It's A New Day

Year-End Fun And Thirty-One

  It's the end of the end...the last day of the last month and soon 2008 will be history. Here's the monthly list of assorted and unrelated ramblings to take us to 2009:
    1. In my domestic clean-everything-in sight rampage, I attacked my computer keyboard. I have no idea why but the really dirty keys were s, d and f.
     2. The shoulders of the back roads we take when we head to the kids' house were littered with cotton that fell off between the field and the gin. There was enough in places it almost looked like snow.
    3. I love how the smell of smoke from a big bonfire permeates your clothes and stays with you long after you've left the warmth of the flames behind.
    4. After opening her silver shoes on her birthday, Kayla proclaimed she had the perfect outfit to wear with them to school on Monday. And so I could fully appreciate just how perfect it was, she e-mailed me a photo of her as she was ready to head for school that morning.
    5. Speaking of Kayla, I had to laugh when I read her comment on one of blog posts. She signed it Kayla (the granddaughter)...as if I wouldn't know who Kayla was.
    6. Did you see the comment that the Redneck Christmas Parade was covered on the television in London, Ontario? I hope they didn't judge all of us in Northwest Florida by what they saw there.
    7. That giant moon earlier this month really lit up the night. The moonlight on the fairway and green behind the house was awesome...and you could have easily played at midnight, thanks to the glow.
    8. Where would one look for the parts to the little wooden Christmas sleigh? Why, in the scrapbook bag on the top shelf of the closet. Makes perfect sense, no? 
    9. The best idea I ever had might have been to buy timers for the outdoor Christmas lights. No more running outside in the late-night cold to unplug things.
  10. It was the first year Kayla didn't put out cookies for Santa. She's obviously known for years, and I think she sat with Brad while he ate the ones she put out last year but still....
  11. Kayla sent me a text message before her arrival wanting to know if she could get an appointment with my haircut dude. Paul, who regularly cuts my hair, will be honored at his new title.
  12. While those of us who took her on at Mario Kart on the Wii might have won a race or two, Kayla reigned supreme. There's just no substitute for youth.
  13. My Christmas present was a Ping driver; Wayne's was an outdoor cooker. That combination just makes me smile.
  14. Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar in four pieces with your bare hands...and then eat just one.
  15. My online scrapbooking classes are over. Torm had some terrific ideas in her Christmas class, and I absolutely loved Cathy Zielske's Design Your Life class at BPS. If she teaches another class, I'll be among the first to sign up.
  16. We seldom visit the beach except when we have company, and I always come away with a renewed appreciation for its beauty and the intent not to wait so long before going back.
  17. Like good hosts we ordered perfect weather for our Kansas visitors. With warm temperatures and green leaves still in the trees, they thought it was spring.
  18. And it well could be soon...I looked out in the backyard yesterday and it was full of robins. Hang on friends in snowy places...maybe spring will be early this year.
  19. I'm looking forward to another type of robin. Rumor has it a Red Robin restaurant is opening in Pensacola. Yummy!
  20. Life's been pretty hectic around here. I sat down to work a crossword puzzle and realized the stash goes back to December 9.
  21. The e-mail is almost as bad. If I owe you one, don't give up on me...it's coming soon.
  22. The one good thing about winter is jeans and sweatshirts don't need ironing. The bad thing about holidays is I fall behind in the ironing...again. I'm trying to get to it before it becomes three weeks worth.
  23. My eyes are still adjusting to the new glasses I got earlier this week. While the change in the correction is small, it's enough to notice. Funny how the sunglasses don't bother me nearly as much as the regular ones.
  24. Gumbo, like chili, might actually be better the second time around.
  25. In the spirit of participation, I filled out a sheet picking the winners of the various college bowl games. And since I don't know records and standings and favorites, it was mostly done on a whim. We'll see how it turns out.
  26. Wayne-O was a happy camper tonight when his Jayhawks had little difficulty in their win at the Insight Bowl. While we would have liked to have gone, we (and our bad karma) stayed away so they could win.
  27. No big New Year's Eve celebration for us, but that's the norm. We enjoyed a cozy evening with friends and were home by 9pm.
  28. We broke with tradition, however. And since tradition has been terrible, awful, you-can-hardly-drink-it champagne, it was a good thing. One year Dale brought some so old the cork had dry rot and the champagne had turned to vinegar. This year Wayne made a champagne punch that was quite tasty so we enjoyed our toast to friendship.
  29. I used my extra leap-second to watch Dick Clark and the ball drop in New York City. It wouldn't be New Year's Eve without it.
  30. There's a big countdown in downtown Pensacola, too, but instead of a lighted ball they're lowering a giant, lighted pelican. I'm sorry, City Fathers...it just looks weird and somehow wrong. 
  31. I'll kick off the Gratitude Project tomorrow. You can read more about it here and here. I'm eager to share something fun and exciting. I hope to get a post up before my usual late-night hour.
  The year is coming to a close. I love the new year with its clean slate...so many possibilities in a fresh start. Wishing you peace and blessings in 2009.

Sounds

You'd think the house would have been very quiet today. After all, seven of those recently inhabiting it loaded suitcases and assorted possessions into their vehicles this morning and headed in two different directions. But the two of us permanent residents made a little noise of our own.

Boxes rattled and thumped as they came back down from the top of the closet as we took down all the Christmas decorations and packed them away until next December. It's amazing how destructing is so much faster than constructing when it comes to Christmas decor. I love all the pieces and the various memories they spark but I was ready to box them up for another year.

The hum of the sweeper was pretty steady throughout the day, too, as we put furniture back in place. We move things around a little to accommodate the tree but having it all back in order made the house seem right again. And after serving as temporary bedrooms, the computer room and scrapbook room are now restored to their normal functions in our little world.

There was a constant chug punctuated by regular beeps in the laundry room as the washer and dryer did their thing. They put in a little overtime as there was bedding and extra towels in addition to the weekly pile of dirty clothes. There's a real sense of accomplishment as the level in the basket goes down and the pile of freshly washed linens grows.

