Monday, December 15, 2008

delights of the season...

Winter arrived in full force this weekend. We knew it was coming...but it never came gently! The temperatures plummeted yesterday...the winds howled through the valley...and we will be in a deep freeze for some time.

But indoors things were toasty warm...and we found venues where we were in the best of company.

For many years, our church sponsored a 'Walk through Bethlehem' during the Christmas season...featuring live animals, drama and involving huge numbers of people. It was time for a change...and this year we presented a Christmas Dessert Theatre. The production was first class...and the caste was superb...and one could not help but hear the true message of Christmas! Christmas is the beginning...what will we do with the Christ of Christmas? Let's not leave Him in the manger.


We attended Friday night's most excellent performance...and enjoyed the wonderful desserts in the company of good friends. The caste has worked hard for a long time...and will surely be exhausted when the weekend is over...as they have had two performances each evening...and are doing one final production tonight (a black tie event).


I was proud of them all...and (although I am admittedly a little biased) I thought the page in the red tie (Broni)...and the gal with the purple ribbon in her hair (Heidi), did a great job.

Saturday night we returned...not to enjoy the musical a second time, but to serve desserts...and wash dishes...and clean up after everyone else had left. It takes a lot of hands to sponsor events such as these!

Sunday...December 14th. I had circled the date on the calendar some time ago. We were invited to a Christmas 'bloggers with a purpose' party! Sometime this past summer, a number us us joined forces to co-author an on-line cookbook...with Lovella as our fearless leader. Not only does she administer the blog...she often needs to edit our bloopers...and keep us all organized. And since many of us had never met in person...she organized a Christmas get-together for those of us who live in this area...at her home!

The house was warm and inviting...the hosts were so gracious, despite being a 'little under the weather'...and what a fine time we had! The men-folk that came along had their own little gathering...which seemed to be right near the buffet table...and for good reason!


We all brought 'a little something' to sample...and I'm sure many of the recipes can be found in the Mennonite Girls Can Cook recipe collection.

It was so good to spend the evening chatting face-to-face...and by the time the night was over we were pretty much all related. It didn't take long to discover that we all had friends or family in common. What a fun time!

And as we were leaving to go our separate ways...someone suggested a group photo. Why not? It seems those who were not able to join us had requested photos!

Pictured are (l-r) Bev, Anneliese, Lovella, Julie, Kathy and myself. Unfortunately, Trish was already on her way home, so missed out on this one. Who knows...maybe one day we'll have twice as many in our MGCC reunion photo!

Enjoy the day...and keep warm!


9 comments:

  1. You girls do such a good job on MGCC! I have it on my sidebar and have made some recipes already. I hope you keep up the good "posting". Merry Christmas to you all!

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  2. Sounds like you all had a great evening together.
    Next time I'm hoping I can be in...or I'll run out of ideas as to who can be my representative.
    I don't think we'll be walking today.

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  3. Judy. .thank you for the chilly weekend event memories.
    I feel like the girls from the praries sure wanted us to think about them too and sent that blast of cold weather. I have a whole new appreciation for cold climates.

    I loved having you all over. . .and next time we hope to have a few more join.

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  4. well i certainly am glad you "enjoyed" the cool weather and thought of us, :-).
    we certainly hope we can be with all sometime...soon.

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  5. How great to have met your blogging friends. Wow you girls really can cook. You are one of my favorite on line recipe resources.

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  6. You ladies do it all. You cook, you blog, you have wonderful families - and you all look great in your picture.

    Thanks for sharing. But, now I'm feeling kind of hungry. ;-)

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  7. Judy..thanks for the post..truly delights of the season!
    I enlarged all photos of your MGCC get together. So good to see you all and the food looks yummy!! I tried to imagine the rest of us girls squeezed on the couch for the pic..grin!
    And I am so glad you thought of us 'in that blast of cold air'!! We were there in spirit for sure and sometime in the future we will be there with 'bells on'!!

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  8. I love Christmas pageants as they help to enhance the season's message.

    I'm glad I didn't miss this post, Judy! What a nice gathering! I enlarged the photos of the food and dessert and the wonderful photo at the end of the MGCC to see your lovely faces! It's so nice you all met through blogging.

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  9. What a wonderful way to meet and eat! It all looks delicious. I'm glad you took a group photo...maybe this will become a tradition and who knows who next year will bring that way!

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson