Dec. 29

Blizzard, the sequel.

I got called in to work early today.
They had predicted another big storm last night, so when I got up and saw only about an inch of new snow, I thought they goofed again...

But the last couple of hours at work, the snow started to fall again, and the wind kicked up. I had to go 20 MPH all the way home because it was so slick.
I was in my in-law's car, and I don't know it very well, so I didn't know how far I could trust it.

I wish I could stay home tomorrow, but I have to go to work again...

Hubby's third day post-surgery, and I can tell he's starting to feel a little better. He's getting antsy and irritable.
He's been a pretty patient patient until now, but he's going stir crazy now.
He's supposed to work tomorrow night, I hope it won't be too much for him...

The girls are suffering from boredom too. Melissa had plans tonight, but had to cancel because of the storm.
Jenny plans to go up North for New Year's. I wish she'd change her mind - not crazy about the idea.

I think we're all ready to get back to normal - I know I am!

A week's holiday vacation is apparently plenty.

:-)
.

Dec. 28

Another big storm coming tomorrow - guess who is the only person in the family who has to work?

Lucky me.

We've had a visit from my-child-from-another-mother this week.
Jenny's best friend since grade school. It's been fun to have her around again. She's calling me "mom" these days. The girls' a hoot.

The Christmas stuff is starting to bug me. Not ready to give up the tree yet, but the boxes, wrappings, and kitchen disasters are getting on my nerves.
When we got home from spending the day at the hospital yesterday, we found the kitchen floor covered with soaking wet towels - dirty dishes everywhere, but the girls were chatting away happily at the counter cooking up who knows what...

Can't leave the house for a minute. The sink backed up and the dishwasher overflowed. Rather than just mopping it up, the towels were just left there soaking up my laminate floor. (The only thing it's not guaranteed against.)

Never a dull moment. *Sigh*

We've been up late having another Big Bang Theory marathon tonight.
Hubby's still recuperating, and we're doing our best to keep him entertained.

Time to call it a night I suppose...
.

Dec. 27

*Disclaimer* I wrote this this morning at the hospital - it made perfect sense then, obviously I was more tired than I thought...



The days of the week are getting all mixed up in the post-Christmas aftermath.
If it weren't for going to church yesterday, I would never have known it was Sunday.

It's my job to choose the hymns that are sung in Sacrament meeting, and I never quite know what to do with the week after Christmas.
I love Christmas music, and we only have four short weeks to sing it, but I'm always somewhat afraid of what the grumblers will say: "Christmas is over - move on already" I've tried it both ways, and it's a no win situation.
You just can't please everybody.

Since it was only the day after Christmas this time, I thought it would be OK.
Not only did we open and close with Christmas hymns, (Joy to the world, the Lord is come... that's appropriate, right?) - But I had the Primary children sing a couple of numbers too.
...Which they did really well, by the way. They were shy and pretty quiet, but they really sang together as a unit. It was sweet, and really beautiful.

...Anyway, I'm afraid it all fell flat for me yesterday. Maybe it was just me - so much has happened around here lately, it's been really hard to feel any Christmas joy amid all the hubbub.

Holiday meals have always been a big deal to me - I always want them to be exotic and beautifully spread, as if from the pages of Victoria magazine - when in truth, what my family prefers is much simpler fare, more like... Farmer's Almanac.

I'm thinking it's time to restructure my thinking about my traditions.
Plain old pancakes make my girlie's much happier than my fancy schmaltzy experimental recipes.
I'm not organized or forward thinking enough to pull off the big productions.
I'm no Martha Stewart, after all.
(...Then again, without her hoards of minions - neither is she.)

That's what I need. Minions.


I had planned to spend the day in creative pursuits today, but I forgot I was on nurse duty. Hubby had his knee scoped, and I was his designated driver.
No matter - time to think, read, (and even had a brief nap in the waiting room.)

He'll be laid up for at least three days - I've been ordered to go out and stock up on movies tomorrow.

Compulsory shopping. I'll try to deal.

Christmas Day

Too busy to blog yesterday.

My lovely boss sent me home early, so I had plenty of time to get dinner prepped and ready - but not without being sent out in the fog to pick up a few last minute items.

Our evening went pretty well - we were able to Skype our son, so we got to share opening gifts with them. What an awesome thing Skype is! It was like having them here with us.

My oldest made me a video of his girls singing Christmas carols. It was so fun to watch, with a few special effects added here and there...
Everyone got their new jammies and put them on here before they went home.

After they left, our... adopted son (daughter in law's brother) came by to visit. We were just on our way up to the cemetery to put lights on the family graves, (Something new they just started here this year,) So he rode along with us.

