Santa & His Elves Cocoa Party

I love having parties! 

We invited our neighbors kids over this morning for a little cocoa party to bring them

 Christmas cheer before Christmas Day. These kids are adorable!

 Freckles has been babysitting them for this last year. 

We wanted to make it a special time for them.

 We decorated the table all fancy with Santa mugs and elves

 (who were on there best behavior today)

 and wintery things.

 We added English Christmas Poppers and paper crowns..

.Snow donuts, cocoa, chocolate chips, sprinkles and marshmallows to top it off.

It was fun...Even though they only lasted an hour...

But it was a fun, festive hour.

Finally...

What a blessing to finally get a bunch of rain. If you didn't know...California was hit with a very bad dry drought spell. Everything was dying, it had been hot and the reservoirs were dried up. Any little bit of rain we got many months ago only lasted a day and was not enough to water or fill up anything. It was getting to where we couldn't use as much water to wet the grass and stuff. The Lord is good...It has been pouring cats and dogs for a couple days now...Just what we have desperately needed around here. It has also cooled down, yet we have had to endure high humidity which makes you feel warm and as if you were in a sauna. It has been nice...Listening to the rain on the rooftop, coming down, snuggled up in some cozy slippers and an afghan, sipping a nice cup of chai tea with marshmallows on top in a Santa mug. Yeah...Now that's what I'm talkin' about!!!

I know some people dread the rain...Not me....It has been so nice. Reminds me so much of back home, in Washington. Sure it rains and snows there, but boy is it beautiful and green there. I miss it quite a bit at times. I miss having snow every year. I loved watching my kids play out in the snow and have a snow ball fight or build snowmen....Or to open our mouth and let the snowflakes fall tight in. Well anyway. The rain is a good thing around these parts. Now it's time to deck the halls and start the baking and making.

California Winter

While there are many states in our Country in the middle of snow storms and cold harsh Winters. Us Californians are enjoying a very mild Winter. It is hard to call this Winter at all. But, it is still the season. California has endured a very mild Winter. Not a lot of snow in the mountains and deemed to be in the middle of a drought and to top it off the temperature is quite warm. We have hardly experienced any rain at all...

I will however let you in on a secret. LOL.

Californians are wimps when it comes to Winter around here. We bundle up like it is a snowstorm when it is in the 40's or 50's. We need some excuse to wear all those cute Wintery outfits, hats and scarves too... When it rains it pours.... People can't handle the sprinkles here, let alone drive in it. I will admit I am freezing if it's below 70 degrees. I bundle up in my house and turn up the heat just to be toasty. I just chuckle to myself. Seeing all the freezing cold pictures people post on the web. All the wonderful Winter Wonderland frigid cold pictures and here we are in

 California basking in the sun. 

This last week, The Good Lord sent us some rain... 

It is so refreshing to have the water falling from the sky. It is so needed here. 

Our grass was looking pretty brown, the plants were dying....

 I feel like a kid in a candy store just to have a little bit of rain. 

And that is what we call Winter in California.

Looking Back....

         
First I want to start off by thanking each one of you who kindly stopped by and left the sweetest encouraging comments over the weekend. Each one, each thought and each prayer is a blessing to me which I appreciate with all my heart. Thank you.
***
As the New Year recently rang in just a short couple of weeks
 ago. I wanted to reflect on the past year we had...I looked back into my past year of posts, which is always fun to do. Seeing my kids grow up before my eyes, the comings, the goings the changes...
the good times, the hard times and blessed by what is to come. I don't know what is to come at this moment....Yet overwhelmed by the now of not knowing, yet trying to be content...Then the BIG changes in our family life...Which I promise to share very soon. There are moments of sadness and tears that flow...yet the reassurance in my faith that God has it all under control.
He has a great plan for all of us. This last year was filled with many blessings and true friendships were sown into our life...Our faith has only grown stronger through the hard times and the hurdles we currently have to overcome now will grow us even more. I pray not only our lives will be better  in this New Year 2013...But that your lives will be filled with goodness, love and laughter..
Here's to a wonderful New Year ahead.....

Happy New Year 2013

     
Here's to a wonderful
 NEW YEAR
ahead.