Christmas Surprises

 Some things I have been waiting to blog on were Christmas Surprises, and I had to wait to post them until after everyone opened their gifts.
Now that Christmas is over, I can share what I gave the grandchildren.

Earlier this year, I was talking to one grand daughter on the phone. She always asks for stories of when I was a little girl. The one I shared with her that day was about my ZB. We used to share a room, but after a while I moved to a different one. We were so close, that we would miss each other, and after bedtime we would call each other on toy phones. They looked just like the real Princess phones, but these had batteries and real wires to connect them to each other. We would talk into the night. I cannot imagine what we talked about, because we had spent the day with one another, but we managed to chat almost every night on our Princess Phones. My grand daughter expressed a wish to own a toy telephone, and my idea began to sprout.


After searching the internet, I found some fun phone/walkie talkies. But when they arrived, they didn't seem so spectacular, so another idea began to bubble.


Earlier in the year, I had admired some darling Cupcake Totes made by fellow blogger, Suzanne at Just Another Hangup. I managed to find a pattern for these totes and ordered it. Suzanne sells some of the most darling Cupcake totes in her etsy shop.


As with most patterns, I decided to change it a little. Suzanne had mentioned she narrowed the bottom sides to give it more of a cupcake shape rather than a square shape. I did that, plus I added a magnetic snap to mine.

The phones came with a place to put in a picture of yourself plus interchangeable face plates. I acquired pictures of all the children and inserted them inside. On the outside, I inserted a piece of fabric from their purse.



 For the boys, I made little pouches that hang from their belt loops and the fabric matches the pouch. For some of the boy's I used some fabric I had used in baby blankets I had given them. Others got dinosaurs.

I think it was a hit. Most of the grandchildren were present at an early Christmas gathering, and the other four girls opened theirs after Christmas.

It was fun to see the little girls get ready for Church and grab their purses to take with them. Some put their scriptures inside their purses and some chap stick.

 It is fun to see their phones with their toys. They can tell their own phone, because it has matching fabric and their picture inside.

Now a word about Suzanne, who I mentioned above. This woman is amazing. She blogged about the devastation in Haiti and has offered to give 100 percent of the proceeds of certain items in her Etsy shop towards humanitarian help. I hope she doesn't mind if I quote her:

I'd like to do my part. For one week I will donate all of my proceeds of a number of items in my Etsy Shop to relief efforts in Haiti. I can't go there in person to help, but I can pledge to assist in my own unique way. One hundred percent of the proceeds from my designated Etsy sales will be donated to an organization that charges no overhead and where 100% of your donation will go toward humanitarian efforts in Haiti. You can be assured that your money will be put to good use, and you'll receive a little something in return from my Etsy shop for your generosity. 

What a wonderful thing to offer. I can see several things I am tempted to buy.

I hope everyone reading this is having a wonderful day. God bless you all.

~a

Gratitude

I have gratitude so often in my heart, but sometimes I don't express it enough. That said, I would like to express that gratitude:

• First for my friend Bowbie. She used to coach my two youngest children in Swimming and Water Polo. She was one of the most positive people I know. She didn't allow cheating or underhanded things to go on during the meets. Believe me, there is a LOT of underhanded things happening in Water Polo. The very first time I witnessed a WP event, my youngest daughter, J, was on the team. She is just a wisp of a girl, very slender and tall, but not much meat on her body. She was being guarded by a. . . well, how do you put it gently. . . lets just say she was exact opposite of my J. I could have fit three of J side by side next to this girl, well maybe just two, but she was formidable. As I stood there watching, this girl took J by the swimsuit and pulled her under. Just like that. I watched in horror, holding my breath, I guess in sympathy, and maybe to see if she was in need of assistance. Finally she came up, grabbed a breath and down she went again. After she came up for the third time, with my heart absolutely stopping in horror that I would witness my daughter being drown, I began to holler at the ref: "Watch number 9, she is drowning my daughter!" "Hey! HEY! HEY! YOU THERE, NUMBER 9, STOP THAT!" Pretty soon the whole spectator group was hollering at the ref. Finally he blew a whistle and called something on that stupid girl. I was about ready to climb over the railing and do a high dive from the bleachers into the water with all my clothes on to save J. The other coach flipped us off!!!  Meanwhile Bowbie called a time out and talked to the group. I don't know if it was about this incident, but later J told me that Coach had told them not to cheat. Everything must be above board. When my daughter told me of that talk, I almost cried. I was so ready to just kill this girl, and that sweet Coach Bowbie was applying Gospel principles to the game. 

Lately I just discovered her Blog. She had made a comment on my blog and told me she had a surprise for me. She gave me an award. (see sidebar)

I am not sure of the significance of the words Ultimate MeMe Award, but the words she said about me were very humbling and touching. Thanks Bowbie. You are a sweetheart and I love you.

