Happy New Year!

It's the hap, happiest time - - - of the year!  New Year's Eve is my favorite night of the year!  Those of you who know me - well that would just be my sister/bff who reads my blog - know that I am a creature who is always wanting to "start over" and "get it right".  This year my sister/bff Tami asked me, "So Teri just what is it that you want to start over? what do you want to get right?"   Wow I had never been asked that question!  I just know that I always plan to lose weight - exercise - sleep - and read more - be calmer - pray more - seek wisdom - - - and each new month - I start over . . . and fail by the 2nd or 3rd of each month!!

We have never celebrated New Year's Eve in a traditional way - don't have a certain place we go, certain people we spend it with, or certain food we eat - although the last 2-3 years we have been home - kids were busy with other obligations - and so we have had a "fancy smancy" dinner party with our parents!  My mom and dad and Clay's dad and his girl friend live near by and so they join us for the eve! 

My tree is down - and yet still I have my favorite Christmas decorations still out - candles and my nativity scene - afterall - the Wisemen didn't actually make it to see the baby Jesus for two years - so can't stash the nativity scene away before they have time to arrive!!  But it's the table that I focus on for this New Year's Eve extravaganza . . . and I use the color gold - BECAUSE - as our daughter graduated from Emporia State University in 2007 - and colors were black and gold - I have lots of gold!  Leftover "chargers" that I did not realize were even chargers???  thought they were platters - - - but they are sparkling gold and look perfect under my white/gold china.  This year I threw in white and gold candle holders and candles.  So fun to try and recreate some of the Home and Garden ideas - or Martha Stewart moments - or Good Housekeeping Dec. issue beautiful table scapes!

Be back later . . . guests are arriving :)

Once again it's 10:30 p.m. and guests have gone home - don't usually see the New Year in with the parents - but it was still a fun evening - and now Clay and I are left alone to watch the latest football game or a couple of crazy guys jump a 300 foot river on snowmobile and motorcycles - simultaneously!  Can't wait to see!

So back to what it is that I really want to start over with? or do differently in 2012??  I have decided to set more realistic goals - yes lose a few pounds - and yes go to the gym each week - take care of myself - but this year - I'm going to focus on "focusing less"  - - - relax and enjoy life - stop thinking that I have failed - - - and starting over - - - just to fail again - - - and start over . . . I am going to read more books - I am going to ride my bicycle more (love it) just for fun - Going to listen more and talk less - And always - going to count my blessings! 

Happy New Year!  

The Blessings of (tiny) Christmas Traditions

I began my blog in 2010 as a special place to come to share my many blessings.  As I mentioned in an earlier post - I do have many blessings - but as you can see - I do not get an A+ for blogging about them!! 

I admire my younger (but not that much younger) sister who also blogs - and she actually shared in this Advent Tour on Dec. 13th.  She is a wonderful writer, as are many of you whom I have been reading!  So you inspire me to keep on trying!

So - I will share with you my BLESSINGS found in a few of my favorite Christmas traditions.  Some will seem so trivial - you may say - "is that a tradition, really???"  But to me - yes it will be. These are not your typical "family traditions."  These are "Teri Traditions" meant just for me - thought of by me - enjoyed only by me and well three other "besties" of mine! 

Teri Tradition #1 - Purchasing a Yankee Christmas Candle and lighting it every evening starting the weekend after Thanksgiving!  My tried and true has always been "Christmas Eve".  Love this scent so much that I gave one to all my employees at work one year so they could have the perfect "Christmas Eve".  Now let me introduce my new fav:  "Holiday Garland"  yum!    These will get me through the holidays at least until New Year's.  I always make sure I have a "Sparkling Snow" to celebrate New Year's Eve.  It's white, crisp, and snowy - like the perfect New Year's Eve.  

