I will dedicate today’s post to our party yesterday, which was wonderful. We all feel so blessed and grateful for each other, and for God giving us the opportunities to be together and enjoy the fellowship. I’ll catch up with the other activities(from Saturday and Sunday) through the week.

Thankfully, the day was comfortable for driving even though it was cloudy. No snow is always a blessing as once you get past Indiana (PA) the roads get more twisty and narrow as you go. Safe travels for all of us is always a big plus! Kath and I made a few stops on the way out, including the Amish bulk food store where Kath had to get chocolate. We arrived at Colleen’s exactly on time at 2pm.

Colleen’s home was beautiful as always. It’s like walking onto a Hallmark movie set. It’s truly ‘modern’ but authentic farmhouse style. She has a flair for decorating for the holidays, even to changing the pictures on the wall, curtains, rugs, and of course the seasonal enhancements! I love just walking around looking at everything. I don’t even think I took any photos of the décor or the rooms themselves.

Our first project (and again, Colleen was SO organized, confident, and capable) was our button bracelets. We all brought buttons, either newly purchased or from a family collection. Colleen gave us a piece of black elastic, and we took our chosen buttons from each person’s offerings and stitched them on our bracelet. Some we overlapped and some we doubled, but when we were done we had a friendship/family button bracelet. Kathy had to help most of us thread our needles – and she is the one with the tricky eye-sight! She also helped Gail sew on her last few buttons so she didn’t have to take them home to finish. I was pleased with mine, even thought that isn’t one of my stronger skillsets. I’m sure I will wear it often!

Photos of the group!

After the button project, Gwen went next door and got her mom (Aunt Joan) and brought her over for games, conversation, and supper. Connie had a questions game that her son Richard had found for her, and she asked the questions. If you got the question right you chose a gift (and there were quite a number of them!). You could take one from the basket or one that another player had already won. It came out pretty even in the end, and everyone got at least one gift. I got a holiday box and a shadow box, plus two Christmas saucers (which I will give to Peyton because there is a truck on them).

Dinner was cheesy potatoes, Sloppy Joe’s, Jello pretzel salad, and Oreo ice cream. There were crackers, pretzels, M&M’s, and various cookies for snacks all afternoon. I started with the pretzel salad and really could have been done eating at that point – but of course I wasn’t! Everything was delicious. Karen V made a yummy punch with sherbet which was so refreshing! We even had a vintage post card ornament at our place as a gift.

I read my two mini-stories after dinner – one about baking cookies with my girls when they were very much younger, and one about Grama Crooks. The Grama Crooks ones are always the best received – we all like to share our memories of Grama!

We got home about 10:30pm, and I was tired but happy, glad to have spent a safe and contented day with some of the people that I love most in the whole world (second only to my kids/grandkids!). I am thankful and blessed to know that these are my people; we are there for each other all the time. OH! And Gwen announced that she is going to be a Grama herself in June! I’m pulling for the 18th, of course! So many blessings!

December 11- Were you ever in a church or school Christmas or Holiday pageant? “At Davis School I was always in the Christmas plays. From first grade up to 8th grade. My sister Hazel & I sang a song together one year. We had Christmas plays when I attended the Church of God. They were fun. Russel Wilson was our pastor & we liked him very much. He was drafted into the army in WWII.”

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Birthdays: Today is my cousin Mark’s birthday and my niece Hannah’s birthday. Mark is a great dad, a great guy, helpful, hard working, kind and giving. Have a wonderful day and may your next year be better yet!

Hannah is a wonderful mother, teacher, wife, friend, daughter – and she loves to run, especially with her select group of friends. Wishing you a great day, Hannah, and a beautiful 2023!

TOMORROW December 12th is:

• National Ambrosia Day
• National Ding-a-Ling Day
• Gingerbread House Day
• Poinsettia Day

I like Poinsettias! I think I made a Snoopy gingerbread house with the kids one year. Tomorrow is a doctor’s appointment in the morning, then work after that. Have a happy day! God bless….