• Next, I'm grateful for family. Last week, my second oldest daughter, Kt came to visit. It was one of the COLDEST weeks I have ever experienced and I am sad we didn't get to take her and her cuuuuuuttttte little children to the park to see the lights. Our tiny town has such a fun display of lights at Christmas.I might have to get Sailor to go and take some night shots so we can share them with her children.

Kt made us chicken pot pies. YUM. She has become such a great cook. When she was young, she loved to make cookies and to this day, I cannot ever come close to the delicious factor she reaches. I use the exact same recipe, but my cookies are NEVER as good. Thanks Kt. You are so sweet. It was so fun to love your children and play with them.

The three year old is such a cute little guy. I love how he plays. He discovered our Christmas tree revolved. He discovered how to turn it on, and was so sweet to ask every time if it could go around and around. The first time I realized he had figured it out, he had asked, and I went over to flip the switch, but he had beaten me to it and was starting to play. I have a playschool manger scene in front of the tree, and he had taken all the figures and placed them on the tree.

I hadn't decorated much, Sailor and I had put up the tree with the lights, and some ribbon and bows, plus some sparkly pine cones, but that was it. Now my tree is graced with all the members of the manger scene, and some random stuffed animals. I can't bear to take them off. Some of the participants are well hiden. I haven't seen the Baby Jesus, as often as I have stared at the tree. I've seen Mary, Joseph, shepherds, sheep, Wise Men, even the little palm trees that go on each side of the stable. It is like washing off the little finger prints from a window.

 He plays so cute. Look at all those little toys lined up in a row.

Her youngest has the most beautiful blue eyes. She helped her mommy with the pies. she would press the cookie cutter into the dough and say "Did It!"

 Look at that cute little bum!

It was very cold outside.

Last, but not least, I want to express gratitude for all the grandchildren. This little guy is our newest edition. Such a beautiful little boy. He reminds me of his dad. Look at all that hair!  I am constantly in awe of the parents of these beautiful grandchildren, (my children and their spouses)  

Looking at this tiny baby, I can't help but think of our Lord and Savior, born in a Stable, laid in a manger. I feel a great amount of awe towards His parents.  I am grateful for the Love our Heavenly Father has for us, to send his Son. 

May you have a blessed and wonderful Christmas, dear reader. 

*:·-:¦:-·:**MERRY**:·.-:¦:-·:* *CHRISTMAS**:- -:¦:-·:* 

--

The Lord has two homes: Heaven and a Grateful Heart. ~Thomas S. Monson

It is December of 2009 already! Where did the year go?

We finally got the tree up tonight. I love this tree. It rotates. In fact, this is the third rotating stand I have purchased. I am hooked and they are HARD TO FIND.
I do the same thing every year. Start with around 800 lights, then add the ribbon and bows. This year I added some pine cones that had sparkles glued onto them. I purchased them at a discount last year after Christmas.
This year I have added a Little People Manger Scene for my grandchildren who are coming tomorrow.

Today I made a hygiene kit for my Angels from the Angel tree. Both were older men who wanted a lap quilt and hygiene items. I think that is a standard thing they write for someone who has not expressed a wish. I had two like this last year as well. I try to find the oldest people on the tree when I pick my angels. Last year I purchased stuff like shampoo, soap, razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. But I didn't have anyplace to put it. So this year I made a bag for that stuff.

For a pattern, I used one I got on the airlines once when we flew business class .

You start out with the following pieces:

cut one 3x15 inches (edge)
one 4x4 inches (handle)
cut two each of 10x5 inches (sides)
two 14x2 inches (zipper pieces)

I used a zipper I had on hand. It has to be at least 14 inches long.

To sew in the zipper use the two 14x2 inch pieces. Line up the outer edge of the unzipped zipper to the right side of each piece like it shows in the picture. Stitch.

fold on seam line so right side of fabric faces you and top stitch 1/4 inch from fold.

It should look like this when finished.


set aside.

To make the side handle, fold the 4x4 piece in half and press. unfold and bring outer raw edges to fold. Press. Fold in half again and press. top stitch on both sides to make a handle that measures 1 inch by 4 inches.

To assemble, take the two 10x5 inch (side) pieces and with a pin, mark the center of the long end on each piece. Likewise take the zipper piece and find the center point. The zipper is made so it will bend around each end, extending down the short side of the side pieces for about two inches. Match center pins of zipper and side piece and pin. Stitch. Repeat on other side piece and zipper piece.

Pin Edge Piece at the end of the zipper piece. Stitch. Fold and top stitch. Repeat on other end of Edge Piece and Zipper Piece.
Pin Handle Piece one inch below the bottom of the zipper on the Edge Piece. Machine baste 1/8th inch from edge. Aline other end of Handle to opposite side of Edge Piece. Let it buckle a little. Pin to other side. You may have to cut off an inch of the handle piece after determining how long it should be. Machine baste 1/8th inch from edge.