And there were echoes still of the good times we shared with family over the past few days...the celebratory yells (and groans) from spirited games of Pictureka and pitch; good-natured teasing over memorable shots  (good and bad) during daily rounds of golf; tales from the beach, shopping or the Naval Aviation Museum enjoyed by the non-golfers; and the chatter of the two little guys as they played video games, built Legos or made up games of their own. I could have done a better job taking photos...this one of John playing Batman and Robin with AJ is about the only one I took of him...but I enjoyed being in the moment.

Quiet? Not exactly; just the sounds of life returning to normal...whatever that is.

Son Of A Gun, We'll Have Some Fun

Well, we're not down on the bayou and we don't have crawfish pie...but we do have gumbo.

For the last several years that Wayne worked, he'd repeatedly say that when he retired he was going to learn to make gumbo. Although neither of us ate much of it before moving here, we embraced our new Southern roots and love good gumbo. So in true Wayne style he read recipes and researched food webpages until he came up with his own combination of Creole seasonings and flavors for a great gumbo.

We had served gumbo the last time John, Barbara and their youngest son Gabe came to visit, and every time we've seen Gabe since then, he's wanted to know if we brought him gumbo. We would laugh and tell him he had to come to Florida for that. When we heard he would be making the trip with the rest of the family, we knew gumbo would have to be on the menu.

While there are shortcuts you can take, we prefer the rich flavors of true homemade taste so we make the stocks from scratch. The smell of chicken stock simmering on the stove fills the house with a wonderful aroma, and while simmering shrimp heads and shells for seafood stock doesn't smell nearly as good, it really improves the flavor of the gumbo. We make both stocks a day or two ahead of the actual gumbo preparations.

The gumbo itself starts with the holy trinity of Cajun cooking...onions, celery and green peppers. The  aroma of them sauting on the stove is sure to get the taste buds excited.

 

Then there's the roux...a mixture of flour and oil cooked until it's the color of milk chocolate. You stir and stir and stir until you think your arm will fall off then you change and stir with the other hand. If it burns, you have to start over.

Here's my favorite gumbo-maker in action. After 30-45 minutes of stirring, the roux is ready for the stocks, vegetables and other ingredients.

 

There probably isn't a right or wrong way to make gumbo but we like lots of flavors. We add chicken, a little ham, and andouille sausage...it wouldn't be Cajun without a little spice. We like a can of diced tomatoes in ours, too.

There was still some fresh parsley in the garden so into the pot it went along with green onions, some Cajun spices, and a few bay leaves. You won't find okra on our plates most other times but we love it in gumbo, and we finish it off with fresh shrimp, lump crab meat and two containers of crab claws.

And here's Gabe, happily back for his second helping of the steaming soup we served for dinner last night. He's already volunteered to take the leftovers back to the University of Arkansas with him. I'd ask which was the bigger motivation for coming...us or the gumbo...but I might not want to know the answer. Still, it's fun sharing a food we love with those we love too.

Just Another Day At The Beach

The house is filled with new voices now...one branch of the family tree has returned to their home in Georgia and another has arrived. My brother and his family were happy to leave the cold of Kansas behind and travel south for a visit.

The guys had a late morning tee time, leaving the rest of us free to head for the beach. And it was a perfect day to be there, too...sunny, warm, and breezy with some nice-sized waves. Shoe were off as soon as we crossed the dunes, and it wasn't long before the waves were washing over our toes and sometimes higher.

The little guys were pretty excited about the waves chasing them, and while AJ (top) repeatedly returned to the water's edge, Braeden (above) had enough after coming in close contact with a jellyfish. It didn't sting him but the unfamiliar touch was enough of a surprise he didn't want to go near the water again. Both boys made sand castles, searched for shells and watched the other children fly kites nearby.

It was a perfect spot for a family photo that turned into quite a laugh...well, for most of us anyway. Just as we were snapping the shot, AJ's shorts took a dive. Wet with salt water, they sagged lower and lower until gravity prevailed and the pants headed south. My sister-in-law Barbara and I were trying not to laugh as we didn't want to embarrass him but it was too funny. Their mid-descent in this shot but we did get them back in place for a nice photo of Noreen, Braeden and AJ.

 

Barbara and Noreen soaked up some sun and thanked their lucky stars they weren't in Kansas. Our 74 and sunny was a whole lot better than the 26 and snow flurries there. And yes, the sand at Pensacola Beach is really that sugar-y white.

Surf, salt and sand...and lots of sun. We all came home with sand between our toes, having enjoyed just another day at the beach.

A Blast From The Past

We had a lovely Christmas. There are definite advantages to the youngest member of the family getting older...we didn't have to get up at o'dark thirty to see what Santa brought. And she's excited about presents that contain clothes, although there were several toys in the form of new games for the Wii under the tree as well.

There was, however, one "toy" that generated a lot of excitement...much to my surprise. I should start with the back story.

Apparently a week or two ago, Brad got to telling Kayla about Pet Rocks, a fad from the 70s. Kayla was intrigued...so much so that she wanted one for Christmas. Being the big tease that he is, he was happy to oblige. And since he doubted these were still being sold, he found a suitable rock, gave it some personality with hand-drawn features, and wrapped it for Miss Kayla.

Brad went to a two pet stores in search of a small box with holes in it used to transport mice. He said he got many strange looks as he tried to explain he needed just the box to hold a Pet Rock...apparently the store employees were too young to have heard of such a thing.

This would be Kayla as she unwrapped the box enough to see that the outside of the box contained a picture of a mouse. Knowing her dady, she was definitely afraid that her box might really contain a mouse!

She was safe, however, and delighted to find a rock nestled in the straw. Who knew a rock would excite a 14-year-old but excited she was. Christened "Pickles" he made an immediate trip outside since he'd been confined to the box all night long.

With Pickles joining us for Christmas dinner, it didn't take long for Pet Rock jokes to start. Grandpa warned that she should pay close attention to Pickles and not take him for granite. Brad told her it would be easy to teach him to stay and play dead but come was going to be difficult. Melissa said she thought Pickles wouldn't be a problem at night because he'd sleep like a rock. Yes, the jokes were groaners but we had fun laughing at them.

