One Christmas Party

The Sunday before Christmas my side of the family was here...........my daughter and her family, my sister and hers, and Kev's two children and their families.We had them over for lunch and the afternoon. It was a really nice day!!!

My daughter and her girls....remember they were here this past summer. They are real sweeties....well, the younger one has some spunk in her.

The always like to pull out the dress up clothes.

The sports fans in the family room.

Pile on Mark?

Most of the children surrounded Amy as she opened up used books from almost everyone there. Yes, she was starting to wonder why everyone was giving her a used book, including 50 SHADES OF GREY.

After all the gifts were opened Kevin brought out the Little Free Library. It was a hit, but I didn't get a photo. It's pretty big, there's room for large children's books and small paperbacks. I had it primed only so they can paint it the way they want it.

Look at all those girls with the long, blond locks. My daughter's girls put it up in the spring for their dance recital. When they get it cut it gets donated. 

I concentrated on my daughter's children because this was the only time I'd see them for Christmas.

One of our granddaughters received Pie Face (the game). After a bit it got a little wild and I had to calm them down....then it was over. 

But they had plenty of laughs.

Even one mom, my step daughter, played.

Togetherness? Playing video games.

My nephew (body builder and personal trainer) and oldest grandson. See the red beard? I told ya red hair runs in the family.

It was a wonderful gathering...my only wish would be that all my of children could have been here. 

More Christmas festivities coming up.

Hope your holiday was great!

Merry Christmas!

We're having a couple of different celebrations here. You may be too! 

Merry Christmas!

Have a Happy, Healthy New Year!

I'll be back soon.

Christmas Concerts And More

I haven't been posting because: 1) I've been busy and 2) I've been very upset.

The elementary school my 2 grandsons attend hosts a Bookmunchers event every month. A family member is invited to have lunch with the child and then the child reads to us. Grandson J is in 5th grade and I have attended almost every one for 5 years. I bring lunch for him and his brother and we spend the time together. No one else from their family has ever gone.  A couple of Thursdays ago, on the day of Bookmunchers, I was awoken by a 7:30am phone call from my grandson (who was crying so hard I could barely understand him) telling me that I could not attend. I called his mom's phone back 2 or 3 times and no one answered. A little while later J called me and I could hear his mother yelling in the background "tell her the real reason".....huh? "you didn't ask me first".....huh? I always go................ I know she can't tell me what to do, but I also knew she'd make life more miserable for J if I was there. In fact, she told the other boy to tell her if I was there and she did ask him about it. She does everything in her power to keep me from J. I emailed his teacher to explain that he may be a bit "off", she was glad I did and replied that he is an "amazing kid".

We celebrated Christmas with my side of the family yesterday.

In October when J was here he made a gift for his dad's birthday. I try to teach him that the best gift is from the heart, not Walmart. I framed the item and wrapped it and he took it home (where he, 2 brothers, & mom live with her parents) to give to his dad. When dad's birthday rolled around the gift was nowhere to be found. 

dad reading his late birthday gift

Fortunately I took a photo of it so we'd have it for the scrapbook. I could not find the form I printed for J so we just printed the copy and framed that for dad. J gave it to his dad yesterday when they were here.

I was able to attend the boys' concert. J had a solo part and he was so proud. When I attend any of the concerts I use sign language to convey my love, he nods in return....so we can communicate without anyone else being too aware.

At the end of the concert the school held a drawing to see who could cut the principal's tie. Weird idea, but that is what they wanted to do. In order to be in the drawing the student had to get a slip for good behavior. 

Grandson J cuts off the principal's tie.

 Before one of their performances the 6th grade band played. Grandson S plays the saxophone (blue shirt)

Later that week I attended our 7 year old granddaughter's concert. 

Before the concert I had lunch with my daughter and the other grandma. I am glad to share my grands with Bev.

Granddaughter C, black top, smiling at me. Yes, she's a tiny thing. It's a big school and very hard to get a photo while they are performing.

I was able to talk, briefly, to all 3 of the grands after school that day. Granddaughter A and I finalized our conspiracy plans that afternoon. 

Have a great 'last minute Christmas duties' week. I know I have things to do............and 2 gifts to purchase. 

What A Week and Some Silliness

 I want to let you know, Yes, I am alive and very well. Just busy, as is everyone else. My (small) side of the family is coming over tomorrow so I am trying to get things done. So why did I agree to let our 3 grandsons spend the night??? One is used to coming here, the older one will be bored, and the youngest one will want lots of attention and toys. 