Match center of the long side of the Side piece and the zipper piece. Pin. Carefully pin along edge of zipper piece and side piece from tops to sides and finally bottom. If your edge piece is too long, meet in the middle of the bottom edge of the side piece. You can take up the slack by sewing a seam where they meet at the bottom. Repeat on opposite side.


This shows the finished hygiene kit. I tied a ribbon on the zipper to make a pull and filled it with the hygiene supplies. I made it from an old pair of jeans. This is for a homeless man, I assume, so I think it would be fairly useful, yet not something that would catch attention and get stolen.


I'm really tired and have so much more to do before the grandchildren come tomorrow, but I won't be home. I am going up to a CASU board meeting Christmas party and won't be home until midnight. They are arriving while we are gone. I hope the children don't find something to put in their mouths that I over looked. I really have to de-babyize the place when they come and I usually manage to overlook something. I have had 6 children of my own, but it has been over 20 years since that last one was a baby. My baby has two babies of his own now. Don't that make me feel old? yup

So it is easy to miss something they can put in their mouths or hurt themselves with. My daughter is pretty good at scanning the place and finding things that are hazardous to their health. I am looking forward to seeing them soon. But it is now 11:00 pm, and I awoke this morning all spritely at 4:30, so now I am tired.

I hope you are having a wonderful December, and the spirit of Christmas is filling your households.

~a

December Birthday

ed note: I wrote a similar thing in my December (birthday) grand daughter's card


Having a December 1st Birthday is the way to go!

It means all sorts of fun things:

• Great gifts, because the toy stores are all stocked with many fabulous things, and it gets every one in the shopping mood
  

• Getting your birthday gifts wrapped in Christmas paper

• Getting your birthday gifts combined with Christmas gifts even though they don't do that with the June Birthdays, or any other month for that matter
  

• Combining Thanksgiving and your birthday (that's when you travel to Grandma's house - well that happened to me all the time)

• The stores are all decorated for your special month
• and the star is lit on the mountain too
  

• Celebrating Jesus' birth in the same month

• Christmas Carols

• Christmas Trees

• and all that other festive stuff

Thanks to all who remembered me this year. I feel so loved.

~a

PS This bouquet just arrived, from my sweet hubby as I typed this. I have Never seen an arrangement this huge. I decided to take its photo where the Christmas tree usually stands. It is a good 2.5 feet high!

Thanks Best Friend in the World <3 ~a

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas anyone?

The much anticipated birthday gift day finally arrived Thursday. Sailor took half the day off and came home around noon. We packed our suitcases with overnight things, loaded the car and headed to Salt Lake. When we arrived, we had the brilliant idea to park in the hotel parking lot and unload our luggage before the concert.
We stayed at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel.

The room assignment had some significance. I don't know if my DIL2 asked for this room, or if it was a coincidence. But I thought it was fun.

This room was a beautiful luxury room, with a king sized bed and a couch. I loved the arch in between.

It had a view of Abravanal Hall.

We had plenty of time before the concert, so we walked 5 blocks and had dinner at P.F. Changs.
After we had finished eating, I was sad that I hadn't remembered to take a picture of our delicious food.

Sailor chose the Sweet and Sour Pork
A perfect balance of sweet and sour. Tender pork stir-fried with pineapple, bell peppers and onions.
and I chose Shrimp with Candied Walnuts
Tossed in a creamy sauce with honeydew melon. Pair it with a spicy dish for a fabulous combination. YUM

The concert was amazing. Chip Davis, the founder usually plays with the group, but because of a recent neck surgery, he was unable to play this year.
I quote from the playbill:

"Chip recently made some changes to the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Tour
after being unable to join his famous band of merrymakers following surgery. He created two troupes composed of both original band members and several terrific young musicians. Between the two bands, Mannheim Steamroller will bring their renowned holiday tradition to 58 cities this season."


Our seats were on the second tier, middle of the row, so we had an excellent view!

As we were seated the stage was covered with a large screen. Projected on the screen was an image of a living room with a burning log in a fireplace and a Christmas tree. As the lights dimmed, Chip came through the door, took off his coat and hung it on a hook, then came to the camera. He introduced himself as Chip Davis and was explaining about his recent neck surgery and that he wouldn't be able to be here. In the middle of this explanation, the video paused and Chip's image froze. It was like getting bad reception on the television, where they become a bit pixulated and freeze for a moment.

The audience groaned, but from stage right came a tiny man, dwarfed by the large image of frozen Chip. He had on the same coat and came to center stage. When he pulled back his hood, the audience recognized Chip himself.

He went on to explain that because of his surgery, he wouldn't play tonight, but Salt Lake is like his second home. He loves it here. Mannheim has performed all 25 years here and has given him a wonderful reception, so he smuggled himself along to at least say hello to us.

At the end, he came out on stage to be with the troupe and bowed. After a long standing ovation, he nodded to stage left and everyone got back into their places and he sat on the edge of the stage with a microphone. That is Chip in the middle in Black.

