Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Gentle Joy Photography-Top 10 Posts for 2014


This is the end of the first year of the Gentle Joy Photography blog. As we end one year and begin a new year, it has been fun to look back over the 88 posts for the last year and see which ones were the most viewed. So, here are the top 10 posts of 2014 for Gentle Joy Photography......









The most popular post was A Quick and Easy Breakfast. :)



A Quick Easy Breakfast



Hope



Are Your Kids A Blessing?




A Fun Surprise From God




There's A Storm Coming




Searching For Happiness.....




Has The World Gone Crazy?




Am I Worth More On Productive Days?




Guy China




Candy Bar In A Bowl


Thank you for joining me in looking back at these fun posts. I hope you will continue to visit throughout this next year. 

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Monday, December 29, 2014

Family New Year's Eve Party

We usually have a family New Year's Eve party... not a big deal, not an up till midnight or later deal, not anything official, BUT it is our family's party... and we love it. :) We have been doing it for years... and it has grown to include more and more favorites.




We tend to make things that everyone likes.... a snack type of meal. It is all dressed up with candles, pretty glasses and dishes and more.

Some of our favorites tend to appear every year... like this salad pizza. We love it.....  the recipe is here....
Salad Pizza As A Meal  


  Silly cauliflower sheep are also a favorite, but we don't have them every year... sometimes we have olive penguins or other fun foods.

Fun Foods We Have Made
 We rarely drink soda, but years ago we started to have ginger ale or 7up on New Year's Eve... in stemware glasses. Sometimes we put a little apple juice in also, sometimes not... either way, the kids loved it.

We have the veggies also... and sometimes a dip for them. The veggie tray has to include black olives, pickles and pineapple. By the way, you can tell that someone had already been into the black olives... only one is just barely visible. :)
Pigs in a blanket is a favorite... and "wagon wheels"... which are tortillas with a layer of cream cheese, deli meat, pickles and cheese.... then they are rolled up and cut into "wheels". I don't really care for these, but my kids LOVE them. :) 

Candles make things extra fun. 


Nachos and cheese, Sunshine Eggs (years ago, I started calling them sunshine eggs because I just couldn't give my precious little ones a "deviled" egg and the name has stuck.) We also usually have a little bowl - WITH A LITTLE SPOON! :) of candy... like red hots or M and Ms - fun but we still limit some of the sugar. :)


This is from a different year... when we had company over for our party... some additions were chips and salsa,  Buttery Crescent Rolls  , plate of cheese.....  cheese ball and crackers....

.... peanut butter and chocolate bars, cookies, shortbread
Simple Shortbread Bars
"Daddy's Dessert".. a family favorite.... and more.


Sometimes after we eat, we watch a family movie... or play games. Whatever we do, it is a family night.
It hasn't seemed to matter as much WHAT we have... these meals have always been special, even when we only had 2 or 3 items...  the tradition has grown, but it has been special. This is usually not something done for or with others, but just a family get together... a special time... and it leads to special memories.



This was another year.... even just the table setting and candles make things look special.

This year, we probably won't have as many treats as the three years represented in this post... after all, things have been quite busy this year, but I do know that we will have fun.... and we will have some of these favorites... and I am so glad to have children old enough to help make things. :)

I hope that you have a wonderful New Year's Eve and New Year. It is nice to start a new year. We don't know what the new year will hold for us, but we DO know that God has brought us through the year and we are thankful and we will trust Him in the New Year as well. :)

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Sunday, December 28, 2014

There's Just No Place Like Home!

If you have read my previous posts, you know that we have been very occupied with caring for my dad at the hospital or rehab facility for the last 6 weeks... through his heart surgery and recovery.  When An Emergency Strikes

The facility was beautiful and the pictures in this post are from that facility.





 We have been in other nursing homes or rehabilitation centers and this is the nicest one we have ever seen.... the decor is lovely and the community areas are spacious. The chapel was pretty and the sidewalk next to it (see the curb in the picture?) provided another place for rehab to take place... to help people learn to use a curb again.

The dog is not real, but they have a few scattered around and they lend a nice touch to the overall atmosphere.
 This is a rehab place and they have done a good job of incorporating rehab areas into a beautiful part of the whole scheme. The bookshelf in this picture has foods on the shelves and the grocery cart next to it show it as a place for someone to learn to shop again.

The picture below shows that around the corner is a fruit and vegetable stand area complete with a hanging scale. The oranges and some of the foods are weighted, making them seem even more real.


 Another dog, near the theater room..... and the fancy coffee machine, which isn't shown in the picture. The machine had espresso, hot cocoa, coffee, hot water for tea, and more. My husband and children loved that machine and used it often. :)  There is also a popcorn machine (near the theater, of course) and my kids ate a bag of it most days.
 The bird cages add interest and I talked about the birds in  Birds....and A Busy Life. There are pictures of the birds in that post, if you are interested.

Our first few trips to this place found us gawking at everything and pointing out all of the wonderful features. We had lots of fun discovering so much detail.
 They did a great job of making this seem like a small city... but it is all indoors... and very nicely done.

