BUSY TIME OF YEAR IN ARIZONA??

Friday 19th - We went out today after Gary's wood carving group met this morning.  MISTAKE!!!!!!
The traffic was terrible, so we did a u-turn and headed back home.  We stopped at a couple Thrift shops where we each got a few books and I found some scrap booking materials.  But that was it.  I need to do laundry tomorrow and go to the store for our ham and a few other things.  So hope that we get out there early enough to beat the crowd.  Maybe people will sleep in??
Saturday 20th -  Laundry day and was joined by Esther and another friend Bonnie.  Seems everyone has those needs!!
Sunday 21st -  Church SS and Service at Calvary Baptist.  Afterward, knowing that we had leftovers at home, we went to Walmart for the last of the Christmas shopping, especially groceries.  Another $105 shot!!   But we have our spiral cut ham.
Monday 22nd -  Our greetings to you for the holidays!!  And the greatest of these is FAITH!!

 Gary went to the Maricopa Library this morning with his genealogy group to check out their resources. This afternoon I will be going to my scrapbooking group for a four hour workshop and some sharing of a light lunch.  I made Veggie Pizza yesterday for this.  I decided not to share my cookie baking as will save the leftovers from Christmas Day for when Victor comes out here in January.

Last Tuesday we went to the Mesa Regal Christmas Dinner and Program.  It was a fun time and wanted to share it with you.

They always have such pretty center pieces.

Left end of the stage decor,  so pretty.

Right end of the stage decor.

Opposite end of the ball room, entrance decor.

Bill, Esther, Audrey and Gary

Across the table, Marge, Judy and Jeanie,
a fun group.  Glad we met them!

A children's theater group entertained us.  They were good and did it all without microphones.  They are aged 12 to 17.  The little 12 year old in front was quite animated!!  And the older ones had very good voices.  I would imagine that they take voice lessons.

They entertain us well here in the park.  Esther asked the other day if we would consider staying in another park for our next season here in Arizona.  I told her that we might consider it, but would miss all of the extras here.  We have some activities that we are involved in that we would truly miss.  It sure helps us pass the winter when we tend to sit still more, and when we miss being with the kids.  It is not quite as dusty here in the park when we want to keep up with walking for exercise.  We need to set the clock each day with it!!!  Our bodies sure need it!!
Did you notice that we have another problem?  Our pictures have blurry spots on them and we notice little white spots on the lens.  No chips that we can feel, but not sure what we can do about it.  I sent a letter to Panasonic.  We'll see what they tell us.
Again take care and have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HEALTHY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

SHARING CHRISTMAS SEASON

Sunday evening we took Bill and Esther with us for the Cantata at Calvary Baptist Church.  We got to enjoy some good music with a great message, as well as a cookie and fellowship afterward.  We got our Associate Pastor to share a look at his pictures from his recent Elk Hunt.  We will share that picture with you later after he sends us a copy.  I am sure that it will help feed his family of eight nicely all winter.

A very nice presentation of piano Christmas music,
with some awesome pictures.  I wish I had been
fast enough to get some of the mountain shots.

Our interim Pastor Bauder is in the back on the right.
He is a very knowledgeable teacher.  That is what kept us
at this church when we were church hunting.
The regular pastor retired because of some serious
health issues recently.

Regular pastor's wife who also plays organ each Sunday.

Then last evening we all went to the LDS Temple for their Christmas Light Display and some wonderful music.  They have done this for the community for 36 years now.  And they have a different music group to perform each evening of December.  Last evening was the Mesa High School Choir.  They were awesome!!  We just may have to go back another evening to hear another group.  It is a thirty minute presentation which is just right for the cold weather that we are having. Gary had to go get some towels that we keep in the car to cover things to keep them from view.  They worked well to help keep us warm.
They also have a display of Nativities from around the world inside their Visitor Center.  We did not get to see those as we did not want to wait in the long line.  So we will do that another evening also.
Enjoy the lights as much as we did.

Their Temple built in 1924 - 1927
One of the very early buildings in Mesa,
which was founded by Mormons.

Visitor Center in front of the Temple

The clusters of lights made this so awesome!!
Notice the Palms.

Camel display on the front lawn by Main Street

I will have to look for these lights in the stores.
Very pretty clustered this way.

I think that the clusters in these trees were strings
of twenty lights.

We saw this display at Holy Land Experience
in Orlando on a larger scale.
It makes it so much easier to understand the
descriptions in scripture about Jerusalem.

We need a closer picture of this statue of Christ.
It is a copy of one that stands in Denmark.

Guess they get snow this far south here in Arizona,
occasionally.

The three girls in the center were very gifted sopranos
and the gentleman to their left, your right,
was also a very good soloist.

You can see what I mean about the lighting.

The drummers were great in their part also.

We were at the back of the crowd, so our pictures were quite a stretch.  The lighting, of course, always makes the people too light most of the time.  But were happy with our few good shots.
Hope that you enjoyed them as much as we did!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you this wonderful season!!

COOKIE BAKING and VISIT TO SUNSHINE ACRES in MESA

Last Sunday evening Bill and Esther came over to visit and Esther and I had to play a game of 5-Crowns.  Well, one led to another since the score was 144 to 17 in my favor!  The second game was 17 to 16.  Much better!!

Then on Tuesday I went to a cookie bake here in the park at the Regal Hall kitchen to meet up with Jane and some other friends.  I was amazed how many were there and it was fun.

These were very time consuming,
but I will have to try them sometime
as they are the same dough that I use
for pinwheels.

Carol, one of the ladies running
the project.  I also scrap book with her.

Yummy!!  Before the attack.