They played Silent Night. If you are familiar with their version, it has male voices humming the first stanza. Chip was one of the vocals.

Again we gave them a second standing ovation and they again resumed their places and played "Hark the Harold Trumpets Sing."


The lights projected all over the audience and ceiling. Abravanal Hall is a beautiful venue as the chandeliers sparkle and reflect the light


Afterward, they went to the front of the venue and signed the CDs we purchased.

Aren't these towels so neat? I felt like Bette Midler on Big Business in the Plaza Hotel when she screams and comes out saying, "They have itty bitty soaps in the shape of swans!!!"

A view from our room of the Salt Palace with a Giant Christmas tree.

My Version of a 9 Patch Quilt

Well, not really. I joined the second round of Crazy Mom Quilts Nine Patch challenge. the challenge is to sew one block a day.

I loved the idea of taking out a little part of my day and just sit down and sew. I admire all these people in the blog world who accomplish so very much. It is because of several traits they have that I don't. One, they are tenacious. They sit down and work on their projects. Two, they spend less time on the computer than I do. I decided that I have to get myself a laptop and only allow myself to surf the web while I am on the treadmill walking or something like that.

I know a habit is formed in about 21 days. If you make time for the habit you are trying to form, whether it be exercise, reading scriptures, saying prayers, cleaning the kitchen (making that sink shine) , or any other improvement in your life, it takes commitment. Baby steps. Start with something small. Just make sure your sink is clean before bed. Just read ONE verse in your scriptures. Just one nine patch a day.

As I thought about which fabrics I would use for my nine patch quilt, I thought about my own Tumbling Blocks quilt that is all cut out and awaiting me to piece them together.

So, Amanda Jean, at crazymomquilts.com, this is MY Version of the nine-patch quilt. I am committed to cleaning out my UnFinished Objects (UFO's) before I commit myself to yet another thing.

I will do more than 9 patches, mine requires 12 to make one block. I LOVE this fabric and the Tumbling Block pattern.

My goal, eventually is to outfit each guest room with a queen-sized memory foam mattress, new soft sheets and two quilts. I want a soft wintery/Christmasy one and a light weight summer one.

I've ordered the sheets, Sailor built one bed so far, and this is my effort to make a beautiful quilt to put on one of those beds. We have three guest rooms that I have to redo.

One baby step at a time. Wish me luck.
Oh and by the way, I am trying to improve myself with all the habits I have listed above. Not only do I need you to wish me luck, but I need encouragement and probably all your prayers.

Now back to work. I cannot spend too much time on the computer. I am serious about getting a laptop and limiting my time on the computer by only allowing myself to surf the web as I walk on the treadmill. I will have to modify the treadmill so it holds a computer, but I think Sailor would be able to do that. Don't you think, Honey? (love you Friend)

have a happy and productive day
~a

Latest Projects

Like most of the country, we got snow. On my way to choir in Salt Lake, I see lots of beautiful scenery.
Sterling, my choir director, once mentioned that he felt very sorry for me every week because of the excess of my travel, but he took this road a couple of years ago to visit our town on a weather-related trip. He said now he realizes the beauty I enjoy and no longer feels any pity. Half of the trip is enjoyed with the sunshine and the beauty, but the homeward bound half is spent in darkness, sleepiness, fear of deer, black ice in the winter or the "Star Wars Light Speed effect" snow. All are miserable. But I have only hit two deer. One must have shaved off it's rear, because all I got out of that was a tuft of hair and a door that was really hard to open. The other bound out from two buildings and hit the right side of the car in Eureka when I was only going 30 mph. We were able to pull that dent out and the car is fine.
I thought I would share some of the lovely scenery in pictures. The first is just before I get to Eureka. The second is on the other side of Eureka going down the hill towards Salt Lake. Mt. Nebo is the name of that mountain. I am heading toward Elberta here. I LOVE it, and every week when I see this view, it takes my breath away. I enjoy watching all the seasons here.














I haven't taken down the cards yet. The cards hang in the shape of a tree. The letters are taped to the wall, staggered so you can flip each one up and read them. Above them are the pictures that were enclosed or used as cards. I will remove them soon enough. In the past I have taken the pictures and placed them in an album. The letters are alphabetized and bound with a laminated front cover that has the year printed on it along a collection of that year's stamps. When I need to remember who's daughter just had surgery or whatever, I can read through the letters.
I had planned on sending the Christmas cards out when we got home from Denver last month on the 29th, but I was so sick, that has been put off and I still haven't sent them. Sorry to all you out there. Maybe you will get a Happy New Year, (nope it is too late for that), Valentine's Card or even St Patrick's card. We will see. I have been trying to just catch up with the things I haven't done because of my illness. I really didn't care about the Christmas decorations until just about a week ago.
I put my plants back in the corner where the tree had stood. Heidi, Connie and Kristy (my Play Pal dolls) have taken up residence in front of the plants.








