Synn

Whooooohooooooo it's Friday night and I don't have to work this weekend!!! Gonna spend it getting my daughter ready for homecoming tomorrow night. I am not ready for this dance! This little girl should still be playing with Barbies!

Plus we will cut more wood. And hopefully get our Christmas tree... And put up more lights in the house... The stockings are hung by the chimney with care... I hope to make some candies this weekend too.. I love weekends, but I try to cram a weeks worth of stuff in 2 days.. It's time for hubby so we are taking tonight to go shopping.. Ya'll take care and have a great weekend!!!!

LOL of course I know things he's interested in... Sleeping and TV.. All I ever do is work and cook.. So.....My mind is fried.. So I was just looking for ideas..

LOL I am the parent..

Pansy! It's good to see ya post!

Gotta go to work... My siggy I can't get right so it's over on the left now.. Tired of working with it! It might just stay there!!!!

Silent Night

The words of Silent Night were written by a Priest called Fr. Joseph Mohr in Mariapfarr, Austria, in 1816 and the music was added by his school teacher friend, Franz Xaver Gruber, in 1818 for the Christmas service at St. Nicholas church in Oberndorf, Austria.

Fr. Mohr asked Franz Gruber to compose the melody with a guitar arrangement. It was several years later that Franz Gruber wrote an arrangement for the organ. Historians who have conducted research in recent years believe that Fr. Mohr wanted a new carol that he could play on his guitar.

There is a legend associated with the carol that says, Fr. Mohr wanted the carol to be sung by the children of the village at the midnight Christmas Eve service, as a surprise for their parents. But in the middle of practicing, the organ broke and not a note would come from it! So the children had to learn the carol only accompanied by a guitar. They learnt the carol so well that they could sing it on its own without accompaniment.

However, there are no records to indicate that a children’s choir was involved or that the organ was broken.

At Midnight Mass in 1818, Fr. Mohr and Franz Gruber sang each of the six verses with the church choir repeating the last two lines of each verse. Mohr set down the guitar arrangement on paper around 1820 and that is the earliest manuscript that still exists, it is displayed in the Carolino Augusteum Museum in Salzburg. There are a number of manuscripts of various ‘Stille Nacht’ arrangement that were written by Franz Gruber in later years.

The original words of the song were in German and translated in to English went:

Silent night, holy night,

Bethlehem sleeps, yet what light,

Floats around the heavenly pair;

Songs of angels fills the air.

Strains of heavenly peace.

Soon they were translated into many languages and changed slightly and now the carol is a favorite all over the world!

Another fun site...

http://www.whychristmas.com/

10 Simple Christmas Decorating Ideas

Using Stuff You Already Have

By Shari Brown

It's Christmas time again, and, even though you've strung lights outside your house and "decked the halls" inside with boughs of holly (or cedar, or pine…), it just doesn't feel festive!

You need something else. Something new.

But you don't really want to spend your hard-earned money on new holiday décor- after all, you still have gifts to buy! What can you do? Here's ten simple (but VERY effective) ways to use common Christmas items you already have to add that special holiday touch.

1. Take some of your old glass ball ornaments (you know, the ones that look so drab compared to your other tree decorations!) and arrange them in a bowl. Clear glass bowls are especially striking, as the ornaments show through. If you don't have an appropriate bowl, use a basket.

I've also used small crystal candy dishes to display the small ornaments that were passed down to me by my grandmother- mostly tiny orbs that had broken at the top and had lost their hooks, but still had beautiful pearly finishes.

2. Use your ribbon (C'mon, `fess up- you weren't going to put in on the packages anyway!) and some bows to "wrap" unlikely items. Like the refrigerator. Doors. An end table. Your kitchen cupboards. The dog. Okay, maybe not the dog…

3. While you've got the ribbon out, grab your curling ribbon and make some curly "pom-poms". (Simply cut several lengths of curling ribbon, curl them by sliding the lengths against a scissor blade, and tie them together at the center.) Keep in mind that the curling ribbon will be much shorter after curling - figure on about half its original length.

Tape or tie the "pom-poms" wherever you have a dull spot- they can be tied to the end of your banister (inside or out), hung on doorknobs, or even attached to the tops of your dining chairs.

4. Recreate the Nativity with your children's toys. I admit that you probably will get some interesting comments- especially if you don't have kids! - but this can be a great way to reinforce the Christmas story. Arrange them on a small table, using a sheet for the ground if you'd like. Just make sure any Barbie dolls you use are dressed. (Helps if they have their heads attached, too.)

5. Make a holiday candle garden. Use a Christmas themed plate or tray, or even a plain metal one and arrange 3 or 5 candles of varying heights (odd numbers look best). Tuck some greenery (artificial or real) in between the candles to give your candle garden an extra festive touch.

This is also a great way to accent a special candle with a holiday theme- surround it with plain pillar candles in a complementary color.

6. Recycle old tinsel garland by cutting shorter lengths of it and using it to accent your current décor. You can cut out any matted or thin sections, using the "still-good" pieces as filler in your wreath, candle accents, or as a basket handle accent (wrap around the basket handle in a spiral pattern, leaving some of the original handle showing.)

Re-frame a mirror with gold, red or green garland. Tie a bow and attach it to the top of a present or homemade "goodie" tray.

7. If you have access to free pine cones, gather some up and display them in a basket. You can spray potpourri oil on them (cinnamon is traditional, but vanilla, apple, or gingerbread would be very festive also) or spray them with silver or gold paint. Another great idea is to dab a bit of glue on each "point" of the cone and then sprinkle with glitter.

If you don't have any pine cones in your area, you can usually find them (most likely pre-scented) at your local craft store.

