Boat Rides, Shows, Day at the Beach

Here are a couple of photos from our trip to Mexico.  Cindy is in Mexico and Tim is in the U.S.  This is on the bridge over the Rio Grande as we walked into Mexico.

Our anniversary drink in Progreso to honor Karen and Ron's 54th wedding anniversary.

Friday morning Tim cooked us breakfast at their casita and then we took a boat ride on the Rio Grande River. Ted and I did this about 8 years ago and we were truly shocked this time. The development on the Mexican side was astonishing! Both public and private beautiful construction was going on. The only thing I noticed different on our side was the total collapse of the restaurant, Pepe's On The River. During the flood of 2010, it became Pepe's IN The River.  To see it just hanging there in total collapse from the river side was astounding.  There has been no attempt to tear it down and so it just hangs there as a terrible eyesore.

Afterwards we took a ride to the ropas (clothes in Spanish) to show them a few places with the mountains of clothes and people climbing all over them.  What they purchase will end up at a flea market or hanging on their fences for sale.  It is a sight to see.

That evening Crosstrung performed at our park and we had second row seats.  The group is from Utah, all family, and they were truly amazing.  Their two fiddle players were unbelievably talented and they had the audience participate which is always fun.  Everyone enjoyed the show and my family was amazed that we were able to see such quality entertainment here in the park for $5.

Saturday we went to the Don-Wes flea market and produce stands.  Karen and Cindy were interested in the bathing suit store and they both ended up with new suits.  We all bought fruit and I bought a new rug for the bottom of the RV steps.  At 4:00 we went to church and Fr. Roy was his usual self and they enjoyed his sermon.  There was an ice cream social followed by Pokeeno that evening at the clubhouse.  Cindy and Tim borrowed park bikes and rode to the state park while we "old folks" stayed at the clubhouse.  None of us won anything but we enjoyed the evening.

The weather was supposed to be the warmest and sunniest on Sunday so we chose that day to go to the beach at South Padre Island.  It went to 95 degrees and for once the weatherman was right.

Tim brought his metal detector and walked the beach with it but found only a few coins, none of which were gold doubloons!

He had to watch where he walked, as did everyone, because jellyfish were all over the place.  When we arrived, the yellow caution flag was flying.  By the time we left the red flag was up along with the purple one.  This meant "do not go in the water" and "jellyfish are present." 

Dirty Al's, a South Padre Island institution, was our choice for dinner.  We chose a platter the size of a cafeteria tray covered with french fries and 40 pieces of fish, shrimp and chicken on top.  It fed all of us for $38 and was absolutely some of the best fish I have ever eaten.  You could also include oysters if you wanted but no one wanted them. 

On Monday everyone did their own thing.  Ronnie went fishing in the state park, Cindy and Tim went antiquing in Harlingen and then returned to Mexico, Ted and I went to the HitchHiker monthly luncheon and Karen watched her soap operas.  It was a change of pace that everyone enjoyed.

Tuesday morning everyone but Ted went to the Mexican flea market.  I guess they call it this because all the vendors are Mexican!  Little English is spoken and the signs are in Spanish.  I bought a pair of silver earrings, Ron and Tim bought Colt knives and that was about it.  The car returning to Cincinnati was at its capacity and Cindy and Tim only had carry on bags for the plane. 

Ted and I went to the Palapa to help decorate for the Mardi Gras party and put streamers on Roger's truck.  The parade began at 5:00 and somehow I ended up sitting in the truck facing backwards.  Roger was standing over the cab with his I-Pod playing "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" while Vern and John sat on the tailgate.  We all threw candy and beads to the park residents before culminating at the Palapa for the party.  This is the view from my seat in the pick-up bed.

Our friends and neighbors Karen and Dave with their dog Smoki, who has outfits for every occasion.

Wednesday morning Karen and Ron left.  Around 2 o'clock they called and said they were north of Houston trying to make Texarkana.  That is a l-o-n-g haul in one day.  Ted took Cindy and Tim to the airport for their 11 o'clock flight.  I received a text message around 5 saying they had arrived to snow in Cincinnati.

We had a great time while they were here and now we will settle back into our normal routine.  This first month has flown by but we still have another one before heading home.

Company Has Arrived

That was an interesting outcome to the Super Bowl.  It looked like a runaway until the lights went out!  Neither of us did any good on the betting squares, not even close.  I didn't think the commercials were all that great and the half time show left me with a "is that it?" feeling.  But I have to admit I am glad the season is over and I can have my TV back.

We were busy on Monday doing laundry, going to the grocery and doing some cooking in anticipation of going shopping Tuesday and expecting Karen and Ron on Wednesday.

As it turned out, the shopping was cancelled due to the illness of one of the driver's husbands and our company arrived around 2:00 on Tuesday afternoon, a day ahead of schedule.  Their cabin was empty and they were able to move in.  Otherwise they would have spent the night with us.

This gave us an opportunity to take them around a bit on Wednesday before Tim and Cindy flew in.

We first stopped at Our Lady of San Juan of the Valley Shrine and Basilica.  It is a beautiful church and grounds.  This is the main altar banked with flowers that people bring constantly.  There are also many, many candles lit in front of it.

The grounds are large and impressive.  Sculptures of the "stations of the cross" that mark Jesus' journey to be crucified are spaced throughout.

From there we went to Harlingen to see the original casting used to make the bronze Iwo Jima memorial that now resides in Arlington National Cemetery. 

Also buried here is Cpl. Harlon H. Block of Weslaco, TX who is depicted in the memorial.  He was killed in action five days after the flag raising.

We watched a movie on the taking of Iwo Jima.  We have seen it before but it still brings tears to my eyes when I think of the thousands of boys who lost their lives on that small island.

Next up was a small showroom of Classic Chevrolet cars.  Here are Karen and Ron next to a 1961 Corvette that they would have loved to own when they first married 54 years ago!

My first car was a 1956 black and white BelAir like this one but mine was not a convertible.

Of course one of the most famous Chevrolets of all was the 1957 model.

From there we stopped at an antique store where Karen & Ron bought a mirrored beer sign originally from Cincinnati.  Shhh!  It's a Christmas gift.

By then it was time to head home so Ted could make his airport run.  Cindy and Tim arrived just in time for Margarita Hour in the clubhouse.  After a few drinks and some appetizers we all came to our trailer and had a light dinner.

It wasn't long before everyone was heading to their own place to turn in early.  It had been a long day and we were meeting at 9:00 this morning.  Destination:  Mexico.

