Family Time...A long post..

Good Day Everyone.. 

This is what we woke up to this morning..

A lot of snow.. 

There are 30 - 40 cm. about in the province so far .. 

This afternoon it is still coming down.. 

Church services have been cancelled and such.. 

Yesterday, we had our wonderful family Christmas day..

Shonda and her family came Friday night and stayed overnight.. 

We had a lovely time and then woke up and had breakfast.. 

They enjoyed the no knead bread recipe that I share HERE..

I made 2 loaves on Friday and decided to make another one early on Saturday morning..

She was a great help.. 

Setting the tables and carving turkey and all those little things that needs done.. 

I love doing the cooking and she is a great organizer as her Dad told her.. smile..

Thank you, Shonda.. 

Her and I are a bit excited because we are planning a homespun Christmas next year.. 

And... 

They are planning on being here on Christmas Eve and staying over...

 Oh joy... 

On with the story...

Turkey was done and a ham was in the slow cooker.. 

Gravy , roasted root veggies, mashed potatoes, carrots, peas, stove top dressing and a big pot of fried rice..(the rice was mostly for my in-law children..smile)

Cranberry sauce, pickles, bread, and such.. 

Here is someone's plate.. grin..

I know it is Dustin's because of the end piece of bread.. grin..

There are 7 boys but their table was not quite so fancy, I see.. 

They seemed to be having a great time.. 

And then there was dessert.. 

AND a line up... grin..

This is their all time Christmas favorite.. 

Did I hear that someone was back 3 times.. 

A grandson....smile..

Homemade Ice Cream Cake.. 

Here is the recipe.. 

An extra large lasagna pan.. 

You need 24 ice cream sandwiches.. 

Put 12 on the first layer.. 

Then cover with a large container of cool whip.. 

Another layer of ice cream sandwiches.. 

Another layer of cool whip.. 

Spread around and swirl some good caramel ice cream sauce and sprinkle a half package of skor bits.. 

I always put in toothpicks.. 

Cover with plastic wrap and FREEZE FOR 24 HOURS.. 

Then we had some cheesecake from Costco.. 

And dear Veronique brought her blueberry cheesecake special..

Thanks, dear.. 

Some pumpkin pie, tea and coffee or punch.. 

That just about wrapped up the meal.. 

Taking our coffee or whatever to the living room we all opened up our gifts for each other.. 

So much fun.. 

It was the first Christmas with us for 3 of them.. 

I wonder what they thought.. grin..

Wrapping paper and tissue and laughter.. 

Such a dear family.. 

We all loved everything.. 

One lad got a huge bottle of French Mustard from Gramps.. 

You never know what might be coming your way.. 

Then it was time to relax although the dear girls did all of the dishes.. 

Thank you Tammy and Shonda..

Someone thought to bring Grandpa the paper..

And someone decided to enjoy the comic section.. 

Sweet, eh?

Then it was time for them to go...   

Good bye dear lads.. 

Yuppp.. 

You will remember this as the year that Mom fell off the chair... (That's another story)..grin..

And now today I am thankful.... 

Not for the presents..

 nor the trimmings on the tree..

 or even the food on the table..

Although..

 I am thankful for all of those things..

 But today I am more thankful for the dear memories that have been collected, labeled and stored away in the compartments of my heart..

To be taken out and looked at and to marvel upon whenever I need to..

Days when I miss my children and grandsons then I will remember..

The sweet hugs and kisses... 

the laughing and the chattering all through the house.. 

the sound of Grandpa teasing those boys.. 

the smell of the turkey and the clatter of dishes.. 

our bowed heads while the blessing is being spoken.. 

the sweet warmth of the fires... 

the feel of an arm on my shoulder and a whisper in my ear.. 

the look on my child's face even when they are all grown up.. 

my Mom being here.. 

even falling off a chair while my sons try to rescue me...

and for the love that is so special in a family.. 

Thank you my dear Jesus.. 

I do so appreciate it all.. 

Then when they had all gone.. 

Terry and I sat down and talked about our day.. 

What had been said and done  and how good it was to be all together.. 

And now today.. 

It is just Grandpa and I again... 

Oh, life is wonderful..

And a whole new year around the corner...

What are you sweet ladies planning?  

Sweet hubby gave me these.. 

He truly knows the way to my heart.. grin.. 

Now all I need is a cup of coffee and I can start making my list of projects and as my dear son -in -law mentioned we had best make our new year resolutions.. 

smile.. 

So from our house to yours may the richest of God's blessings be upon you and your dear families.. 

May he guide and protect you with his love.. 

And may he reign supreme in your lives..

Thanks for stopping by.. 

Leave me a note.. Please.. smile.. 

Luv ya all..  

The days in between....

Hello dear hearts.. 

Just checking in with you all during these in between days of Christmas and New Years.. 

Hope you are all enjoying this holiday week.. 

