Christmas Day

The grandkids were up by 8:00 this morning waiting patiently for the adults to appear. They had examined the gifts under the tree and did not find one for their mother. They were trying to round up something to wrap and put under the tree for her. I pointed out to them that their mother's gifts were not under the tree but off to one side. Janie handed out the presents and the kids dug in. They all were very happy with their gifts. Janie gave me a clock and an external hard drive. I gave her a clock with a projector that displays the time and outside temperature on the ceiling of our bedroom, a voice work out CD, and some DVD's. I fixed scrambled eggs and deer sausage for breakfast, Janie made Frito pie for lunch, she also made some orange balls, a small and very tasty pastry treat. Supper time is nearly here and then maybe a game with the kids before their bedtime. God bless you.

Christmas Eve: Snow, Candles, Pizza, Fruitcake, Perfect

It is Christmas Eve and it has been a great one. We went to church for a candle light service and it was snowing the whole time. The snow did stick to the ground and the kids were very excited. We had a good turn out for the service in spite of the high winds and cold wintry weather. Sarah and Justin arrived at 10:00 this morning and stayed through the candle light service. They made it home safely while we fixed one of our grandkids favorite meals, Cheese Pizza. We even let them eat in the living room and watch Charlie Brown's Christmas. They got to open one gift from their parents. They got new pajamas and went to don them immediately. They are now all snug in their beds and excited about Christmas and the pile of gifts under the tree. Janie and I with Stacie will watch a Christmas movie and then head for bed ourselves. The pictures are some I took this evening of the grandkids. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. God bless you.

Fruitcake

The grandkids and I made fruitcake today. This picture is of my granddaughter, Ruth, grinding up the pecans. I had each of the three older ones do a part. The recipe is one my mother used when I was a kid. You put 2 sticks of butter in a bowl with a bag of large marshmallows and the juice from a small jar of cherries. You put this in the microwave until the butter and marshmallows are melted. That was Joshua's job. You crush up three packages of graham crackers and add to it a box of raisins, a cup of chopped pecans and the cherries. This was the job assigned to Ruth and Hannah. You mix all together and put it in a loaf pan. You refrigerate it for two hours and it is ready to eat. The Kids had fun making it and tomorrow they will taste the fruits of their labors.

We had a short service tonight at church followed by refreshments which Janie and I provided. We like to do this the Wednesday night before Christmas each year. The people seem to enjoy having a small Christmas party. When we got home Scott called to let Stacie know how things were going. It seems the airline lost his luggage and he will get it back tomorrow. We left Stacie and the kids talking to Scott on Skype (pictured) and headed out to deliver some checks to our mission treasurer and to go by the Post Office. After that we went to Wal-Mart to do a little shopping. The crowd was not bad at all. We picked up some groceries and a few things for the grandkids for Christmas.

Speaking of Skype, the kids got to talk to their cousins in France by Skype. The grandkids in France were holding up toys to the camera to show them to their cousins here in Texas. That was exciting to them all. We are going to do it again Christmas day so they can show each other what they got for Christmas.

Well its off to bed for me. God bless you.

IRA

We had a good nights rest last night. I had some business in town this morning so I took off to get that done. I went to see my financial advisor and started an IRA for next year. I think that Janie and Stacie are going to go shopping and I plan to watch the grandkids this afternoon. If it is not raining I will take them for a walk then play a game with them.

We are planning to sing Christmas songs and serve refreshments at church Wednesday night. Thursday night is our special candle light service and it sounds like we are going to have a good turn out for that service. Well one of the grandkids is crying so I better go check it out. The picture if of Jonathan, 2 years old, playing a game on Janie's computer. God bless you.

A little Sleep, A little Slumber

Our Christmas cantata went very well. We had about 80 people there for the service. The food afterward was great. It was all in all a great day.

I got a fair amount of sleep Sunday night but Janie got very little. She came to bed about 5:00 Monday morning. Stacie and I took Scott to the airport and that went well. He will be gone to South America for two weeks. We enjoyed the grandkids today and look forward to some time with them tomorrow. We are going to be early tonight to catch up on our sleep. The grandkids all have runny noses and they did not get much sleep last night. So here it is 9:00 pm and we are all gone to bed. Well except me and I am headed that way now. The picture was taken at the airport today. God bless you.

