Merry Christmas Eve

 

                    Hello and Merry Christmas Eve

We had our family get-together here in Virginia on Sunday. This year we had games after our lunch meal, which was wonderful. Brisket done by my grandson and the yummiest mashed potatoes I ever ate, green beans, deviled eggs etc. And, we topped it off with cheesecake. Not the traditional meal we have had at Christmas time but a great new way to do things.

The best game that we played was this one: Shirley and John rolled a commercial sized box of saran wrap into a big ball and put little prizes all inside the wrapping. We took turns unwrapping it ... before our gamekeeper rolled a double with dice. And, we wore kitchen mitts! So, that was fun. 

Shirley wanted a picture of all her grandchildren so they lined up on the couch. After their picture was made, I walked over and just piled in on top of them. That was fun! and unexpected.

Even their dog, Dusty got into the Christmas spirit. Here he is, outside... wishing someone would let him in.

Now, on to what else has been going on!

You know I had a root canal done a week and a half ago. It was adjacent to a bridge I had in my mouth. So, a couple days ago I felt that bridge start to wiggle just a bit. Hadn't had that feeling since I lost my teeth when I was six or seven.

I was having trouble sleeping Sunday night. Got up at 2:30, put my trash outside my door for early pick-up.

At 3 a.m. All of a sudden that bridge just falls right out of place and is lying on my tongue! 

Suppose I had been asleep!

Would I have swallowed it?

Anyway, I spent Monday afternoon getting that bridge glued back into place.

I swear. I think if I wasn't in the dentist office I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

Tomorrow (Christmas day) Shirley, John and I will drive over to the Eastern Shore to spend some time with Brittany's family. Lunch is 'make your own sub'. Totally different again. 

And, my one and only son was here for Thanksgiving so he elected to stay in Alabama for Christmas. Alone! That kills me. But, it was his choice. It is a long, hard trip and would especially be during the holiday. I have to look at it as perhaps saving him from a bad accident or something. 

My youngest daughter, Susan, and my youngest grandchild, Tighe, will be arriving the day after Christmas for a visit. Can't wait for that. Praying for safe travels for them! 

                                                                                              Merry Christmas, Everyone

The Past, The Present, The Future.

 For several years now I have been interested in 'self-help' books on how to improve myself and my life. I was so taken by many quotes from all these books so I started handwriting them into a notebook. And, I started adding my own 'quotes' (thoughts of mine on different subjects, as well).

I often pick up that notebook, read a few pages, just to reset, get my focus back in line with what I want out of life and I find it very calming. I do use some of those quotes in my blog and instagram posts. 

Several months ago I read 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho. I wondered at great length about this quote: "Because I don't live in either my past or my future, I'm interested only in the present."

I got to thinking of what it might mean. How do we not live in the past? That's where our footsteps have already taken us. I don't see living in the future for we know not whether we will have a future. The past, though, is where our memories are (good and bad) and those events shaped us into who we are today.

                                     What are your thoughts on this?

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (I hope)

 I so apologize for being absent but it was a must, not a want to.

This entire month has seen me in pain... a tooth abcess, a root canal. Yes, I've had root canals before but nothing like this one. I don't recall having an abcess involved in the other root canals so maybe that was what made the difference. it was not fun! 

I have sat in my recliner for days upon days holding my jaw, popping tylenol and mindlessly binge-watching 'Farmer Wants a Wife.'  That's a new find for me in my new streaming world. I have to say I am enjoying it. Having lived a life with a Navy man and then having him upon retirement from the Navy to deposit me on a farm. Boy, can I relate!! 

With the short time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year and with the tooth thing going on, I am so not into Christmas. Oh, I did do my functionary gift purchasing (money for the grands, mostly) but I didn't send out one card. I did not bake one cookie. I am probably not going down to our Christmas party here at the Commons tomorrow. I just don't want to. I just want December to be over!!

I hope all of you are in a better frame of mind than I am. Please have a wonderful Christmas. It's such an important time of year for many reasons. 

Oh, bummer!

 When it rains it pours!

Last Friday I started having some pain in the left side of my face. It would be a tooth hurting, then it would be the sinus area right under my eye. I wasn't sure what was going on! 

I couldn't decide if it was the tooth, the sinus or both and with the weekend coming on, I just popped tylenol and toughed it out. 

I had a cleaning scheduled on Tuesday so I decided that I'd find out about the tooth first... if it wasn't that, then I'd have the sinus problem checked out.

Well, it was the tooth. An abcess that was pushing against my sinus... Go Friday for a root canal.

Like I said, when it rains it pours. 

Hope everyone in blogland is doing well, getting their Christmas chores completed and just enjoying life. 

