Category: Other Posts

A Quick Thought

Let It Snow!

deborahanndykeman

let it snowAs a child, I loved snow. Growing up in Colorado, it would snow and generally it would melt within a couple days. We would have a lot at a time, but it wouldn’t stick around for long. Then we moved to Vermont. There is snowed, and snowed, and snowed. Every day it just grew deeper. The piles in the parking lots were there until June. I didn’t like snow so much anymore after that.

As an adult, I still love snow. As long as it snows in November and December and there is no ice with it. For me, that sets the holiday mood even more. I love a white Christmas! But as an adult, you also have to think of things like, driving to work in it, shoveling out your car BEFORE driving to work in it, etc. By the time January arrives, I would be fine with it being a pleasant 70 degrees, a touch of rain here and there to keep things green.

Living in Kansas, that is not how it works. If we have snow, it will generally be AFTER Christmas and after January. It has snowed as late as April 17th in  my memory of living here. Not so pleasant, especially since you have had a couple REALLY nice days of upper seventies by that date. Just enough to kind of tease you about spring.

We had a little bit of white just after Christmas this year. We were to have a big storm, with many inches piling up, but it kind of petered out. So it rained, more freezing rain, and then it kind of froze so we had white on the roads and sidewalks. And now it’s cold! For me it can still snow until New Years Day. I will give it one more chance, just a couple more days. Which brings me to the reason I wanted to write this.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! is a song usually sung at Christmas time. But it is really a winter song in my mind. So I wanted to share it with you here. For me, it brings to mind that cozy feeling when it is cold outside and really piling up in big, white mounds. You don’t want to leave, just be close to family and friends and sit beside the fire. Just about a perfect day! Enjoy this Walt Disney version! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sawh40RHFFE

 

 

A Day to Remember

Merry Christmas!

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Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. With that one line, most of us know the story. I wrote that from memory, so I do hope I have it correct! Tonight we will hang our stockings, or fill the ones that have been hanging for a month now, collecting dust. We will set out the presents and sneak off to bed by midnight if possible. Your tree will look something like this, as ours did back in 2008.

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Another line that is very familiar to us is this: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11, KJV)

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Tomorrow is the day set aside to remember the birth of our Savior. No, it probably was not on December 25th. But that is the day we celebrate. As you cherish the day with family and friends, opening gifts, and eating way too much food…remember. God’s son was sent to us, born as a baby and grew to be a man. He walked on this earth, lived a life of a carpenter and was a testimony of what we should be in our own lives. Then he died for us, giving us the opportunity to accept or deny him.

I pray your day is filled with joy. Merry Christmas, from me to you!

A Day to Remember

Happy Birthday!

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On this date, back in 1987, at about 2:30 in the morning, I had just delivered our first baby…a girl. It had been a very long three days to get to that point, involving several trips to the local, small hospital and then eventually an ambulance ride to Albany Medical Center. But she did finally arrive and she was a big one…9 pounds and 6 ounces. I was a little bruised and worse for wear, but elated!

On Christmas morning, she was brought to me as all the babies were, in a red stocking. The woman in the cubicle next to mine had had twins, so she received two stockings. I have always thought that was pretty special. With a little finagling, I was able to go home that day. I ate Christmas dinner on a plastic donut and our oldest was passed around like the best-tasting mashed potatoes, but I had my present!

Today this daughter has three of our grand-children and they live near by. She is my proof-reader and editor for my books…the computer guru that gets things done. She is the oldest, the bossy one and a bit cranky like me at times, but we all love her anyway.

Happy Birthday, to our first child, the one that made us truly a ‘family’ and paved the way for four more siblings. We love you, Baby Britt!

A Day to Remember

Christmas Anticipation!

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Wow…less than a week until Christmas! How did that happen? We’ve all said it. When we were children, Christmas took FOREVER to arrive. We started counting down the days after Thanksgiving. (I’m sorry, I think Thanksgiving should have its own, special time and I don’t really remember Christmas decorations being put out in homes or stores until AFTER Thanksgiving.) At school you anticipated the long break coming up. It seemed like you would be gone for ages, rather than just a couple of weeks.

