Sunday, December 21, 2014

Christmas Blessings to Pond Friends and Family

~Christmas Love, Joy and Peace
to our Pond Family~

34 comments:

  1. So true, Froggy. You have created a beautiful place here. In the Pond, we have become friends. We have become more than friends. We are a family.

    Froggy, Wog, Sir Phooey, Gloria, Paget, Eva, EC. Who am I forgetting? What a crew! I love you all with all my heart. We have prayed for each other, cried with each other, laughed with each other. If that isn't family, I don't know what is.

    Can we come together as friends and family here to pray for police officers all across our nation? My nephew is a police officer in Kansas City. He's a 6'4" Army vet. Solid muscle, very smart. In my heart, he is my little nephew and son of my dearly departed big sister. Most police officers are like my nephew. Sure, there are some bad apples. Please pray for the safety of my nephew and officers like him all across our beautiful land.

    I love you all.

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    1. Surfie, I am with you. This situation has been heavy on my heart.

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    2. I'm with you, too, Surfie. I went off the Island to get the paper this morning at our local convenience store (WaWa's). There were 2 cops inside getting coffee. I told them I appreciated them. That's all. Very simple. My heart is heavy.

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  2. Good morning deer pond friends,

    I just wanted to drop by and say hello, and wish all of you happy Hanukkah, and merry Christmas blessings.  Even though I only chime in every two weeks or so, I check the frog pond most days because I care so much about all of you!

    Before I forget, I wanted to share some good news with you. My daughter is expecting a baby boy in June. Needless to say, we are all thrilled! Speaking of grandchildren, we get to babysit our 4 mo. old granddaughter for the first time on Tuesday. My son and his wife are going out to dinner, and they finally took us up on our offer to babysit. I can't wait!

    Froggy, how are you doing? I'm thinking of you, and wishing you a healthy new year!

    Wog, I hope you're keeping dry out there! We've even had lots of rainy weather, and we don't get much of that over on the east side. Remember the wind storm we had a couple weeks ago? I drove home from work that night, and had to navigate between giant tumbleweeds that were flying across the highway. The temperature got up to 65 degrees! Crazy weather!

    Surfie, I too enjoy your stories. Let us know when you publish a book! I'd love to read it. Also, I'm appalled at the way our government is turning against our men in blue. We have several friends who are in the police force. I have great respect for all the brave men who put their lives on the line every day! I will definitely add them to my prayers.

    Phooey, I saw your earlier post and I wanted to say that I'm also sick at what's happening in our country. I've had to increase my blood pressure meds, but I think I can bring down the numbers if I remember to exercise more. In the coming months I plan to find out more about article five, concerning the convention of the states. We need to peacefully take our country back!

    Gloria, EC, and Eva, thank you for your information about Christmas traditions of different religions. That was very interesting!

    Eva, I also enjoy hearing about Bambu. I'm glad to hear he had a good report from the vet.  Isn't is nice how these furry family members crawl right into our hearts!

    Hubby just asked me when I was going to help him get out the Christmas decorations, so I better get myself in gear.

    Love and prayers to all you deer pond friends, from Paget.






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    1. Good to hear from you, Paget, whenever you chime in. Congrats on the impending little one!! Every baby is a new promise of hope. Don't we need it now? Like Phooey, I get so crazed about current events that I have trouble writing. I don't want to infect cyberspace with my annoyance.

      I love you all!

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  3. Hi Deer Frog Family, A family that "ribbets" together, stays together." So many wonderful posts today. Froggy has been resting on and off today. She'll be up soon to watch the Seahawks play Arizona Cardinals.

    We have been watching all the news on TV and on Internet. So sad, so tragic about the two policemen who were murdered. No sense to it. Just because one makes a mistake, they shouldn't all have to pay for it. I don't know how we can fix it. Without the police force, it would be total chaos on the streets of every city in America.

    Paget, you are so lucky to have the little ones. You'll be a wonderful babysitter. Keep us up on the new one... like boy or girl or both, names. We finally got our small, metal tree up this afternoon. It is about two feet high and has places to hang ornaments. Kinda hard to describe. If it weren't for Froggy, it wouldn't get done. It is sad to not have a kitty at Christmas. We have a little stocking with a name on it for each of our cats. Made me cry.