I was expecting it to look festive up there, but it looked rather creepy - even though there were still lots of people driving around, the candles had an eerie effect on the place...

Back at home, we called it a night fairly early.

No children to wake us early like in years gone by - only the dog raiding the garbage and spreading all over the house. (What happened to creatures not stirring?)

Today has been busy with our traditional family breakfast (the very word 'tradition' implies that you have to do it forever, so be careful what you start! LOL. I enjoy doing the Christmas Eve dinner, and the Christmas morning breakfast, but it puts me in the kitchen for much of the holiday.)

After the kids left this morning, (to go visit the other grandparents up north) we've had a quiet day. Naps, movies, and snacks. That's what Christmas day is about around here.

Well, that, and this:


Everyone has the week off next week, even me. (Well, most of it.)
Hubby goes in to have his knee scoped on Monday, so forced rest for him. Hope he can handle that.

I plan to spend much of the week holed up in my room doing all the projects I haven't had time to do all month.

Ahhhh.
.

Merry Christmas!


.

Dec 23

Treats to neighbors - check
finish project - check
meals planned - check

Everything else? - scratch. There's always next year.

I work all day tomorrow, so today was it for me.

Merry Christmas, and God bless us, every one!
.

December 22

Feeling kind of bummed today.

I thought the holiday let-down wasn't supposed to come until after the holidays.
I don't know what my problem is - I'm just having a really hard time caring that it's Christmas. Nothing feels quite right this year.

Surprisingly enough, work has stayed busy this week, even though it's kind of late for sewing projects...
I have a project of my own that won't get done unless I can dedicate all day tomorrow to it. Things have been so crazy this week.

We had 3 feet of snow yesterday, and now it's raining on top of that - if all that snow melts under the rain, we'll soon be part of Utah Lake.

Hope Santa brings a raft.
.

December 21

Snowed in today.

A little thing called "Lake Effect" that is common to this area - dropped about 3 feet of snow on us during the night - and nobody wants to venture out in it.

So, we're all stuck here together, like it or not.

One of the trees in the back yard lost a major limb - but we were planning to cut that tree down eventually anyway - just saved us some trouble...

Sad news this past weekend - a treasured historical landmark was lost to fire.
The Provo Tabernacle burned after a Christmas Concert Friday night.

So sad, it was such a beautiful building. They don't make them like that anymore.

I found an interesting story as I was looking for pictures this morning;
 
I like the gentleman's comment about God being in the little things.
Who says He doesn't send messages to us still?
.

December 20

Surprise!

Snow by the boat load today. It will definitely be a white Christmas, but did it have to come today? My baby & hubby will be on the road all day.

Praying for their safekeeping (and mine) as we all navigate through it.

December 19.

Panic mode.

The cards have all been mailed, the gifts are wrapped, now is the time you remember everybody who should have been on one of those lists, that you forgot.

Now is the time people start bringing treats to work, which is something you haven't even thought about.

Now is the time when friends of the kids drop in, and you probably should have done something for them too...

It is the time that you realize that the shopping and wrapping, the baking and cleaning will never be over until the day is here and it's beyond too late.

No rest for the weary.

We had our Christmas program at church today. All those long hours of rehearsal, playing rehearsal CD's in the car on my commute - all of it is over now.

Things went really well - even though the meeting went over by a quarter of an hour.
My choir director had a slam-bang finish planned, which we had discussed about a month ago, but I wasn't sure it was going to happen.
I'm glad she did it - (Silent Night, with a special piano/organ arrangement for the closing song.) But it was a little embarrassing when we both got up to lead it...

Tonight is our big (or should I say "ginormous"?) family party. Baby brought her boy home to show off to the family. He seems lost and confused here (poor boy) and I don't think baby is feeding him very well - I hope he survives meeting all the relatives.

Hubby is nagging me to finish up some last minute details...

Later.
.

Dec. 17

Wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap

~ Work ~

Wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap...
.


“To perceive Christmas through its wrapping becomes more difficult with every year”
E.B. White

December 16

I've been possessed by old Mr. Grinch today.

I've been out shopping ALL day long.
I had a short list, and thought I could finish in a couple of hours, but I should have known it wouldn't be that easy...

I had an impossible time finding everything.

About 2pm, I dabbed on the warpaint, and headed for shoppers hell (Toys-R-Us.)
I'm sure there was smoke spewing from my ears when I found that even they didn't have what I needed!

By then, I was angry, I was starving, and I didn't care anymore.
I just decided to make do, and go for the next best thing. If that isn't good enough, that's just too bad. I'm not going out there again!
...I have too much that needs doing here.

