Hodgepodging and Caroling in the Snow

View from the front porch
December 5, 2017

View from the end of the driveway
December 5, 2017


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 She writes the questions;

we write the answers.

Plug them into your own blog post

and join in!

1. What title would you give this current chapter of your life?

Addendum.

 Tommy & Smokey

2. December 6 is National Microwave Oven Day. Who knew? Besides popcorn and coffee reheats, what's the most common thing you microwave? Could you get along without a microwave?

Butter. In the summertime I take it out of the refrigerator and soften it in the microwave. In the wintertime I take it out of the pantry and soften it in the microwave. And yes, I could get along without a microwave, but it's sure handy.

3. If you could insert yourself into any Christmas carol and experience the lyrics in real life, which Christmas carol lyric would you choose and why?

You didn't expect this to be a short answer, did you? First, I had to go through my entire spiral-bound '100 Carols for Choirs' by David Willcocks & John Rutter, then I had to reread the lyrics. But I'll limit it to a few:

Wexford Carol:

Why would I choose this one? Because of the lyrics, of course. Listen carefully.

Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss perform it beautifully.

Angels From the Realms of Glory:

Why would I choose this one? Because just the thought of being able to watch the angels when they appeared to the shepherds and gave them the good news 'which shall be to all people!'

Angels from the realms of glory, wing your flight over all the earth.

Ye who sang creation's story now proclaim Messiah's birth.

Shepherds, in the field abiding, watching o'er your flocks by night,

God with man is now residing; yonder shines the Infant Light.

Sages, leave your contemplations, brighter visions beam afar;

Seek the great Desire of Nations; ye have seen his natal star.

Saints before the altar bending, watching long in hope and fear,

Suddenly the Lord, descending, In his temple shall appear.

Though an infant now we view him, He shall fill his Father's throne,

Gather all the nations to him,

Every knee shall then bow down:

Gloria in Excelsis Deo 

I'll post a YouTube clip of one of my all-time favorite Christmas carols at the end of the post.

4. Describe the most beautiful drive you've ever taken.

The most beautiful drive would probably be either in the Yorkshire Dales or in the Cotswolds. I'll let the photos describe them:

Yorkshire Dales: 

 Cotswolds:

5. What's something on your Christmas list this year? (an actual list or figuratively speaking, either one)

My Christmas 'list' involves things which I must clean, tidy, organize, decorate, or food whose ingredients I need to purchase. If you're talking about what I *want* on my Christmas list, it would be an Amazon Infinity Gift Card (surely they make those?!) because there are a couple books I really would like. I think prolific authors should start putting coupons in their books to help you purchase the next book!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I've posted this in years past, but I love this carol:
 

The lyrics are so worth repeating:

The tree of life my soul hath seen, laden with fruit and always green;
The tree of life my soul hath seen laden with fruit and always green
The trees of nature fruitless be compared with Christ the apple tree.

His beauty doth all things excel: By faith I know, but ne'er can tell, 
His beauty doth all things excel: By faith I know, but ne'er can tell
The glory which I now can see in Jesus Christ the apple tree.

For happiness I long have sought, and pleasure dearly I have bought:
For happiness I long have sought, and pleasure dearly I have bought:
I missed of all; but now I see 'tis found in Christ the apple tree.

I'm weary with my former toil, here I will sit and rest awhile;
I'm weary with my former toil, here I will sit and rest awhile
Under the shadow I will be, of Jesus Christ the apple tree.

 ***

My frozen mailbox

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Shepherds in the Field Abiding

Join me on Instagram: @cranberrymorning

HomemadeSoapnSuch is Being Featured

 

Jemma from At Home With Jemma blog is featuring Etsy shops each Friday this month. I am pleased that Jemma has chosen to feature my Etsy shop, HomemadeSoapnSuch, today.

 

 AtHomeWithJemma.com

All of my regular HomemadeSoapnSuch buyers know that I always have a Buy 5 or More, Get 1 FREE policy, but right now through November 30, you can get an

additional 10% off your purchase.

To get the additional 10% off, you must use the code JEMMASFEATURE at checkout 
  I cannot change it after the fact, so please remember to use the code.

