Another Christmas Gift

I visited with my friend Steve today and was given my Christmas Gift. It was an iPod. After visiting for an hour or so, I met my friend BJ and we did a little shopping and she treated me to dinner at The Olive Garden. Needless to say, it was a wonderful afternoon.

I came home and for the past several hours I've been trying to learn how to work my new toy. I finally mastered the download/upload process and managed to put more than a dozen of my favorite albums on the iPod. I hadn't tested it until a few minutes ago. I chose an old Frank Sinatra song and when his voice came through the ear buds I was very shocked. The quality of the sound is amazing. I don't think I'll tire of this one too quickly.

It also will play movies but I discovered my computer doesn't have a DVD player so I'll have to find somebody who does and load my favorites that way. I will just love it on my next plane trip, being able to watch a movie.

What more can I say. I am a very spoiled kid. :o)

God bless you all.

2007 - Here's hoping..............

Well, the new year is dark, rainy and gloomy which I hope is not a prelude of the days to come.

I had a very quiet New Year's Eve. No ball dropping in Times Square, no fireworks over the Kremlin or Sydney Harbour. Just a nice easy evening. I went to bed early and did hear some firecrackers going off in my court, but nothing to really awaken me. I went right back to sleep.

Nothing on the schedule for today. Just a little more relaxing and maybe straightening up of the house. At least a little vacuuming. It looks like one of the cats exploded. Hair all over the place.

Have a good New Year's Day and

God bless you.

New Year's - Almost.....

Well, the year is almost over. I look outside, expecting to see snow or at least signs that it's Winter and all I see is fog. The weather guessers are promising high 50s today with sunshine in the afternoon. Hopefully, later I'll take a walk.

I don't make New Year's resolutions because I always break them. About 7 years ago I started writing a "Mission Statement" for the coming year. This has worked well for me and I've done one for 2007. On the list is "try to go to Russia". I'll know by January 28th. I'd like to go.

Today I have a few chores to do but nothing pressing. I'll run out to Costco to get my arthritis supplements and pick up a prescription at Safeway. That's the only thing I really must do. Other than that I'll take it easy.

Before the year end, I'll post one more time. Then it starts anew......

God bless you all.

Christmas Eve

Well, I did it. House is clean, balance of groceries in the 'frig and now I can rest a bit.

I was in the storage room looking for some wrappings when I came across a box with the balance of my ornaments for the tree. I knew there were more than what I found on my first hunt. So I added those and the cotton garlands and now it looks like my tree. During my first visit to Russia, Lida, my 18 year old 'daughter', gave me a puffed, velour heart. It had a gold ribbon on it and I also found that in my upstairs closet. I put it right out front, near the top of the tree. I sure wish she could be here with me. Russian Orthodox Christmas is celebrated January 7th so she has a few weeks to go. She did tell me however that they put up a tree too. The 'they' being her room mate and herself. At least she has someone to celebrate with.

I am going to try to go to church this evening. There are 3 services and I hope to make the 8:00PM. I'm going to rest a bit now and get cleaned up and dressed.

I wish you all blessings of the season.

God bless you all.

Day Before Christmas Eve

By choice, I'm spending the Holidays here at home. I didn't want to spend several days with relatives who would be fussing at each other. I did that several years ago and it was no fun. But here I am, wrapping presents and getting the house ready for Christmas dinner with friends. I am feeling down today. I don't know if it's just my usual winter blues or if I think I should be with my feuding realtives. I do miss them -- but not the aggravation. I guess I just can't be pleased. :o)

Today I'll do the major straightening and tomorrow I'll finish the deep cleaning. I'll make one last run to the grocery and start to assemble the dishes that can be may a day ahead.

Hopefully I'll get out of this funk. I don't even like being around me. ARGHHHH

God bless you all.

Before and After

Here it is all decked out with the white wires

Here it is with the new lights on it. Not too much of a change but I think Santa will know where to put the stuff.......

Shopping is done!!

I went out early yesterday morning stopping first at Kmart. I found what I was looking for (plus a new handbag for me,for only $11.00) very quickly. I was amazed at the lack of customers in the store at 10:00AM and the abundance of sales going on. I've always liked Kmart and have been able to find last minute gifts. Sandy wanted a square griddle that would hold four slices of bread for french toast. I found one online at QVC.com which was on sale for about $21.00 so I ordered it for her. When it came I had mixed emotions. It is a stainless steel, teflon coated 'grill pan'. It could hold the required four slices of bread, but it is a bit heavy and clunky. It also has a two inch lip which makes it a pan, not a griddle. At Kmart, I found a griddle for the same price so I got it for her. And yes, I'll keep the grill pan for myself. :o)

I then stopped at a newspaper and magazine store that I visit annually at Christmas. My eldest nephew, Robert, loves wrestling mags and is into coin collecting. Mostly he likes to look at the collection he already has, so I try to get him mags about coins and collection, not so much about pricing old coins or buying and selling. My brother-in-law Bob, likes stories, etc. about the Civil War so I try to find one or two for him. This year he is also into Sudoku, so he will be getting a puzzle book. I always make this shop my last stop. It's kind of a victory.

I dug the tree out of the storage closet and put it up. It's been 4 years or so since I've put up a tree. The last time I took it down, I didn't take care to put the branches away in the order in which the tree should be assembled, so I couldn't remember where the color coding applied. Grrrrrrr. I put it together and of course there were longer branches sticking out of the middle of the tree and little stubbly ones on the bottom. I took the thing apart and put it the way it is supposed to be. Then came the saga of the lights. Two strings are dead and two are working. Except one thing. I have no idea where my head was when I bought one of them. They are on white wires!!!! Undoubtedly made for an all white tree. I put them on the tree, but it's awful. The white wires stick out like white wires on a green Christmas tree. LOL I'll have to take them off and replace them with the ones I'll be picking up at Ace Hardware today. Some of my ornaments are in not too good shape. So I've got holes............ LOL This poor tree reminds me of the one that Charlie Brown and Snoopy put together. LOL I'll rearrange the branches and add new lights today. It will be just fine. It will be my tree. :o)

Today I think I'll start wrapping presents. There aren't that many. I have a few that I'll send along with Chris and his wife when they leave to join the family in Atlanta on Friday.

My Christmas dinner celebration is on Monday so I'll have all of next weekend to get the house the way I want it. Dinner itself will be easy because I'm fixing ham. I'll have scalloped potatoes, macaroni and cheese, glazed carrots and some other things but nothing time consuming or difficult to make. I intend to enjoy my guests and the time we have together.

That's what it's all about. Being with those you love.

Celebrate Jesus!!

God bless you all.