The past week was good and bad.......maybe I'll explain later.

In the meantime here are some of the silly antics Robin Jingles had been up to.

He was fascinated by J's nativity set.

But this afternoon I found him under the tree. I was not happy! I do understand that it's hard when there are lots of presents under the tree.

I'll have to keep an eye on him tonight....our grandchildren want to open their own gifts.

I lost 2 followers in the past few days. Yes, I let it bother me. I know I can't be everything everyone wants. This blog goes from one thing to another. 

Merry Christmas!!!!

Electronics + Liquid + Me = Not Such A Good Combo

Sunday was a good day! My weight was down, I had my grandsons and SS here for the afternoon to decorate cookies. We saw a fantastic light show set to music. 

Monday was not so good - my weight was back up. As I posted earlier I keep my phone in my back pocket so I can track my steps. I also take a diuretic so when I hafta go, I hafta go! I usually pull my phone out of my pocket before I sit down. (I know TMI)

But...

I didn't...

and then I heard a plop :-(

Yup, my phone fell in.

Thank goodness I was home and had a clean toilet.  I fished it out and it seemed ok so I just put it down. When I checked it an hour or 2 later, it was not ok, VERY not ok. I was just sick...I knew it was my fault for not taking it out of the case immediately and putting it into rice. Do you know how much a new iphone costs? It's not even the newest one. I put in a bag of rice and the next morning the screen was still a bunch of striations. What else could I do? I put it back in the rice and forced myself to get out and go to Laugh Yoga instead of staying home and beating myself up.

That afternoon as I was at the computer the  bag of rice started ringing. Woo Hoo!

I kept it in the rice overnight again and took it out Wednesday. It's ok now....it still doesn't alert me when I get a text, but it never did.

That's not my only story....

Several weeks ago I spilled my hot tea on the table where my laptop lives. I picked it up right away but it still got wonky. It was having some other issues before that....I think I'll look for a new one after the holidays.You can see my remedy in the above photo. I attached my crafting cup holder to my table and put my drinks in that, works great. 

What I learned: 

1) Don't keep your cell phone in your back pocket! From now on it's in my purse, a wristlet, or in my denim 'apron/pocket'.

2) Act fast and use the rice technique!
3) Be patient. I know someone who had their ipod in rice for many days and it came back, after they bought a new one. 

Am I the only one who has done this?

Sunday Adventures/Decorating Cookies

 Sunday I had my annual cookie decorating event. Our grandsons came over for the afternoon. Actually I picked the boys up at 8:30am because dad had to work. Jalen and I made breakfast and I took him to Sunday school, the other boys didn't want to go so I didn't make them. They don't even know what it is. 

 Grandson J would not share the only tiny tube of icing that I bought, so he quit and went downstairs to get away from us. So dad took his place, dad made some pretty darn good looking cookies.

 I finally convinced J to come upstairs and make some gingerbread cookies. He is over here so seldom so doesn't get to do special things with me.

One of their cousins was over here too, he's very well behaved so it's not a problem. In spite of the toy messes we had a good day. Dad washed all the dishes, helped me clean up a casserole I dropped on the floor, and put away the toys. It's so nice to have an adult around.

I gave them their St Nick's stockings which included an ornament. J was THRILLED to get his initial....it even lights up (I didn't know that at the time). I give the grands small things in their stockings. One boy got a paper airplane kit...hence they were outside tossing paper airplanes. I'm glad dad plays with them. They don't see him often enough and he gets so sad when they go home.

 I don't know why, but, Robin Jingles wanted to play army with the boys. He was attacked and thrown on the pile of men for the mass grave burial. 

 He did not succeed in escaping....that time....

 When he finally did I found him hiding behind my Santas.

He must have calmed down and felt the need for some sweets, because a day later he was in my mug of leftover candy canes. 

It should be quiet here for a few days so we both can relax.

I'm pretty happy: I have my tree up, I think all the decorating is done, and the cards are all mailed out. Now to finish shopping, attend some Christmas concerts for the grands and some parties, bake some more cookies, and then clean. 

How are your holiday preparations coming along? 

The Ugly Sweater Contest

Last week I and 2 of my friends hosted our Red Hat Christmas party at a local restaurant. We chose to have an ugly sweater contest, and take it from me, ugly sweaters are hard to find. I looked for one all year long and ended up with a sweater vest. Most of us embellished our sweaters. 

This is most of our group.

  Here I am in my ugly sweater, I added every single Christmas pin I had to it and even some lights.

  The embellishing paid off....I won 1st place.

