New Year

So long 2015.
You kind of wore me out.







Leaving this year behind....
and saying thank you.

your friend,
Donna Elsie

Merry Christmas...

Merry Christmas from the Boucher boys.

Malachi is a happy little guy. He is mischievous and funny and loud :o) 

Asher is the big brother.  He is gentle and helpful but he can be rambunctious too.

It's such a big job to travel with three little boys...

we are just so thankful that Matthew and Melinda

came to visit for Christmas.

Zeekee was only happy when mommy or daddy held him.

Here is a picture of him leaving!  He is smiling at me.

I'll take it!  haha

Emma is off snowboarding with friends today.

Katie and I are relaxing.  Patrick is back at work.

The cookies are gone.

But I have loads of sweet and funny memories to keep my heart happy until we see our beloveds again.

Lots of love!

God bless you,

Donna Elsie

Love you.

Mean it.

We made it.....

Let's listen to this pretty song....


Tomorrow will be lighter....as will the day after that!

Hooray.




Encourage one another,
Donna Elsie

I'm here

On Facebook there is a nice feature called Memories.  If you click on it, you are shown things your posted on this date over the years.  My blogs are often linked so I can go back and see what I was talking about....and you know what each year around this time I am thinking about Christmas being a sad time.  I have gone back and read the comments and am reminded about your stories and how this time of year brings back not only joyous memories but memories of loss too.

I wasn't feeling melancholy until I re-read those posts...
Not really....I'm not feeling that way today.
Perhaps the sunshine and mild temps have kept my spirits up.
But as I have said in the past.
I understand.


Going thru my notes on my phone I found this....

"It was a Christmas as unique as any other. For every year the mystery unfolds itself anew. And late in life, I came to see that faith, like hope, is a rope and anchor in a shifting world. Faith cannot be questioned, only lived. And if I could not grasp it then, I felt its heartbeat, which was love."


Do you remember?  It's from Call the Midwife.  I can hear Vanessa Redgrave's voice when I read it.

I also found this in my notes....

"I remember the times when my underwear stayed in place. That was long ago.

Now the elastic is worn out."

You're welcome.

Donna :o)

Hey! Unto you a Child is born!

Christmas is for reflecting.  

Looking back at your own life and remembering special, warm, happy times.

Remembering.

It's for remembering the story of Jesus' birth.

What that means to you and your faith.

The story of baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph is important to me

because it is where my faith begins.  And when I get overwhelmed with this crazy world,

and theology and stuff  I think about that that little baby in the manger and I think about Mary and the Angel and I ask myself, 

is it true?   

And my heart calms and I know all will be well.

Because in my heart I know it is true.

 from The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson,

"But as far as I'm concerned, Mary is always going to look a lot like Imogene Herdman - sort of nervous and bewildered, but ready to clobber anyone who laid a hand on her baby. And the Wise Men are always going to be Leroy and his brothers, bearing ham. When we came out of the church that night it was cold and clear, with crunchy snow underfoot and bright, bright stars overhead. And I thought about the Angel of the Lord - Gladys, with her skinny legs and her dirty sneakers sticking out from under her robe, yelling at all of us everywhere:

                                                       'Hey! Unto you a child is born!'


Love you,
Donna

open hearts

“Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and desires of little children; to remember the weaknesses and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking how much your friends love you, and to ask yourself if you love them enough; to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear on their hearts; to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you; to make a grave for your ugly thoughts and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open? Are you willing to do these things for a day? Then you are ready to keep Christmas!” 

~Henry van Dyke



*****




“God is here. This truth should fill our lives, and every Christmas should be for us a new and special meeting with God, when we allow his light and grace to enter deep into our soul.” 

~Josemaria Escriva



Encourage one another,

p.s. I took the photo in Paris at the Musee d'Orsay but I can't remember the artist.

Cookie Traditions

Matthew and Melinda and the boys are coming for Christmas this year!  We can't wait.

Asher is looking forward to making cookies with his Grandpa.

Malachi says grandpa really funny and I can't remember exactly what it is right now.  Melinda will tell you.  It's super cute and funny.  Like gunpa??

Any way.

Christmas means Patrick makes cookies.