Use Code: JEMMASFEATURE

Also, I almost always have multiples, so although I list soaps one at a time, please feel free to Convo or email me with a request of any number and mix of soaps. I will check inventory, get back to you, and make you a Reserved Listing with your name, that you will then see among my listings.

I have many Christmas soaps, as well as all the regulars. Always moisturizing and beautiful, made with natural base oils, essential oils, quality fragrance oils, and botanicals, mostly from my own garden. 

Each soap bar comes wrapped in a cigar-band type label with ingredient list, and is wrapped in a clear cello bag and sealed with a gold seal - all ready for gift giving.

These beautiful soaps make great gifts for teacher, hair stylist, dog groomer, veterinarian, postman, etc.etc. etc......... and are great stocking stuffers! :-)

Note: The 10% off additional discount is currently available

only at my Etsy Shop.

I ship fast. Your purchase is shipped within 1-2 business days via USPS Priority Mail or USPS First Class Mail, depending upon weight of package.

Christmas Morning

Figgy Pudding

Olde Thyme Christmas

Christmas Forest

Enchanted

Christmas Hearth

Mandarin Orange Spice

Cinnamon Stick

...and many, many  more!

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ALWAYS: Buy 5 or more, Get 1 FREE

Lemon Verbena
Natural Vegan Soap

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PayPal friendly

and at

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Join me on Instagram: @cranberrymorning

HomemadeSoapnSuch Giveaway! (It's About Time)

 

Hi Bloggers and Instagrammers:

I'm hosting a Giveaway of my handcrafted, vegan soaps, from now through Friday night at 10:00 PM CDT. 

There will be three winners, each of whom will be able to choose TWO soaps.

This is open to all who follow me either on @cranberrymorning (Instagram) or on this CranberryMorning blog.

Please visit either my HomemadeSoapnSuch Etsy shop or my HomemadeSoapnSuch website and let me know (in a comment on this post) which TWO you choose, should you be one of the winners. You're all winners in my book, but you know what I mean.

Also, in the comment, let me know how you follow CranberryMorning. If you're an Instagrammer, please include your Instagram name.

So:  Must be a follower of this blog or @cranberrymorning on Instagram

        Leave a comment with your two choices and how you follow me.

        Leave an email where I can reach you, should you be one of the winners

Giveaway closes 10 PM Friday, CDT. Winners will be announced next Monday, October 31, here on CranberryMorning.blogspot.com.

Thanks! And Good Luck.

P.S. On Friday night, Mr. C. will put his little paw into the magical Giveaway hat with all the entrants' names in it , and with eyes closed, will draw out three names. This is as scientific as we get. But we don't cheat. Hey! No peeking, Mr. C.

On the Thanksgiving Hayride

See last week's Hodgepodge post.

Christmas Soaps are Ready!

 
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Hodgpodging The Week Before Christmas

'The Kitty was nestled all snug in her bed...'

Join Joyce and the Gang

for

She writes the questions,

We write the answers.

Plug them into your own blog

and join in!

1. What's your biggest 'first world' problem?

"I cried because I had no shoes, 

until I met a man who had no feet."  

Right now I actually can't think of one of those silly things I concern myself with from time to time, but I know that I do, and my daughter and I laugh about the ridiculous things we think we need, or the 'problems' we have, contrasted with how MOST OF THE WORLD lives. Anyway, there seems to be some question of the origin of that poem, whose line I quoted above. Some say it's a Persian thing. Since no one knows for sure, I'll vote for G.K. Chesterton. Yes, I am just kidding, BUT, he said so many clever things, that it could easily have been him. :-) To read my blog post on Chesterton's piece entitled, 'A Piece of Chalk,' click HERE. How could anyone not like that man.

A Piece of Chalk

2.  Each year Time Magazine names a 'Person of the Year', someone who has 'for better or worse...done the most to influence the events of the year.' It was recently announced they've named Angela Merkel Person of the Year for 2015. You can read more about this year's selection here. Your thoughts? If you were in charge, who would you declare Person of the Year?

