A Little Less Cold and A Little Bit of Christmas...

Hello there,
Today is a little less cold out than yesterday! The temperature is a slightly balmier 16 degrees Fahrenheit this morning. It was 14 degrees F. yesterday at the highest point in the day. It is funny though. Most of the time when I feel a right to complain or whine about the weather, I can't pick up the phone to call my brother to complain. He will always put me in my place without trying. He lives up in Maine. He will nonchalantly tell me what the weather is there. Be it a temperature, inches of snow or something like that, he can usually put me in my place unintentionally. I have never had to plug in my car to start it in the morning (so the oil doesn't gel up), nor have I ever had to deal with frost heaves in the road, or shovel snow off my roof to prevent the weight of it caving in my roof (or whatever else it prevents). I think those types of things are one reason that generally people are nicer and more neighborly up in Maine. They have to be to survive. I have been to Maine as late in the year as October or as early in the year as March. I have seen wintery weather in both those months, but nothing like my brother sees. So therefore I won't complain anymore today.

I wanted to show some photos of some more Christmasy things here. One set of pics is a gingerbread house from a kit that we made where I work. It is not fabulous, but I think it's charming. It looks a little more Easter-like in its colors. We embellished it with frosting and few extras that didn't come with the kit. It was made by Wilton. I am disappointed with their kit. It is not as nice as previous years we made them using other brands.


The other photos are from the town of West Haven, Connecticut and some of their Christmas displays on the town Green. There weren't any events going on when I was there, so it is not lit up and its not in its full glory. I will try to get back and share more photos on a more active day if I can. It was a cloudy and cold day (though not as cold as today), so the photos aren't bright.
I do love the stuff the towns do for the little kids, ect. I grew up in West Haven and have memories of visiting Santa in a similar set up there.





Well I hope you enjoyed the photos. I hope you come back soon to visit. Thanks for taking the time to share with me.
Til next time,
Mary Ellen
Don't forget to do some Christmas shopping http://www.zazzle.com/santa_bunny_postage_stamps-172437602660904672!
That page will lead you to some lovely holiday bunny postage stamps, but check out other fun things there as well. Thanks!
Have a wonderful day.

It is a prematurely bitter cold day for December....

Hello friend,
Thank you for joining me. It is bitter cold outdoors. It is only 14 degrees Fahrenheit outside today in the sun. For Connecticut in early December that is quite unusual. We have been doing things to keep the use of the running the oil furnace down to save money on oil and to just conserve. On days like this one can really feel the chill.

Outdoors the rabbit water bottles are freezing up and we need to go outdoors to change them several times a day. Most of our rabbits are indoors now, but a few are outdoors. The good thing is that this weather usually won't last long this time of year. I am not psychologically prepared for a bitter cold snap yet. The good thing is that I have today off from work and didn't have to try to start the car or sit in it waiting for it to warm up on a cold dark morning.

I have been doing a little Christmas shopping online and also watched a movie. My husband is correcting student papers in another room of the house. It is nice to cuddle up and relax for a change of pace during this busy holiday season. If only I had some cocoa in the house. Oh well. This is a good time for a hot soak in a nice long bath. And again, if only I had some cocoa in the house. I think this is the day that has spurred me into getting an essential like that for next few months ahead.

I don't drink cocoa often anymore, but there are some days like this when nothing else will do! I hope you are warm, safe and having a good day. I have to count my blessings and hope all is well for everyone else as well. As much as we may struggle with things in this economy or in other situations, in my own opinion anyway, I believe it is best to remember that things could always be worse. I have been in much worse situations and therefore count my blessings and pray for those who may need it more than me at the moment.

I wish you all a warm and comfortable day. I pray that you are without worry as you read this. Have a great day! Thanks for joining me.
Til next time,
Mary Ellen

Photos and video are from the New Haven Green Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration

Hi there,
Thanks for joining me. These photos and video are from the New Haven Green Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration on December 3rd, 2009. Please check them out and enjoy the visit!


These gingerbread houses are ones that I had taken a photo of before during the day and are in another post. This is at night and are much better! Look at the work in them. You can click on them to see the detail!

There were live models instead of mannequins in the windows of the stores on Chapel Street. They were so good at what they did, one may have thought him or herself intoxicated when they moved!



Click on the tree images below to see them much better.

This is the horse drawn carriage we had a wonderful and very friendly ride on.


This is a video of a group of acapella carolers from Yale University on Chapel Street in New Haven. They had such a wonderful sound!


Thank you for letting me share this nice experience with you. It is a fun thing to go out into your community to experience things like this. It can help put you into the spirit. It doesn't cost much to park or take a walk depending on your situation. Many communities do stuff like this at this time of year. I hope you check this type of thing out in your area and leave a comment about what your experience is.

Thanks for joining me.
'Til next time,
Mary Ellen

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