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And so this was Christmas

 
 
 

We celebrate Christmas as Jesus' birth and what that means to us so many years later.....but we also celebrate Christmas with exchaging of gifts....and what would Christmas be like without children around us to remind us that surprises are exciting. When I hear my grandchildren squeal in delight or run to me to give hugs as a thank-you for a gift they love or to watch them playing together.....that's their gift to me. Somehow I see the true meaning of Christ's birth, the joy of God's gift to us shining through the eyes of my grandchildren when theirs sparkle with glee.

Dutch Gramma

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Now a Fond Memory

 

Yes.....dressing up and going out to the family Christmas Dinner 2007, is now a fond memory. It was all that we anticipated....good food, good visiting and fun playing Taboo. The kids brought some of their gifts and played nicely for quite a while. The older ones joined our game of Taboo.....and sad to say, the guys won. Afterwards dessert was served, but most of us were still groaning from the tight belts, the results of over-indulgence of Dinner. But still we ate dessert and knew that we'd pay for all the decadence later on....but Christmas day just wouldn't be the same if we didn't stuff ourselves :)
So, this evening we're going tobagganing and try to work off some of the calories climbing back up the hill.

I'll be home for Christmas....

....please have snow and mistle toe and presents under the tree....

Merry Christmas to All!

New Family Member :)

I had an awesome time with my grandkids.....sleepovers are such fun :) Their Mom told me they got a Boxer puppy last night for the kids, so today when they get home it was a huge surprise! I'm just thrilled that they have a puppy cuz they've been begging for one for a long time. Puppy is a girl named Shelby (I think that's how they'll spell her name) And I'm just SO excited to have another new grandpuppy. I love dogs and would have one myself except they can't be left home alone for long like cats can, so I adore my grandpuppies and have 3 girls and 1 boy.....I know, weird but that's me :)
Time to go over and meet Shelby.

Ready to Snuggle in...

With the weekend ahead, I decided that I'd be wise to get all the last grocery shopping behind me. The stores weren't bad this morning either. I stocked up on dairy and veggies to last thru to the end of next week. I have shelves stocked with various snack foods, etc. as well. I managed to spend quite a bit more than I usually do, but entertaining and having my son, his wife and son over for four days means it's nice to have extra stuff on hand. I just plan to do a bit of pre-cooking this weekend and putting the food into the freezer to pull out as I need meals.
I'm having my grandkids over tonight so they'll want to have some treats too. So now to kick up my feet and read for a bit.

Snow Day?

Yes, it's snowing out there and is supposed to do so for the next couple of days. The temps are down to -20c again too, so I'm guessing the kids would love to yell out, "SNOW DAY!" and have an early start to the Christmas break. Here in our Cul-de-Sac there is a mountain of snow, made by the plow hauling all the snow and dumping it into one heap. Every day I see and hear the kids sliding down this hill. It's such a happy sound and brings back memories past :)

One Last Gift

I had an inspiration the other night after hearing my girlfriend's daughter, that now lives here, is going home for C-mas. What a perfect opportunity to send a gift to my girlfriend!! So I quickly went thru old pics that I knew she'd love. We've known each other since our mid-teens and married two guys who were friends as well, so we've stayed in close contact over the years. We've gone thru great times, sad times and feel so lucky our friendship has survived. I have pics of our kids together(I have 3 sons and she has 3 daughters....go figure!) and Anniversaries shared. They were married eight months after us and I would have stood up for her but I was then six months pregnant....and pregnant Matron-of-Honor just wasn't done 30 years ago(in our circle anyway)In case you're counting....yes, I got pregnant a month after we got married....total surprise!

Anyhow, I got the scrapbook done. I kept it simple and left some supplies in the last couple empty LO sleeves so she can add some of her own pics.
So, now I can say for certain, all my gifts are done and I can relax and wait C-mas morning :)

Maxine's Wish for You

Merry Christmas To My Female Friends

If I were ol' Santa, you know what I'd do
I'd dump silly gifts that are given to you
And deliver some things just inside your front door
Things you have lost, but treasured before.

I'd give you back all your maidenly vigor,
And to go along with it, a neat tiny figure.
Then restore the old color that once graced your hair
Before rinses and bleaches took residence there.

I'd bring back the shape with which you were gifted
So things now suspended need not be uplifted.
I'd draw in your tummy and smooth down your back
Till you'd be a dream in those tight fitting slacks.

I'd remove all your wrinkles and leave only one chin
So you wouldn't spend hours rubbing grease on your skin
You'd never have flashes or queer dizzy spells
And you wouldn't hear noises like ringing of bells.

No sore aching feet and no corns on your toes
No searching for spectacles when they're right on your nose.
Not a shot would you take in your arm, hip or fanny
From a doctor who thinks you're a nervous old granny.

