1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Mrs.Claus » Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:12 pm

Merry Sage wrote:What? Outdoor or indoor Christmas lights? :D


It's their outdoor Christmas lights. Although hubby said who would want to take them down in this weather. But I said they still don't have to turn them on. So I think I won that little debate. :lol:
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Merry Sage » Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:31 pm

I think that's lovely. Especially now with energy costs. Mind you not everyone is feeling the bite. :D
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Noel+ » Sun Feb 08, 2009 2:43 am

Know what's really funny? People here leave up their Christmas lights, unplugged, all year, including 120F summer days! :shock:
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Merry Sage » Sun Feb 08, 2009 8:10 am

Noel+ wrote:Know what's really funny? People here leave up their Christmas lights, unplugged, all year, including 120F summer days! :shock:


I'm of two minds on the outdoor-lights-up-year-round. Those hanging icicle types only look good in dark, lit up. I wouldn't leave them up year round.
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Stephanie » Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:14 am

There are a couple of houses around here that still have their Christmas lights on. I guess that it's technically okay though b/c they have snowmen in their yards and it's really a winter decoration. lol :lol:
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Noel+ » Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:16 pm

You've kinda made my point, Stephanie. Christmas lights looks good in a winter/snowy clime............but in the southwestern sun?
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby CandyKane » Mon Feb 09, 2009 4:19 pm

We Have Electricity!!!! After 13 days they finally got our power back on last night. This ice storm has been a nightmare. The freezing drizzle started here on Monday afternoon and by dark it had turned into a hard freezing rain. It rained all night and all the next day. We ended up with an inch of ice on everything. Our power lines here are well over 40 years old and they just couldn't stand up with the weight of the ice. Over 1000 electric poles fell in our county alone. And countless trees have had the tops broken out of them and most will have to be cut down. Three huge pines in our yard have had all the limbs stripped from them and they'll have to be cut. That makes me so sad. We were among the lucky ones. We have propane heat and a fireplace and a generator to power the TV/Sat, microwave, lamps, etc. The worst part is we have an electric cook stove and hot water heater. Fortunately my inlaws and parents all have propane water heaters and cook stoves so we were able to take hot showers and eat good hot meals. The set up shelters for people who didn't have heat and they've been giving out bottles of water since all the water systems are on boil orders. Some people here have been told they won't have the power back on until March!!!! But on the bright side I will get to buy lots of new Christmas candles next year because I burned everyone that I had. Our house may not have had power but it sure did smell good. lol :smilecc:

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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Noel+ » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:19 am

:smilecc: CandyKane, I am so happy for you and your family!!!! And proud of the courageous pioneer spirit you displayed during this ice out!!! Did you use Christmas candles to help?
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Mrs.Claus » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:27 am

CandyKane so glad you're fine and the electricity is back on! We've been thinking about you. I guess people will know what to get you for Christmas next year - CANDLES!! :lol:
I just can't believe some people will have to wait until March; that must have been one wicked storm.
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Merry Sage » Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:56 am

Wow! That sounds like a rough one Candy Kane. I'm glad you and your family were ok, despite the lack of hydro. Whereabouts are you? Your post put me in mind of the Canadian Ice Storm in 1998.

Christmas candles inside would be nice when its stormy outside.
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby CandyKane » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:42 pm

Thanks for all the well wishes! We live in the US. In the Northern part of the state of Arkansas which is located in the Southern part of the country. Usually are winters are very mild. Nothing like this. As of this morning there are over 24,000 people in Arkansas still without power and about 50,000 in the state of Kentucky. This was a very wicked storm. We're in a very rural area so that's really slowing down the progress.

I put scented Christmas candles in both of my bathrooms and in my kitchen. I used them for the extra light but they really helped to keep me cheered up. Even hubby thought they added a nice touch. :smilecc:

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.”


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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby mistletoe misfit » Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:52 pm

CandyKane it's great to hear from you :smilecc:
Glad your ordeal is over and that you are well. :D
Thirteen days without power that's awful!
Sounds like you made the best of a bad situation.
Hopefully the thousands still without power wont have to wait until March. That's crazy!!
Welcome back to Christmas All Year!!!
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby mistletoe misfit » Wed Feb 11, 2009 10:35 am

Anyone heard from Jodie?
Part of Australia has horrific fires going on, and I heard there is flooding going on in other parts.
Hope you are safe and well Jodie. I am praying for you and your family.
Your friends here at Christmas all Year are thinking about you.
Hugs!
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Merry Sage » Wed Feb 11, 2009 11:14 am

mistletoe misfit wrote:Anyone heard from Jodie?


I believe she's ok where she is. I have a friend in Oz too who's just a bit North of the fires and very glad to be so. Wasn't it terrible? I have a photo taken from the news wires though that's so heartening. An Australian rescue worker giving water to a wild koala. I thought it was amazing they found the animal alive (I can't imagine what the death toll was in animal life) and that it was willing to be helped. The Australian Red Cross is also accepting donations if anyone is interested. I love their tagline "The Power of Humanity"
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby CandyKane » Wed Feb 11, 2009 3:07 pm

Thanks for posting this pic Merry. How inspiring. I saw the koala story on the news this morning and I cried. This is a bright spot in a very dark and tragic story. My heart goes out to the people affected by this.


I took dd out to visit my parents this morning. Dad's been working on trying to clean up his yard but the rain last night has really hampered everything. My Mom helped dd make a box to put all her little Valentines in. It's so cute. When she gets older I think we'll have a Valentines Day party for her and all her little friends. I think that would be so much fun. (Almost as fun as a Christmas party!)
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Jodie » Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:53 pm

Hello Christmas buddies. Yes I am safe and well but shattered at the loss of life and property that these fires have caused. Mother nature shows no mercy.
The flooding is up the top end of QLD, so we are very safe from that. There are lots of stories coming out of there but they have been fortunate not to have lost any lives yet - but still a lot of property damage has been done. I just hope and pray that they all have insurance. The flooded in people have been a bit forgotten with the death and destruction of the fires in Victoria (about 6-7 hours drive away from us).

I have friends in the fires but they are safe also - they lost some neighbours and friends but are well themselves.

THere has been a lot of fund raising over here and already the good people of Australia (population 21 million) have raised over 43 million dollar and the figure is still climbing because they are running a telethon tomorrow night.

So far the fires have killed 183 people and destroyed over 1000 homes. There are something like 22 fires burning at present and 14 of these are considered to be contained. It is just heartbreaking. The firemen and women are fighting for 12 hours on and then 12 hours off - it must be simply exhausting. Not to mention the amount of death and destruction they are seeing on an hourly basis.

We have a four bedroom home and only use two bedrooms so have registered our home as a sanctuary for anyone who wants to get away and needs a bed and a good feed. But because we are about 7 hours away from the fires we have not had any takers yet. But I dare say we will if people want to travel north to family or friends they may need a bed in their travels. We have also made monetary donations and our precious DIL is running a food drive for non perishable foods (so she is coming to raid the pantry tomorrow) that will be trucked down to the fire zone on Friday.

Sadly they do believe these fires were deliberatly lit - the police are confident of catching up with the arsonists or so they keep telling us and I hope they do and throw the full force of the law at them. They have caused so much death and destruction and deserve to be punished to the full extent that they can be.

Well that is the news for now - sorry I have not had much of a chance to jump on and say hi but with work and now the fires (which has the whole country watching) life is very busy.

Stay safe and well everyone
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby mistletoe misfit » Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:31 pm

Jodie
So glad to hear all is well with you and your family!! :smilecc: :smilecc:
Thank You for sharing with your friends here at Christmas All Year what is going on in Australia.
How very sad!
I hope the police find and arrest the guilty person very soon.
I will be thinking of everyone affected by the fires and flooding.
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Noel+ » Thu Feb 12, 2009 12:15 am

Good to know you are safe Jodie! It is such a terrifying experience - one you never forget.

The Koala is a picture of two life forms desperately trying to survive and willing to receive care from one another. Did you notice the fireman is holding one paw of the Koala as he pours water into its mouth. Precious! The spirit of Christmas alive in the blazing heat of fires.
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I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year! Charles Dickens
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Merry Sage » Thu Feb 12, 2009 5:43 am

Good to hear from you Jodie! I'm relieved beyond words to know my friends in Oz are safe and well. Isn't it wonderful to see how people pull together. Makes me wish we could be like that outside of emergency situations.

It will be a very different Christmas this year for many. We've been doing some thinking about the general state of things around the world, for the most part brought on by the actions of a few people who can only be described as well....evil. I think rather than buying gifts this year, we're going to do something I've wanted to do for some time now; give the cash we would have spent on presents to charity.

As the saying goes, in times like these, the need for mercy is greater than ever.
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Re: 1200 POSTS BY CHRISTMAS 2009

Postby Noel+ » Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:25 pm

Suddenly my family has been hit hard by this economic turndown! My husband was let go, my sister was fired 2 weeks ago, and now my brother-in-law was placed on 'commission only' basis. We've said we want to focus on the simple joy of Jesus & others at Christmas, and each year we've taken steps in that direction. This year, as my DS said, "God did it for us." I refuse to let circumstances steal my Christmas joy!
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