A better Christmas cake than last week! December 31, 2018
I’m getting better at decorating these holiday cakes, now. Instead of trying to frost half green and half red, I just decided to frost all red, and make a green Christmas tree, outlined with cinnamon drops.
It really looks much better than my previous one!
Happy holidays to all! May you enjoy happy and restful holidays, and a wonderful, healthy, and prosperous new year! Thank you for all of your readership and support during 2017.
Holiday Image (Retrieved from Happymerrychristmaswishesz.com, December 20, 2015)
‘Tis the season for happy holiday wishes! Those of you who are Christian, may you enjoy a merry Christmas. May you enjoy happy holidays regardless of what faith you may or may not practice.
My son with his Disney-themed gingerbread house (November 28, 2015, Snellville, Georgia)
One is never too old to enjoy some holiday fun of building and decorating gingerbread houses, which is what my son and I did today. WalMart now offers a large variety of gingerbread houses and cookies to decorate. Just in the past couple of years, the many choices of gingerbread houses have exploded onto the scene.
Showing off my Hello Kitty-themed gingerbread house (November 28, 2015, Snellville, Georgia)
This year, I bought Disney and Hello Kitty-themed gingerbread houses at WalMart, made by Brand Castle at BrandCastle.com in Bedford Heights, Ohio. They were a little more pricey than the usual style, but for $3 more each, it was worth it. The cookies not only came with frosting and candies, but also cardboard and plastic platforms. The cookies were extremely well-packaged, and none of them were broken upon opening the boxes.
Examples of Character-Themed Gingerbread Houses by Brand Castle
While we never create and/or decorate gingerbread houses that look nearly as nice as what the pictures on the boxes show, we always have fun. And, another great thing about building and decorating gingerbread houses is that they can also be eaten – yet an additional way to enjoy our work! Happy holidays!
Happy Thanksgiving! (Retrieved from http://www.vintag.es, November 27, 2014)
On Thanksgiving, what I am always most thankful for is my family. My family is always there for me in thick and thin. My family has weathered many storms and enjoyed sunny days together; I can count on my family for love, compassion, and support, and I provide the same to them. I don’t have a very large family, nor do I have much money, but I have a big heart, full of lots of love. My love is shared with and among my family, for whom I am most thankful on Thanksgiving and every day.
Other things for which I am thankful include food, faith, community, freedom, education, technology, career, and health. I am thankful for food, though it is not easy to get by from month to month with food prices continuing to rise. I appreciate my faith because, if it was not for that, I would not be where I am today, and things would likely be much worse. I am grateful for community, such as organizations that provide fellowship, to my family.
I am always thankful for freedom and I remember my grandmother’s stories about when she lived in Communist Poland, with people fearing for their lives when homes were raided in the middle of the night and people were never seen again. I am grateful for education, though the large debt required to pay for it is a hardship. I appreciate technology that makes life easier. And, I am thankful for career in many capacities, including that of being a mother, as well as for the potential of a stable gainful and enjoyable employment in a workplace with decent people, if that is ever attainable. I am thankful for my good health so I do not have to pay out-of-pocket to see the doctor as a result of being without health insurance.
So often, organizations such as colleges, churches, and charities have fundraising drives to help give to those in need. When I am asked to donate, I reply that I could benefit from some assistance, myself. As a poor single white mother, so often such places overlook people such as myself, as has occurred again this year. People in my shoes are reduced to begging for even a little bit in return. People may maintain the perspective that whites have privilege and that is definitely a stereotype that hurts poor white single mothers such as myself because the majority of any aid, as I observe, goes to people of other races.
I am also thankful for the holes in some of my shabby clothes and worn-out shoes, the place that I live even though it is not my own, the student loans that provide opportunity, my nearly decade-old vehicle that is still in great shape, and that sacrifices that I am able to make for the benefit of my family. I am thankful for the $15 haircut that I get every two months instead of going to a salon and spending loads of money, and the $3 bottle of fingernail polish that I can use for a manicure or pedicure instead of going someplace to have it done for me. I am grateful for the free lunch that I eat twice each week at my apprenticeship, and for the store closing sale at the local KMart where I can save a few dollars on Christmas gifts for my son. I am thankful for what little I have because more is always spent than saved.
These are additional reasons why I am thankful for my family, particularly at Thanksgiving. Every so often, there is that rare person who comes along who might be caring and/or supportive, but with my family, I know they will always be there, in good and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer. People should be more important than money and possessions, and indeed, my family is most important to me.
