Friday we met Jay, Stella and Rita at El Chapparel for dinner and then went to Rayford to play bingo. Jay always complains that he has never won. They only play five games and one time I won one and Ted won the big one so we were sure we wouldn't ever be welcomed back. Well last Friday, Jay won two of the five games. I don't want to hear him griping anymore. My cards were so bad that I didn't even need to pick up my dauber. We spent some time with Warren and Judy too and had a nice visit.
We've been trying to pick out paint colors and bedroom carpeting. I wish there weren't so many choices!! I've chosen the color line for the interior. I hired the painter today and he is going to try to get to us before the end of the month. I have three carpet samples but I was unhappy with that salesman and not thrilled with his samples so someone else came today. I liked him and his samples and have picked out new carpeting. He didn't say when he can get it laid. I guess he needs to determine when he can get the carpet.
Saturday night I started with a scratchy throat. Sunday I stayed in but played Canasta on Monday. By that night I thought I would have to cancel lunch and the movie with Ann for Tuesday afternoon. But I felt well enough to go. If you are thinking of seeing The Black Swan all I can say it is the deepest, darkest or dumbest movie I have ever seen.
My cold has been getting worse so I'm just hanging around today hoping I'm OK for my ladies neighborhood luncheon tomorrow. Ted went to lunch with the neighborhood fellows today and brought me some AirBorn. It seems to be helping so maybe I'll get by lightly. I know so many people who have been sick and they stayed sick for long stretches of time.
One of my best friend's here where we live is moving. I'm deeply saddened by this news but know how it is about being by the kids. Most people come here because their kids are already here. That was not the case with them or with us. So they have their house on the market and have purchased a home in Cummings, GA. She will land on her feet wherever she goes. I wish her and her husband the very best. Two of my kids are in Michigan and I'm certainly not contemplating a move there but we have one in Florida also. With the real estate and political climate like it is over there, I think we are better off right where we are. We love it here and until something changes, we're staying put.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Surfacing
After we came home from church last Saturday night, I didn't venture out of the house until late yesterday afternoon. No, I wasn't sick; I was overwhelmed with all I had to do. First was mail, then bill payment, write a half dozen thank you cards and prepare three boxes for shipping. Then I started in earnest.
All our Christmas decorations were out and the things they replaced were all stored in my closets. When we emptied the car of all our gifts, luggage and family reunion things, I was in virtual gridlock.
First I had to take the Christmas things down and get them back in the attic above the garage. Then I was able to empty the regular decorative things out of the closet and put them back where they belong. In the meantime I got the laundry all done. Finally, I organized all the reunion bag things and put them in the closet.
The bedspread left yesterday so that's another thing out of here! We straightened up and swept out the garage once everything was upstairs. I finally feel as if I have a handle on things.
We kept cooking/eating to a minimum. We had leftover tortellini soup on Sunday, leftover chili on Monday and by Tuesday I had turned our Christmas ham bone into bean soup. You could say we had a "souper" week.
So last night I took the opportunity to go to Happy Hour. There must have been a pent up demand to get out because we had such a crowd! It was 8:30 when I got home and that's much later than I ever stay unless I'm having dinner.
Today we took my car to the Ford dealer to fix the lock on my car door. It needed a new actuator. At first I thought having a broken lock was no big deal. But I soon realized how often I used the door behind my driver's seat. With the lock at the rear part of the door, the only way to unlock it was to climb between the captain chairs or clear across the second seat to reach it. So I had it fixed.
Then Ted drove me to Continental Breakfast. There are lots of new people there each month and is a good way to help them get acclimated to their new home town. I left with Ann to return to her house to pick up paint samples. We are having painting done and she had lots of samples. Ted picked me up there and took me to get a hair cut. From there we went to get my car. I drove myself to the grocery and now I'm home for the evening.
Not exciting by a long shot. But I have to say the 70 degrees and sunshine today made getting out well worth it.
All our Christmas decorations were out and the things they replaced were all stored in my closets. When we emptied the car of all our gifts, luggage and family reunion things, I was in virtual gridlock.
First I had to take the Christmas things down and get them back in the attic above the garage. Then I was able to empty the regular decorative things out of the closet and put them back where they belong. In the meantime I got the laundry all done. Finally, I organized all the reunion bag things and put them in the closet.
The bedspread left yesterday so that's another thing out of here! We straightened up and swept out the garage once everything was upstairs. I finally feel as if I have a handle on things.
We kept cooking/eating to a minimum. We had leftover tortellini soup on Sunday, leftover chili on Monday and by Tuesday I had turned our Christmas ham bone into bean soup. You could say we had a "souper" week.
So last night I took the opportunity to go to Happy Hour. There must have been a pent up demand to get out because we had such a crowd! It was 8:30 when I got home and that's much later than I ever stay unless I'm having dinner.
Today we took my car to the Ford dealer to fix the lock on my car door. It needed a new actuator. At first I thought having a broken lock was no big deal. But I soon realized how often I used the door behind my driver's seat. With the lock at the rear part of the door, the only way to unlock it was to climb between the captain chairs or clear across the second seat to reach it. So I had it fixed.
Then Ted drove me to Continental Breakfast. There are lots of new people there each month and is a good way to help them get acclimated to their new home town. I left with Ann to return to her house to pick up paint samples. We are having painting done and she had lots of samples. Ted picked me up there and took me to get a hair cut. From there we went to get my car. I drove myself to the grocery and now I'm home for the evening.
Not exciting by a long shot. But I have to say the 70 degrees and sunshine today made getting out well worth it.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Whoops!
When we left Michigan our first stop in Ohio was in Celina at my brother Dan's. He and his wife Sue and their son Brandon, along with their son Ed, Vicki and Dustin took us to dinner at the Inn at Versailles.
It is such a delightful small town. Everything was lit up on Main Street or Rue de Maine as the sign said. We had a great visit with all of them. It was from there the next day that we took off for Cincinnati with a stop in Eaton.
We usually spend 5 days or so at Grand Lake/St Marys State Park in Celina during our summer travels. Dan has a canal behind his house and can bring his boat right to the campground to take us for a ride around the lake or back to his home.
I'm not sure how I lost a whole day in my reporting. I guess I'm slipping in my old age.
On another note, I got dumped by my gynecologist after 9 years because I'm on Medicare. He isn't taking Medicare patients. Last year he said he would keep me as a patient because of my longevity with him but my daughter Kara, in the business, said he can't. You either take Medicare patients or you don't. So to those of you who believe you can keep your present coverage and doctors in this mess, it "ain't necessarily so."
It is such a delightful small town. Everything was lit up on Main Street or Rue de Maine as the sign said. We had a great visit with all of them. It was from there the next day that we took off for Cincinnati with a stop in Eaton.
We usually spend 5 days or so at Grand Lake/St Marys State Park in Celina during our summer travels. Dan has a canal behind his house and can bring his boat right to the campground to take us for a ride around the lake or back to his home.
I'm not sure how I lost a whole day in my reporting. I guess I'm slipping in my old age.
On another note, I got dumped by my gynecologist after 9 years because I'm on Medicare. He isn't taking Medicare patients. Last year he said he would keep me as a patient because of my longevity with him but my daughter Kara, in the business, said he can't. You either take Medicare patients or you don't. So to those of you who believe you can keep your present coverage and doctors in this mess, it "ain't necessarily so."
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Hop, Skip and Jump Heading South
The day after Christmas we all went to Kelly's for dinner and spent some time with Shannon, John, Katie and new baby Cullin. You may remember Katie from last summer when she sang It's a Grand Old Flag in its entirety for the 4th of July. She will be 3 in February and sang Frosty, Rudolph, Jingle Bells and Deck The Halls for us. Then she proceeded to recite the Lord's Prayer and sang Jesus Loves Me while signing the song as she is being taught at Sunday School. Shannon says she is so smart she scares her.
We played some Mexican Train and another round of Catch Phrase and it was as much fun as Christmas night.
Tuesday morning we took Kristin to the airport for a noon flight and continued south. Kristin's plane was on time and she arrived home safely. We tried to reach Peter for three days and when we finally talked to his wife we learned Peter had been hospitalized for 11 days and was not able to have visitors. We are so saddened to learn of this development but had to respect his wishes. So we drove down 127 and stopped in Eaton for a short visit with Ted's cousin Pat. I took a couple pictures of the snow covered farms along the way. It didn't snow on us the entire time we were gone but we did run into about 3 minutes of awful rain right before we stopped for the night in Arkansas on the way home. It came and went very quickly but we were 5 miles from our exit and stopping anyway.
We arrived in Cincinnati in time to dress to go to Ted's sister's for dinner and to see Kevin and Barb. Mike and Kathy both had the flu so were unable to come. Peg asked us to pick up Aunt Eileen, age 83, and Uncle Bill, age 93, so they could visit too. Dave flew home from St. Louis just in time to eat. We had a good visit and some Skyline chili. It was good to see everyone but I forgot to take a picture!
Thursday we met two of my grade school friends for lunch. They just happen to be seeing each other now. Jerry's folks bought my childhood home when I was about 10 and he ended up in the same class in elementary school as Donna and I were. Donna went to school with me from K-12.
Afterwards we stopped at Sam's to get brats, goetta and frozen Skyline to take home with us in the two coolers we brought with us. Then it was back to Karen's for a short visit with their daughter Cindy and her husband Tim before leaving again to meet my niece Jill for dinner.
She is an excellent quilter and made us both Snuggies like you see on TV. I know they'll be great in the RV on cool evenings when we don't want to turn the furnace on. You are covered up but your hands are free to read, use the computer or hold onto the remote. We always enjoy our visit with her. She is such a sweet girl and looks so much like our Kristin. Once again I forgot to take a picture.
Cindy had brought over all she had collected for our family reunion goody bags for us to take home. We'll have more room in the RV and truck to take it all to Pigeon Forge than they will have in their Prius. When we got home from dinner we did some rearranging in the car to get things situated. Ted said we need a semi to get all this stuff back. I said we just needed to pack it better. We are full but we have it all in there.
We left at 8:16 Friday morning (one minute past Ted's announced departure time) and traveled southwest taking a different way home. From Elizabethtown, KY we took the Wendell Ford Fwy. to I-155 to I-55 in Missouri and south into Arkansas, west of Memphis. We believe this saves about an hour over going Louisville-Nashville-Memphis along I-65 and I-40. And there was no traffic. That was the best part.
We stopped in Brinkley, Arkansas for the night after being on the road for close to 10 hours. We checked into a motel, went into town for a BBQ dinner and then right back to the motel. I was in bed asleep by 9 pm. Ted said he didn't see the ball drop so he went to sleep before 11 pm. For those of you in the Eastern Time Zone, we in the Central Time Zone have to watch at 11 pm or we're looking at street sweepers in New York at midnight CST!
We arrived home today at 4:30, wished Chris a Happy New Year, then went to church at 5:00. I've been through the mail, paid the bills, and still have lots of unpacking to do.
Here is a picture from Kara's Christmas e-mail since she never got around to sending cards. She had overnight company for 9 straight days and nights so we'll just have to forgive her.
Here's my favorite picture and I've chosen the caption: "Here's lookin' at ya sweetheart!"
Wishing you and yours the best of everything in 2011.
We played some Mexican Train and another round of Catch Phrase and it was as much fun as Christmas night.
Tuesday morning we took Kristin to the airport for a noon flight and continued south. Kristin's plane was on time and she arrived home safely. We tried to reach Peter for three days and when we finally talked to his wife we learned Peter had been hospitalized for 11 days and was not able to have visitors. We are so saddened to learn of this development but had to respect his wishes. So we drove down 127 and stopped in Eaton for a short visit with Ted's cousin Pat. I took a couple pictures of the snow covered farms along the way. It didn't snow on us the entire time we were gone but we did run into about 3 minutes of awful rain right before we stopped for the night in Arkansas on the way home. It came and went very quickly but we were 5 miles from our exit and stopping anyway.
We arrived in Cincinnati in time to dress to go to Ted's sister's for dinner and to see Kevin and Barb. Mike and Kathy both had the flu so were unable to come. Peg asked us to pick up Aunt Eileen, age 83, and Uncle Bill, age 93, so they could visit too. Dave flew home from St. Louis just in time to eat. We had a good visit and some Skyline chili. It was good to see everyone but I forgot to take a picture!
Thursday we met two of my grade school friends for lunch. They just happen to be seeing each other now. Jerry's folks bought my childhood home when I was about 10 and he ended up in the same class in elementary school as Donna and I were. Donna went to school with me from K-12.
Afterwards we stopped at Sam's to get brats, goetta and frozen Skyline to take home with us in the two coolers we brought with us. Then it was back to Karen's for a short visit with their daughter Cindy and her husband Tim before leaving again to meet my niece Jill for dinner.
She is an excellent quilter and made us both Snuggies like you see on TV. I know they'll be great in the RV on cool evenings when we don't want to turn the furnace on. You are covered up but your hands are free to read, use the computer or hold onto the remote. We always enjoy our visit with her. She is such a sweet girl and looks so much like our Kristin. Once again I forgot to take a picture.
Cindy had brought over all she had collected for our family reunion goody bags for us to take home. We'll have more room in the RV and truck to take it all to Pigeon Forge than they will have in their Prius. When we got home from dinner we did some rearranging in the car to get things situated. Ted said we need a semi to get all this stuff back. I said we just needed to pack it better. We are full but we have it all in there.
We left at 8:16 Friday morning (one minute past Ted's announced departure time) and traveled southwest taking a different way home. From Elizabethtown, KY we took the Wendell Ford Fwy. to I-155 to I-55 in Missouri and south into Arkansas, west of Memphis. We believe this saves about an hour over going Louisville-Nashville-Memphis along I-65 and I-40. And there was no traffic. That was the best part.
We stopped in Brinkley, Arkansas for the night after being on the road for close to 10 hours. We checked into a motel, went into town for a BBQ dinner and then right back to the motel. I was in bed asleep by 9 pm. Ted said he didn't see the ball drop so he went to sleep before 11 pm. For those of you in the Eastern Time Zone, we in the Central Time Zone have to watch at 11 pm or we're looking at street sweepers in New York at midnight CST!
We arrived home today at 4:30, wished Chris a Happy New Year, then went to church at 5:00. I've been through the mail, paid the bills, and still have lots of unpacking to do.
Here is a picture from Kara's Christmas e-mail since she never got around to sending cards. She had overnight company for 9 straight days and nights so we'll just have to forgive her.
Here's my favorite picture and I've chosen the caption: "Here's lookin' at ya sweetheart!"
Wishing you and yours the best of everything in 2011.
Monday, December 27, 2010
What A Very Merry Christmas
The kids were up bright and early on Christmas but they had to stay upstairs until Mommy said it was OK to come down. Aunt Kristin helped them pass the time at the top of the stairs.
It's a good thing we took pictures the night before because it took no time at all for the room to descend into chaos.
Santa was good to me and Ted. We got new camping chairs, an I-Home for our I-Touch, Wheel of Fortune, Amazing Race and Bowling Wii games, another set of remotes for the Wii, a cover for my Kindle, Wii Fit and Board and a gift certificate for Amazon. Good thing we have the Expedition to get all of this home.
We had our traditional German breakfast of goetta and toast before we started preparations for dinner. Of course we had to have a "few snacks" for the company coming over.
There was another round of presents and more paper strewn about.
Kristin's friend, Dr. Varde (Sheetal to us) arrived with a huge fruit basket. She said she hoped we didn't mind but she was re-gifting it to us! That tells you how much she feels a part of our family. When it was close to dinner time, Kara noticed her neighbors were home. They are Chinese and usually travel during the holidays. She called them and they and their daughter Angela came to eat dinner with us. Sheetal and Kristin got within a half hour of eating at the adults' table but, alas, once again they ended up at the children's table. This is a running joke within the family too.
We played Catch Phrase and laughed until we cried. Some were rolling around on the floor laughing. Cassie told her mother that if we were playing Survivor she would vote her off the island after losing a point. No present in the world can ever be as good as having your family all around laughing and playing together.
Sunday we girls went shopping at Great Lakes Crossing. It has been 15 years since we moved from this area and I was amazed at the amount of Middle Easterners present. I thought I was north of Dubai instead of Detroit. I can really see a change in the demographics of this area.
We shopped Lord & Taylor where we found $108 cashmere sweaters for $20, Jones of New York where Kara tried on every pair of slacks in the store. She is very disproportionate top to bottom and is having a hard time getting clothes right now. Since she doesn't stay in a size for long, she doesn't want to invest great amounts in these transitional clothes. We found great bargains and she came home with two pairs of slacks, two skirts, a pair of jeans and several tops. We stopped at Strasburg Children and I bought gifts for Katie and Collin who we will see today. Shannon's parents have been so good to Morgan and Sam through the years that I wanted to reciprocate now that they have two grandbabies. Shannon has been part of our family almost as long as Sheetal.
We all met at St. Andrews for Mass at 5:00 (though some of us shoppers were a tad bit late!) and then went to Big Boy for dinner. It was the only restaurant that could put 11 of us all together right away. We had eaten at Olga's at the mall and weren't too hungry but the guys had all skipped lunch and were more than ready to eat.
Today is a "let's get our act together" sort of day. We are taking Kristin to the airport tomorrow for a noon flight and heading to Celina, OH. Kara is expecting more company passing through from Chicago to New York. We are having dinner at Kelly's later today so we need to have things ready for Tuesday morning before we leave for there this afternoon.
I'm glad we aren't any further east than we are. Those folks are having bad travel days!
It's a good thing we took pictures the night before because it took no time at all for the room to descend into chaos.
Santa was good to me and Ted. We got new camping chairs, an I-Home for our I-Touch, Wheel of Fortune, Amazing Race and Bowling Wii games, another set of remotes for the Wii, a cover for my Kindle, Wii Fit and Board and a gift certificate for Amazon. Good thing we have the Expedition to get all of this home.
We had our traditional German breakfast of goetta and toast before we started preparations for dinner. Of course we had to have a "few snacks" for the company coming over.
There was another round of presents and more paper strewn about.
Kristin's friend, Dr. Varde (Sheetal to us) arrived with a huge fruit basket. She said she hoped we didn't mind but she was re-gifting it to us! That tells you how much she feels a part of our family. When it was close to dinner time, Kara noticed her neighbors were home. They are Chinese and usually travel during the holidays. She called them and they and their daughter Angela came to eat dinner with us. Sheetal and Kristin got within a half hour of eating at the adults' table but, alas, once again they ended up at the children's table. This is a running joke within the family too.
We played Catch Phrase and laughed until we cried. Some were rolling around on the floor laughing. Cassie told her mother that if we were playing Survivor she would vote her off the island after losing a point. No present in the world can ever be as good as having your family all around laughing and playing together.
Sunday we girls went shopping at Great Lakes Crossing. It has been 15 years since we moved from this area and I was amazed at the amount of Middle Easterners present. I thought I was north of Dubai instead of Detroit. I can really see a change in the demographics of this area.
We shopped Lord & Taylor where we found $108 cashmere sweaters for $20, Jones of New York where Kara tried on every pair of slacks in the store. She is very disproportionate top to bottom and is having a hard time getting clothes right now. Since she doesn't stay in a size for long, she doesn't want to invest great amounts in these transitional clothes. We found great bargains and she came home with two pairs of slacks, two skirts, a pair of jeans and several tops. We stopped at Strasburg Children and I bought gifts for Katie and Collin who we will see today. Shannon's parents have been so good to Morgan and Sam through the years that I wanted to reciprocate now that they have two grandbabies. Shannon has been part of our family almost as long as Sheetal.
We all met at St. Andrews for Mass at 5:00 (though some of us shoppers were a tad bit late!) and then went to Big Boy for dinner. It was the only restaurant that could put 11 of us all together right away. We had eaten at Olga's at the mall and weren't too hungry but the guys had all skipped lunch and were more than ready to eat.
Today is a "let's get our act together" sort of day. We are taking Kristin to the airport tomorrow for a noon flight and heading to Celina, OH. Kara is expecting more company passing through from Chicago to New York. We are having dinner at Kelly's later today so we need to have things ready for Tuesday morning before we leave for there this afternoon.
I'm glad we aren't any further east than we are. Those folks are having bad travel days!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Dashing Through The Snow - Not!
We left home leaving Chris in charge a little before 8:00 on Tuesday morning. It was already in the low 70s and from what I understand, continued on into the low 80s. We stopped at a Waffle House somewhere along 59 and arrived at our hotel outside Memphis around five. We used a Hilton Honors free night stay awarded to Ted last March for staying 3 nights at Hiltons in a certain time period.
After a nice breakfast included with our room we left about 8 o'clock and arrived at Karen and Ron's in Cincinnati around four. We had a nice evening visiting but went to bed early because we were tired from traveling. We had coffee with Karen in the morning and left about 9 o'clock. We stopped in Bowling Green for lunch and arrived at Kara's at two. The kids were all excited to see us and wanted to know if we brought presents for them with us. There was no snow until northern Kentucky but it was just residual from a storm last week.
Kara fixed a sausage and apple dish for dinner that Ted really liked and told Kara to give me the recipe. Afterwards she and I went to the mall for some last minute exchanging and returning ... and presents haven't even been distributed. We came home and watched Christmas Vacation and Jim Carey's Grinch before calling it a night.
Christmas Eve, Kara and I cooked and baked in anticipation of our Christmas dinner. Joining the 11 of us will be Kristin's doctor friend who she has been friends with since 1981. Allen picked Kristin up at the airport late in the afternoon and after dinner we all went to church. What a wonderful present to be all together. We stopped at Kelly's on the way home to say hello to her in-laws. We came home, got the kids in bed and watched Christmas Story and then were off to bed. I'll post pictures and more later. Merry Christmas!
After a nice breakfast included with our room we left about 8 o'clock and arrived at Karen and Ron's in Cincinnati around four. We had a nice evening visiting but went to bed early because we were tired from traveling. We had coffee with Karen in the morning and left about 9 o'clock. We stopped in Bowling Green for lunch and arrived at Kara's at two. The kids were all excited to see us and wanted to know if we brought presents for them with us. There was no snow until northern Kentucky but it was just residual from a storm last week.
Kara fixed a sausage and apple dish for dinner that Ted really liked and told Kara to give me the recipe. Afterwards she and I went to the mall for some last minute exchanging and returning ... and presents haven't even been distributed. We came home and watched Christmas Vacation and Jim Carey's Grinch before calling it a night.
Christmas Eve, Kara and I cooked and baked in anticipation of our Christmas dinner. Joining the 11 of us will be Kristin's doctor friend who she has been friends with since 1981. Allen picked Kristin up at the airport late in the afternoon and after dinner we all went to church. What a wonderful present to be all together. We stopped at Kelly's on the way home to say hello to her in-laws. We came home, got the kids in bed and watched Christmas Story and then were off to bed. I'll post pictures and more later. Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Merry Christmas to All
Quiet weekend. Right! We were to meet Susan and Vince for lunch Friday but it was Rebecca's day to clean so they said they would just come over to our house after lunch. Then Vince had an unexpected Civil Air Patrol meeting come up so Susan suggested we meet them at the country club for dinner Friday night instead. That worked for us so that's what we did. Bob and Pat joined us and we had a really nice time with the four of them.
The lady buying the double mattress called Saturday morning and said she had borrowed a truck from work and wanted to come over around noon to pick up the bed. I was getting my hair cut early so that worked out too. The truck was dirty so I gave her a plastic tablecloth to put down first. One more thing out of here!
I was running out of time to see everyone so I called Jody to see if she would be home before we went to church. She was out but Dave said she would probably be back so we stopped and she was there. I gave her a gift and she gave me a nice basket of goodies that I'll be taking with me to Michigan. There was even a bottle of Riesling wine. Good friends know what you drink!
After church we changed our Chik Fil A routine and went to Jack In The Box instead. I think this is only the second time we've ever eaten at one even though they are all around. Our other time was in Honolulu back in 1985. I guess we weren't overly impressed way back then. We just had a burger before heading to bunco. We were playing for Terry & Carol in the St. Anthony Church group. Who should walk in but our neighbors Jeanette and Dick playing for another couple we know. You just have to mind your p's and q's when you are out and about. Everyone was in a festive mood. We had a lot of fun and it was almost midnight when we got home.
I spent Sunday getting ready for our trip and for my luncheon on Monday. Getting the leaves into the table, positioning the pads and then delving through the tablecloths to find the one that fits when it is fully extended takes longer than you would think. I set the table and then left for the grocery.
Once I got back I had a lot of chopping and cooking to do. I made a cheese, meat and fruit platter, bought a small circle of shrimp and made my pesto dip that everyone really likes. That was for appetizers. For lunch I prepared an antipasto salad, tortellini soup and bread followed by spumoni ice cream and biscotti. By the time the Survivor Finale came on, I was almost too tired to watch. I kept falling asleep.
Today's lunch went very well. Everyone brought food for our church pantry. Ted took it over right away and it filled two shopping carts. We all talked, had a gift exchange (I got a Christmas plate) and then had lunch. It all went well and everyone was very complimentary. Judy and Michele stayed behind to help me get dishes into the dishwasher and it helped a lot.
I have to finish getting the rest of my warm clothes together now. I've gathered up all that the kids left here over Thanksgiving and packed boxes with snack foods we can all eat when we're there together. The car is loaded except for my clothes so I better sign off before I get in trouble with you know who. Chris will be down tomorrow after we leave so I'll have to check in with him tonight before it gets too late.
May your Christmas be merry, your days be bright, and all your wishes come true.
The lady buying the double mattress called Saturday morning and said she had borrowed a truck from work and wanted to come over around noon to pick up the bed. I was getting my hair cut early so that worked out too. The truck was dirty so I gave her a plastic tablecloth to put down first. One more thing out of here!
I was running out of time to see everyone so I called Jody to see if she would be home before we went to church. She was out but Dave said she would probably be back so we stopped and she was there. I gave her a gift and she gave me a nice basket of goodies that I'll be taking with me to Michigan. There was even a bottle of Riesling wine. Good friends know what you drink!
After church we changed our Chik Fil A routine and went to Jack In The Box instead. I think this is only the second time we've ever eaten at one even though they are all around. Our other time was in Honolulu back in 1985. I guess we weren't overly impressed way back then. We just had a burger before heading to bunco. We were playing for Terry & Carol in the St. Anthony Church group. Who should walk in but our neighbors Jeanette and Dick playing for another couple we know. You just have to mind your p's and q's when you are out and about. Everyone was in a festive mood. We had a lot of fun and it was almost midnight when we got home.
I spent Sunday getting ready for our trip and for my luncheon on Monday. Getting the leaves into the table, positioning the pads and then delving through the tablecloths to find the one that fits when it is fully extended takes longer than you would think. I set the table and then left for the grocery.
Once I got back I had a lot of chopping and cooking to do. I made a cheese, meat and fruit platter, bought a small circle of shrimp and made my pesto dip that everyone really likes. That was for appetizers. For lunch I prepared an antipasto salad, tortellini soup and bread followed by spumoni ice cream and biscotti. By the time the Survivor Finale came on, I was almost too tired to watch. I kept falling asleep.
Today's lunch went very well. Everyone brought food for our church pantry. Ted took it over right away and it filled two shopping carts. We all talked, had a gift exchange (I got a Christmas plate) and then had lunch. It all went well and everyone was very complimentary. Judy and Michele stayed behind to help me get dishes into the dishwasher and it helped a lot.
I have to finish getting the rest of my warm clothes together now. I've gathered up all that the kids left here over Thanksgiving and packed boxes with snack foods we can all eat when we're there together. The car is loaded except for my clothes so I better sign off before I get in trouble with you know who. Chris will be down tomorrow after we leave so I'll have to check in with him tonight before it gets too late.
May your Christmas be merry, your days be bright, and all your wishes come true.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
And The Beat Goes On
Tuesday night we met Tommy, Susan, Jay and Stella at El Chapparo for dinner. Afterwards they came back here. I made flavored coffee, put out my butter cookies and Ted fixed dishes of peppermint ice cream. Our four guests all took their turn at playing a bowling game on Ted's Wii. I think Tommy won. I had to teach him the "We did it" Dora dance. It's obvious he has no grandchildren! We had a great time with them.
Our weather Wednesday was perfect and we had a lovely day to help distribute the gifts to Women Shelter and Interfaith families. I saw tables & chairs, lawn mowers, mattresses, TVs, computers, bicycles and much, much more go out for about 200 families.
The most amazing thing transpired while we were talking to Marian from Junior Forum who is from Ireland. Her brogue is easy to pinpoint and Ted, being of Irish descent, was talking to her about where she is from and where his family is from. She told us of recently talking to a man in the supermarket line who had just visited a relative named Alice in Ireland ... who lived in the same town as Marian's mother still lives and Marian knew her. We continued talking and she mentioned her brother was 60, a doctor and becoming a priest. Ted and I looked at each other. We attended Mass last August in Gainesville, TX and there were two seminarians on the altar with the priest. One was an older, Irish doctor becoming a priest. It was her brother! The world gets smaller and smaller.
Today we had our Newcomers Christmas luncheon at the country club. Two tables of us "old timers" had agreed to go. Most of us don't do the luncheons much anymore. It was nice to see people I haven't seen in some time. The food was OK and the singer was very entertaining. The nice part was that they told us they were going to tear up all of our checks and pay for our lunch. What a nice surprise! I'm not sure that's fair to the rest of the organization that didn't attend but I'm not on the Board anymore so it's not my problem. While cleaning the pantry I came across a canister set I had and asked a Newcomer gal if she would want it since it matched her kitchen perfectly and she agreed. Turns out she was parked next to me and the switch was easy to make.
The people came tonight for the double mattress, box springs and frame but it wouldn't fit in their small SUV and they have to come back. I gave her a mattress pad and set of sheets since no one in our family will have a double bed anymore as well as the frame to take with her now. The newest sheet set I bought will go to my friend Judy who just bought a double mattress set for her daughter but neither of us knew what the other one was doing at the time. If she likes the bedspread, I'll give her that too. I'm in a straightening up, giving away, donating, tossing out kind of mood.
We don't have a big weekend planned. I need to get ready for my bunco luncheon here on Monday. Chris will be coming down before we leave on Tuesday. He wanted to know how to turn all the lighted decorations on. He's in his element again.
Our weather Wednesday was perfect and we had a lovely day to help distribute the gifts to Women Shelter and Interfaith families. I saw tables & chairs, lawn mowers, mattresses, TVs, computers, bicycles and much, much more go out for about 200 families.
The most amazing thing transpired while we were talking to Marian from Junior Forum who is from Ireland. Her brogue is easy to pinpoint and Ted, being of Irish descent, was talking to her about where she is from and where his family is from. She told us of recently talking to a man in the supermarket line who had just visited a relative named Alice in Ireland ... who lived in the same town as Marian's mother still lives and Marian knew her. We continued talking and she mentioned her brother was 60, a doctor and becoming a priest. Ted and I looked at each other. We attended Mass last August in Gainesville, TX and there were two seminarians on the altar with the priest. One was an older, Irish doctor becoming a priest. It was her brother! The world gets smaller and smaller.
Today we had our Newcomers Christmas luncheon at the country club. Two tables of us "old timers" had agreed to go. Most of us don't do the luncheons much anymore. It was nice to see people I haven't seen in some time. The food was OK and the singer was very entertaining. The nice part was that they told us they were going to tear up all of our checks and pay for our lunch. What a nice surprise! I'm not sure that's fair to the rest of the organization that didn't attend but I'm not on the Board anymore so it's not my problem. While cleaning the pantry I came across a canister set I had and asked a Newcomer gal if she would want it since it matched her kitchen perfectly and she agreed. Turns out she was parked next to me and the switch was easy to make.
The people came tonight for the double mattress, box springs and frame but it wouldn't fit in their small SUV and they have to come back. I gave her a mattress pad and set of sheets since no one in our family will have a double bed anymore as well as the frame to take with her now. The newest sheet set I bought will go to my friend Judy who just bought a double mattress set for her daughter but neither of us knew what the other one was doing at the time. If she likes the bedspread, I'll give her that too. I'm in a straightening up, giving away, donating, tossing out kind of mood.
We don't have a big weekend planned. I need to get ready for my bunco luncheon here on Monday. Chris will be coming down before we leave on Tuesday. He wanted to know how to turn all the lighted decorations on. He's in his element again.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Still At It
Ted did not have to report for jury duty. When we called they said his date and time had been cancelled so that paved the way for us to continue on with all our plans. Susan called and invited us to join them at the country club for the Friday night buffet but we declined. It was just good to stay at home for a change.
Saturday we went to Mass and then met Gerre, Barry, Sue Anne and Tom for dinner. We tried a new restaurant but soon realized getting a table for six wasn't going to happen easily so we went across the street to a relatively new Italian place and had a great meal. We stayed and talked a long time with no one rushing us. Gerre and I walk and see each other all the time but to see Sue Anne twice in one week was a real treat
Ted went shooting on Sunday while I stayed home to get ready for Canasta here on Monday and made deviled eggs, a spice cake and some butter cookies. At 4 o'clock we went to the neighborhood party and I took my eggs there. I couldn't find wonton wrappers to make the Crab Rangoons and I knew I had what I needed for deviled eggs so I just bought an extra dozen while at the store.
Monday I got all three of the tables set with Christmas tablecloths and finished getting me and the food ready just in time. I tried to make it a little more festive than normal by purchasing two food trays from Randall's supplemented by some of my own things including the spice cake and butter cookies. They put a good dent in everything. My mango tea was gone but no one drank any flavored coffee! You just never know what they'll eat or drink. Anyway, I won my dollar back for being low. I just didn't have good cards but that's the way it goes.
Today we have to take Terry and Carol to the airport in the morning. Tonight we are meeting Jay, Stella, Tommy and Susan for dinner. We all plan to come back here to finish off the butter cookies and maybe even the spice cake. I have some peppermint ice cream too. We haven't seen Tommy and Susan since we all left the valley in October.
I put an ad on line in our neighborhood "newspaper" to sell our double mattress. I am replacing it with a queen size mattress. Both of our married daughters are used to sleeping in a queen bed so that will make it more comfortable for them (and anyone else) even though they don't come very often. The other bedroom has twin beds which works for the grandkids in each family. I could have sold the mattress several times over but a lady is coming to pick it up on Thursday night. I want to have some painting done so I won't get the new mattress until that is done. Chris normally sleeps in that room so he'll have to use a twin bed or sleep in ours which he has always refused to do. It's up to him!
Tomorrow Ted and I both are working at the pavilion distributing gifts to families idenitfied by Interfaith and the Women's Shelter. Yesterday the donations arrived, today they are being sorted to get each family's gifts together and marked and tomorrow it all gets given out. I'll get 4.5 service hours for Junior Forum. Hmmm ... I wonder if I can claim Ted's too?????
Saturday we went to Mass and then met Gerre, Barry, Sue Anne and Tom for dinner. We tried a new restaurant but soon realized getting a table for six wasn't going to happen easily so we went across the street to a relatively new Italian place and had a great meal. We stayed and talked a long time with no one rushing us. Gerre and I walk and see each other all the time but to see Sue Anne twice in one week was a real treat
Ted went shooting on Sunday while I stayed home to get ready for Canasta here on Monday and made deviled eggs, a spice cake and some butter cookies. At 4 o'clock we went to the neighborhood party and I took my eggs there. I couldn't find wonton wrappers to make the Crab Rangoons and I knew I had what I needed for deviled eggs so I just bought an extra dozen while at the store.
Monday I got all three of the tables set with Christmas tablecloths and finished getting me and the food ready just in time. I tried to make it a little more festive than normal by purchasing two food trays from Randall's supplemented by some of my own things including the spice cake and butter cookies. They put a good dent in everything. My mango tea was gone but no one drank any flavored coffee! You just never know what they'll eat or drink. Anyway, I won my dollar back for being low. I just didn't have good cards but that's the way it goes.
Today we have to take Terry and Carol to the airport in the morning. Tonight we are meeting Jay, Stella, Tommy and Susan for dinner. We all plan to come back here to finish off the butter cookies and maybe even the spice cake. I have some peppermint ice cream too. We haven't seen Tommy and Susan since we all left the valley in October.
I put an ad on line in our neighborhood "newspaper" to sell our double mattress. I am replacing it with a queen size mattress. Both of our married daughters are used to sleeping in a queen bed so that will make it more comfortable for them (and anyone else) even though they don't come very often. The other bedroom has twin beds which works for the grandkids in each family. I could have sold the mattress several times over but a lady is coming to pick it up on Thursday night. I want to have some painting done so I won't get the new mattress until that is done. Chris normally sleeps in that room so he'll have to use a twin bed or sleep in ours which he has always refused to do. It's up to him!
Tomorrow Ted and I both are working at the pavilion distributing gifts to families idenitfied by Interfaith and the Women's Shelter. Yesterday the donations arrived, today they are being sorted to get each family's gifts together and marked and tomorrow it all gets given out. I'll get 4.5 service hours for Junior Forum. Hmmm ... I wonder if I can claim Ted's too?????
Friday, December 10, 2010
Whew! And Still Two Weeks To Go
Our lunch Tuesday was wonderful and Gail's house looked fabulous! It's a beautiful home to begin with, tastefully decorated, and her Christmas additions were breathtaking. She spends six hours alone doing her gold and white 10 foot tree. We were given gold butterfly ornaments and butterfly notebooks as presents. It was a most enjoyable affair.
Wednesday Ted and I went to church in the morning to the children's Mass. It is always so uplifting to see the little ones doing the readings, leading the songs and BEHAVING so well in church. That evening I met Sue Anne for dinner and left poor Ted to fend for himself. Our 5 o'clock date kept me out until 10 p.m. We did a lot of catching up. She is working for Hallmark and Lone Star College so we have little opportunity to get together.
I drove half of my neighbor ladies to Navasota on Thursday for our holiday luncheon. We went to Martha's Bloomers Cafe, garden store and gift shop. We had a private room and another great lunch. When we returned we met at Gracie's to exchange gifts and have dessert and coffee. Ida collected money from each of us for the Food Bank. Once the gift giving was finished I had to leave so I could get dressed again for another party!
Junior Forum's Christmas Party was being held and I needed to meet up with the carload of ladies I was riding with at 6 o'clock. We all had presents and gift wrap to donate to Interfaith and the Women's Shelter so we were totally filled up. I bought a doll and layette set as the gift and took three rolls of paper. There was a mountain of gifts when we arrived. In their normal efficient manner, when we left, the gifts had all been bagged up and put into cars to be transported.
We had an open bar for an hour, a delicious dinner and then entertainment by our own Merry Melodies, our group that goes out and entertains in senior homes, for organizations, schools, etc. What started as a Christmas Carol performance turned into a rendition of Mele Kalikimaka complete with the hulu and then another round with gals from the audience getting into the act.
After that it was a medley of all the dances you see at weddings and such where no one needs a partner. The dance floor was full and no men present was not a problem at all. It was a fun night!
After walking 4K with Gerre this morning, I now get to stay close to home the rest of today. I do need to go to the store to start food preparations for Monday's Canasta gathering here. I'm also making Crab Rangoons for our neighborhood party on Sunday afternoon. All that will keep me busy and out of trouble for awhile.
I have some gifts to wrap and I want to start getting things together for our trip up north. Chris hasn't been here to stay in so long that I wasn't sure he wanted to come back. But he jumped at the chance. His mother had back surgery and he has been out walking with her. He is a good son I guess but he likes when he spends time alone here. We're grateful for that.
After 5 we have to call to see if Ted has jury duty next week. That could put a wrinkle in our plans but we'll just have to deal with it if he does.
Remember, with all this partying, if you are going to drink, don't drive! God bless MADD who has raised everyone's awareness of the danger of drinking and driving and taught us to designate a driver.
Wednesday Ted and I went to church in the morning to the children's Mass. It is always so uplifting to see the little ones doing the readings, leading the songs and BEHAVING so well in church. That evening I met Sue Anne for dinner and left poor Ted to fend for himself. Our 5 o'clock date kept me out until 10 p.m. We did a lot of catching up. She is working for Hallmark and Lone Star College so we have little opportunity to get together.
I drove half of my neighbor ladies to Navasota on Thursday for our holiday luncheon. We went to Martha's Bloomers Cafe, garden store and gift shop. We had a private room and another great lunch. When we returned we met at Gracie's to exchange gifts and have dessert and coffee. Ida collected money from each of us for the Food Bank. Once the gift giving was finished I had to leave so I could get dressed again for another party!
Junior Forum's Christmas Party was being held and I needed to meet up with the carload of ladies I was riding with at 6 o'clock. We all had presents and gift wrap to donate to Interfaith and the Women's Shelter so we were totally filled up. I bought a doll and layette set as the gift and took three rolls of paper. There was a mountain of gifts when we arrived. In their normal efficient manner, when we left, the gifts had all been bagged up and put into cars to be transported.
We had an open bar for an hour, a delicious dinner and then entertainment by our own Merry Melodies, our group that goes out and entertains in senior homes, for organizations, schools, etc. What started as a Christmas Carol performance turned into a rendition of Mele Kalikimaka complete with the hulu and then another round with gals from the audience getting into the act.
After that it was a medley of all the dances you see at weddings and such where no one needs a partner. The dance floor was full and no men present was not a problem at all. It was a fun night!
After walking 4K with Gerre this morning, I now get to stay close to home the rest of today. I do need to go to the store to start food preparations for Monday's Canasta gathering here. I'm also making Crab Rangoons for our neighborhood party on Sunday afternoon. All that will keep me busy and out of trouble for awhile.
I have some gifts to wrap and I want to start getting things together for our trip up north. Chris hasn't been here to stay in so long that I wasn't sure he wanted to come back. But he jumped at the chance. His mother had back surgery and he has been out walking with her. He is a good son I guess but he likes when he spends time alone here. We're grateful for that.
After 5 we have to call to see if Ted has jury duty next week. That could put a wrinkle in our plans but we'll just have to deal with it if he does.
Remember, with all this partying, if you are going to drink, don't drive! God bless MADD who has raised everyone's awareness of the danger of drinking and driving and taught us to designate a driver.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
And So The Parties Begin
Ted talked to Jay on Friday and he invited us over to Rayford for bingo night. We weren't doing anything else and it would give us a chance to visit him and Stella plus all the Winter Texans we have met over the years. Jay suggested we meet at James Coney Island for a bite first. We always have a good time with these two and Friday was no exception. None of us won anything at bingo but Warren did make me and Ted "honorary" name badges for Rayford Crossing.
Saturday was church and dinner out with Terry & Carol. They had been trying to take us out for our birthdays since the fall so we finally made it. We had an excellent dinner at Perry's followed by coffee and dessert at our house to exchange Christmas gifts. They are leaving next week for Chicago and will be gone over the holidays.
Ted went shooting Sunday and I stayed home and did all my Christmas cards. I can't believe I am so ready for Christmas this early in the month. I've used our American Express points on Amazon and have just gone to town! I love the $0.00 due at the bottom of the invoice. I did order Ted a Wii and a Kindel for myself too.
It's been chilly here the past few days and that was welcome on Monday when I went to play Mexican Train. Sometimes Christmas sweaters are just too hot down here but not this time. My gift was a hand embroidered towel done by the lady who runs this group. I appreciated the effort that went into the gift. We had lunch afterwards and then I stopped at Sam's to buy bulk food for the food pantry at church. My bunco group always fills the back of my Expedition as our Christmas project and I wanted to have my things on hand.
Today is the luncheon for Junior Forum Provisionals at a home here in our area. Our Provisional Group this year is labeled "butterflies." Everything that has pertained to us - notices, invitations, napkins, announcements, etc. have had butterflies on them. Even Gail's Christmas card to all of us had butterflies. At one of the stops on our way home from Austin I found a beautiful clear lavender tinted vase with butterflies. I immediately thought of Gail and knew it would be a good hostess gift for today's luncheon.
I'll let you know how she liked it next time!
Saturday was church and dinner out with Terry & Carol. They had been trying to take us out for our birthdays since the fall so we finally made it. We had an excellent dinner at Perry's followed by coffee and dessert at our house to exchange Christmas gifts. They are leaving next week for Chicago and will be gone over the holidays.
Ted went shooting Sunday and I stayed home and did all my Christmas cards. I can't believe I am so ready for Christmas this early in the month. I've used our American Express points on Amazon and have just gone to town! I love the $0.00 due at the bottom of the invoice. I did order Ted a Wii and a Kindel for myself too.
It's been chilly here the past few days and that was welcome on Monday when I went to play Mexican Train. Sometimes Christmas sweaters are just too hot down here but not this time. My gift was a hand embroidered towel done by the lady who runs this group. I appreciated the effort that went into the gift. We had lunch afterwards and then I stopped at Sam's to buy bulk food for the food pantry at church. My bunco group always fills the back of my Expedition as our Christmas project and I wanted to have my things on hand.
Today is the luncheon for Junior Forum Provisionals at a home here in our area. Our Provisional Group this year is labeled "butterflies." Everything that has pertained to us - notices, invitations, napkins, announcements, etc. have had butterflies on them. Even Gail's Christmas card to all of us had butterflies. At one of the stops on our way home from Austin I found a beautiful clear lavender tinted vase with butterflies. I immediately thought of Gail and knew it would be a good hostess gift for today's luncheon.
I'll let you know how she liked it next time!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Meeting Myself Coming and Going
Monday was our last trip to DermaColor about eyebrows. I think both Michele and I are entirely satisfied with the results now. We had a morning appointment and I had plenty of work waiting for me back home from all the company the week before.
On Tuesday I went to my neighbors for their craft sale. They were supposed to be at the hospital craft show but it was cancelled so they just did it at home. I bought a purse and a photo box. As soon as I left there, I headed to the Hand Me Up Shop to work in the afternoon. They waste nothing and I spent half my time cutting buttons off clothes destined for the recycle bin. Apparently there is a big market for old buttons. The big ones are easy to get off but the smaller ones can be a dickens. I used my route home as an opportunity to drop off Kathy's ice cream scoop, Judy's pie plates, Kathy's folders and Sherida's wine carry-all. Now the top of my dryer is cleared off.
My pantry was in a real state after everyone left so I took everything out, threw some stuff away and got it back in order. Then I tackled the double linen closet in the hall. Now I'm ready for the next call from Paralyzed Veterans. I love getting things orderly. I got the Christmas decorations out of the attic and decorated as much as I am going to. I don't do a tree, just the tabletops, mantel and front porch. If I wasn't having bunco and canasta here, I probably wouldn't have even done that.
Mealtime has been easy because we had so many leftovers. After warmed over turkey and turkey sandwiches, I made a turkey pot pie that turned out really well. By then we had shared the table with that bird all we cared to so I threw the last little bit, all dark meat, in the garbage. So long Turkey 2010.
I had to work at the Children's Immunization Clinic on Thursday so I set the alarm for 6:30. This was my first time at Tomagwa (Tomball, Magnolia, Waller) clinic and I had a lot to learn. I was amazed at all the shots kids need! We have to mark off on a sheet everything they have already received based on records we have or records they bring in, then determine what they do need. But you have to pay attention to age (are they old enough or too old), is the time lapse between the last one and this one enough? I was glad to learn a nurse goes over the sheet before the immunizations are given. Whew! They had me worried there for awhile. Then there is filing to be done and sheets to be filled out so the records can be put on the computer. In no time at all it was time to head for home.
I stopped at Wal-Mart for some toiletries and to get a boy's and a girl's present for the church tree. I found a Disney princess table and two chairs by a sign that said $19. Then I found a Matchbox Car Raceway for $19. When I got to check out the table was $27. I told the lady about the sign and she charged me $19. Some little girl and little boy will be happy I hope.
Back home I was wrapping up all the rest of the presents and I'm in really good shape. I ordered a lot off Amazon so those things will be arriving soon. Rebecca came today (thank you Lord!) to get all the sticky stuff off the floors, walls, furniture, etc.
So my house is clean and decorated, laundry is under control, presents are either here and wrapped or on their way. The weather is pleasant and the sun is shining. Now I just have to get to those Christmas cards.
On Tuesday I went to my neighbors for their craft sale. They were supposed to be at the hospital craft show but it was cancelled so they just did it at home. I bought a purse and a photo box. As soon as I left there, I headed to the Hand Me Up Shop to work in the afternoon. They waste nothing and I spent half my time cutting buttons off clothes destined for the recycle bin. Apparently there is a big market for old buttons. The big ones are easy to get off but the smaller ones can be a dickens. I used my route home as an opportunity to drop off Kathy's ice cream scoop, Judy's pie plates, Kathy's folders and Sherida's wine carry-all. Now the top of my dryer is cleared off.
My pantry was in a real state after everyone left so I took everything out, threw some stuff away and got it back in order. Then I tackled the double linen closet in the hall. Now I'm ready for the next call from Paralyzed Veterans. I love getting things orderly. I got the Christmas decorations out of the attic and decorated as much as I am going to. I don't do a tree, just the tabletops, mantel and front porch. If I wasn't having bunco and canasta here, I probably wouldn't have even done that.
Mealtime has been easy because we had so many leftovers. After warmed over turkey and turkey sandwiches, I made a turkey pot pie that turned out really well. By then we had shared the table with that bird all we cared to so I threw the last little bit, all dark meat, in the garbage. So long Turkey 2010.
I had to work at the Children's Immunization Clinic on Thursday so I set the alarm for 6:30. This was my first time at Tomagwa (Tomball, Magnolia, Waller) clinic and I had a lot to learn. I was amazed at all the shots kids need! We have to mark off on a sheet everything they have already received based on records we have or records they bring in, then determine what they do need. But you have to pay attention to age (are they old enough or too old), is the time lapse between the last one and this one enough? I was glad to learn a nurse goes over the sheet before the immunizations are given. Whew! They had me worried there for awhile. Then there is filing to be done and sheets to be filled out so the records can be put on the computer. In no time at all it was time to head for home.
I stopped at Wal-Mart for some toiletries and to get a boy's and a girl's present for the church tree. I found a Disney princess table and two chairs by a sign that said $19. Then I found a Matchbox Car Raceway for $19. When I got to check out the table was $27. I told the lady about the sign and she charged me $19. Some little girl and little boy will be happy I hope.
Back home I was wrapping up all the rest of the presents and I'm in really good shape. I ordered a lot off Amazon so those things will be arriving soon. Rebecca came today (thank you Lord!) to get all the sticky stuff off the floors, walls, furniture, etc.
So my house is clean and decorated, laundry is under control, presents are either here and wrapped or on their way. The weather is pleasant and the sun is shining. Now I just have to get to those Christmas cards.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
So Much To Be Thankful For
What a week this has been. Last Monday I got my hair cut and went to the grocery for the third time in anticipation of our company and Thanksgiving dinner. The kids got in at 10:45 pm so it was straight home and off to bed. Tuesday morning Allen had some work to do so we locked him in the office and took the kids to the park and then to the mall.
They visited with Santa while wearing shorts, something they've never done before.
We had lunch at Chik Fil A and then went home. In the evening Kristin, Kara and Allen went to see Harry Potter and Ted and I took Morgan and Sam to see MegaMind. Since our movie finished an hour before theirs, we took the kids along the Waterway to see the dancing colored waters, waterfalls, mosaics and to hear the Christmas music.
Kara and I had lots to do on Wednesday so Ted, Allen and Kristin took them to play indoor neon miniature golf in the dark. They had a great time, especially with the Air Cannon until Grandpa shot Morgan in the face. Bad Poppa! Then they went to the NY Pizzeria for lunch. Meanwhile back at the ranch, I had set the tables with Kristin's help before she left and Kara and I were cooking away.
We finished up and got dressed just about 3 p.m. when her friends arrived from Dallas. They were staying at the Fairfield Inn but spent most of their time here with us. I had leftover chili, leftover taco soup and BBQ so I put it all out for dinner and everyone helped themselves.
I already posted about our Run Thru The Woods on Thanksgiving morning.
We all ended up back at the house mid-morning. Later in the day Terry & Carol came for dinner as well as friend Judy, Mike and son Mark. I had 15 in all. It was a very good dinner if I do say so myself!
I begged off the 4 a.m. shopping and called when I got up at 7. They were at the mall and I expected them back but it was much later before they came for me. I only went to two stores with them before coming back home. Ted and I had to take Kristin to the airport. On the way home we stopped by Willie's to see that the party room I had reserved for Kara and her friends was indeed ready. They pulled in right behind us, things were OK so Ted and I came home.
Saturday we had to get everything all gathered up for everyone to leave. We stopped by Terry & Carol's to see their new house. Kara wanted some Mexican food so we had a late lunch at Casa Imperial before heading to the airport. They were not getting home until after 10 pm and Lord knows the airlines don't feed you anything. After we dropped them off, we came home, went to church and then I tore through the house and before bedtime had all the sheets laundered and changed with six of the rooms dusted and vacuumed.
This morning I finished up the kitchen/breakfast area and did some laundry. I also started wrapping some gifts because my closet is so crowded I can't walk into it anymore. My bedroom and bath are on tomorrow's agenda before I leave here at 9 o'clock.
At noon I met Teri, Carol and Kay at the country club for brunch and then we went to see Singin' In The Rain a musical production performed at a nearby auditorium. The food and performance were both terrific. We had a great girls' day out.
Don't forget to thank "the powers that be" for all the things we have to be thankful for. You don't want to turn in prayer and have the answer be "do I know you?"
They visited with Santa while wearing shorts, something they've never done before.
We had lunch at Chik Fil A and then went home. In the evening Kristin, Kara and Allen went to see Harry Potter and Ted and I took Morgan and Sam to see MegaMind. Since our movie finished an hour before theirs, we took the kids along the Waterway to see the dancing colored waters, waterfalls, mosaics and to hear the Christmas music.
Kara and I had lots to do on Wednesday so Ted, Allen and Kristin took them to play indoor neon miniature golf in the dark. They had a great time, especially with the Air Cannon until Grandpa shot Morgan in the face. Bad Poppa! Then they went to the NY Pizzeria for lunch. Meanwhile back at the ranch, I had set the tables with Kristin's help before she left and Kara and I were cooking away.
We finished up and got dressed just about 3 p.m. when her friends arrived from Dallas. They were staying at the Fairfield Inn but spent most of their time here with us. I had leftover chili, leftover taco soup and BBQ so I put it all out for dinner and everyone helped themselves.
I already posted about our Run Thru The Woods on Thanksgiving morning.
We all ended up back at the house mid-morning. Later in the day Terry & Carol came for dinner as well as friend Judy, Mike and son Mark. I had 15 in all. It was a very good dinner if I do say so myself!
I begged off the 4 a.m. shopping and called when I got up at 7. They were at the mall and I expected them back but it was much later before they came for me. I only went to two stores with them before coming back home. Ted and I had to take Kristin to the airport. On the way home we stopped by Willie's to see that the party room I had reserved for Kara and her friends was indeed ready. They pulled in right behind us, things were OK so Ted and I came home.
Saturday we had to get everything all gathered up for everyone to leave. We stopped by Terry & Carol's to see their new house. Kara wanted some Mexican food so we had a late lunch at Casa Imperial before heading to the airport. They were not getting home until after 10 pm and Lord knows the airlines don't feed you anything. After we dropped them off, we came home, went to church and then I tore through the house and before bedtime had all the sheets laundered and changed with six of the rooms dusted and vacuumed.
This morning I finished up the kitchen/breakfast area and did some laundry. I also started wrapping some gifts because my closet is so crowded I can't walk into it anymore. My bedroom and bath are on tomorrow's agenda before I leave here at 9 o'clock.
At noon I met Teri, Carol and Kay at the country club for brunch and then we went to see Singin' In The Rain a musical production performed at a nearby auditorium. The food and performance were both terrific. We had a great girls' day out.
Don't forget to thank "the powers that be" for all the things we have to be thankful for. You don't want to turn in prayer and have the answer be "do I know you?"
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Another Morgan Story Before I Post The Week
When Kara and Allen changed planes in Atlanta on the way down, their 40 minute layover had turned into 20 minutes due to a slight delay out of Michigan. Allen sprinted off to get to the gate to make sure they held the plane. He gave the boarding passes to the gate agent as Kara and the kids caught up with him. When he tried to board, the same agent asked for his boarding pass. He told him he had given all four to him which the agent denied. A slight "disagreement" ensued until the gate agent checked and informed Allen he was "on board." Then he told Allen to just get on. Sure enough a lady who had dropped all her travel documents in front of Allen was sitting in his seat having been checked in with Allen's boarding pass. She moved and all was well.
While we were watching Home Alone and it came to the airport scene where the mother is frantically trying to get back to the U.S., Morgan, age 6, piped up with "That's how my Daddy acted when they lost his ticket."
We laughed and laughed. Out of the mouths of babes.
While we were watching Home Alone and it came to the airport scene where the mother is frantically trying to get back to the U.S., Morgan, age 6, piped up with "That's how my Daddy acted when they lost his ticket."
We laughed and laughed. Out of the mouths of babes.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Let's Hear It For The Old Broads!
Just a quick update to let you know Kristin, Kara, Gerre, Lora, Mary Kay and I completed the 5K Run Thru The Woods today. However we were walking at a good clip. Gerre and I did it in 54 minutes, 6 minutes under our normal time. She is 62 and had a stroke a few years back and I have an artificial hip.
Now I just have to get dinner on the table for 15 people this afternoon. And they want to go shopping at 4 a.m. tomorrow. Did I mention I was 65 and have an artificial hip?????
Monday, November 22, 2010
So Much For Disney
We went to Wind Down Friday night. There was a good crowd and all my shrimp was eaten. I like when that happens. Nothing to bring back home. I had a long discussion with Becky, an immigration lawyer, on immigration. There are no easy solutions to this problem though I still contend if we didn't hire illegals, provide them with Hud housing, free medical, free education, food stamps, WIC, etc. there would be a lot less reason for them to come here. If I can put my SSN, birthdate and last name into the .gov site and they are unable to find me if anything I've entered is wrong, how come employers can't do the same thing and know immediately that they have been given false information. I'm just thinking out loud here.
We went to church at 5 o'clock on Saturday and then to Eden Cafe to eat. We had a Groupon coupon that we bought for $10 that was worth $20 of food. I've only bought three of these Groupon coupons but the first one worked just fine. The next two are for B1G1F indoor miniature golf and $20 worth of pizza for $10. We'll be using them this week with the kids and I'll let you know if they work as easily as the first one did.
Sunday Ted went shooting and I worked on Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff. There is so much to get out and assess. I buy things all year long and then forget what I have. I'm in pretty good shape it seems. At 6:00 we joined the Newcomers Dining Out group at a new restaurant that opened up on Sunday just for us. It is very nice, the food was very good and we had a delightful time with Michele, Stan, Alton and Sally at our table. Alton is my "boyfriend" because he always brings at least one bottle of Riesling to Wind Down and it is just for me.
Today Gerre and I once again walked the 5K/3 mile track across the highway. It is still taking us just about an hour. Since Gerre is going skiing on January 1, we have both decided we're never going to shave that 12 minutes off our time to just squeak by at Disney so we're abandoning those plans. There is another walk advertised in our packets that we might consider. We're just not into the "rank and yank" of marathons/runs/walks, etc.
This afternoon I got my hair cut and then we went to Sweet Tomatoes to meet Rick & Brenda and Jay & Stella. As a surprise, Patrice & Mike joined us. Except for Rick & Brenda, the other four are at Rayford for the Thanksgiving weekend. We have joined them in year's past but there's nothing like having your kids and grandkids over for Thanksgiving.
Kara and family arrive tonight at 10:30 and Kristin arrives tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. We're excited to see them. Morgan called me from the airport to tell me she was going to get on a plane to come see me and she wanted to sleep in the flower bed. She means the twin bed with a floral bedspread. I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to sleep outside with the pansies.
I want to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. Don't forget to make that two words Giving Thanks. If you live in this country, no matter what your situation is right now, you are better off than a large percentage of the rest of the world. Many have given all for the rest of us. Never forget.
We went to church at 5 o'clock on Saturday and then to Eden Cafe to eat. We had a Groupon coupon that we bought for $10 that was worth $20 of food. I've only bought three of these Groupon coupons but the first one worked just fine. The next two are for B1G1F indoor miniature golf and $20 worth of pizza for $10. We'll be using them this week with the kids and I'll let you know if they work as easily as the first one did.
Sunday Ted went shooting and I worked on Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff. There is so much to get out and assess. I buy things all year long and then forget what I have. I'm in pretty good shape it seems. At 6:00 we joined the Newcomers Dining Out group at a new restaurant that opened up on Sunday just for us. It is very nice, the food was very good and we had a delightful time with Michele, Stan, Alton and Sally at our table. Alton is my "boyfriend" because he always brings at least one bottle of Riesling to Wind Down and it is just for me.
Today Gerre and I once again walked the 5K/3 mile track across the highway. It is still taking us just about an hour. Since Gerre is going skiing on January 1, we have both decided we're never going to shave that 12 minutes off our time to just squeak by at Disney so we're abandoning those plans. There is another walk advertised in our packets that we might consider. We're just not into the "rank and yank" of marathons/runs/walks, etc.
This afternoon I got my hair cut and then we went to Sweet Tomatoes to meet Rick & Brenda and Jay & Stella. As a surprise, Patrice & Mike joined us. Except for Rick & Brenda, the other four are at Rayford for the Thanksgiving weekend. We have joined them in year's past but there's nothing like having your kids and grandkids over for Thanksgiving.
Kara and family arrive tonight at 10:30 and Kristin arrives tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. We're excited to see them. Morgan called me from the airport to tell me she was going to get on a plane to come see me and she wanted to sleep in the flower bed. She means the twin bed with a floral bedspread. I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to sleep outside with the pansies.
I want to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. Don't forget to make that two words Giving Thanks. If you live in this country, no matter what your situation is right now, you are better off than a large percentage of the rest of the world. Many have given all for the rest of us. Never forget.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Great News
While I was stimulating the economy (shopping!) on Wednesday, Brenda called and wanted to get together. Their time here is short and ours is busy so I told her to call Ted and let him decide what to do. I could stop shopping at anytime. I had already run into Teri while I was buying two sweaters and three tops and I really didn't need to buy anything else. Ted called and said to come home because we were going to meet Rick and Brenda at Willie's. On my way out of Macy's I ran into Gail, my neighbor. That Macy's One Day Sale was attracting lots of shoppers.
We had a very nice lunch at Willie's and I checked out the party room and its proximity to the sandbox. I've reserved it for Kara and her entourage of Tour Guide Mike Disney friends from this area for the day after Thanksgiving. One of her friends, her husband and son are having dinner with us on Thanksgiving and another is joining us all in the Run Thru The Woods Thanksgiving morning. Apparently there are more lurking out there that are showing up for dinner at Willie's the day afterwards. She said 25-30 people.
The four of us came back to our house and sat on the deck until dinnertime. Their motorhome is parked on the street at his sister's but they are staying inside her house. She fixes dinner each night and they needed to get back. I'm not sure if we are going to see them again or not before they leave for Louisiana and Mississippi where they are spending the winter.
Thursday I did laundry and worked on my lists for the Christmas gatherings I am having here. Then Ted and I went to Kroger's for the turkey and some more things for the kids' visit next week.
When we came back, Ted heard from Dr. Chang's office. He told Ted he is constantly amazed at his numbers. He hadn't seen lab results like Ted's in over six months. They were like an 18 year olds, albeit an overweight 18 year old. EKG was perfect, cholesterol was 126, PSA .08, liver function normal, sugar normal. He said he knows Ted doesn't exercise or watch what he eats so he must have good genes. Ted takes one Prevacid a day. Period. Dr. Chang just shakes his head. Ted asked him to tell me all this. He was soliciting a "told you so" from the doctor but Dr. Chang wasn't biting.
Today Rebecca is cleaning and Ted went to have his aorta aneurysm ultrasound done. It is one of the tests that Medicare listed as Ted being eligible for. Since his mother died from one and his brother and cousin each had one, Dr. Chang thought it would be a good idea to have the test. In January Ted will have another surveillance endoscopy to ensure his esophagus is still OK. He hasn't had a bit of reflux and we expect a good report there.
Tonight we are going to Wind Down at Terry & Carol's. She said 40 people were coming. Kroger had their $30 shrimp tray "buy one, get one free" so I bought two of those ... AND I got a $3 senior discount. So $60 worth of shrimp cost me $27. What a bargain.
Have a good weekend and I'll "see ya down the road."
We had a very nice lunch at Willie's and I checked out the party room and its proximity to the sandbox. I've reserved it for Kara and her entourage of Tour Guide Mike Disney friends from this area for the day after Thanksgiving. One of her friends, her husband and son are having dinner with us on Thanksgiving and another is joining us all in the Run Thru The Woods Thanksgiving morning. Apparently there are more lurking out there that are showing up for dinner at Willie's the day afterwards. She said 25-30 people.
The four of us came back to our house and sat on the deck until dinnertime. Their motorhome is parked on the street at his sister's but they are staying inside her house. She fixes dinner each night and they needed to get back. I'm not sure if we are going to see them again or not before they leave for Louisiana and Mississippi where they are spending the winter.
Thursday I did laundry and worked on my lists for the Christmas gatherings I am having here. Then Ted and I went to Kroger's for the turkey and some more things for the kids' visit next week.
When we came back, Ted heard from Dr. Chang's office. He told Ted he is constantly amazed at his numbers. He hadn't seen lab results like Ted's in over six months. They were like an 18 year olds, albeit an overweight 18 year old. EKG was perfect, cholesterol was 126, PSA .08, liver function normal, sugar normal. He said he knows Ted doesn't exercise or watch what he eats so he must have good genes. Ted takes one Prevacid a day. Period. Dr. Chang just shakes his head. Ted asked him to tell me all this. He was soliciting a "told you so" from the doctor but Dr. Chang wasn't biting.
Today Rebecca is cleaning and Ted went to have his aorta aneurysm ultrasound done. It is one of the tests that Medicare listed as Ted being eligible for. Since his mother died from one and his brother and cousin each had one, Dr. Chang thought it would be a good idea to have the test. In January Ted will have another surveillance endoscopy to ensure his esophagus is still OK. He hasn't had a bit of reflux and we expect a good report there.
Tonight we are going to Wind Down at Terry & Carol's. She said 40 people were coming. Kroger had their $30 shrimp tray "buy one, get one free" so I bought two of those ... AND I got a $3 senior discount. So $60 worth of shrimp cost me $27. What a bargain.
Have a good weekend and I'll "see ya down the road."
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Not Accomplishing Much This Week
I had given Susan two notecards I made at Stampin' Up to use as Thank Yous for our Austin hostesses. Kathy asked if I would make some Christmas ones for her bridge group. Sunday I went to Michael's to get the supplies and spent the afternoon measuring, cutting, pasting, etc. Kathy saw this picture and was pleased but I haven't gotten them to her yet.
I went to Michele's for bunco Monday and tried to get next year all set up. The gals were in high spirits and I only partially accomplished my mission. We've been together so long now that our routines are pretty much in place so I'll fill in the blanks and send them an e-mail about what we're doing for Christmas.
When I returned home Ted suggested we go see Jay's new truck. It sure is snazzy with chrome and pinstriping on the sides. His hitch had not been put in yet nor his plug. That was going to be done one day later in the week. He's had his issues with paperwork too. Besides all that, with a new truck the bedliner has to be sprayed in, hitch moved, plug installed and in Jay's case, the auxillary gas tank moved; ours was ordering and installing a V-gate in place of the tailgate. Jay is going to try to keep his original one for now. We did that for lots of years before we finally caught it on the trailer hitch and bent it all to h*ll and had to buy a V-gate. It became an issue when we sold the truck. So now the new one is in the box the V-gate came in stored in the garage. Lots of coordinating going on. It feels good when it is all done.
Ted had his annual physical with his doctor and had some routine tests run. He has to schedule one more and then hope they are all normal. I'm good until the first of the year and then I get to do all this too.
I was going to work at Keep Pace today but it was canceled because the building has mice (!) so is unsafe for the children and volunteers. So I told Gerre I could walk. She called this morning to cancel because she has an earache and needed to get in to see the doctor. Ted was supposed to golf with Terry but Terry is fighting a kidney stone and called to beg off. Three things canceled in one day.
Macy's is having a big one day sale so I'm going to go and stimulate the economy. It's the least I can do in light of all that has been canceled for today.
I went to Michele's for bunco Monday and tried to get next year all set up. The gals were in high spirits and I only partially accomplished my mission. We've been together so long now that our routines are pretty much in place so I'll fill in the blanks and send them an e-mail about what we're doing for Christmas.
When I returned home Ted suggested we go see Jay's new truck. It sure is snazzy with chrome and pinstriping on the sides. His hitch had not been put in yet nor his plug. That was going to be done one day later in the week. He's had his issues with paperwork too. Besides all that, with a new truck the bedliner has to be sprayed in, hitch moved, plug installed and in Jay's case, the auxillary gas tank moved; ours was ordering and installing a V-gate in place of the tailgate. Jay is going to try to keep his original one for now. We did that for lots of years before we finally caught it on the trailer hitch and bent it all to h*ll and had to buy a V-gate. It became an issue when we sold the truck. So now the new one is in the box the V-gate came in stored in the garage. Lots of coordinating going on. It feels good when it is all done.
Ted had his annual physical with his doctor and had some routine tests run. He has to schedule one more and then hope they are all normal. I'm good until the first of the year and then I get to do all this too.
I was going to work at Keep Pace today but it was canceled because the building has mice (!) so is unsafe for the children and volunteers. So I told Gerre I could walk. She called this morning to cancel because she has an earache and needed to get in to see the doctor. Ted was supposed to golf with Terry but Terry is fighting a kidney stone and called to beg off. Three things canceled in one day.
Macy's is having a big one day sale so I'm going to go and stimulate the economy. It's the least I can do in light of all that has been canceled for today.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
It's Gearing Up to the Holidays
We didn't even put our suitcases away when we arrived home from Cincinnati. On Wednesday Ted headed to Beaumont after his men's neighborhood luncheon and that morning I headed to Austin. His was a routine business call; mine was a 10 girls getaway that had been planned since last May.
We all gathered at my house putting one car in the garage and one in the driveway so no one had to stay parked on the street. Loading up five in one car and five in the other, off we went with a stop at Starbuck's first on the agenda. A pit stop at Buckee's was the only other stop we made before making our way to the Caswell House in Austin. This mansion is owned by the Austin Junior Forum. They decorate it for Christmas with everything for sale and they serve lunch in the upstairs. After doing some browsing, and a little buying, we took our places for a very nice lunch. We were met by our two hostesses for our trip, Gail and Shirley.
We headed to Point Venture on Lake Travis about an hour NW of Austin in Leander, TX. Half of us were staying at Gail's beautiful home and the other half at Shirley's great condo. We spent the remainder of the afternoon on the porch of Gail's house overlooking the lake.
Then we all made our way to Shirley's for Happy Hour. She has deer running around in herds! They are very tame and aren't spooked by humans at all.
Then it was back to Gail's for dinner. We were served chicken and salmon that Shirley caught on vacation. I think she said it weighed 35 lbs.! Since we had all been dressed all day with the long ride, we decided to have dinner in our PJs and have a pajama party. The CMA awards were on the TV so we had music and a little dancing from some of the attendees. What a fun night it was.
Donna Marie and I took the twin bedroom on the lower level. We both slept soundly through the night. The next morning our hostesses cooked a wonderful breakfast before we departed.
One car was driving straight home, the other (mine) was stopping to shop. Since we realized we were now 1.5 hours away from the San Marcos outlets, we opted to hit the antique shops along 290 instead. We all gathered on the steps of Gail's house before saying goodbye to some great gals who were superb hostesses.
We stopped at several little towns along the way and before we knew it, we had the entire back of the Expedition loaded down with birdhouses, wind chimes, planters, decorative items, metal pumpkins, velvet pumpkins not to mention our luggage. We had a very late lunch in Carmine at the JW Steakhouse. We had the place to ourselves and it took awhile for our food to come out but it was well worth it. We had another fun time trying to sort out all the purchases when we got home in the dark.
Just to be sure I didn't get too much rest, I was up bright and early on Friday to work at the Children's Festival at the pavilion. We had to be there at 7:30 for our instructions on how to herd 4200 children from school buses to their seats. Some groups had to move to different venues but ours stayed in one spot for all three shows on the main stage so that made our job easier. We had one bloody nose and a poked eye but the group had their own nurse so we didn't have to take anyone to First Aid. Once the third show began we were able to go eat our catered luncheon. The school I was assigned to had 640 children on 12 buses and they were the last to leave. It was 2 o'clock before I headed home.
But wait ... it wasn't over yet. We were invited to a birthday party at the country club for Maria, one of the gals from Junior Forum who was on the trip. Husbands were invited so at 5 o'clock we arrived for some more festivities. It was a great get together and she got some funny gifts including a foul-mouthed talking parrot! It was over at 8 and by 10 I was in bed.
Tonight we'll go to church and then we play Canasta. I hope to put my feet up tomorrow but with shopping, baking, cleaning, wrapping, etc. staring me in the face, I doubt I'll stay in that position too long.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Did You Miss Me?
Last Monday I played Mexican Train with a new group. I was a few minutes late and they were in the middle of a practice game. When they finished we started in earnest and later two ladies wandered in and joined us in the middle of the game. Then another lady had to leave. I thought "what the heck?" We don't need to be regimented but let's all be there to start and stay until we finish. This group may go the way of the new Canasta group!
I had a dentist appointment on Tuesday and CPR training for Junior Forum on Wednesday. Then on Thursday we were off to Cincinnati. Karen & Ron picked us up at the airport and took me right to a bar where my grade school friends were meeting. It is owned by the son of a former classmate who was a police officer and died unexpectedly last year. We sent out for pizza and had a great time visiting. Ted took Karen & Ron out to eat and I got a ride home with two of my oldest best friends, the other two Donnas!
Friday we had to be at the church for rehearsal at 6 o'clock. They chose Sacred Heart in Camp Washington because they didn't care for the priest at their parish. This guy was so crabby I hate to think how bad the other one was. To make matters worse, the bride was sick and we were having rehearsal without her. He was very particular about how I read the reading and stopped me several times. Nephew Eddie said "if he stops Aunt Donna one more time she is going to come down off that altar and belt him." We finally finished up and headed to the Westin Hotel downtown for dinner. It was a very nice affair but I was certainly glad to get home and get into my jammies. My feet are used to sandals and flip-flops, not closed shoes and they were yelling the loudest.
Our daughter Kelly, along with her husband Pat and granddaughters Cassie and Ally, arrived and we took them Christmas shopping. Everyone knows you can't shop for a teenage girl and expect her to like what you picked out. We managed to get a coat and two sweaters for Cassie and a dress and two pairs of shoes for Ally. We snuck in a LaRosa's pizza for lunch before going home to get dressed.
They joined us for Mass at Karen's church and then we all headed to Sacred Heart for the wedding. Thank goodness Beth was feeling much better. When they handed me the program I noticed that I was listed as doing the Second Reading from the New Testament, not the first reading from the Old Testament. I was looking for the other reader and she was looking for me. We decided to just switch readings and she would go first reading mine and I would go second reading hers. We figured the priest couldn't say much during the ceremony if he didn't like how we were reading. Everyone said we both did fine, Scott and Beth are husband and wife, so all's well that ends well.
The reception was a noisy affair as they usually are. I have such a big family and it is only at weddings, funerals and family reunions that we get to see many of the others. It was so nice to say "I'll see you next summer at the reunion." Ally and Cassie had a ball dancing with all the other young folks. No one needs a partner anymore. They can't wait for next July when they are coming back for Amy's wedding.
Sunday morning we took everyone to IHOP for breakfast/lunch (due to the hour change) and they headed home to Michigan. We went back to Karen's, grabbed our two baby shower gifts, and were off to Nicole's shower. Ted and Ron watched football. We were able to talk to the female members of our family without screaming like at the wedding. My niece Rhonda died unexpectedly at age 47 in 2002. The shower was for her son's wife and was a melancholy time when a little girl who was 4 months old when Rhonda died, gave Nicole an outfit and rattle that Rhonda had bought for her at her mother's shower right before she died.
We flew home today without incident and are once again playing catch up. A colleague and friend of Ted's from his Abitibi days died this past Saturday from a heart attack. He was the same age as Ted and they worked together for many years. Because he is being buried in Connecticut, we were only able to send flowers and condolences to his wife Kathy.
Life is filled with joy and sorrow. We experienced some of each this past weekend. It is good to be home safely.
I had a dentist appointment on Tuesday and CPR training for Junior Forum on Wednesday. Then on Thursday we were off to Cincinnati. Karen & Ron picked us up at the airport and took me right to a bar where my grade school friends were meeting. It is owned by the son of a former classmate who was a police officer and died unexpectedly last year. We sent out for pizza and had a great time visiting. Ted took Karen & Ron out to eat and I got a ride home with two of my oldest best friends, the other two Donnas!
Friday we had to be at the church for rehearsal at 6 o'clock. They chose Sacred Heart in Camp Washington because they didn't care for the priest at their parish. This guy was so crabby I hate to think how bad the other one was. To make matters worse, the bride was sick and we were having rehearsal without her. He was very particular about how I read the reading and stopped me several times. Nephew Eddie said "if he stops Aunt Donna one more time she is going to come down off that altar and belt him." We finally finished up and headed to the Westin Hotel downtown for dinner. It was a very nice affair but I was certainly glad to get home and get into my jammies. My feet are used to sandals and flip-flops, not closed shoes and they were yelling the loudest.
Our daughter Kelly, along with her husband Pat and granddaughters Cassie and Ally, arrived and we took them Christmas shopping. Everyone knows you can't shop for a teenage girl and expect her to like what you picked out. We managed to get a coat and two sweaters for Cassie and a dress and two pairs of shoes for Ally. We snuck in a LaRosa's pizza for lunch before going home to get dressed.
They joined us for Mass at Karen's church and then we all headed to Sacred Heart for the wedding. Thank goodness Beth was feeling much better. When they handed me the program I noticed that I was listed as doing the Second Reading from the New Testament, not the first reading from the Old Testament. I was looking for the other reader and she was looking for me. We decided to just switch readings and she would go first reading mine and I would go second reading hers. We figured the priest couldn't say much during the ceremony if he didn't like how we were reading. Everyone said we both did fine, Scott and Beth are husband and wife, so all's well that ends well.
The reception was a noisy affair as they usually are. I have such a big family and it is only at weddings, funerals and family reunions that we get to see many of the others. It was so nice to say "I'll see you next summer at the reunion." Ally and Cassie had a ball dancing with all the other young folks. No one needs a partner anymore. They can't wait for next July when they are coming back for Amy's wedding.
Sunday morning we took everyone to IHOP for breakfast/lunch (due to the hour change) and they headed home to Michigan. We went back to Karen's, grabbed our two baby shower gifts, and were off to Nicole's shower. Ted and Ron watched football. We were able to talk to the female members of our family without screaming like at the wedding. My niece Rhonda died unexpectedly at age 47 in 2002. The shower was for her son's wife and was a melancholy time when a little girl who was 4 months old when Rhonda died, gave Nicole an outfit and rattle that Rhonda had bought for her at her mother's shower right before she died.
We flew home today without incident and are once again playing catch up. A colleague and friend of Ted's from his Abitibi days died this past Saturday from a heart attack. He was the same age as Ted and they worked together for many years. Because he is being buried in Connecticut, we were only able to send flowers and condolences to his wife Kathy.
Life is filled with joy and sorrow. We experienced some of each this past weekend. It is good to be home safely.
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