Had a bit of a scare while I was out running - I took the back roads from K-Mart to Walmart, and while I was watching for which road I needed to turn on, I apparently started to drift into the oncoming lane...

I looked up just in time to see a pick up truck coming straight at me!
I yanked the wheel, and managed to get out of the way just in time.

Whew - that could have been messy...

I was also looking for containers for my neighbor gifts.
You know, those thoughtful little things you make by hand, just to show you care?
I had an idea that was supposedly inexpensive and easy;
(like these little paint cans from Archiver's)

...but after visiting 3 shops for supplies, I realized that if I kept going along those lines, I would be spending about $20 bucks per household just for a little jar of candy!

Crazy!

Found something else that will work just great - at the dollar store.
Cute and simple, and hopefully, a thought that will be appreciated...

I have to work the next 2 days, and I have company coming, so I'm through running around. At least out there.

Bah!
.

The Grinch hated Christmas — the whole Christmas season.
Oh, please don't ask why, no one quite knows the reason.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right.
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.

December 15

Crazy day yesterday - up all night, slept in this am, late for work, more Christmas shopping, 3 inches of new snow...

Makes a body kind of wonder ...what would it be like to spend Christmas at the beach?







I could decorate my tree with sea shells...
[ A Room for Everyone Blog ]

I could build a man made out of sand...
[ Sandbars to Sunsets ]

...While waiting for Sand-ta Clause - he would still find me, right?


...And I'll be hot in the new bathing suit he brings me;
[Etsy Moth to a Flame Studio]

*Sigh* I might as well stop dreaming - It's another COLD Christmas for me.

I think we're finished shopping now (after 3 full days!), but someone's still got to wrap all this ...crap.

Sunday is Grandma's Christmas party, and baby is bringing her boy to meet the family. I hope the experience doesn't scare him away...

I think I'll try something new tonight and get some sleep.

'Night.
.



Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawian Christmas Day
That's the island greeting that we send to you from the land where palm trees sway
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas to you

December 14

Responding to the outcry of my fan[s,] (all one of them) I'm back. :-)

It's crunch time now - all extra-curricular projects are on hold until further notice. Shopping is giving me a headache - can't seem to find what I'm looking for in the real world,
...and it's too late to order online.

Stress levels are high in our house. Still reeling from all the events of the past couple of months, so nailing down a little Christmas spirit is a tricky thing at this point.

Generally I turn to books or Christmas movies, but there haven't been a lot of good films lately, and I'm thinking that the Christmas murder mysteries that I have ordered were probably a bad idea. (Wrong kind of Christmas spirits.)

It's time to shift gears anyway, and concentrate on the details.
I've got two big meals to plan - Christmas Eve, and Christmas breakfast. (I wonder every year why I started that tradition, but as hubby would say; "which one would you give up now?" )

Truth be told, I enjoy doing them both - it just feels like a lot when the time comes.
Paper plates now take the place of the family china, and pre-made items like rolls, etc. are no longer tabu.

Simplify, simplify, simplify is my new mantra.

Ham and funeral potatoes are becoming a tradition for Christmas Eve.
I found this ham recipe on Gooseberry Patch.com

Apricot-Glazed Baked Ham

Submitted by: Debbie Donaldson from Florala, AL

1 T. all-purpose flour
6 to 7-lb. fully-cooked ham
18-oz. jar apricot preserves


1/4 c. spicy brown mustard
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. orange juice
Shake flour in a large oven bag. Place ham in bag; set in a roaster pan. Combine remaining ingredients, mixing well; pour over ham. Close bag with nylon tie provided; cut 6 to 8 slits in bag. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours to 2 hours and 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of ham reads 140 degrees. Serves 10 to 15.

I also love Breakfast Casseroles with fruit and croissants.
Always on the lookout for new recipes to mix things up, but I usually end up falling back on the same ones - because they're familiar and fairly easy.

...As I was looking up recipes on the Gooseberry Patch blog, I found a link to this tutorial - these cookies are too dang cute!

I may have to try them too - you know, in my "spare time." Ha.
(There's lots of cute treats there - check it out!)


Carol of the day:



"Christmas is a time of little time.
How we get there is a mystery.
Racing madly mall-to-mall, we climb
Into fields of sunlit harmony.
Shopping, cooking, clearing walks and yards,
Trimming house and tree while working, too;
Making phone calls, wrapping, writing cards,
As all worn out we do what we must do
So that this day of joy might joy renew."
- Nicholas Gordon

December 12

On the 12th day of Christmas, my gift to you?
I'm going to stop the daily blather and go back to only posting when I have something to say.

