Thank you also to all of my wonderful bloggy friends who had have added this Christmassy button to their blogs!
My 12 Days of Christmas Series started yesterday and I shared some fun Advent ideas. If you haven't visited yet please do! Today's post is all about Candy Canes so if you have shared any great ideas, pictures or recipes that involve candy canes please visit and link up your post! If you would like to see the other posts that I have planned during my 12 Days of Christmas series, Click to here to read more and find out the full program!
Now onto this week's Party!
This week I am thrilled to welcome a very special blogger as a guest poster. Holly Massie is one of the original members of the Stairwell Carollers, a charitable a cappella Ottawa choir, who sings sacred and secular renaissance music, as well as settings of traditional and contemporary Christmas carols.
Winner of the 2010 OMFA provincial competition, this non-profit group has raised over $40,000 for local Ottawa/Gatineau charities,through the sale of concert tickets, CDs and cookbooks.
Recently winning 2nd place in the National Music Festival 2010, they are now ranked amongst the best of Canada's choirs.
Holly is also the author of a few blogs, most notably, The Stairwell Carollers Choir Blog and My Ottowa, Canada's Capital, where she plays tourist in her own home-town! These pictures really make me want to visit Ottawa!
Holly is also listed on the Pinning Bloggers Master List.
![[HP+portrait.jpg]](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oCCYs4mpaw0/TcVvKyFlZpI/AAAAAAAABTY/7Ms8GqLRHLo/s220/HP%2Bportrait.jpg)
I'd like to thank Natasha for inviting me as a guest blogger for this week's party with the theme of Peace On Earth.
Being a part of a charitable choir, The Stairwell Carollers, whose focus from September to November is preparation for Our Christmas concert season gives me a special connection to our theme this week
PEACE ON EARTH
We spend a lot of time singing the words "peace on earth", but I want to challenge everyone out there to really stop for a moment and think about what those words mean.
Is it peace in your heart from your faith that you share with others as easily as you breath?
Is it the wind whispering through the trees and the leaves whispering back that they are forever one with life?
Is it the knowledge that the cost is so dear because Peace is worth the whole world?
Is it that the Earth's beauty is almost to much to bear?
Or is it that you Love the world and the creatures that are in it?
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about love, peace and faith, Holly! I think we all need to take time to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, especially when we start getting so busy and maybe a little too caught up in the commercialised aspects of Christmas.
If you would like to link up a post, old or new, to this week's Say G'Day Party just add the url of your particular blog post that you would like us to visit to the Linky tool below. Please just link back to me @ NatashaInOz.com or if you would like to Tweet about this weekly Linky Party please add this to your tweets #SayGdayParty
Thanks so much for joining in and linking up! Don't forget to visit some of the lovely bloggers who have linked up and please also try to leave some comment love-you know how much we all love comments!
Why not make someone's day and say a quick G'day!
Before I go I must thank the lovely people who are hosting the following linky parties-thanks so much for having me and hosting your fabulous memes each week:
Feathered Nest Friday; Common Ground's Vintage Inspiration Friday; Inspiration Friday; Tickled Pink;Fridays Unfolded; Show and Tell Friday; Home Sweet Home; Flaunt it Friday; Everything but the Kitchen Sink Party; Fabulous Friday; Feature Yourself Friday; Free for All Friday; Weekend wander; Blissful & Domestic; Pink Saturday with Beverly ; Strut Your Stuff Saturday; Show & Tell Saturday; Serenity Saturday; Once upon a Weekend; Saturday show Off; Saturday Seven; Sunday Blog Love; Sunday Linky Party Sundae Scoop; Amaze me Monday; More the Merrier Monday; Creative Bloggers party; Making The World Cuter Mondays; Market Yourself Monday; Show and Share; Rook no.17; Take it on Tuesday; One Project at a Time; Tabletop Tuesday; Wow Me Wednesday; Show & Tell; Show and Share; Whatever Wednesday @Momma Hen's; Whatever Goes Wednesday; Whatever Wednesday; Anything Goes Linky party; Simply Link Party; Deck the Halls Friday; Holiday Haven's Christmas Party
I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I hope to see you my Christmas blog during the week too!
Best wishes,
Natasha In Oz
Best wishes,
Natasha In Oz
I love the picture of the stained glass windows.
ReplyDeletei would love to hear some renaissance carolling live, how fabulous. and how neat was that peace sign with the hands! that's one to try, for sure!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting!
ReplyDeleteKerry at HouseTalkN
Fabulous feature of the stained glass window! Thank you for hosting.
ReplyDeleteFABBY
Thanks so much girls -- it was a lot of fun doing this post.
ReplyDeleteThe stained glass windows are at St. Barnabas, a little church in down-town Ottawa. We are doing a carol concert there tomorrow night.
Check our choir blog for more photos of the church interiors.
Holly :)
If you can't get to see us live, you can always drop by our Stairwell CArollers Youtube channel. We have over 80 videos there recorded at live concerts.
ReplyDeleteHolly :)
Thank you so much for the invite! Happy to be here!
ReplyDeleteHi Natasha, I linked up a couple of posts to your linky party. Ah..it's so nice to finally be able to join your Pinterest party!
ReplyDeleteMy post today isn't from them though. It's about making cookie mixes in a jar.
