Five On Friday: 2017 Snow!

My last four post titles may be tiresome in that I seem to be perseverating on the subject of snow, but it is a topic of interest for me of late. In my defense, at least I am showing you some new year rather than old year snow in this post!

The last few weeks have been filled with good gatherings of family and friends, the exchange of cards and letters and gifts, testing some new recipes, puzzling, and lighting all our Hanukkah candles, Advent candles, angel chime candles, and miscellaneous candles.

If you have the time to play Where Are the Sheep?, you can look at the photo above of our Christmas tree and see if you can find the latest members of my flock that are hanging around.  One is a black and white Wild Woolie, and the other is  Lemon Drop.  [Also, if you enjoy sketching and sheep you might enjoy perusing a copy of "Henry Moore's Sheep Sketchbook". I was given a copy that I find delightful.]

We used a standard sugar cookie recipe and used almond flour and coconut shortening and sugar to avoid gluten and dairy.  They tasted good, but we need to fiddle around with the chemistry because they did not hold their stellar shape well.

My oldest son in law's mom skillfully crocheted for me, the pretty purple tea cup you see in the photos above.  Didn't she do a lovely job?  She said she followed a pattern tutorial on YouTube.

Most of our Christmas decorations are packed away again as we launch into the new year.  Thanks to getting a bit more snow and colder than usual temperatures here we are making lots of soup, tea, coffee and cocoa, and the forecast is for a bit more snow and ice this weekend, but I will see if I can resist including snow in the title of my next post. Do you think I will succeed?

Gracie xx

Although Amy, is going through a difficult time, she has set up a Five On Friday link through her Love Made My Home blog.  I know she will appreciate us sending good thoughts her way, and I appreciate her kindness in setting up the link for those of us who choose to participate.
See what other Five on Friday finds others have shared.

Puzzling From the Old to the New Year

Welcome!   My nephew and niece gave us a jigsaw puzzle for Christmas and the table in my room has become Puzzle Central! I find it encouraging seeing the creative determination of our puzzlers.

  They study and sort pieces. Every piece is necessary and important.  Each piece has to find its place, no matter how puzzling the process, to fit perfectly to reveal a complete picture.

 Yesterday, my youngest daughter attended  an interment service at the Willamette National Cemetery for the father of a young friend whose dad died a few days before Thanksgiving.  My daughter took some carnations and left some at my husband's interment site which was near the site of her friend's father, and then brought some flowers home for me, knowing that the death of her friend's father reminded me of my husband's death for many reasons.  Both men had been in the Navy,  and died at the age of 64 of similar physical causes, and both men had puzzled some of those around them by imperfectly being Christ followers.

 One of the presents Halley received for Christmas is a potholder loom.  She quickly understood how to weave the loops to form a pretty pattern, but weaving the loops off the loom has been very puzzling for her.

 On Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, I met with my monthly art group.  Our facilitator brought a gelli-plate pad for us to use.  We puzzled about how best to use it, putting drops of paint on it, rolling the drops, spraying water on the result, and then rolling plain papers over the surface to transfer the paint onto the papers.

Our facilitator made some folk art angel forms we could copy, but most of us launched out from her idea to create our own angel forms.

I told our facilitator that my angels make me think of, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace goodwill toward men!" Luke 2:13-14 NKJV...the story of how the angels sang when Jesus Christ was born!

This morning, the last in 2015, I read the prophesy written before Christ's birth. " For unto us a child is born.  Unto us a child is given.  And the government will be on his shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 NKJV

In our war torn world troubled by natural and man made catastrophes I thought how much I want and we need the Prince of Peace with the government on His shoulder!  I puzzle about how this can ever be...

Then I read what Christ said, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. My peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid." John 14:26-27 NKJV

Somehow as I sort through the pieces of life and and fit a few more in place, in my thinking at least, I see glimpses of the beautiful picture they were meant to create.  My own little piece is an imperfect challenging shape to wiggle into place, but I do try to do my best and find joy in the process.  I stitch. I type. I paint. I cook. I color. I serve. I see. I hear. I feel. I learn. I hope. I love. I pray...

In 2016, may The Lord bless You and Yours and all His creation...

Gracie xx