Christian Photographers Community

Greetings Everyone  A cold day here on the Isle of Man.  As yet I have not ventured out and as it is gone 7.15pm. I doubt I will.

No, Ellie, we don't do many cruises, have only done two thus far.  Except for European River cruises and Small ship cruises; we have done a number of those.

We started getting a nice snow this morning--then it stopped and in just a little while, every flake was gone! Daughter Kerri left for home (about five hours Northwest of here) and said it got heavier and roads slicker all the way home, but she made it safely. She and I did a lot of acrylic pouring while she was here!  Fun!

I need to make some calls tomorrow.  We are thinking of taking the whole family on a nice trip in 2020!  Need more information!

No, Jackie, not many of us left in here, but each of us is precious to our Father God.  And to each other!

We are going to Moscow tonight to their Christmas Cantata, and supper with gift-wrapped desserts!  Then back tomorrow night for the great-granddaughters' school Christmas program.

Today has been strange because we missed church this morning!
 Kerri didn't seem in a hurry to leave, and we sure wren't going to act like we wanted her to leave, so just visited until she decided to go.  By then, Church had started.  In her defense, we didn't remind her that our church starts at 9:15!  She left at 10:00.   

See you all another day!  Be blessed!

Greetings Janet  We never thought about cruises as a type of holiday, as we preferred to holiday for a two week stay in a hotel or apartment around Europe and the UK.  As hubby's mobility has lessened over the years, we tried a cruise, as others had recommended with varying forms of disabilities, that it was a type of holiday that suited them.  How right they were as hubby can enjoy this type of holiday.

We have never thought of River cruises, are the ships of a size that allows for wheelchair access on and off the ship? 

Counting the days now - our oldest son will be driving from Montana to Arizona over the weekend.  Praying for safe roads - it is snowing there this week. Sunny and cool here right now.

Rebot:  That sound like a lovely and relaxing cruise.  Are you almost ready for Christmas?  My cards are mailed.  I sure do not bake and cook like other years - no Hot Fudge Sauce for gifts this year. 

Oldiesmann:  Do you like the Honda Sonata?  I hope it is good on gas mileage. Take care!


Too many interruptions today.   

Hello everyone. I have been here to read, didn't have much to say. Furry friends had their  Christmas party on Saturday. Keith and I went and had a wonderful time.  We will be leaving next week Tuesday for Gilbert's place in Eureka California. Wew will stay in a motel this year, Gilbert's place is way too small for  us to stay there. He is in a small one bedroom place for now (since his divorce). He recently got a better job, now he is will Eureka Oxygen with better pay and the weekends off. With Lincare he was on call weekends. The kids have sure grown up, Savannah is now 23 and Forest is 19. We I first came on CP  20 years ago Frorest wasn't born yet.

Greetings Carol   Christmas preparations are going well here.  I finished the Christmas Cards and the few letters I send to family and friends at this time.  Family that we cannot visit and they cannot visit us. Mostly because of the distance between us and yes, age plays a part also. 

Like you, I do not cook as much, but I do a full Christmas dinner.  Ell

From Chris Saunders

" This I command you..that you war a good Warfare.
Holding faith and a good conscience, for some have made a shipwreck of their lives!"..1Tim 1.
Warfare..yes we live in a hostile world, if you doubt this just stand in a public place and start to preach the Gospel...you will get plenty of comments and eventually a Policeman may even appear.
Some have even lost their faith and ended up on the Rocks of unbelief..yes, shipwrecked.
They have gone back into the world from whence they were saved and now are of no use to their Lord, they are still saved and will enter Heaven but sadly with no reward..no crown. Don't be like them fight the good fight of faith..follow on to know the Lord even more than you do.
One day you shall hear those golden words." Well done good and faithful servant, enter in to the Joy of your Lord."
Carpe Diem.

Judy...
...quoting your " just stand in a public place and start to preach the Gospel...you will get plenty of comments and eventually a Policeman may even appear "
...thank heavens we still have an open air public place in the heart of London ( UK ) called " Speakers Corner...Hyde Park where one is free to stand on a soap - box and say what they want - freedom of speech...no policemen involved...
...think you may have one in Regina Saskatchewan...located on the north shore of Wascana Lake...dedicated by the Earl Mountbatten...( Wikipedia )

Greetings Jackie   Splendid my old stomping ground, London where I lived for most of life, has Speakers Corner, what a gift we have in freedom of speech.  Did you know that it dates back to 1866 and in 1872, an Act of the UK Government  made it a place for public speaking.    And people like Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and George Orwell spoke there.

Greetings Everyone  Catching up on emails and why not on a wet day.  Seems the UK and the Isle of Man are having a rainy period this past few weeks.   

I am cleaning this little desk in order to have it ready for oldest son who is arriving Monday. All the Christmas cards are mailed and now to make cranberry sauce and a few other dishes - we will drive about an hour to cousin's house in a small desert town. Her son & his family are missionaries . Another cousin will be visiting. He and wife had to stay about 5 days in a little town in New Mexico awaiting two parts for the tires (the parts had been stolen on a previous stop).  Everyone was so kind and helpful - it turned out better than we thought.