I read about Angela Merkel being chosen Person of the Year. And what do I think about it? Well, she's a woman with many dire problems facing her country...many of which they created themselves. So I'm not sure why we're celebrating her, then again, I guess the choice isn't made on who deserves celebration, but who, for whatever reason, is most notable that year, in their opinion. I don't know why they never ask me.

3. Do you have a nativity set in your home? If so share it's history and how you display the pieces.

YES! We have had a Nativity set in our home for as long as I can remember. My cousin Bobby gave us many of the pieces and I added pieces each year until there was quite a crowd gathered at the manger. I make sure that our kings come from the East, but since they didn't actually arrive to give King Jesus his gifts until he was a bit under 2 years old, I'm considering building a little house and putting it at the west end of the piano and moving the kings along little by little toward the house, having them arrive on January 6, the date we celebrate Epiphany.  That's when we used to have our kids 'open' their Christmas stockings. Don't ask me how stockings relate to that, but...

I heard someone on the radio say that it is a tradition in their family that they give the children each THREE gifts each Christmas because that's how many gifts Jesus received.

 Glory to God in the Highest!

At one point, I was considering getting rid of our old upright piano, created for the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, and I'm thinking that General Longstreet attended that huge event.......... (because it's not fixable and doesn't play in tune, but it is a beautiful piece of furniture). Our daughter was horrified. 'You can't get rid of that piano, Mom. Where would you put the Nativity set??!'    Yes, that's true. Our other piano, the good one, has other things living on it.

4.  Do you make an extra effort to give back in some way during the holiday season? How do you encourage those who need encouragement this time of year?

I don't get the 'giving back' bit, except to say that what Christmas is all about is God giving His Son to come into this world and rescue us from sin, about Christ's obedience unto death, about God raising him from the dead and about the SURE HOPE that we, who trust in him, have of resurrection ourselves because of Him. There's no way I can give back to God...but I can try to share the hope that is within me, the joy that is always present, even in the midst of trouble. What I CAN do in giving, is not to 'give back,' but to give to those who are less fortunate, those other God-image bearers who live on this planet, to share a bit of God's love with them. That is what I try to do. There is no encouragement outside of the message of HOPE that God gives us in his son. As a matter of fact, there is no HOPE apart from God.

5. Who is your favorite person to shop for? Why?

If money were raining from the sky, then anyone who wanted a German Shepherd puppy for Christmas would be my favorite person to shop for. I would, of course, have to hold every single darling GSD puppy I could find before choosing.  Other than that, you're asking the wrong person. I am not a shopper.

'Pick me!'

6. What's the last delicious thing you ate?

Some people go to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to get help with a physical problem. I would go to Mayo Clinic to buy those amazing dark chocolate truffles sold on the below-ground floor of the clinic. Good grief. It's times like that, however, that Mr. C. annoys me by taking a tiny bite and declaring that it's too rich. He is definitely an alien sometimes. 

 Mr. C. in his Gene Hackman glasses.

(Did you see the old movie, 'Enemy of the State'?)

I see that someone has taken my place.

7. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is________________.

Show God's love to others.

Be happy. Make eye contact. Smile.

Play Christmas carols from King's College, Cambridge! 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Our son's family had a new arrival, for which the boys had eagerly been waiting:

 Snow?

'Bring it on!!!'

The grandsons, eager to use their new snowblower!
It may be a few more days, guys.

 The little brother

with his sword.

These photos sent to me by our son.

 This one was labeled,

'Chicken Whisperer.'

He's going to come stay a week with us in January.

Can't wait! He's such a fun kid.

This post is linked to
Eileen's Saturday's Critters

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Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

'Twas the Night After Christmas

Red Barn North of Colfax, WI

I was going to write a post about New Year's resolutions, but having just returned home from a Christmas party with friends and another get-together with family coming up next week, I realized that I'm in no mood to be making commitments to a sugar-free, wheat-free, dairy-free life - at least not at this moment.

Instead, I'll watch Perry Mason on the television and go to bed. Maybe by the end of next week I will be able to think about resolutions.

