Saturday, December 31, 2016

December Picture Marathon

Once I get so far behind, I put off doing this at all.  I do want to get Christmas on here and have a few minutes before Bean and Bugg come to ring in the New Year with their old Gramerly and Pap.  It has been a few years since it's been warm enough for a fire, but I think we can do it this evening.
After the Gingerbread Party, I had some leftovers, so when Rae's wee ones came for Playdate, we decorated another one. After decorating, it was time to get the blender, mixer, coffee pot and see how far we could spread all that flour goodness around.


 Next was the Christmas Program, where I put forth my best effort to get over a hundred kids across that stage in 40 minutes.  I invited Santa to be part of our program and he obliged, adding a sweet touch.
 By next Playdate, our DVD/VCR died and my Mr. Smiley was in heaven wielding a "hoodriver" and removing all those "hoos."  He cracks me up every time a need for a screwdriver comes up.  Anything mechanical and that boy is a happy camper.
Next up was Christmas with my kids, a wild and wooly mess of stuff from stockings.

 They love to stick a peppermint in an orange in the old fashioned way.

 It wasn't long until they slipped into their Christmas jammies and robes, looking so cute.
 As has long been our custom, Bean and Bugg spent the night.  In summer, I found a book about how to amaze your son and Bugg thought all the projects equally worthy of girls.  Finally the one for girls appeared at the library and she marked an equal amount under her "nite-nite" hoodie.
 My five dollar paint spinner has been enjoyed by all the kids.
 Next up was my yearly black bean omelet night with Ol' Mother Hubbard.  Finally, after many years of dreaming and hoping, the building of a new house on the farm seems to be a reality for them. Just in the knick of time as they've outgrown this sweet little cottage, and those little ones are just not so little anymore.  While I'm so thrilled for them, I realized how many times I've been here and every time the houses from the Gingerbread Party are in the window.
 The Advent Calendars I've been filling for thirteen years are in their spot.

 and here we are at the stove, stirring up our omelets, with only one needing the stool this year.



 They too make their  scarves.  I cut the circles smaller and more oval and like the scarves much better.

 Then I had a little soup and salad supper at home.  Our church invited families to swap puppets of Mary and Joseph. Included was a journal to share prayers and activities that Mary and Joseph were involved in.  I began our supper with a sweet prayer in Tasha Tudor's old book, Take Joy. It was a lovely evening with some dear folks.
 And, the fun continues at Mom's place on Christmas Eve.






 I ended up with lots of extra little candy bars after filling calendars.  I spent the evening before entertaining myself my creating lots of little candy vehicles.  I also turned swiss cakes into reindeer and penguins and little donuts in to snowmen. Ahem, they were not cute enough to warrant a picture, though the kids enjoyed eating them just the same.






Mom has had an extraordinarily long run of feeling okay with no infections (talking a few weeks here) and that has been a wonderful gift we haven't experienced in quite sometime.
Wow, no wonder I'm tired.
Tired but grateful for a year of the Lord's blessings. 

I tried to get a decent picture of all my poopies, with the thought of an adorable Christmas card of some sort, but my little Pixie just wasn't having it.  Still, here we all are with a snap and in our wish for you to have a blessed and peaceful New Year entitled, "The Scream, " from the Paris'.



Wednesday, December 28, 2016

So This is Christmas

And where am I?  Slightly behind as is my norm.  I hope your Christmas was sweet.  Lots of stuff rolled into one over here.
My first experience with a knee problem came to visit on Christmas Eve. Well actually, the week before I noticed that it ached when I was driving. For several days I was shifting my foot, trying to find a more comfortable spot as I toodled along.  I ran in Kroger on Christmas Eve morning and my knee just decided to not work any longer. Handy Man got me a brace and I got through the business of Mom's Christmas Eve with gallons of chili and plates of fudge.  I committed Christmas Day to rest and ice and while better and bending, still not as it should be.  In the meantime poor Aunt Tish had a ear infection go from 0 to 90 and lastly, my sweet boy Strider just laid down and died.
I don't know if you recall this boy of my dreams, but never have I ever felt that a pooch was so very mine.

 Last spring, he didn't seem to weather the winter well and developed a skin disease.  He saw the doc in April and she didn't seem overly concerned.  I read everything I could find, changed him to a "no grain" diet, brushed him constantly until every knot was gone, apple cider vinegar in his water, which he loved, homemade bone broth, which he also loved and his spirits, his appetite and his skin over six months returned to normal.  I assumed he had some sort of yeast situation.
Handy Man changed shifts last month along with the time change and took over animal care, as I don't get home usually until after dark. He mentioned he wasn't wanting to eat his food and we needed to change it. This has happened several times, so it did not raise an alarm.  Handy Man went yesterday to buy a different food, but this was a much greater problem than either of us understood.  Strider just laid down and died.
There was lots of wonderful in my Christmas, the greatest being why we celebrate,  and I'll get to that.
But not today. I am too sad.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Gingerbread House Number 31

I think it is Number 31, but I've lost count.  The houses actually went together perfectly this year. You think perhaps I would have figured perfection out long before now, but alas, no.  I usually have a big gap somewhere on the sides or with the roof, but this year it all worked, thank the Lord.  I have Mom on Thursday and,of course, it was a Soup Kitchen Friday, so I didn't have a lot of time for fooling around.
The little ones are excited to decorate, but not quite as excited as they are to have access to all that candy.







 The big ones, particularly this one, who is now taller than me, want to eat breakfast and stick a thing or two on a house for old time's sake.




 Always a good time for a story.



 Jakester keeps coming back, but he doesn't make houses anymore, just eats and gives us a squeeze
Look at these handsome young men. Well, one of them must have a little age with all that white hair.


 I wonder how many different configurations this nativity has been through.
 Sydlee too has outgrown her gingerbread days, but she did fashion this lovely snowman scene.
It was a big time.