Christmas 2011

Well, since we last conversed there's been presents, ham, pies, potatoes, egg rolls (in various forms), caramels, corn flake candy, sausage bread, more presents, Christmas crackers, game playing, on and on and on! What a wonderful Christmas weekend we have had! The most important thing of all, of course, is the people you share this all with. When my children were young, they had no choice but to be with me - lol! Now that they are grown and still choose to spend time with me over the holidays means more than any presents (although I received WONDERFUL presents). You'll be especially happy to know, as my blog readers, that I was given a new camera; so hopefully, the quality of pictures you are forced to view here will improve (as I learn how to use it, of course!). I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas as well. Here's a few pictures (in no timely order - sorry!) to kinda let you in on some of the activities - more info and pics to come, as I have to tell you about the egg roll experiment and some other nuggets of info!

New stockings - rather random!

Terrance!

Emma!

Apollo, Maria, Barry, Britt!

Britt, Vicky, Ashley!

Jill, Britt, Vicky!

Mom, Mal, Barry!

Apollo and Terrance building Legos!

Mom and one of her presents!

Tanner and Patrick on Christmas morning!

Barry and Britt!

Patrick and his new hat!

Mal and her mug!

Mal and her mittens!

Patrick and his mandolin!

Mal's new boots!

Tanner and his titanium necklace!

Britt and her Ipod thingy!

Playing our new game!

Playing our new game!

Playing our new game!

Patrick and hew new haircut!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Just a quick note - things are soon going to be bustling. Today my extended family; i.e., my brothers and their families, my mom, my kids, will all be coming over for dinner and presents. We'll be a little crowded, but that's ok. Here's a quick look back to what December has held - my camera's not too good anymore, but it gives you the idea of what's been happening. Merry Christmas everyone - cherish what time you have with your family. It slips past faster than we realize!

There was food!

There was family and friends!

There was beautiful people!

There was tree picking out!

There was cookie baking!

There was an owie!

There was serious recipe reading!

There were smiles!

There were hugs!

There was fun and laughter!

There was shopping and eating!

There was tie dying!

There was more blue stuff!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas Eve of the Eve of Christmas Eve

Whew! It seems like just yesterday it was Thanksgiving - now it's only a few days til Christmas. I can't even begin to tell you where this time has gone. My days, like everyone else's, have been filled with decorating, buying, wrapping, baking, planning, shopping, on and on - oh yeah, and I have been working amidst all that, too. It's so fun - my favorite time of the year, as I try to find the absolutely exact item that would make my friends and loved ones' faces light up as they pull some little trinket out of a pretty bag (usually with penguins on it somewhere). I also experienced a very special group of shopping trips this season, as I took my youngest nieces and nephews (aged 9, 6, 4, and 4) each on a separate shopping and eating trip exclusively for them individually. They got to pick out their own present from me and pick where we grabbed something to eat - let's just say those kids all LOVE Steak n Shake - lol! Oh yeah - and 1 McDonald's! We had so much fun looking at everything, then finding the exact item they wanted. I really enjoyed spending individual time with each one of them and seeing their excitement at finding the perfect gift. Now we're down to the last few days and the activity level has to increase, as there's much to finish doing and little time. But that's part of the fun of it - the flurry and excitement as the time approaches and everyone's hustling and bustling about. In the midst of it all, there's that quiet peacefulness of knowing that the reason we are even commemorating a special day of giving gifts to one another is because of the gift from God to all of us, of His son, Jesus - and for that we are eternally grateful. Merry Christmas everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My kitchen is a flurry this morning - I'm trying to be "uber" organized! I have a "master" list of everything I need to do, then a "daily" or "deadline" list of things that have to be done by WHEN they have to be done. Do I spend too much time maintaining my lists? Perhaps. But with my forgetful brain sometimes (reference previous blog's admission of the "lost" bracelet that actually never was put on!), this system seems to be working. In my garage are turkeys thawing, and at times, things cooling. In my kitchen, the dishwasher's going, there's a pile of dishes ready to go in the next load, and a menagerie of canned goods, rolls, ingredients, etc., waiting to be turned into scrumpdelicious dishes. In my refrigerator, there's one salad done and refrigerating! One salad is waiting for it's chopped nuts (chopper is in dishwasher - bad planning, eh?), and one salad is in the making. Next will be starting desserts, then showering and going to work - oh yeah, I do have a job - duh! Then tonight will be finishing desserts, setting tables, vacuuming, folding laundry - maybe sleeping a tad before turkey cooking begins. It's all so fun - I always say it takes days to create all this, and in about 15 minutes, it's done! lol! But there's just something about specially planned dinners that bring people together. We are lucky in that we have extended family to get together with, then my children and I are always blessed to have guests who choose to come celebrate with us. Amidst all the activity, please take time to be thankful - there are so many who don't have all we have - not just the groceries and the warm house, but no one to love and care for them. I am feeling especially thankful this holiday season for the mates Barry and Mallory have chosen - I feel confident that they love my children and will share a long life together. And someday I know Tanner will find that same kind of person. What are you especially thankful for this season?

