Merry Christmas to All

May all here have a joyful wonderful Christmas
May you have friends and family at your side or at least on line
My heart felt wishes that Jesus gives us the peace in our hearts and mind
on this joyful occasion

Be happy Be Well

Anita

Very well said Anita.

I would also like to wish Merry Christmas to all of my wonderful friends on this forum, the most wonderful, caring people I know. Hope everyone has a better year in 2010.

Merry Christmas to everyone on this forum. I have come to feel you are all friends and like a family. May you all have good health,warm homes,food on the table,family and friends, beautiful blooms in the coming year.
Steph

Hope that everyone's health improves in the coming yr. & fantasic gardens for all. Merry Christmas.

Blessing to all for a very joyful Christmas. We are a nice family here, for sure.

And be safe, all those in the snow areas.

Amen to all the above!

Christ is the reason for the season and the gifts and fattening food we have all come to EXPECT are not. This year our family has done very little as far as exchanging gifts. We are poor folks by mans standards but are very rich and Blessed by Jesus Christ who gave his life for OUR SINS. Because of him, we can have eternal life and I'm praying that I see each of you on the other side one day. Just think ,we'll be surrounded by flowers year round, no weeding, no hurting, no illness, just lots of reunions and nothing but glorious days await those that are saved.

If anyone here is not saved I pray that you will think about it over this holiday and ask God to come into your life.
Either way, God Bless Each and Everyone of you and your famlies!
Love Marian

Marian that is beautiful. I will see you all on the other side.

I want to thank you all! Your information and devotion to our favorite flower has been very valuable to me.

I can't wait until Spring.
Merry Christmas and Happy 2010!

Merry Christmas to all of the wonderful folks here on the iris forum!

Merry Christmas! Ours is white here. First time since 2002. Family couldn't make it, so are trying for Saturday or Sunday.
Hope everyone is having a blessed day.

Merry Christmas to all and thank you for taking me in a whole new world of beauty God dose great work ;0)
Gloria

Merry Christmas all you wonderful individuals. May the rest of your day be warm and may you all be safe. Looking forward to 2010 and seeing if I can get my irises to grow clumps like the rest of you. Happy New Year. Love all of you. Sharon

My wish for all, is a Wonderful, Healthy, Peaceful 2010! And thank you all for being such great Iris buddies.
Hugs, Donna

Family has come and gone. Lots of food left. Too many presents. We got the grandkids a stomp rocket, and we all played outside with it until dark. We had tons of fun.

Now it's nice and quiet here, and time to think about how blessed we are.

Everyone have a great day?

Polly, we didn't exchange gifts this year. After 57 years, we have just about everything we need. Of course there's always something we want but don't need. Our Christmas present this year was DH home yesterday from the hospital with his new knee, and younger DS fixing a Christmas dinner.

wow this must be the year of the new knees I know 5 peps with them including my 82 year old dad all are doing well just do every thing the Drs tell you hope you have a great new year !!!
Gloria

What a beautiful Christmas eve in North Central/Southern Oklahoma. Birds off the deck are mostly Red winged black birds, with an assortment of Cardinal, Chickadee, Dove, Junco, and others

Well DH got a life time supply of Neccos. I got a new lamp to read by, which I requested. We are the same. We have everything we could possibility use and more. Currently in the process of unloading some of it on the children. I cannot believe it but I have finally reached the point in my life that I did not put up a tree. I did decorate because I have enough to open up a shop. I have so many ornaments from so many high design artists there will probably be battle royal when I start distributing them among all four siblings. Have a great day all you wonderful individuals.

Wrote this yesterday elsewhere, and it was well received so I'm posting it here for all my DG iris friends.


Today, for the first time ever, we went to our DAUGHTER’S home instead of having the kids all come to mine. She was stressing out because we didn’t have FIRM PLANS for the day, we were pretty much winging it. Mostly because my plans to hold a family brunch were falling through due to lack of interest on the part of extended family. Ah, yes, my folks now have such an active social life at their new independent living apartment that they didn’t plan on spending any time with us! LOL Still, Dear Daughter was freaking out and losing it on me, taking me to task for not being more organized. (like that’s ever likely to happen at my age)

So I repeated for her the sermon from the midnight candlelight service we’d been to. Told her about how Christmas started. How a teenaged girl had an unplanned pregnancy. She’d never even been with a boy, she just got this unplanned angel visit telling her she was having a child. Joseph, an older dude, was betrothed to her, which, in those days was everything marriage was except the having sex part, finds out his beloved appears to have been cheating on him. Back in those days, that meant he’d already paid a dowry for the girl, so her stepping out on him was NOT in his plans, either, otherwise why cough up the dowery? But he was a nice guy, a sweetheart of a fella, real marriage material. He decided, planned, to divorce her quietly, then HE gets the unexpected angel visit, too. Talk about screwed up plans.