It wasn't long before Kayla decided Pickles needed a friend, so Grandpa found a smaller rock among some we had collected on one of our trips and Brad drew another face, this time a puppy per Kayla's request. And Pickles and his new pet, Rocky, went out to enjoy a little time by the pool.

Judging by how much fun Kayla (and the rest of us) had with the whole Pet Rock idea, maybe it's time for this fad to make a come-back. You know what they say...everything old is new again.

Merry Christmas!

May peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through.  From our family to yours...Merry Christmas!

Team Cookie

If I had chef hats to pass out today, I would have needed three of them as we crossed bake cookies off the to-do list. It's a chore I normally tackle a little earlier in the month but there were two reasons to delay it. All our company is coming at or after Christmas so it will be nice to have treats on hand then. and Kayla wanted to come a few days ahead of her parents so she could "help me cook." And I'm for all the help in the kitchen I can get!

Everyone got in the act. Kayla was in charge of measuring the dry ingredients, Wayne did the mixing and I hovered...reading directions and cleaning up as we went. The task of shuttling the cookies in and out of the oven fell to whoever was free at the moment, and we all embraced the job of sampling each batch...all in the name of quality control, of course.

It surprises me that she's as keen about cooking as she is but I love the chance to spend time with her in the kitchen. On each visit, we cook together and I try to teach her something new...even if it's as simple as icing that doesn't come from a can. She's really not as squeamish about getting messy as this photo might appear.

 

We made six kinds of cookies, fewer than in some years but we were sure to get everyone's favorites in the selection. One thing I noticed about having Kayla involved in the baking...she willingly ate cookies she usually passed by. Turns out she likes gingersnaps after all.

Wayne and Kayla were great kitchen help today...it's on to pies tomorrow.

We Wii

Well, wedidn't...but Kayla does and she brought hers with her when she arrived today. And now we Wii, too.

We've had so much fun playing it with her; it's addicting. Dinner was seriously late because I was too busy trying to figure out how to keep my little Mario Kart under control as I slid around corners at break-neck speed, avoided cows meandering onto the roadway, bounced on top of giant mushrooms and all too often fell off the edge into the abyss below. Grandpa and I...we're a wee short of video game talent and experience.

But we didn't let that stop us. It's no surprise that Wayne liked the sports offering better. He was pretty good at bowling and got better with each hole as he figured out golf. Neither of us did well at tennis. Me? MarioKart would be my pick...the little carton characters are just too cute and each race course was cleverly animated and full of challenges. And for the Wii/Mario novices (and that would have been us just hours ago) here's a YouTube video that shows some of the game.

I watched Kayla playing and had to laugh at her reactions during the course of one race.

 

She won't be able to make moves like this with a real steering wheel when she starts learning to drive in another year or two! From serious concentration to sheer panic to disgust to celebration...she experienced it all, and every bit of it showed immediately on her face.

I didn't turn my computer on today until after 11pm tonight...unheard of for me. And I'm ignoring the voices in my head that are telling me how far behind I am...on chores I wanted to accomplish before Christmas, on the backlog of e-mails I should be answering, and on a host of other things I could and should be doing. Today I drove cartoon cars on an imaginary race track and shared a thousand laughs with my favorite girl...and I wouldn't trade a minute of it. The rest will get done somehow, sometime...these times are too precious to let slip away.

A Quick Little Gift

My days right now are filled with cooking, cleaning, wrapping and getting ready...I'm sure yours are, too. And while I thought the shopping portion was done, we found ourselves among the hordes waiting their turn for the cashier again this afternoon.

That's why I wanted to promote Erin Lincoln's clever idea for a cute gift you could make quickly and easily...and just as importantly, very economically. Erin created a Christmas-y home decor item using scrapbook supplies and an inexpensive black frame, like one you'd find at a dollar store. She used six equal blocks of coordinating paper for the background, then topped them with fun little Christmas trees decorated with buttons. You can see her project here. So cute and so simple...great for a hostess gift or handy to have around when you're caught needing a little something and have no time to shop.

And one good idea usually leads to another. My friend Amy put her own spin on the project, using a variety of Christmas images punched into circles. Here's the link to her little work of art...it's inspired by Erin's original but totally different.

And if, like me, there's no time left in your schedule in the next few days for even a quick project, file this idea away for later as I can see lots of possibilities here. Valentines Day will be upon us before you know it and it would be easy to adapt either of these designs for hearts. Or with flowers/butterflies for Mother's Day. Or red-white-and-blue stars for summer. You get the idea. 

Gotta Love Him!

Gotta love a guy who not only willingly, but with a smile on his face, joins me on a morning of errands for the third day in a row.

Gotta love a guy who offers to dismantle a whole chicken and get it ready for the stockpot because he knows I don't like to do it.

Gotta love a guy who volunteers to head to the seafood market by himself so I can finish cleaning the last of those little cottages.

Gotta love a guy who will figure out the adjustment screws and fix some cabinet doors, even though he'd rather be surfing the Internet.

And most importantly, gotta love a guy who cooks a girl's favorite dinner.

   

Someone earned lots of brownie points today.

I Cleaned 137 Houses

It's true...I cleaned 137 houses today. And none of them are the house I live in...that's still to come.

We used to be avid collectors of David Winter Cottages, a line of miniature English houses and castles. I bought the first one in 1985 but it took several years before we became serious about acquiring them. The pieces are hand-sculpted and hand-painted, and the designs are based on English literature (Charles Dickens or Shakespeare). All of that is nice, but it was the intricate detail that attracted me to them. We bought new ones and sought out old ones...and now we have three cabinets full of them.

Even behind closed doors, they're dust collectors...but they're pretty dust collectors. I especially like the castles that range in size from about 2" to probably 16", and there was also a series based on Irish architecture that was lovely, too. They lost their quaint charm when Enesco (distributor of Precious Moments and other figurines) bought the David Winter line, and we haven't purchased any for quite some time. Good thing too as I have no room for more.