Burning the Midnight Oil

I have been staying up late lately. It seems I can't find a stopping place. Last night I finished setting up my mother-in-law's computer about 1:30 AM. This morning I set her up with a web-cam and mic so she can Skype. She got to talk to and see Jason and his family and loved it. We are back home now and tonight I took time to eat popcorn and watch a movie with Janie. We moved over to the couch and sat under a blanket with a bowl of popcorn and enjoyed relaxing for an hour and a half. Janie is working now and I have been catching up on a few things. We had a good day today. I went for a walk while Janie helped her mother with a financial report. While I was out I tried jogging and did for about 2/10 of a mile. I could have done more but thought it better on my bones to walk briskly instead.

I am going to sic my brother Steve on planning us a hike in Palo Dura Canyon just south of Amarillo, Texas. I was checking their website out just now and sounds like a good place to hike. I have invited some friends to go with us to Groom, Texas to see the amazing cross and sculptures there. I hope they will consider going with us. We as well as they could use a couple of days away. The picture is of the Christmas tree in the foyer of our church. God bless you.

Hungry

Janie is in her mother's kitchen making cornbread. My brother-in-law, Steve, is on the far side of the meadow across from my in-law's house deer hunting. He saw one a 1/4 of mile down the road and it was heading in the direction of his deer stand. He is going to eat supper with us tonight. My mother-in-law has made a cabbage dish that smells really good. Peas are on the stove and the cornbread is cooking. I just finished covering the septic tank so I am ready to eat.

My sister, Jean, emailed me that she had taken a ambulance ride two days ago. I called her as soon as I saw the email. She is doing okay now. It was a bad case of vertigo.

I will install my in-law's new computer after supper and Janie and I will head back to Hillsboro tomorrow. I spent the day with my mother-in-law at the doctor's office in Tyler (pictured). We left at 9:45 this morning and got back to the house about 4:30. Well I am too hungry to type any more. God bless you.

Paul Clark

The Bible says "A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth." (Ecc 7:1) I googled my name and found that there is a Paul Clark VW dealership in south Boston. There is a Paul Clark Ford dealer in Florida. There is a Paul Clark christian music singer from Kansas City. There was a Paul Clark that owned and operated a grocery store here in Hillsboro years ago. He died several years back but I did get to meet his wife. He had a good reputation in town and everyone liked him. It is good when your name brings nice thoughts to people's minds. I strive to be a man of good reputation. I try to keep my word and to be a man of integrity because a good reputation is very worth having.

The day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. That is true for those who are saved. The day of my death will be better than the day of my birth. My birth began a time of struggle, work, and a mixture of pain and pleasure. My death will begin a time of rest and comfort, a time of fulfillment and satisfaction, a time of peace and absolute joy.

The picture is one I took with my cell phone as I was walking to the nursing home on Monday. Janie and I will head to Henderson tonight after church and return on Friday. God bless you.

Gifts

Janie gave each of the ladies in the Bible study group a Christmas gift. They gave to us a Christmas gift. One of the ladies gave everyone a gift of cookies. This afternoon Janie and I worked and then took off for Waco to deliver a gift and to visit at a nursing home there. The lady we went to visit was sound asleep so I prayed by her bedside and left her a note wishing her a Merry Christmas. We then did some Christmas shopping and headed back to Hillsboro. I have the sermon ready for Sunday, the lesson ready for Wednesday night, I will work on my thesis tomorrow, Lord willing.

It is just 10 days it will be Christmas. Our grandkids will arrive in just 6 days. They are counting the days as are we.

My uncle, Bill Clark, who lives in Lowell, Massachusetts keeps coming to my mind. Each time that he does I pray for him and his family. I worked at St. John's hospital in Lowell for 1 year with my uncle Bill (1971-1972). I really enjoyed working with him. I would love to go to Lowell to see him and maybe I will some day. I have posted this picture before on this blog. It is one my sister Peggy took of my uncle Bill and his wife. God bless you.