Old granny is as dry as toast - even I am bored with the snooze fest - apologies.

Nice day today though. I was pretty stressed out this morning that my guest singer wasn't going to show at church, but he didn't let me down. It was a really nice meeting.
Our choir director tried a daring experiment a few months ago - she calls it the "Instant Choir." It's an open invitation for anyone who wants to, to come up on the podium and participate in singing.

We were pretty nervous the first time she tried it - fearing that nobody would come up - but it was actually a huge success.
Turns out a lot of people (even a few of the kids) who don't want to commit their time to the regular choir, are totally willing to lend their voices for just the one meeting.
It's really fun.

After church, we went to visit a lady who helped out a lot with the funeral.
She lost her husband a couple of years ago, and could commiserate with what the family has been through. It was really nice visiting with her.

I was just going to lay down for a minute when we got home, but ended up having a 3 hour nap. When I woke up, hubby had dinner ready - turkey, dressing, the whole schmere just like Thanksgiving.
I'm thinking I should turn all the cooking over to him from now on...

Melissa and I made the drive to take the youngest back to school tonight.
I really don't like going after the sun goes down - those country roads are awfully dark, and the deer lie in wait along the road to jump out and scare the bejeevers out of you.
We saw quite a few of them, but luckily they minded their manners.

Hoping to wind up the shopping this week, and get the neighbor gifts put together. The clock, she is ticking away...
.



"Give me the end of the year an' its fun
When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An' I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers."
- Edgar A. Guest, Thanksgiving

December 11

Spent some quality/quantity time with the grans this weekend.
Last night we drove them around the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork, and around Salem pond.
It was fun to see them so excited and listen to their chatter. That's the only way to see Holiday sights - through children's eyes.

This morning, we attended the oldest gran's testing session for her Karate class.
It was really interesting to see all the moves they go through, and all that they have learned.

Unfortunately, we had to leave before it was over - hubby and I both work today.
I'm sad to have missed that, because she was going to get to break her first board!
Hoping her dad gets video...

Star of wonder, star of night -
Star with royal beauty, bright,
Westward leading,
Still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.
.

December 10

Son #1's birthday today.
He'll be celebrating by going to the Jazz game, and we'll be celebrating by watching the kids. Planning on a fun evening, but we'll see how that pans out. (LOL)

The other kids dubbed him "The Golden Boy" because he was always so "good" that it was hard to live in his shadow, but the more I talk to my daughter, the more I'm finding out that what he was really "good" at, was covering up his misdeeds, and passing the buck.
...The little dickens.

Anyway, kudos and best wishes to him.

I've been out doing my visiting teaching rounds today.
I just love the ladies that we visit. They are so sweet and fun to talk to.
It's nice being part of a neighborhood family.

My neighbor commented on the weather as we drove around - we started out thinking it was going to be a record-breaking winter, but it has been so mild lately, that we may have a wet Christmas, but probably not a white one.

I've been a bit concerned about hubby lately.
All his care-taking work is behind him now with the passing of his father, but I remember how that grieving process was for me, and I worry about how he will deal with that. He's been on that adrenaline high that comes with living through crises, and I worry about how the crash will manifest itself when it inevitably comes.

No big plans today, just hunkering in for the weekend.
.
P.S. The pictures I've been "borrowing" for the 12 days of Christmas are from This Blog of Nature photos. Which also lists some fun information on the background of the song The 12 Days of Christmas.


"I speak cold silent words a stone might speak
If it had words or consciousness,
Watching December moonlight on the mountain peak,
Relieved of mortal hungers, the whole mess
Of needs, desires, ambitions, wishes, hopes.
This stillness in me knows the sky's abyss,
Reflected by blank snow along bare slopes,
If it had words or consciousness,
Would echo what a thinking stone might say
To praise oblivion words can't possess
As inorganic muteness goes its way.
There's no serenity without the thought serene,
Owl-flight without spread wings, honed eyes, hooked beak,
Absence without the meaning absence means.
To rescue bleakness from the bleak,
I speak cold silent words a stone might speak."
- Robert Pack, Stone Thoughts

December 9

I went back to work today.

It was kind of nice to be there, really.
It's slowing down to normal again, and just nice to mingle with people.

I gave up on the library book - I couldn't even get through a page without getting interrupted, so I couldn't get anywhere. It's hard to stay interested that way.

I've always liked Garrison Keilor as a story teller, but I've never really enjoyed his books for some reason. Too much potty humor or something...

Anyway, the one penny books from Amazon have started to trickle in, so I'm good for a while now.

