The Holiday Train Show

Enchanting model trains zip through a display of 150 landmarks, each re-created with bark, leaves, and other natural materials—all under the twinkling glow of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory in the New York Botanical Garden. Marvel at G-scale locomotives humming along among familiar sights on nearly a half-mile of track. This year’s exhibition showcases Midtown Manhattan’s iconic skyscrapers and other architectural wonders, featuring new replicas of the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, General Electric Building, and St. Bartholomew’s Church, Grand Central Station and The Yankee Stadium among many others.

The show showcases more than 150 scaled iconic buildings and structures under thousands of twinkling lights. Step into a miniature city where famed New York architecture is recreated using bark, leaves, and other natural materials. The show runs up until January 15th 2018.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hope you enjoyed seeing some photos of the show, I know I did. ;) And now it's my time to "take the train back home." Have a day of blessings my friends.

Senses And Wishes Again!

Here is an old meme I had spotted on an online friend's blog a few years ago. Skimming through my old entries on my flashdrive I thought I would post it again. Besides the senses I thought I'd include 14 wishes for you.

5 Delights for Each Sense

I love the taste of…
Freshly Made Coffee
Lemon Meringue Pie
A Good Pizza
New York Cheesecake
Fresh Warm Italian Bread

I love the sight of…
Children Playing
Sailboats on a Lake
Autumn in New York
Soft Rain Against my Window
Our Family Get Together's

I love the feel of…
A Newborn Baby in my Arms
A Soft Breeze
Hugs From My Kids & Grand Kids
Silk Sheets & Pillows
The Shore & Sand Under my Toes

I love the smell of…
Fresh Coffee Brewing
Warm Cookies Out of The Oven
New Blossoms in Early Spring
The Air After a Soft Rain
Wood Buring in a Fireplace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~My Wishes For You

I wish for you the warmth of the sun
I wish for you peace when day is done
I wish for you the joys of life
I wish for you freedom from strife
I wish for you twinkling stars at night
I wish for you they always shine bright
I wish for you no ailing days
I wish for you no moody ways
I wish for you a childlike curiosity
I wish for you through their eyes to see
I wish for you true friends galore
I wish for you to always meet more
I wish for you a close family's love
I wish for you a faith from above

These are my wishes for you my friend
And of course I wish they'll never end.

Toni Taddeo ©

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I hope you enjoyed my senses and wishes as much as I've enjoyed sharing them with you. So, dear friends until the next time, be blessed.

It's Time Again

Now that Thanksgiving is over I think of Christmas and can't wait to start decorating my apartment for it. As you know the tree has been up and waiting to be dressed. So now this year and for the first time I decorated it before December.  (At my age it works for me LOL)  and here are the first photos of my changing colors tree. I probably will add more ornaments plus. That's my Mom's photo  (looking down from heaven in the Joy)  I miss her so much. And of course there has to be Snoopy there too. Photos were taken with my cellphone, not the best.

I also thought I would post a Christmas meme list for today, so here goes.."What do you think of when you think of “Christmas?” Using the word “Christmas,” list one thing you think of per letter.

C ~ Christ Child
H ~ Holidays
R ~ Relatives Visiting
I ~ Ideas For Gifts
S ~ Sending Out Cards
T ~ Trimming The Tree
M ~ Manger For Nativity Scene
A ~ Angel For Tree Top
S ~ Savior's Birth

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I'd like to know what's the one thing you think of per letter. I just love this time of year and lately the days go by so fast that Christmas will be here before you know it and that's why I don't wait to decorate later in December like I used to. So dear friends until next we meet have a day of blessings.

Friday Foto Friends ~ The Rockefeller Tree

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is a world-wide symbol of the holidays in New York City. The 2017 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be lit for the first time on Wednesday, November 29, with live performances from 7–9 pm, at Rockefeller Plaza, between West 48th and West 51st Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues. These photos are from last year. Thousands crowded the sidewalks for the event and millions watched it live across the globe. This year's Tree will remain lit and can be viewed until 9 pm on January 7, 2018.

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Hope you had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. Mine was great as usual filled with a lot of family, love and food. The only thing missing was my children, grandchildren and great-grandsons. But they were present in my heart which is filled with love for them.

If you're interested in joining the Friday Foto Friends you can visit Debbie by clicking on her name. It's a wonderful photo meme and a wonderful bunch of ladies who join in. And now until next time dear friends have a lovely weekend.

Thanksgiving Blessings

Well my friends, tomorrow is the Thanksgiving holiday and in honor of today my poem and a special card for you from me. May your holiday be blessed and spent with family and friends.

Thanksgiving Day

Another year has come and gone
The turkey won't be here for long
The guests arrived and in their seat
With fork and knife now ready to eat

The carving soon awaits the knife
Poor turkey had a very short life
Cooked and stuffed a special way
For all to enjoy Thanksgiving day

The prayers and thanks already said
Please pass the gravy and the bread
Now don't forget that apple cider
Everything looks so much brighter

Yes, another year has passed away
And on this happy Thanksgiving day
Where family and friends get together
With food and love for one another.

