Soda Shoppe Week of December 25

[JoanFL]

SODA SHOPPE for week of December 25

[JoanFL]

Good Sunday morning, Everyfriend.  There's pancakes and sausage to go with your coffee or tea.  I wish you ALL a blessed and Merry Christmas.

Thanks to Phyllis for her awesome “Emmanuel” graphic creation which we are using this week.

Chuckles

Riddles

What do you call a bunch of Grandmasters of chess bragging about their games in a hotel lobby?
Chess nuts boasting in an open foyer!


Q: What do elves learn in school?
A: The Elf-abet!

Q: If athletes get athletes foot, what do astronauts get?
A: Missile toe!

Q: What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
A: Frostbite.

Q: Where do polar bears vote?
A: The North Poll.

Q: What do you get if you deep fry Santa Claus?
A: Crisp Cringle.

Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?
A: Claustrophobic.

Q: If Santa rode a motorcycle, what kind would it be?
A: A Holly Davidson.

Q: What did the grape say to the raisin?
A: 'Tis the season to be jelly.

Food For Thought

Perfect Timing

Scripture Reading â€" Galatians 4:4-7
The time came for the baby to be born …
â€"Luke 2:6 â€"
The label said, “Don’t Open Until Christmas,” but the grandchildren cried, “Hurry up; open it!”
Patience is a virtue, and we recognize the importance of perfect timing. But we often have a hard time waiting. This is especially true when we are hurting and want relief, or we are anticipating something special.
The same holds true in relation to God’s work in our lives. We suffer a loss, wrestle with what seems to be unanswered prayer, or face a spiritual struggle, and soon we cry, “Hurry up, God!” We wonder why God hasn’t acted, and the “delay” often causes us to question God.
Or how about when we reflect on Christ’s second coming? We eagerly long for a world free from sin, Satan defeated, injustices set right, and all things made new. So we cry, “Come, Lord Jesus; come quickly.”
For ages believers waited for the birth of the Savior and won-dered, “How long?” But God was not slow. He had a plan, and in the fullness of timeâ€"when the time was ripeâ€"God sent Jesus.
In our lives, as we wait for God’s help or for the second coming, we remember God’s promise that “those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). God might not come when we want, but we can trust himâ€"his timing is perfect.
Prayer
Lord, we see the present, but you grasp eternity. We view only a part; you understand the whole. Help us to trust your wisdom. Renew us and your world, we pray. Amen.

Thought of the Day

"Christmas ... Is not an external event at all, but a piece of one's home that one carries in one's heart."

~ Freya Stark

[Amy]

Merry Christmas everyone..

We had a great time yesterday,ate way to much ,so today will be easy eating....sent food home with the kids as it would take forever to eat it all here. I did keep the ham bone for pea soup though..
We are just having a quiet day here today,lots of left overs that I don't have to think of what to prepare.No new snow to remove, that is a blessing to me.

Joan, thank you for the breakfast.

Enjoy your day everyone.

[Lloyd Hammond]

 Vanilla-Jackie and Bis good to see you two. we had a great day yesterday .
the girls cleaned up the kitchen and put thing away. they picked the rest of the meat off of the turkey and bagged it up. the youngest girl took care of the finishing touches to the meat Packing.she said she puts water in it and puts it in the freezer that way no drying or freezer burn. when taking it out and thawing
out pour water off or use it in soups all ready. food for thought. Have a great day great day.

Lloyd

[Lloyd Hammond]

Good morning Amy sounds like we duplicated each other pretty much. have a great day. we plan a easy day today also.

Lloyd

Nancy and I both grew up poor as church mice so we tend to horde food now.
we have both a chest and a upright and a side by side mostly full of food + all
sorts of canned fruit's and veggies.

[JoanFL]

Good morning, Amy.  Glad you had such a nice day yesterday.  GREAT you don't have to dance with any snow removal devices.

Lloyd--Good morning.  That's a good tip about putting water in with the turkey you are going to freeze.