You'd never have a headache, so no pills would you take.
And no heating pad needed since your muscles won't ache.
Yes, if I were Santa, you'd never look stupid
You'd be a cute little chick with the romance of a cupid.

I'd give a lift to your heart when those wolves start to whistle
And the joys of your heart would be light as a thistle.
But alas! I'm not Santa.I'm simply just me
The matronest of matrons you ever did see.

I wish I could tell you all the symptoms I've got
But I'm due at my doctor's for an estrogen shot.
Even though we've grown older this wish is sincere
Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year.

Girlfriends

GIRLS IN MY CIRCLE

When I was little,
I used to believe in the concept of one best friend,
And then I started to become a woman.

And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up,
God would show you the best in many friends.

One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man.
Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom.

Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your children and their activities.
Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.

One friend will say, "Let's cry together,"
Another , "Let's fight together,"
Another , "Let's walk away together."

One friend will meet your spiritual need,
Another your shoe fetish,
Another your love for movies,
Another will be with you in your season of confusion,
Another will be your clarifier,
Another the wind beneath your wings.

But whatever their assignment in your life,
On whatever the occasion,
On whatever the day,
Or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back,
Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself ..
Those are your best friends.

It may all be wrapped up in one woman,
But for many, it's wrapped up in several..
One from 7th grade,
One from high school,
Several from the college years,
a couple from old jobs,
On some days your mother,
On some days your neighbor,
On others, your sisters,
And on some days, your daughters.

So whether they've been your friend for 20 minutes or 20 years,
let them know how much they mean to you.

Courage

I'm thinking that those of us who venture into any store at this time of year must have courage. Have you been brave enough to leave home with plans of shopping?? Ok....our small town mall NEVER has a full parking lot....until this close to C-mas. And totally forget getting anywhere near the front door of Walmart!! After a nice walk from the far side of the parking lot and thru the doors, then one must trudge back out again and find the scarce carts. Still whistling a C-mas carol off key, I finally push the cart thru the doors....it was quite a feat, since the wheels dig into the snow, catching the grit and that in turn locks them....you'd get inside the store just as quick if you had the brut strength to carry the darn thing!! And now the fun begins....at first I was polite and stopped to let people navigate around me. I also parked my cart strategically so I as not to be right in front of a shelf someone may need to get to. Yeah....well, if everyone else was so kind, there wouldn't be such grumpy shoppers. I gave up....no apologies!....and I just kept humming C-mas Carols off key :P I think that deserves a Lion's Medal of Courage :)

.....and presents under the Tree.....

 

It's feeling so festive in my home! Now that all the C-mas decorations are done and the gifts are under the tree, I can now sit back and just enjoy. Gift wrapping can be so hard on the back, but it's such a great feeling of accomplishment to see them all under and surrounding the tree. I always like to get that done so I can just enjoy seeing the gifts there before C-mas morning, when they all disappear in a matter of minutes. Well, actually a little longer than that since we always have one person at a time open a gift and ohhhhh & ahhhhh over it :) It's sort of like the turkey dinner though.....all the time and effort that goes into the details of the meal, setting a gorgeous table and getting all dressed up.....and then it's over far too fast. BUT what fun it is to over indulge for a day (or the season). Here's lifting a cup of eggnog to the Advent of Christmas!

Mid-Month Blues

Ok, I'm really doing fine, even though I seem to be grumpy on here. I just sat and pored over our budget, trying to squeeze enough money out of the poor, desolate ban account :P I HAVE to pay bills but wanted extra fuel money and cash flow for over C-mas.....after all, this is my fav holiday of the year and I refuse to be stuck at home with only coal in my stocking :P

An update on my radio. DH fiddled around with it and it finally caught air waves, so now I'm not going to turn it off. We have it hooked up to the same speakers as our TV, so I just have to switch over to TV mode, leaving the radio on. I breathed a sigh of relief that we don't have to put out money for that right now.
Now to pull myself together and go out to the bank and then grocery store.

Something's in the Air

I'm thinking all this new fangled technology can be THE most frustrating thing ever!! It appears that my treasured Satellite radio may have breathed it's last breath from outer space. It's been wheezing off and on for a while, but now either the radio, or the dock or wires have just pooped out. BUT the kicker is that I have spent over an hour online and on the phone.....only to land up with a 2 day temporary online connection. Oh ya baby! That'll really take me thru this C-mas season feeling all happy and gay...Ba Humbug!!

Angels among Us

It's a mild, sunny day and slowly the snow has been melting. I love the warm temps but do not like the slush! I do hope however that the temps stay moderate thru the Christmas week, since we have plans to do some outdoor playing.