Then, to make things really messed up, Joseph is ordered to travel to Bethlehem for new taxes. Bummer, new taxes were not in the planned budget. To make things worse, Mary is heavy with child, no way should she be traveling. But they have to go, so go they do. And like every unexpected trip with a pregnant person, it ends up with an emergency, unplanned delivery far from home and family. Worse yet, there’s no room at the hotel. Not even a bed and breakfast is open. They have the baby in about the equivalent of the back seat of a taxi cab at a taxi garage.

And then visitors?!! Dirty shepards, half frozen and scared to death, wondering what the heck is going on. Then some high toney royal types from foreign countries show up. Can't even talk the language!Talk about a hostess nightmare!

So before we think that the Martha Stewarts of this age invented the perfect way to have an organized Christmas, let us all remember that Christmas comes whether we have cleaned the house or set the table, whether or not we’ve cooked a single dish, or prepared any gift to give. It comes because God gave His Son to be Savior of this world. It comes because we were sent the Lamb of God, to save us all. All He asks in return is that we give Him our hearts, and our souls. And, if you think about it, a little awe would be in order, too, every time you hear a choir singing “Gloria.”

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS – AND TO ALL A SAFE JOURNEY HOME.

the morning after . . . . "ok, y'all left this bag here, now it's MINE!"

That's the best explanation I've ever heard, Bonjon. Have a Wonderful New Year!

LOL - our holiday "plans" have been impacted by ...a lot of stuff. Ever felt like a preacher was staring into your heart when preaching? seemed like that.

It's been a marvelous holiday, one of the best ever! Including pouring rain and dense fog, new kittens attacking Christmas tree lights, and a refrigerator on the fritz. Can't remember the last time I was this relaxed, or better satified with our lives. Problems can wait for next week.......I've still got the Christmas music playing, just to keep the mood going.

Oh, and I've still got lots of spiked eggnog!
............ and 6 dozen cookies, 3 lbs of defrosted shrimp and hor d'ovres for 20 ^_^ !! Y'all come on over!

Don't mind the muddy paw prints....but do watch your step. New kitten finally caught that mouse I've been trying to trap in my kitchen last night, but I shreaked and she jumped back and it got away down the steps. So watch your step as she's still on the hunt....

And if you arrive after dark, mind the deer in the road, too....it was too foggy last night and we missed our chance to have venison. Maybe you'll have better luck......

lol loved it Bonjon.

Be glad you don't have to dodge ELK, Bonjon. They do a lot of damage to vehicles, but produce a LOT of meat.

lived in Idaho. ADORE ELK CHILI - send me some! Please!

don't actually like venison....but those darn buggers keep yanking my irises out of the ground to taste them - I have more NOIDS due to deer....so you can make venison out of them all....

ah, yeah, the elk are big boys. much better meat, too About now they are invading the farmers' hayracks trying to find food after that blizzard.

That was wonderful Bonjon. We had a wonderful Christmas. Suprising as tired as we are after no days off for a month with the shop. We are Thnkful and say GLORIA
Love you all
Steph

thanks Steph

what a wonderful Christmas story you should put it on a card and send it to all the worriers I think people should remember its not there birthday after all ;0)
Gloria

That sounds like the bestest day in the whole world, HappyJackMom. Family is most important.

Russ and I have been married 40 years in January, so we're in the same boat, too. I did get a new Thomas Kinkade bell jar with train, and I made him some new business cards at Zazzle. But we do lots of presents for the grandkids, mainly craft items. Jamie is into origami, and Jenna loves to draw, so we encourage all that.

I can one up you HappyJackMom, be glad you don't have to dodge moose.