The houses in two towns (aka cabinets) are clean now, and I'll do the third one tomorrow. It's one of those chores I've been meaning to get to but hadn't...holidays are a great motivator that way. And it was fun to tour through these little villages, remembering the names and seeing again the clever touches that made them so unique. I can even recall where we bought some them.

Clean houses are a good thing...especially when you know they won't be messed up and need it again by next week.

When Life Gives You Questions...

...Google gives you answers.

As far as I'm concerned, Google is one of mankind's best inventions. I rank it right up there with Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and bags of pre-cut salad mix...all things I wonder how I managed without before they became a regular part of my life.

Here's how Google saved the day.

I plugged up the kitchen sink. I wish I could say it was the first time I've ever done this but alas, it's not. It's a triple sink...two bigger bowls on the outside, one little one in the middle. In what can only be described as poor plumbing design, the drain is below the bigger bowl on the left but the garbage disposal is in the center. That means the pipe coming out of the disposal forms an upside down "T" with the pipe going between the two bigger bowls and eventually the dishwasher. Got it?

And on occasion the mish-mash of materials coming out of the garbage disposal get confused about which direction to take when they get to that "T" intersection. Or worse yet, they get the deer-in-the-headlights syndrome and just stop...all clumped up together and blocking the flow of water. Potato peelings are the usual culprit, as they were this time, but it's happened with eggshells. How you can stop up a drain with eggshells is beyond me but it happened.

The good news is this garbage blockage didn't occur at a critical time. More often than not, those garbage bits decide to hang out together when there are extra demands on the kitchen...like company coming for dinner. Needless to say, company and a stopped up kitchen drain are not an ideal combination. That weird arrangement of pipes is totally resistant to plungers and snakes, and the solution in the past has been for Wayne to crawl under the sink and take the plumbing all apart in order to clean it out. That's awkward, messy and generally yucky at best. So I looked at the plugged up drain and thought about how thrilled my happy hubby was going to be when I delivered the news. Surely I could figure out something to resolve this on my own. Where did I turn? Why, to my trusted friend, Google.

The first suggestion was to pour boiling water into the sink. Easy enough...so I zapped a big glass measuring cup full of water in the microwave and poured it into the drain. An air bubble or two escaped here and there but the clog remained so back to Google I went.

Solution #2 was baking soda and boiling water. Lots of baking soda. The first treatment wasn't any better than water alone, but there were a lot more bubbles when I repeated it. I was just about to resort to Solution #3 (baking soda, vinegar and water) when I heard a glub-glub-glub. That which had been plugged up was now flowing freely thanks to my Google remedy. The baking soda made all those little garbage bits slippery and they just slid apart.

It was Google to the rescue, but that was pretty much what I expected. Google has helped me spell words, find Christmas presents, and come up with some great recipes. I have a lot of questions...and Google always has an answer.

G. O. M.

I went to the Giant Over-crowded Mall (aka G.O.M.) this afternoon. I tried my best to avoid it, making stops at several smaller, friendlier places but the G.O.M. could not be avoided. What I needed...and perhaps more importantly, what I had a coupon for...could only be found at the G.O.M.

While the news media keeps issuing dire reports of a recession and people cutting back on their spending, you'd never know it by the looks of the G.O.M. The parking lot was packed. I'm not one to drive up and down the rows, hoping someone will leave and I can snag a close spot...I just head for the outer edges. My theory is I can walk and probably get there faster than those trolling the lots anyway.

And it was the same crowded story in the store...long lines at the check-out and people packed in all the aisles. Yes, one needs to sing the Patience Song while shopping at the G.O.M. at this time of year.

But I got what I came for. Well, not without an extra hike to the far reaches of the parking lot to retrieve the coupon I forgot in the car...but the exercise probably did me good. Unfortunately, I see more trips to the G.O.M. in my future; the Christmas shopping isn't done yet.

A New Tradition?

They're trickling in...seasonal greeting from friends and family. Most come from far away, and I love that chance to re-connect with special people, even if that contact is limited to once a year. Many of them contain letters and photos, and we smile at the stories they share and wonder how the kids could have grown that much since we last saw them.

But with each one comes increasing guilt. Cards are a two-way street and so far, traffic is only flowing one direction. Despite my good intentions, I haven't addressed the first one. The folks at Hallmark must be shaking their heads in disgust at my delinquency.

So I pondered how I might remedy that situation as I sat in a dark room waiting for my pupils to become the size of saucers...my favorite part of eye exams. There's an outside chance I might yet find time to tackle this chore but if not, I formulated a plan.

I can send cards in January! I'll find some obscure holiday...like Chocolate Cake Day on January 27 (thanks, Amanda!)...and send out cards and letters then. People will be thrilled to receive something other than post-holiday bills and they'll actually have time to read and enjoy the greetings. I'll have time to put some real thought into it...enjoy the process instead of rushing through it. Who knows, Sandee, I might even make those cards. Actually, it's probably impossible to find greeting cards for Chocolate Cake Day so I'd probably have to make them.

So if a card from us doesn't appear in your mailbox in another week or so, you'll know I'm starting a new tradition. I probably can't get away with putting the tree up at Valentine's Day though, can I?

Calendar Girl

For the past year, a little calendar has sat on the corner of my desk and helped me keep track of the date. Space is at a premium on my little desk, and this one resides in a CD case so it doesn't take up much room. I thought when I bought it that it was a clever concept and one that would be easy to duplicate.

So I've been playing around in Photoshop putting a new one together. Photoshop is such a complex program, and I tend to work in a rather narrow area editing photos so this is the perfect project to experiment with digital brushes and increase my understanding of layers.  

For several years, I've been downloading free brushes when someone recommended them or I stumbled on designs that appealed to me, but I rarely use them. Most of the brushes I used on the calendar were from Jason Gaylor but I had a few from Two Peas(September, November and December) as well. And in several cases, the images created with the brushes were further enhanced with standard shapes available in Photoshop.

Here's how they turned out:

             

Creating them was fun and a good way to improve my skills, and I have a new little calendar all ready to go. And (donning my Santa hat) I want you to have one, too...an early Christmas present from me to you. You can add one to the corner of your desk or maybe you're in need of a little something for a gift exchange or for...say, the mailman, and this would work. At any rate, I'm happy to share.

The files are in .pdf format so you'll need Acrobat Reader to view and print them. If you don't already have it on your computer, you can get a free download here. When the print menu pops up, make sure the Page Scaling is set to None...you'll see it about half-way down on the left. That will insure that you'll get the right size to fit in the CD case. There's a thin black line around each month's page as a cutting guide. Cut the line off entirely and your page should fit perfectly inside a CD case.

Download Cover 
Download Jan-Feb 
Download Mar-Apr 
Download May-June 
Download Jul-Aug 
Download Sept-Oct 
Download Nov-Dec

With any luck, it will all work just fine but if not, e-mail me...the link is under my photo. Feel free to share the word with others, if you like. The calendar is here for anyone who would like to have it.

I still hope to create and post new pages for the planner from last year but there's a few things on the list ahead of that...like Christmas. I might be ready for 2009 but I'm not ready for Christmas!

The Redneck Christmas Parade

We could have gone to Pensacola last night to see the annual Christmas Parade. We've been in the past, although it's been a while. It's a nice affair with fancy lighted floats, marching bands, and Shriners zipping around in their little cars. But we didn't.

Instead, we went today to the Redneck Christmas Parade in Chumuckla...a little farming community about 15 minutes up the road from us. Wayne has been before, and while I've heard the stories of past experiences, this was my first. It's an event that can only be truly appreciated by attending.

Chumuckla isn't really a town. There's a convenience store and a farm supply business on the highway and about three miles down a country road (with not much in between) is a cotton gin...and that's the parade route. Everyone parks in the ditches and piles into the back of their pick-up truck to view the parade. Everywhere I looked I saw camouflage clothing and pit bull dogs; the people-watching was definitely entertaining.

And they really do call it the Redneck Christmas Parade...a spoof on their rural roots. Anyone can participate in the parade by paying an entry fee, and the money goes to fund recreational activities for the youth in the area.

We arrived in time for lunch...in this case some shish-kabobs being grilled by a right jolly old guy. They were pretty darn good, too.

It's not unusual to see heavy-duty trucks pulling the floats in any parade, but not often is there a deer head decorating the front. Even the deer was festive; he had beads hanging from his antlers.

 

Trucks weren't the only power used to pull the floats. There were numerous tractors, teams of mules and even a couple of 18-wheelers...both the cab and trailer. Oh look, this one has a bull's skull on the front!

        

Most of the floats were like this one...a flat bed trailer decorated for the season (with hay bales for seats) and filled with people throwing things to those lining the road. Everyone on this float was wearing a mouthpiece so it looked like they had deformed or missing teeth, a staple of the redneck image. I'm sure there's a deer head in there somewhere.

But there were plenty of...ummm, unusual objects on the floats, too. Like this outhouse...the commode is hidden by the people but it's there. In past years the septic tank truck has been part of the parade, too. And see, even the pretty young girls wore camouflage.

You have reindeer; rednecks have giant pigs to decorate for the holidays.

There were a few floats that really would...float, that is. It's the only parade you'll see where the throws include rubber fishing worms and packages of beef jerky.

The parade was not without political commentary. In addition to the sign this guy was holding up, there was another on the float that read "The Federal Reserve Stole Christmas."

 

You can't have a parade without horses, and this one had plenty. And they were all decked out for the season, too. Even the horses had antlers...you can just barely see the blue ones on the horse directly behind this one.

Everyone had a great time poking a little fun at the Redneck stereotype but the bottom line was this was about a little town pulling together to do something for the kids...something the entire family could enjoy. Those fancy parades shown on TV won't have to worry; this one won't steal any of their fame. But for over a hour it spread a lot of holiday cheer, both to those riding in it and those on the sidelines...camouflage and all.

Word For Word

My evening routine almost always includes time for a crossword puzzle. There's something satisfying about filling those little boxes with letters so they fit correctly down and across, and figuring out the right letters appeals to my sense of logic too. Truth be told...I love words.

So I was intrigued recently when I saw a thread of messages on one of the scrapbooking message boards about artificial words. Those message boards are definitely not limited to paper crafts...you can learn all kinds of things on them. But the thread contained what was represented to be a list of the winners of a contest sponsored by the Washingon Post where readers were asked to take a word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting or changing just one letter, and supply a new definition. After researching the contest, I'm about to conclude it might be one of those Internet legends but the words are still clever and worth a laugh. Here are a few:

intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund which lasts until you realize it was your money to begin with
reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly
bozone:The atmosphereere that surrounds stupid people and prevents bright ideas from penetrating
giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high
sarchasm: The gulf between the those with sarcastic wit and those who don't get it
inoculatte:To take coffee intravenously, like when you're running late
hipatitis: Terminally cool
osteopornosis: A degenerate disease
Karmageddon: When everyone is sending off really bad vibes and then the Earth explodes
Caterpallor: The color you turn after finding half a worm in the apple you're eating

Even having read them before, they still make me smile seeing them again, but I doubt they'll be showing up in any of my puzzles anytime soon.

I See The Moon And The Moon Sees Me

As we pulled out of the driveway tonight, we were greeted by the sight of a giant moon lifting over the trees to the east. It was fat and full and seemed exceptionally huge, and Wayne and I both commented on its beauty as we made our way to our destination. Yesterday's storms are long gone so the sky was clear and black, making the perfect backdrop for the white-gold light it was giving off. It was an amazing sight.

And then the weather lady told me during my nightly news that it really was bigger and brighter...the biggest and brightest it's been in the last 15 years. The moon orbits the Earth in a wobbly oval pattern so it's distance from the Earth varies considerably. Tonight the moon became full at the point in that pattern where it is closest to the Earth, and that made it about 30% larger and 14% brighter than other full moons this year.

Of course, the moon always seems larger when it first rises than it does when it's higher in the sky. And when the moon is full, that is a regular topic of conversation in our little circle of friends with Dr. Dale taking great delight in pointing out it is merely an illusion. Then we debate about whether it is because of the atmosphere close to the Earth's surface or merely that seeing the moon against trees and houses gives us a sense of proportion that doesn't exist when it's overhead. Conversation is never dull in our group...there's always something interesting being bantered about.

You won't have to wait fifteen years if you missed tonight's exceptionally large moon; it happens again November 14, 2016. I'm betting though that it will still look pretty awesome when it comes up on Saturday night.

Snow?

It looked for a while like my Michigan friends might be making good on their offers to send some snow our way. The ground was covered in New Orleans just a few hours west of us and flurries were forecast for Birmingham to the north, but all we got were blustery winds and cold temperatures.

Just as well...Southerners panic at the thought of snow. Really. They cancel school at the first flake, and people stock up for the "blizzard" just like they do for a hurricane. Never mind that it seldom sticks to the roads and there's not enough to build a decent snowman. Those of us who have lived in places where snow wasn't a novelty just shake our heads and chuckle, but I suppose if you've never driven in it, snow would give rise to some anxiety. And the road departments here aren't really equipped for snow and ice...no plows or road salt. Thanks to the Gulf, it never sticks around on the few occasions we've seen it since moving here.

And although the snow was a surprise, I didn't need an almanac to know that cold weather was coming at the end of this week...I could have forecast it a month ago. That's when I found out the Jingle Bell Open was scheduled for Saturday. Wayne and I have played in this annual golf tournament almost every year since it started and it's always cold. It can be 70 early in the week (like it was on Tuesday), but the mercury will plunge for the Jingle Bell event...it's just part of the tradition.

We're signed up again this year, and I'll be out there in my three or four layers of clothing. I can jingle all the way; I just don't want to dash through the snow. 

O Christmas Tree

1,000 twinkling white lights

 216 shiny glass balls

50 not-so-cold snowflakes

41 heavenly angels

27 terra cotta ornaments

19 happy little birds

5 hand-crocheted treasures

 2 Kansas wheat weavings

1 beautiful tree.

Bring On The Tree

I fell asleep on the couch tonight...again. I settled in a little lower than usual and next thing I knew I'd missed the first guest on Jay Leno. It was tempting to just make my way on to bed but here I am.

There's a reason for my fatigue...I'm on a mission to check things off my to-do list, and I made pretty good progress today. With temperatures forecast to be around 70, it was tempting to join the ladies group on the golf course but duty called and I answered.

Down came the boxes of Christmas decorations. If it's going to be 70, at least I can be outside transforming the front door with greenery and lights. Birds, berries and tiny white lights...I love how the doorway looks a Christmas. With glass panels on the French doors, it's even magical from the inside looking out.

And inside is where I went next. The garland on the china cabinet. The manger on the sofa table. Some Santas, greenery and lights on the mantle. A simple seasonal centerpiece for the dining room table. And a whole army of Christmas characters on the entertainment center. They make me smile because of all the stories behind them...some of my favorite Christmas decorations. Like a whirling dervish I went from room to room, leaving snowflakes and reindeer in my wake.

A funny thing happened as I unwrapped and arranged. A lot of that bah-humbug-ery I've been feeling slipped away; it does every year. It's not all gone...there's too many other things still on that list...but it has definitely loosened it's grip.

The inside of the house is essentially done except for the tree and that's at the top of tomorrow's list. Maybe there will be visions of sugarplums dancing in my head when I doze on the couch tomorrow night.

Arrrghhh!

That's the sound of my immeasurable frustration...although looking at it, it might be mistaken for a pirate. Then again, there might be elements of that in play here, too.

It was Health Care Monday at the homestead. Time to make appointments, make sense and make decisions...almost all of which centered around health insurance. See, my favorite roommate is the proud possessor of a Medicare card which becomes effective on January 1. There are a lot of good things about that, but it means we have to figure out the supplemental coverage and the prescription drug coverage and my individual coverage. Lots of options. We've never had options before. Good, bad or indifferent we had whatever coverage was available to us under the group policy through Wayne's work, and we were glad to be able to continue it in retirement. Now we have options, and after researching and talking about it over the past several weeks, we needed to opt.

So we spent the afternoon lost in a maze of on-line applications and telephone call directories. You know...press one for English and so on. I heard a lot of your call is important to us; please continue to hold, and more than one let me transfer you to the person in that department, too. You'd think just changing from one type of policy to another all within the same company wouldn't be that difficult, but you'd be wrong. And you'd think it wouldn't take all afternoon to do it...but you'd be wrong again.

In the end, we think we've done what we needed to do but not without some frustration. Hardly a way to insure our good health, that's for sure.

I've Been To Bethlehem

In making our plans for the birthday trip, I asked Kayla if she had any activities she wanted to do while we were visiting. I knew dinner would be part of the plans...Outback for my steak-loving girl...but I thought we might take in a movie or something similar. Kayla, however, knew exactly what she wanted to do...she wanted to go to Bethlehem.

Bethlehem, in this case, is a re-creation of the biblical city and a part of Journey to the Manger at The Rock Ranch. The ranch is a 1250-acre working cattle ranch owned by Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-Fil-A restaurants. In addition a variety of festivals like this one held throughout the year, Cathy uses the land to host school field trips, corporate outings and group camp outs. Kayla was so excited in describing the fun she had had at the fall festival, complete with a giant corn maze, and she was eager to do this Christmas event. So off we went to The Rock, Georgia.

Thirty area churches combine resources to put on this live re-enactment of The Christmas Story. Seated on bales of hay in a wagon, we started toward the star to the east, looking for Bethlehem, and we stopped to hear from the Wise Men along the way. Our Bethlehem was in the middle of the old corn maze rather than the desert, but that was a good thing as the thickly-planted corn stocks protected us from the chilly night breezes. Our first chore upon arriving was to turn in our census forms and pay our taxes with the coins we had been given upon entering the grounds. Roman soldiers were patrolling the area, ready to take us to jail had we not complied.