I was telling someone that Terry and I kind of feel in limbo waiting until Saturday when all of the family arrive to celebrate.. 

Can't wait.. 

So.. 

I have been doing a little preparing.. 

Getting out some old serving dishes.. 

Planning on how to sit 17 people and which dishes to use and  napkins and such... 

And what about the menu.. 

I hope I have it fixed as we went shopping today and I doubt Terry would be very thrilled if he needed to go again.. grin.. 

Tonight we are in the midst of a huge storm.. 

On our way home it started and in just a half hour the roads were slippery.. 

There is a wind whistling and snow is pelting down.. 

Sometimes it is almost like sleet.. 

It should be over tomorrow sometime, though.. 

Dear hubby bought us a treat for our supper tonight.. 

Two lovely lobsters.. 

A favorite of ours.. 

I just couldn't imagine throwing those lovely shells out.. 

I found a recipe on the web for lobster broth and it is simmering away out there in the kitchen.. 

It can be used for 

a soup base or even a lobster risotto or just a nice hot cup of broth on a cold day.. 

I think I will make a seafood chowder and use it as the base. 

Shonda and her family are planning on coming and staying overnight tomorrow and as they are going skiing before they get here it should help warm them up... eh?  

I need to do a couple of preparations for the storm before I go to bed.. 

Filling my washer with water and making a big thermos of coffee just in case the hydro goes off... 

Wondering what you are all doing these days.. 

Well, must go sweet ladies.. 

Hope you are keeping nice and warm where ever you are.. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.. I am so enjoying your lovely comments.. 

You guys are awesome.. 

God bless... 

Christmas for two..

Merry Christmas Evening, my dears..

It was just the two of us today.. 

The very first time in 42 years..

But.. 

On Saturday there will be 17 of us so we are just relaxing today and waiting for them all to get here.. smile..

Just a few pics to share with you all.. 

Waking up early (can't help myself).. 

Putting on the coffee pot and having a little talk with my Lord.. 

Thinking of the Christmas mornings when the kids and I would wait for their dear Dad to get the fire going in the fireplace.. 

Then the day would begin.. 

Much quieter today...

A lovely breakfast of home fries, eggs and toast and jam.. Then making a loaf of bread and putting a big organic chicken in the oven.. 

Turkey gets to wait until Saturday..

Poor hubby has the flu or we would have gone to Shonda's .. 

He rested and kept calling out for the nitro... grin.

Making fun of me because of a fave commercial on the TV.. 

It's NyQuil, Terry... Honestly... grin.. 

A lovely late dinner and several lovely cups of tea and a sweetie on the vintage plates I found... 

Thinking of you all and your dear families .. 

From here to New York, Wisconsin, Texas and all over..

Now the lights are on.. 

The fire is flickering and my mind goes back.. 

To my wonderful Dad who loved Christmas so much and to Christmas days past when the kids were all home.. 

Such lovely memories.. 

Thank you, Jesus... 

Time flies by sweet mamas.. 

Someday you will be sitting and remembering, too.. 

Make good memories.. 

They make so much worth while.. 

Sweet dreams... 

xoxo

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS, SWEET FRIENDS..

Good Evening, my dears..

How are you all? 

Hope you are having a blessed Lord's Day.. 

We have had a great one.. 

Lovely church this morning joined by our youngest son and family.. 

Passed out Christmas cards and such and then came home and 

made a very simple lunch for some wee boys..

After they left I decided as there was no church tonight due to the Christmas Eve service that perhaps I should do some little chore.. 

So I made these... 

 White Sugar Cookies.. 

I received this recipe back in the seventies from a good friend... 

1970s that is.. grin.. 

I think you can read it from there.. 

If you have any questions just email me.. 

They are very simple to make and does not take long.. 

I always sprinkle some vanilla sugar on top.. 

A bottle of sugar with a vanilla bean stuck down the middle.. 

Used an antique reindeer cutter.. 

I like really to keep these plain and quite thick.. 

Nice and moist with the crunch of the sugar on top along with a cup of tea is so nice.. 

Sometimes I will ice these and do the Christmas thing but mostly they are good enough just like this.. 

Hope all is well with thee.. 

Just in case I don't get back to the computer until after the big day  I would like to thank you dear ladies for your faithfulness in reading and commenting.. 

I so enjoy my blog.. 

I was in a thrift store the other day and bought the above plate for under a dollar.. 

The clerks who were a couple of young ladies said it was pretty.. 

I mentioned that I had a blog and that this was a prop.. 

Like for a play I told them.. 

They laughed and said that would be fun... 

And it is... 

I don't usually buy many props but this caught my eye.. 

You guys make it all a joy with your sweet comments and emails.. 

I feel like I know so many of you personally and if I needed to then I could knock on the door in the middle of the night and you would give me a cuppa tea.. grin.. 