                  

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Teri Tradition #2 - This tradition is my newest - anything that you do more than once - can become a tradition right?  So it seems for my daughter (and best friend) Casey and I.  In 2010 she purchased tickets for us to see Mannheim Steamroller at the Topeka Performing Arts Concert Hall.  Unbelievable!  We had front row tickets thanks to someone who sold them to her on stub hub and the music and light show was gorgeous.  If it is possible to beat Kenny Rogers and Dolly Pardon in concert in the l980's - MS might just do it!  This year we took along our husbands and welcomed in the holiday season with The Oak Ridge Boys Christmas Show!  They may all be grandpa's now - but they can still sing . . . Elvira!!   What blessing are we in for next year - I can hardly wait to see!!

Teri Tradition #3 - CHRISTMAS MOVIES - HALLMARK CHANNEL - enough said??  I have 95 Christmas movies dvr'd as I write this blog - or at least my husband says so - as he grumbles that there is no room to record the latest episode of Myth Busters!!   This blessing started with my best friend Rebecca, yes I have two besties.    She lives next door - we would get the kids to bed (actually mine were gone from home) and then we would run across the street - in our pj's and robes - drink a cup of Christmas tea and watch Christmas movies!  There is something so special to me about a Christmas movie - the music, the pretty trees, the beautiful decorations, Santa, humor, tears, but they all end with a happy holiday ending! 

Teri Tradition #4 - The blessing of sharing a wonderful Christmas read with my sister, and best friend Tami, that's right I REALLY have three besties!   Tami and I have our T & T Book Club and each year we manage to pick the perfect little Christmas book to read!  This year it was my turn to pick and I ordered us each a copy of "The Great Christmas Bowl", by Susan May Warren.   This was a make you laugh and make you cry kinda book.  Tami and I both talk about getting a Kindle - but just can't give up the beautiful cover pages on a good ole' book!  Christmas books seem to be the most beautiful to me!

About the book . . .

Marianne Wallace is focused on two things this holiday season: planning the greatest family Christmas ever and cheering on her youngest son's team in their bid for the state championship. Disaster strikes when the team loses their mascot--the Trout. Is it going too far to ask her to don the costume? So what if her husband has also volunteered her to organize the church Christmas tea. When football playoffs start ramping up, the Christmas tea starts falling apart. Then, one by one her children tell her they can't come home for Christmas. As life starts to unravel, will Marianne remember the true meaning of the holidays?

Thank you for reading and sharing with me in my personal "favorite things for Christmas".  These "things" as you can see are simple little things - a candle in the room, a movie on the TV, a book, and even a trip to my daughters for a concert - - - some might say these are not family traditions that one would hand down from generation to generation . . . but they make me,  ME - and I am so thankful for these little pieces of pleasure that I find in this world.  These "things" are the material side of the holidays, I agree, and so let me end by saying that I love and appreciate these great blessings in my life - given to me from the God I serve who cares about these little things.  Our greatest blessing still remains the birth of the baby Jesus - our Savior and King!  Merry CHRISTmas! 

Blessed by Booksters

Henningsen Happenings is my spot to land and share my blessings - but as you can see I only had 3 to mention in 2010 and then even less in 2011 - - - I am a bad blogger it seems.  I do have many blessings.

Today in my first ever Dewey's Readathon I received a wonderful blessing!  Good to spend the day with my sister - as books have been a way we have always kept in touch through the years - but also today to meet some new people! 

Cheerleaders are awesome people - so sweet that they hang around and add encouraging words!

Booksters - as I will now call all 462 of you or so that signed up for today - are very intelligent folks!  Some of the challenges were a little above me - :) my knowledge of authors and their books is very limited!  So I was blessed today by being able to see inside the hearts of true readers!

Ready to try this again soon!

Happy Reading!

P.S.  I will be sharing about this readathon to my granddaughter Elaine - she loves to read also.  In fact the first place she wanted to go with me when I saw her last was Barnes and Noble - we had a great time!

Some more of what I learned . . .