The city consisted of about ten small stalls, each with a different trade one would have found in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus' birth. The merchants were all in period dress, and you could ask them questions about their crafts or just listen to their stories.

Kayla wasn't too sure about the furrier, especially when she found out the pelt was real. But she was much more interested when he wrapped it around her shoulders and she realized how much warmer she was. I'm not sure they had coyotes in the real Bethlehem though, but the man claimed it was a bargain at just ten dinar. When Kayla asked what that meant, he told her it was equivalent to ten days' pay. She gave him back the hide.

We moved on to The Inn and heard the story there, walked down to the shepherds camped with real sheep and listened to their talk, and finally worked our way to the manger where passages from the Bible telling the story of Jesus' birth were read. The photo here is quite grainy, but the light was low and a flash seemed inappropriate. While Bethlehem was bright, noisy and busy, the scene here was quiet and reverent.

Another wagon ride took us back to the central area where we sipped hot chocolate by a roaring fire and listed to church groups singing Christmas music in the tent nearby. I was impressed by the number of fires and large propane heaters scattered around the grounds. It was cold out...but you could find plenty of places to warm up. I took advantage of the glow of the fire to capture this picture of Kayla and Brad.

I've mentioned before that I don't begin to think about Christmas until after Kayla's birthday, and this was the perfect way to start my Christmas season. There wasn't a Santa or other commercial sign of Christmas in sight...it was all a reminder of the real meaning of Christmas. Now that I've been to Bethlehem, I can turn my attention to getting ready for Christmas.

The Birthday Girl

It's a quick post from the road where we've been helping Kayla celebrate her 14th birthday. I'll share the evening's activities tomorrow but I wanted far-away family to share in some of our afternoon fun.

 

Here's the birthday girl opening her singing card. I don't usually like them but this one was too perfect to pass up, given her love for shopping. The front said something about how she had a difficult choice to make on her birthday and the message inside was whether to spend her birthday shopping for cute shoes or fabulous new clothes. And the song it played was You'd Better Shop Around. Maybe the fact that the music was popular when I was young made it appeal to me but Kayla enjoyed it, too.

I love that she gives me lists with lots of things on them because I can pick and choose. I can balance some smaller, inexpensive things (like these colored hair clips) with something more expensive...

like these silver flats. There's a story behind them. I got a text message from her last weekend asking if I was planning a trip to town. She was at one of the malls in Pensacola shopping and had fallen in love with these shoes. Apparently, she'd been searching for just such a pair for some time and here they were...and on sale! I wrote back saying I was, in fact, considering a trip as I needed something from Michaels. But how would I know what shoes and what size?

I waited for several minutes for the reply. I kind of expected her to send a photo but she went one better. She asked the sales clerk to hold the shoes under her name because there was only one pair left in her size and it was the last day of the sale. But she made it clear that if I wanted to do something different for her birthday or didn't want to come to town, it would be just fine.

Now I don't get a lot of opportunities to buy clothes for her. She is, after all, a teenager with her own sense of style. I usually resort to gift certificates so she can get exactly what she wants and have the fun of shopping for it, too. But here was a chance to get something she really wanted and deliver it with a bow...so that's what I did. And she was thrilled. The shoes went on her feet immediately, and she soon was describing the outfit she planned to wear to school on Monday that would look awesome with the new shoes. It was fun to be caught up in her excitement.

That's what birthdays should be...time with those who love you, things that make you happy, and memories made of how good it is to be 14.

Recording Life's Blessings

Life is filled with little gifts. They don't always come in fancy bags topped with bows...sometimes we have to look for them, but they're there. The kindness of a stranger. Words of encouragement from a friend. The stunning colors in the sunset. These and many more like them are blessings in our lives that are often overlooked.

A few days ago I declared my intention to be more aware in 2009 by taking weekly photos of my blessings and invited others to join me in a gratitude project. The response has been nothing short of amazing, and I'm thrilled to have so many kindred spirits with whom to share this journey. That alone is reason to look forward to the New Year.

The idea is to make all of us more aware of the good things in our lives. I found the weekly interval appealing, but you could do it daily or monthly if that fits your life better. And recording your blessings can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Here are a few options to consider:

1. Flickr: The original inspiration for the gratitude project came from the 52 Blessings group at Flickr where members upload their photos and a brief explanation weekly. Even if you decide this isn't how you want to document your gratitude, it can be a source of inspiration by seeing what others record as the blessings in their lives.

2. Journal: Purchase a small journal and write a few sentences each week about some person, thing or event that speaks to your heart. I always drool over the beautiful journals in the bookstore but it doesn't have to be that fancy...a simple spiral notebook or composition book will work. Photos are optional, and your handwritten thoughts will be even more valuable in years to come.

3. Computer: Create a separate file in your word processing software that you can add to as the year progresses. Writing about your weekly blessing will be quick and easy, and that may lead you to expand your thoughts and include more details. If you use a digital camera, you can easily insert photos in the document as well. A system like this would be a great backup if you'd like to scrapbook your blessings but are concerned about keeping up each week.

4. Two-Up Photo Album: For ease and speed you can't beat a traditional photo album. Tuck a photo in one sleeve and journal on a 4x6 piece of cardstock to slip into the second sleeve. If it feels too plain, add some stamps, small amounts of patterned paper and anything else that will dress it up without adding bulk.

5. Tags: Cathy Zielske has a series of monthly tags available as a free download here. Simply print them out on cardstock, fill in the lines with your thoughts, add a photo and some fun extras on the back and you've got your blessings recorded. It's cute enough to make you feel creative but small enough you can finish it in a short amount of time. And what satisfaction to see the ring fill up as the year progresses.

6. Traditional or Eclectic Scrapbook: Create a layout weekly (or monthly) documenting the blessings in your life and put it in a regular scrapbook. Or maybe you're like me and wanted to do a December Daily album with a mixture of page sizes and shapes but knew this just wasn't the year. That format would be a fun one for recording your gratitude, and Ali is providing lots of great ideas all month long on her blog.

7. Special Format: And keeping with the incredibly talented Ali, she used a 7gypsies photo spinner to show off treasured family photos here. The format for that project would adapt easily to this one, and putting your photos and journaling about blessings in your life out where you can see and enjoy it will be a daily reminder that life really is good.

I'm still pondering the form that will work best for me. A year is a long time, and I don't want to become so bogged down in the process of recording the blessings that I lose sight of observing them. So in the coming weeks as I'm sitting in mall traffic or waiting for my turn at the cashier's stand, I'll be making that decision so I can be ready to go on January 1. Thinking about gratitude will be much better than what would otherwise be rolling through my head...that's for sure.

I'm In Denial

I don't suppose Christmas will just go away if I ignore it, will it? Three weeks. That's all that time that is left and aside from the cute little Advent calendar that is sitting on my counter, I haven't done a thing. Cards addressed? Nope...haven't even bought them. Presents wrapped? Not hardly...gotta buy them first. Decorations up? Who are you kidding...they're all still in the closet.

So what am I waiting for? Well, I could say Kayla's birthday this weekend. There's an order to the holidays in my mind...Thanksgiving, Kayla's birthday then Christmas. And even before Kayla, the tree didn't go up until at least December 10. Of course, it was a live tree then so delaying made sense. After all, we didn't want the tree to dry out by Christmas Day. Now that we have a beautiful but less fragrant artificial one, I can't hide behind that excuse.

I love the decorations after they're all up. Many of them hold sentimental value, either because they were a gift from someone special (often handmade) or they were purchased on one of our trips. There are such great memories associated with getting them out and putting them up. But it's also a chore...and so far, not one I've been motivated to tackle. I keep thinking I'll get it all out after I finish this task and then that chore. Yes...I'm procrastinating, I know.

But I can't put it off much longer. As soon as the lyrics to Happy Birthdayfade, I need to put on the Christmas CDs, find some ambition and drag out the boxes. It will all get done...it always does. The excitement of fitting it all in is just part of the season...there's no denying that.

...........................................................................

P.S. I'll be posting an update on the Gratitude Project tomorrow.  

Well, Isn't That Clever!

The page that pops up on my computer when I sign on to the Internet is just the generic AT&T home page. It works for me...I don't spend a lot of time there. I can customize it for a few options but generally I just head to my favorites to get where I want to go.

But now and then something catches my eye as it did tonight when I saw these cute holiday table decorations.

 

The link was to the Better Homes and Gardens 100 Days of Holidays feature where I borrowed the photo. Yes, it's cute but you know why it intrigued me? It's made from scrapbook paper. Each of the columns is a vase with cylinder of patterned paper set over it.

How easy would that be to make! I can see all kinds of possibilities here and for cheap, too. They look simple enough you could turn them into a craft project for the kids. These are cute with the fuzzy trim and Santa suit but you could get an entirely different look with some of the flocked or glittered papers that are out now. Substitute some tinselly garland for the fuzzy trim to keep up the glamor look.

The imagination and creativity of people never ceases to amaze me.

Feeling Advent-urous

I played hooky from housework today. Well, I did the laundry but that hardly counts...you can do it and something else at the same time. And the something else, in this case, involved creating.

Are you sitting down? I used Mrs. Grossman's stickers on my project. Yep...three of them. And some ProvoCraft stickers that must be almost ten years old; I was flipping through an old PSB retrieved from the back of the closet to find them. And I dug out some metal charms that have't seen daylight in years. Come on, admit it; you've got them, too...and now you want to know how I used them. I created this cute little advent calendar.

I grabbed one of the Karen Foster's countdown calendars when I saw them at Archivers in October. The traditional red and green Christmas colors just don't work with all the pastel tones in my house so I knew I could use the calendar to create something unique to would match my decor. Better still, I raided my stash to do this. That's right...the only new purchases were the large ribbon for the outside and a package of miniature jingle bells.

Here are a few tips/ideas if you decide to make one for yourself:

1. The calendar has a slick coating on it. I started out to just rough it up with some sandpaper but ended up sanding it off completely. Was that necessary? Probably not, but I didn't want to go to all the work of creating the project and have the paper come loose by next Christmas.

2. With the boxes down to bare chipboard, I used a glue stick to adhere the patterned paper. Be sure the entire surface is well covered with the glue, especially at the edges. I trimmed the paper slightly larger than the area to be covered, and after placing it on top of the glue, I went over it with a brayer to assure a good stick then trimmed off the excess paper with scissors or an Xacto knife.

3. I sanded all the edges until the paper basically merged with the chipboard. If you run your finger over the paper and can still feel the edge, it's easy for it to tear or wear. With a little more sanding, they just sort of melt together. I do this on all paper/chipboard projects; it takes a little more time but it's worth it in terms of durability.

4. A 5/8" circle punch is the perfect size for cutting the finger holes in the little boxes. I laid the box on a square of patterned paper to mark the semi-circle then punched the opening,glued the paper in place and trimmed away the excess.

5. I just picked papers that made me happy and went from there. The calendar comes with 25 number stickers but as I began picking the embellishments for the boxes, it became obvious they wouldn't work on every box so I used a variety of sizes and styles. Most boxes are decorated but a few have only the number...it kind of gives the eye a resting place.

6. Digging around in my supplies I found some old Making Memories charms that were the perfect size but the pewter color looked drab with my other silver embellishments. So I gave them a new look with a Krylon leafing pen. The star is half-painted in this photo but the difference between the pewter and silver finish is more dramatic in reality. At any rate, it helped refresh some old supplies and make them work for this project.

7. A little ribbon, a few brads, a sticker here, a rub-on there...you get the idea. It was just creative play, far different from layouts and mini-albums.

There aren't any little ones around to be excited about counting down to Christmas but if I follow Wayne's suggestion and fill the boxes with Hershey kisses, there'll be a lot of interest in the daily prize. And I can now say I've started decorating for Christmas.