Toni Taddeo ©
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11 Things I Am Thankful For

In honor of the coming Thanksgiving day this coming Thursday, I thought I would repeat my yearly thankful list and name some things I am thankful for in my life. Feel free to write on your blog the 11 things you are thankful for.

Psalm of Thanksgiving: "Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples".
1 Chronicles 16:8

1. My Whole Family i.e; Children, Grandchildren, Great-Grandchildren, Siblings, etc...
2. The Roof Over My Head.
3. The Food In My Pantry.
4. The Clothes On My Back.
5. The Beautiful Land Around Me.
6. The Online Friends I've Made.
7. The Freedom We Enjoy.
8. My Independence.
9. Memories I Can Fall Back On.
10. To Wake Every Morning To A New Day.
11. But Most Of All, Our Lord Who Makes All The Above Possible.

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I made myself pancakes with pumpkin spices for breakfast this morning as I woke up a little hungry and I haven't had them in awhile. With nothing else more exciting to talk about, I wish you all a lovely and blessed day ahead.

The Lonely Road

Here's this week's Toni's Creative Adventures. I enjoy doing this meme once a week. It's always fun seeing how a story adventure can be created with just 4 fill in the blanks questions.

The Lonely Road
1.   You are driving down a lonely road at night when in front of you, you see - what looks like a shadowy figure running in front of your car.

2.   You stop the car and get out to - carefully see who or what it could be. Not seeing anything you think to yourself, "maybe it was just me tired" and maybe you thought you saw the shadow.

3.   All of a sudden In the background you hear - a dog barking and yet see nothing and nobody near your car. You also check to make sure the dog or any other animal aren't hurt and laying under the car. Thank goodness there wasn't and you are truly relieved and get back in the car.

4.   You then start your car and - since everything seems okay and hopefully the dog is probably on its way back home by now as the barking stopped, you quickly drive on shaken up a little and continue on down the dark country road into the night and praying you get home soon with no other problem.

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Go to the Toni's Creative Adventures blog to copy the meme questions by clicking on the graphic

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I hope you join in and play along too. In the meantime dear friends have a blessed day ahead.

Friday Foto Friends ~ Looking Up

Looking out my window last Saturday to see what the sky looked like 4:30 in the afternoon as the sun was setting, it seems to be setting earlier and earlier lately, I was pleasantly surprised and immediately grabbed my cellphone and snapped the following photos. I thought they would be perfect for today's Friday Foto Friends.

Here is one I took 5:30 in the evening of the sun setting on another day. I love sky photos

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If you're interested in joining the Friday Foto Friends you can visit Debbie by clicking on her name. It's a wonderful photo meme and a wonderful bunch of ladies who join in. And now until next time dear friends have a lovely weekend.

Wednesday's Poetry Day ~ Decorating Time Again

There are times each year I basically have to talk myself into decorating for Christmas. Living alone and always invited over family members for the holiday I sometimes feel like it's a lot of work especially since I can't move around like I used to. But then comes a day in late November seeing Christmas lights and homes decorated by others, I will suddenly get back in the mood to decorate. Do you ever feel that way? Right now my tree is standing and waiting for decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving. It's a 5 ft. pre-lit with five different changing color LED lights.  (Looks better in person)  I'm reminded of a poem I wrote last November and am now posting it for today.

Trimming The Tree

It's that time again
Time to trim the tree
Boxes of many decorations
Means a lot of work for me

Tree is up with colored lights
Ready for the decorations
Make it pretty and inviting
For my friends and relations

And to celebrate Christ's birth
Beneath the tree the nativity
With angels hanging high above
The season's reason for you see

Light the candles in the window
Hang a wreath upon the door
Then stand back and look around
As the lights and candles glow

Now work is done and boxes empty
Put away until the new year
Just sit back and relax
Enjoy a glass of eggnog cheer

Toni Taddeo ©
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Well dear friends and family, until next time, have a day of blessings.

The Simple Woman's Daybook (November Edition)

Here's my Simple Woman's Daybook for November. You can join in to Peggy's SWD meme. I like the fact that it's done once a month and anytime of the month. I always enjoyed it.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... it's starting to feel more like winter with temps in the 20's, 30's and low 40's. All the trees are pretty much bare now. This photo gives me the cold chills already!