Customer sewing is still waiting, plus some of my own projects that I need work on. I do these in the evening and in ten-minute increments here and there. I am re-doing the edge of my quilt. This is the one I got a Grand Champion ribbon at the County Fair in the 90's. For some unknown reason, the purple edge has worn out. The rest of the quilt looks pretty good, so I decided to give it new life. I have replaced the purple edge and am beginning to quilt it. I also added binding.

Besides quilting, I have been trying to hone my knitting skills. I am stuck making dish cloths for now. I am trying to learn continental knitting where the thread is held in the left hand. I am not comfortable with knitting yet. It makes me as tense as a board. I need to learn to relax when I knit.

The two on the left are done from a pattern called A Piece of My Heart. The right says MOM. I got the MOM pattern from Knitted Kitty. I also learned how to crochet a pot holder this week and made one. It is so simple I did it in a few hours. Knitting takes MUCH longer.

So, besides all these projects, I've been trying to exercise regularly, eat 5-7 vegetables and fruits daily, drink 64 oz of water daily and keep the house clean. That is what I have been up to lately.
I hope you are having a pleasant day.
~a

Rice Therapy Bags

I got this wonderful idea for Christmas for my college-aged twin nieces on this site. I used Christmas fabric.

I made an inside bag out of muslin and treated the rice with cinnamon for the hot therapy. Then I made a fancy removable cover, so they can wash them. Then I made smaller bags to match. I stuffed them with wheat and lavender for the cold therapy.

Before I wrapped them, I put the finished products in different zip-lock bags so the scent would stay. One is for the freezer, one is for the microwave. These are really wonderful, and scented, I imagine they are even better. We use ours my sister made all the time. They are great for a cold night to warm my feet.

The maker of the pattern even has a link to an Adobe site where you can print beautiful tags to go with it. It went over very well

one warning: Don't use near the microfiber or suede couches. Ours got permanently creases where the hot bag touched the couch. But sheets and quilts are great. Doesn't hurt them a bit.

I hope you find this helpful. What do you think? Leave a comment.
and have a nice day
~a

Its been awhile

Sorry for not posting sooner. I have been really busy. I even got a comment from one friend saying she thought her reader wasn't working.

Getting ready for Christmas always takes a powerhouse of energy, and I work best under that kind of pressure. I have count-down lists in my head and manage to meet those deadlines. It is necessary to postpone and cancel the less important things. Therefore the blogging has suffered, as have the Christmas cards.

I got a quilt top made for Sailor and put together some fun Christmas bags for all my children, sister and her two girls. We got most of the Christmas stuff to our children before Christmas, except for the ones who live out of state. We were traveling their way, so that made things easier. I just stacked their things by the door. We would leave right after Sacrament Meeting and get there about 1 in the morning.

Earlier in the week, our D3 called. She didn't sound very good, and when we asked the problem, she began to sob. Her husband had just gotten laid off from work. This couple had carefully planned everything in their lives. They had waited until he was done with his Bachelor's and Master's degrees and a really nice job secured with an amazing company, before they started a family. They had purchased a house and had begun to fix it up. All the rooms were painted, carpets removed, wooden floors polished, kitchen and bathroom remodeled, and family room cozily furnished before the baby arrived.

She had returned to work once a week in a doctor's office and life seemed to be going great for them. She told us that she needed us to come up to help fix an older car. The really nice one they had just purchased had to be sold, so the older one needed to work. So instead of the pre-Christmas list, we dropped everything and rushed up to help.

Sailor had taken up the "way of the wrench" back when the children were young in order to keep us in older, but working cars. Then to furnish all the children with hopefully reliable transportation when they left for college. Because the cars were old, we ran many rescue missions to fix cars and help out stranded children. In the course of fixing, Sailor has acquired many tools and books to help him diagnose and fix the cars. He has become so amazing at diagnosing that sometimes when the children call and describe a car problem, he can help figure it out.

This ambitious SIL3 had let no grass grow under his feet and within a week of the lay-off, he had already secured another job with a local firm. We were informed through a text on our cell phones two days before Christmas that he had gotten the job. The former employee had given him two-weeks pay, so actually they came out ahead in their budget. We acknowledge the hand of God in blessing them in this way.

On the day before our scheduled departure, our son (S3), daughter-in-law (DIL3) and their sweet little baby daughter came for a friend's reception. They chose to spend the night here. Which was fabulous. I had a duet in the Church choir that I was going to sing, so I was happy to have some family here to support me.

