Each Day is a New Beginning

... and we must thank Our Lord for each morning.

The blessing of Seasons - Winter

I know, most people don't like Winter. 

Because it's too cold, or has too much snow or even because it's too wet.

Well, I like it any way.

I can't say I have snow here, which is a pity. Some years ago it snowed which was such an happening. Even the television stopped what it was doing it to announce that was snowing. Not anymore. What we get each year is a good dose of rain and wind and a little cold.

The forecast is announcing rain till the middle of the month and I, who like to dry my clothes in the sun, feel a little depressed about it.

To say the truth, Our Lord must be tired of complaints. First it was that it didn't rain for too long and I was fearing a severe drought. And I like so much the rain, I needed it to feel well. 

Now I complain that I need some days of sun because I can't dry my clothes. Oh, well, it's better to leave it with Our Lord Who knows better what to do.

Even so I can't wait to see my lines full of clothes to dry !

(old pictures, I'm afraid! Some new ones soon)

The twelve days of Christmas

....or why I still have my Christmas tree on.

As Christmas is not only a day but twelve, we must leave our decorations till the 6 of January - the Epiphany of the Lord - even if to put things easier many countries make the liturgical celebrations of Epiphany on the previous Sunday. Anyway, as I work outside and I am outside my home since the morning till the evening, I'm afraid we will only have all our decorations down by next Saturday, which is very much ok to me.

And now, do you, by any chance know the song The Twelve Days of Christmas ? And if you do, do you know its real meaning?

Here it is the song.

And its meaning.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” celebrates the official Christmas season which starts liturgically on Christmas Day and ends twelve days later on the Feast of the Epiphany.
 “My true love” refers to God, “me” is the individual Catholic. 
The “twelve lords a leaping” are the twelve basic beliefs of the Catholic Church as outlined in the Apostles Creed. 
The “eleven pipers piping” are the eleven Apostles who remained faithful after the treachery of Judas. 
The “ten ladies dancing” are the Ten Commandments. 
The “nine drummers drumming” are the nine choirs of angels which in those days of class distinction were thought important. 
The “eight maids a milking” are the Eight Beatitudes. 
The “seven swans a swimming” are the Seven Sacraments.
The “six geese a laying” are the Six Commandments of the Church or the six days of creation. 
The “five golden rings” are the first five books of the Old Testament called the Torah which are generally considered the most sacred and important of all the Old Testament. 
The “four calling birds” are the Four Gospels. 
The “three French hens” are the Three Persons in God or the three gifts of the Wise Men. 
The “two turtle doves” represent the two natures in Jesus: human and divine or the two Testaments, Old and New. 
The “partridge” is the piece de resistance, Jesus himself, and the “pear tree” is the Cross.

http://www.catholic.net/index.php?option=dedestaca&id=3465

Music for these Christmassy days

A good music to listen while wrapping presents. But if you are already tired after wrapping for one hour or two maybe it's better to listen to White Christmas.

But if you are in a funny mood maybe you would prefer to listen this version - very good to wrap and to prepare the house for Christmas. Or maybe while you bake.
But if you can watch it while you listen, still better.

I'm late, I'm late

Yes, as always. What about the good intentions of being on time this year? I am again late but I will not despair because it's not Christmas Eve yet so there is still hope.

What I still must do ?

• to buy presents - yes, I have a lot bought already but not all
• to wrap  - I haven't all presents wrapped, but I do have all the supplies: paper (a lot), ribbons,  Scotch tape (plenty)... I think I have everything.
• to buy baking things - to say the truth, I even didn't see, for sure, what is really missing. I must do it today.
• to finish all the cleaning and tidying I want to do before Christmas

Well, I must run and I'm so decided that on the 24 I will have all things wrapped (or almost all) Tat I will come here and tell the truth after Christmas.

Progress report will follow everyday - or almost.

The First Thanksgiving

More than a half-century before the Pilgrims broke bread with the Wampanoags, Spanish colonists landing in St. Augustine, Florida, feasted with indigenous Timucua tribesmen in what some historians contend was America’s first Thanksgiving.

http://www.history.com/news/did-florida-host-the-first-thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving !

Christmas Pudding

Do you know what it is? In England is an institution, everybody knows about it but maybe in the US nobody does. Well in my home we must have it every Christmas.

I never made it, I always buy it so I don't know if this recipe I found on BBC is good but I bet it is. 

Classic Christmas pudding

Maybe you would like to try it - maybe I will one of these years. For now I will have the ones already bought and which I can hardly wait to eat. But I will, on Christmas Day we must eat them. At last !

It's wrapping time

Talking about Christmas ! Yey !! I'm organising my wrapping supplies.

I know I have a lot of wrapping paper from last year because I like it so much I always buy more than I need but I know that as soon shops here begin selling it, I'm going running buying for more as if I had any or as if there was the danger of the shops be running out of paper.

It's that time of the year again and, you may think I'm crazy, but I like it. I do like wrap presents, choosing the paper, the bow, the tag, all that make me happy. Just one problem. I wonder why in spite of the several sessions I always end up having to do last wrapping on Christmas Eve. 

I'm so decided: this year I will have all my wrapping work done before that. 

After Christmas I will come here with an open heart and confess myself. If I failed I will tell you the truth.

Maybe I can wrap just one...or three...but not more than that !

On Christmas Eve I like to only concentrate on kitchen work: no cleaning, only the dailies, no wrapping, no worries of any kind, only cooking and baking for Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas Lunch.

It's nice to freely think about Christmas when, to say the truth, December didn't arrive yet. But why not ? Why must we be allowed to only think and talk about it in some given date ?

Let's be free and talk away about Christmas. I like it and I will do it all the time till it arrives !

The then little girls always liked so much the Disney papers. As I still have one young girl I will try to find some to wrap her presents this year too.

But what is funny is that last Christmas the big ones said they like child papers too for their presents.

Ok, I will do that for them also.

Oh, I can't wait to begin wrapping.

Almost there !

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

Is it Autumn or Summer ?

So here I am again.

Every year I begin dreaming of Christmas in September. In a very shy way, without telling anybody.

Then it comes October. I then feel I can think of all that a little freely. In the beginning still a bit in the way I think when it's September and then...there it comes the last week of October ! Then I feel absolutely free to think about Christmas all I want. And I feel happy about it.

But now...as I am free to think all I can about it, suddenly I stopped in my tracks.

We have here a meteorological phenomenon which we call St. Martin's Summer. I wonder if that happens in other parts of the world. Around St. Martin's day (11 November) the weather stops getting colder and temperatures rise again.

Can you believe we have now 24ºC ? In November ? Whatever next ? Not Christmassy at all.

So I'm waiting for next week hopping it will be colder again and then I will be in Christmas mode again.

I need to do a lot of lists - I do like lists.

I will tell you when I get in the wagon again and have my lists ready.

Many people is happy about this little Summer but not me, I can't wait for real Autumn again.

I have already some presents bought, wrapping paper, decorations and we are having 24º ?!

I want the cold back !