I'm loving the line-up of Christmas movies playing through out the week. I must say, my number one favorite still is "It's a Wonderful Life" I think we all like to think that generosity, good will and a certain Angel does exist at Christmas time. I am SO sad that in this country there are so many families with little to nothing for Christmas.I am hoping that by joining those who even in a small way, can make someone's Christmas better than they had hoped for.

Little King

 

Here is my sweet little nephew, Reagan Kayber. Reagan means Little King.
We had a baby shower for his Mommy and him tonight and he hardly opened his eyes until Mommy put him into his car seat without feeding him first.....the nerve!

Fine China and Stinky Locker Rooms

Ok....back to Mon. and the chores that come with it. I'm processing the last load of laundry and got my floors swept, mopped and vacuumed. I had Kaylie over Sat. night for a sleepover and we landed up making quite the mess yesterday. She was here until 4:30pm, so after going along to church with us, we came home and had fun! I planned a tea-party, complete with fine china teapot, sugar & creamer served up teacups & saucers. I made us peanut-butter/jam finger sandwiches and added shortbread cookies on the side. Perfect party to have on a blankie on the floor :) While eating we watched Barbie in The Nutcracker. It was fun and took me waaayyyy back to long ago tea parties I'd have with my cousins.
Jodie came by to pick Little Missy up and informed us that in the early morning game, Tyson was the Goalie once again and it was a shut-out....he's just such a great Goalie. They had won all their games so were in the finals and the Coach decided to pull Tyson from Goalie and give the other guy a chance....they lost miserably....and I mean miserably!They had a rotten attitude and grumped around in the locker room. Jodie said the Coaches gave a good tongue-lashing, telling them that they had better learn to be better sports....not so cocky!
And so another busy, full weekend has ended. On to the routine of another week.

Winning Streak

I'm a very proud Gramma right now. I've gone to two of my grandson's hockey games in this week's Tournament in Dawson Creek. Both games were a win...last night 4-1 and then this aft 8-1. Last night Tyson was the goalie and this aft he played defense and actually scored the last goal of the game.We're a very boisterous group of parents and grandparents from Fort St. John and let everyone know who were are :) One Mom from the opposition got so mad at us and the penalty her son had to serve that she started yelling and just about got herself thrown out of the arena.....we sat there feeling rather smug, I must admit.
This aft Grandpa could tag along and get in some of the action. He sat in the back seat with the kids and you should have heard the guys carry on...sheesh, guys sure know how to yuk it up after a win :P LOL

12 Months

I've spent the morning scrapping a Calendar for myself. I did one already for my daughter-in-law, but I need a big Calendar (12"x12"), so I figured I may as well give myself a Christmas gift :) This is the month of December done for my D-I-L. I haven't gotten to December yet on mine.
I have to go out, so I have to stash my "mess" and continue tomorrow.
Tonight I'm going to Tyson's first hockey game in this weekend's Tournament in Dawson Creek, BC....it'll be so exciting!!

A Christmas Twist on Love

1 Corinthians 13 Christmas-Style
©By Sharon Jaynes

* If I decorate my house perfectly with lovely plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny glass balls, but do not show love to my family - I'm just another decorator.
* If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family - I'm just another cook.
* If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family - It profits me nothing.
* If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
* Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
* Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
* Love is kind, though harried and tired.
* Love doesn't envy another home that has coordinated Christmas China and table linens.
* Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of your way.
* Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
* Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
* Love never fails. Video games will break; pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure.

Crunch, squeak, crunch

It's a day to do a bit of running around. DH is home today....hooray! He's coming with me and then we're meeting up with the parents for lunch. They have chosen McD's, which is the least fav place for me, but I can order a wrap I suppose.
It's warmer out and the sun is brilliantly shining. Although we squeak and crunch our way across the snow, just having the sun shine makes a huge difference.
So, here's wishing you a sunny day and cozy evening.

Oh Christmas Tree.....

oh Christmas Tree, how lovely are thy branches....
 
 
 

Deck the Halls......

I had a fun morning.....I finally gave up on DH being home to help set up and decorate the C-mas tree, sooooo.....yup, I did myself :P It's a big job (I had NO idea....every year it's been DH or the boys helping with that heavy part)I pulled out all the decorations and had fun. I cranked up the C-mas music and with each teddy bear decoration(I love teddies, so one year I bought 12 of them)I thought of each of my family members. One year, just after David & Karen started dating, we chose one to represent each member. Since I've given the boys each their own decorations for their own trees, I went and bought new balls, etc., keeping only a precious few of their home-made ones. I placed the Angel on top (although it's a stretch for me and I see it's crooked..lol)
So, the totes with empty containers are put away and I've tackled that guest room once again....It's really far too full cuz DH doesn't have a shed for his tools, etc. so when I go to pull totes or anything, I have to unload the closet in order to get to what I want, which is always ironically at the bottom or back...ugh!
I'm waiting for the floor to dry, after sweeping and mopping it and then I'll set up the bed.
For some reason it's a lot of work getting set up and ready for Christmas, but it is sure worth it!! I found gift bags, ribbon, bows and gift tags so I pulled out the gifts....ok, I have more than enough, particularly since we agreed to "small and simple". Hmmmm....how the heck did I manage that?? I have one more gift to get Jackson (only cuz all the kids HAVE to get the same amount, right?)I'm getting him a big Tonka dump truck with three smaller trucks (I ordered it from Sears so I won't have to venture into a mall or Walmart cuz I just hate the crowds and temptations)In all fairness to myself, and to sooth my guilty soul, I did get practical things, like clothes, gloves/mitts, boots...well, you get the picture :P I just need to get the gifts wrapped and then go into the $ store to get more if I run out.
Well, I'm sure the floor is dry, so off I go.