This was just a lovely post and I enjoyed all of it so much. Thanks for sharing from your heart. :o)
xo
Donna
Thanks so much for visiting my blog joining my followers. I enjoyed your blog concept and this lovely post.....the Holiday Prayer is a great reminder of what we need to be grounded about during this Holiday. Thanks so much, Shari @ Swinging on a Star Creations.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dona and Shari -- this was my first guest post ever.
ReplyDeleteCya
Holly :)
Hello Natasha!
ReplyDeleteI think that Peace should be the Really x-mas wish!
I loved the Peace "definition". This is one of the most difficult thing to understand, but when it happens it turns the life a little bit easier!
Kisses and have a great weekend!
Zazá
Happy Pink Saturday - traveling by 2's today (my link is #132). And, you may remember what I posted today since I posted it back in 2009 -- kind of follows some of the theme of your guest blogger and you ... well, as in pausing and reflecting to some degree. Absolutely clear and wonderful voices in the choir. Very nice rising and falling of tones. Beautiful. Thanks!!! Jenn
ReplyDeleteI love it especially the peace sign made by all the hands. Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteHi Natasha, how are you this week? We're off to Noosa next Wednesday for a few nights so I won't be thinking about Christmas for another week. School's over and just have kindy to finish next Wednesday. See you next week! (BTW are you revealing any tablescape ideas for Christmas?)
ReplyDeleteAnne xx
Thanks for sharing another great post full of gorgeous images. I'm signing up to start pinning.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for the lovely compliment Jenn. We went caroling in the Byward Market today and everyone had so much fun! Quite a challenge to stroll and sing at the same time, but really rewarding -- lots of stories to come from it on my Choir Blog.
ReplyDeleteMake sure to check out our Youtube channel -- Pete just uploaded a new song -- I will link to it below
Holly ;)
This is wonderful Natasha. I love that Christmas carol. Thank you for joining me at Home Sweet Home!
ReplyDeleteSherry
Love the tulip photos! I wish carollers still came around the neighborhood. Thanks for hosting the party!
ReplyDeleteThere are some gorgeous pins there to really get us tyhinking. Thanks for hosting us lovely :) xx
ReplyDeleteLovely pins, Natasha :) Thanks for linking up! x
ReplyDeleteHappy Pink Saturday, dear Natasha. And, thank you for hosting and giving us a place to gather each Sunday.
ReplyDeleteWhat a glorious sound to our ears! Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with each of us.♥
Another lovely post. I've enjoyed visiting Holly's blogs and am enjoying her pins. You're a wonderful host Natasha...Thank You!
ReplyDeleteHI DEAR FRIEND NATASHA YOUR BLOG IS A DREAM AN MAGICAL,THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP I LOVE YOUR FRIENDSHIP.THANK YOU FOR THE INVITE TO LINK TO YOUR PARTY,I HAVE TRY NO SUCSESS, I AM SO NEW AT BLOGING . I WILL KEEP TRYING .WHEN I AM AT YOUR BLOG I AM AT A DIFEENT WORLD FULL OF MAGIC CONTINUE TO BE SO HAPPY AND TO BRING JOY INTO OUR WORLDS, YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL PERSON I CAN SPEND HOURS IN YOUR BEAUTIFUL BLOG ,ENJOY DECEMBER..A BIG HUG XO XO SANDRA...PS. LOVE YOUR VISITS !!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words, Jennifer -- Living in Ottawa, which is Canada's capitol, I think I sometimes take its beauty for granted -- but I took "5 minutes just for me" to photograph the flowers and geese at the Tulip Festival and lately have tried harder to be a hometown tourist.
ReplyDeleteHolly :)
I love Holly's message for this week! It gets so hectic and crazy this time of year, we need to pause and be peaceful. :)
ReplyDeleteOne of these days I'm going to carve some time out for pinning so I can join you in an official capacity. :) Thanks for being you and bringing awesome pins! :)
Christmas Don’t Be Late for the fun Up On The Housetop and the Ringing Of The Bells
Hi Natasha, wow, you have been so busy! Somebody just visited me via your 5 Minutes Just for Blogs, and I wanted to say thank you very much for having mine on there.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much to explore here; I am signed up for Pinterst, but haven't done anything with it yet. Love how you have it figured out and are incorporating it into your blog.
It is fun to see you preparing for Christmas too. God bless,
Kathy M.
Hi Natasha,
ReplyDeleteIt's been quite a while my sweet friend. It was very nice to hear from you. Hope you are doing well. Sending you a great big hug.
Hugs and Kisses,
♥Ana
Hi Natasha, I'm delighted to be sharing my post with the Owl City song "Peppermint Winter".
ReplyDeleteThank you, as always for all the inspiration!
Have a wonderful week, my friend!
Jenn
Wonderful post and great pins, Natasha! I love this video and the music. Thanks for hosting, too!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Joy
Thanks for linking up to the Take it on Tuesday blog hop and for allowing me to link up here!! Love your ideas!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sweet comment Stacey. It was fun doing this post - it made me pause and reflect too, :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Natasha! Great party, because Pinterest inspires us all!! Christie at Three Pixie Lane
ReplyDeleteOooh...that poppy is absolutely stunning!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your creativity and talent on "A Little Birdie Told Me..." Tuesday at Rook No. 17!
Friends who link-up to tomorrow’s party will have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Hodgson Mill, so please feel free to stop by and join in the fun & inspiration!
Warmest wishes,
Jenn
I forgot to wish Johnny a Happy Birthday too! Great photo of your lovely Family!
ReplyDeleteDawn... The Bohemian