Oops!

Went on a Peoria Charter Coach bus trip this past Saturday to Gifford, Illinois - some of you may have called it "Gordyville"? I have no clue, but it's a small town over by Champaign and every year the bank sponsors a huge craft show - with Christmas purchasing in mind, I'm sure. Over 300 vendors under one roof with one of the churches selling lunch as a fundaiser and little booths of "snacks" scattered around like candies, roasted nuts, sliced apples with caramel - well, you get the picture. It was very well organized and great fun. The cost was only $29 and I thought it fabulous that I didn't have to mapquest directions, worry about construction or weather, and definitely great that we got dropped off at the door and didn't have to walk miles after parking way far away. The only sadness of the day was when I looked down about 3:30 and realized I had lost my bracelet. I checked with lost and found and no one had turned one in. We checked when we got back on the bus to no avail and even mentioned it to our bus hostess should anyone turn one in. It wasn't expensive, so I put it out of my mind. After arriving back to Morton, we grabbed a bite to eat and went our separate ways. When I got home I went in to the bathroom and, yep, you guessed it! Oops! There laid my bracelet on the sink counter. I had taken it off to wash my hands earlier and forgot to put it back on. Hmmmm. It's getting to where I hate to trust anything that comes out of my mouth anymore - lol! Oh yeah - on a better note, I did pick up a few Christmas stocking items and a birthday present for my bro (he's getting older next month). If you ever get the chance, it is an event worth attending.

It's hard to grow up sometimes

What does that mean? I'm 52 years old, shouldn't I already be grown up? What I mean is sometimes it's hard to deal with "grown up" things. Or it's hard to deal with things like a grown up sometimes. As I ponder some relationships in my life and realize they are changing, or diminishing, or actually dying, I wonder why that is so difficult for me to grasp. I think somewhere deep down inside I just think that everyone should like everyone and everyone should think like me and want to do things just like I do, when in truth and actuality, they don't. So sometimes, as circumstances change and people change, if relationships don't evolve to accommodate those changes, they begin to diminish and people drift apart. I don't know why that evokes a small little pocket of panic somewhere in the deepest recesses of my heart, but it does. I tend to make the effort to keep relationships close to me no matter what happens. As I look back over my life, I can identify a few places along the path where I should have been willing to let people exit my life - I ended up compromising myself in some instances, just because I didn't want a separation. Right now there are two or three relationships I have that are causing me more sadness and pain than joy, and so, as a "grown up" I should let those relationships go - quit putting 150% effort into something that the other person is putting, 50%, 25% or perhaps even 0%. I guess part of growing up is also sticking up for myself and putting that 150% effort into a relationship with people who appreciate me for who I am, and want to reciprocate, eh? How's that for deep stuff this early in the morning? Be a grown up today - be nice, but stick up for yourself!

Disappointed

One of the things that is hard for me to accept as truth is that all of us, in the human race, do not adhere to the same basic moral standards for living. I know, of course, that everyone looks at and interprets things and happenings differently - that each person has their own set of rules, if you will, of what is more important to them, etc., etc. However, I have always chosen to believe that each person deep down was born with a moral set of primary do's and don'ts that we all adhere to. That is not truth - I want it to be truth - but it's not. One of those being "if it's not yours, don't take it". Friday there was a mix up on some things I ordered being delivered to "1904" (my house number) but one street over - all our houses look alike in this rental community, so this mistake, especially after dark (which seems to happen at mid-afternoon now - lol!) is a very easy one to make. When discovered (about 11:00 p.m. Friday evening), I drove over to the next street only to see the box was gone. Hoping the people who live there had taken the products inside for the night, I drove back over at 7:00 Saturday morning and left a note on their door - I don't know the people who live there and didn't want to wake them if they were sleeping. I asked them to call me, explained what I needed and gave them my phone number. No call. I stopped by their house around 2:30 Saturday afternoon and rang the doorbell - no answer. My note was still hanging there, and as I usually go in and out my garage door, I figured they might not have seen it yet. I came back to their house at about 7:30 p.m. - this time I could see as I turned the corner that their lights were on and people were in the house. I rang the doorbell, knocked, rang the bell, knocked - they weren't answering, but I wasn't budging. Finally the door cracked a little bit (I figure it must have been a child), a man yelled, and the door slammed shut. Ok - now I'm mad. I knock again - I am not leaving. Finally a lady probably in her 30's comes to the door. I apologized for bothering her and explained that I thought my box had been dropped off there by mistake - that it was Avon. She said "oh - maybe - ummmmm let me see". And slam goes the door again. Immediately I knew - I wasn't getting my stuff. She came back to the door and said there was no box and only 1 sack and "he" had put it back out there, knowing she doesn't order Avon. Really? You expect me to believe that. I am so disappointed - it's Avon. It can be re-ordered, it can be listed as a loss on taxes for my Avon lady. That's not the point. You flat out took my stuff and looked me in the eye and lied to me. You weren't even going to open the door, but I kinda forced the issue by planting my oversized rear on your front walk. Really? Is this what our world has come to? Oh, and by the way, I don't live in New York City or Chicago or any of those "big, bad cities" where we've grown to expect people to act like they have no integrity. Nope. I live in little ole' Pekin. Sadness.