Rebot: While visiting Speakers Corner, everyone was ranting against the USA - we stood and listened for a while.

A phone call now - a cousin and husband from Seattle are visiting in the area but the dates they chose are not ones we can make for a meeting. 

We expect a rainy Christmas this year. It doesn't matter - this is a day of Joy!

 

Janet: Take care. Prayers for you two!

 

 

Wow!  Seems I somehow got behind again, sorry! Everyone is making Christmas plans, and that's as it should be!
We aren't doing much, just going to daughter Diane's for the day, and maybe the evening before.  We went to Garden City yesterday and finished our shopping, so I'm wrapping today, between doing the laundry.

Granddaughter Abby is on  her way home from college this afternoon. Her brother Mark and wife won't be here until the 26 or 27th, from Florida.  Curtis and family live close, so they don't have to travel to see either set of parents--or grandparents!

We always divide the work of a big meal among us.  I think I'll be making pies, cauliflower and broccoli salad, and something else.
Makes it easier when there are at least three of us working on it!  Diane tells me we're having ham.

I have been missing most of the things here in town that I enjoy attending, because of not getting to drive at night.  Darrel doesn't care to go, so home I stay, too.     But I tell myself, "It's not really important."

Back to that wrapping!

Greetings Carol  Why were the speakers ranting against the USA?  I would be interested to know why.  Ell

Counting down for Christmas. I keep going to the store for one more thing. There is also a football game on Monday night so I need to add a snack or two for the guys.  Our oldest son should arrive Monday afternoon and I want to have some healthy snacks around.  He started driving from Montana early this morning and I tried to get him to plan on a three day drive to no avail.

Rebot:  It had to have been on one of our Republican presidents or even the Vietnam War.  Tell us what Boxing Day means and when you celebrate. Thank you.

Yesterday on our walk, we saw a lone coyote just meandering down the street.  We stay clear and they seem to not be bothered or care about sharing the road with us.
It is different being in Arizona for the winter.  One medium sized tree is heavy with grapefruit.  Every year I bag about three grapefruit to each bag and set all on the sidewalk. People drive over or bike or walk by and take as much as they like and they are careful to not take all.  Nice to hear a cherry greeting.

There is a free Balance Class and that is a good thing for me to take since having a hard fall (tripping over an obstetrical) in a parking lot outside church last year. That begins in January. 

Janet: Everyone likes to do pot-luck dining anymore because it sure lightens the load of fixing a full meal.  We really do not eat full meals so often either.  You will adjust to the "new normal", because you have always come through so many times of sadness.  Hugs to you!

Judy:  Do you have much snow?  Prayers for you and all the family.

Listening to Christmas music today.     

Greetings Carol    Christmas Day and Boxing Day, in fact all the Christmas period is all about family to hubby and I.  We will spend Christmas Day on our own, but meet up with family members on Boxing day, also known as you will know as St. Stephens Day or the Feast of St Stephen.

The name Boxing Day in the United Kingdom is derived from when the rich or well off people who employed servants gave them the day after Christmas Day off.   And also, the servants received a special boxed up gift from their Master or Lady of the house.

I doubt and hope that tradition does not happen now.   We believe in equality for all people and want to see a world free of strife and disharmony.   
 
 Ellie

Our oldest son arrived and will be here for another few days then he will be away and return for another week. We had a wonderful pre-Christmas day with cousins and chatted with our children & grands via telephone- so great to talk to all.

Rebot:  How kind of everyone who gives a gift to someone working for them. 

It always takes me a while to adjust to writing the new year date - where did this year go?  Too fast! 

Stay safe. 

Only three more days in 2019!  Then, like you, Carol, I will have to be careful when dating things for a while!

We had a lovely Christmas.  On Christmas Eve, we went to oldest daughter's in Hugoton (only 30 miles) and had a nice visit with them and Abby, who is on college break.  We attended a Christmas eve service at a church there, came back to their house and ate delicious tortilla soup Diane had made, opened a few gifts.  Then we drove home, waited an hour or more, then went to our church for Midnight Christmas eve service.  It started at 11:00.  It was a really great service!

On Christmas day we got up around 8, had a leisurely morning, opened our few gifts to each other, then drove back to Hugoton and spent the day with Diane's family.  Shortly after we had lunch, Curt and Toni and the three girls came, so we had time to visit with them too.  I had invited John to dinner, he said he would come, but when he hadn't arrived by close to 1:00, I called him.  He said he wasn't coming, as he "wasn't feeling very well".  I told him I wished he had called me, as we were waiting for him.  He's been doing better lately.  Well--I tried!

I had a surgical procedure scheduled for Monday, but found out grandson from Florida is coming tomorrow, so called and postponed it until Jan. 17th.  Not something I look forward to doing, anyway. 

I have been having so much fun doing acrylic paint pouring!  And I got alcohol inks for Christmas, so I'm ready to start experimenting with those!  Gotta keep the ol' brain learning new things.  And it makes me happy!

I wish you all a wonderful new year!  May 2020 bring us all blessings and joy.