But just as they went to bed, she began to cramp. She had told us at Thanksgiving she was pregnant, then announced this last week that she was losing the baby. But the actual miscarriage took place here. I felt so terribly bad for her, but was so glad we could be on hand to care for her sweet little daughter. My son spent most of the time by her side and running errands for her needs. So I am glad we could watch their baby so they didn't have to worry about caring for her as well. We ended up skipping Church for the most part. Sailor got in on the Priesthood part, I got in on Sacrament Meeting and sang my song. As this poor, sweet DIL3 suffered through the labor, we told our son not to rush to leave, just to take their time. As we had planned on traveling right after Sacrament Meeting, we began to make alternate plans. When the worst was over, he carried his little bride to the couch, surrounded her with pillows and comforters and brought her soup and crackers. Sailor had made a Jello for her. She looked as white as a sheet. We gave her a heat pad for her stomach and she laid there and recovered.

Some time during the whole ordeal, she had called her mom. She agreed to meet them on the interstate and pick her up and take her to their home. S3 had to work up through Christmas Eve. Plans were made to see their family doctor the next day.

We got on the road only an hour and a half later than planned. The truck was all packed the day before, so it didn't take much to load the last minute things and embark.

We got to my mom's home by about 2:30 in the morning, and were so wired from all the caffeinated drinks that we buzzed for about an hour. But at least we had dry roads and were safely there.

Monday was pretty much a recovery day. We felt jet-lagged. We had a wonderful time celebrating with my Mom, sister and her friend, and her twin daughters. That night we went to Sailor's Mom's birth town to celebrate another reunion. It has been a tradition to have this reunion Christmas night. They bring pot-luck food and their stringed instruments. We have a whole book of Christmas carols and are accompanied by a piano, violin, guitar, bass and flute. It has been very fun to attend these whenever we are in the area.

Then we headed to S1's house. The day after Christmas, we celebrated with S1, his family and D2 and her family. There had been several flu bugs going around, but thankfully everyone was well. The only down part is the last day there, in the evening, I felt like I might be getting a cold. I took the usual preventatives, Musinex, Sudafed, Cold Snap and water all day Monday as we drove home. Thankfully, Sailor was not affected by the bug. But I slept almost the whole way home. That makes me sad, because I just LOVE traveling with him, and I felt like I missed 8 whole hours of "just us" time. Our plans to join S2 and his family for New Year's Eve was canceled as well. We will make it up to them later. I hate to disappoint the children, because he had indicated they were excited to have us come visit.

So for the last day, I have mostly unpacked and tried to recover from this head cold. And that is where I have been. I will include pictures later. My Christmas cards have not been mailed, not even the email version sent. I feel badly because I have received so many really nice cards and gifts, but just don't have the stamina it would take to complete this task. bleah

My prayers go out for my sweet little friend Lori, who apparently fainted on the landing of the stairs. She basically did a face-plant and broke several bones in her face. I feel so badly for her and ask everyone to join me in praying for her full recovery.

I will post more when I feel better.

*¦*:·-·:*HAPPY*:·-·:*¦*:·-·:*NEW YEAR*:·-·:*¦*

love to you all
~a

Busy Busy Busy

I guess being busy is good. I find when I haven't posted in a while it is because I find myself nowhere near the computer. In other words, I am busy.
I have had many sewing jobs lately. Most of them are just repairs or alterations. Nothing amazing.
I have found that the clients view their alterations as a social event. It is strange, but I find that they want to visit. Sometimes they tell me their problems. I feel like a psychologist sometimes. I can never just fit them and get them out the door. *time is money* so I can get on with the sewing. They sit down. They bring pictures from their latest cruse. They ask about my family. I cannot rush them out. One man spent about an hour on the phone when he first called, I couldn't get away. Maybe I was too nice? He called later to change the date, and spent another hour. Then when he came, he spent two hours. I couldn't' get him to leave, he just sat there, out of breath. I couldn't be rude. After he left, it took me 20 minutes to alter the pants. I think I finally figured out how to do this. When he was coming to pick up the pants he had altered, I was talking to my daughter. I told her to call me back in 5 minutes. She did and I acted like I hadn't heard from her in years. He had jumped up to leave when the phone rang. I told her to hang on and said goodbye to the client. Luckily, he had paid me, or that wouldn't have worked. I know that is rude, but what else can I do? Are these people so lonely, they come for friendship? I swear it is the case with one lady. She was out of a job, so poor sometimes her checks bounced. Not good, but she would stay long and bring me more stuff as she picked up the last things. I told her my rate when she first started and she was fine with that. I never figured in the hours of visiting into the bill, like some people might be tempted to do. I figured this was my way of serving some of God's people. But sometimes enough is enough. Which was the case with the man. Come on, people 4 hours for a 20 minute job! I should have charged him $60. But I didn't .

I received a Flat Stanley in my mail the other day from my Grand daughter. When her mom sent me an email telling me I was getting a Flat Stanley in the mail from her daughter, soon, I immediately thought of their cat who is named Stanley. My reply was, "what happened to Stanley? Did he get run over? Why is he flat? You no longer want him?"

If you read the link, he is a character from a storybook. He can travel all over the world and visit many places, have his picture taken and go on many adventures because he is flat and fits well in an envelope.

