1. I saw beautiful white Christmas lights!
2. I’m trying so hard not to buy the goody foods I like at Christmas…just a hint, please!
3. Once long, long, ago in a galaxy far, far, away, I could eat anything I wanted and not gain an ounce.
4. Sometimes I close my eyes and I remember those who have passed from this life. but who made each and every holiday so special in times past.
5. The road led over the river and through the woods…..
6. I am always encouraged to start a new day in the morning light.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to get to bed early, tomorrow my plans include maybe a fire in the hearth and Sunday, I want to continue to work on my Christmas cards!
Every year I find a toy or two and donate them to the Toys For Tots campaign that the US Marines have going. This wonderful campaign, makes sure that each child in the US has a toy to open on Christmas Day.
I got involved after losing my younger daughter. I felt her loss so much at Christmas. I decided that if I couldn’t buy her a present, I could buy something wonderful and donate it in her memory.
This year I am asking everyone in the USA, who reads my Blog, to pick up a toy and drop it off at the nearest donation center. You can find out where your nearest center is, what types of toys they need, and any other information HERE. Imagine being homeless, like the children in Super Storm Sandy areas. Their toys have been destroyed.
Or the children who are homeless and have no one to give them a gift. Your generosity, could make all the difference.
I have not been paid for this post. I am asking, just because it seems like the right thing to do.
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas. I hope each child in the USA has a Merry Christmas too!
The dogs actually let me sleep until 9 AM this morning! I was so pleased and surprised, until I opened the door from my bedroom and saw that it was dark and snowing. Not a lot of snow, just enough to look pretty. And as I stopped, long enough to turn the calendar from November to December, I suddenly felt all Christmassy!
After breakfast I climbed up into our attic and got down the window candles (electric) and the Christmas cards. They are now sitting in my kitchen, but that was as far as I got today. I did get out my Christmas card list, but need to do a few updates (if any of you have moved, be sure to email me and let me know) and tomorrow I will start writing the cards.
I’m old fashioned in that I think I should hand address and sign each card. However, the arthritis in the hands gets worse every year, so if you know a good program that actually will print out sheets of address labels from an address book, let me know.
The entire day it lightly snowed. So beautiful, really. Hubby went out for a while to push around the light snow, but eventually he gave up. I made a fire in our hearth and he’s got football on.
Life is good.
PS: Happy Birthday to my cousin’s boyfriend, Dave!
Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!
***************
The weekend was a crazy one. After Thanksgiving, it was the usual reorganization of the house, after having it all in pieces for the big day.
Massive amounts of turkey soup was made, and since we were starting to feel overwhelmed with the turkey, I froze most of it!
I was given some venison, and so on Sunday night I made braised venison for our dinner. Yum!
I feel like I am finally getting caught up, and I even have kicked back a bit and relaxed. On Saturday night I read for well over an hour before my eyes got tired and I fell asleep.
Sunday found me watching a bunch of old movies, including “On Golden Pond”, which was filmed in the next town. I have hiked a trail up, so we could look down upon Squam Lake, which is also known as Golden Pond.
I love that movie!
So the weekend is nearly over and I think I will watch “The Good Wife” later on, and then off to bed with me!
I know everyone who works a 5 day week enjoys it when we have a 3 or 4 day weekend. They can rest and relax and maybe even have a get away.
However, if you are an empty nester, and retired, a 3 or 4 day weekend leads to confusion! Is today Sunday or Monday or what? No? It’s Saturday? Oh my, I sure am confused.
While some people took Friday and Saturday to break down the doors of department stores and malls everywhere, I stayed home. I did laundry and cooked and cleaned a bit. Nothing too strenuous.
We watched a western movie with Kevin Costner and Annette Benning, and Law and Order SVU. We also watched the annual Football overload games. I love our local team, the Patriots, but hour upon hour, upon hour of college football, is not my thing. Thank goodness for my Kindle!
Well, one more weekend day and a new week will begin.
Monday dawned and I found myself slowly getting up. I ignored the dackels, and put off getting up until 8:15. Coming out to the kitchen, I turned on the coffee in the old pot, and walked the dogs on the crunchy, frozen, white grass. Winter is coming to Central New Hampshire.
I came inside, and after removing my hat, gloves and coat, raced to the coffee maker for that all important first cup of coffee. We still do not have the new pot. That should arrive tomorrow!
Monday I simply slowed things down. I planned my Thanksgiving menu, and I am starting my grocery list, as we will shop on Tuesday for all our fixings. We have a 13-14 pound fresh turkey waiting for us to come get it!