Christmas went so fast - we did have chats with everyone and that makes us feel better.  Our eldest son has been visiting and we drove to the airport this morning as he has a week scheduled in Houston.  He will be back here for one more week. 

Our church at home has a program for military families - they often live on a shoestring. The nicest card came for thanking the proceeds from sewing projects - it was so easy I want to do that again. It is fun therapy to sew and better yet to give it to the craft sale. 

I am trying to fix Vegan dishes - we always have some vegetables but need to expand the recipes for some good tasting vegan in the family. 

Judy: Do you have snow on the ground?  We always need it for moisture, it always looks beautiful and then again, it can make it a dicey drive.  Are you knitting anything?  I am only knitting a narrow scarf.

Greetings Everyone   We are late with our Christmas Greetings.  Happy Christmas

Prayers for good health for everyone this year.

Rebot:  We have been watching a marvelous parade from London. It is the mayors sections plus visiting bands and such from all over the world.  It is the most unusual parade with a lot of color, even the great cars from the UK are shown. 

My January calendar is ready to be hung on the side of the fridge.  Vegetable soup is simmering in the crock pot.  Growing up - mom had a stove that had a built in a round area that fit a large pot.  We had hot oatmeal in the morning and many stews and soups daily.  The kitchen always smelled so good with home baked breads and soups.  After every Sunday church, there was most of the meal ready.

 

Happy New Year To all Our Friends

Carol  It was London's New Year Parade, my home town.  it goes back to 1987, though it had another name then.  About 8,000  people took part.  Ell

We watched the annual Rose Parade from Pasadena, California  This is the 109th year it has been done, with never a cancellation in all that time!  The floats are always so gorgeous, with every surface covered with flowers, seeds or other plant material.  I'm sure most of you, if not all, have watched it.
I would have no idea how to find a parade broadcast from London, but it would be such fun to see!

I have been playing with my new alcohol inks again.  What a challenge!  Much harder to paint with those than watercolors!! But if I persevere, maybe I'll get the hang of it!

We had our Christmas with grandson and wife from Florida last night. We're so blessed to get to see family as often as we do!

Our K-State team lost a "squeaker" to Navy yesterday, in the final few seconds of the game.

I've been remembering all the artsy and crafty things I have done in my lifetime, and think I will see how many I can list, just for fun!

I hope to see posts from everyone who still uses this site, even occasionally, to get our new year of 2020 off to a good start! How about it, folks?

As we face the starting of our New year, please let us give a thought to the loved ones of last year that we have lost, whilst we are still here to venture forward...To all our missing loved ones, never to be forgotten, you will always be in our memories, and forever in our hearts.....

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope everyone has a Blessed and prosperous new year.

I don't get here often anymore and I hardly ever take a picture unless I need it for reference to a project I am working on. All the grand kids are grown and I don't see them near as much as I would like to. My, time sure does fly. Hope all are doing well. GOD is good.

Don   

Don: Time surely does fly by - now to learn to write a new year already.  It is good to "see" you.

Watching the dreadful scenes of fire in Australia -it has to be heartbreaking for so many people.

Tomorrow, we will pick up our eldest son at the airport and he wants to drive us to visit my favorite and faithful cousin. There is frozen Vegan soup for him - it was hard to not throw in a bone of chicken or beef at least. I stuck to the recipe. He likes the crock pot of oatmeal with dried fruit.  No sugar.

A sad Christmas letter arrived.  It had the news of a passing of Don's old friend -a year ago.  Wish we had known he was ill. 

Janet:  I have been to the Rose Bowl parade - sat on the sidewalk not far from grandparent's retirement house.  Also, watched the U of Washington play and win - with my second ticket for my dad.  The flowers on floats were spectacular. 

 

Not feeling   great, but doing OK with the chest pain. that started yesterday. Hard to tell where it is coming from/ Could ue prayer. Just place my Walmart order for the very first time. So easy. I am trying to get used to this new keyboard. It is black and I did have one that had yellow enlarged keys. I will have to do better about not watching my hands.

Marilyn, it sounds like you need a check-up - prayers for a good diagnosis. 

Greetings Marilyn  Thinking of you and well done with the Walmart order.  I use online buying a lot now, but the first time I sent for something, I wondered if I had given our address to the UK company.  Was I glad when the parcel arrived. Ell

I am really tired!  Did my therapy exercises shortly before bed last night--not a good idea!  I couldn't go to sleep, so got up and read until 1:30, then slept late this morning, which I dislike doing.  I got the laundry started, then started cleaning out the cabinet where we keep snack type stuff; this led to the refrigerator, which was in dire need of a good cleaning and purging.  Darrel kept coming in to see what I was doing, so I put him to work!  He kept sneaking (not really) back to his chair, I kept asking him to help; finally he stayed.
He carried all the throw-aways out to the dumpster and helped clean the parts of the refrigerator.  I took it completely apart inside--that doesn't happen often!  Now I have all the clothes folded except the ones still in the machine, and am ready for a rest!  I think I will tell Darrel I deserve to be taken out to dinner tonight--or tomorrow after church!

This video was posted on our sister site and thought it worth sharing on our Christian site...

https://www.youtube.com/embed/N5ddoyfn6g4