I started out this morning – after breakfast – by treating my drains as recommended with a preventative flushing – it’s a foaming chemical combination that kills any roots that sneak through cracks in the sewage pipes from the house to the main line. It was easier than I expected and hope that doing this twice a year will keep me from having problems!

As it is already after 11pm and I’m very tired, I’m just going to post the daily info and catch up on the rest of my day tomorrow or Monday. Have a great day tomorrow!

December 10 – Tell about something you built, designed, or made as a youth. I have always liked to sew. We had a treadle sewing machine & I could keep the sewing machine going as smooth as any electric motor did. I made myself a one piece ‘jump suit’ out of feed sacks. it looked nice but never fit very comfortable. Your grandmother used to hide her ‘good’ material so I couldn’t cut it up when she was away.” Mom continued to sew her whole life – she made things for Kathy & I (including our wedding dresses!) and for the grandkids.

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TOMORROW December 11th is:

• National Stretching Day ***
• National App Day
• National Noodle Ring Day

Noodle ring? John always called Mom a noodle head! We all love noodles so maybe we’ll celebrate that! Have a wonderful Lord’s day, and God bless…

This morning, I baked the scones and had two warm ones for breakfast – yum. They are so much better when they are fresh out of the oven, but I can’t always manage that. I got an appointment for a hair cut, and was there and done by 11:30am. Walmart did have my croissants which crossed off the last thing for his coming week – so farm. I drove past Chick-Fil-A and they are finally (after it seemed like forever!) open. The parking lot was full and both drive-up lines were busy. I’m glad to see it open for the holiday business.

Next, to the post office to get stamps for the Christmas cards, and true to my predictions, they are all now in the mail (since this is Christmas Card day).

My neighbor stepped up his decorating game – it looks like read people, but neither of them are! How fun!

I have to tell you about a kamikaze stink bug that I encountered this morning. I was making a cup of tea, and when I grabbed a Snoopy mug from on top of the fridge, I noticed a nasty little stink bug walking across the ceiling above the cups. I waited until it moved away from the fridge, took a tea-towel, and zapped that little BUGger across the room. It went airborne and I heard it hit the floor somewhere in the living room. So I went looking for it but no luck. About 10 minutes later I went to sit down on my recliner and noticed the stinky thing climbing drunkedly up the floor lamp poll. THAT I could reach, so I took a paper towel, and, well, you don’t want to know the exact end of this story. I was happy to be done with the little guy – but I’m fairly certain he left behind a huge family…

Speaking of family, today would have been my Grandpap Steiner (Lloyd)’s birthday. He was born in 1904, and although he was admittedly quirky is many ways, I loved him very much. We lived right up through the field from him and Grandma Violet, and he would read my Weekly Readers to me on the porch steps. Happy birthday, Grandpap Lloyd!

I have many things to accomplish this afternoon and this evening – if anything exciting happens I’ll share it tomorrow! Have a wonderful weekend.

December 9 – What did you like to look at there (favorite store)? “Doud’s Store had everything you needed for the housewife and things to use when you sewed. I liked to look at the pretty buttons in the cabinet full of drawers. Murphy’s 5&10 had fingernail polish that was behind the counter. We had to ask a clerk if we wanted to see a color up close. We never had money to spend on things we didn’t NEED.” I almost think that people these days spend more money on what they don’t NEED than they do on what they DO need!

Calendar inspiration – We never know when someone will need something that only we can offer!

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TOMORROW December 10th is:

• Dewey Decimal System Day
• Human Rights Day
• National Lager Day
• Nobel Prize Day

Tomorrow is our Skunk Hollow Christmas party at Colleen’s – and we are all excited. There will be nine of us this time – Sorry that Gwen will not be there. We’ll miss you Miss Gwen! God bless…

There was really a tangle of stuff to straighten out at the Jeannette store. My PENNDOT computer program was not working right, and it seemed like every paper I picked up has a discrepancy! It was almost noon when I finished with work, which is later than usual. A quick stop the help Mike P with something and I was done. He gave me a really pretty Christmas pen, too!