Your mother baked mounds of goodies, you decorated cookies and ate way too much raw dough, (yes another bad thing we did as children if you’re my age). You also sampled frosting until your tongue was green. The build-up for Christmas Eve was almost unbearable. Finally, the day would arrive!

When I think back on those years…I don’t really recall the actual presents and what I received as much as the emotions and feelings of that month. It was more the simple pleasure of the preparations for the Big Day. The emotions of family and friends, the close unity we all shared.   We all were gathered for a purpose, and enjoyed being there.

In previous posts, I have mentioned the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas. I wanted to share a few of those here. These pictures of our small town were taken Christmas Eve of 2008 by our second oldest. Boy was it cold outside! I loved it, because it had a ‘Christmas’ feel to it.

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These are some more pictures from that Christmas, seven years ago. I have a village that I used to arrange on my piano. I absolutely loved it! I have always adored miniatures and this was just perfect to display every Christmas. But now it has grown too large and I need a bigger area to display it. Not a bad problem to have! But I have really missed it the past couple of years!

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These two pictures are from that Christmas day. One showing that anticipation I was speaking of. The other of three of our daughters with the aprons I made that Christmas.

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I think for most of us, Christmas isn’t about the presents we are going to receive, (unless we are under the age of twelve). It’s about the preparations, time spent with family and friends. The cards you receive from miles away, the shopping for gifts to give and watching as those people open what you have chosen especially for them. It’s all those emotions that are tied in from being with special people in your life.

I think that is totally appropriate. God planned for and provided those people to encourage us, help in times of need, give us accountability and love us. Who else would you want to spend such a very special day with?

A Quick Thought

My Cozy Little Corner

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Christmas Fireplace

This is my cozy little corner. I sit here in the evenings, on my Cracker Barrel rocking chair. My husband sits in his on the opposite side of the room. This has become a routine for us almost every evening and it’s one that I enjoy. We usually watch Netflix in the evenings, but I do sit here and read at times as well. And sometimes I just…sit.

The chairs were purchased for a lovely front porch we had in an old house we lived in twelve years ago in Upstate New York. I was pregnant with our youngest at the time and I spent a lot of hours on that porch before and after she was born. I absolutely love front porches, side porches and back porches. If I could, I would have every room in my house lead to a porch.  They are kind of a nice, safe, haven that you can observe the rest of the world from. And I really wouldn’t mind if a porch looked out over meadows or mountains. A lake or an ocean would be terrific!

Front porches are old and nostalgic, while decks are modern and open. I do like a deck, but it is just not the same as a porch. I guess I’m just funny that way. (I’m sure some would say in many ways!)

Just For Fun!

BTW…

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I am currently working on my second book in a series of four or five books. The first book in the series is set in the 1980’s and the second one is set in the 1890’s. Yes, you read that correctly, the second book goes back almost 100 years! I love historical books! As I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago, Gone With the Wind is my favorite book. But I have so many others that I have enjoyed as well. Traveling back in time gives us a glimpse of that world. While I love to read it…it’s a bear to write about!!! Believe it or not, I didn’t live 100 years ago and it takes A LOT of research to get a feel for a different time and place.

All that leads me to my thoughts for today. Yes, our dress is very different, we have various modes of transportation that we didn’t use in the past, and we communicate in a whole unique way that we did not over 100 years ago. We still have phones, we may occasionally write a letter and we visit family and friends.

The communication part is what has been popping into my head the past few days. Can you imagine someone from the 1800’s or earlier see us put a small, rectangular-shaped object to our ear and actually ‘talk’ into it? We probably would have been burned at the stake for witchcraft! Think of all the new ‘words’ or phrases we have now that we didn’t have even when I was growing up. Transport yourself 100 years ago and the person you were talking to would say, “Excuse me?” (They wouldn’t have said, “what” or “huh” 100 years ago!) “BTW, I’ll TTYL, pick-up some moo-joo at the store. TYVM! SYL!” (Okay, maybe they would have said, “HUH?!)