I am thinking... about the upcoming holidays. I'll be spending Thanksgiving with my sisters and their families but I will miss not being able to see my children and grandchildren. They either live in other states or will be with another side of the family.
I am thankful... that right now all is well with me and my family.
One of my favorite things... is writing poetry although the past month I seem to have writer's block. Not to worry it'll come back to me again. And also reading which I seem to not get into the reading mode. I've also gotten lazy with blogging more. That's why I love the meme posting for I don't have much to write about and it's easier answering memes like this right now.
I am creating... nothing right now except this post.
I am wearing... T-shirt, jeans and sandals right now.
I am reading... Again not much of anything.
I am hoping... I'll get enough energy to get ready to decorate for the holidays. Going to other family homes makes it harder to decorate my own. But I will decorate for Christmas by the end of the month.
I am learning... to not be so organized and just relax a little more. This is hard for me as I'm so obsessive and compulsive about it and I know it will take me a long time.
In my kitchen... there is not much going on right now as I'm getting a little lazy about cooking for myself. My lunch of New England Clam Chowder (courtesy of Progresso) with croutons and coffee shows how lazy I've gotten right now.

Post Script... Here's a link to my meme blog: Toni's Creative Adventures. Hope you try it as it's a lot of fun.

A Favorite Quote Of Mine from Lucy Maud Montgomery author of Anne of Green Gables... "Anne, sitting at her tower window one late November evening, with her pen at her lip and dreams in her eyes, looked out on a twilight world and suddenly thought she would like a walk to the old graveyard. She had never visited it yet, preferring the birch and maple grove or the harbor road for her evening rambles. But there is always a November space after the leaves have fallen when she felt it was almost indecent to intrude on the woods…for their glory terrestrial had departed and their glory celestial of spirit and purity and whiteness had not yet come upon them."

Closing Notes...Later this evening it's pot luck over my sister Louise's. We all bring a dish to share. She has whoever wants to show up on Mondays twice a month. We are truly a close family. Well, not much else to post and so dear friends and family have a day of blessings.

Caribbean Cruise

Here's this week's Toni's Creative Adventures. Go to the TCA blog to copy the meme questions by clicking on the graphic below my answers to the meme. I enjoy doing this meme once a week. It's always fun seeing how a story adventure can be created with just 4 fill in the blanks questions.

Caribbean Cruise
1.   While on a Caribbean cruise this past summer, I took the elevator to get to my room. Accidently pressing the wrong button, the elevator doors closes than opens and I found myself - on a deck I don't recognize at all. I thought to myself, "Hmmm..Strange!"

2.   Being the curious type, I left the elevator and started to walk down the hallway and soon came to - what looks like a cul-de-sac type circle with 4 doors.

3.   Now worried, I turned around to go back to the elevator when I suddenly saw - one of the doors open and the ship's purser walking towards me who looked very much like Gopher from the Love Boat. A little nervous and hoping this is just a figment of my imagination, I heard him say. "Are you lost? This is a private floor for Captain Stubing and the ship's officers  (at least that's what I thought he said)  and passengers aren't supposed to be here.

4.   A little relieved and laughing nervously I - explained I took the elevator from the main deck to go to my room and don't know how I got here. The Gopher look-alike purser smiled and said not to worry and escorted me back to the elevator and with a tip of his hat he bid me a happy day while I hoped I will be able to find my room again and thinking could he have been Gopher or did my imagination get the best of me...Hmmm..I wonder....

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I hope you join in and play along too. In the meantime dear friends have a blessed day ahead.

Honoring Our Veterans

A Special Yearly Post. God bless all Veterans on this special day who gave their all. The wounded, deceased and living. My heartfelt and deepest thanks.

A Mother Of A Veteran

Standing by the sidewalk curb,
Waiting to see her march by
Dressed in military best,
Holding our flag up high.

Her eyes straight ahead
Her shoulders back and proud
Marching to the military band
As they play in tune and loud.

Swelled with love and pride
I wave as she passes me by
A patriot forever is my child
With strength from deep inside.

The world may have forgotten
How she served this country well
One of our forgotten Veterans
Who has returned home from hell.

But I remember and thank them all
Our country's military best
The wounded and the lucky ones
And those who were laid to rest.

For us, you keep our country free
In honor and pride I salute you all
And forever give my love and thanks
That you answered our country's call.

Toni Taddeo ©
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To my daughter who served in the Army, I wish a Happy Veteran's Day and to all veterans who served. The photo was taken in 1982.

Friday Foto Friends ~ Sunrise And Sunsets

Not taking many photos lately I thought I would post three I had. I fell in love with these photos and saved them. The first one was taken last year at this time in Council Bluffs, IA. a great vivid sunset. The second one taken last year on November 10th in Swansea, MA another beautiful sunset. The last one was taken October 28th in Rochester, NY of a gorgeous sunrise. I'm only jealous that I didn't take them. LOL! aren't they great shots! I spotted them on the weather channel site and just knew they should be FFF pictures.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you're interested in joining the Friday Foto Friends you can visit Debbie by clicking on her name. It's a wonderful photo meme and a wonderful bunch of ladies who join in. And now until next time dear friends have a lovely weekend.