These little guys are growing so big!  I’m so proud of them, and love seeing them so happy.  They had FEAST day at school, and could dress as either a pilgrim or an Indian.  I think they look terrific!

Of course, I have two little Pocahontas girls that did not have the opportunity to dress up for a school celebration, but I’m thankful for them, as well.

Wishing everyone a blessed Thanksgiving celebration with family and friends and way too much food!  Don’t forget the treadmill afterwards!

God Bless!

(PS – if you are curious, I found the fall garden flag under the potting bench!!!)

Weather report:  Windy with a chance of flying Snoopy flags.  Take cover!

I have a small garden flag holder half way up the stairs from my lower deck to the top deck.  I change the flag for most seasons and special occasions, and currently my Snoopy/Woodstock ‘jump in the leaves’ flag was on display.

Until tonight.

I went outside to throw a can in the recycle container, and alas!  No flag!  I got the flashlight and tramped around the yard, peeked under the deck, and checked in the bushes by the fence.  No flag! 

Needless to say, this is very disconcerting!  I will look in the daylight tomorrow, but two years ago my Valentine flag blew away in a ‘micro-burst’ as it traveled through Ft. Allen.  I even had the fall flag clipped to make sure it would NOT blow off.  I think the rabbit that lives under my bottom deck secretly snuck off with the flag and is either using it as a blanket or has it hung in his study. 

So if you are anywhere around Hempfield High School and see a blue and brown fall garden flag flying through the air, grab on to it and let me know.  Because for now, I have no flag!!!

Last week Autmn and her friend Kaitlyn and I made Candy Cane cookies.  The girls got very creative and only a few turned out to be candy cane shaped.  I was a little short on the Almond Extract, so this week we decided to try again.

So that’s what we did yesterday.  We had the right amount of almond flavoring and plenty of candy cane shapes.  HOWEVER…. Autmn decided that we needed to be creative in another way!  Instead of red (pink) and white, our candy canes were Turquoise and Candy Apple Green!  She counted out the exact number of drops of food coloring, and wouldn’t you know!  We now have several dozen green and blue candy cane cookies!

I do admit that they look WAY out of the norm, but they are very yummy.  Autmn did a good job rolling and shaping and creating.  She wants to open a bakery with two of her sisters when she grows up, and call it ‘Three Peas in a Pod’!  I’ll put my money on the fact that she could do it!

Tonight – after supper and my 2 miles on the treadmill – my adopted project was mall shopping.  There were a few things that I needed that seemed to only be available at specialty stores. Only trouble was, those special shops were not at Westmoreland Mall!

After I got over the fact that I wasn’t going to accomplish much, I walked around and looked at some of the unique and interesting items in the store windows.  I especially liked the holiday toys and crafts, and drooled a little of the Peanuts village in the Sears display. 

The little ones on the train were having a great time, and Santa’s line was busy enough at that hour.  The trees sparkled with twinkly lights and the snow glistened underneath.  One thing for sure, it’s like a winter wonderland.

So even though I didn’t cross anything major off of my shopping list, I enjoyed walking around, soaking in all the cheer and holiday spirit.  Peace on earth, goodwill to all people!

My sister and I take a lot of trips together.  We’ve been to Williamsburg, to visit our cabin and Skunk Hollow family in Home PA, to Erie to see Mom, and even local trips, like today.

No doubt it’s fun to walk on the shores at the lake, looking for unique stones and shells and driftwood in the warm sunshine.  But today, it was a different type of walking.

Today we went Christmas Shopping.

We left the house at 8am, starting at Target.  We probably put several miles on the shopping cart.  From there we went to Ollies, Dollar Tree, Barnes and Noble, Chick-Fil-A for lunch (yum!), K-Mart, and Walmart.  Oh.  And Big Lots. I dropped her back at her house about 4pm.  My trunk and back seat were both tumbled full of packages and presents!

Having grandchildren to buy for adds spice to the adventure, and we roamed the toys, books, clothes, Spiderman and Frozen aisles, candy, and games.  My favorite purchase, though, was not for the kids but for me.  I found a Snoopy Santa hat, complete with floppy ears!  I can’t wait to wear it!  I think if I go shopping on Saturday or Sunday I will do just that.  There’s nothing like a cheerful Snoopy to add joy to a project! 