From there I went to Norwin Aldi and Walmart, just for a change of pace shopping. I was able to get what I needed for the next week so that’s good. When I got home I heated up a piece of my pot pie and had a small bite of my fudge, which is almost gone!

I made a cup of hot tea in my Snoopy mug, and my kissy Snoopy stood watch. I have my spruce scented candle lit, and I have A GIFT OF LOVE playing on the DVD in the background. It’s a very old movie with Marie Osmond but a favorite!

Once I post this, I’ll finish up my Christmas cards. I was low on confetti (SAY it isn’t SO!!!) and Christmas is impossible to find, so I had to get a substitute. I got plenty, so if perchance you get a Christmas card from me, open with care!

December 8 – Tell about your favorite store to browse in as a child. “The only store in Plumville was the Douds General Store. When we went to shop in Indiana, PA, I liked Murphy’s 5 & 10. J C Penny’s had a tube that the clerk put your money into, when you bought something. It shot up to a sec/bookkeeper on the mezzanine where she made change & sent it back down to the clerk. It was fun to watch.

Calendar inspiration – Be bold, bright, and ready for adventures!

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TOMORROW December 9th is:

• Christmas Card Day
• National Pastry Day
• Weary Willie Day
• National Salesperson Day 

I guess I’m destined to mail my cards tomorrow. And trust me when I say that during my Smail and Pinnacle career I have met and known a LOT of salespersons! I even married one – but we need to gently forget about that…. God bless!!!

Today’s biggest news is that it is Gen’s birthday! I txt her early this morning to say happy birthday and she was looking forward to celebrating with Chris, Lauren and Jack. Sharing just a few pictures to help with the celebrations.

It was cleaning day – as is usual for a Wednesday. I stopped long enough to grab a quick lunch from the goodies I made yesterday, then finished up cleaning. It smells fresh and clean in here! I am sharing two pictures – one of my milk jug ladle with a poinsettia candle, and one of the living room window with the dots from the outside projector. You can see the green and red (almost looks pink) spots on the window.

Not much else to report – Bible study is at 7pm so I decided to put this together early. Just folded the towels and after church I will finish the Christmas cards.

December 7th – Do you have a Pearl Harbor Day memory? “Our family was my Grandmother Margret Crooks, her oldest son Edd, my dad (Grandma’s youngest), my mother and us 4 kids. We were all at the table & dad turned on the radio. The newsman was telling about the awful attack on Pearl Harbor. That was the first time I remember hearing that name, Pearl Harbor. None of us ever forgot it from that day to this day in 2004.”

Calendar inspiration – Enthusiasm is often more important than the ability to do something.

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TOMORROW December 8th is:

• National Crossword Solvers Day ***
• National Brownie Day
• Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day

Brownies that you eat or Brownies that are mini-girl scouts? I’ll look it up. I have a favorite Christmas book that’s about time travel and I plan to read it as soon as I finish the book I’m reading now! Have a good day – God bless…

There were only a few catch-up things to do in both Jeannette and Greensburg. I did that, and ran a few Christmas-related errands. Well, one was to get the foaming drain cleaner (hoping to do that Saturday morning) and a hair-catcher for the tub drain. Hoping they both work like promised.

I had a muffin when I got home, then put together a turkey pot pie. I had broth and gravy and noodles and turkey in the freezer that I saved for that exact purpose, and had just bought the pie crust. It smells really good – and hope to have a piece for supper later.

Kathy asked for help with making a Walmart photo online account and purchase. I went over and we worked our way through the process, and 2 hours later she stopped and got her prints! I’m so glad that worked out. She shared one of her holiday angels with me that she got at a craft sale. Thanks, sis!