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?  The Language of Flowers
2. How many books have you read so far?  4 but only finished 1
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?  The Language of Flowers.  Want to finish this book soon!
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?  Yes I did!  Prepared some food ahead - did some outside yard work - and bought some new yummy coffee beans!
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?  Only self-made naps - I set my alarm on my cell phone so I would wake back up and read!
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?  How fast the day went!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?   Nope!  It is great!
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?  Would invite my daughter to join me if possible!
9. Are you getting tired yet?  Yes I am tired - but I'm always tired :)
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?  I took a brief refreshing bicycle ride late afternoon for a quick break - he was helpful.

What I have learned so far . . .

I needed a better night's sleep to prepare for the readathon - but my other passion of watching my TV shows kept me up a little later last night.

I took a quick bike ride around our small town of 400 - didn't take long!  Got some fresh air and fed the dogs!  Now I am awake and ready to read on . . .

Thanks for commenting on my blog folks!  That is exciting! 

Now for the Four Golden Rules of Management: 
Rule #1 Trust and Leadership
Rule #2 Communication
Rule #3 Problem solving and decision making
Rule #4 Perseverance and Success

I shared earlier that one of my books for the day is "All I Know About Management I Learned From My Dog"  If you have done either - managed people or owned a half way useful and obedient dog - you can see the connections huh!

Up Early and Excited About It!

1)Where are you reading from today?   I am starting out my morning read with a devotion and Bible reading.  Then I have 7-8 books/magazines picked out and I added a book since I posted last night.  It is called The Worn-Out Woman!!  Oh - and I'm in North Central Kansas if that is what you mean!! :)

2)Three random facts about me…I love to ride my bike!  My sister is also participating today - Tami at Just One More Thing.   I have 2 grown kids and 5 grandkids!

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 6-8

4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?   I am participating for 12 hours this time!  I plan to enjoy peace, quiet, coffee, and later - Taco Soup!

Ready to Read!

At the invitation of my sister, Tami, I am joining in on the Readathon challenge beginning tomorrow morning!  Tami said to gather myself a group of books - some snacks - and get ready to read!  I also noticed that she was canning tomatoes and I'm not sure what else?? in order to settle in guilt-free tomorrow to read a way! Ha!

So - I decided I had best get my Saturday "chore" list done tonight as well.  Lawn furniture is packed away for the winter.  Beautiful flowers are pulled up and thrown in the trash - kind of a sad thing.  I loved them so much!!  Which is the reason I was so thrilled when Tami chose "The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh as our T & T (sisters) Book Club selection for October!  It will be my primary focus tomorrow!  UNLIKE my sis - I am a slow reader - with my main problem being that I fall asleep way too quickly when I relax with a good book!  (But - I have a sleep study scheduled for Nov. 8 - so I hope to remedy that problem in the near future!)

This past summer I was blessed by a Digizine - It was recommended by a very dear friend.  It is http://www.kyria.com/ and I love it!  It is a monthly online magazine and contains article after article!  The magazine focuses on a different spiritual discipline each month.  This summer, very appropriately, the first issue was devoted to community - as our little church community is struggling greatly!  The next month it featured service - another great read!  I hope to get some of those articles read and tucked away in my mind for spiritual growth!   (P.S. I also subscribed to Newsweek from the neighborboy's magazine drive - - - I hope to become more intelligent in worldly matters :))

Nancy Leigh DeMoss was also introduced to me this summer - her book "A Place of Quiet Rest" is a great read.   It was on my shelf from a T & T Book Club Selection in March of 2005!!  So it's a re-read!

Have you heard of "Made to Crave"?   Satisfying your deepest desire with God, not food.  Lysa Terkeurst is the author from Proverbs 31 Ministries.   This may or MAY NOT get a look tomorrow depending on my mood!  And then lastly, "All I Know About Management I Learned from My Dog" by Martin P. Levin.  A little more lighthearted - but useful to me in my venture to "manage" 10 women.

Good luck to all readers! Join you in the morning with a great cup of coffee and ready to rumble . . . I mean read! :)