Bonjon, your fridge went on the fritz, our vaccuum did. Just as Russ was vaccuuming for Christmas. And the exact same thing happened last Christmas.

I really do not like venison since mother died. She was the one that could cook it. But I bet the homeless would love it. Those deer are lucky they are not in my back yard.

Unfortunately for us the deer are in the back yard! With all this land, the only time they are shy is during hunting season. I have only had venison roast that I liked, never the steaks.

I love elk, moose, antelope tho...but we no longer hunt, getting too old to haul it up.

If we liked goose we could have one a day! no kidding either.

We had a super holiday all except for the fall I took on Christmas eve, as was coming out of the RV after taking the clean linens out the step was icy, my new knee twisted, hit hip, middle of back upper back and head...but the family was coming over in a bit, so took some tyanol, hit the heating pad and hot tub, and by the time the got here other than limping was OK.

Grandson delivers pizzas so we had 3 pizzas for 10 people, games, chips, dips, candy and movies.

Sleep over as always:)???? then up in the AM early for stockings, gifts, hugs, laughter and fun. Then fixed the traditional breakfast as my family thinks this is the ONLY thing in the world for Christmas morning homemade sauage gravy and biscuits, all homemade. Then start the dinner, more games, fun, laughter sleep.

My new DIL had one of their wedding pictures made for me, which was very special then both kids went in and got me a super nice new sewing chair and pad to go with the new machine.

Today finished tracing and cutting out all 616 tiny pieces to the quilt so now in the evenings I can start by getting them on the quilt and maybe sew a few. Got one hummer (thank you Sharon) and one dragonfly on the quilt top, the other hummers, praying manthis, butterfly and of course my worm will all be on the skirt part.

Wishing you all a healthy, happy, year.

D

You take care dear Dee and stay out of that RV. Is your computer OK. Talk to you soon. My broccoli soup was great and my braised chicken thighs met DH's approval. All is good on the home front. See you all tomorrow. Time to go to bed.

that's what I need, a great broccoli soup recipe. I'd eat broccoli every day that way, would be as wide as a tank......oops - I already am!

Dee, please take care in the ice and snow. Not good for you to fall. Got my fingers crossed I dont' spill any this year. Don't think my shoulders could take another fall. somehow I tend to slip on wet wood stairs with handrails near. I've just about torn out my arms three times over last 15 years. That's one reason I don't play anymore, nerve damage to a couple fingers from the muscles pulling loose at vertabrae.

D gravity works!
Now sit and sewn stay off steps or you will be having the out part done!

Hope puter good.
Sorry did not write back
Thid is from BB home very little

A

A take care, back hurts alot more than knee but today must to some repairs to Darrells (SIL) and Justins (grandkid) coats...so that will keep me busy for about 10 min, then on to sewing the hummer and dragonfly on and positioning one of the floral designs on the side panel...should take most of day.

Tomorrow Larry, Maryann, Marissa and I are going to see Avatar, just hope I can sit for the 3 1/2 hours. I love ScFi and then want to see Old Dogs.

Starting to remove the Christmas decor and put the house back to normal for another year.

Hunters started shooting at 6 here, now at what since you could not see anything as it was not yet sunup...

D

bonjon, I would give you a good broccoli soup recipe but I am not there yet. I use unsalted chicken stock because even being unsalted it has 187 mg of sodium. I add potato to thicken and just a little half and half. Normal onion and garlic but it was OK but lacked something. Probably salt.

I am going to start eating like my doctor thinks I eat on the 2n day of the New Year. I have to because I only have two pair of jeans that fit. AND, I am not buying a larger size. When I lost weight 4 years ago, I gave away all my large clothes. I would like to kick myself in the butt but cannot reach around anything that large. But right now there is a loaf of beer bread, that was a gift, that is calling my name. Microwave for 11 seconds, slather with butter. Oh ymmmmmmmm.

Get the Broccoli soup going and it will be great with that Beer Bread. Ok now I am getting hungry,. Have a great recipe for Swiss Broccoli soup if anyone wants it.

I would love to see the recipe to see if I can flavor mine up a bit.

I will dig it out for you.

How about me too:) I love broccoli soup.

Mine is cook broccoli in chicken broth, until tender take part out for chunky soup puree some with milk add any other veggies and sometimes chunks of cheese at the last minute

D

Whoa, me too, me too! Please.