I can understand texting the above phrases. (I don’t text unless I absolutely have to, so I may have those, phrases, words, whatever you call them…wrong.) But seriously, are we so busy that we can’t say, “Dairy Queen” or “International House of Pancakes”, instead of “DQ” or “IHOP”? When I was a young girl, we went to the International House of Pancakes many times on a Saturday morning and it didn’t cause us great distress to say all those words. It didn’t take a lot of time out of our morning to ask the question, “May we go to the International House of Pancakes for breakfast this morning?”

I must admit, many of the abbreviations are pretty cute. “IHOP” has a nice jingle to it. My mother would ask my father if we could go to the “DQ” long before it became that, trying to make it a surprise for us. We did figure it out pretty quickly. Mainly because children are fairly smart when it comes to ice-cream or treats in any form. “BOGO” still causes me to stop and think about what they are talking about. It comes in a snap when I’m at Payless looking at shoes, though!

So, the next time you board a plane, think of what someone from the 1800’s and earlier would have thought about that. This is a post for another day, but I’m fairly certain they would have thought we were…crazy!!! “All those people get into that silver bullet and it goes up into the sky, even where the clouds are and then it comes down in another state or country?! NTYVM!!! (For those of you that aren’t as techno-savvy as I am, that would be: No Thank You Very Much!!!

 

 

Just For Fun!

Shop ‘Til You Drop!

deborahanndykeman

This post was from a year ago. I came across it today and it brought back fond memories of shopping with our two oldest daughters. By the time our son came along, I guess taking three small children to the mall wasn’t such fun anymore. I don’t recall going to the mall very much with three children, and certainly not at Christmas time! But I do remember the lights and decorations, and of course the crowds!

When I was younger…much younger, I used to live at the mall. Well, not really. I absolutely loved the mall and spent many a Saturday there. Once I had children, they had the ‘joy’ of going with me. After all, pushing a stroller and dragging a toddler is a pretty good workout!

I look back at that time period and wonder what that was all about. I didn’t really spend that much money there, especially after the children came along. So it must have been the ambiance. As you know, the atmosphere is really great at a mall!

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Christmas shopping was especially wonderful and exciting. The hour you cruised the parking lot, trying to find a parking spot in walking distance of that cement building rising from the pavement. Lugging out the stroller, diaper bag, and of course the coats. It would be freezing for that ‘walk’ to the mall and then you would have to find a place to ‘stuff’ them when you went back to normal clothing inside. I think our stroller had a weight limit of about 500 pounds, fully loaded! Then you would spend several hours, if not most of the day walking aimlessly along, trying to find a path through the masses of people doing the same.

Again, was this actually enjoyable? For some reason, I used to think so.

I think for me, it was the pull of the people. I have always LOVED to people watch. When I was a child, I could sit in an airport for hours, and sometimes it was about that long waiting for an overdue plane. I would imagine where they were going, if they were traveling alone, etc. People Christmas shopping hold the same allure. I would much rather sit and watch people shop these days, than actually shop. (You save a lot of money that way as well!)

The mall at Christmas time is beautiful. The decorations are always fun to look at, and the music puts you in that holiday frame of mind. But these days, my laptop is my BFF when it comes to shopping at any time of the year. Sounds pretty boring…huh?

I find as I get older, my thoughts are changing, the things I enjoy doing are not the same as they were even a few years ago. And I think that’s good and just fine. Many of us could not maintain the pace of our younger years. No, I still don’t want to become a couch potato and never go out, but I don’t enjoy being part of the crowd as much as I used to.

So, I reflect this morning over my young adulthood of shopping. I didn’t go to the mall this year, even though my husband tried to get me there this past Saturday. A couple of stores was about all I could handle. Most of my shopping was done from the comfort of my office at home. I could pull up sales and items from anywhere. They came right on time to my back door. I wrapped them in the comfort of my home, listening to Christmas music on Pandora. And I’m done…well in time for Christmas Day. Now that’s MY kind of shopping!

Just For Fun!

To Sleep or Not to Sleep…that is the question.

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Well, it is two in the morning. What are you usually doing? The correct answer to that should be…sleeping. If you are a woman over fifty…probably not!