Out my window!

The above pictures are both views out my window from yesterday when I came home for lunch. The beautiful red tree is in the yard of my neighbor to the north; the tree that the wind decided to trim is in my front yard, falling to the south - glad it missed my neighbor's porch. What a contrast, eh? That beautiful red leafed tree doesn't seem to have lots it's leaves - or at least not very many of them. The other tree, although it still has some greenish leaves on it, appears dead. I'm sure there's some type of analogy that could be gleaned from this, but today, my brain can't quite embrace it - lol! Have a wonderful fall day - even though the temperatures are a little low for this time of year!

Busyness of the Season

Oh my! "Busy", "hustle and bustle", "busier than a kitty covering up do-do" - none of those words even seem to come close to conveying the actual activity that moves to the top of my to do list this time of year. My list has gone from "things I need to do" to "things I need to do by today", "things that need to be done before tomorrow", "things that have to be accomplished by Saturday", etc., etc.! I LOVE it! This is my favorite time of the year - I love the decorations, I love the gift finding, giving, and buying, I love the get togethers - I could go on and on and on. I do realize that Jesus' birthday is not actually December 25th - however, the setting aside of some time to remember his birth is a very meaningful time to me. This time of year reminds me of just how much God loves us - it's all around us in the beautiful "painting" of the landscape, the fabulous harvest moon we had, then in the blanketing of the snow (whether you like the snow or not, you have to agree, it is beautiful as it comes down and gathers together on the ground). And then, of course, the giving - I just believe (and live my life) that we, as humans, are really one big family, and we have to take care of each other. This time of year it seems to be so much more in the forefront of my mind - maybe because of the cold weather, and I really enjoy giving to others. Don't misunderstand - I didn't just strike oil or win the lottery. But if we each give the little extra we have, together we can make a difference. I encourage you to make an effort to give something to someone this season - maybe it's groceries, maybe it's paying for the person's food behind you in the drive through line, maybe it's offering to babysit for a single mom - you know what you're able to do. Let's celebrate God's love this year by giving just a little to others - you'll be surprised at how doing so seems to "connect" you to others and to the season.

A community together

You've all seen pictures by now of what's been happening here in Pekin where I live, so I'm not going to copy and paste any, but suffice it to say, it's been emotional at the very least. If you're reading this and you don't know, the 19 year old boy (since I'm 52 years old, anyone who is 19 is a boy to me) that lived across the street from me - a marine - was killed in Afghanistan a week ago Sunday. The only son of divorced parents, he drove a big red old truck on big tires that was loud enough I knew when it left and came home. He had only been in Afghanistan since September. Yesterday, people lined the streets of a route where the funeral procession went from the 1st Baptist Church, through the high school property (he graduated a year ago and all the students were dismissed and allowed to be at the street), then down Court Street and out to the new cemetery on Veteran's Road. People waved flags, cried, removed their hats, and put their hands on their hearts. Some of them knew Jordan, some of them didn't. But as the motorcycles, the hearse, the family, and yes, even Jordan's big ole' red truck passed by, everyone felt the same things - sadness, respect, and gratefulness to this young man who gave everything he had to give so we could keep our freedom. If the opportunity arises, no matter what your opinion about this war, thank a veteran for his part in allowing you to keep living your life the way you choose - free. Rest in peace, Jordan - and thank you.

Happy Halloween!

Tanner the Gladiator!

Tanner the Gladiator!

Emma-Mrs. Claus; Apollo-Santa Claus; Maria-Lion

Dave and Amy Ayers; Terrance-Indiana Jones; Mal; Santa & Mrs. Claus; Lion

Vicky; Dave and Amy Ayers; Terrance; Mal; Santa & Mrs. Claus; Lion

Santa Claus with a glo-stick

Santa Claus and Mal

Maria the lion with the Claus'

Santa and Mrs. Claus

Santa and Mrs. Claus

Mrs. Claus

Santa

Vicky dancing with the singing hat!

Vicky dancing with the singing hat and Santa with vampire teeth!

Vicky dancing with the singing hat!