So, on this Thanksgiving, I invite you to think about family, values, and people in need. Think about and be thankful for people who are close to you. Think about people whom you see at work or in church every week who have little or nothing, and who are usually overlooked in their need. Take action on what you can do rather than what you cannot. Open your heart and mind to see what you do not want to see, and take action for what you otherwise would not have done. A little bit goes a long way, especially for folks who don’t have much.
Happy Thanksgiving! Remember what you are thankful for!
[Author’s Note: Within one day of posting this article, I was solicited by a man on LinkedIn, out-of-state, to contact him by whatever means necessary. People really need to get their heads out of the gutter, and be open to simply being helpful to those in need without being offensive and/or wanting something (inappropriate) in return. Solicitation is so offensive, degrading, and dehumanizing to me; is nothing that I have ever done; and it is incredible to me that so many men (I’ve experienced this many times on LinkedIn) do it. It is unfortunate and tragic for humanity that there are those who attempt (and succeed) in taking advantage of people in need in a sexual manner.]
Stop Bullying (Retrieved from http://www.ftajax.com/bullying/ on December 27, 2013)
Last week, I attended a particular all-boy holiday gathering with my son and his dad. We are brand new to the group, and began meeting the boys and their families who are in the group (but for one family whom we already knew) that evening. My former spouse and I sat at a large round table with our son, and many other boys came and filled up our table. Our son sat among the boys, including next to his new friend whom he made through school. My Ex and I were the only adults at the table with the boys who were aged 10-12 years old.
During the meal of this gathering, one boy approached another boy and began bullying him. I knew that both boys were brothers and passed judgment on them that they probably behave in such ways in private, much as I often see older brothers do with younger brothers. My son, who was sitting next to the younger boy who was being bullied by his older and bigger brother, told him to “stop bullying.” The boy who was being bullied completed the catch phrase – “speak up” – that has been seen on an anti-bullying TV commercial. The older boy told my son to “shut up” as he messed with his younger brother, the older boy physically pushing his younger brother on his head. My son stood up to the older boy, and he backed down and walked away from them.
During this interaction, I told my son from across the table not to get involved. First, we were new to the group and did not really know the nuances of the interactions between the boys. Secondly, I was concerned for my son’s safety, and did not desire for him to be hurt in some way by the older, bigger boy. My son, however, knows what it is like to be bullied, and he does not like it. He knows that I generally stand up to bullying, and I can see that my efforts have had a positive effect on him.
I later kissed and hugged my son for his involvement in stopping the bullying that occurred. I told my son that I was very proud of him. I also explained my reasons to him for not wanting him to get involved, however he saw that bullying is bullying, no matter who it is directed toward. He did not want to see it happening, and he took a stand against and stopped it. While he was uncomfortable about the situation, he was also proud of himself – and rightly so – that he could help someone and make a positive difference for him. The situation also boosted his confidence level. He was able to help the underdog, as he has all too often been in many situations, especially in school as well as within this boys’ organization on a broader scope.
In the past, I have also stood up against bullying – not within this individual boys’ organization in which we are new – but within other groups associated with this national boys’ organization. The organization is supposed to promote goodness, kindness, and Christianity among the boys. And, when a mom such as myself does not see that happening – and when my son also does not observe it occurring – we have stood up, made our voices heard, and taken steps to attempt to stop the bullying – not only among the boys, but also among adults, as well. Sometimes, we have been successful, but most times, we have not.
Even so, the experience that my son had in standing up to and stopping bullying is a small victory. Not only is it a victory for the boy who was being bullied by his older brother, it is a victory for my son, too. He can place himself in the shoes of another person who is being bullied because he has all too often been bullied by so many. The amount of bullying that he has experienced is incredible.
Now, at 10, my son is at an age where he feels confident enough to actually stand up to bullying. When I did not want to stand up to bullying, he did. That is also a victory for me, as well – my own son stood up to and stopped bullying. I have taught him something, standing up for the right thing; and for that, I am very proud of him and know that I have made a positive difference in his life. 🙂
Note: This article has also been published, separately, in my anti-bullying group in LinkedIn, “People Against Retaliation and Bullying” on December 27, 2013.
Pointsettia, December 2013
I would like to wish everyone the joy and blessings of the holiday season, and a happy and healthy new year. Merry Christmas to those who observe the Christian celebration of Jesus’ birth. Happy holidays to those who observe other religious celebrations.
Especially, I would like to recognize and thank my parents and the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. John Neumann Church in Lilburn, Georgia for all of your help and support to my son and I during the past year. Thank you so much!
May God bless us all.
