Sunday Stealing from League of Extraordinary Penpals

I'm joining up with the gang for Sunday Stealing. I've answered some of these questions recently so I kept my answers short . . .which is a big deal for me!

1. What is the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received? One year Mark surprised me with a tiny camera that attached to my computer. He sent one to my sister in Texas, too, so that we could see each other when we talked. This was a LONG time ago and the quality wasn’t great but we could see each other. It is amazing how far technology has come!

2. What is the worst Christmas gift you’ve ever received? A black plastic pedestal from Aunt Nelle’s basement was wrapped up and presented to me by her. To this day, we have no idea what it was. Mark said I should have rewrapped it and given it back to her the next year with a note, “I loved it so much, I had to get one from you.” This was back when Mark and I had not been married long. She was something else!

3. Do you have a favorite Christmas song? I love O Holy Night sung by Scott Brooks on Christmas Eve at our church and I love Silent Night which we sing at the close of the Christmas Eve services. We start the song in darkness and then one candle appears and before long all 1000+ candles are glowing. LOVE IT!

4. Does your family have any favorite holiday traditions? I’ve mentioned this recently. We play croquet! When our kids were all small, we would all go to Christmas Eve services together and then eat pizza at Mark’s mom’s house.

5. What is your favorite Christmas snack? I’m not making it this year, but it is a snack cracker mix with seasonings (including dill) in it. I could eat it until I’m sick!!

6. Did you believe in Santa growing up? Yes, I believed for far too long 😊.

7. How early do you start decorating? The earliest I’ve ever decorated is on Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving.

8. Are you an early or last-minute shopper? Is there a middle option? I guess I’m more of a last minute shopper. Packages are being delivered now and it is just the middle of the month!!

9. Would you rather give or receive gifts? I would rather give gifts IF they are good gifts and the receiver likes the gifts!

10. What’s your favorite Christmas movie? Four Christmases and Christmas Vacation are my two favorites.

11. What is one of your Christmas memories? I remember the Christmas after my mom died in November of that year. She had purchased some things before she died and I remember it was like she was there.

12. Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve? There were a few years where the kids got Christmas pajamas and they opened those on Christmas Eve but generally, we don’t open on Christmas Eve

 

 

First Half of December Photo Dump

A young friend at church brought a cute outfit for the grandbaby coming in April. Her daughter's name is Lucy so she said she would bring anything with her name on it!

 

Here are a few of our Christmas decorations.

I usually go all out on the mantle but I just haven't had the desire this year.

Since Mark has been dealing with the torn retina, I said, "Let's buy an artificial tree." He is still in shock because he knows how much I love a real tree.

I think the artificial tree looks pretty good!

I took a day of vacation and took my final (waiting on grades to post) and then I hopped in the shower

and went to the neighborhood Ladies' Brunch at Jane and Ann's home. It was fun chatting

with different folks!

Above - some of the food from the brunch - look at those triangle sandwiches covered with cucumbers -- they were Christmas tree sandwiches!!

I left the brunch and drove straight to the ENT's office regarding my recent allergy tests. Did I tell y'all that I'm allergic to all but 3 of the items . . .29 items to which I'm allergic. I went back to see them this week and had my first round of shots. The doctor said that I'm one of those rare people who will probably have to take allergy shots for the rest of my life. I had been seeing another allergist and had been taking shots for about 10 years . . .and I'm still that allergic to 29 things.

Last week, we drove to Pike Road and picked up granddaughter #2 from school. She has been wanting Gran and Pops to pick her up so we did! She has learned to swing herself. She talked non-stop from the time we picked her up!!

We were visiting so that we could go to her dance recital. The difference in last year and this year is amazing. I actually teared up watching the dress rehearsal!

On Saturday morning, Laura and I headed to a nail salon for pedicures.

We got home and Pops and sweet girl had been playing and pretending in the back yard the whole time we were gone.

We were standing in line waiting to get into the recital!!

We drove home on Sautrday afternoon and met our friends, Lu and Dave, at Casual Pint. It was a much needed evening of laughter!

During the night, two small tornadoes touched down in Homewood which is where I work and where Mark's mom lives. Several of our friends had major damage to their homes but no one was injured.

Mark's 98 year old mom was without power for several days.

On Sunday night, granddaughter #1 and her mommy and daddy joined us for a Night in Bethlehem at our church.

It was amazing.

Pop's and Gran's good friend, Duane, was working and helped her write her name in Hebrew on her Hebrew scroll.

She made a mosaic cross.

She made a bracelet.

We visited the bakery and Pops loved the baklava. Our sweet girl bought it for him with her shekels.

