Happy New Year!

Hi everyone,

Just a short post to wish each of you, who have been reading my blog, a happy New Year.  I do hope that if you are going out to celebrate this evening and there will be booze included, that you have a designated driver so that everyone gets home safely. Drinking and driving, kills people and/or does permanent damage to them. 

This is foremost on my mind just now, because shortly before Christmas, of last year, a drunk driver ran into my Son-in-law and did him permanent damage.  That driver later died in the hospital.  As for my Son-in-law, he'll never be able to work as a policeman again, as he is unable to hold and shoot a gun in both hands.  Also, it's been over a year now and he's still going for therapy for different issues.  That accident, which could have been prevented, should not have occurred, but it did.  Now my innocent family suffers because of one persons decision to drink and then drive. 

Please be responsible if you are drinking this evening.  Remember:  the next person to die, could be you or someone you love. 

Have a wonderful evening and a great first day of 2017 tomorrow.  Please be safe!
Susan

Happy Wednesday to everyone...

Good evening or whatever time of day it is where you are...  I here on my laptop and listening to the Solid Gold Oldies on the TV station.  I love the old songs.  I mean the ones from the 50's and 60's.  That would be my childhood years.  I also enjoy some of the Big Band Music from the 30's, 40's and 50's.  My parents loved that type of music so I grew up with that and then rock and roll, which was my forte. 

I just thought I'd remind you all of the novels and booklets that I have available for electronic reading on Amazon.com.  Here's a few of them:

You can go to www.Amazon.com and fill my full name in the search block and all of my novels and booklets will come up for you.  Also, most of them have a page here, on my blog.  Just thought you may be interested in some heart-full reading

Have a wonderful evening and stay safe.  God bless each of you.
Susan

Are you ready?

Hi everyone,
Well, we only have four more days left in 2016.  Are you ready to start the new year of 2017?  Well, ready or not, it will be here.  What is your hope and wish for 2017?

As for me, I am ready for whatever happens throughout the end of this year and in 2017.  I will, certainly, do whatever I can to keep myself as healthy as I am able.  Ultimately, how long I live is up to God.  I do work very hard not to do anything which will harm my health. 

I hadn't been out to visit my friend in the nearby nursing home for the past two weeks.  the reason for this was because they had a quarantine in effect, because of illness within the home's patients.  As much as I truly wanted to go, I stayed home because I needed to keep myself healthy.  So, I called this morning and spoke with a young woman who told me that there is still some illness but it is not airborne but through touching something.  She said that as long as I wash my hands as soon as I leave, I should be fine.

So, I prayed and then I got ready and went to visit my friend.  I took my hand sanitizer with me and as soon as I left the building, I used it.  Then when I arrived home, I ran hot water and washed my hands with soap and hot water.  So, now I did everything that I can to stay healthy.  So, now it's up to God.  I loved visiting with my friend and I took her a few homemade goodies to enjoy.

I had a wonderful Christmas Eve with my family.  As for Christmas Day it was just my husband and myself.  I have to tell you that I now love spending Christmas Day with just him and I.  There's no rushing around and we eat whenever it's ready.  We have no time schedule to keep and that's very relaxing for the both of us. 

I hope your Christmas Eve and Day was as happy and fulfilling as mine was.  Family is extremely important to me and it always has been.  I hope it's important to you, as well.  Be happy and stay healthy.
Susan

It's here....

Hi everyone,

This will be a short blog, but I wanted to make sure I took the time to wish each of you, who takes the time to read my blog, a blessed Christmas Eve and a loving Christmas Day.  Christmas is the time for family and friends to spend time together.  What ever worries or concerns you may have, just fill yourself with love for one another this Christmas Eve. 

Remember that it's not about the gifts we give or receive, it's about loving each other.  Showing kindness and sympathy to one another today and every day.  Having people you love in your life, is the most blessed thing you can have. 

