So Much Goodness

It's 11:08 P.M. on the Sunday before Christmas, I'm cuddled up with the kitty and the Poodle (who, by the way is sporting red plaid Christmas pj's with Rudolph on the butt) and watching Christmas movies by the glow of the tree lights and the computer screen. It's been a good weekend. Life is good. I am content. And blessed. And so very, very thankful.

Friday I picked up one of my clients in the morning. After a quick stop at my employer's offices (I picked up the paperwork for a new client) we went shopping for the gifts we would need for my Bible study group's Christmas party on Saturday. My teacher was nice enough to invite my client when she met her at the Christmas Tea at church. We found her gift right away at Sam's Club. It took me a bit longer and a stop at Walmart to find everything I wanted.

Shopping done, we picked up lunch and came back to the house. We ate while watching Christmas Vacation. Then I showed her how to make pretzel snaps with a Hershey kiss and an M&M on top and then we made her favorite peanut butter blossoms. We packed it all up for her to take home to share with her co-workers at the soup kitchen.

Saturday morning the kitten was on my "naughty" list (He climbed up on our headboard at 12:30 A.M. and threw up. A lot. Then he jumped down on the bed and did it again. Ewww.) but he still woke me up when Tim got up for work. I couldn't fall asleep again so I stayed up and finished reading book 28 in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.

I picked up my client and we were at the party by 10 A.M. We enjoyed a wonderful brunch of French toast casserole, scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes, fresh fruit, and so many kinds of baked goods. After we ate the men blessed the women by doing all the clean up and dishes. What a wonderful gift! 

The fun got started then as we women did our annual gift exchange. We all bring a wrapped gift, then draw numbers to determine the order in which to pick from the pile. Each person, on their turn, has the option of choosing a gift from the pile or "stealing" a gift that was already chosen. We didn't do any stealing this year for some reason so it was a really short lived game. We open the gifts one at a time so everyone can see and ooh and aah. Finally, nearly everyone brings some small gift for everyone there. This year everyone went waaaay overboard and just blessed the socks off everyone....and it was so sweet that everyone included my client and she was just so tickled to go home with a huge bag full of gifts (she has no local family and her parents have both passed away).

Later on Saturday I went out to finish my Christmas shopping. I went to Barnes & Noble and...the mall. Pure insanity! I don't think I've seen the mall that crowded in at least 15 years. Most of the time it is a dead zone with the exceptions of the hub stores and the casino. Anyway, mission accomplished! Tim and I went to a little local restaurant for dinner. 

On Sunday I was up early again as Tim had to do some work at a hotel he built a couple of years ago and it could only be done on a weekend. It just worked out to be this one, which kind of stunk since Sunday was his birthday. 

Megan, the kiddos and my mom came here around 11:00 and we had four generations making cookies. Good times and happy memories, I hope.

Tim got home in time to have himself a birthday nap and then enjoy his birthday dinner of grilled steaks, shrimp, and cheesy mashed potatoes. Colton and Leah came back after that and we watched The Santa Claus 2 so Mommy and Daddy could do some gift wrapping.

So, that was the weekend. It was so full of good stuff that I almost feel guilty for feeling so blessed. I hope you had a good weekend, too, and that you're enjoying this special season of love, hope, and joy. 

Tell me something good about your weekend!

 

Currently

 In Latrobe...

a cloudy and a balmy 46 degrees. Rain, a cool down, and possibly a bit of snow are on the way.

Reading...

not a darn thing. I've been too busy until now. I'll choose something new today.

Listening to...

the silence. Tim's back to work and I'm alone for the first time in 5 days. I am enjoying it and being a total slug. Still in my jammies at 10:00!

Celebrating...

a response from our son to our Christmas wishes. We texted "Merry Christmas" and he responded in kind. Not much, but more than we expected!

Christmas Eve...

we went to the home of our friends (and my Bible study teachers) for dinner with them and 3 other friends. We had a wonderful time chatting and relaxing. 

Christmas Day...

was spent at our daughter's home with her family and my mom and stepdad. Everyone seemed pleased with what they got...in most cases, exactly what they hoped for. Sorry there aren't too many good pictures of the day. Our little Leah was really tuckered out from two days of excitement and neither grand was in the mood to have pictures taken.

The kiddos got right into opening gifts!

We got Leah a big Sven from the 
Disney "Frozen" movies. He can
hold up to 70 lbs. of kid and he's
interactive. He talks, eats his carrot,
and is just too cute. Leah and Colton
both really loved him.

