Christmas 2017

We had a very nice, but very cold Christmas this year.

We visited Dad several days in a row, and he was alert enough to know the kids and be able to ask them questions about what was going on in their lives. Mom loved sitting in a chair in front of the fire, and and spent quite a bit of time looking at old photos on her new digital photo frame, a really great gift from Mark!

I feel like I made a ton of food, Appetizers on Christmas Eve and a Roast Dinner with Cranberries on Christmas Day. The leftovers have been good, and we're finally getting to the end of them. We haven't had much time for drinking wine this week, but we did sip on some champagne that Breanna brought, and toasted our time together.

Dad got a new Fedora Hat complete with Feather from the staff at the Care Center. I think he liked his new wildlife blanket, too.

And, I'm grateful that we had another holiday together.

Blessings and Peace to us all!

Go Go Go!

The crazies started to creep in yesterday (as they always do) and then there was nothing else I could do but keep moving. It helped to work off some energy at Curves plus I could compare stories with the other ladies who were also feeling behind in all that they still had to do before the holiday weekend.

But, things are getting done.

Cards are in the mail, complete with Christmas stamps from years gone by. I had to use several stamps instead of one, but I was able to find enough stamps so that I didn't have to make a trip to the post office and then wait in a long line just to buy more.

Gifts are pretty much wrapped. House is pretty much clean. I have most of the grocery items I need. Laundry is done. Fish tank is clean. Still need to put ornaments on the tree. Hats are knitted. Still need to do some food prep and get the stockings in order. Laundry is done. Still need to pay bills. Gas is in the car. Still need to drop off some gifts for friends. Air mattress was purchased for some lucky soul to sleep on in the basement!

I cleaned our bedroom and it's now peaceful and uncluttered. It will feel so good to rest in a clean and peaceful room.

And all the kids come home tomorrow. Yay!

We even have blazing fast internet now ... well, as fast as the phone company can promise us for our area. (Good news, they said, you can get up to 12 Mbps! It's still faster than what we had before).

My goal is to be able to slow down when everybody gets here and just enjoy. It could happen.

Whole New World

Mom can see again!

About three weeks ago, Mom said that her eyes were blurry, really blurry. (I'm wondering if her eyes might have been blurry a bit longer than that, but who really knows at this point.) Anyway, it turns out that it was something that happens to a good amount of people who have had cataract procedures and the fix is actually quite simple ... a laser procedure that takes only minutes to complete ... and with no pain or downtime to boot.

Sheer delight was on her face when she looked across the room out the window and said, "It's snowing!"

I told the Doctor that his job must be rewarding, to be able to drastically fix people's eyes so quickly. He agreed.

I am relieved.

And, it's like an early Christmas present!

Good Distractions

We had a milder day today, and even had a little patch of sun appear for a half hour or so in the late afternoon. As the sidewalk to the front door and driveway somehow didn't get shoveled after the last freezing rain and snow, I thought it an excellent opportunity to chip away all that ice before the next round came. I saw Katie across the street out with her shovel, who was then joined by her husband with his shovel. Eventually Bruce joined me with a shovel, and then it went much faster. It was almost like therapy, so satisfying to move all that ice away! And the exercise and fresh air fit in with my new approach to dealing with the long winter, the Danish concept of Hygge.

I created our Christmas card collage on the online Walgreens website, and drove over to pick them up. I found a few stocking stuffers while I was there, and then decided I needed a haircut. The little gal who cut my hair told me about her father dying of lung cancer in the last year, and we were able to talk about how hard it is to lose a parent. You know, it's really good to connect with people, even if you don't know them well.

I drove to Trader Joes, and picked up some Winter Wassail we can sip on with our Christmas food. Also, some bacon wrapped scallops and bacon wrapped figs. Avi loves bacon. I was also delighted to find a small wreath that they were selling as a table centerpiece. I bought one and used it as a wreath to hang on the outside of my house! It looks beautiful!

Of course it was also comforting to do some laundry and put a little order into my life, that always helps my frame of mind. Distractions can be good. And with less than a couple of weeks to go until the house fills up with kids and family, I really should get moving.