Play more games and read more books than you did last year.
Make time to practice meditation, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
Spend time with people over the age of 70, and under the age of 6.
Dream more while you are awake.
Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in factories.
~~So this afternoon Dick and I will finally be on the road, heading to Florida. Warm weather, here we come! Woohoo!!!
Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
When you wake up in the morning, complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'
Live with the 3 Es—Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
Life is good, y’all!
Roger Watson
1948 – 2010
My sweet, annoying, irritating, lovable, funny brother-in-law lost his battle with diabetes and kidney disease yesterday. He will be sorely missed, but he is healed and whole now. Those of us left behind will miss his laughter and abundant love of life. My heart aches for my sister Nan as she begins a new journey into widowhood, a place us gals don’t want to think about, much less visit.
So I am on the road heading to Albany today. Dick will follow tomorrow in the moho…if the roads are free of their snowy burden, with Missy for company.
Life is short, my friends. Enjoy each day, and be kind to one another. Hugs to everyone…
and Dick had already been out scrapping the driveway and roads yet again. On top of the 6-7” accumulated, we got at least another half inch or so.This was the first white Christmas in Mayberry in over 100 years, so they say. Dick and I made it safely over to Haley’s house for her annual Christmas morning brunch for the family, but it was slow going getting back home in the already accumulated snow.
Maytag Man turned plow man and spent the whole afternoon pushing snow off our driveway, the local road, a neighboring road…pulling folks out of ditches…and generally staying cold and wet! Diane was up visiting sister Susie, now a neighbor, and they rewarded Dick (and lucky me) with a very nice dinner as thank you for clearing their road. And maybe mainly for getting John and Mark safely up to the house??? Whatever, it was fun seeing them. Diane and I met as roommates in Bethesda Memorial Hospital in FL when we birthed our first borns, um, just a few years ago. Do we have a little history together? You bet!
Brian’s truck had gotten stuck at the very top of that photo, and Jason had to pull him up several feet to get on level ground…while Dick was away clearing the main roads. Everybody cooperates during times of bad weather. And they TRY to stay home…and keep warm. And hope/pray the power stays on! Snow laden tree limbs are beautiful to the eye, but not so welcome when they break and fall onto power lines.
How did you spend Christmas Day? Stay warm, y’all!
Yes, it is already the day before Christmas Eve, and I’m still making a few things that will be under the tree tomorrow night. I need to remember to take photos of a couple of items before they are wrapped up. I’m already too late on one thing already. Dang. Unless I unwrap/rewrap…Naw.
And I need to go to the market today for soup makings. Yes I do. I’ll post the recipe tomorrow if I can keep my brain straight.
Check out Haley and Faith in matching sweaters here on my birthday !
Doodlebug was into trucks, not fashion…and sticking close to mom.
Faith and lil Haley have been over making fiber-art scarves, and rightly discovered I needed some vertical storage for all my stuff! Brian was a great assistant
All in all, it was a great birthday season. It was fun being the Birthday Queen. The greatest gift of all was family and friends…and an abundance of love and hugs all around! And presents. I got presents!
Life is good, y’all!!!
Family traditions. We all have them, to one degree or another.
When our three were little, December 21 marked not only my birthday, but the day that they could begin opening ONE present under the tree daily until Christmas Eve. They would spend serious time weighing thoughts on just which present to open. They would appreciate this one gift, without all the frenzy that happens when multiple gifts are opened.
Moving on to Christmas Eve, we would all attend the family church service, then go home and open up all the rest of the presents under the tree, giving Santa a clear area for the next morning. Each child picked out the spot where Santa should leave his/her loot (everything arrived unwrapped…Santa doesn’t believe in wasting wrapping paper!). Location is everything…no dispute over ownership when your property is staked out. No sirree.
Fast forward to our now empty nest. We still attend the family church service on Christmas Eve (it is the children’s pageant, and the older ‘grands’ are in it—priceless). A crockpot of soup (more on that on another post) awaits the church goers when the whole family gathers here to eat and open up all the gifts. That leaves the kids free to visit their other families the next day. Just peachy.