Granddog, Abby, and grandkitty, Seneca, 

liked their presents. Abby ate some treats

and wore her sweater all day. Seneca has played

with her new toys nonstop (the other kitty hasn't

shown any interest). We think it's her first intro

to catnip...and we've created a monster!

Megan and Cody's new flannel sheets

also earned Abby's seal of approval.

Leah modeling the sweater my mom made for her.

She wouldn't let me get a picture of her in the hat

Mom knit. Colton got a beautiful sweater with an owl

and a snake scarf...also knit by Mom. No posing 

from him, either. 

Colton received a Mickey Mouse waffle maker.

Mommy and Daddy got him some Capt. Crunch

berry waffle mix and matching blue syrup

and he thought it was the bestest!

Pappy and Leah chilling when all the 

excitement was over and done.

A very nice family photo of the kids

from their Christmas Eve celebration

with Cody's family.

The biggest surprise...

Tim and I each sent a "Merry Christmas" text to our son. He answered us both back with the same. Not much, but definitely more than we expected, so....HUGE.

Some gifts...

an InstaPot (let the cooking adventures/failures begin), a new radio/CD player, a new desk and chair for my office, cash, and a cute little card catalog styled storage box for my desk (a little something from Megan and Cody until the shutdown lifts and they can take me for my real gift...dinner at Guy Fieri's new restaurant).

Tim's days off...

were quiet other than the Christmas thing. He is still having a lot of issues and not feeling quite right after that prostate procedure. He's called the office and the desk person has given him the runaround putting him off because he has an appointment Jan. 15th. He's supposed to call and be more pushy today. We think he has a UTI or another bladder stone or something. Something he shouldn't have to wait so long to be seen over.

Cooking...

Ha! Haven't done any since Christmas Day. We've been living on all the goodies and leftovers...and one ordered pizza. I suppose I should make something different tonight. Tomorrow, since it will be colder, I'm going to make a big pot of ham and bean soup to share with Mom and my stepdad. Megan's family won't eat it or I'd include them.

Looking forward to...

all the stuff being delivered this week...my desk and chair, a headboard for our bed, my new planner, a storage cabinet for the bathroom (Tim has started to keep all his stuff on the sink rather than come back to the bathroom in our room to shave and such), a new Bible study book (I really didn't care for verse mapping...at least not the way the study of Luke was done...maybe just added to my own study it would be okay), more planner stickers, a cool water bottle that reminds me to drink and breaks it down into manageable amounts, and a set of strength building bands.

Waiting for...

God to give me my word for the year. A couple have come to mind, but I need some confirmation. 

That's all that's happening here. Have a great week, my friends, and let's all pray that next year is a much better one for this world of ours!

Saturday 9: Santa Baby

Saturday 9: Santa Baby (1987)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Madonna refers to Santa as "baby," "honey" and "cutie." What's the most recent endearment someone called you? I think it was my friend and Bible study teacher. She always calls me "cutie" and we talked on the phone yesterday.

2) At the top of her list are a fur coat, a new convertible and a yacht. If you could receive any of those luxury items, which would you choose? Hit me with the convertible. Preferably a Mustang Shelby.

3) She would like to decorate her tree with ornaments from Tiffany's. Do you have a favorite holiday ornament or decoration?  I have several ornaments my kids made when they were small that are very precious. I also have a little Rudolph that was my mom's, a red glass pinecone that was my grandmother's, a real nest, and a small collection of birds that I've saved from funeral arrangements of family members...putting the birds on the tree is like having a bit of the people with us.

4) "Santa Baby" was written in 1953, before electronic payments. While her wish list includes blank checks, a 2017 survey revealed that 51% of consumers felt check writing was "a pain." Who received the last check your wrote? Who most recently gave you a check?  I think the sewage company received the last one I wrote. Tim actually received the last check...a payout on an insurance claim.

5) Madonna has been a successful singer for decades, and 1985's "Into the Groove" is her top-seller. What's your favorite Madonna song?  For me it's probably a toss up between Into the Groove, Holiday, and Material Girl.

6) Madonna was born in Bay City, MI, and traveled to New York City to find fame and fortune. When she first arrived, she supported herself by working at Dunkin' Donuts. What's your standard DD order?  I don't go to Dunkin' often enough to have a standard order. Plain old glazed donuts are my favorite, though, so I'd probably just get those...unless they had a really yummy flavor of cake donut or something pumpkin flavored.

