DECEMBER HAPPENINGS

Well here it is 5 o'clock on Thursday afternoon and I am finally going to try and get a post up.  It has been my intention pretty much all day, but somehow this day has just flown right by like the rest of this week.  I have been soo busy trying to finish up my last minute projects, all of which I can't talk about here, or show any pictures of ~ I know you are all disappointed, lol ~ as some of these gals might read my blog once in a while and I wouldn't want to spoil any surprises.  But it has all been going good, and I don't feel any pressure that I won't finish, so that is good.  Meanwhile, when I am taking a break from my sewing machine, I have been on-line doing the rest of my Christmas shopping.  I am happy to report, I am almost completely done. I have a love/hate relationship with on-line shopping.  It is very nice when your knees are in my condition that shopping can be done from the comfort of a chair.  Plus of course I can compare prices without having to drive around to various stores etc.  But at the end of the day, it ends for me right there.  My complaints FAR out weight the good things.  First of all, it is sooo hard to actually see items or view the real colors etc.  I guess it works well when you have a specific item like the toys I am getting for my grandkids.  No color selection or size variances.  You simply check a few places, get the best price and order.  HOWEVER, then comes the horror of watching and waiting and hoping that everything actually makes it here on time.  I have sweated this out a few times and have been astonished at how LONG it takes sometimes for things to get here.  Maybe it is because I always go for free shipping or the least expensive, and it is NEVER the quickest.  This year I did order a few of the toys on-line, pay for them, and then hubby will swing by after work and pick them up on his way home.  He never complains as long as he doesn't have to pick anything out or make any decisions, haha.  I do all the wrapping, and get them under the tree, so we both feel we are a good team.  But I do have MANY things that are on their way ~ supposedly ~ so I do have to be watching and waiting.  And then once they get here HOPEFULLY they will resemble what I thought I ordered and everything will be right.  But then again, I do spend less this way as nothing catches my eye or lures me into buying more, so guess that should be pretty big on my list too.  See what I mean?  Definitely a love/hate thing.  But I am grateful to be almost all done.  I need to make a quick trip to Target to wrap things up....wrapping paper, ribbon, paper goods for Christmas Day etc, and I am finished with all of the shopping. Maybe I will do this tomorrow.  So I will work on my various last minute projects, wrap up gifts, and get my cards in the mail.  Haven't started that yet either, but it doesn't take me long.

This whole season is just really been a little weird for me without my mom.  How I miss her.  I'd love so much to talk to her....there is just soo much I want to tell her. In my own head though I decided weeks and weeks ago that I was going to go through this season pretty much like I have always done, as I KNOW she would want me too.  But I decided to add something new this year as  I wanted to honor her in some way, and just remember and do what I know she loved and cared about.  She had many traditions and things she loved and I don't want them forgotten.  So I decided I was going to have all of my brothers and sisters over here for a special dinner sometime during the Christmas season.  We settled on the 14th.  I am going to make all the dishes mom loved and were her favorites, and set the table up with china and crystal the way she loved it to be, and we will have the whole night to remember mom and focus on her a bit.  I decided to make this an adults only, just us and our spouses kind of thing, as first of all there is WAY too many of us otherwise, and because this way it can be more about her.  I wish I had done this when she was alive as she lived for the moments we ALL got together and it just rarely if ever happened.  Like I said we always tried to include everyone and then we'd be over 40 people.  But I am looking forward to this.  My brother who lives in Arizona will not be here, but I did just see him and his wife so that was good.  The following week-end will be the our annual trip to the Candlelight Pavilion to see their Christmas play and have dinner.  Last year we took my oldest sons children with us, so this year we will take my youngest son's.  We have been doing this since Melody was 3 years old, and somehow it is soo much more fun with kids.  Soo blessed to have so many grandkids to trade off taking with us.   I want to work in a couple of grandkid days during their break, and maybe see the new kid movie Frozen, oh and take them to see the lights.  Then there is a couple of December birthdays to celebrate as well, and a couple of special church services too.  Had the last meeting of the year with the women's Bible study group last night.  Mike and Melody will arrive on the 22nd ~ YAY!! ~ and we are all going to make a trip to Knotts Berry Farm the day after Christmas God willing. So as you can see December is packed!  I am praying that we all stay healthy, and most of our plans pull off without a hitch.  Last Christmas Eve mom broke her neck as you might recall, and that made last Christmas, and the following weeks and weeks soo hard.  Plus Melody's son Sam was quite sick and they cancelled, and my youngest son's family all came down with the stomach flu on Christmas Day.  So I am well aware of how we can make our little plans, but ultimately God is firmly in control.  Which is just as I want it to be. And yet, a gal can hope can't she?  And pray of course....