Hubby needs to get a couple of different apples for the pie, and since my cousin asked, I will make a small pumpkin pie too.
What I most need for Tuesday is to get Hubby up early and to the grocery store at a decent time. As most of you know, after noon in the grocery store on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, life will become crazy!
In other news…
Greta’s leg is nearly healed now. We still have no idea what happened to her. We don’t allow her outside without supervision, so I doubt it was another animal. No, I think this cut was from some object like a metal fence or something like that.
On Monday we cleaned her up again, and it is almost totally closed up. The infection is also just about gone. I am so grateful we saw it before it got too bad!
We’re having a thunder storm and I walked all the dogs before it began. I called to Hubby, who is mowing the lawn, and he ignored my pleas to stop cutting and come in. I think he will wait until it either rains on him, or he gets hit in the head by a large hail stone!
That’s the difference between us. I worry and he doesn’t. He is always calm. I suppose that is what makes us such a good couple. I fall apart and Hubby is my rock!
Of course the relationship is not one sided. I do things like cook meals, do the laundry, and go see weird movies with him too!
And when the storms finally get to us, I’m the one who runs around and shuts down all the electric appliances.
Hubby is now in, the rain is falling, and the storm is almost over us! The winds are blowing and Hubby actually said he is hoping for a good bit of rain to water everything. I’m hoping it will keep those pesky chipmunks out of my garden for a night!
So do you like violent thunder storms, or are you like me and a bit of a chicken? My three dachshunds don’t mind a big storm, but poor Fritz, he really hates them. Yes, my big boy has the heart of a baby lamb.
I was going to walk down to the fireworks tonight, but I am thinking that they will be postponed until tomorrow.
All day long I have been doing things here and there and here. Busy. If I wrote it all down, you would say, gee, that’s not so much, and yet, here I sit at 5:30 in the afternoon, and I feel pretty tired. All that busy-ness!!!
But the house is ready for tomorrow, I got all my vegetables ready to cook, and I’m almost done doing the math so I can cook both a Prime Rib Roast and a Rotisserie Chicken, so that they come out at roughly the same time. I also want to have the appetizers ready at noon so when people arrive they can start the grazing!
Can you believe it is already Easter? I mean, WOW! This year is flying by! Before we know it, my grand daughter will be here, and then it will be the Autumn and I will turn 54. Which for some silly reason sounds quite old to me. Even though, I do not feel old.
I remember, being a little girl, where the hours in the days lasted forever. I remember lying in the grass, watching the clouds move, and thinking that life was going by sooo slowly.
And yet, here I am. My life is more than half over, and each year seems to go faster than the last. I’d like it to slow down a little. I want to savor the sunshine!
Do you have those sorts of days where you feel like time is flying by?
I do want to wish you all a Blessed Easter! I hope that no matter where you are or what you do, you are able to celebrate with the ones that you love!
Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!
***************
The weekend was really more of the end of the holiday season. Hubby and I hit a few sales, but mostly we were very quiet and at home. I likes this, as it seems that Christmas made me feel a tad on the tired side this year. Getting old? Probably, although I admit to enjoying every minute of Christmas with my family.
Saturday, New Years Eve, Hubby asked me if I wanted to go to the movies. Sure. I didn’t want to go see anything to heavy, or gory, or scary, so we chose to go see “We Bought A Zoo”. What a splendid family movie. I have linked to the movie trailer, so you can see a little bit of the story. It’s a true story, which makes it all the more interesting to me. And little Maggie Elizabeth Jones just stole my heart!
My only gripe, was that in this packed movie theater, were parents who brought their sick children to the movie. People, I beg you, if your kids are sick, don’t take them out! Let them rest at home watching videos.
Hubby and I came home after that and turned all the Christmas lights on. I love the lights, and I almost hate to taken them down, but it is time, and I plan to get them all put away by the end of the week.
We watched several DVD movies that we’d gotten during the holiday season. Everything from classics like “The Birdman of Alcatraz” to “Live Free or Die Hard”. Gotta say, I just love a good Bruce Willis action flick!
New Years Eve we dined on appetizers. I had all this food in the fridge and I portioned it down to appetizer form and we noshed on that all evening long. That was perfect, as I had no big meal to make or clean up!
I spent part of New Years Day rereading Dackel Princess. I don’t often do this, but today I did. It was fun top see what I was thinking and doing so long ago. Especially during our cruises. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, we’re going on another one, and I wanted to “remember” some of my thoughts and feelings. Truly, a cruise is the only time I really have a vacation as Hubby and the pups keep me on my toes.