[JaneS]

Merry Christmas Everyfriend!  Yesterday was a busy day for me also.  Boy!  Was I ever tired when my son brought me home around 10:30!  But it was such a nice ride home...we talked about things that we don't usually talk about and it was quiet and kind of serious.  I don't get to see this side of him very often.  I really do love my kids but the best part is knowing that they love me, too!

I didn't get to church yesterday or last night so I'm going at 10 this morning.  I was 6 the first time I was taken to Midnight Mass.  This is the first time in 75 years that I haven't gone to midnight mass.  It felt very strange!

Enjoy your families every chance you get.  Cherish them!

[JoanFL]

Good morning, Janie.  It's nice when we get that one-on-one time with our children.  I do cherish my family.  It would be better if they didn't all live so far away.

[Shirley]

   Good Morning & Merry Christmas    Cats still get hungry on Christmas so must take care of that before getting dressed for church.  Foggy, misty and much too mild for this time of year, but planning on having a loving day with memories of years past, church & breakfast with oldest son & his family, youngest son & significant other to come by this afternoon and daughter to come to town for the week tomorrow.  Weather guessers still talking about possible strong T-storms this afternoon but sure isn't a day for wearing UGGs.  Wishing a wonderful day to all and a day safe from crazies that want to harm others.  God Bless ~ Shirley      

[Joy]

Good morning, Joan, and Merry Christmas to all the friends who follow.

Sending best wishes for a Merry Christmas,  Happy Hanukah, and a Very Happy New Year !!!

Hope everyone will have a special day with friends and family.

Joy

[JoanFL]

Good morning, Shirley.  Enjoy every minute of your time with family.

Joy--Good morning and thank you. 

[CallieOK]

Merry Christmas!
I'm the first one awake..­.  mainly because I needed to change positions after Sleeping in a different bed. .Noone young enough to be up to See what Santa brought,
  Had a very foggy "midnight ride" but it looks brighter outside this morning.
Looking forward to a Great Day with the family.

May Every friend be blessed as we remember the reason for this Season .

[larryhanna]

Merry Christmas to you all.  We are going to have a beautiful day here with a sunny sky and temperatures getting up to 70 degrees this afternoon.  I will attend the 11 am service at Church this morning (there is no Sunday School today).  Scott will be here later this afternoon for our Christmas dinner and small gift exchange.  I did complete my project of getting the Christmas Concert that I recorded converted into an MP4 file format and put together and onto a DVD to give to the lady at Church who requested it. 

Callie, I think I failed to wish you a Happy Birthday so I will do it now:  Happy Birthday Callie. 

Joan, I did not attend the Candlelight Service last night.

Mary Ann, the Jigsaw Explorer is as close to the old Brainsbreaker jigsaw puzzles that I have found to play on my Chromebook.  I try to do the two new puzzles they feature each day although only got one done yesterday.  Enjoy those chocolates. 

Jackie, that is a pretty graphic. 

Phyllis, that news concerning your brother is certainly a downer.  I hope you can keep your thoughts on the good times you have had with him over the years and thus enjoy today. 

June, I bet your living facility will take good care of you all even if it is an employee holiday.  I hope you slept well last night.  Glad you have started using your new laptop.  I have never adjusted to the touch pad, although it is handy with a laptop. 

Joan, I copied your riddles and will use them to have some added fun at the dinner table this afternoon (if I can remember to do so). 

I hope all have a joyous day today.

[Vanilla-Jackie]

You will never guess? " of course you will...."    what film is now showing on our telly....the main character is called George Bailey.....

We are having an early Christmas dinner, will be ready by 3.30pm....R is pan boiling his veg, whilst I am steaming mine...Toby of course will get a small share of everything that's left...

No we're dishing up now...

[Mary Ann]

Merry Christmas to everyone.  I am missing church because of my awful looking face following surgery.  Dot's son and wife from Chicago are here so she won't be going either.  If they were open today, the Cholesterol Pit (aka Mr Burger) would miss us, but they are closed for the day.  They're good to their employees, closing on certain holidays.