So…please share some of your family Christmas traditions. I love reading about them. Seriously.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, y’all! I’ll be beading…again.
Jennie sent me a few photos of the cast of characters:
Dick and the Birthday Queen
Jim and Janet, our chauffeurs
Helen, and hostess-with-the-mostest JOAN
Dinah, moi, Haley
hugs from Amy
and Joy…
And a good time was had by all! This “birthday season” is awesome. I’m celebrating good times…and am very blessed.
If you go to this web site, Let's Say Thanks, you can pick out a thank you card, and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier who is currently stationed overseas. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!
It is FREE and it only takes a few seconds.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.
This takes just 10 seconds, and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time, and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank yous.
Thanks for taking the time to support our military! Don’t forget, freedom is never FREE.
Hat Tip: Comedy Plus
This was our view two days ago before it got above freezing. That is ICE forming along the edges of our cove. Rain and falling temps are coming in tonight, with the promise of snow tomorrow, even in Atlanta. We’ll be below freezing until Wednesday. At least. And the irony is that we probably won’t have a white Christmas in two weeks! That’s just wrong, I tell you!
Dick and I will attend a Christmas party tonight…tomorrow is Haley’s scrapbook club final gathering for the year…so that is my weekend. I plan to put on a pot roast in the crock pot before heading over to Haley’s house. I love crock pot cooking! Easy peasy, and done when you want it to be.
Ho, ho, ho…enjoy your weekend, y’all! Stay warm…
winemaker's notes:
"Bright red. Smoky cherry and dark berry aromas are complemented by candied licorice, dark chocolate and zesty minerality. At once silky and lively, with impressively complex cherry and dark berry flavors joined by an exotic floral pastille quality on the finish. This boasts remarkable focus and persistence for the price."
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
89 Points
So this is the bottle of wine that got rated Best at the wine tasting last Saturday (note the rubber band holding the voting slip).
There must have been a dozen different reds for our sipping and tasting pleasure—and NO duplicates! I’m sure there were an equal number of whites upstairs, but I never ventured up there, being quite satisfied with the variety on the lower level—and the food. This little number cost under $7 at Costo, according to Maureen. Quite the bargain! Garnacha de Fuego. Let me know if you try some.
Runner up was a bottle of red that had a big orange question mark on it. That’s right—no name—just a big orange question mark! Easy to remember.
We are currently enjoying a California merlot from Bogle Vineyards that sells for just under $10. And an old fave: Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon (even cheaper than the Bogle).
We always enjoy trying something new and different, so tell me:
What’s your favorite ‘cheap’ wine?
Everything went just PEACHY yesterday with my procedure. I got a good report, was all the doc told Dick. Guess he didn’t want to tell Dick how cute my colon looked! Beautiful snowflakes were falling on us all the way to the hospital, making everything a pristine white for our ride home. I can see a few spots left up in the woods and on the carport roof, which makes for a perfect snow, in my humble opinion…here today; gone tomorrow!
I wound up sleeping all afternoon, so I need to kick it up into high gear today and get a few things done. Boy howdy is it cold this morning—20. I’m staying inside till lunch time. Brrr…come on, sunshine. Warm us up!
The plan for today is to get out our small fiber optic tree and a few other decorations and call it DONE. Everything has to be put away by 12/29, and I want to actually MAKE some gifts, so that is taking priority over decorating this year. Period.
Everything in life is a balance, right? And setting priorities. There will be no Christmas stress allowed around here! No sirree.
Stay well, warm, and stress free, y’all! Life is good…
Please join me in wishing Sarge a very happy birthday today, and have a piece of cake with me. That Sarge is a mighty special fella.
And later is the annual Advent Wine Tasting event, women only, mostly from our parish, but others are also included. Everyone
Make the most of your Saturday. Wish you were here!
This is the way Scooter acted after his nap here yesterday, poor guy. He has big brother’s fever. Big brother is now better. Macey has also been feverish this week, and now Haley has it. Sheesh. No strep or flu, but ‘bugs’ are definitely going around. I am washing my hands a bazillion times a day. Germs, begone!
