Prepare to Face the New Year!

I don't make resolutions any more.  Fifty years of failure have taught me something.  (At last.)

I do ponder the year that is ending, however, and consider what was worthwhile, what was learned, and what things are worth carrying forward into the new year.

Gretchen Rubin, who wrote The Happiness Project and Happier at Home reminds me that the basis of a rich and contented life is the friendships and the relationship you have with those who are closest to you.  So I feel very blessed to have made some new friends and to have kept in touch with other (not brand new friends), and to have gotten to hug some old friends.  I'm happy that Good Guy appears to be quite contented here as well.

Somewhere else I read the idea of choosing a word to give you guidance in the next year.  Just one word----and you don't have to choose hastily.  I'm working on it.

Yesterday, we got a sermon to carry us forward into the new year, based on a child's evaluation of the Christmas Eve service.   He yelled at the end,  "Hooray, hooray!  Jesus is born!  Let's get busy!"

Our pastor thinks that's a fine motto for his congregation for the next year of service.  Our church serves a Christmas Dinner for the community both at church and delivering meals to people.  This year we (they----I only baked a cake)  served over 700 meals.  I can't remember the exact number, because I was so gobsmacked when he said the 700 part.

So I wish you peace and joy as you consider the year that's ending.  And I wish you happy anticipation as you look forward to the upcoming year.  There is much to do.  Let's get busy with a big happy grin on our faces.

Fin 2012

Hi Friends---

One last shout out and fragment posting to all my faithfuls who share their lives at Mrs 4444's Half Past Kissin' Time at the tail end of every week.  (Friday Fragments gives us a place to store our bits and pieces.)  I'm waiting for Mrs. 4444 to send us a rent bill.  Check us all out here.

1.  I am amazed at the amount of food teenagers can eat.  I extend my admiration and sympathy to all of you who are still raising your children.  I now see the whole economic crisis with fresh eyes.

2.  As a way of focusing my attention on the reason Christian folk celebrate the solstice season, I have simplified a great many things that I used to fuss over.  It has made life much simpler and sweeter in December.  If it isn't a tradition that is important to Good Guy---it doesn't matter.  

3.  My most inventive present this year was having sausage made by a friend for GG's gift.  He was so surprised at being presented with a heavy, frozen package (stored in my car in a cooler since the night before).  This is the man who proudly told his golfing partners that his wife bought him a pork roast for Valentine's Day.  You've gotta love a guy who's so easy to buy for.

4.  On Sunday morning we watched the children's program at Brotherbob's church in Beaver Dam.  All the kids were sweet, but there was one little shepherd who was beyond cute.  Merry Christmas little boy!

5.  My daughter knows how to please.  Check out the front of my new sweatshirt. 

6.  I thank you, Mrs. 4444 for the virtual Yarn-of-the-Month club.  You always use your powers for good. I'm gifting you back with a virtual year's worth of puppy chow.

I bid you all a Happy New Year (and a safe and joyful New Year's Eve.)

Your'e Invited to the Slugfest

On the day after Christmas, with the refrigerator filled with leftovers, we are sitting around like slugs.

It is possible we are showing even less initiative than slugs; it's hard to tell.  It would be fun if you were here, (if we knew one another better) so we could just relax, have a cup of whatever your favorite  beverage might be, and just kick back and read, or knit, or chat.

This past year I took some advice from Gretchen Rubin and worked on my friendships.  I sent more birthday cards, I made some phone calls, I texted messages, I got dressed and showed up at places I used to by-pass.  This really did make my year much richer and fuller.  I thank you all, since not all my friends are known to me by sight.

I had a funny experience over the weekend while we were visiting at Brotherbob's.  After church we went out for brunch, and Mrs. Brotherbob was greeted with hugs by a big family who were also at the restaurant.  When I was introduced to some of the members of the family, I realized the children had been on the prayer chain for months and months.  Everyone looked quite happy and healthy that day, which was gratifying, indeed.


Still ahead for us is the whole family bash on Saturday with ethnic foods and crowded rooms and lots of laughing and fun.  My sister and brother-in-law have lots of room and paper plates, and outlets to plug in the crock pots so we will gather there.  Before that I have baking and meatball making to do.

But not today.  Today is for hibernation and vegetation.  If you come over, knock and then walk right in.  And bring your knitting.   Or your book.

See ya!

Stop the Car!

I should title 60% of my blog postings, Live and Learn.  Yes, I know that would be dull, and you'd skip over it saying, "Oh, I read that already."

But, this weekend while we took a quick trip to Brotherbob's and stopped to watch Women's Basketball in Green Bay, we passed through snow country.  The kind of snow that leaves the trees laden and beautiful and the kind that leaves lovely statues of snow people in yards.

So, in a fit of Being Prepared, I brought a camera.  Eureka, the batteries were new.  I even remembered to take it out of the purse and aim it at scenes of beauty.

The error this time was that we were moving at a steady 50 miles per hour and everything is blurry.  New snow can make things appear overexposed as well. I will treat you to a sample.

The top one would be the clearest, since I was in a stopped car while Good Guy was patronizing a meat shop.  It is only snowbanks, but I haven't seen any like that for a good long while unless it was near a big box store.

This is more typical of the quality I can share with you.  It was awesome to see, yet you have only my word for it.  You can feel that you should do something, but you can't make yourself LIKE it.  I like to have pictures, and thankfully, Good Guy takes good ones when he thinks to take a camera.

I'll give you the link to his blog when he decides he likes to write as well.  (Don't hold your breath.)

In the meantime, think cool thoughts----and have a very merry Christmas (and for some of you, a happy birthday, too.)

As for me and my house, we have just had a funny Christmas Eve with a non traditional supper of spaghetti, tossed salad, garlic bread and brownies.  Our traditional CE meal was too much work and will be duplicated at the celebration with my sisters and their families on Saturday. So First Daughter, the Photographer, and two grandsons were with us for supper and the evening.  Great fun. Everyone enjoyed the meal.

Now on to the stocking stuffing and putting the manger with the wee baby into the creche set.  Happy Birthday, Dear Baby.

A Lovely, Peaceful Day

As you know the weather forecast for the Midwest was full of warnings and doom for the winter storm event.  In the past, this was the sort of weather we expected when it was winter.  It was going to snow and then it was going to blow, and we'd have to shovel, and driving would be hazardous.

Remember when this happened all the time?

In those days, we had to bundle up, plow out, and get to work.  Oddly enough, no bad weather ever kept old folks from getting themselves to their doctor's appointment!  It was like a big social event, going to see the doctor.

But for us today, we wandered around the house, occasionally shoveling our way out to refill the bird feeders or to brush off the snow.  We had music playing and the tree alight, while I wrapped presents and drank cocoa, and tea. Then I did a little knitting, and then I took a nap.

It's too snowy to go out and do more shopping, or socializing.  Weight Watchers was cancelled.  (A lucky day for me.)  None of us who were going to lunch together thought it was worth risking our lives to get together for lunch.  We'll do it next week instead.

So it was a peaceful, quiet day, broken by the sound of the snowplow going by now and then.
But we enjoyed watching the snow accumulate, and watching the cardinals, juncos, chickadees, mourning doves, blue jays, and redpolls decimate the seed supply.

Merry Christmas!

Checking in, Briefly

I'm still alive and kicking, but I have a big sign on my workroom door.

Send this off in time----NO EXCUSES!!!

The triangle quilt I showed to you a couple of months ago will be a Christmas gift once the machine quilting is done. Therefore I have no projects in my knitting basket, and other gifts will come from my kitchen instead of my yarn supply.

What time I have at the computer is spent lurking around on Facebook to see what my relatives are up to, or making friends with people who read and knit on Ravelry.

I will be happy to have this project sent off so I can picture somebody wrapped up and cozy in a flannel lined quilt, AND my life of sloth can resume its normal shape and size.

I have something cool to show you though.  My friend on Ravelry made these for presents and shared the recipe with us, and I puttered around in the kitchen long enough to put some together.

Layer in a quart size container:
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy

On the tag write:
Mix contents in a large bowl.  For each serving, place 1/3 cup of cocoa mix in a mug and stir in one cup of very hot water.  Store the remaining mix in an airtight container.

Well, I've enjoyed this little sit-down with you all, but I have to get back to my sewing machine.  I hope you are enjoying your holiday preparations and have some time to sit back, look at the lights, and have a cuppa something soothing.  Listen to some music while you're at it.

All the best!  Merry Christmas!

Delightful December

That title should cover things---on the off chance that I don't get back here until the calendar has turned. I am assuming that we will all get up and carry on as usual on December 22, and the world won't be ending because the Mayans ran out of room on their calendar deal.

It's my birthday month, which doesn't bear thinking about when I think of what number that will flip to, but as my dad used to say, "Consider the alternative".

We have ten family birthdays this month, most of which I won't attend, yet the calendar is full of notations for them all.  I share my birthday with my first cousin, Beth, and my daughter-in-law, Robin. And Frank Sinatra.  He doesn't come around too much anymore, though.

We have, at this stage of our lives, distilled our Christmas preparations and celebrations to the things we love best and enjoy the most.  I am an expert at politely declining more jobs taking on tasks I'm not that interested in.  (The Up Side of getting older.)

I don't do cookies until the last minute before company comes, because I can't leave them alone.  Usually I have a daughter-in-law bring sweets.  She's a wonderful baker and will take the cookies home with her---a big help to me.  (Should there be any left over cookies.)

So, I wish you peace and joy during the preparations of this month.  We celebrate Christmas, loudly and proudly----but whatever your celebrations this month I wish you joy.