When I got home, I made a big pot of potato soup.

I also stopped on the way home and got my Christmas ham and required noodles. Now I just have to come up with the entire menu for Christmas Eve and our family Christmas meal on the 28th.

December 6 – Do you have any knowledge of how your first name was chosen? “My father always picked our names. I know my middle name, Jane, was his sister’s middle name and he always told me I was given that because of how much he thought of her (Emma Jane Crooks Whitacre).”

Calendar inspiration – Get your Christmas cards out early – Send someone a surprise note.

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TOMORROW December 7th is:

• National Cotton Candy Day
• National Illinois Day
• National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

It’s also Gen’s birthday tomorrow! We’ll see a few photos tomorrow. Wonder if baby Snow Shovel will be born on Grama’s birthday!!! Have a great day and God Bless…

Today was another rather busy day. I had a few things to do in Jeannette, and the lot guy (Colton) took care of my car. He checked the air in all the tires and added some to two of them. Then he washed and dried the car and swept it out. It was very nice of him! From there I got gas in the car, mailed a package and got stamps in Greensburg, and then went to my dentist appointment. Dr. Lane replaced the temporary crown implant with the permanent one, and then the technicians scanned my mouth for the last two (I hope!) crowns for the other implants. From there I went to Greensburg, then came home.

After a bagel for lunch I made the Oreo Ice Cream dessert for the weekend, then sewed two Christmas rice bags for gifts for friends for Christmas. That was about it for the day, other than ironing, which I’ll do later. Maybe I’ll organize my Christmas card list…

December 5 – Did you ever have a bad experience with a haircut or a permanent? “My neighbor in Greensburg gave me a home perm in May of 1986. I was marrying John on June 21st. My hair was so ‘permed’ I looked like a wild woman. My nephew’s wife, Bonnie Crooks, is a beautician. She treated my hair & set it for my wedding day. Thank you, Bonnie!”

Calendar inspiration – When you change your attitude about something, you change the situation.

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Tomorrow December 6th is:

• Miners’ Day
• National Gazpacho Day
• National Microwave Oven Day
• National Pawnbrokers Day
• St. Nicholas Day
• World Trick Shot Day 

Ah, yes. Leave your shoes outside by the door and St. Nicholas will fill them with toys, games and candy. Good luck and God bless…

I went down to check the car tire first thing this morning – it did not lose any more air – still at 28 psi. So I went about my morning routine and went to church as usual. There were missionaries from Ghana West Africa there for today’s service, and their two kids were in our class: Harrison (age 6) and Evie (age 4). Max and JJ were fascinated with the stories about snakes and alligators that Harrison was telling, very matter of fact-ly. Harrison let me know that he already knew the whole story (about the birth of Jesus) but if I thought he needed to hear it he’d listen!

I came home and took a little break before heading over to Diane’s, where she, her friend Walter and I went to pick up Shannon. We went to the Butler Little Theater to see a version of A Christmas Carol.

It was sort of an adaption of the actual book/play, and was very funny and clever. Laughter is such great medicine! There were six actors and they played all the parts, with guys playing female parts and vice-versa. The ghost of Christmas yet to come was played by a black robe draped over a clothes tree! The Cratchit children (except Tiny Tim) were played by hand puppets. It was worth seeing.

We stopped at King’s on the way home and had supper. It was a nice day, and a great weekend, but I am looking forward to a few days of just a normal schedule!

November 4 – Were you ever in a life-threatening situation? “When your father & I went for a buggy ride & the horse, Dusty, got spooked. He upset the buggy with me under it. If Dusty would have run off he would have dragged me along with the upset buggy. I was very sore and lots of scratches but no bones broken.” I certainly remember that! It was very scary!