Project galore around here—Christmas list checking, decorations (not doing a lot this year), gift making—the list is LONG.
Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet (I know smart Empress Bee already has finished hers.)?
And a major cold front is moving our way.
Please send hot chocolate instead!
Yes, it is…and we had a few snow flurries here at the house this morning. December arrived with a chilly blast, y’all! The mountains are all coated with that white stuff, but we only had ice on the deck, thanks to yesterday’s rain. At least the sun is out and the ice has now melted.
Brrr…29 days until we leave for Florida!
All the ‘mob intimacy’ here last night was wonderful, but I am dragging today, much deserved. And did I take one photo of the buffet table? Of course not, I was too busy…but Haley did, so y’all go look right here and salivate just a little.
Our day began with getting the ham and turkey in the smoker at o’dark thirty when it was about 26 outside.
So while I am inside in the kitchen, Dick is outside working on the zip line, replacing his original one and moving the destination to a different tree. Whatever. Then comes the keg test
And then Jason had to give it a try, but Dick first gave me a shout out so that I could snap a photo as he went whizzing by. Sorry it is a bit blurry, but he couldn’t exactly stop to pose for me. 
He made it safely across the cove to the end, and was none the worse for wear. That dark spot is Dick waiting for Jason’s arrival. The other dark spot is Jason still on the line.
See, there is hardly any water in our cove, but that is normal for this time of the year, so it is OK. It would still be wet and cold if anyone fell in it. No thank you!
Boys and their toys and their adventures! What’s next?
Life is good…and we count our blessings!
So the ham and turkey are outside cooking in the smoker. The ham goes on the top rack, and the juices continually baste the bird. Help me Rhonda, that is quite a combination that Dick discovered quite by accident. That bird winds up being so moist and tender that we almost don’t want to bother eating the ham…but we do. And declare them both GOOD.
Here is a list of what is expected on the menu later today:
stuffing, gravy
cranberry relish
corn pudding
Vidalia onion casserole
glazed carrots and parsnips
sweet potato casserole
mashed potatoes
steamed broccoli
marinated Roma tomatoes
zucchini with Parmesan cheese
rolls, butter
pumpkin cheesecake
pecan pie
apple pound cake
Hmm, what am I leaving out??? Oh yes, cranberry nut bread. I think this is enough to make us all wobble just a bit when we are done! And tomorrow? Those bones will be turned into turkey soup. Yeah, baby…love that!
Check out dyerdining for some of the above recipes…if you are interested. That site is continually updated as Haley and I go through our recipe files, so go visit any time, and be surprised at what you might find. Yumm…
Life is definitely GOOD, y’all!
Sarge was having a high flying adventure in my dreams this morning. I don’t know what we were in or where we were, but Sarge was busy doing some fancy maneuvering to get away from someone hot on our tail. Dick was in the R seat navigating, and I was in the backseat helping to look for our annoying traffic. (That was where I sat on the flight to/from Charleston, so that part was very accurate.) We safely landed; Sarge was having a fine time; all was well, and then I woke up. That Sarge fella sure gets around…and always manages to have fun.
Do y’all dream in color? I always do. I read somewhere that only about a quarter of the folks dream in color. Interesting.
So the Griswolds thoroughly enjoyed Charleston and
I happened to look north and spied the most famous smokestack in the world, which we discovered was the Carnival Fantasy docked 
Vendors sell a variety of items, especially the Sweet Grass baskets that are well known in Charleston. Beautiful, but pricey.
A visit to Charleston isn’t complete without a carriage ride. We learned lots of history from our (retired teacher) guide, and saw many beautiful buildings
And of course the very expensive Rainbow Row homes are 
Did you know that Charleston suffered a serious earthquake? Many buildings had to have earthquake cables installed to stabilize the structure. Those end caps are decorative on this building…some are left plain ole end caps…but there is a
And ole Dan did a fine job of pulling us all around downtown:
And we had to at least go SEE the beach
And then we had to go get cleaned up and ready for the party. More to follow…
