Saturday, December 27, 2008
Come along -- It's free! [Sponsored by the Holocaust Museum Houston (link)]
Labels: First Times, The News, Things to know
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Have a blessed and merry Christmas!
The message of Christmas
is that Jesus is God's Son,
born to be the King whose
universal rule can never end.
We bought this nativity set in Bethlehem, Israel, in 1980. There are many more pieces but these we have had out all year long and just didn't get the rest out this year.
Mrs. Jim had given the angel to our friend who died of cancer this year. It was returned to us after her death.
[large picture] [super sized] .
Our prelit tree is in its third year now. One strand of lights did not work and we could not find the trouble. My suggestion, buy a $1.49 set of 50 lights at Michael's and put them over the nonworking lights. Then another string went out, Mrs. Jim put a string she had here over them.
Mrs. Jim has always had an angel at the top of her trees all the time we have been married. We may have had this angel for those 35 years, perhaps not quite that many. She decorated it basically with a gold motif this year, it is pretty in the daytime also. (Hint, I would super size it if I were you.)
Tonight there are packages under the tree but I did not take a new picture for that. Most are red or red with figures, a few are versions of green. I think I saw a gold one.
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[large picture] [super sized] Our stockings are hung on the fireplace. From left to right, Mrs. Jim, Katrin, Adi, and me. The red on the lower left is a poinsettia that a friend gave Mrs. Jim. We got another one tonight at the church. The preacher said they are fire hazzard (fire department said) so we would be a big help if every family took one home.
Tomorrow our family is coming up from Deer Park, Pasadena, South Houston, Houston, and Katy (all in the greater Houston area along Interstate 10). One daughter-in-law and one grandson will be absent. Mike's mother-in-law broke her foot and three ribs and has been staying with another daughter, Sharon will be with them. Grandson, Tim, will be in California with his wife as they live there now.
Update!!! Tim and his wife drove straight through to her mom's home getting there yesterday evening. They came here just after three on Christmas afternoon.
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Again, each of you I am wishing a blessed and merry Christmas.
Labels: Family, Holiday Posts, Jim Bunch
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Adi Can . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Choose her favorite color -- today it's green -- Twelve/Three Days
"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior"
Luke 1:46,47 (Mary's Song or Magnificat!)
Mary sang those words after she had heard and
understood this message from the angel Michael:
"You will be with child and give birth to a son,
and you are to give him the name Jesus.
He will be great and will be called
the Son of the Most High."
(Luke 1:31-32 -- link)
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Three French Hens -- Symbol of the rich and represented the three wise men with gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
[large picture] [super sized]This is another of our Thursday (remember that foggy day?) walk pictures. Adi was serious in determining her favorite color. Others are coming.
Adi likes her profile picture pose best but I just about always ask her to smile at the camera and say cheese. I gave in for this one as it is just real nice.
The green color, Adi's for today, is the color of the ivy climbing the brick wall surrounding a future addition to Bentwater down the street a little from our house. (link)
I am not in favor of having ivy or any other plant growing up brick walls as eventually it dislodges the mortar holding the bricks together and in place.
For houses it is especially bad because it provides a perfect path for termites and wood loving ants to crawl up and in. There should always be several inches of only foundation before the home area begins.
Not only does it discourage insects from crawling up and in but also is a hedge against a few inches of water standing from a heavy rain. We had 33 inches of water inside our former home, that would have required a high foundation or stilts.
We are busy making holiday preparations here, this morning I addressed and stuffed (wrote on a few who moved away) Christmas cards for the members of my Sunday school class. In the afternoon I finished preparing for today's lesson which I will teach.
The kids and families are coming up for Christmas day so Mrs. Jim has the menu planned for the Jim Bunch Eats. It may be fine tuned as individual requests come in. They had better hurry with that because she already went into town for grocery shopping yesterday.
I also winterized our lawn sprinkler system. If we don't do that the check valve gets too cold (if we get down below freezing) and breaks the plastic flapper inside. Would you believe we can't replace the flapper by itself, we have to buy a whole new check valve.
Labels: Adi, Adi Can, Christmas, Eating, Family, Jim Bunch, Jim Bunch Eats, Sunday