Knottinghill Church

 Today is Sunday, a cold but peaceful day here in Virginia. 

I thought I'd share this photo of one of my Department 56 collection. It's the Knottinghill Church. I have other pieces which I have enjoyed in the past. But, didn't put them on display this year. 

Do you have any Christmas collections that you enjoy? I'd love to learn about them. 

Blogmas #8

Put a Jingle In Your Jangle

 Blogmas #7

Just a bit of fun to put jingle in your jangle this morning. Featured dancers: daughter Shirley, son Michael and Shirley's son Christopher.  Video made 2020

Oh, the smell of gingerbread!

 Yesterday was fun.....

18 of us gathered in the community room and decorated gingerbread houses. Daughter Shirley headed up the event, made all the houses, bought candies for us to use, made the royal icing for decorating and then was our instructor and cheerleader. 

The new staff is doing an outstanding job making sure we are having a good time. Here they are with Shirley. 

I had decorated a gingerbread house once, probably 30 years ago and I was a bunch younger then! 

Here is the one I decorated yesterday.

We all had the best time. Every house was different and all of them were very well done. 

And, we were treated to some light refreshments! 

It certainly put me in the Christmas mood.

day # 6 of Blogmas

Taking Down The Christmas Tree

 You can't say that my family is 'normal'. Anytime Shirley collabrated with her Dad there was something funny, weird, outrageous going on. 

Take 1997. It's time to take down the Christmas tree so John (that's my son-in-law) opens up the window and he and my hubby, Elbert, cut the lower limbs off and toss them out the window.  

But.... I see a sparkle in Shirley's eye.... something's about to happen. And, this is what transpired. 

It was so funny and remains a favorite Christmas memory of mine to this day. 

A Special Christmas Gift.

I've been participating in Blogmas. Never heard of it before but it looked like a fun thing to do. I really didn't know what it was so I googled it!! Don't we google everything these days! 

Blogmas is a seasonal blogging challenge. It occurs every December and bloggers use this time to commit to publishing new blog posts.

Some bloggers will try to publish one new blog post a day for the entire month of December, while other bloggers may commit to a smaller number of blog posts, like one every other day or one a week during December.

My Blogmas post for today concerns a tradition from my childhood. My aunt Lena was a teacher and she always saw to it that I got something 'educational' under the Christmas tree. When I was five, I got this large book. It was "Raggedy Ann in the golden Meadow". Beautiful, colorful pictures to look at. Later, when I learned to read it was a favorite of mine.

Guess what! I still have that book today, 85 years later! Think I'll drag it out and read it. Then I'll display it for the holidays. Sort of a Trip Down Memory Lane for me and a 'shout out' to the aunt who first taught me the importance of reading. 

Angels We Have Heard on High

 I'm sure we all have our favorite things that we drag out year after year before Christmas. I fell in love with my first paper mache angel and started to collect them. Everyone thought they'd help and I got a ton of angels of all sorts, shapes and sizes. Not really what I had in mind but I loved their thoughtfulness and effort. 

My first angel was bought at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. She had on a regal gown of purple and a wreath of holly in her hair. I wrote the date inside her gown and where I bought her. 

I soon added one with a lovely pink gown all draped paper-mache. She seemed to be in prayer. 

Then I got a very elegant one, she wore a dark green top with flowing white skirts. 

I got rid of most of the 'extra' angels (no place to store them in this apartment) but I did hang on to a few.

One I had crocheted, years and years ago. I have no idea how old she is. 

I couldn't get rid of my musical angel, either. She's a favorite. I often turn her on to play a sweet Christmas tune as she turns around and around. 

and then there was a fad going around where everyone was making little angel ornaments out of ribbon. I was pretty 'crafty' minded for several years so of course, I joined in. Here are a couple I still have. 

What's your favorite Christmas collection? 

Day #2 of Blogmas 

December - a special time in my life!

 I read a friend's blog this morning. Now I had never heard of blogmas (something bloggers did in years past) but as I understand it, you post something every day of December (I think you use old posts or you can do new ones about Christmas) Anyway, go to  https://eatingwellonasmallbudget.blogspot.com/ to check it out. 

I thought I'd try it. Something new to do (not that I don't have a lot going on) hehe. 

So here goes:

I met my husband on a Christmas Eve, the year 1947. He was a clerk at a store where my folks were buying last minute Christmas gifts. There was an instant connection. In Feb 1948 he entered the Navy and we spent most of our courting time writing letters to each other. He even proposed to me in a letter. I have it to this very day, 74 years later! 

                    In 1950 on Dec. 10th we married 

              so December is a very special month for me.