this morning, and I like it! It was 38°F when I got to work this morning. Nice!

I have a busy day at work today, and a busy weekend planned, so I need to buckle-down and get it done. I hope to go see Interstellar tomorrow afternoon. The matinee prices are easier to handle .

I hope y'all have a great day! cheesy

Hope you get to see Interstellar!!!!! It looks really good!!!!

Have a great day, Brad!!!!!