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TOMORROW December 5th is:

• Bathtub Party Day
• International Ninja Day
• National Repeal Day
• National Sacher Torte Day

I’ve never had a party in a bathtub – probably never will. Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment and a determination to get the tire situation resolved. So, have a great day! God bless…

I had time this morning to change, wash, dry, fold, and remake my bed with fresh sheets. Kathy and Paul picked me up about 10:30am and we headed to camp. It was cloudy and cool but thankful there was no snow to go up over the mountains. The view is amazing coming back down; the vistas are beautiful even in the late fall.

Camp’s dining hall was decorated nicely. The tables all looked festive and the food was very good – beef, chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, veggies, spinach roll, fresh buns with butter. Salad and dessert.

Greg Voss, his wife Melanie, and their daughter Adelaide were the musical entertainment. They all have great talent as singers, and Greg and Adelaide played guitar. All three had solos at one point. Greg sang a song about a Christmas cease-fire during WWII and it was very moving. I had never heard it before.

Since it’s Christmas and there are so many out-of-the-house chores, I have been trying to do a few at a time so I’m not out and about all day any time. It seems, though, that I have to make several stops at numerous stores before I accomplish even one thing. Then I had to pop down to Nate’s and pick up the auction items for Kelly & I. On the way home, the ‘add air’ light for my passenger rear tire came on. I’m not sure if I’ll have a flat when I get up in the morning or not. I am prepared to deal with whatever happens and stay home all day if necessary!! A quote from ‘An American President’ (Movie) – We don’t have time to do things one at a time! Ugh.

I did not stay to watch the play last night after I finished ushering. They sold out – full house! I was standing in the lobby and heard part of the first song (Hard Knock Life) and snapped a quick pic through the door window. I’m sure it was a cute show. The Garden Center had their annual craft sale (all garden related items!) and I saw the cutest pine cone tree. I may have purchased one but got pulled away before I could do that. Gen, if you read this, I think you could make these. I still have the candle that you and Zane made many, many years ago!

After I finish this I’ll grab food then be done. It’s been a busy, busy week/month/season!

December 3 – Do you have another good piece of advice for me? “Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that’s why we call it the present.” Great advise Mom! I need to slow down and appreciate!

Calendar inspiration – We often get clues that change is coming – watch for the clues so the changes won’t surprise you!

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TOMORROW December 4th is:

• National Cookie Day
• National Dice Day
• National Sock Day

I will wear socks; I’ll have a cookie, but I can’t guarantee the dice! Have a wonderful Sunday. God bless…

I spent all morning trying to put things back together that didn’t turn out exactly as expected. Di came over at about 11:30am and we made a Tombstone pizza, salad, and had cookies. Then we popped in a DVD that she got through Netflix – Happiness is a Warm Blanket Charlie Brown. We laughed out loud in a few places. Poor Linus – he sometimes has a rough time holding on to that blue blanket!

So last night Kath and I did go to see I HEARD THE BELLS. I liked it a lot – I prefer light-hearted rom-com’s, but this was a Sight & Sound production (their first actual movie) and based on Henry W Longfellow’s life (true story). There were a few very jarring and sad places but I thought it was very good. I have to say I didn’t really know anything about his life, and I will never hear the carol ‘I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day’ again without thinking of his story and his faith.

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December 2 – As a youth, who was your favorite movie star? Why? “Clark Gable – I didn’t see many movies but loved ‘Gone with the Wind.’ He seemed to romantic!!! Gene Autry & Roy Rogers were some others I enjoyed. I liked them because they were always helping the ‘underdog.’ “

Calendar inspiration – Whenever you lose your way, look for meaningful guidance from others who’ve traveled that road before you.

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TOMORROW December 3rd is:

• National Roof Over Your Head Day
• National Play Outside Day
• Skywarn Recognition Day 

I am thankful to have a roof over my head – but as windy as it’s been I am also thankful it didn’t blow away! I will not be playing outside tomorrow – I am going to a Christmas luncheon at Camp Christian tomorrow. I hope you do something very fun with your Saturday. God bless…