I'm hoping that everyone is ready or almost ready for the holidays. This is a busy time for everyone. Same here at Streamview Farms. We have been busy shipping out pinecones all over the United States. How nice is it to know that we now have a bit of Western Pennsylvania in New York City! Just how far is it you would have to go if you lived in New York City to pick pinecones? I thought of this when shipping them for I can step outside my place of work or my home and surrounding community and collect pinecones most anytime. People are happy to have me gather them so that they don't have to clean them up.

We are busy here too making Christmas cookies and on any given day, you will most likely smell the wonderful aroma of baked goods surrounding our home. Presents are wrapped and songs are playing in the background as we write out the cards for the mail.

This will be a most difficult Christmas for both of my in-laws passed away this year and my husband has been taken away from me and cannot spend time with me over the holidays. I'm thankful through all of this that I've been lucky enough to have spent the last 8 years with my in-laws in our home, caring for them and having them as a part of our family. I'm also fortunate that my husband and I are still together after 36 years of marriage eventhough he will not be physically with me for only God knows how long right now. I've gained a wonderful new addition to our family though and that is my niece Jackie. She now lives at Streamview Farms and will be an intricate part of the business.

I thank the Lord for giving me the strength to make it through this troublesome year. He is always with me. We tend to forget this during the good time, but during the rough times, we are reminded that he is right there with us, each and every day! Thank you Lord for looking down on us and guiding us in your path.

I want to leave you with a beautiful picture of Streamview in the winter. What a beautiful, precious site and we are the fortunate owners of the little piece of God's masterpiece.