Dad didn't get to enjoy any of this until the last couple of weeks or so, since he was so weak and spent most of his time in bed. He loved the bed, though. It was electric and could go up and down, raise the head.. or the knees and he found it quite comfortable.

The baby grand piano that my daughter enjoyed playing. :)  My dad and others enjoyed listening to her play also.

A hair cutting salon, right on site... although the prices were rather high. :) 




 This picture shows the stained glass window in the top of the chapel. There are also rooms tucked in around the place that are offices for the people who work at the facility.

All in all, it was beautiful.

This is in another part of the building where my mom received physical therapy... this is over the front door...

It as all so pretty... so beautiful... but after several weeks of being there every day, we were all tired of it..... and just wanted to go ... "home".
 The rehab therapy room.... it is a very busy place all day, but I was able to get a picture of part of it when it was empty.


The picture below shows a  sitting area and hallway.  Like I said, it was lovely and such a blessing, BUT when it was time to go home, my dad couldn't wait to get out of there! Even the last week and a half, he was so glad to come to our house for a meal and just get away from there for a while.


Yesterday, Dad was released... and there was no desire to stay in the beautiful surroundings. He didn't yearn for "just a little longer"... he was ready to go (and he actually tried to get them to release him the day before, but they wouldn't. :)

My husband picked Dad up early in the morning and took him out for a quick breakfast and then brought him home.  We enjoyed a couple of hours with Mom and Dad before they left with my brother and sister in law to head back to their own home, which is about 3 hours away. The evening before and the time that morning were spent trying to get things as organized as possible for Mom and Dad.....  medicine schedules, charts for exercises... and more and we have already been on the phone helping to explain a couple of confusing things, but they are at home... and they are so glad to be there. :)  No matter how nice the rehab center was, it wasn't home and there is no place like home!

I am reminded that here on earth, we see and experience some beautiful things.... trees, mountains, sunsets, children, fun times.... and yes, hard times also..... but someday, we will leave this world and if we know Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we will go to our home in heaven. Just like my dad's leaving the beautiful facility, we will leave this earth, and not yearn for it... we will go home .....in God's timing.

After six weeks of taking care of Mom and Dad every day, we are tired.... and are glad to get our home and schedule back... and the kids are glad to get back to their beds, BUT  it also seems very odd not to have Grandma living here... or to have to run to the rehab center several times a day. Now, we have to rest up, do all those chores we have been neglecting... and more.  Hopefully, things will slow down for a while. Thank you for all who have prayed for us... you have been a blessing... and we would appreciate continued prayers. Thank you for visiting. :)

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Monday, December 22, 2014

A Different Kind of Christmas

This year we have a different kind of Christmas.... a very different kind of Christmas. People have asked me, "Are you all ready for Christmas?" I cringe at the question because, no, I am not..... not at all. Since Dad's open heart surgery several weeks ago, our days have been consumed with caring for Dad... and Mom; with making trips to the hospital or rehab center, with updating family and friends, with keeping meals going, interacting with health care workers.... and more.




The tree is up... and a few decorations are up... because the kids did it. :)  



As I considered not being "ready" for Christmas, I realized that what people mean about being ready for Christmas, is if we have all of our gifts bought and wrapped.... all of the cards out, Christmas picture taken, holiday plans made, and more. So, in that sense, no, I am certainly not ready... at all. 


I usually shop through the year at garage sales or other sales and pick up items on sale... at great prices... and then I save them until Christmas. We don't do a lot or have extravagant gifts, but we get a few things... mostly needed things along with a fun thing.
  The kids all give gifts to each other and to us... and we emphasize creativity and thoughtfulness over spending a lot of money. I am so blessed as I see the thought they put into their gifts for each other... maybe a certain kind of candy they know a brother likes... or a pretty necklace for a sister... or a gas card for a brother who buys a lot of gas...  or personalized drawings for each person or more. I love it.

 So......... this year, we aren't "ready". We don't have gifts figured out, I haven't written a Christmas newsletter, the Christmas pictures aren't copied, the Christmas meal isn't figured out...and we don't even know who will be here... or how many on Christmas Day.
 No, we just aren't "ready".   We are very very tired.... just plain worn out and weary.

 We are also thankful... thankful that my dad is still alive this Christmas to be with us as he could have very easily died from the heart problems... and was close to death.

If you haven't read it, the story is here... When An Emergency Strikes


 We are also thankful to be a family... to be together.... to have a home...
 We recognize that God has sustained us for a very long difficult time... we marvel.... and are thankful.
 We see that there is still a long road ahead of us... for helping Mom and Dad... and for resting up and doing all the stuff that has been let go in this time.  We also know that God will continue to equip us... after all, His mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness is great. I am so thankful for what He has done and will do. I am determined to trust Him.

As I ponder the reason for celebrating Christmas, I realize that
maybe we are "ready" for Christmas after all. :) 


I hope you remember and enjoy our Lord and Saviour at this season... no matter what is going on at your house.  A "different" kind of Christmas may not be so bad after all.

Thank you for visiting.




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