Enjoy today and tomorrow and be safe always.  Merry Christmas and may the New Year, of 2017, be filled with love and many blessings for you and your family.
Susan

It's almost here...

Merry Christmas, everyone! 

Well, if you're ready or not, it's almost Christmas.  I'm ready and have been, all except for last minute food preparations, that is.  I've been ready for some time now.  Because of my illness, I need to start very early in the year.  That would be as soon as Christmas is over!

You see I make a lot of hand crafted items for gifts and I need to start early on them.  I even hand make my own bags to put gifts into by using felt, ribbon and embroidery floss.  I embroidery designs on the front of the bags (which is two pieces of felt, blanket stitched together.) 

I truly need to keep busy all year round.  Since my life is pretty sedentary, and since I'm creative, I do things working with my hands.  I love it and it makes me feel good to give those I love and care about, homemade items.  I just hope they appreciate all the time and effort that goes into them.

I want to sincerely take this time to thank each and every one of you, who have been following my blog, whether you're a new comer, or have been a follower for a few years now.  My sincere good wishes for a wonderful, a joyous and a blessed Christmas to each and every one of you.  Enjoy your families and thank God for them.

Merry Christmas and all my best good wishes to each of you for a prosperous New Year of 2017!
Susan

Happy Thursday!

Hi everyone,

Man oh man, is it cold and blustery out there.  This morning, when I was on out sun porch using my washer and dryer, I could hear the wind blowing outside.  It was actually howling!  I was going to go to the grocery store this morning, but I asked my husband if he'd go without me.  I just couldn't bear the thought of going out in this weather.  Ever since I became chronically ill, going on eleven years ago, I can't handle the extreme cold or heat and humidity.  The doctor keeps my blood pressure pretty low and because of this, I need to stay indoors in the winter and also during the heat and humidity of the summer months.  I was so thankful to my husband for going without me.

Even though I've been indoors all day, every time I get up from where I'm sitting, I get cold once again.  The weatherman says that this wind should calm down sometime over night.  I am so thankful for that! 

I'm about as ready for Christmas as I can be ten days before hand.  I've made my lists reminding me which days to do what.  Yes, I am a list person.  I always have been and always will be!  I suppose that's because I worked in finances most of my adult life.  I still need to do things by hand, you know, like writing a check to pay my bills and not doing it electronically, like so many younger folks do.  I suppose they'd say that I'm just 'old fashioned' and that's okay with me. 

This winter I hand crocheted about 60-65 scarves for two local nursing homes.  Now, it's been on my mind as to what I can do to keep myself busy and to give back for the many blessings God has bestowed upon me during my entire life.  I was talking with God the other day, asking for some suggestions and then soon after that I saw a commercial for St. Jude's Children's hospital. 

This reminded me that young children like to have a blanket for security.  So, that made me think that perhaps God was directing me to think seriously about crocheting small blankets for the children who are hospitalized.  After all, my blankets in bed at night, still make me fell secure.  I like to pull them up around my neck and close to me.  I suppose that is a security feeling that never leaves many of us. 

I need to do so research to see if any of the local hospitals, children's wards, would accept an offer.  I'd love to send blankets to St. Jude's, or perhaps the Hershey Children's Hospital, which would be much closer to me.  So, I thank God for putting this idea into my head.  You do know that He listens to us when we speak with Him.  It's just the normally, He doesn't speak directly to us, but rather He puts an idea into our heads.  It's then up to us to follow through on the idea.

Whenever I do anything by hand, (crocheting, hand embroidery, hand made greeting cards, etc.) I feel very relaxed and comforted.  So, that's why I have a need to continue doing this things for other people, especially children and the elderly.  Perhaps you could try doing this sometime and see how it makes you feel! 

God is the most important person in my life, for without Him, I would have no life, literally!  I am in a very good place in my life, mostly because God is with me always.  His Mercy is so very important to me and for my immediate and extended families, friends and everyone throughout the world, especially those who suffer from any illness.

