It is still busy here. I usually decorate up to the very last minute and love doing so. My husband and I have spent the last few days shopping for stocking stuffers--with 13 to buy for it takes a while--the big job is getting it all in the right stockings--etc.
I made a crock pot roast with potatoes and "real" carrots last night so we are having dripped beef sandwiches tonight. I put some beef consomme, cooking sherry, soy sauce, onion powder and garlic powder in the pot and am letting it simmer a little while--forgot to buy provolone so we will be having melted lacey swiss cheese over the meat that is ladled on to the toasted hogie rolls. Also had quite a bit of real onions left over in the roast from yesterday.
I saw several dripped beef sandwich recipes and such did a little of this and that. That is mostly the way I cook--my mom did also so we can't share many recipes-ha!
It is very cold here--high of 47 degrees today--now I know for some of you that would be a heat wave but it is relatively cold here--and it has been cloudy all day--I love cold, cloudy Christmases. However, it is supposed to be sunny and 52 on Christmas which will be nice for our two sons who are driving in from out of state--one becaue he lives there and one because he used to live there growing up, married a girl from there and has been there visiting relatives. I am thankful that they have good weather to drive in.
We drove that at Christmas many years when our sons were growing up and had some pretty bad weather (ice storms, etc.) on several occasions so yes I am most grateful for the sun and the higher temps.
This is the first Christmas for my sister without her son whom she lost to death in August. She and all of her family here have gone to Texas to spend Christmas with another son--they have never done this before so it will be a change of scenery and good for them I think. However, I covet your prayers for them. I know it will be hard.
I doubt that I will be checking back in for a while. Our kids will be here through the 29th but please know you are always in my heart--I check my stats occasionally and when I see where many of you who read are from Russia, Germany, China, Brazil, so, so many other countries, I am just overwhelmed that you come here to read my blog. Thank you so much. I pray for you for peace and tranquility in your country, that God will be honored, that you will be free to worship freely and without shame wherever you are.
Through the wonder of the precious Holy Spirit, I feel a kinship and a oneness with you even though we've never met and I pray that your spirit will be lifted, that your heart will experience the joy that only comes from accepting the free gift of Jesus Christ that God sent to this planet over 2000 years ago to begin His plan of redemption for us.
If you have a New Testament, you can read about it in the gospels and then I would recommend reading the book of John--His love made manifest in the Life of Christ--what a revelation!
Please know that I wish you joy.
With all my love during this most precious of holiday seasons,
Dianne
© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted
