Done shopping, done baking. Done with Doctors appointments this past week.
Pumpkin Bread was made. Granddaughter Maddie knows how to make it now ( she came over to help bake on her day off).
The tree is decorated. The last present was purchased.
The semester at school is done for Jen and Andy, they have some time off to do what they want before school starts again in January.
Far Side
Our Great Granddaughter Ree is such a happy child. She has found her voice and a big smile.
Ree lights up our lives!
I got to see her twice this week. For Christmas photos one evening and then again the next evening when we were all cleaning at Andy and Jen's rental.
Far Side
One by one things are getting ready for the Christmas Gathering. I must make Pumpkin Bread as the Grands think it is required along with Far Guys Caramel Rolls. Some traditions go on and on with foods they recall from when they were little.
We are gathering with them on Sunday the 17th so that means everything should be done well before actual Christmas.
I made envelopes for their gifts. Stocking stuffers will be purchased this week. I am certain that will put me in a mood to be thankful that we just do stockings and one gift to do a white elephant exchange.
Far Side
I did a bit of decorating at the front door.
My best friend Susie was making Christmas Swags again! We had a good visit a week ago. She and her husband are fishermen so they sent a mess of walleye home with us...really yummy! I have known her since before our oldest children went to kindergarten...and those "kids" will be 50 in the coming year.
I put up a few decorations on my other wreath...Fall became Christmas!
No lights this year. Just some Santas and a couple of snowflakes.
Far Side
Some sweaters are almost as funny as the expressions on those wearing them.
Andy Christmas 2018
This sweater was embellished on the back…by Jen for the close to Christmas Vex Robotics Tournaments.
Now for the what not to send in a Christmas Card.
Many small foil/glitter pieces that fall out of the card as soon as you open it…might cause someone to say Oh “bad word”
Have you encountered this?
Second hand glitter…some Christmas cards have glitter that comes off on your hands and then what ever you touch is all glittery.
Last night we picked up the elderly folks and went to Wadena to see the Christmas lights.
This place has quite the light show during December. They have their own radio station and the lights are in tune with the music. It was the first time my parents had been there.
On the way back home since I had my camera all set up and on the tripod for Christmas lights …we stopped by Main Street.
Nice to have one block of Main Street all to myself.
The Shiny Brite tree didn’t happen this year. I was way to busy with other things. However I did put some of the new/old Shiny Brites on my spinning wheel. I bought two packages of ornaments at a second hand shop for $1.50.
There is a tree up there that hangs there all year…the Angel stayed up all year too…I added the Santa from Maddie to the grouping. Tis very festive! ( And will be real easy to put away)
Happy Christmas Eve!
I have a few Santas in the kitchen this year.
“One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong.” From Sesame Street a long time ago.
I carved the Santa on the right. The other two might be inspiration pieces for a carving someday.
More decorations went up.
My friend Susie (she likes being called Susie cause it sounds younger than Susan) made me a swag!
I put it up outside right by the door. We are looking way more Christmasy now!
I decided on the Christmas Goose flag for now, I can always switch it out as I have just a few Christmas flags. I think it looks like a grumpy goose.
We enjoyed a nice day here about 40 F that would be 4 C eh! It was lovely outside…we went for a walk and fed birds. Far Guy ran a vehicle to town for an oil change while I stayed home. I cleared off my desk, did laundry and a whole bunch of little projects that had piled up.
Our downstairs tree is in progress.
The last of the cards finally made it to the Post Office. I had some special envelopes to mail and the postal worker had to see if they would go through some card board thingy…one at a time. I think I made his day.
Not sure what I will attempt next…perhaps I should make a list….and check it twice.
Just a interesting thought about Christmas Cards….one of my cousins puts lights on her tree and then decorates the tree with Christmas Cards as they come in the mail.
How do you display your cards? I have ours on the table for a few days, double checking addresses, crossing them off my master list and then I tuck them away in the saddlebags until after Christmas when I will read them again.
Making very little progress decorating for Christmas.
The important stuff comes first.
The Nativity Set made it to the mantle. Yeah me!
This is a ceramic set that I made back in the 1980’s. Far Guy made the stable for me.
I have been doing a few Christmas Cards at a time and mailing them when I have been to town.
Some cards must have hand written notes…they just must.
One day when I was gone Far Guy printed off the Christmas Letter…there is a typo…oh well. If people read it fast they won’t notice.
I am part of a yearly cookie exchange. I buy the containers first and then figure out what I will put inside.
This year I made Turtles. Pecans covered in caramel and chocolate. I made them ahead of time and incased them in Press and Seal inside the tins. Usually there are 10-12 participants…this year only 6. So I have left over tins in the fridge.
I bought Kraft Caramel bits, you add a bit of water and microwave them then stir them up and pour that over piles of pecans. Melt chocolate and put over the top…then I cooled them in the freezer before I packaged them.
Far Guy and my other baby brother were taste testers and declared them delicious.
Chance and Far Guy love their trips to the mail box during December.
Since we send 120 Christmas Cards. We get many in return.
I did find one of my Christmas Cards…tucked away in a box of cards that I sometimes take to carving when my hand is not up to working with a knife.
2017 Christmas Card inside it said “Christmas comes anew each year to draw people in from the cold.”
The sled/birds design was a stamp, stamped on water color paper and embellished with markers and glitter then it was framed with a border of red (other colors were used too) and then mounted on the white snowflake embossed paper ( which I also embellished with some kind of glitter!)
Yesterday I read through all the Christmas Cards and letters again. Then they were either tucked away in a folder or recycled.
Photo Christmas Cards were looked at again and placed in a folder for a someday look back down memory lane.
Some letters were kept. The letters are bittersweet; they told of struggles with cancer, deaths, births, lonliness after being widowed, and the usual what Far Guy calls “Brag” letters…we vacationed here and there and everywhere. Two letters in particular touched us this year…Jamie with her sense of humor and Bob and Sheila… well I guess really only Bob writing about an old print of Rural 1950’s Farm life and never giving up on our dreams. Bob is a retired Pastor and he and Sheila are the other set of Grandparents to Noah and Adam.
Some cards had notes inside and some were on the front…like this one…from Sharon, her husband Gary was Far Guy’s best friend who died way too soon back in 1993.
The card count this year:
46 Christmas Cards
24 Christmas Photo Cards
22 Christmas Letters
Lots of good reading!
Ongoing Project: Last year I organized all the Christmas letters and photos and put them in page protectors in three ring binders. This year is was real easy to get out the binders and slip letters and photos where they belong.
I am still working on the upstairs Shiny Brite Tree..it WILL be accomplished today. Jen and her family are coming and they will want my mess cleaned up!
Here is the downstairs tree.
Chance really doesn’t like that the furniture has been moved. He is still confused by the new configuration. We put the tree in the corner …it is out of the main path of wagging tails.
A woodburned snowflake ornament from Jolynn.
The little deer ornament is the only ornament that I purchased for our tree this year.
It lights up the corner at night. I think we are due for new lights. Far Guy says maybe red…that may work…or clear…or multi color…time will tell. Years ago we had multi colored lights before the blue.
Happy Christmas Eve!
One more gift to pick up and wrap and then I am done.
All the pumpkin bread and fudge has been delivered to relatives and neighbors. A few 2017 woodcarved ornaments to special people have been delivered. Not sure what I am forgetting.
I have one “from the heart project” that may or may not be completed…I will give it my best.
I am tired. It is cold here…and snowy. I could use a long winters nap…or hibernation til spring.
I should dust…shovel snow…sleep…stress makes me sleepy and then nothing is accomplished.
A long time friend has a birthday party today…she is 100 years old. I hope to attend the party.
Our niece Megan and her husband Frank have had a sad week. Frank’s father died suddenly last Tuesday he was 68 years old. The funeral is today. We will send a card to let them know we are thinking of them.
Anniversaries, birthdays, deaths, Doctor’s appointments and Christmas preparations…what a week.