Second place (the tree) also had lights. Debbie and Darlene tied for 3rd. Needless to say, I don't think any of us will be wearing our sweaters in public any more.

One of the gals who was a hostess made the cute, little treat bags: one was the M&Ms I posted earlier, the other one she made was with a Grinch saying. Our Queen mum passed out individual packages of candy.

Darlene tried to steal a bite of Sandi's dessert but Sandi had her eye on the planed dastardly deed doer. 

We had a white elephant gift exchange. Joyce got a pair of sparkly, sexy, red pumps....she doesn't think she has any occasions in the future that need red heels.

 Carolee received some homemade cookies in her white elephant gift.

We have really nice group of ladies and always enjoy getting together. Quite often we take up a collection for a deserving charity. this month we brought items for the Salvation Army. They pass out Christmas gifts and everything is appreciated.

That was the first of my Christmas parties..............I have another one this friday. Let the fun begin!!!!

Oh, The Things I Have to Put Up With

You may remember when Robin Jingles, the elf on a shelf, came to live with us this past summer. My granddaughter was here for a visit and we named him together. Now that it's December and the holidays are nearing he is certainly more active. One afternoon I found him near the ceiling sitting on this valance.

 Later in the day he was peeking at one of my nativity displays.

 Thursday I baked cookies and I caught him before he swiped a taste of the dough. I don't want him to be sick over the holiday season.

 As I was making M&M treat bags for my grandchildren yesterday  I found him diving in, head first, into the bowl of M&Ms. It's going to be a trying month, I can tell.

This is a really cute saying for an M&M treat bag that I found here. You simply print off the cards from that site and attach to a small bag or jar of M&Ms. It's really cute, one of our gals made them up for our Red Hat Christmas party....that post is coming up.

I am making one for all of my grandchildren,

Have a great weekend.............I hope to get my tree up and decorated. Wish me luck!

A Few Projects

I'm not really crafty and don't have much of an imagination but I can copy. I've seen many things done with scrabble tiles and was planning on making a 'Give Thanks' sign for Thanksgiving, but we weren't having dinner guests so I jumped right into Christmas. As soon as I saw this at Organized Clutter I knew I had to make one. Everything I needed was here, even the star! Guess it pays to be a hoarder, once in a while. The supplies I used: a small frame, black scrapbook paper, small star I saved from something, and glue. Easy, peasy.....my kind of crafting.

During these cooler, stay at home, work inside days I often wear leggings..........so comfy. But I like to track my steps and do not have a pedometer that works, so I use an app on my phone. That works great when I am wearing jeans and can put it in my pocket. How can I have my phone on me at all times when I wear leggings??? I needed a pocket! I found this one somewhere...on Facebook probably. It works great! Hubby calls it my 'half skirt.

I wear it off to the side, on my hip and it is great for my phone, a kleenex or whatever else I am carrying around. I had an old pair of hubby's jeans that I had been saving for the pockets (did I say that it pays to be a hoarder sometimes???) and that is what I used.

Call me crazy or anything you like...I don't care.

Have a happy and crazy week!  I mean crazy good!

My Thoughts This Thursday

As usual, after I reread my post about Had I Known I remembered some things I forgot to write down. 

Joan is younger than I am.....NO, she is actually 1 year older than I am. Darn! there goes that theory. LOL Well, she is a very driven woman and is/was in much better physical shape than I am. She's very into health & nutrition. During her cancer treatment she was much more active than I was/am. She led the annual camp week held at her husbands camp.....lots of physical activities. It's hard to be active when you are so tired from chemo. It's hard to eat, so you have energy, when you feel sick and everything tastes terrible. Joan did not have all the various side effects that I experienced. Nevertheless,

she pushed on with her chemo treatments, not allowing a not so favorable blood test to deter her. She had a rigorous speaking schedule planned and canceled very few events. She had at least one blood transfusion (I can't remember for sure). OK, so any woman who has twins at 54 has got to be tuff! Those are some more of our differences. But she's a woman who had breast cancer and the same feelings we do when we hear those devastating words and go through several months of treatments.

After testing the theory many times I have determined that eating too much salt is DEFINITELY bad for me. The doctor is right about that one. I think he/she is also right about the need for physical activity. I do feel better and my balance has improved. I hope to get a Medicare plan (65 in April) that includes the YMCA so I can take some of the classes I enjoy. I like the pool classes and the drumming we did last night....it was pretty funny with us newbies.