7) The only Christmas card Sam has received so far this year is from her dentist. Have you received many cards this year?  Only 6 so far, but we never receive that many. We haven't for years. The older family that always sent is mostly gone now and our generation stopped sending Christmas cards around the time Facebook really took off.

8) Will you wrap many presents? Or do you prefer to use gift bags?  I prefer bags, but I am determined to wrap this year. I mean, I'm not working, it will save money over buying gift bags, and I bought a couple of rolls of adorable wrapping paper.

9) Madonna recorded "Santa Baby" to benefit The Special Olympics. Here's your chance to plug a cause or organization that's near and dear to you.  We always give to the local food bank and St. Jude's. Another , organization that I've always given to is Heifer International. I love that they don't just send food. Your donation helps to buy livestock, fowl, bees, or trees for an orchard or seeds to grow a garden and they are taught how to raise whatever it is and care for it so it provides for their family into the future. The money also helps provide schools and other social needs. This year I noticed that they've added something new, now you can opt to sponsor a struggling farmer right here in the U.S.

Well, that was fun but with only 2 weeks to go until Christmas there is a lot to do so this elf had best get busy! If you'd like to play along, you can join in the fun right here.

Thankful Thursday

I know I haven't been around this week. I'm not in a funk or anything, but it has just felt like there's nothing new going on that's of any interest and it's not feeling like it's going to get any better on that front any time soon. PA keeps "suggesting" restrictions to try and curb Covid, which is running rampant here. Seriously. We are supposed to be one of the worst states new case-wise right now and they are already making noises about restricting Christmas gatherings even more than they did for Thanksgiving. 

All that said, it's more important than ever to focus on the blessings in life and express gratitude for them. This is one area where science has proved the church has been right all along. You can defeat negative thought patterns by training your brain to look at the positive and practicing gratitude. Brain scans have shown it actually changes brain activity.

So....

This week I am thankful...

** for my sweet grandbabies. They bring so much joy into our lives and it's impossible to feel down looking at their smiles.

** my friend and hair stylist. She did a wonderful job touching up my color, adding a little extra zip for the holidays...and of course, it was fun to chat and catch up.

** the new casino that just opened about 15 minutes from us has a Guy Fieri restaurant in it. I'm following on Facebook and oh. my. goodness. All the dishes they've shown look absolutely scrumptious! I can't wait to go try it out in person. 

** we survived the first snow storm of the winter. Tuesday was frigid, windy and dumped about 8 inches of snow on us. The roads and sidewalks were still warm enough that I didn't have to do much shoveling...just a bit around my car and a lot of that was from what I knocked off the car. A couple of days of highs in the 40's should clear most of it away. It was pretty for a day or two. Plenty for me.

** I finished up Beth Moore's study on the apostle Paul yesterday. It was soooo very good and Beth's spin on things helped me to see a lot of things I'd not seen before. 

** after several years of only attending a home study group, I went to a church service on Sunday! A couple of girls I went to school with attend and I was to meet them, but when an email went out Sunday morning letting people know that masks were now mandatory, they decided not to go. Not really a surprise since they only started going there a few months back specifically because they didn't have to wear masks. I thought about not going, but decided to be brave and go on my own. I am so glad I did. The man doing the greeting at the door introduced me to his wife when he heard I was new and I talked with her before the service and sat with them during. It was so wonderful to worship in that setting again. I have missed that. Of course, I was paying attention to everything to see if what was taught was biblically sound and it was. I plan to go back this Sunday. I hope it works out that I feel comfortable staying and I'm looking forward to the time when small groups can start back up.

** after all of last weekend's "fun" with a kidney stone, Tim continues to be pain free. Hopeful that means he passed it and that it isn't lurking in his bladder waiting to cause more problems.

** I ordered the next Bible study I'm going to do. It's a verse mapping study of Luke. Has anyone done verse mapping? I've done Precepts and have been trained to teach it to children, but it's not my favorite thing. I only use elements of it. The description I read of verse mapping sounds like something I will like.

** the urge to bake and create that is kicking in. I hadn't done any baking or candy making the last couple of years because of my work schedule. I've tagged several new cookie recipes to try this year and one for Oreo balls (crushed oreos mixed with cream cheese, formed into balls and covered with chocolate). I also plan to go tomorrow and stock up on melting disks in lots of colors and get started on making candy and chocolate covered pretzels. Our daughter may help, but our planned day of baking with my mom probably isn't happening.

