Spent an altogether wonderful evening and morning with my "middle" grand-daughter :) Baking and playing in the snow...coloring and reading...painting nails and playing board games.
We even used roll out pizza crust and cookie cutters shaped like gingerbread men and snowflakes to make pizza together
Which worked so well...we got up this morning and used the snowflake cutters again for pancakes!
Even Tucker joined in the fun...if somewhat reluctantly.
Note the look in his eyes and the splayed paw which is cat sign language for
"When she leaves...you OWE me, Big Time"
or possibly
"When she is gone...I am going to SHRED something you love over THIS."
Cats are funny. They seem to know small children are somehow different than the rest of us. She could pick him up over her shoulder like a small furry sack of potatoes and he would just go totally "boneless cat" and tolerate it. If you or I grabbed him up in a similar manner- we would be getting stitches and maybe a transfusion to offset the blood loss.
We even bundled up and braved the frigid temps for a short time this morning!
Soon after, off with her Mom and sisters to see Santa Claus...and I'm settling back inside in the warmth with more hot cocoa and the rest of the Christmas cards (to be finished) and
AH HAH! We've both been bested this year, Pam.
Let me explain. Pam and I have been friends for almost 40 years now. Every year, it seems...along with the usual Christmas Pranks (including the one that stands undefeated when we used to live next to one another and she came out in the night and used spray snow to literally cover all my windows)...then called me in the morning to say:
"OMG...have you looked outside...we had a terrible blizzard last night"
We were in our early twenties, maybe...and after the initial shock I laughed until I cried.
Anyway...one of the "yearly games" has been to see who could mail the other one the FIRST Christmas Card of the season to arrive.
Often I would drop mine in the mail on December 1st only to open my box and find her's already waiting. This year the furniture store beat both of us. Having just finished paying off my living room set...when I opened the box the store has actually sent a very elegant holiday card...asking me to keep them in mind for my next "furnishing needs"...lol!
So there. Contest over. The Furniture Store won this year! Next year i am mailing MINE in July...so THERE... ~laughing~
Enjoying listening to Chris' morning practice these days. Getting so much smoother and jst beautiful Christmas Music and occasionally some Bach or a theme-song from SkyRim or (more recently) Beauty and the Beast...lol. Tina likes it. Must be love.
And talked with the eldest who passed his CDL and starts his on-the-road training long haul with a co-driver on Monday from Iowa to Oklahoma City. He is excited! A Brave New Adventure...and the beginning of a wonderful career! He reminds me it is -3 degrees in Iowa. I cheerfully remind him that I keep my FREEZER set warmer than that. Nicki is amazing and supportive and they both miss each other like crazy and can't wait until he makes it back for Christmas! The "grand-bump" now at 18 weeks...and at least the morning sickness is over!
And Lennon...who recently sent me a scan of a shot of all of us together in 1996 after the United Maintenance Center project was finished...and Bill had pulled strings to get us a private onsite tour together when we met for lunch. (((hugs)))
My son who didn't grow under my heart, but in it... Can't wait to see you!
Love you, guy!
A momentary slip in FOCUS...easy to do at the holidays ...and now have December pretty much sorted and on track. Can't wait to see Donna and the grandsons next week. Excited about Terre Haute with Loretta and going to do a bit of our shopping at the mall together. Going to mail/ship all of the out-of-state before the 17th...and STILL need to talk to Great Grandma Judi about joining us for Christmas Eve...and find the perfect Hostess gift for Donna and Eric's Christmas Party...and...and...and...
BREATHE.
One day at a time.
How do we eat the elephant? "One small bite at a time."
This week's book Royce Prouty's: Stoker's Manuscript. A sequel of sorts to Stoker's Dracula...tracing the lineage from Vlad the Impaler to modern times...part historical and part following in the footsteps of Stoker's fictional vampyre. Engrossing and a page turner by the end. Definitely one of the better books in its genre.
Excellent read.
And in World News...the death of Nelson Mandela
The man who helped End Apartheid and heal a Nation!
An amazing Human Being.