Yesterday was an exciting day for  me....my first hair cut in over a year. She cut a 1/2" to 1" off. I can't believe I am saying this, but it was getting too long and 'big'.

on my way to the Y so I don't look too glamorous

It's December 3rd and we haven't had any snow, other than the big, fluffy flakes that fell yesterday and melted soon after. The temp is supposed to be 40 for the next 2 days. Kevin is off tomorrow and I bet he'll be on the golf course. I even filled up my bird feeder today. The birds are happy and I bet the squirrel will be back again.

Happy December!

Happy Holiday Season....is it?

Yes, for some....no, for others. Whichever way you lean I hope you have time to think about what the real meaning is....the birth of Jesus, our Savior. I wish you peace, love, and sanity too!

Had I Known

I recently finished reading this book by Joan Lunden. We both went through our cancer about the same time, but she's a celebrity and I'm not. At first I had no interest in reading it, I really don't know anyone who has read it. If you have also read this I'd appreciate your input.

Of course we have similarities: diagnosed with a terrible disease, survivors of said disease, women with families we love, strong women (that's what I've been called), we went through the same procedures while fighting breast cancer. We were both blessed to only need a lumpectomy, we both maintain positive attitudes.

These are just my quick thoughts about the book:

One of the things I learned was the importance of an ultrasound if you have dense breasts, which I do.

She's a very blessed woman to have such a supportive husband and daughters to stand next to her. My hubby didn't talk with me and would only give me a hug if I asked. He just keeps any and all emotions to himself. I know it was hard for him because he lost his first wife to the same disease. It's hard to talk to anyone who hasn't gone through it...no one else really understands how you feel. You're on drugs. literally....you have mood swings you never had before, people don't get it. I didn't need someone with me all the time, but it was nice when a friend stopped during my chemo to visit for a bit. I do have good friends who brought meals, did laundry, took me to doctor appointments, etc. I really appreciated that!

Yes, she was brave to announce her cancer to the world, but since she's in the public eye she really had do it. I think she was VERY brave to pose for a magazine cover bald! I could never have done that, on the other hand she has a make up artist to make her look good and hairstylist to fix her wigs. I'm sure there are days when she didn't wear make up or a wig and just hung out at home. I know there were many days when I just threw on a turban and maybe some mascara (for myself) and was up for 2 hours then slept for 3 and so on for the whole day.

Joan has a lot more money than we do, therefore access to more learned people, a dietitian, healthier food, a wonderful camp her husband runs, and more.

But, there are still things we can do (whether or not you've had cancer):

* exercise

*quit sugar (it's a super food to cancer)

* quit smoking

* drink alcoholic beverages VERY little, if at all

* eat more fruit and veggies (no processed foods)

* find out everything about your test results, just don't settle for 'within range' 

* take charge of your own health

* have a positive attitude

* tell the people you love that you love them

A couple of my favorite quotes from the book:

'You see, every challenge we face in life is really just an obstacle waiting to be turned into an opportunity.'

and regarding the bald photo shoot

'It was important to me to give the thousands of women out there, going through this battle a voice, to show them that just because you loose your hair during chemo, you can still be strong and vibrant and normal.'
Like some other survivors she's said it was a gift, I can't find where she wrote it, but I do remember that statement. I still can't say it was a gift for me....maybe I just don't see it yet....blinded???

Lastly remember fear is:

False

     Evidence

      Appearing

Real

Yes, I'm glad I read it. 

A Few Of My Christmas Cards

I'm soooo excited to report that I have all of my Christmas cards made for this year!

I had some leftover from last year, I made up some from card parts I had laying around here, I made several at the Stamp a longs (thanks Carolee), and I made some this past weekend with Penny. She's a Close to my Heart rep and so very patient with us. Most of my cards are different, I have a few that I have more than one of...but....maybe next year I won't have so many different ones. I have the ideas, just want to use up what I have.

I haven't mailed any out yet.....I'll get to it when I feel like it. Saturday I baked some cookies, just plain ones, no holiday cookies yet and spent the whole afternoon home alone and putzed around. I felt OK until about supper time...then I got all sad and was really missing our grandson, the one who used to come on Saturday nights...but now mom won't let him come over. I really miss our conversations, his smile, and company. One of my Facebook friends messaged me and we 'talked'. I know I am not the only one whose grandkids are kept from them. It does help to know others are in the same situation, many are worse. (sad face) I do get to see him on occasion, just not on a regular basis. 

Monday is his DARE graduation and he invited me so I'll attend that. It's so important to them to have your support. I don't know if anyone else from his family will be there. I'll tell him I love him even if we don't get to talk. 

Happy Almost December to you!