I am going to show you just a couple of pictures of our Christmas decor, and then I am going to whip up some dinner.....oh, UPS just pulled up!  YAY!  Some more things arriving to cross of my list no doubt. Hope you all are enjoying the blessings of this season!

Love, Debbie

THIS IS TOO DARK OF COURSE, BUT JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU HOW CALIFORNIANS HAVE TO HAVE SNOWMEN ON CHRISTMAS, LOL  CAN YOU SEE HIM?

THESE BELONG TO MY MOM....SHE COLLECTED MICE FOR YEARS AND YEARS.  THESE TWO ARE IN MY KITCHEN WHERE I AM SURE TO SEE THEM EVERYDAY

AND THIS IS MY NEW THOMAS KINCADE SANTA CLAUS...HE SPINS AND LIGHTS UP.  MOM FOUND THIS IN A MAGAZINE LAST CHRISTMAS AND JUST INSISTED I COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT, SO SHE BOUGHT IT FOR ME SO WE COULD BOTH ENJOY IT THIS YEAR....SHE NEVER EVEN SAW IT ARRIVE....SIGH

HERE IS WHERE I PUT MY NEW RUNNER...THE OTHERS I GAVE TO MELODY, LEAH AND LARISSA ON THANKSGIVING

WE DESPERATELY NEEDED A NEW WREATH FOR OUR FRONT DOOR.  OURS WAS PROBABLY 12 OR 13 YEARS OLD, AND REALLY LOOKED IT, LOL.  WE TOSSED IT LAST YEAR AFTER CHRISTMAS.  HUBBY CAME HOME THE OTHER DAY FROM COSTCO WITH THIS BEAUTIFUL ONE, QUITE PROUD OF HIMSELF FOR PICKING IT OUT!  I LOVED IT!

ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO OR SO, MOM MADE ALL OF HER DAUGHTER AND HERSELF REVERSIBLE CHRISTMAS/FALL TABLE RUNNERS....I LOVE MINE.  THIS ONE IS HERS, SHE GAVE IT TO ME LAST YEAR.  SEEMS APPROPRIATE THAT IT IS ON MY DINING ROOM TABLE.  SHE DID LOVE PRETTY THINGS

OUR TREE...NEXT YEAR HOPEFULLY I WILL GET TO A NEW TREE SKIRT....HAD TO THROW OUT OUR OLD ONE, JUST COULDN'T MAKE IT ANOTHER YEAR.  TIME TO GET SOME PRESENTS UNDER THERE

JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU MELODY'S STOCKINGS AFTER THEY GOT HUNG....PRETTY CUTE I AM THINKING

AND LITTLE SAM CHECKING OUT THEIR TREE IN HIS NEW JOHN DEERE JAMMIES....I MISS HIM!

AND SWEET LUKE IS POSING IN THE SHIRT GRANDMA MADE HIM....SAM WOULDN'T COOPERATE FOR THE PHOTO SHOOT, BUT LUKE IS ALWAYS HAPPY TO SMILE AT MAMA

WHEN WE WENT TO NEW MEXICO I GAVE SAM OUR OLD LITTLE KIDS NATIVITY SET SO THAT MELODY COULD BEGIN TEACHING HIM THE STORY OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS WITH A LITTLE HELP.  OH AND I THREW IN THOSE SNOWMEN FOR HIM AS WELL.  THEY USED TO BE IN OUR GRANDKID ROOM AT OUR OLD HOUSE, AND I HAVE JUST NEVER FOUND A PLACE FOR THEM HERE.  SAM LOVES THEM, AND MEL SAID HE IS STARTING TO SING AWAY IN THE MANAGER PRETTY GOOD, LOL  LOOK AT HIS FACE IN THE MIRROR!