    One last interesting thing, we live on the third floor. I was looking out the window, and I saw something very large fly by the buildings a couple blocks away. I looked at Froggy and said, "There is a pterodactyl out there." Forgot about it, but when I went to the store, someone said that there was a bald eagle flying around this afternoon.

    Love you all. Hope everyone has a splendid Christmas and Hanukkah. Lots of gifts, lots of food, lots of rest, lots of football, and lots of Family-Time!

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  4. Deer Family, I love you gals so much. !!!... my words fail. These don't:

    "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
    The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
    The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."

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    1. Thank you Phooey.

      Birkat Kohanim, The Priestly Blessing

      I looked it up on the Hebrew for Christians site. You can listen to the blessing. Very moving.
      http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Synagogue_Blessings/Priestly_Blessing/priestly_blessing.html

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    2. Deer Phooey, You are a man of few words, and they are all profound! That is one of my favorite blessings, and it really touches my heart.

      Thank you so much; we all love you too! Merry Christmas to you and deer Page. :)

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  5. HI, FOLKS! I want to hear about all the Christmas plans! We have a secret Santa--oops! Thank you so much, Paget. You are so kind and giving! This Christmas being a little slim, we didn't have anything to open on Christmas; now, we do. You've made a real holiday for us! I'll never forget your kindness.

    Hi, Phoobers--that was beautiful! Kiss Mrs. Page for me and merry Christmas! Thank you all for staying with the pond and supporting us. You gladden my heart every day I read your beautiful comments.

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    1. Thank you Froggy!

      I second Eva's comment - It is so great to see you back at the frog pond!!

      Wog, you've also done a wonderful job keeping the pond flowing. :) I read your comment earlier about not eating any more treats, and I thought, uh oh; hope you'll wait until after Christmas!

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  6. PAGET, I'm so excited you're going to be a grandma again!!!

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  7. Froggy!!!!! It's so great to see your name up here. 'Wog has been wonderful about keeping us up to date with you so we feel your presence, but nothing lifts the heart like having you chime in on your own. Bambu sends his love :)

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  8. Good morning deer pond friends,

    Is everyone ready for Christmas? I plan to clean house and bake today. I found a new recipe for sugar cookies, and it's called Swig cookies. The recipe was on Facebook and it caught my eye. Hubby's family always wants me to bring cookies when we go there on Christmas Eve. The experts say never to try something new for a special occasion, but I guess I will just take my chances!

    Wog, I loved your news about the bald eagle. Amazing that it was flying around downtown Seattle! Poor guy must have been lost.

    I need to get started; I'm going to listen to Mark Levin's podcast and start my cookies.

    I wish every one of you a wonderful Hanukkah and Christmas! Love and prayers from Paget

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  9. Good Christmas-Eve Morning...Is everyone busy planning Christmas, treats, and dinners today? We just got up. Froggy slept in, so I slept in. Was a wonderful treat. Poured rain all night, but seems better today. Nice weather makes me happy because I have to walk to the store and buy a can of crushed pineapple. Froggy puts it in her green jello. After it sets up for a while, she adds cottage cheese. Very tasty treat.

    I didn't hear anything else about an eagle flying around Seattle; maybe it really was a pterodactyl. On my way to the store before the weather changes.

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  10. Merry Christmas, deer Ponders! May your day be joyous and your worries few.

    I'll catch up with you all next year. Here's to 2015!

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    1. Eva, Thank you for wishing us Merry Christmas. You have such a good heart. Sis just yelled from the bedroom, "We love you, Eva." Froggy was so happy with my meal today. I'm not a dependable cook... Meaning that my meals don't always turn out. I made a pot roast and mashed potatoes...delicious together. We'll be eating it until we are sick of it! LOL

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  11. Merry Christmas! I just wrote a letter of love and thanks to every Deer Ponder for the joy and blessings of the Pond. Then a power surge came, my internet connection went down, and all was lost to cyperspace. Here we go again:

    Froggy, it makes my heart sing when you post. Thank you for this wonderful place for our little family. I pray blessings beyond measure for you, my dear friend.

