Monkeez

2011

Happy New Year to everyone from My Little Part of Heaven
may 2011 be a better year for the economy
and those struggling without jobs, may they find one
and with the grace of God, may people come back to Him for the betterment of their lives

Living Your Life

There are two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Merry Christmas

Welcome Home, Richard!

Just arrived from Afghanistan!
Merry Christmas to you and your family
I am soooooooo happy you are home

Cousin Bob with son, Richard    ♥

The Nativity

clink on link - totally cool modern-day slant on The Nativity  ♥

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkHNNPM7pJA

Anticipation

I love the Christmas season - more now than years back
back when my life wasn't so happy........when I was always waiting for the next thing to happen
because

1. my marriage ended (for the good of everyone)
2. my parents were sick.....and died
3. surviving with two little girls
4. my job was unnecessarily stressful
5. car troubles, money troubles

I was unhappy
and it occurred to me that the dreams I never thought I had.......had gone up in smoke

if  I could go back, I would change one thing.....to have more faith and believe that everything does work out for the better, and in spite of the hurdles along the way, life is still good.  That those hurdles make us the individuals we are, and by making the right decisions, that is all we can expect of ourselves.

life holds no promises for us
we just need to do the best we can......and our stories will unfold.....one piece at a time

as we shop, bake, and write out each Christmas card, let us remember old Christmases, and may you have wonderful thoughts

happy holidays.....may your season be peaceful and happy   ♥

Men are happier

Why men are seldom depressed:

Men Are Just Happier People-- What do you expect from such simple creatures. Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you the truth. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100. People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.

One mood all the time.

Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.

Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck.

You can play with toys all your life. One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache.

You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.

Inner Peace

If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment ,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

....Then You Are Probably......

The Family Dog!   ♥

the winding down of the week

the week started off pretty decent, in spite of the wet, heavy snow coming down all of Sunday
and with Monday morning, not so much decent as it turned to crappy
the temps dropped through the night and when I went out to my un-garaged car, discovered it pretty frozen
and with that, the discovery that my trunk was also frozen - which is where my scrapers sat -   what a bummer
so, I sat in my car with the blowers blasting until it was safe enough to start my drive to work
a drive that was icy and slow
driving through several different cities, found the roads in different conditions - some much better than others
but I eventually made it to work - 17 minutes late (I can't remember that ever happening before - at least not in decades)
I probably would have made it on time - perhaps, had my scrapers not been held hostage in my trunk
so I skipped my lunch and left on time
Tuesday morning - it was an icy drive again - slow commute, but I made it on time to work
the first two days of the week were filled with irritants, not just the driving, but by the time Tuesday evening rolled around, I found myself feeling better - because I was celebrating with the girls - our annual Christmas get together
and with all the personalities, humor, stories from where most of us work - I felt the warmth of all these wonderful friendships, and the freezing cold weather (that for some reason I forget it can really get that cold!) and the white-knuckled drives into work, and all the mini dramas throughout Monday and Tuesday, blended into the past, and I was feeling much better about mostly everything
Wednesday was our Christmas luncheon at work - my choice - prime rib, yum
and feeling good about myself that I lost another five pounds   yeah
and even tho I had a rough night not feeling good and called in sick today, I am feeling good about things
I am proud of the willpower I had at two Christmas celebrations - did not have one cookie - and practiced self control with all the snacks I would have loved to devour.  But I did good.  And when the scale showed minus 5 - it encourages me to keep it up.  I keep repeating the instructor's words 'Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.'  And even tho 'thin' is a long way off.....it is still a good reminder.
and now I am going to curl up and read, and I am sure nap, on a soon-to-be winter's day.

Life is Like Coffee

- Author Unknown -

Visuals.....turn to Christmas Memories

The minute I looked at this picture I instantly got warm thoughts of the holiday season.
Nostalgia of holidays past when family gathered together to celebrate, quickly flash through my mind. 
Of course we all have defining moments of times that happened long ago, or maybe not so long ago.
As for me, my parents have been gone a long time, but they are always in my thoughts.
How our family celebrated our Polish traditions take hold of me.
Christmas Eve was my family's quintessential celebration of the season.
Wigiela (the 'w' sounds like a 'v') was the meal celebrated every year without fail.
Oplatek  (Christmas wafers) were shared with everyone - which was at the very beginning of the meal.  Then the food was served.
Wigiela was celebrated at Busia's house when I was young - with a ton of aunts and uncles and cousins.  In later years, we celebrated at my family home.  But I can't remember a time when we didn't have guests to share in the feast.
The meal consisted of 12 meatless dishes, including fish, mushroop soup, cabbage, kluskis, potatoes and more.  Of course, everything was prepared fresh.  In the Polish tradition, each dish was symbolic of something.  I never liked the look of the mushroom soup, as it was dark and not like Campbell's so I never tried it.  Now I would give anything for a bowl of that soup my mother made.  She used dried mushrooms.
I remember Christmas songs sung in Polish.  I had no clue what the elders were singing, but I loved the songs just the same.
In later years, Mary and Margie - our dear friends who are also Polish, invited Beth, Becky and me to celebrate with their family.  One thing they do that we didn't was always set an extra place for a stranger.  That is such a touching tradition.  The two of them are such giving people and they always make room for others at their gatherings.  God bless friends.
So with the snow outside this morning, I will settle in with my thoughts of the season - to the present - and the past.
Celebrations of family traditions is what holds us together.
Have a great holiday season
enjoy your little part of heaven     ♥ ♥ ♥

Santa at J.L Hudson Co., Detroit

Yep, that's me in the early 1970's with my friend Susie visiting Santa

at the J.L. Hudson Co., 10th floor, downtown Detroit.
It was a Friday night and what better thing to do than visit Santa at the best place of all?

He probably freaked when he saw us next in line.  :-)

It never fails

Every year I plan to be ahead of all the holiday planning - the decorating, the cards, gift buying, etc.
And every year I suck at it.
Oh, this year my tree was up very early, thankfully.  That was how I discovered the new pre-lit tree that shipped early - put up early - was found to have a few sections with non-working lights.  So back in the box it went, and shipped back.  I was able to get a very good deal on a local tree, it was put up early, the lights worked perfectly, and it did get decorated.  And there it is.  The lone decoration.  The window lights await....the rest of the decorations await.
The good news is, most of my Christmas shopping is done.
And my homemade Christmas cards are started.
So maybe I am not doing so bad afterall.
Except now I feel like I am coming down with a cold bug, accompanied with a headache and that I am cold all the time.       sigh
I will get those decorations up, will get those cards done, purchase the few remaining presents, prepare the menu for Christmas Eve dinner.  This weekend.
Or will I?
Here's to hoping......and best intentions    ♥

The Knots Prayer

Dear God:
Please untie the knots that are in my mind, my heart, and my life. Remove the have nots, the can nots, and the do nots that I have in my mind.
Erase the will nots, may nots, might nots that may find a home in my heart.
Release me from the could nots, would nots, and should nots that obstruct my life.
And most of all, Dear God, I ask that you remove from my mind, my heart, and my life all of the ‘am nots’ that I have allowed to hold me back, especially the thought that I am not good enough.
Amen

Nativity

Even animals know HIM