** a friend's recommendation for a book about the societal trend of adult children disowning their parents. It's heartbreaking that we've had this happen with our son, but even more heartbreaking that we are not alone in this. It is very wide spread and the incidence of it is growing. Just do a search on Amazon and see how many books on the subject turn up. I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise to those of us who are Christians. We are seeing 2 Timothy 2 playing out. The book arrives tomorrow. I'm looking forward to gaining some insight.

** this season of bright lights, happiness, love, good cheer, and celebration of the Savior's birth. The world needs something good. The world needs a Savior more than ever.

** the continued health of my family and friends.

** for all of you, of course. Your sweet comments, advice, and guidance are a blessing! 

Linking up with Rebecca Jo @

Knit By God's Hand.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Welcome to the Christmas season! It's officially here...even though an awful lot of the world started decorating and celebrating long before Thanksgiving. Most years I'm not in favor of that, but this year my attitude is "what the heck!" It's been a tough, depressing year. We can all use a little Christmas magic and joy right about now.

You all know we were expecting to celebrate Thanksgiving alone due to Covid restrictions and waiting on results of our daughter and son-in-law's Covid tests. We were so thankful they came back negative! We made dinner and ate together, but Tim wasn't feeling well. It went downhill from there. The poor guy had another kidney stone and was miserable. He even ended up in the ER around midnight on Friday. He thinks he passed it at this point and is feeling a lot better today, but the long weekend was kind of shot.

Anyway, I don't have much to tell since we mostly just sat at home. So, I'm going to share some pictures of the time and lots of our decorations.  Click on any of them to see them full size. Enjoy!

First up are a couple of photos from Thanksgiving, starting with Leah in her cute holiday outfit...that she would not, no way, no how, allow me to get a good shot of.

Next up is Colton with the old-fashioned cap gun his daddy bought him. All I could think of is the movie A Christmas Story. He was ready to take on Black Bart. 

Leah enjoying a snuggle with Pappy.

Moving on to the decorations. This is my kitchen window. The valance is one of the ones my mom has made me for every season and holiday. The arrangement on the window sill was made by a friend and the Santa is painted on a rock!

This is the island all decked out in the curtains my mom sewed to hide the open storage shelves. I have Christmas, fall, and summer ones. 

This adorable stoneware snowman holds a votive candle and was a $2.99 Goodwill find.

My prized ceramic tree with red bulbs and green birds. I bought it at a garage sale for $2.

A simple little scene on the console under the TV. I love how the fairy lights on the little tree twinkle.

My Charlie Brown Christmas tree and a new garage sale find, the Hallmark musical Snoopy and Woodstock. Snoopy plays several songs from A Charlie Brown Christmas.

I always loved playing with our nativity set when I was a little girl and I wanted my grandchildren to be able to do the same. So I was tickled when Fisher Price came out with a Little People Nativity. Our older grandchildren played with it and asked questions...which was my semi-sneaky way of being able to talk to them about Jesus, something not normally allowed since their parents do not believe.

Two large Santa's in my Santa collection. The hunter Santa looks so much like a friend of ours that it's freaky.

Some more of my Santa collection. I inherited my aunt's Santa's and have kept adding to it. Our son refers to the Santa in the yellow rain slicker as the Gorton's Fisherman Santa. LOL

On the next shelf down is my prized Irish Santa, a couple of vintage Santa's (the one on the far left holds a list of names that includes many that were people in my family), a collection of snowmen, and an ornament set from Hallmark.

This little snowman is a particular favorite. Have you ever seen a snowman with ears before?

This set of Hallmark ornaments was another Goodwill find that I picked up for a song. I thought it was too cute to spread out on the tree.

The Smoker and the little treasure boxes were all my aunt's. The soldier music box was mine when I was a little girl.

This cute moose hangs off the floor lamp and was a 99 cent find at Goodwill.

Some of my more modern Santa's. The one in the middle is taking a selfie!

This side of the shelf includes a Santa with a manger and a pajama-clad Santa.

Here is the whole tree. It's got a red, white, and woodland theme going on. My tree topper is a snowy owl. I didn't put all the ornaments on it this year because...little hands. It still looks pretty to me, though. Colton seems to agree.

Leah is just filled with wonder this year and it's so fun to experience it all through her eyes.

That's it for the tour. Tim has another cord or two to run to finish the outside decorations. When he finishes I'll try to get a good shot or two to share. 

Have a blessed week!