    Wog, thank you for keeping the Pond running while taking care of your wonderful sister. There is a special place in Heaven for you. Blessings beyond measure for you, my dear friend.

    Paget! Joyful for the new baby on his way and the precious family you are blessed with. Please keep the family news coming. May the Lord continue to bless you and your family.

    Gloria: I consider you an old and dear friend. I am pretty sure we could sit down for coffee and talk for hours like sisters if we ever meet in person. I love you much. God bless you and your family.

    Phooey, it is always a treat to hear from you. In my heart, you are our big brother. Not government big brother, but family big brother. Thank you for the scripture, Phooey. I pray it for you. God bless you and your family.

    EC, the Pond is blessed to have you as a new family member. I think your DH is in the hospital and you are alone today. DEAR FROGS, please say a prayer for EC and her hubs. Blessings of peace and health and joy for EC and hubs today.

    EVAJEANNE! Words cannot say how much I love you and feel like your sister. You and Joe have been through a lot, yet you keep on ticking! May the Lord bless you beyond your wildest dreams.

    I'm forgetting someone. Please forgive me!

    It's Christmas morning. Since my husband's passing, our son graduating college, my moving back to OKC, the holidays have always been a creeping little sadness time for me because I am not with either of them in person. I'm alone today. You know what? I'm not sad! God continues to bless me far beyond what I deserve.

    I'm going to tell you a little Christmas story about God's blessings:

    I have a terrible cold. Had to work Christmas Eve (had to do my work plus orchestrate a company dinner for 40 employees ... don't get me started about how hard that was), then race home and get the food I'd made, load it in my car, drive to sister's house. Yadda yada whine whine. I just wanted to get through work, get through the family dinner, come home early.

    God blessed me and a new friend with a surprise on Christmas Eve. My nephew and his girlfriend (GF) are expecting a baby in late March. GF means no respect, just a shortcut while writing. GF's family came, and the families celebrated Christmas together. GF's mother and I realized we both moved to SoCal when young, are both widows, both finished raising our children alone, both moved back to OKC as older adults, both live alone, both love to cook, both love prowling around junk stores and consignment stores ... and we live 6 blocks from each other! She and I wound up sitting on the couch and talking with each other for well over an hour.

    I just wanted to "make it through" the family dinner. Wound up meeting a whole new family and making friends with a kindred spirit. God is Good.

    Merry Christmas. I love you all and keep all of you in my heart and prayers every day. The blessing is that I know we all keep each other in our hearts and prayers every day. Miracles happen!

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    1. Surfie, what a wonderful story about your new friend. It is truly a small world sometimes. I think a blessing right now would be for you to feel better.

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    2. Surfie, I often get caught up in the frantic holiday rush, and then just feel exhaustion when Christmas is over. Thank you for your kind words, and for sharing a true Christmas miracle! Your story really touched my heart.

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    3. Love you, Surfie, my cyber-sister :)

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  12. Merry Christmas Ponders. I feel so blessed to be a part of this special family.

    Fox is doing a special Christmas Day program. Jackie Evancho (sp) is next. She is growing into a lovely young lady. I remember the first time I saw her I thought it was fake. I couldn't imagine a voice like that coming from a 10 year old.

    I am making a turkey breast and a few side dishes. So I had better get busy. I love the smell of roasting turkey. I am such a carnivore!! BTW Froggy's favorite salad is green jello - what other color would a frog like?

    Can you believe that we are just one week to a new year?

    Love and warm hugs to all my deer friends.

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  13. Merry Christmas, Deer Ponders... Ms. Froggy and 'WOG send you Blessings and Love from our home to yours. Surfie and Gloria, Thank you for the wonderful posts today. Just wanted to check in with everyone. Froggy and I opened gifts early this morning. So many gifts that we each wanted, and so many delicious treats. I got my Sudoku books and Writer's Digest magazine, and Froggy got the Battleship game she asked Santa for. Santa also brought her a set of Elizabeth Taylor's White Diamonds body lotion and spray. Froggys like to smell good!

    Special thank you to our Deer Paget who spoils us when she can. You should have seen the both of us looking through the Popcorn tin. Many surprises in there! We feel so blessed.