The Weather Outside is Frightful.....

Yesterday I landed up doing a lot of running around for myself and also taking my friend Kathy to run and do her chores. It's bitterly cold out there....-28c with a win chill of -40c...turning to -50c today.....that's just brutal! The wind is just driving snow everywhere and when walking into the wind, it's blinding. So,although the calendar says winter is weeks away, winter is here to stay!!Brrrrr!!

Friendships

 

I hosted a Christmas party at my home on Fri. night and had some friends over. We had SO much fun playing games and my hubby informed me that he could hear boistrous laughter penetrate his ear plugs when he snuck thru the back door and into bed. Honest, we didn't think we were THAT loud *bats eyes innocently* The last group left at midnight and then, since I had my painting class all day yesterday, I took an hour cleaning up and getting the loaded dishwasher humming. Needless to say I'm resting this aft :)

Secluded Footbridge-Finished

 
 
 
Here are the final three steps to the painting. It was a full, long day yesterday as well, but I feel like I accomplished a big step and recieved my Intermediate Level 2. The next step is Advanced, but that's one I won't reach for a while yet.

Secluded Footbridge

This is the Instructor's Painting










On a grey-prepped canvas I traced the bridge from a template, using graphite paper. I painted all the areas I wanted to have some sadow. I'll be going over the entire painting highlighting and going over the black to get just the right look.
Step 1













Last night, along with mixing the oil paints to get the correct shades, I highlighted with white where I want the sun to shine thru.
Step 2

Skating

 
 
 
 

Here's my Ice Princess. I fiddled around with our new camera and didn't get great pics.....but then it's hard to even get a face shot when she's moving around so fast....but it was fun to watch :)

Deck the Homes...

 It's mighty cold out there today at -28c!! Winter has hit with a vengeance but thankfully our home is cozy and warm and the smells of cinnamon, vanilla and a hint of pine sooth our senses with thoughts of the festive season just ahead.Walking outside creates crunching noises under foot and freezes the nose hairs, which makes for a very unflattering nose drip as soon as you come in from the cold :P
I have been slowly decorating my home for Christmas, so I thought I's just share some of it with you.
 
 
 

What's in a Name?

I found out that my niece has named her son. He has big shoes to fill because his name is Reagan Kayber Miedema....which is Celtic meaning Little King.
He is such a sweet looking little guy. He has many family members to love and adore him :)

Sweetly singing.....

I'm just enjoying listening to Christmas Carols playing all day long. I have decorated my home and just have to get the tree up and decorated, but that's happening tomorrow. I also picked up gifts from Sears, so I'll have gifts under the tree after setting it up :)

Pucks and Tucks

I went to my grandson's hockey game last eve. He was Goalie and did such an awesome job that they won!! You should have heard his cheering section :P He made such awesome saves....and I'm VERY proud of him. I love it that he's at the age where the games are so awesome to watch, rather than painfully sitting thru a game when he was younger and you just wish they had a wind-up key on their back so you could speed them up.
Afterwards, Tyson and Kaylie came for a sleepover. Popcorn, hot chocolate and snuggles...I love it. Tyson still loves to snuggle up and have me scratch his back or run my fingers thru his hair. Kaylie is my little flutter-Budgie who can only sit still enough for a hug. But I try to squeeze as many as I can into an evening. This morning was an early one and the kids were in no mood to get up....they usually go to bed far earlier but last night it was 10:00. Tyson had a hockey practice to go to though....glad it's not me having to do the taxiing anymore :P

A Brand New Bundle

My niece had her baby last evening.....a little boy. I'm partial to little boys, having raised three of them and now have two grandsons. The baby was a healthy 8lbs.1oz....not bad for a first baby!! I don't know his name yet but I'm certain he won't be going thru life without one :P You did good Jennifer :)

American Thanksgiving Day

A big Happy Thanksgiving to my Sister and her family, who live in Washington....and to all my American friends! Have a good day with friends and family.