Leaving you this week with a collage of photos. Some were sent to me by family members; some I took. All remind me of Christmas in Wisconsin and family.  Mr. C. doesn't know I took a photo of him and the dog taking a nap together. I couldn't resist it.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Made by Linda Stubbs of

Prairie Flower Farm Blog

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Although I usually forget to do it, there is a chance that this post will be linked to one or more of these great linky parties:  Amaze Me Monday and Inspiration Monday and Mosaic Monday and The Barn Collective and    Treasure Box Tuesday and Vintage Bliss Tuesday and KatheWithAnE and Rubbish Tuesday and Our World Tuesday and Tuesdays at our Home and Tuesday with a Twist and  Knick of Time Tuesday (vintage)  and   Tweak it Tuesday and Vintage Inspiration Wednesday and A Creative Princess and Ivy and Elephants Wednesday and Adorned From Above  and Artsy Corner Thursday and  All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and Good Fences on Thursdays and  Time Travel Thursday and Freedom Fridays and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Saturday's Critters

Our Father...Advent to Advent

Good Christmas Eve Morning, Friends.

I was reading my new book and had to share some excerpts with you (below). I included 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' at the end of my post because it is my favorite Christmas song (well, that and 'Once in Royal David's City,' but I decided to only include one of them.)

This morning at 9 AM CST, I will be tuning in to The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, live from King's College Chapel in Cambridge, England (where it will be 3 PM Christmas Eve), as I do each year. I hope you will do the same. You won't be disappointed, I promise.  Check out the notice from American Public Radio.

Now on to the book excerpt I was telling you about:

"...calling God 'Father' is the great act of faith, of holy boldness, of risk. Saying 'our father' isn't just the boldness, the sheer cheek of walking into the presence of the living and almighty God and saying 'Hi, Dad.' It is the boldness, the sheer total risk, of saying quietly, 'Please may I, too, be considered an apprentice son.' It means signing on for the Kingdom of God... (Emphasis added)


"We live between Advent and Advent; between the first great Advent, the coming of the Son into the world, and the second Advent, when he shall come again in power and glory to judge the living and the dead. That's why Advent is sometimes quite confusing, preparing for the birth of Jesus and at the same time preparing for the time when God makes all things new, when the whole cosmos has its exodus from slavery...

"When we call God 'Father,' we are called to step out, as apprentice children, into a world of pain and darkness. We will find that darkness all around us; it will terrify us, precisely because it will remind us of the darkness inside our own selves. The temptation then is to switch off the news, to shut out the pain of the world, to create a painless world for ourselves. A good deal of our contemporary culture is designed to do exactly that. No wonder people find it hard to pray. But if, as the people of the living creator God, we respond to the call to be his sons and daughters; if we take the risk of calling him Father; then we are called to be the people through whom the pain of the world is held in the healing light of the love of God...

"It is the rhythm of standing in the presence of the pain of the world, and kneeling in the presence of the creator of the world; of bringing those two things together in the name of Jesus and by the victory of the cross; of living in the tension of the double Advent, and of calling God 'Father.'"

- excerpted from The Lord and His Prayer by N.T. Wright  (purchased on Amazon.)

"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”  Luke 1:32-33 

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."  Luke 2:11

***

To all my lovely blog friends,

May you have a wonderful and blessed Christmas

as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.

'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing'

King's College Choir, Cambridge

Taking a Break

Good morning, friends. My visits, comments, and posts will likely be sporadic-to-nonexistent in the next few days. We picked up our Texas daughter and SIL at the airport yesterday and more family will be arriving tomorrow. Today is set aside for Christmas cookie baking. On Wednesday, family will be here, games will be played, too much food will be eaten, gifts will be given to the weeest ones, and I hope to get a few pics to share later.

Have a wonderful week.

Merry Christmas!

From our house to yours...

From NW Wisconsin,

Where it's always winter,

but

TODAY 

IT'S

CHRISTMAS!!!!

May you have a blessed Christmas as we celebrate the birth of HOPE for a fallen world, the promised Redeemer, Jesus Christ our Lord!

And to you, dear friends,

'I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of  wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.'
                                                                    Ephesians 1:16-23

Merry, merry Christmas!

 Christmas Eve with 

our son and his wife