    Froggy told me how to make green jello...with crushed pineapple and cottage cheese. Then I cooked a pot roast in pressure cooker. Will make mashed potatoes, gravy, and brown and serve rolls. This evening we will watch the animated Boris Karloff "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

    Love you all...

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  14. Hey, Froggy. I just got a picture of all 8 grand kids. If I can figure out how to send it to you could you post it for a few days so that I can share with my friends at the pond? Just give me the OK.

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    1. I will try to send the pic to your email address.

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  15. Froggy, I forgot to mention that your green jello sounds just like the one my Granny made every Christmas. I have her recipe and think I'll make it this weekend. Yum!

    How wonderful it would be to see a picture of Gloria's grand kids! I'm not totally tech savvy, but can probably help you figure out how to send it to Frog & Wog, and can probably figure out how Frog & Wog can post it on the Pond. If you get stuck, let us know and maybe I or some other Deer can help.

    I spent yesterday napping a lot, and feel a tad better today. Watched a Chrisley Knows Best Marathon, which made me laugh a lot, and the movie A Christmas Story, which also made me laugh a lot. Napped a lot. Right now, I'm watching an NCIS marathon. Will probably just rest and eat chicken soup the rest of the day. Hopefully, I'll feel a lot better and can get something done Saturday and Sunday.

    What's everyone doing today?

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    1. Surf, here is a helpful health hint. If you have a cold or flu put Vicks on the bottom of your feet before you go to sleep or take a nap.

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  16. Hi Gloria, I sent you an email from my computer so that you'll have my email address. Froggy re-did her computer a couple weeks ago, and we never quite everything back...like her email. Try sending pic to me, and I'll give it a try. I did sign up for Photobucket. I might be able to put it there, and then upload it. This just can't be that hard!

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    1. I sent it to your email. I've never used Photobucket. so I hope it works. If it works you can leave it up till you change for next week.

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  17. Hello deer pond friends,

    Froggy and Wog, I'm glad you liked the popcorn tin. I've eaten my share of treats this week, and now I need to show some restraint. That green jello recipe sounds yummy. I don't care much for plain cottage cheese, but I love it when it's added to other recipes.

    The last few days have been a whirlwind of baking, and tying up loose ends. On Christmas morning, I arose early, to finish the prep on some sweet rolls I was making for the family. The last time I made cream cheese braids was about 20 years ago. I had forgotten how much work was involved in making a yeast bread from scratch! Our son's family was due to arrive in half an hour, so hubby left to pick up his mother. I put the rolls in the oven and went into the bathroom to put on some makeup. When the timer went off and I opened the oven door, smoke poured out. The bottoms of all the rolls were black. Evidently, my current oven cooks a lot faster than my old one! I opened the doors and windows, and cut off the bottom of the rolls. They were smaller than planned, but they still were a hit. I think I'll retire that recipe and use store bought rolls next year!

    My day went uphill after that. I hope you all had a nice Christmas too. :)

    Gloria, I hope we get to see the picture of your grandchildren!

    EC, I was sorry to hear that your hubby is in the hospital. Prayers for his speedy recovery!

    There's so much to say, but I have a tendency to ramble on and bore everyone. I will just close now and wish all of you deer ones a wonderful week. I'll check in later. :)

    Love from Paget

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    1. Paget, you were our Special Santa this year. We loved the popcorn tin. It is so full of surprises. I put "dibs" on a couple treats that I want to put in my lunches for work. We never had one of these before, so when I say it is a treat, it really is a treat. You can ramble any time you feel like it. You tell wonderful stories.

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  18. Paget, we love it when you ramble on. It is never boring! Your baking story made me laugh out loud! Hope you come back and ramble on some more today.

    I woke up to a beautiful snowfall this morning. It's snowing pretty hard, but the streets are so warm they aren't freezing (it was 60 on Christmas Day). Love how snow makes the world so quiet and beautiful. The sun will come out this afternoon and everything will melt. Enjoying it while it lasts!

    Love you Deers!

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    1. Surfie, How lovely to wake up to snow. I like snow okay as long as I don't have to go anywhere. In Denver, I couldn't miss work just because it snowed.

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