If I manage to get out again on the weekend, I’ll take a ‘selfie’ and post it.  Stay tuned!  🙂

Several years ago, after a particularly heavy snowfall, a friend and I drove up to Seven Springs just to see the sights.  I can honestly say I have seldom seen such snowy beauty.

The trees sparkled with a silvery-blue glitter, and the fields were almost untouched.  It was like looking at a perfect painting: snow covered branches, frozen waterfalls, miles and miles of unspoiled landscape.

It was like we were transported to another world; another time, far away from everyday life and the normal places and events of day-to-day activities.  We had hot cocoa in the lounge in front of a roaring fire, and sang harmony to oldies music on the way home.

There are not many times in life where we can go to escape the ‘average’ and really get lost in a special moment.  That day was one of those times, and although it would be impossible to recreate, the memories that sparkle at the thought make me smile, and help me to realize that yes, God is on his throne, and all’s right with the world (a favorite quote from Anne of Green Gables).

On Friday, I went down to West Alex (PA) to spend the day shopping with my daughter.  We were in three states within several hours:  spending money, creating a ‘wish’ list, munching on Peanut Butter M&M’s, lunching at Wendy’s, spending more money….  It was a great day, and we got a number of Christmas gifts either purchased or at least designated for purchase.  My little credit card was steaming by the time I made it back to Greensburg that night.

After our shopping trip, we zipped into Walmart and bought a double-layer, chocolate chip cookie-cake for Peyton’s birthday.  Ruth Ann (or ‘Ma’ to the lay people!) made a yummy dinner of BBQ chicken and homemade mac and cheese, and then we sang happy birthday to the now nine-year-old Peyton and shared the cookie.

It was great to share the day with Kelly, and then to spend the evening with Peyton, Logan and Chase – they were into reading their books and shared several with me, reading aloud three books about bats at the beach and bats playing baseball and bats at the library.  Very fun evening with my special little family. 

Happy Birthday, Peyton – many many more happy years.  Love you!

Last Sunday I had the privilege of speaking at West Overton Museum about my book, LETTERS TO MARY.  It was humbling to have so many people there to hear the story of Daniel’s letters, see some of the photos and dresses, and learn a little about the writing process.  There were very interesting questions asked, which again gave me opportunity to share the history, research, and my passion for the entire project!

Mary Ann, Ed and Lynn, and Bev and Jeremy were there from my writer’s group; Joanna was there from my workplace; Ron was front and center in the first row, and my sister Kathy and her husband Paul also attended.  The big surprise was that two of the Skunk Hollow Cousins (Susan – holding the mascot skunk Mr. Fresh, and Gail – beside me) traveled over 60 miles each way to attend and support me!

I also met several people who had great things to say about the book – thank you, Joy, and Joanne (who’s book was a gift from a long-time friend Ginny!), and several others.  I am excited to keep in touch with anyone who wishes to do that!

Having people that I didn’t know, who came solely for their interest in the book, was an amazing feeling, and I am so blessed to have everyone’s support and affirmation.  Thanks so much to everyone who attended, and to Jessica and Jimmy from West Overton Museum for making the event so special for everyone!

Last Friday evening, my friend Joni and I acted as ushers at the Ligonier Theatre for their production of HARVEY.  It was the opening production of the 50th anniversary season for the theatre, and they celebrated by having members of the original HARVEY cast (from 1992/3) in the audience. 

The actors did a great job – lots of laughs and fun.  My friend Barry Shirey (Bear) – pictured left – performed as ‘Wilson’ – the aid at the sanitarium.  I have been attending plays that Bear has performed in since his first production in 1992.  I’m proud of him, and how he’s grown as an actor, and of the tried and true friendship that we share. 

Here’s to continued success, friendship, and fun!  Love you, buddy!

Just taking a few minutes to remind everyone that I will be at the West Overton Museum and Village in Scottdale, PA, on Sunday November 9th at 2PM.  I will be talking about LETTERS TO MARY – the inception of the book, the research, the writing process, and everything that followed.  There is so much factual history in the book – so many wonderful truths and nuggets of authentic events – that it is very fun to explore all the details and talk about the process.  I will have Mary’s dress and locket, Lydia’s dress, photos from my research, even copies of some of the actual letters. 

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!!    

WHAT:   Parlor Talk – by Marge Burke

WHERE: West Overton Museum             

                            Scottdale PA

WHEN: 2:00pm Sunday November 9^th

No admission charge

Hear the story behind the story!