It's a tradition and it's a good one!

When we were growing up our dad brought cookies home from the bakery in Chicago.

They were very pretty but not really tasty.

They were big cookies with a paper image of Santa 'glued' on them.

They may have been gingerbread...but I'm not exactly sure.

So now when I see beautifully decorated cookies, I appreciate their loveliness...

but I actually can't imagine that they are tasty and moist.

Let me look on Google to see if I can't find a paper decorated Santa cookie....

I can't really find an exact thing... but the Santa was like this Santa.

I see rectangle cookies with paper images on the google..

but I remember  our bakery's being a shape like the Santa.

Oh to have a picture....

Wishing you warm Christmas memories and traditions that continue from year to year!

Love

Donna

Quiet trees

I talk to the trees But they don't listen to me I talk to the stars But they never hear me The breeze hasn't time To stop and hear what I say I talk to them all in vain

Name that movie.

Run Santa 5K Madison

Katie and her sweet cousin Wesley

The best part is seeing all the fun costumes....

and cheering on your family!

Off they go!!!

They had a really fun time!  The weather was quite nice for December.

Way to go!

XOXO

Donna

There they are!

Melinda wrote this morning to share that MORE of the trees are in the online magazine!

Looking for my trees is the Quiet Life version of Elf on the Shelf!!!

hahaha

oops...i mean

hohoho

Love

donna

The season to be jolly.

Oh! she looks so serious.

There is a bit of a pretzel at stake so she is obeying and sitting very still.

I just want to tell her to lighten up...buttercup! 

She would be a perfect Buttercup wouldn't she with her blonde hairs.

Katie and I decorated for Christmas last night.  This is weeks early for me.

But my sister Cindy and her husband Pat are coming to town for a fun 5K tomorrow and we have decided to celebrate Christmas together.  Stephanie and Wesley (Sue's son and daughter in law) are coming too!  

Cindy was hoping for some holiday decorations....and she's got em!

We found this darling collar in with the Christmas decoration.  Ginny may look serious but she  sounds super cute dashing around the yard with her jingle bells on.   

So today I am busy making lists and cleaning.

Here is what I plan on serving tomorrow night after the race.

Potato soup

BBQ pork

Broccoli Cauliflower salad

Mandarin Orange salad

Chocolate pie

Cindy is bringing lots of favorite snacks.

We are doing a nice white elephant.  I don't think any of us have the heart to give joke gifts.

I'm heading out for a little shopping in a minute.

Gosh.  This is the last time we have all been together. 2012.

Cindy took this picture!  

Thanks Cindy.

Patrick missed his nap.

Eh. Hem.

Ho. Ho. Yummy. Yo!!!

Donna

december is here. already

“Is it snowing where you are? All the world that I see from my tower is draped in white and the flakes are coming down as big as pop-corns."  ~Jean Webster, Daddy Long Legs

Same trees...different year.







If you live in up north.
This.  You know.


December has come.
Why is it so surprising?  You'd think I'd get use to the months whizzing by.
But I don't.


Happy Wednesday!
I'm wishing you well and sending love.
Donna



UPDATE

Tawnya sent this to me.





extra trees!

On the website the snow is falling.
But that's it.  :oP

Tangled roots.

Hi friends!

Sorry I have been gone so long!  I drove to Chicago to pick up Patrick Jr. and Emma on Wednesday and since then it has been time for family and food, long talks and movies.


Here are a few pictures I took in Chicago...

It was warm for the Midwesterners and chilly for our California boy.

The new Maggie Daly park has a ice rink that is called the ribbon.  It reminded me of Hans Brinker.  Apparently I did not read that book to my children because they had no idea what I was talking about.  Ice skating is free if you bring your own skates.  But there can be a long line.

Everybody loves the bean. (Cloud Gate)

We stopped by the Christkindle Market.

Who doesn't want to be a princess?

Love them.

So much.

“Growing apart doesn't change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I'm glad for that.”  ~allie condie

Walk carefully, well loved one,
walk mindfully, well loved one,
walk fearlessly, well loved one.
Return with us, return to us,
be always coming home.

~LeGuin

XOXO

Mom