This song has been on my mind a lot lately - with all that's been going on around here, it's been kind of hard to feel any Christmas Spirit.
Faith Hill


My girlies begged me on Sunday to have another card making day.
They'll be here tomorrow night, so maybe we'll do that - I've been wanting to do it too...
I have some new gadgets for them to play with - it will be fun.

Going in for another ultra-sound tonight to see if my little lump is breaking up on it's own, or if it has to be drained (ick.)

I'm all for quick and easy solutions.
.
"Holly and mistletoe
Candles and bells,
I know the message
That each of you tells."
- Leland B. Jacobs, Mrs. Ritters First Grade Critters

December 8

Not much to say today, went to the doctor again and demanded some attention - so glad I did.
I finally feel like I got the answers I've been looking for.

Hubby finally went back to work - now I can concentrate on my Christmas preparations. I picked up one more item while I was out - now I'll do some wrapping and tallying, get some cards in the mail.

Then who knows, maybe a nap will be in order.

And later that same day...

I was thinking today, as I wrapped a few gifts, what a boring December Daily this will be! It may not even make it to the album stage...

Last night I got an angry phone call from a sister who hadn't got the message about hubby's dad until just then. She let me know that she would have liked to come to the funeral.

What can I say? I posted on Facebook and here and figured that everyone would be covered - I guess I just forgot to take into account that not everyone is an internet junkie like me.

*Blush*

On the other side of the coin is my hubby's family - I just have to tell one of them, and not only the whole family - but the entire town knows within 5 minutes!
(I kid you not.)

...Didn't even call hubby after the doctor visit, because I ran into his sister at Walmart.

I'm sure he knows by now. ^.^

As I was looking around at Walmart, I found a DVD compilation of Christmas specials from old shows such as "I Love Lucy" and "Leave it to Beaver."

Where are the ones from Murphy Brown, Newhart, or Home Improvement? That is one that I would buy.

I'm sorry, but I'm getting a little tired of all the sappy made for TV movies - 90% of which the holiday is in grave danger and has to be "saved."
Oy - sometimes I'm inclined to believe my son's theory that there is only one writer left out there, and he's not paid well enough to have a new idea.

Maybe I can talk hubby into going for a drive to look at the lights...

"Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat.
Please put a penny in the old man's hat.
If you haven't got a penny, a half penny will do.
If you haven't got a half penny, then God bless you."
- Traditional English Christmas rhyme
.

December ...7?

Losing track of the days again...

The funeral is over. It went very well - such a nice day.
So many friends and family, it was so good to see them all.
Brad played his piano piece perfectly, and everything fell into place.
Such a lovely tribute to a life well lived.

...And that sheet music that we searched the entire state for - tried so desperately to find someone to sing or play to no avail - showed up in the mail yesterday.
After the funeral.

Hilarious.

The kids all made it home safely last night. It was really hard to let them go - but they have lives of their own now.

In the news -

I've been following the Elizabeth Smart case on the news. Having a son who works at the Federal Court building is very convenient - he has been able to sit in on a few of the court sessions. He was there the day that Elizabeth testified. He said he was very impressed with the way she handled herself.

He missed the day that she got up and walked out during the (lawyer?'s) testimony, but he said that he knew the man and talked with him later - he said that he hated having to say the things he said, but that he was bound by law to do so.

...And of course, the defendant is acting out - trying to play the insanity card, no doubt. (If he's in a snit - you must acquit.)

Can't wait until the trial is over, I plan to grill my son and get all the details.

Going to try to get in to the Dr. today, still not feeling up to par...

Things are slowing down at work already - they very kindly gave me a few days off to decompress.

Hoping for a quiet week.
.
God rest ye merry gentlemen,
let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
was born on Christmas Day
....Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.

December 6

Confucious say; Best to keep words sweet for you may have to eat them.

Just a quick one today - (today since it's officially after midnight.)
I'm going to have to take back what I said about viewings. At least this one.
As much as I was dreading it, it turned out to be a pretty wonderful evening.

So many people came to pay their respects - friends, neighbors, co-workers, relatives we haven't seen in a coon's age. Happy happy reunions, hugs, and tears.
Feeling the love.

I've been trying to sleep, but sleep won't come. Funeral tomorrow - busy busy day. Then off to the airport for the son, and back to college for the daughter.

Arrivals and partings -

Life.
.
"How bittersweet it is, on winter's night,
To listen, by the sputtering, smoking fire,
As distant memories, through the fog-dimmed light,
Rise, to the muffled chime of churchbell choir."
- Charles Baudelaire, The Cracked Bell