Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Truesdales! It’s that special time of year
When we send news and greetings to our loved ones far and near.

This year was very quiet. Unusual, but true
We’re thankful for no surgeries or big changes to tell you.

Dan ministers to sick ones at Bethesda North each week.
In between, he studies hard . His Th.B. he seeks.

DJ is a driver. Seventeen he turned this year.
Cars and computers are his thing - you can keep up with him here.
(djtruesdale.blogspot.com)

Lorna is a freshman. Her piano skills she hones.
She studies hard and helps mom with duties around our home.

Benji is eight now. A diligent scholar is he.
No visits to the doctor He celebrates with glee.

Mom keeps very busy: Homeschooling, cooking, cleaning
Caring for her family gives her life a special meaning.

We hope this Christmas Season finds you and yours healthy too.
These greetings are sent to your house: A Blessed new year to you!

(For those of you who didn't receive our Christmas Greetings via snail mail, please enjoy these holiday greetings!)

Church Christmas Dinner

Jason serving Benji his salad while Dan and DJ enjoy their food.

Our church always has the nicest Christmas Dinners. They are held at the Oasis Banquet Center in Loveland, Ohio. The salads are delicious and the entree delectable. I love their chicken breast and their cook knows how to make the most tasty mashed potatoes!
Jason was our server this year. He remembered my husband from previous years so they had some good conversation this year about our church, its location, etc. It's been a positive experience for him serving our church family through the years. Maybe he'll be out to church soon! Please visit my son's blog and my pastor's wife's blog for slide shows of the dinner. We all enjoyed a very pleasurable and memorable evening as usual.

So, What Do You Want for Your Birthday, Jesus?

"Happy Birthday, Jesus! I'm so glad it's Christmas!" Please take a few moments and read the article at: http://info@elisabethcorcoran.com/column.html I promise you won't be disappointed and you'll go about the rest of the Christmas season differently.

Christmas Cookies!

These cookies look so fancy but they are some of the most inexpensive yummy cookies ever! They are a shortbread type cookie and are very fast and easy to make. A wonderful gift idea!

Chocolate Tipped Butter Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

Wilton's Chocolate Candy Wafers (like you use for melting)

Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Gradually add flour; mix well.

Shape dough into 2 1/2" x 1/2" sticks. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten three-quarters of each cookie lengthwise with tines of a fork to 1/4" thickness. Bake at 350 degrees for 12- 14 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Melt chocolate wafers in microwave. Dip unflattened tips of cookies in warm chocolate to coat both sides. Place on waxed paper until chocolate is firm. Yield: 4 dozen I I have been making these cookies since I first spotted them in the December 1990 issue of Southern Living magazine - my very first Christmas as Mrs. Dan Truesdale! They've been a Truesdale Christmas Tradition ever since! Today I made two batches!

For Christmas - Give Your Heart

I inherited this "?" (problem? blessing? habit?) from my dad - we LOVE magazines!

Considering the Greatest Giver of all time (God, our Creator who loved the world so much that He GAVE His ONLY begotten Son, that whosoever believed in Him wouldn't perish), I offer this recent gleaning from this month's issue of Mary Englebreit's Home Companion. She has (amongst other things) a really neat thought provoking page called "portfolio - heartbeats: the joy of giving". She quotes several famous people's thoughts on giving. Here are a few I really liked:

No one has ever become poor by giving. -Anne Frank, diarist, 1929-1945

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. -Winston Churchill, Bristish statesman, 1874-1965

You're a happy fellow, for you'll give happiness and joy to many other people. There is nothing better or greater than that. -Ludwig van Beethoven, composer, 1770-1827

"Everyone loves to get presents, and I'm no exception, but the best gifts we can offer each other -love, acceptance, understanding- don't come from the store. They come straight from the heart." -Mary Englebreit

This Christmas-give your heart.

Laughter, Children and Santa Clause?

Last night was our first Sunday evening practice for the Christmas Program and all the children needed to be at church by 6:00 p.m. My daughter suggested we help Janie Eisenhart out with her children by offering to pick up the oldest ones at 5:30 and taking them to practice. This would give Janie a few minutes for herself since church doesn't start until 7:30.

Ella, the next to the youngest is free entertainment. She kept us laughing the whole way to church. The funniest though, was when she told us (out of the blue), "I don't believe in all that Santa Clause stuff". Abby, who's very quiet, suddenly pipes up, "Yeah, that's because you're on the Naughty List!" I have laughed about that all day. Needless to say, Ella disagreed.

Children are SO precious. They are so transparent and lovable. I've often said, when we get to heaven and everyone is settled in, you'll find me in the Nursery or the Garden rocking or playing with all the babies. I'm sure there'll be lots - think of all the millions who've been aborted. I'll think I've died and gone to heaven- and I'll be right!

Christmas Bells!

Christmas Bells! Forty of them in all! All rung by children as they praise the Savior who came so many years ago for US! This is my Junior Church Bell Choir practicing "Night of Silence Medley" for one of their parts in our church's annual Christmas Program. It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful the music they make together is! I love working with them in this area and they LOVE being allowed to play the bells - it's a special priviledge they all look forward to!

Lebanon's Candle Lit, Horsedrawn Christmas Parade

This is the most awesome parade ever! A Truesdale Christmas tradition, this parade takes place the first Saturday in December. There are between 125 and 175 horse drawn vehicles in the parade and the streets are deeply lined with thousands of people - some with candles lit. Historic downtown Lebanon is beautifully lit for the occasion. We've only missed one year since we moved to Cincinnati 11 years ago. We did have to leave early this year because it was so bitter cold with the winter storm moving in but it was beautiful!