We made our way to Progreso this morning before 10:00.  Our first stop was for coffee and pastry at Renee's Bakery.  Being serenaded by mariachis that early in the morning is a real eye opener! 

Ted bought a new black belt and had his hardware transferred from the old one to the new one.  I bought a few more things at the drugstore to fill additional requests.  And that was it for us.  But the others were Christmas shopping from cowboy boots to leather wallets, necklaces, belts and things in between.  We were going to be loaded down on the way home.

We ended the day on the music patio in Progreso having a drink to celebrate Karen and Ron's 54th wedding anniversary.  We came back across the bridge and ate brisket at Fat Daddy's.  It was late afternoon when we finally made it home.

Later we took Cindy and Tim to the grocery so they could stock their kitchen with some items.  Tomorrow we are taking a boat ride on the Rio Grande River.  Y'all come back, ya hear!

Fun weekend

There was a good turnout for our ladies luncheon and style show on Friday. Everyone was so dressed up compared to the normal attire around the park. I sat with Pat, Ann and Diana. Trudy and Karen were models so they ate at that table. Three different stores showed off their wares. The one I liked best is actually a 14W and up store so I can't even shop there.

However, we are all going to Weslaco on Tuesday to shop at the other two stores and use our coupons that were at each table setting. We will be having lunch over there too. I took photos for Karen but the light was not good so I don't think they turned out all that well.

Afterwards I found Ted over at Dave's so I sat down for awhile too. I gave him Karen's camera and phone because she was still getting her things together in the dressing room.

Yesterday we went to Tony Roma's for an early dinner. That is only the third time we have eaten out since we arrived. Diet or not, I couldn't pass up the ribs. I got the smaller portion but still brought home half of that. Ted could not eat all of his either.

Then we went to church where Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Anna and the donkey re-enacted the Presentation of the Lord in the temple. Benito the dog barked at the donkey and Fr. Roy had to tell him to be quiet, it was OK for the donkey to be in church. Fr. Roy said "That must be Simeon's dog. I read in the Bible that he had a cranky dog." Afterwards we received the "blessing of throats" in honor of St. Blaise Day. Fr. Roy had mentioned that if he asked everyone what day 2/2 was, half would say Groundhog Day instead of Candlemas Day. I think the percentage would have been higher. I want to go to Mass at San Juan Shrine with the mariachi bands but it is hard to skip our weekly encounter with Fr. Roy.

We then picked up Jay and Stella for the Rainey show at Chimney Park. This park sits right on the banks of the Rio Grande River and every one's cell phones were getting messages about the costs of international dialing. We get them when we walk across the bridge too. We just all know not to make or take calls there. I wonder how the people in the park make sure they are not internationally roaming.

Rainey did a fantastic job as Patsy Cline. We all really enjoyed the show. I have everything Patsy ever recorded and she has the nuances down pat. Donna from our park was there because she knows Rainey. They are both from Thunder Bay, Ontario. She introduced Ted because both Rainey's mother and her husband had worked for mills owned by Abitibi. They knew a few people in common.

Today is the Burger Bash and Super Bowl. I think the fellows may shoot this morning. I saw the photo of Obama supposedly shooting skeet. If he is, he isn't on a skeet field, there are no high and low houses nor 8 stations and he is shooting below the birds. So let's just say he probably isn't any good.

I haven't taken any photos but maybe next week with our company here that will change. They arrive on Wednesday and we will be out and about all week. I better charge my camera battery while I am thinking about it!

The Truck Is Home

Ted picked the truck up late Monday afternoon and returned the rental car. He has driven it for two days and he and Dave have "listened" to it and all seems good. We have lots of time to make sure.

Tuesday we went to what is called the Mexican flea market just a little west of here. Cindy and Tim are shoppers so we are finding places worthwhile for them to go. The best buy was 7 avocados for $1! I bought a pair of sunglasses for $5 and that was all. Having lost the Michael Kors ones that Kara gave me but still having the $10 ones I bought at Disney years ago, this makes sense for me. We walked for two hours and that is good for us.

In the morning on Wednesday Stella called to remind us of the lunch at Ron Hoover RV they had invited us to and asked if we were going. They are Heartland RV district leaders (or something like that) and attend lots of functions in that capacity. Ted was supposed to shoot but it was so windy he was over at Dave's discussing the situation. I told her I didn't know until he came back. He stayed there an hour and a half so the answer turned out to be "no."

Wednesday is always Margarita night and we headed over to the clubhouse at 5:00. Pat and Vern were already there and invited us to join them. We met others as the table filled up. I don't know about next week because we have to be at the airport at 3:50 to get Cindy and Tim. We will just play it by ear. I will keep something simple here to take over just in case everyone arrives in time. Karen and Ron are driving and stopping in Kingsville at the King Ranch so I don't know what time to expect them.

I will fix something easy for dinner because whether we make Happy Hour or not they will need to eat. And we will take them to HEB grocery to get a few things for their casitas. They have a LR, kitchen, bath and BR. I have provided them with lots of info on what there is to do and see so we will also be setting up our plans for the week.

We have a busy weekend - western style show luncheon Friday, Patsy Cline Legend Show Saturday and Burger Bash and Super Bowl party Sunday. I will need the next days to get my laundry done and groceries in for our company. It will be a busy week while they are here.

"What we anticipate seldom occurs, what we least expect generally happens." - Benjamin Disraeli

Lost Day

On Saturday Ted went shooting and then we left about 2:00 for a late lunch/early dinner at Outback. We had a gift card from Terry & Carol to use. The Citrus Fiesta Parade was scheduled at 3:00 and would come right down the street we use to get to church. So after eating we went west of the street and made our way there. We knew parking would be doubly hard because parade watchers were parked too and we could see them all in their lawn chairs watching the parade.

Two young fellows were walking and we asked if they had a car parked and were leaving. One answered he lived around the corner and we could park at his house. So that is what we did and it was still there after church!

Fr. Roy was riding his horse in the parade along with the church float so the assistant Pastor said our Mass. He is Speedy Gonzales and we were out quickly.

We returned home and at 6:00 went to the ice cream social in the clubhouse followed by Card Bingo at 7:00. No winners at our table and another lady won twice but neither was the big pot.

On Sunday I woke up tossing my cookies and visiting the bathroom frequently. It didn't last long and I didn't feel all achy or lethargic so I think it was something I ate on Saturday. Since I only had a bowl of cereal at home, a steak and salad at Outback and the ice cream at the clubhouse I am blaming the salad, dressing or lemon in my water at the restaurant. I feel fine today but still am not hungry.

It was Souper Supper last night so Ted made tortellini soup and went to the clubhouse to meet the folks with the rest of the supper. He brought me a small lemon pie Karen had made for each one of us. I will eat it today I guess.

We have no specific plans for today but maybe the truck will be done and we can pick it up. Ted wants to put at least 500 miles on it before we head home. We will be going to South Padre Island next week while our company is here and that is at least 150 round trip so I doubt the 500 mile goal will be hard to reach.

Video For Him, Laundry For Me

Thursday Ted went to the shooting range where they were making videos for the park website. They shot the clay targets with no special instruction and were not even aware when filming was going on. We have no idea if Ted will appear in the video or end up on the editing room floor.

I, in the meantime, got three loads of laundry together but waited for the car to return to go to the laundry room. I cannot drag three sorted bags, hangers, detergent, bleach, Spray and Wash and money by myself. When Ted returned he dropped me off, ran some errands and then came back to bring me and the clean clothes back home. I really do miss my own laundry room when out in the RV but doing it all at once in several machines makes it go quickly.

We went over to visit with Dave and Karen. We decided to go to the Souper Supper on Sunday so we all walked up to the office to sign up. Four couples are assigned to a table and each brings something. We have Ted making soup, Dulce is making sandwiches and Karen is making dessert. There is one spot open for appetizers but we haven't checked the sheet to see if anyone has taken the last two seats at our table.

Today we went to the grocery and the produce market. I remembered our HEB free bacon coupons so we have plenty in the freezer for our company coming on 2/6. We stopped at the Ford dealer but the truck is still not ready. We were due at Diana and John's site at 5:30 to celebrate Anne's birthday. I took brouchetta and my own Riesling. There was plenty of food and two different birthday cakes. A pole took out an electric line in the state park and the whole 700 group of sites in our park were without electricity. We used small lanterns for awhile but these groups break up early so it wasn't much of a problem.

We are sleeping with the windows open and the roof vent fan on. Delightful!

Busy Wednesday

Ted went trapshooting with the fellows Wednesday morning and I made cookies for Margarita night. My Christmas exchange gift at the neighborhood luncheon was a jar with Cookies For Santa contents. I had to add egg, vanilla and butter. Making them for others kept us from eating them.

As soon as Ted came home we went to McAllen to the Senior Expo. Boy am I grateful for our good health. We didn't need any physical therapy, rehab, pain management, etc. which constituted lots of booths. I did have my eyes checked but with the mono vision cataract lenses, I was 20/400 in the eye with the close-up lens. It was 20/30 in the distance eye. She said it only checks for distance and there was no way to check that other eye. I am not sure what will happen when I renew my driver's license. I do have glasses and I was 20/20 in both eyes with them at the doctor so I may need to be tested in them. Then my license will say Corrective Lenses but I don't really need them to drive!

We visited all the booths and collected lots of things. We both won a coupon for a free package of bacon from HEB, two drink cozies from the duty free liquor store as you enter Mexico along with two $5 off coupons. My Sam's Club renewal was due so I did that and received a $10 gift card and large box of Ziploc freezer bags. There were lots of pens, candy and calendars too. I also picked up lots of info on South Padre Island for Cindy & Tim who are coming 2/6. Ted won a long stem pink rose for me somewhere while I was renewing Sam's Club. Since admission was free I would say we came out OK.

Next stop was Spikes Ford. The other dually being worked on was still on the oversized lift. Until that one gets finished they can't start on ours. Since Ford is paying for the rental we don't care. The Altima is easier to park and uses way less fuel than our truck so a little more time is fine with us.

On the way home we stopped at Chimney Park and bought tickets for the Patsy Cline legend show. Then we called Jay & Stella and asked if they wanted to go and they said yes. So Ted went back in and bought two more. We stopped by and dropped off their tickets and visited for awhile. They had been out for lunch with Tom & Judy who are staying in Edinburgh this year instead of at Mission West. We were sorry we missed them.

We arrived home in time to grab the cookies and head to the clubhouse. Margaritas are free and everyone brings something to share. I had a small bowl of chili, a little salad, a small roll with ham salad and a junior butterfinger for dessert. My cookies were gone quickly because they were homemade. Next week I will take something more substantial. I just wanted those cookies out of here. We sat with Don and Trudy and talked about all their dance training since they were kids.

It hit 83 degrees and 90s are predicted for next week. Good thing I brought some shorts and my bathing suit along! Life is good in the valley.

Just Enjoying The Valley

On Saturday we went to the shooting range here on the property. There are four shooting stations and one of them was open for the five of us. It has been a real long time since I shot but I did pretty darn good. Hit the bullseye a time or two and always hit the target, no stray shots. We are supposed to go back on Thursday while they do some PR videoing.

That afternoon we had our Baked Potato Early Supper in the clubhouse. I had bought two nicely shaped, same size baked potatoes at the flea market so I used my microwave bag to cook them. There was butter, sour cream, bacon bits, chili and cheese to top your potato and drinks and dessert to go with it. We had a nice time visiting but the clubhouse was being used at 7:30 for dance practice so we gathered our things and came home.

While we were driving to and from the shooting range Ted and Dave were "listening" to the truck. Ted said he could hear a "howl" and Dave agreed. Now I can hear way better than Ted but I couldn't hear anything. There is just some familiarity between a man and his truck that defies reason. So on Monday Ted took the truck to the Ford dealer. Long story short, we are getting a new differential. We have a rental car paid for by Ford and the repairs are under warranty. Now we are just saying prayers that a top notch mechanic is doing the work.

Today we went to Mexico. First stop was Renee's Bakery for a pastry and coffee. We had met Stella, Jay, Kelly and Mike at the bridge. Afterwards we stopped at our favorite drug store and bought our list of drugs for us and others. It was quite a list but they had everything I needed including two bottles of vanilla for a friend. Then Ted agreed to a pedicure. His men friends in the park said the spa next to Renee's was great and they all went there. I hope he will continue with them now that he has found out how good your feet can feel.

Last stop was the leather shop where Ted had his brown belt worked on and I bought two belts. I left the bag with Ted's black belt in the car so he didn't get that one cut down (he has lost 25 lbs. since our return in November!). We will be going back over in a couple of weeks so we will get it fixed then.

Tomorrow is trap shooting, Senior Expo at the convention center and Margarita night at the clubhouse. We have been invited to a birthday party on Friday. We are still enjoying ourselves and the weather is great.

Lovely Weather

It has been cool at night and sunny and 70s during the day. Perfect! We ran into Marilyn and Vern, fellow HitchHikers from Minnesota. They said it was going to be 9 below at their home last night. Brrr! We will see them again at the HitchHiker luncheon.

Friday we saw The Redhead Express perform here at our park. This is a family originally from Alaska, now living in Nashville, who have been performing down here for a couple of years. We have watched the four girls and three boys grow up. They are very talented and a joy to watch.

Saturday we rode with Jay and Stella to the flea market. I had several items to get for myself and others. Bill wanted a potato baker. These are hand made of cotton, sort of a double potholder with a flap to close it. Wrap your potatoes in a wet paper towel, put inside the baker, close the flap and microwave as usual. They come out as if done in a regular oven. I love mine and will use it tonight to make our potatoes for the Baked Potato Supper tonight at the rec hall.

Carol wanted a six deck card shuffler and two six deck card trays which I found easily because there are game booths all over. I was also looking for wood domino holders so Morgan would have 8 instead of just 4 for her Mexican Train set but they only had plastic. I will order another set from Amazon for her. Ted bought new conchos for his belt. I needed ground nutmeg at home so I went to the spice shop for that. Then we crossed the street to the produce market and bought a pineapple, grapefruit, oranges and peppers.

Since we were that far east we decided to stop at Furr's Buffet for a late lunch/early dinner. What a crowd! We had to wait in line to pay but then it was smooth sailing. I ate a balanced meal and other than a bowl of cereal, that was it for the day.

As soon as Jay dropped us off we got into our own truck to go to church. We found the church under total renovation, the dome at ground level and expansion on both sides. We thought oh- oh but people were streaming into the school hall across the street. Fr. Roy and his dogs were there. Fr. Roy is a Texas ranch boy from San Antonio. He preaches Texas style.

The gospel was the wedding feast at Cana. In his sermon he talked of when the headwaiters asked the bridegroom why he saved his best wine for last instead of serving it first. Fr. Roy said in Texas you would serve your Lone Star beer or Shiner Bock first and when that ran out you could give them a Bud Light!

When we left he told us to take a calendar and send one to our college students and servicemen. He said every barracks and dormitory needs a crucifix, a Lady of Guadalupe calendar and a picture of John Wayne. We LOVE going to church there.

After church we returned to the park and played Pokeeno. None at our table won but one lady won twice, one of which was the big one!

It was a busy day but so enjoyable. We are settling into our routine.

It's Warm Again. Yay!!

It's Cold In The Valley

We arrived Tuesday before one o'clock. I remember because the office was closed for lunch. Guy, the manager, came out of his house to greet us. I told him we knew where to go and also knew the spot had been vacated so he told us to set up and come back later.

When we pulled in, Dave came right over. He had called just as we went through Kingsville to get a time on our arrival because Karen was fixing a meal for us. We got set up and went right over to eat delicious salad, garlic bread, meatballs and spaghetti (Ted's favorite) and chocolate cake. We were both starving because we had skipped breakfast. It tasted mighty good.

We went to the office, paid our fees and signed up for a few activities. It was good to be settled for two months.

Ted went shooting with the fellows yesterday. When he came back we did the "RVers run to Wal-Mart." There is a new one west of here so there is no dealing with traffic into McAllen. I am sure it will be our store of choice for that reason alone.

As soon as we got back I hurriedly put the groceries away and we headed next door to pick up Jay and Stella. They had invited us to have dinner with them and friends of theirs who are workamping at the Birding Center in the state park. There were 11 of us in all at Alejandros Restaurant. Unfortunately there are two and we went to the wrong one first. But we ended up all together. This place had the biggest shrimp I have ever eaten.

Afterwards we went to their trailer and visited. We haven't seen them since down here last year though we stay in touch constantly. We will be spending time together until they leave in the middle of February.

We have had to keep the furnace on all the time. It doesn't run much during the day. The sun has returned and we need the temps to get back to normal then all will be OK.

We have no particular plans for today but I'm sure something will come up!

Welcome Back, Chris!

It took awhile to get all the bed linens stripped, laundered and back onto the beds but once that was done things were pretty much back to normal. Kara had given us a new mattress pad, among other things, so our bed got a complete overhaul.

I worked four hours at the thrift shop on Tuesday and found a WDW sweatshirt for Sam and a silk Ann Taylor sweater for Kara. Junior Forum is collecting women and children PJs at this week's meeting for the Women's Shelter and I came across a girl's size 8 brand new pair with tags still attached so I bought them too and asked Donna to take them to the meeting for me. I don't rummage looking for things but sometimes nice, new articles pop up.

Our neighborhood luncheon was Thursday and we had a nice turnout at the new Mexican restaurant near the house. It is the second time I have been there and I didn't care for it either time. There are too many to choose from to go to one that isn't real good. But I enjoyed the company and wrote it off as one of thousands of meals I will eat in my lifetime.

We spent the rest of our time getting ready to take off. A lot goes on in two months and you have to be prepared so things don't fall through the cracks. At least we are going to be in one spot with a mailbox so Chris can send things to us if necessary.

Ted went to fill both tanks on the truck to use his 30 cent discount at Krogers. He was so pleased to announce it only cost $372! Now isn't that special! The cost of fuel is what it is. You either pay it and use your unit or you may as well sell it. Our space rent went up again too. Between the capital outlay for the truck and trailer, the insurance, space rent, fuel costs and camping fees don't think for a minute that RVing is an inexpensive way to travel! But it is our choice versus a vacation home. We can move our "vacation home" to where we want or need to be.

We were happy to see Chris since we hadn't seen him since we came back in August. His parents are settled in their new home but his mother has been diagnosed with dementia. Rebecca had suspected this. But when her mother-in-law called me about my cataract surgery doctor she seemed fine to me. This is a really hard thing for everyone. Chris will only be 10 minutes from them but let's hope nothing comes up while we are gone.

We drove to Victoria yesterday but it is cold. It was 47 degrees inside the trailer when we parked. I turned the propane furnace on and once it warmed up turned the fireplace on and the furnace off. Since we have to pay for our electric in Mission we will need to determine if the propane furnace is better than the fireplace and/or portable electric heater.

We are passing through Refugio, birthplace of Nolan Ryan. It is no warmer, overcast and sprinkling a bit. Karen and Dave said she would have dinner for us today so we have that to look forward to. Tomorrow will be the Don-Wes flea market for fruits, vegetables and some card holders, shufflers and domino holders to fill requests from family and friends. I also promised someone a microwave potato baker but I can't remember who!

Mama Bear Sends the Photos

Hey, my kids read the blog and pay attention to what I say! So here are a couple other photos from the photo shoot Larry did.  The second photo is the one I chose to go with the one of Kara by herself for our bedroom wall.  I really like the third one better but I needed a landscape, not portrait, photo to make the rest of the photos work. 

We went to church Saturday, then to Joe's in Conroe to eat with Gerre and Barry before going to their house to play cards and exchange our Christmas gifts.  Gerre's grandson Ross asked Gerre if I wasn't her friend anymore because that one lonely present was still sitting there after Christmas.  We can only imagine what goes through the little ones' heads. 

Today I worked four hours at the thrift shop and now I am full steam ahead to get ready for our departure next Monday.  Chris will be coming back since his folks are now settled in their new house.  We had someone else take care of things at home when we went to Europe.  It will be good to have him back staying at the house in our absence.  I'm just glad the house shouldn't burn up (oven) or blow up (water heater) now that Bill has fixed those things.  The alarm problem and toilet leak came up while Bill was here and he fixed them in no time.  I told him if he waited I could probably break something else or at least find something else that needed to be fixed.  He has been gone since Saturday and so far so good!

Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph. ~ Matt Hardy

Larry Carpenter Photography

Larry did a photo shoot of Kara and the kids while they were here.  This is on the wall in my bedroom right above the most current one of the kids.  They did it first in a pink sweater but that clashed with the other photos that are hanging so she changed and it worked just fine.  I have the photos but just pulled this off Facebook so when I get the kids in .jpg form, I'll show you that too!  I am going to like having our own photographer in the family.  Oh the pressure on the photographer they have chosen for their wedding!

Ah-h-h-h-h-h

I have seen the sights of London
I have seen the sights of Rome
But there's nothing like the tail lights
of my grandkids going home!

I really shouldn't blame that ah-h-h-h-h-h on my grandkids.  They just happened to be the last ones to leave Saturday afternoon.  Morgan came and hugged me goodbye at least four times.  She didn't want to leave but at the same time was anxious to get home to her Christmas presents, toys and her own bed.

We have gone non-stop since the end of October.  First there was the three week trip, followed by company for a week (however, they were SO HELPFUL in getting the house decorated) and we had a ball.  Then the parties started in earnest.  I had my 12 neighbors for lunch here, a dinner for Terry & Carol's friend Judy, Christmas dinner for 8 and company for 11 straight days from the day after Christmas until January 5.  Whew! 

BUT ... everyone pitched in and right now everything is put away from Christmas.  The garage and several drawers, cabinets and closets are cleaned out and organized.  My oven is fixed, a small gas leak in our water heater is repaired, our alarm on the door has been reseated and the flapper on the toilet cleaned and reset.  Thank you, Bill.  I seriously considered sending Ted back to Detroit and keeping Bill but no one was in favor of that but me!

Tuesday was spent settling in, getting the oven repaired and playing Mexican Train.

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The Children's Museum of Houston was our outing on Wednesday. It has been voted the best children's museum in the country by Parents' Magazine and they deserve it. This place is awesome. The entry hall was filled with pedal cars going back to the early 1900s. We grownups all remember having such a toy.

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Morgan and Sam (as well as the rest of us) had a great time playing with all the hands on exhibits that are available.

For dinner we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant and even the kids gave it their seal of approval.

Thursday we drove to Brenham to visit the Blue Bell factory. If I ever need a job, I think I could give this tour as well as the folks that do it now. But it does give me a chance to try one more flavor of Blue Bell. That evening Terry & Carol treated us all to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. We had a nice long visit and the kids were very good reading their books while the adults lingered.

Friday I had a doctor's appointment in the morning and everyone at home was taking down Christmas decorations, marking the boxes and stacking them in the garage in the space created by Keith. Ted, Kara and Bill went shopping in the afternoon and I stayed with the kids. Morgan, Bill and I had all been working on her American Doll raccoon that needed to be sewn and stuffed.

All too soon Saturday arrived and it was one last trip to the airport. But we know we will see them again in June at the family reunion in Kentucky. This has been a wonderful Christmas season. As the years pass, the memories created become more meaningful. It is not the gifts, the food, the parties that are important. It is the peace within our families, the love we share and the precious time we spend together.

The Oven Fix

We did make it through dinner with the spastic oven. With the brisket in the smoker I had rebaked potatoes, baked apples and garlic toast to worry about but it all cooked fine. We had one last big meal. I have cooked more since our return from Europe with all this company than I have in years. Lora, Steve and Hope left early but Terry and Carol stayed until 11 o'clock.  Larry took photos and posted this "decreased saturation" photo on Facebook.

The next day I turned the oven on to bake a breakfast casserole and got an F2 error code. Now I had something to work with. That meant my oven sensed heat in excess of 600 degrees ... but it was still cool enough to stick my hand in. It had been on for only a few minutes. We moved on to plan B for breakfast.

Ted took Larry and Kristin to the airport for their flight home and picked up Kara's friend Bill. I was anxiously awaiting his arrival because he was the caped crusader of fixing my oven! He assessed the situation and decided it needed a new sensor, exactly what I told the two GE repairmen who said I should not use a portable thermometer to check the temperature, charged me a lot of money and fixed nothing!

Bill decided to test the sensor. When he reached for it, it came off in his hand with the wires all burned. Now the entire oven needed to be taken out of the cabinet to get to the wiring harness. Bill did that and found the plastic clip of the sensor fried at the harness. He said it was a miracle we didn't have a fire. But the new sensor could not be clipped into the harness because of the damage so he used special connectors to reconnect the old sensor. And it works! The oven is reaching the correct temperature and staying on. I know GE would have sold me a new $1500 oven before they would have gotten to the bottom of the problem and fixed it! Thank you, Bill!

We spent New Year's Eve playing Mexican Train (I lost big time). The next day and Kara and Bill took the kids to play miniature golf and Ted and I returned two gifts. We picked up pizza afterwards for dinner and went to church at 7 o'clock.

We are going to the Children's Museum today if everyone gets moving.  I have lots of the Christmas stuff down and staged in my sitting room.  Bill has been very helpful in reaching things for me.  He took the box down for my wreath and took it off the wall and put it away.  Then he put the picture back up which usually takes me half an hour because of trying to hit two different hooks with the wire.  I am missing a photo of all the grandkids so I'll keep looking to discover where I stuck it.

Happy New Year to all in 2013.  Good health is my first wish for you, happiness always and at least a penny for your shoe.

"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!"

 ~ Hamilton Wright Mabie

Chaos Is An Understatement

I told our company coming for dinner today that if they find a seat, sit down and don't move.  It may be awhile before another seat becomes available.  Our house is perfect for the two of us, not bad for two more but seven people with Christmas gifts, big dinners, suitcases and visitors gets a bit tricky!  But we are making it.  Terry and Carol as well as Kara's friend Lora, her husband and daughter Hope are coming for dinner today.  An even dozen!

Larry and Kristin arrived right on time on Wednesday and despite six inches of snow overnight in Michigan, Kara and the kids arrived on time too.  We were so thankful for that.  We came home, got settled in and had our Christmas just two days late.

Morgan received a Merida from Brave costume for her Build A Bear Molly.  It included a red wig that was wrapped in a sort of hair net to protect it in the package.  When Kristin helped her dress the bear, Morgan put the hair net on too.  Kristin said she didn't need that, it was just part of the packaging and Morgan pipes up with "No, she's a noon aide!"  I hope all those women working in their school district in Michigan aren't reading this. 

The electronic age dominated our Christmas, probably as much as anyone else's.  If the electric goes out, we are done for.

After dinner we drove to see the lighted house Ted and I visited last Friday.  Larry took lots of pictures.  The display was closing at 10 pm so we were the last people there and talked to the man who builds it all.  He was very nice and passed out candy canes.  Larry said he would bring him a CD with pictures of the house on it.  I don't think he believed him because the next day when Larry did just that, the guy said people tell him that all the time and this was the first time he had received any photos.  You can visit his website at www.dearingdazzle.com.

Friday morning we girls went to the bridal salon to look at gowns.  We all learned some things about bolero jackets, belts, strapless dresses, etc.  This opened up a whole new avenue for Kristin to pursue.  We found a lovely combination that will now be her benchmark as she looks some more.  She is going to LA in February with her friend Sheetal who will be the maid of honor.  There is a big bridal shop out there she wants to visit.  I'm sure her final selection will be lovely.

We went to Olive Garden for dinner compliments of Uncle Terry and Aunt Carol then went to see a couple streets decorated in our own area.  One is an entire area decorated to honor a young man who was killed in an accident.  Apparently it has grown each year with everyone in the neighborhood joining in.  The next was Whoville where one neighbor paints the characters with looks and interests of the children living in that particular house.

Saturday was American Girl store day.  We made our way to Memorial City Mall in Houston despite the drive and traffic for Morgan to use her gift cards from Kristin and me.  Kristin asked Morgan, who was playing a Game Boy in the back seat, how she was doing and she said "I'm OK, I just keep getting my head knocked off and killed." 

These doll clothes are more than you would pay to dress a real person!  She bought a set of PJs for the doll to match a nightgown her mother bought her and an ice skating outfit. 

We tried to eat at their restaurant but there was no availability.  We tried CA Pizza Kitchen, passing the skating rink, but it was a 20 minute wait.  They all wanted to try Cheesecake Factory and I said it would be worse, and it was, one hour.  We ended up at Sweet Tomatoes which was a good choice.  Everyone had what they wanted and we were seated immediately.  When I took Morgan up to get an ice cream she didn't want a brownie under her ice cream nor a cone, she just wanted ice cream with sprinkles.  They happened to have white and green ones for the holidays instead of chocolate.  When we got back to the table she told her mother "I hate Michigan State but they are the only sprinkles they had."  She cracks us up!

We all went to Mass at 5 pm then went to see one more house decorated with lights in time to music.  There was not nearly as much to look at but the music seemed to be synchronized a bit better.  Over the garage door, there were talking Christmas tree outlines in green lights with mouths that moved.  They were hilarious as Miss Piggy, Kermit and another time as the Chipmunks.  All in all, we saw some really neat displays.

My oven continues to give me fits.  It turned itself off again this morning while I was baking a french toast casserole.  We have been watching it like a hawk all day.  Good thing Ted is using his smoker for the brisket.  Let's hope we get this one last big company meal on the table!

Let The Chaos Begin!

Last Friday Ted and I drove to Conroe to see one of those houses all decorated with light shows set to music.  It was fantastic!  We stayed for at least a half hour, heard a dozen or more songs, all with light shows set to that specific music, and it never got back to where we came in.  We hope the kids arrive in time for us to take them to see it before they turn it off on 12/27.

Saturday was one more party - a Christmas luau out around the pool of our friends.  There was a live band, dinner and enough imbibing that we were rocking to a little Proud Mary followed by a conga line where no one ended up in the pool!  It was a fun time.

Our last engagement was an open house at the home of Richard and Caroline on Sunday.  Richard outdid himself on his many enticing eats.  I even tried a piece of venison and it was really good.  We saw some people we hadn't seen in awhile and met some new ones.  That always makes for a nice evening.

Monday was my day to get busy for Christmas Day dinner.  I had the table all set.

And the bar too.  However, except for a few beers and some wine, nothing else was touched.  We just don't run with a big drinking crowd. 

We went to eat at Texas Roadhouse Christmas Eve and had no trouble getting a table, we were seated promptly.  We had intended to go to Mass at 9 pm but it was a little before 6 o'clock when we left the restaurant so we thought we would drive by church and see how bad the parking lot was for the 6:30 service.  There were parking spots and we found seats in church easily so we stayed.  The children's pageant was so cute.  Fr. Tom passed by and shook Ted's hand and congratulated us on finding a "couple of good seats."  It is only the second time we have been at our church for Christmas services in the 12 years we have lived here.

Christmas morning was more hustle and bustle as we prepared for our guests to arrive.  Of course I had three things to go into the oven, all with different temperatures, and my oven still is not heating to the proper temperature and shuts itself off at times.  I am going to have it looked at as soon as I can.  But the ham was baked and Ted wrapped it in foil and put it in a cooler so I could turn the heat up to finish the sweet potatoes and pineapple casserole.  I also had green beans and made ambrosia salad.  Corn pudding and a green salad were brought by our guests along with a carrot cake, pecan pie and snacks!  We were not going to go hungry.

Here we are with our Santa Hats brought by Peg.  It is cranberry apple juice and champagne in glasses ringed with coconut.  Cute!

The meal turned out great if I do say so myself.  We delayed dessert until after we played cards so I made quick work of clearing the table and loading the dishwasher while Irene put all the cards out.  We played a game of Shang Hai and I Shang Hai'd and won at our table!  Great Christmas gift to myself. 

I served the pecan pie and carrot cake while encouraging folks to take some cookies or candy from a large plate full that Irene had also brought.  Of course no one would take anything home because they wanted me to keep it for the house full of company I have coming.

For being "alone, without family" it was one heck of a nice Christmas Day.  We have such wonderful friends here.  The saying "a friend close by is better than a brother far away" rings true.  It was dark, cold and windy when everyone went home.  My Santa had taken a header into the sprinkler, one tree was over, and the basket of poinsettias had taken flight.  I decided to wait until this morning to set things right but the wind still hasn't died down.  We went from 73 degrees to 35 in just a few hours.  The next week is not predicted to get above 70.  Bummer for the kids coming.

Kristin and her fiance Larry arrive this afternoon from Florida.  I am concerned about Kara and the kids getting out of Michigan tomorrow because they are getting snow all day today.  But they are used to that and people just go about their business in all that mess.  I remember when we moved there in 1981 I was to go somewhere with some ladies and it snowed about 8 inches over night.  I called the next morning to see if we were still going and the response was "sure, why not?" 

So I will expect them all here on time.  Sure, why not?

That Week Before the Week

After a nice laid back weekend, this last week before Christmas was busy but not quite as bad as last week.  Monday was my bunco group's Christmas Luncheon, our 12th year.  Michelle had everyone for lunch and it was fantastic.  She has the cutest Christmas dishes and set a very lovely table.  Her meal was great and she made the most beautifully decorated cookies for Christmas and served them with Blue Bell (what else here in Texas?) peppermint ice cream.  I had a small gift for everyone and we had our gift exchange.

First I had them choose a gift based on birthdays, then everyone pulled a small piece of paper telling you what to do with your gift; i.e., "swap with the person with the most grandchildren" or "swap with someone not wearing a Christmas shirt" etc.  Then I read the story of the Little Toy Soldier and every time I said left or right they had to pass their package.  It was a lot of fun and no one had to "steal" from someone else.  Each year I try to come up with a different game but after 12 years, it is getting a bit harder.

I worked at the thrift store on Tuesday for four hours.  After three hours of tagging children's clothes, I elected to sit down and cut buttons off the discards.  Most people only do two hours for very good reason but I needed to get the hours in.  I have three more shifts after the first of the year and one senior luncheon to work and my 50 hours will be complete.  I may help out at other events but I needed to schedule those hours to be sure I got all my hours in.  Being gone until March 15 doesn't give me a lot of time.  We also must attend four meetings and help out on our committee (mine is Social) four times.  I have it all planned out and I am good!

Wednesday was an early dental appointment and everything went fine there.  This is the first time my dentist has seen the partial that the proctodontist made for me.  He asked if it was working out OK and I said yes.  Beyond that he said everything looked fine and keep up the good work.  Now that I think about it, he didn't give me a new toothbrush and toothpaste.  I don't use them but save them for traveling or put them in the guest bathroom in case someone forgets theirs.

Afterwards we went to Kroger's to start our massive grocery shopping.  We tend to run in and out of the grocery several times a week buying a few things here and there.  But with Christmas dinner for 8 and 5 people coming to stay, that wouldn't work.  We loaded the basket to the top but still aren't finished.

We drove to Livingston State Park on Thursday to visit with our friends Rick and Brenda who have been work camping there.  We stopped to see them in Memphis on our way home this past summer but haven't had a chance to visit until this past week.  They leave for Memphis right after New Year's so we won't see them again until June when we head out for the summer.  No matter which roads we take to go north, it seems we always drive through Memphis to get there.

Today we will finish the grocery shopping and I'll do the laundry.  We have parties Saturday and Sunday nights so the weekend will pass before we know it.  Christmas Eve will be busy with preparation for dinner on Christmas Day and we'll attend church sometime in the evening.  We try to avoid 4 o'clock because there are so many kids it is hard to get much out of the service.  I'll try the calmer one when everyone else is eating dinner.

I hope you all are getting everything accomplished that you need/want to.  This is a busy time of year but never lose sight of what we are celebrating.

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.

~ Agnes M. Pharo

The Place To Be Last Friday Night

There are social events and then there are social events.  One of the most coveted invitations is to dinner at Irene's for her big Christmas party.  The basis is a Dining With Friends group that meets all year but Irene fills in with friends (like me!) who do not belong.  We were so happy to be included. 

With our travel schedule and Ted's picky eating habits, attending a home cooked dinner can turn into an ordeal when something is served Ted doesn't like.  And there are lots of things he doesn't like and refuses to try.  But that's a whole other story.  We turned down a kind invitation to join the group on a regular basis but John was fixing tenderloin and that happens to be on Ted's list.

The house was all aglow as we pulled up and you just knew it was going to be a great evening.  Irene and John are the most gracious of hostesses and so many of our friends would be there.

The front was decked with poinsettias, a lighted angel and the massive front doors all done up so beautifully.

Inside was done up even more exquisitely with a huge tree, banister up the stairs and along the hall all wrapped with lighted greenery and a magnificent mantle all decorated.

There is a "party room" at the back of the house where desserts and drinks were located as well as six tables set for dinner. 

There were two servers engaged for the evening to help with serving.  This is the young lady who helped Irene, John and Mary get dinner out to all us folks.

Jeff and Rachel were two of our dinner partners.  They go to our church and we have been in bunco groups with them.  The other folks were new to us but I learned he was a retired 3-Star General and they split their time between Texas and Alabama! 

Dinner was salad which Ted proceeded to take apart, giving me the cucumbers and tomatoes from his, followed by melt in your mouth tenderloin, green beans and potatoes cooked with red peppers (Ted ate the green beans) and rolls (which Ted ate) all cooked by John.  Dessert was a choice of blackberry wine cake (which I had - delicious!), tiramisu or carrot cake - all baked by Irene.  All of the desserts were fine with Ted but I honestly don't remember if he ate any.   No restaurant could have done any better. 

And you know the best part?  John and Irene are one of three couples coming to our house on Christmas Day for a casual lunch buffet followed by an afternoon of Shang Hai.  All of us will be welcoming our children the day after Christmas and I saw no reason for all of us to be alone on Christmas Day.

My house would fit inside Irene's three times and my table will be way less elegant than hers, but that won't matter to anyone.  We choose our friends by how they treat us, not by what they have.  And having friends so willing to share with you is the best Christmas present ever.

The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend. I have no wealth to bestow on him. If he knows that I am happy in loving him, he will want no other reward. Is not friendship divine in this?


 ~ Henry David Thoreau

Party Hardy

I left home Wednesday morning at 7:45 and returned at 7:15 that night. First up was working the NAM Senior Luncheon for Junior Forum. These folks always have a good time and really enjoyed the Merry Melodies Christmas show and the lunch we served.

From there I headed to my Shang Hai group, taking my Christmas shirt with me so I could change. We all had our photo taken together in front of the tree. I had good cards and came in second.

Then it was off to Karen's to drop off two bingo prizes for the next day's senior luncheon that I was not scheduled to work at.

Finally at 5:30 I was settled in the pedicure chair soaking and had time to sit back and relax. It felt good.

But Thursday it started again. I was working the Women's Shelter gift distribution at the Methodist Church. By the time I left, when all gifts should have been picked up, there were still 20 families who had not arrived.

I know if someone was providing my family Christmas presents I would remember to pick them up. But that is just me.

And when did they stop putting kickstands on bicycles? I took many out to cars but I had to hang on to them until the car pulled up because they can't stand up by themselves. Hardly seems like progress to me.

Well I couldn't stay any longer because I was due at the salon to get my hair cut. I suppose someone from the shelter contacted the 20 families. I may never know.

Then it was home to dress quickly for the next event which was a group dinner we had been invited to at a local restaurant. The food was good, their handling of a crowd mediocre and their price pretty expensive for what we had. We sat with Janet and Tom who we don't know well so it was nice getting to know them better.

Tonight is a big dinner party at my friend Irene's house. She has a huge party room and 42 are invited for dinner! I can't even wrap my mind around that. Her decorations are exquisite so I will take a few photos to share next time.

Amazing Race Excitement

Saturday after church we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant with Terry and Carol.  Ted shot on Sunday and after dinner we watched the second last episode of Amazing Race.  I was excited because one of their stops was Mallorca, Spain where we had just been.  They had to do a challenge inside the bullring that I have a picture of in a previous post and the Pit Stop for that leg of the race was the Belver Castle that also is in the post.  Doesn't sound like much but I thought it was really neat!  I am easily amused.

I played Canasta yesterday and scored in the middle.  We have been playing so much Shang Hai I had to wrap my mind around Canasta again.  I didn't have good cards all afternoon but my scores hit the average mark but average doesn't win.  This is the $1 group so you don't lose or win much.

Today is the lull before the storm because tomorrow starts up a couple very busy days - both day and night.  In the midst of all that I need to do some "grooming" at the nail and hair salon in anticipation of the holiday parties.

We have invited a few friends over for Christmas Day for a casual buffet and a game of Shang Hai.  It seems there are several couples whose children are coming after Christmas like ours or are leaving on a trip a day or two after.  There is no reason for all of us to be home alone on this special day.  And besides, I get to use my new Christmas dishes I bought last year.

Life is partly what we make it and partly what it is made by the friends we choose. ~ Tennesee Williams

Staying Afloat

After the fellows left I had several days with nothing pressing to do.  I had kept that time free because I knew I would have lots of catching up to do.  I got all my shopping done (OK, mostly on the internet!), wrapping (when it arrived) and took care of my Christmas cards the easy way. 

Friday Carol invited me and several friends to a lunch at the country club to visit with her friend Judi who came to town. That started my busy time before Christmas.  In the evening we met Barry and Gerre for dinner and then attended a performance of "White Christmas."  It was done with all the song and dance production numbers and was very entertaining.

Saturday at church was the first opportunity we had to tell Fr. Tom about our visit with Richard in Rome. He was happy to hear we met up with him.  Later I emailed Fr. Tom a photo of Ted and Richard together at dinner.

I invited Terry, Carol and Judi for dinner on Sunday. Ted had to shoot but came home in time to grill a whole pork filet. Normally he would do tenderloins but he bought this by mistake. He did an excellent job! Wild rice, baked apples, vegetables, yeast rolls and pumpkin pie rounded out the meal I made.

Monday I dropped off sandwiches at church for a funeral, picked up Judy and went to Jeanne's for lunch to celebrate Peg's birthday.  The area Jeanne lives in is gorgeous.  It is out a bit and I never even knew it was there.

That evening Ted and I attended a "mission" at church. This is done by a visiting priest, most of whom are great speakers. Missions last for three nights but his message just never came together for us and we didn't attend the next two nights.

I spent Tuesday doing laundry and getting ready to host my own neighborhood luncheon. My menu was Chicken Florentine Casserole, Jarlsburg Winter Salad, croissants and Banana Split Cake. We had a nice time, exchanged our gifts and everyone said they enjoyed the lunch, gifts and decorations. It's nice to have that behind me.

Thursday I did my favorite Junior Forum job - hosting a Christmas party at Regent Care Nursing Home. We decorate the tables for whatever the season is, put name tags on the residents, honor their birthdays, provide some entertainment and have cookies and lemonade for them. We have to be very careful about their dietary choices so each one wears a tag saying what they can have. Our lemonade is Crystal Light and we also bring sugar free cookies in addition to the regular ones so most can partake. There are a few who can't have either and the home provides something for them. It is a hard existence to say the least and to bring just a couple hours of joy to them is heartwarming.

Then it was time for some fun at the Junior Forum Christmas party. Suzy, Kathi, Margaret, Peg and I went together in my car. I needed to drive because I was bringing home the toys to be taken to Northwest Assistance Ministries on Friday. The meal was very good and we were entertained by a female barbershop quartet.  It was great to see everyone dressed up instead of in their JF uniforms!

The Social Committee Chair was out of town so we had to decide how to divide the gifts up between me and the gal taking half to another location.  Taking the bull by the horns I told the ladies who rode with me to separate them all by boy, girl, baby, stuffed animals, games and books. In no time we had them sorted, divided, loaded in the car and were on our way home.

There was a dog that moved, barked , growled and whined. Every time I hit a bump he carried on. We laughed all the way home.  The next morning I met up with Kathi and we delivered the toys. The dog entertained us all the way there.  We filled a huge bin and a rack with the toys and wrapping paper.  The ladies were delighted to receive the items.

When I arrived back home I took off my JF shirt and put on my church logo shirt and headed to Chik Fil A to buy a tray of chicken strips for another funeral. I certainly hadn't had time to make anything.  I stayed to help serve, clean up and brought eight tablecloths home to launder.

Today is a day honoring Mary in our church so last night we went back to church for Mass. A new young girl was the cantor and sang Ave Maria so beautifully it gave me chills. It was 9 o'clock before we got home. Ted helped me fold the huge round tablecloths and get them on big wooden hangers. They will go back to church tonight with us.

We have nothing planned for this weekend so I will start getting things ready for the children's arrival the day after Christmas.  Just wrapping my mind around meals and grocery shopping will take some doing. 

The next two weeks are more of the same but I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Enjoy the journey, enjoy every moment, and quit worrying about winning and losing.