Boy!! What a blur the last week has been. It took me a day to just catch up on my rest. Rex and I were able to visit with our daughter and her husband from the evening of Saturday, December 22nd. until the early morning of Wednesday, December 26th. It was short but very enjoyable. It was a real eye opening experience for us. We enjoyed spending the time with Cassie and Ryan, but it was a different holiday for us. It was a learning experience and the end of an era. We hope to have opened another era though, and are looking forward to more of that. More details will follow, probably tomorrow. 
Still Kickin’…
December 31, 2007 at 2:03 am (Christmas)
Getting Closer!!
December 19, 2007 at 9:06 pm (Christmas)
Rex and I finally have the Christmas shopping completed. Now I have to wrap everything that wasn’t already shipped. That will keep me busy for a while.
Rex is wrapping Christmas gifts now. They’re probably all or at least mostly for me. He’s one of the world’s most interesting gift wrappers. He gives it a good try, but……. It always brings smiles to our faces. He also has this habit of writing little poems on the tags. They’re a hoot. It’s just another good part of the holidays.
Our daughter and her husband are in route from California to Michigan by car. We’re very excited about seeing them and wish them traveling mercies and God speed. It’s quite a trek and we hope they have a great time.
We purchased the majority of our Christmas dinner today. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. It will only be the four of us, but I’m sure we’ll have a good time. One think I’m not sure about yet is what to have for dessert. It’s Christmas and we’d all like to splurge, but none of us need the extra calories or sugar. …Any good ideas!?!?
I guess I should go hit the wrapping now. On to the paper, tape, bows and such.
Taking things for granted…
December 18, 2007 at 12:49 am (Christmas, health, leisure time)
I suppose all of us from time to time take things for granted. It’s when something starts to hurt, or we run out of it that you really realize just how much you need it or use it.
I’ve been working on some typical Christmas things, crafts, cooking, cards, decorating, etc. Over the season I have really come to appreciate my thumbs. My hands have been in and out of water, craft materials, wrapping paper, ribbon, and other things you get into during the holidays. I’ve developed a skin crack on my left thumb. It’s very sore and I’m trying to use it as little as possible. I’m very left handed and trying to substitute my right hand/thumb is very awkward for me. I never realized just how much I use my thumbs before.
They say you never really appreciate anything until it’s gone. I guess that’s true enough. Something so small having an effect on the things you do on a daily basis is an eye opening experience.
To Plastic or Not…
December 16, 2007 at 10:25 pm (Christmas)
Rex and I decided that this year for Christmas we were going to give more gift cards than we have in the past. We did some shopping for specific things, but purchased more plastic than presents.
I keep hearing things on television, the Internet and in the paper about people buying gift cards because they’re not caring enough to pick out a specific gift. Personally I think that’s a bunch of bunk! I choose to look at the positive side of gift cards. I’ve always been a “glass half full and more” type of person. Some of my thoughts are:
1) You’re getting the full value of your dollar. It’s easy to purchase a $50 sweater for $25, but if you get a $50 gift card you’re giving/getting $50. 2) Gift cards are much more cost efficient for shipping. We sent four packages this year with a total of $55 for shipping and insurance. The heaviest was 4 pounds 1.7 ounces so I’m very glad they were light. 3) I enjoy getting specific things for people and have never minded the time to shop. But so often people take the gift back anyway so it’s a waste of everyone’s time. 4) I’ve never mind getting gift cards.
I guess I’ll just sum it up to say, if you were ever receive a gift card from us, please know that it comes with love and caring. I think that’s the most important thing anyway.
“Blisterpacks”…
December 16, 2007 at 12:32 pm (pet peeves...)
Perhaps no one else will be interested, but I’ve decided to use this blog as a source for venting my frustrations. Pet peeves……we all have them. Personally I don’t know WHY the word “pet” is part of the process! Pet peeves are irritations. They’re not something I like, so why in the world would they be my pets!?!?!?!?
Anyway…I hate blister-packs. My mother always told me you shouldn’t hate anything and I was taught there’s some good and some bad in everything. (?) BUT I see no good use for blister-packs in the hands of me, the consumer. If you’re not familiar with the term, “blister-packs” are those @%^(+#* (usually) plastic things that contain items like (some) over the counter drugs, (some) chewing gum or candy, etc. First you have to open the package, then you have to separate the individual item, usually with half cut perforations, then go through foil to get to what you wanted in the first place.