Have you ever wandered what you can do to help another person?  If not, perhaps you should make a new year's resolution to try, each month, to do something, no matter how small, for someone else.  Trust me, it's not just them who benefits, but you also.  Remember, we never know what is ahead of us. 

I hope you make some time to enjoy yourself during this Christmas Season.  Experiencing the joy of the season is so important.  Just relax and let go for a few minutes each day.  Be safe always and may God bless you and your families.
Susan

Remember that God is present in every single day...

Brrrrrrr!

Hi everyone,
I don't know what the weather is where you live, but here in South Central Pennsylvania, it's getting quite cold with a lot of strong winds.  It's to go down into the low 20's tonight and not be much warmer than that tomorrow.  Actually, it's to be cold and windy for the next seven days. 

I know it's December, but I don't really like the cold weather, especially when it's windy, also.  I can handle temps. in the upper thirties or low forties, but I'm not liking this low twenties stuff.  Of course, I will be pretty much staying indoors and only going out if I absolutely have to! 

Tomorrow is the 9th of December already.  Christmas Day is just a little over two weeks away now.  I've been hosting Christmas Eve ever since my Parents have passed away.  You see, when they were living, we (me, my husband, children and grandchildren, and my siblings and their families) all went to Mom and Dad's for Christmas Eve.  So, I suppose I've been hosting this celebration for almost twenty years now.  What do you do on Christmas Eve?  I hope you spend it with family and/or friends.

I've made my menu and I already purchased most of the meal items I will be needing.  Earlier this week I made chocolate covered pretzel rods and added candy sprinkles on top.  Today I made a large pan of 7 layer bar cookies.  I plan on baking a double batch of chocolate chip, walnut cookies tomorrow.  These are my husbands favorite.  I also have already made two batches of chocolate bark.  One is peanut bark and the other is raisin and date bark.  I like to share my home made goodies with my family on Christmas Eve.  I'm sure that many of you also do patches of home made cookies and candies.  My Mom always had plenty of home made treats for us to enjoy. 

The Christmas Season is and always has been, my favorite time of year.  People just seem kinder and friendlier during this season than any other time of the year.  It's too bad that folks can't be kind all year long. 

I do hope that your Christmas Season is a blessed one.  Enjoy yourself throughout this time and be safe.
Susan


                                  This is one of my small, lighted trees.

Happy Sunday thoughts....

Hi all,
Hi everyone, I hope your Sunday went well.  Of course, Sunday evening means that tomorrow is Monday and for many of you it's back to work.  Perhaps you should be thankful that you have a job, which allows you to earn the money to keep a roof over your head and food in your stomach.  Yeah, I know Mondays are hard, but if I remember correctly, those Mondays always go very quickly because you're usually quite busy.  So smile, because Monday will be over before you know it!

I hope your weekend was a good one.  Mine was a quiet one as I spent the weekend at home, which is okay with me.  I have been busy working on wrapping gifts for Christmas and other preparations for the upcoming Christmas Season.  I started addressing my hand made Christmas cards, but I haven't gotten too far as of yet.  No hurry though, because I won't mail them until around the tenth of December, or so.

How's you Christmas shopping going?  Mine is pretty much done and I'm very happy about that.  I hand crocheted about forty scarves, which I wrapped in tissue paper and attached a Christmas card to them.  I'm going to have my husband take them to a local nursing home and hand them out to the residents there.  It's not much, but most of them will not get anything for Christmas.

I have to tell you that I just love the Christmas Season.  I believe that people are just kinder, more sensitive and caring, during this season of the year.  It's really just sad that it can't remain this way all year round.  How about you?  Do you love the Christmas Season as much as I do? 

I hope you had a good weekend and had at least a small amount of time for yourself.  We all need some alone time to sit and think about what's really important in our lives.  Have a wonderful week and be safe.
Susan