So glad the Lord has brought you all into my life.. 

I pray that God will be with you all during the season.. 

That he will bless you with protection and love and joy.. 

Joy that only Jesus can bring.. 

He is the greatest thing in my life.. 

I am so glad he came to earth so many years ago and made salvation available for us today..

A way so simple.. 

Just believe that His Word is true and accept Him into your heart and put Him first in your life..

I count it as blessing and privilege to know him on a daily basis.. 

He is someone I have depended on for many years and he has always proved faithful..

He is so precious... 

We will keep the dear families from Connecticut in our hearts and prayers this coming week.. 

Love to you all.. 

Merry Merry Christmas... 

Faye Henry xo

LINKED TO...CLEVER CHICKS BLOG HOP

Bit by bit...

Happy Saturday Evening... 

Well, here we are just a few days before Christmas... 

All of that lovely snow that we had is almost gone.. 

We had rain here last night ..

We have been busy shopping, cleaning and decorating.. 

Not a thing wrapped yet but all in due time.. 

I think due time is running out.. smile..

But bit by bit I am getting there..

Just sharing a few pics of me trying to get ready for it all.. 

My fireplace is decorated.. 

Do you see my lovely reindeer candle holders?

I talked about them HERE..

I know the pic is not very good.. 

For some reason my camera is acting up.. 

I think the rechargeable batteries are like me and running on low... 

But hopefully you can get the drift..

I will try and get a better one.. 

Here is my birthday present from Shonda..

A snowman's hat and underneath is a runner and also a couple of place mats from Trevor's... 

These are on the dining room table.. 

The room is coming along and I will soon be able to show you.. 

It won't really get done until after the new year but at least it is a change and much more country feel... 

Someone likes Grandma... 

Charlie Boy.. 

He is growing so fast..

And someone likes Grandpa...

A couple of tired out boys.. 

Who always wants to know if there are any of these in the house.. 

What are Grandmas for.. 

Right?

Oh.. I had to show you the dear dishes I found today at the Thrift.. 

Aren't they sweet? 

Not a big set but lovely for just Terry and I.. 

I have not seen this pattern before.. 

Have you? 

I do wish there was another cup although Terry would not use it anyway.. grin.. 

Working away on a coffee cozy for someone.. 

It will actually be a whole week from today before all of our family are here at one time.. 

So.. I do have a bit of leeway.. smile.. 

We went shopping in Sussex today and met so many dear friends and even ran into our grandsons..I so enjoyed the day.. We met our youngest for lunch and they came up home for supper.. 

The wee boys were excited as the firetruck drove by with sirens going to let the kids all know that Santa had arrived in this wee place.. smile.. 

So on with the coats and boots and Grandpa even went along, too.. 

The boys had a chance to speak to Santa and get a lovely bag of treats..

There was only one problem.. 

When they got back home the oldest lad told his Mom he thought Santa was supposed to be bilingual.. 

He said that for some reason this Santa could not understand French.. grin.. 

Isn't that funny?.. 

Santa must have been resting and had a fill in, I guess.. 

I know Christmas isn't about Santa but kids have loved him through the years.. 

I heard the same wee boy listening to his mama as she told him about the real Christmas story, too.. 

So sweet.... 

Well, dear ladies I must go.. 

We have a lovely service tomorrow and are having guests going with us... 

I need my beauty  8 hours of sleep.. grin.. 

Take care, dear hearts.. 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and we will chat again soon.. 

Thanks so much for visiting and welcome to the new followers.. 

So appreciate it.. 

Looking forward to hearing what you have all been up to.. 

God bless... 

A Snowy Kinda Day..

A very snowy day here in Canada... 

I stayed home where it was nice and snug and did some tidying up..

The sun room was greatly in need of some rearranging.. 

Terry brought in our tree before the storm started and the house smells so Christmas like.. 

Kind of puts me in the mood.. (Thank heavens)  ...

Tomorrow..

 Lord willing I can get a bit of baking done although my living room still needs work.. sigh.. 

Oh well.. I am sure it will get done enough for Christmas to come.. smile..

I want to make an orange bread or two, a nut cake with icing, a new recipe for peppermint bark that looks lovely, a very special white sugar cookie recipe I found from years ago and.... 

Oh.. you get my drift.. 

What are you girls baking for Christmas? 

Did I mention some fruit bread?  Made with yeast.. 

I used to make it many moons ago and I think our older kids would remember it... 

One day when Dustin came home from school I had a batch of the sugar cookies and some homemade bread made.. 

He started telling his brother that we were rich.. grin.. 

Those were the days!!

I so loved them and miss them.. 

Anyway... 

Hope you all are getting some snow where ever you may be.. 

Thanks for visiting my sweet friends and as you know I love your notes.. 

May God bless and keep you all.. 

oh.. I like my coffee just with milk.. 

I can't abide cream...

grin..

 xo