Lesson 731: Cozy Cards

It's January, Readers,

and it's certainly about to feel like it outside.

Brrr!

Erie is heading into a cold one.

But nothing is too cold for the little neighbor kids.

They love to sled ride.

When the weather is cold outside,

I try to make the inside as cozy as possible.

I put up some winter decorations

to remind us that even though I'm cold,

I'm still blessed with a nice warm home.

I enjoy these Christmas inspired artworks

that they stay up all year.

Go tell it on the mountain!

Sing the good news from every street corner.

I found this cozy church that lights up.

My little bird friends are lining up to go inside

and pray for their friend who got his face eaten off

by two ferocious beasts.

These cozy deer,

and this cozy little bird sit near my reading chair.

Yes, that's how I have to wear my ring for this photo set.

I still can't get in on my finger from the damage I did to it

about a month ago.

I had the tiniest of cuts on the edge that got infected

and my pointer swelled to the size of a fat sausage.

I was minutes away from cutting the ring off 

to save my finger and its never been the same since.

I might have to find one in a larger size.

My favorite snowman photo frame smiles at me.

Ellen thought this was her for well over a decade.

It was just the kid who came with the frame.

I never found the right photo to fit in there.

She told us she had been living a lie.

I finished this book this week.

Boy, was it different and I loved it--

kept me guessing until the very end.

I like to put my photo cards on my kitchen cabinets 

to look at throughout the winter.

I love to see your smiling faces!

I have a contest for my traditional cards without photos.

I choose my favorites and set them along the windowsill by the sink.

Lord knows I spend enough time on the dishes!

Still waiting for mine to arrive?
My goal is to have them out before Valentine's Day.

Here are the ones I picked for this year.

This sparkly manger scene 

from the good folks at South Harborcreek United Methodist Church.

This Peanuts card from my parents,

who like to cover all the bases.

This nature scene with woodland animals

from the Z's.

I love this one from my mom.

She sent me this one special--

just for me.

I loved this from my sister and brother in law.

This perfect reminder from Cousin Polly.

This one came to Penny and Hazel.

I love the trio of snow people

from an unnamed sender--

she forgot to sign the card.

The unsigned card was not the only mystery.

So was the identity of the sender of this card.

I must have opened it and tossed the envelope.

It reminds me of Sam retrieving Penny 

when she runs to the park in pursuit of a feral cat.

It was signed this:

We are trying to figure of if that's a J or an L

I would have thought I had mistakenly received

the neighbor's mail and opened it,

but my name was at the top.

My real first name,

not my penname.

In the chance of offending a parent of a student,

or a casual acquaintance,

I do rightfully apologize.

It is completely bothering me that "Mr. Ray"

is not triggering any sort of recall.

His he a husband?

A boyfriend?
A pet?

We spent a cozy night in a gym

quite a winter's hike from home.

Due to an absence on the varsity squad,

Sam got in his first varsity game

in the final minutes of game play.

It was fun for watching him play.

He played in a gym that displayed an honor 

of his coach:

I had much more fun watching the bleacher bums

of the opposing team.

They were a spirited bunch that I remembered

from the football season.
They cheered their hearts out.

They brought with them some cozy cards of their own

to Hawaiian night.

Clever little buggers, aren't they?

We won,

in more ways than one.

Stay warm,

Eloise