8. Cut out the patterns- Santa, snowmen, penguins, etc.- on your leftover wrapping paper and use them to decorate. Spray adhesive (found at your local craft store) will enable the cutouts to stick to your walls, wooden boxes, bottles…pretty much anything you can find! And the best part- it's not permanent! (Check the adhesive instructions.)

9. Have any uncomfortable or worn-out Christmas socks? Stuff them with a bit of batting, sew the tops closed (insert a little ribbon loop in the corner first), and "string" them on yarn or thin ribbon. Hang on the wall or mantel, or even the tree!

10. The simplest, yet most beautiful holiday decoration?

Paper snowflakes! Relive your childhood and create a few. Or a whole blizzard. If you're feeling generous, you can ask your kids to help. When you're done, tape them on your windows- whenever you look out, you'll see a white Christmas (even if you live in the tropics!)

Ok Theyd.. I think the crying jag is over now..

Christmas's at home were very enjoyable to me as a child. Tons of brothers and sisters neices nephews, Mom and Dad.. I remember the last Christmas my brother Rick was at home before he went into the army. He woke me and my twin brother up saying Shawny, Dawny wake up santa's been here.. (yes Dawny is my nickname)... I was probably 5.. He then went to Germany.. He came home when I was 10 for good and died in a car wreck 3 months later.

I can hear my mom singing Silver Bells and Winter Wonderland over and over in my head. We used to have so much fun singing together as a family.. That's what we did every weekend.. Back in the days of record players and a reel to reel player/recorder.. Brothers would play guitars and Mom would play the banjo.. And we all had 3 part harmony that we would sing.. Man those were the best times of my life.. Christmas's were all happy.. I cannot recreate those memories for my kids as hard as I try.. I need to slow myself down long enough to make fudge with them, and have them help me bake and wrap presents and make it a family affair! After all these years we are finally getting together again..This will be the third year.. I long for the days of my childhood at Christmas time.. Even though my family is here as in my husband and my children I feel lonely without my brothers sisters and parents.. But my memories make me warm inside.. It's a good feeling.. Thanks Thyra!!!

Does anyone have any thoughts on what to get a 14 year boy and girl for Christmas? We don't have a lot of money so I am trying to find simple unexpensive things that they will appreciate just the same.. My 6 year old is still so easy!

Thanks,

Dawn

Here comes Suzy Snowflake,

Dressed in a snow-white gown,

Tap, tap, tappin' at your windowpane,

To tell you she's in town.

Here comes Suzy Snowflake,

Soon you will hear her say,

"Come out ev'ryone and play with me,

I haven't long to stay."

"If you want to make a snowman,

I'll help you make it, one, two, three.

If you want to take a sleigh ride,

Whoops! The ride's on me."

Here comes Suzy Snowflake,

Look at her tumblin' down,

Bringing joy to ev'ry girl and boy,

Suzy's come to town.

"If you want to make a snowman,

I'll help you make it, one, two, three.

If you want to take a sleigh ride,

Whoops! The ride's on me."

Here comes Suzy Snowflake,

Look at her tumblin' down,

Bringing joy to ev'ry girl and boy,

Suzy's come to town.

The book of Matthew

lil dd and i sing silent night all year long nearly every night. it's her favorite! I also like White Christmas, silver bells and Susie Snowflake

Also if there is any of you that want to listen to Christmas music online go to www.christmasradio.com

Works really well with dsl.. Don't konw about dial up as I haven't tried it.. Right now I am listening to Billie Holiday- Have a jazzy Christmas... Not so sure I would like her very well.. At least not this song anyway.

How do you think my teenagers would react to me pulling their ears to get them to do something?

ok i wanted to be the first to say Happy december ya'll!!! Okay now I am off to bed! nightie night

Drug Problem

The other day, someone at a store in a small town read that a

methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farm house in the adjoining

county and he asked me a rhetorical question, "Why didn't we have a drug

problem when you and I were growing up?"

I responded that we did have a drug problem when we were kids growing up

on

the farm or in the city.

I had a drug problem when I was young.

I was drug to church on Sunday morning.

I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.

I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.

I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie,

brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of

the teacher or the preacher Or if I didn't put forth my best effort in

everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink if I uttered a profane four letter word. (I

do know what Lye soap tastes like.)

I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flowerbeds and cockleburs

out of dad's fields.

I was drug to the homes of Family, Friends, and neighbors to help out some

poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline or chop

some fire wood, and if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime

as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the wood shed.

Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in

everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack or

heroin, and if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America

might be a better place today.

Oh I am sorry I confused you! I know you sent me the snowman I was saying I sent you an angel with a yellow robe!

Awww Westie we are at 41 here wanna come to Illinois to play?? Only 20's tonight with a chance of snow.. BTW I love marshmallows too!! Especially in the fireplace...

Good Morning everyone! Hope everyone had a great night! Everyone decorating for Christmas yet?? I have a small tree up downstairs. And I will put a bigger one upstairs.. I have been doing pretty good keeping up with the chores. Well not the laundry but that's a given here.. Never never have all of it done.

Hey Slgrubbs??? Think I have posted enough in the past 2 days to make up for it??

If you all are getting snow lucky you! Wish it was snow here instead of sooo much rain! YUCK

Ok ya'll take care.........

I think I sent you the Santa. They were all different, I think Snowmoms was a snowman couple Theyd's was an angel fuzzy on the rest!

There you are.. It's good to see you post! Hope your Thanksgiving went well..

Mommyof5 I see I am not hte only nightowl in the group. Of course it's probably not as late there!

Yes Joan it all looks great! Thanks!