Annie was here last night to help her dad wrap gifts.  They even wrapped mine - even those to them.  We will have our "big" Christmas Monday morning at Terry and Jan's.  Their son, Geoff, and his pregnant wife, Charissa, are here from California.  Tom's kids, Annie, James and his also pregnant wife, Alicia, will be here from Holland MI and Tim's daughter, Paula and her husband, Eric, will be here with their 11-month old daughter, Avery, from Eaton Rapids MI.  We will pick up Dot and drive to Terry and Jan's, who live with her parents (or vice versa) so we will have a good crowd.

Dot and I used to go to our Christmas Eve service at church when it was at 11 pm.  Our family party kind of interfered with our going because we gathered at Norm and Dot's and there usually were family still there when it was time to leave.  A few years ago, Church changed the service to 10 pm and that made it impossible for us to go.  And now, since neither of us drives at night, we just forget it. 

Mary Ann

[Sandy]

  Merry Christmas  and  Happy Hanukkah!   

[halkel]

Good Christmas Morning.
Waiting on skype call to our Granddaughter in France and the family to arrive here from their various sleeping arrangements last night, simply not enough room at our house anymore.

I hope Santa Clause was good to all, and you got what you wanted.

God Bless us all on this our Saviors birthday.

[JoanFL]

Good morning, Callie.  It was very foggy here this morning, too.  Enjoy being with your family as we all "remember the reason for the season".

Larry--Good morning.  It's supposed to get into the 80s here today.  Weather people say it's the warmest Christmas in 25 years.  Glad you are going to have some fun with the riddles.

Good morning,  Mary Ann.  You are going to have a pretty big gathering tomorrow morning.  Enjoy making memories.

Sandy--Good morning and thank you.

Good morning halkel.  Indeed, Santa Claus was good to me.

[Shirley]

I'm back & thinking about a nap.... been to Mass and took the kids to Denny's for "whatever sounded good"... and struggled through that Grand Slam breakfast myself.  Mind you, I had an egg, 2 pieces of toast & cup of coffee before going to church.  My tummy doesn't believe in starving~~

Reading back over posts I discovered I failed to comprehend that you had a birthday yesterday, Callie... I called my sister last night to wish her a Happy Birthday along with Merry Christmas since she shares this day with the Christ child.  Sounds like you had a wonderful day & know your day with the family will be outstanding.  Hugs to you, my friend, and wishing you many more happy birthdays to share with us. 

Phyll, my sincere sympathy for the sad news about your brother.  I feel like I know him since we don't live that far from each other.  If you decide to come back for a visit "before it's too late"..... I offer my services if you need a ride, but like I've had to tell my kids, "I don't drive after dark". 

I'd better go mix up the meat spread before any of the family shows up.... will have "munchies" for anyone that shows up at my table this week. 

I love hearing about the close knit clans..... and I have a pang when sometimes the blood family is scarce but know it really helps to come find this online family ready & happy to fill in.  God Bless all of you this day, week and year.  Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, and may the God that watches over all, grant us peace.

[Radioman34]

Merry Christmas to all from beautiful Collingwood Ontario

[JoanFL]

Shirley--I am about ready to go see if I can nap.

Radioman--Thank you.

[angelface555]

Good morning everyone from a dark, warm and cozy Interior!

I hope everyone is happy and having a wonderful holiday with family and friends! I am hiding out today and enjoying the peace and quiet. Farrah made me realize yesterday just how far she's grown from that frightened cat she was back on the second of May and from those two months hiding under my bed. Last night I was laying on my side on the couch, reading from my kindle and had vaguely noticed Farrah moving to the floor beside "her" end of the couch by the white afghan.

Then she made a small, low "ermm" sound and I looked up and over. She looked at me, then at my sprawled legs in her way and back at me, again with the low ermm. I moved my legs up, out of her way and she leapt, kneaded the afghan once or twice, settled and went to sleep.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANUKKAH TO ALL AND MAY 2017 BRING HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND PEACE TO ALL!

