It's December 29th and my honeyman and I are doing our "Sunday thing".  He's reading the Des Moines Register and I'm knocking around on the web - looking for recipes, handwork patterns, and decorating ideas.

I hope your holidays are blessed and happy just as your New Year will be.

I'm saddened by one thing.  People are using lights to decorate anymore.  I think we were the only people in our small town who put up lights.  The main light was the nativity scene on the grape arbor; it was up first and was lit shortly after Thanksgiving.  My darling husband pushed to add more lights to both the front and back of the house.  We both remember, as children, our parents taking us on evening drives to see all the lights and decorations.  One of the things my sweet mother enjoyed was the Christmas drive to see the light show.  Why aren't we doing it anymore?  The lights show the celebration of Christmas ... that it's a birthday celebration.  It should look different than any another celebration!

The following was found a Christmas greeting this year:
    THE OLDER I GET ...
the simpler my holiday preparations become...
the closer I feel to old friends as I write my Christmas cards...
the more I cherish the oldest ornaments...
the more fondly I remember Christmases past...
the longer I hold on to a holiday hug...
the more I realize Christmas is a matter of the heart....
the tighter my throat gets when I sing Silent Night...
the more I enjoy giving than receiving...
the more I try to see Christmas through the eyes of a child...
the longer I sit at night in the glow of the Christmas tree...
the more wondrously beautiful the Christmas story is...
the deeper my awe at God's infinite love...
the more I love CHRISTmas!

Merry, merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year to everyone!

It's been two months since the wedding.  The serene outdoor service was sent indoors by the weather.  The beautiful autumn day was cold and ever so W I N D Y !  Even without the external autumn glory, It was still lovely.  There was such an air of love and joy in the house.  Susan came down the stairs from the loft and Michael met her at the bottom of the stairs.  She wore a very soft russet dress off the shoulder and Michael wore black trousers and a black shirt and his tie was of autumn colors.  Susan carried a bouquet of autumn leaves.

Holding hands, they came into the living room and stood before their friends and family and declared their love and faithfulness.  A few weeks before, I was ordained in the Universal Life Church; with that ordination accepted by the state of Iowa, I was able to perform the ceremony for them.  It was a thoughtful service with readings that offered love and advice and love again.  Michael's sister, Beth who is an ordained Lutheran pastor, couldn't be there for the wedding but sent a message by email.  Her message was read by Michael's niece, Caitlin.  A friend of the couple, Falcon, offered his blessing.  Doug (my husband) read an Apache wedding prayer. 

Instead of the usual unity candle, the family performed a sand ceremony.  In a sand ceremony, white sand is poured into a glass container to represent whatever greater power is trusted to watch over this couple.  The groom then pours in sand to show individuality (Michael used green), then the bride (Susan chose orange) and then they pour in sand at the same time which shows the new faith and unity.  Then Kandiss (black) and Lily (purple) each separately.  Then the whole family pours their individual colors together.  It leaves a touching image that shows the individuality of each of the participants but the new blending as family.

The cake was something to behold.  The entire thing was edible with all of the decorations made of either buttercream icing or edible chocolate (otherwise known as modeling clay).  Doug & I contributed the cake as part of our wedding present.  On the same table as the cake we had a memory corner where pictures of those who left too soon were placed - Michael's dad, Susan's mother, and Michael's maternal grandparents.

Since we had to be inside, we did a very quick clean-up of our garage and set up the karaoke system out there for the reception.  Thirty pumpkins we had spent Friday night decorating were scattered around the garage.  Lawn furniture was moved inside and tablecovered.  Some bouquets of dried leaves and corn shocks around the support posts.  The new family fed their guests red beans chili and white horse chili with corn bread and fruit on the side.  Susan and her sister sang beautifully together - such a toiuching blend of harmonies. 

In spite of our best laid plans to be outdoors, we were sent inside by the wind and cold.  Maybe that was the "plan" all along.