Jeannie, Heather, Bonnie and Jane

We finished it off with a feast of cookies and hot drinks.  Yummy!!  Then we got to fill a plate to take home.  Some are in our freezer for Christmas Day.  I learned a couple more recipes (though one was an accident)  that I want to try next year for Christmas when we will be back in Ohio.

I did go out today and stocked up on groceries.  I will do a little baking, but most of it after Christmas for when our son comes to visit.  I still need to get a ham and some fruit even though I spent $130.

On Wednesday, I began the day doing laundry and waiting for Bill and Esther to get off work.  We were taking them for an afternoon tour of Sunshine Acres children's home.  We have visited it each year that we have been here and we usually take someone else with us as it is so impressive.

One of the newest children's home with five bedrooms for ten children,
and a small apartment for the group home parents.  It was
 built by a gentleman from Canada who offered to build two
such homes.  They never turn down an offer.

Our tour guide standing in the kitchen of a home.  They eat
in house on the weekends.  The children are responsible
for the clean-up after, as well as keeping their
bedrooms top-notch for showing during the week.

Boy's bedroom

Another boy's bedroom

Boy's bedroom with outdoor theme.
including the hand painted trees on the walls.

A good sports philosophy.

Around the world theme?
A little like our grandson's ship.

Game room, guess they can watch two games
at once.  One wonders how many homes for children
in need are done up so grand.
However, it is all done with donations.

The children's chapel,
such an awesome scene
looking out the window. 

The donations and progress that they make are definitely attributed to answers to prayer!!  The guide told of one donation of milk when they were completely out in the morning and not sure where the money would come from for it.  Someone drove up with a trunk full before they had even had time to pray.  Just shows God knows our every need!!

Gary had donated time to teach some junior high students pencil drawing back in 2012, but we did not see any of those children as they were at public school this day.  We will stop back for their annual BBQ in February.  Maybe he will see some of them then.  It is amazing to see how some of the children progress with their lives after this structured living and the loving that they receive there.

We also stopped in their thrift shop where they get much of the things needed for the homes as well as a profit for the coffers.  We will go back to that as they have twice the floor space in the store than they did when we were there before.  Gary and Bill saw a lot of shirts that they want to look through. It was too close to closing time to look this day.

From there we went on to the Mesa Elks for sandwiches for dinner.  My Reuben on rye was so large and tasty!!  I saved half for the next day.

Saw this in the ELKS parking lot.  Gary and Bill had to drool.

We came home and then I got busy on our Blog.  I am trying to get it caught up before the end of the year when I have the hardback printed up for the year.  Our friends Donna and Bob sent me a few pictures of NM to replace some that I lost of ours.  Thanks, Donna!!

Thursday was my day of tests.  I went to Simon Medical and had it all done there.  All had good results, with the exception of the bone density that shows I am deficient in Calcium.  So will have to take care of that.  I shouldn't have to have the other tests redone until December 2015. PTL!

We finished the day playing Bingo with Bill and Jane at Regal Hall.  Gary won (for his first) the cover-all.  He had to split with another winner, but $25 is nothing to sneeze at.  I also spent the afternoon at scrap booking with a new friend, Kerry, from a neighboring park Sunlife Resort.  She is wanting to get a group started in her park the first of January.  So I will join her for that and the park has provided a nice room for it.  I should get a lot of scrap booking done this winter.   Gary is keeping himself very busy with his wood carving and his genealogy research.  What we are doing is sure more to crowd us out of house and home!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

BUS TRIP TO LAUGHLIN NV

We love the bus trips!!  No stressful driving and good travel sights.  It is also fun to walk about the town and relax in a large room.  And of course, we did not pass up the casino fun.  We stayed at the Edgewater this time with the cost included in the tour cost. Two buffet meals were included in the trip as well as $120 worth of Bingo games for each of us played out over a two day's time in both morning and afternoon.  We did not win anything but enjoyed the people we met.  Five people from our bus group did win either $100 or $200 depending on whether they had to split the game's winnings. Each of the four game sessions had a coverall worth $700 which only had to be shared once. The hotel had a nice gift shop in the basement where everything was $10.  I love to look over those kind of shops!!  I also spent two evenings working on the computer with pictures.
The scenery along the riverwalk was very nice as you can see from these pictures.

The views from the hotel room were good also.  It did rain one day, but we managed to stay dry. That was an accomplishment since we had to stand in line so long to get into that white tent to play bingo.

White entertainment tent is just beyond the end of our hotel.

Our hotel pool and hot tub, but must have been too cold!

I almost forgot to show you the little lady, Bernice, on our bus who turns 101 this month.

I hope that I can keep so active to the end of my life.  She was so sweet and able to recite long and short poems from memory that she learned as a very young girl, some as young as age 3.  She takes these trips often and the tour guide takes good care of her.

After a day back in the area and some local shopping, we spent Saturday evening with Bill and Esther again.

Yes, eating!  They invited us to go to their street Christmas Dinner/Dance in Regal Hall.  This is the third year that First Street has done this and they open it to any of their residents who want to invite guests to go with them also.  It is well organized and thus good food planned as well as a good band. Thank you Bill and Esther for inviting us!!
Friends Bob and Jacque, who we met and worked with in Oregon, walked over from a neighboring park here in Mesa for a visit on Sunday.  The visit was too short because it gets dark so early here and they had to walk back.  We offered to drive them back but they declined since they like the exercise. Jacque has lost a lot of weight since we saw them two years ago.  We will have to get together again to do some more catching up.
Stay tuned and I will tell you about the cookie bake we had here in the park!  It is beginning to feel a little like Christmas. We have our decorations out now, even the white trees outside.
Take care and God Bless.