When mine arrived, it was actually an outline of a gingerbread cookie. My sweet Grand daughter called me up to tell me he was coming and I had to put a face on him, and would I make hers into a girl? I can name her and dress her appropriately for the season and occasion. And take her on adventures, write about the adventures and take pictures where ever I take her.

Of course my imagination went crazy and I began to think of all possible situations where this little paper doll could come along with me and what adventures I could take her on.
Not wanting to give anything away until after I send her back, which has to be by December 1, (my bday) I will not post any pictures or tell any of our adventures until after she arrives safely back in my sweet Grand daughter's hands. But suffice to say, she has taken up many hours of time getting her ready for our adventures. Sailor says I am still a little girl at heart. I guess that is true.

It brings to mind the time when I was in about 3rd grade. Barbie had just entered the scene. We were all crazy about her and had to have one. I corresponded with my great uncle Glenn in California. He had this wonderful script typewriter and he wrote me letters. I told him we had each gotten an Barbie. He said that Ken was there in California. Would we like one?

Would we LIKE one????? What kind of question was that? After telling him *YES* in no uncertain terms and he telling me that the Kens were coming, I wrote back and told him about how our Barbies were preparing for a wedding when the "mail-order Kens" arrived. I was making a wedding dress. (yeah, I began sewing at a very young age, and I hand stitched all my Barbie clothes) Well, Uncle Glenn was a charming man and his wife, Kathryn was equally as charming. She owned a floral shop. So when our Kens arrived, they came in a box surrounded with fragrant, real stephanotis, the official wedding flower back in the day. It was so magical. We had real flowers for our Barbie/Ken Weddings. That was about the neatest box I remember ever receiving and of course my favorite aunt and uncle were Kathryn and Glenn.

As a Grandma, I want to remember all those magical moments in my childhood so I can recreate them for my sweet grandchildren. It is such fun.

We had beautiful, unseasonably warm weather for the middle of November, and I hung the Christmas lights out side. They are not lit yet, I will wait. But it is usually my luck when I am in the mood to hang them it is bitter cold, so this time I beat the rush. It is a good feeling.

S3, DIL3 and baby are coming for the weekend. I am so excited. That little darling girl can understand kiss. "Kiss the bear" her mommy stays and she turns her head, finds the bear and lands an open-mouth slobbery kiss on the bear. She is only 4 months. OHMYGOSH. what a smart baby. The other baby who was born 2 weeks later just got a tooth! Wow. These little babies are growing up fast. I talked on the phone to D2's little boy. He has such a cute vocabulary, I LOVE talking to him. What a darling little guy. I love 'em all and feel so lucky to have so many to love.

that is all for tonight.
have a great one

~a

One more Christmas link

I got this from a friend after Christmas, and it is in Utah, so that is cool.
This Christmas House is really neat, and I wanted a permanent link where I could go look at it later, so here it is.
Even better is the fact that they were donating any proceeds to Make a Wish Foundation. The Total that everybody donated to Make-A-Wish was $10,219.97.


Music Box Dancer - Holdman Christmas Display 2007 from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.


Carol of the Bells - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

Oh what the heck, just one more

Winter Wonderland - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

A weekend visit

I have this darling grandson. He is about 18 months. His mom D2, dad SIL2 and he came to visit this weekend. This little chap just touches my heart and I am in LOVE. He can do no wrong, no matter what his little hands are into, and believe me, he gets into everything. He is so precious. He loves the kitty and says "giggle, giggle" for kitty kitty. That is how he calls the kitty, (here kitty, kitty) is "giggle giggle". I love to hold him up next to the door window and we look at the kitty and talk to it.

I look around and see all the things that little guy touched and I miss him so much. They are only about 2 hours away, but it is a great big deal to come see us. Besides having to bring the whole house, all his furniture and stuff, they have to coincidentally have to get the same days off from work as well. So it is rare to get them to come. She needed my help on some Christmas projects.
They will be back next week, and he will be the only one of the grandchildren here, so he will be the center of attention. It will be a fun celebration.
I feel so blessed and lucky.
a

Christmas Memories

Channel 5 has a local program called Studio 5. They have demonstrations of crafts, and cooking, ideas for Christmas and guests. It is a fun one to listen to while I do other things, like wrap gifts. Their contest today was "What is the Most Creative Gift you have ever given or received."
I thought about it and came up with one memory

Here is mine:
When Sailor was Cowboy/Farmer in our past life on the farm, he was training a horse to pull. His dream was to get her to pull a sled or a wagon and we could ride behind. He worked with her in the summer and taught her to pull a plow.
Now he was talented when it came to working with animals and training them. He was also very clever when it came to guessing gifts. I hadn't succeeded in surprising him with a gift in our entire married life.