Case in point….I was trying to get into a package of Prilosec OTC a few minutes ago. I open the outer package and throw away all the wasted paper where everything in the known universe about the chemistry of this medication is printed. I open the inner package. Inside are two, individual packages having seven plastic, foil coated pockets. The pockets have lousy perforations. Five minutes later I finally get out the scissors and cut them apart. WHY not just put them in a bottle and be done with it?? The bottle would have a box, foil or plastic and cotton to go through, with a child safe cap, but it would be a lot easier then getting into a blister-pack.
Enough said….I’ve vented. If you read this and can agree just a little with any of these comments, it will have been worth my time to write it.
Holiday Decorating…
December 15, 2007 at 9:32 pm (Christmas)
My holiday decorating is late this year. My husband and I donated some things to charity and decided to wait until they were picked up so I wouldn’t have to position things twice. I’ve also devoted quite of time of late to a gift project. Those things being under control, I decided today would be the day. Rex and I started working on decorating this morning about 7:00am. I’d gotten up early, probably because the job was on my mind.
It’s now 4:05pm and I just finished. Rex helped for quite a while and then decided he needed a break. I don’t blame him. I on the other hand wanted to get it DONE so I kept working. It’s up, it’s pretty, and I’m very happy with it.
I love looking across the room and seeing the tree in all it’s glory as well as decorations, some I’ve had since I was a child and that my mother made. I also have things our daughter made when she was a little girl. It’s a big job but I enjoy it so much when it’s finished that it’s worth the time and the tired feet.
I still have wrapping to do and more of the project to work on, but now that the garland is hung, decorations placed and candles lit, I feel like the holidays are finally here.
2:30AM Idea Fest…
December 14, 2007 at 2:03 am (sleep/rest)
I don’t know if I’m the only person this happens to or not. I have this habit of waking up sometime around 2:30AM, probably to go to the bathroom, and sometimes having a hard time getting back to sleep. It’s probably because I’ve already gotten several hours of good rest, so my mind goes into gear and I have a hard time getting back into dreamland.
A funny thing however… that middle of the night time is when I get some of my better ideas. Suddenly I’ll think about a project I’d like to try, a recipe I’d like to invent, the wording in something I’d like to write or any number of other things. It may be strange but it works for me lots of times.
Sometimes I get up and act on the idea. Other times I just think it through and then I’ll drift back to sleep.
Any thoughts?!
Holiday shipping…
December 14, 2007 at 1:46 am (Christmas)
One of the things I always seem to almost forget is to get my packages in the mail for the holidays in a timely manner. I’ve never actually forgotten, but I’ve cut my time short a few times.
As of today my four out of state packages, Washington-California-Georgia and South Carolina, are wrapped and in the mail. I’m so glad to have that completed and it’s hard to believe how tiring the whole process is. But…it’s finished for this year. Yeahhhhh! Now on to the next project!!!
15 Bean Soup…
December 7, 2007 at 8:29 pm (Uncategorized)
I wanted to make some bean soup this week. I had some leftover ham and wanted to use it in the soup. While looking for typical navy beans I came across a package that read “15 Bean Soup”. I decided to give it a try. It’s in the slow cooker now and tastes really good. One thing about it I especially like is the color. The beans come in a variety of shapes and colors. It’s interesting to look at and I’m looking forward to having it for dinner.
Finally…
December 6, 2007 at 10:51 pm (Christmas, health)
It’s taken a while but I’m finally just about over my cold. It feels good to feel good again. I have become a firm believer in vitamin C and Echinacea. I think it helps and doubt if it will hurt.
I finished our Christmas shopping today. I’ve never been this far ahead. Nothing is wrapped yet and I still have a craft I’m working on which will take a while, but I’m making progress.
I’m really behind on my decorating this year also. We’re donating a few things to charity next week and I want to wait for that before adjusting my space. I don’t want to have to do it twice.
It’s early in the season and things are already starting to get busy. I look forward to all of it though and will enjoy it as it comes.