[angelface555]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGr6B6Rp4PU

Luciano Pavarotti and Ava Maria.....Beautiful!

[JoanFL]

angelface--Farrah certainly is no comfortable with you and her surroundings.  Thanks for the greeting and the link.

[Lindancer]

Merry Christmas, on this very warm day. Sun shineing bright and no wind. Very quite around here, as every neighbor had gone to be with family. My neighbor across the street that always has me over to their house,  went overnight to stay with their son who just got married, and wants them there for their first Christmas in their new home.
   last night before they left they brought me over a surprise Christmas Eve dinner, from my favorite sea food rest. which I enjoyed very much, had enough left over for to day.
June, I am also glad you are in a safe place, so everyone can look after you.
Joan, thanks for looking after all of us to day, like you do always. Phyllis such a nice meaningful graphic.  My thoughts also go with you for the loss of your brother.
  Larry nice you, Pat and Scott can all be together.
  WE are still thinking of you Sun and Molly. Merry Christmas if you are just reading. Jackie, I guess and other day is starting for you, but I am still saying HI!
  Callie, a late Happy Birthday.
  To all my other cyber friends Lloyd, Amy Don, Jane, Hal, Shirley, Joy, JeanneLee, I hope you all had a grand day with friends and family, and Santa left you all the things you wanted. Sorry if I left someone out, but this old brain just holds so much.
   Gloria, I am just sending you a wave across the Sound to RI, also happy you can be with your family.

[JoanFL]

Linedancer--I was alone today, too.  Two different neighbors brought me plates of dinner and many kinds of desserts.  There's enough for three or four days.  Nice that your neighbors got you a dinner before they left.

[Lindancer]

Joan, we could have had a pity party together, but we are so lucky to be able to get out once in a while, and still have our homes we can get around in with a little help. I just wrote in another post Jess called to day, he is getting around better each day with a walker.  Remember last May we thought he would never walk again. With Gods help, and all the prays from my friends in here he is walking. I have so much to be thankful for

[JaneS]

I'm all in but my shoestrings and if I had any shoestrings, I fear they'd be in, too.  It's been a busy (and happy) couple of days!  I've done more visiting and hugging than I usually do in month of Sundays!  I love having family around and we're a family that hugs a lot so I have enough extra to last me a while.  I wish I could share some of them with those of you who didn't get any.  Oh what the heck    those are for anyone who would like one from me!

[June Drabek]

Janie....I just snatched one of those nice hugs you were giving away. I have had a very quiet and peaceful day. Went to Church, then on to a big turkey dinner, and home to nap, read, nap, read....haven't touched the computer till now..a rarity for me.

Had a nice warm telephone visit with son Dan. All is well there. He and his wife take home Chinese food on New Years Day...their own little tradition. I am still stuffed from lunch so will have something light here at home.

Have a Good Night dear ones and a happy, healthful tomorrow. God Bless you and keep you in His loving care.

[Shirley]

Linedancer, Gloria, thank you for letting us know the wonderful news about Jess.  It is amazing what prayer and lots of will power can do.  Please pass on my good wishes & congratulations to him, thanks for the update.

JaneS, I'm so tired I took my shoes off~~ a non-stop day, great day but now & then a sad moment when a fleeting memory passes through my mind of so many family & friends missing.  It has been a wonderful life.

Thank you, Patricia, I'm listening to Ava Maria for the 3rd time....  I've got to spend more time with the cats, they really do enjoy having no computer to play 2nd fiddle to when we are camping.  Each wants their own time & space, they don't share very nice, unless something scares them, then I find them huddled together.

Joan, thank you for all the time you spend keeping us rolling in here..... I don't know how you do it but "you are the glue..........."

One more Merry Christmas 2016 from me.....

I never got that nap so will see if cats want to come inside before I close my eyes, I may not wake up until morning.  Our storms came through fast, strong winds & off & on pouring rain, but much warmer than I ever remember on Christmas.

Good night, June, and tell Dan we would love to see more of his outstanding photos!