But Christmas 1979, I succeeded! And here is how I did it.
I wrapped a 3x5 index card in a large box and sent him on a treasure hunt. The gift I gave him made noise, so to wrap the actual gift was out of the question.
On the card was a silly poem I made up, and here is what I said:

Dearest Husband (I used his name)

This next present is just for you
It's hard to wrap, so here's a clue.
I'm sure that it will just "fill the bill"
It won't take much effort, and yet it will
If you use it right,
You will have a noisy but silent night!
Now if this has set your curiosity on fire
To find your gift, go look in the dryer!
Love,
Annie

Inside the clothes dryer, hidden in a pile of towels were two sets of sleigh bells.

This Is Amazing!

You all know how much I love music and especially vocal and choirs.
This is an amazing video. Now I want the DVD!

This explains the origin.
Hope you enjoy. I could listen all day to this
a

Happy Thanksgiving, Back

The title refers to a scene in You've Got Mail where Meg Ryan is trying to use her credit card in a local store where it is a cash-only line. She is not aware until the lady informs her of the total and says "no credit cards". Everyone gets upset and tells her to use another line and she is trying to just get out of there because her nemesis, Tom Hanks is behind her and she is trying to escape before he notices her. He does notice her and comes up to the front, charms the clerk, Rose by telling her she has a nice name, and says Happy Thanksgiving. Then he tells her it is her turn to say, "Happy Thanksgiving Back." This makes her smile, then he makes a Knock Knock joke.
Orange, Orange Who? Orange you going to zip this card through? Zip Zip? She does make an exception for Tom and the tension is broken, but not for Meg. After he leaves and Rose is still smiling, Meg says, "I'm sorry." Rose's smile fades to a glare, and Meg slinks out, feeling even more animosity towards Tom.

We had a great Thanksgiving day. It started out at 6:30 as Sailor and I arose and prepared stuffing, stuffed the turkey and started it baking.

S2,DIL2 and three grandchildren arrived just in time to sit down to dinner. DIL2 must have been psychic because she filled in where I was lacking. She brought three kinds of cranberry things, two pumpkin pies, and rolls. Really buttery rich rolls. She forgot the whipped cream, but I happened to have that. I had forgotten cranberries. So we balanced each other out. We had a great feast, and had enough left overs to feed a soup kitchen afterwards. As we cleared the table, Sailor took the bones from the turkey and began to boil them for soup stock. After dishes began to wash themselves in the dishwasher, the children played outside on the swing set, then we all retired by a wonderful fire Sailor built.

Next we gathered around the newly assembled artificial Christmas tree and let the children open gifts from their Grand folks (that would be us). The older two got art sets and a little car race track called Electric Car, and the baby got a baby doll and stroller. They are happily playing with their toys and life is good.
They are spending the night tonight, so we will have a fun day tomorrow as well. S2 wants to take his guns out and go target practicing, he also brought some wood down to work in the shop with his dad.
Life is good
a
(Saturday~two days later)
The older two children and I went to the park and played on the slides, watched the waterfall, watched the kids in the skate park, and played in the sand for about two hours. At one point two mean-faced little dogs, I believe they are miniature pugs came barking and racing over. Little GS1 let out a startled cry and ran to me and GD3 was already behind me. I was just sitting on the grass beside the sand pile. The owner apologized and put them back on their leashes and left. After they were safely gone, GS1 said: "Those dogs were cute." It cracked me up, because you would have never known he thought that by the way he was clinging to me. I loved it.
S2 & Sailor went out target practicing and sighting in their guns and DIL2 stayed with the baby while she slept and read a book.
Earlier the parents had gone on a run, and we watched the children. The baby is almost 2 and is quite a cutie. She has very snappy Dark black eyes and dark hair. As her parents sat on the floor stretching in preparation for their run, this cute little girl sat on the floor and imitated them. Her tiny legs are maybe 4-6" to the knee and she sat there pressing on her knees, stretching out, then lay on the floor and put up one leg, pointing to the ceiling. It was one of those moments you remember in your mind, but the camera is nowhere handy, and by the time it is found, the moment is gone. But it was so darling. We had a wonderful time with them.
~a

Getting ready for company. . . again

As the time draws closer to our departure to Taiwan to pick up our Missionary son, I look around and realize that the very next day when we get home, we will have several sets of siblings landing here, like a circling sea gulls over a freshly plowed field.
Not that Guitar RM Boy is a bug, mind you, but a great treat the siblings have all been patiently waiting for to return home.
So I look at all the once-occupied bedrooms in this great house and realize that they have been sadly neglected. I should hire a maid to come in and dust, vacuum and freshen the sheets from time to time.
The joyous thought that all six of my children will be gathered here, for the first time in I don't know how many years, on Saturday and Sunday after his Mission report spurs me into looking at those abandoned bedrooms through "company eyes".
I love when my mom has prepared my old room with fresh sheets, blankets, and a fresh coat of end dust. In the winter, near Christmas, she decorates the rooms with tiny Christmas trees with lights. Her house always looks so cheerful and hospitable.