I have never been a great sleeper. I would wake with each little sound in the house. If I wasn’t in my own warm, comfy bed, sleep probably wasn’t going to happen. For a short period of time, my brother and I had a paper route. We delivered papers every week night, and then very early on Saturday mornings. On Friday night, I went to bed dreading the next morning. I woke every couple of hours, hoping it wasn’t time to get up, listening to the barking dogs and wondering which one was loose and waiting to chase me on my bike.

Of course, teenage years in school were awful. I loved school, but if a special event was happening the next day or a test…sleep was the last priority. Not good when you have finals for a string of days!

Then came babies. I could never understand how I could be so exhausted but catch every little hiccough, sneeze or coo from down the hall! Really? Anyone that is a mother knows that pretty much comes with the territory…and it doesn’t end when they marry and have children of their own. I can hear my oldest sneeze from a mile away in the middle of the night!

So when I turned fifty, I thought, “No big deal, I’ve got this, I haven’t slept for years. This won’t be any different.” Wrong! Now it’s a whole different kind of sleepless nights with no rhyme or reason. Sometimes I’m agitated and I sleep wonderfully and other times I’m awake the entire night. I may go to sleep really well and then wake up a few hours later, tapping my toes against the sheet for another few hours.

And now…my dear husband tells me I’m snoring when I’m sleeping! What?! Maybe that’s a blessing. Just maybe I’m finally, actually sleeping when my eyes are closed and going into that deep sleep you’re supposed to have for good health. You know the one…where you lose weight, your eyes are sparkling and you have all sorts of energy?

I don’t think so. The picture in my mirror still looks the same and my running shoes have an inch of dust on them. Oh, I don’t own a pair of running shoes!

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A Quick Thought

Thankful for Friends!

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They make life brighter…a day that is headed for the trash heap can be turned around by a great conversation with a friend. I am so thankful for mine…and you know who you are!

Friendship

Friendships develop from many different areas in our lives. We can have childhood friends, school friends, church friends, and work friends. Many of us count our spouse, children or grandchildren among our friends. I know I do my adult children. To think that these children I use to change diapers on, feed and bathe are now counted among the most trusted people in my life, is pretty wonderful!

So, thank you all for your love, prayers and encouragement. For the great conversations and laughs in tough situations. They are very much appreciated! YOU are loved!

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Just For Fun!

What makes you smile?

deborahanndykeman

Usually when I write an article or post, I title it after I have written it. In the writing world, I don’t know if this is correct, but it works for me. When the ‘story’ is completed, even I know what it’s about! Because believe me, it doesn’t always end the way I thought it would. When I write, the conclusion of a book is sometimes just as much of a surprise to me as to my readers.

The above title was easy. In light of all that has gone ‘wrong’ in our world of late…and by that I mean the entire world we live in and the very small corner of this earth I reside on, I wanted something to smile about. You get tired of all the garbage being dumped on you and you just want to think happy thoughts. Sometimes this needs to be a conscience decision in our lives. We have to ask ourselves, “Am I going to let this ruin my day, my life, or am I going to choose to take a different path?”

Today, I want to think about what makes me smile. I love it when I check out Facebook and people have posted really funny items. I want to smile, I want to laugh out loud and feel that release of just…good. Nothing on my mind, nothing worrying me, nothing I have to do…just good…for a few moments. Here are a few for you to smile about as well:

Family pictures always make me smile, as I’m sure they do for you. Some examples of my favorites:

Our little Diva!
Our cat when she was a kitten. She loved this little ‘chair’.
Our three youngest and their friends in Branson.

House projects well done ALWAYS make me smile and give me a sense of great accomplishment. Our son helped me with this stone terrace we put in a few years ago. He was probably too young to be working on such a thing, but he was a huge help and I so enjoy that terrace to this day! Thank you, Nate-Nate!

Then there are the pictures that just have great memories. You look at them and smile because so many happy thoughts come your way. You’re put back into that instant…and it’s wonderful! These are some of mine:

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What makes you smile? Take a moment to go through some old pictures…remember that fantastic day. Watch a funny movie and really laugh. Spend a few hours with a cherished friend. Or hug a child/grandchild…that ALWAYS makes me smile. Have a joyous day!