Granddaughter #1 sat in Joseph's chair while Joseph was on a paci run :-). As we were coming down the hall, we could hear baby Jesus screaming. I actually got chills because that was far more authentic than the Christmas card pictures of Mary and baby Jesus.

The alpaca was so soft and so sweet!!

Monday morning, the staff worked Night in Bethlehem so that our daycare kids could participate.

I was in a booth with one of my friends - Pastor Laura.

Elizabeth was in the spice booth "across the way" from us!

The tin punch booth was "across the other way" from us. Two of our youth staff worked that booth.

We were in the scroll booth. The kids were 3 and 4 years old so they can't read English, much less Hebrew. We told them how the scrolls were like books and we just let them stamp away.

Monday night, we had our "girls from the office" party at Peggy's house. It is so nice to work with people that you actually enjoy hanging out with! Peggy's house is decorated for Christmas like no other I've ever seen. It is beautiful and it takes her about a week to decorate it all!!

We did an ornament swap and I got the ornament above. We do a staff video every year that is much anticipated. There is a line in the song for this year "Go Jesus It's Your Birthday!" Our senior pastor is so creative and rewrites the words and comes up with the scenes. He has help from our Executive Director coming up with scene ideas. The video debuts on Sunday after noon. I'll try to post a link next week. The purpose of the video is to get people to give to our Manger Offering which supports 22 ministry partners.

On Wednesday, we had our office Christmas party. We are divided into "houses" and we ate together and played "reindeer games."

But first, you must appreciate the food. Our church chef is amazing, as are his helpers.

We slid oreos down the table into cups of corn syrup, unsweet tea, whole milk, mustard, Bernaise sauce, and another sauce . . .and then you had to eat it.

We did the candy cane in the bottle game and it was so funny.

We also played "hungry hungry hippo" but I guess it is actually "hungry hungry reindeer" - you wore solo cups on your hands and tried to scoop up the most marshmallows.

We did a lot of recording for the video on our party day and then Mark and I headed out to dinner at Seasons 52 with our "out to eat" supper club from our Sunday School class. We both had shrimp and grits and it was a delicious meal with good conversation.

Coming up next . . .cheese straw baking, candy making, brownie baking, a wonderful service at church on Sunday afternoon and our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter #2 will join us, our YA Christmas party, Christmas Eve Eve, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day . . .and then I'm taking the rest of the week off after Christmas.

I've Got So Much Rizz Hodgepodge (not) - hahaha!!

Today is Wednesday so it must be Hodgepodge! Thanks to Joyce for the questions! 

1. Oxford's Word of the Year for 2023 is 'rizz'. Hmmm...before today had you ever heard the word? Do you know what it means? (Apparently it's short for charisma) Have you ever used the word? If you were in charge of the world, what word would you declare word of the year for 2023? We hang out with young adults every week and I have never heard "rizz." That is a new one to me and I've never used it. I think my personal word from the year would be blessed. I'm afraid the word for the world in 2023 is troubled. I try to look for the positive and there are MANY wonderful things going on but there is so much heartache out there, too.

2. What's one word you tend to abbreviate in your writing or speech? (as in rizz for charisma) I abbreviate etc. and Dr. when I'm typing and I use DIY fairly often.

3. Are you a Hallmark movie watcher this time of year? What's your favorite character from a holiday- themed movie, book, or TV special? I've watched a Hallmark movie or two over the years. Before Mark retired, he went to the farm a lot on Friday and came home on Saturday. I would usually watch one while he was gone. We love Christmas Vacation and Four Christmases. We do turn Four Christmases off when it gets to the sad/hard part. We've watched both of those so many times.

4. Something you look forward to eating this month? I love Honey baked Ham (the real kind - not an imitation). I may have to make some dressing, too. We have a relative who makes ambrosia - fresh peeled oranges and coconut and it is delicious.

5. What's the most stressful part of the holiday season for you? This year, the most stressful part was my final exam. I actually started ordering Christmas presents this week!!

6. Insert your own random thought here. I need to do another big photo dump and write about some of the things that have been going on . . .maybe I'll have time this weekend.

Sunday Stealing . . .younger edition?

I'm joining up with Sunday Stealing!

1. Do you tend to have a guilty conscious? If I do something wrong, I always have a guilty conscious!

 

2. Do you still have your wisdom teeth? I do not BUT when I had mine removed, they actually put me into the hospital to remove them. I think I spent two nights!!

 

3. Peanut Butter - creamy or crunchy? Crunchy all the way – we really love Jif Extra Crunchy

 

4. Get up off your butt. Take 5 steps. Which leg did you start out on? My right leg

 

5. What color is your favorite kitchen utensil? Red! Actually not true . . . probably stainless!

 

6. Did you watch the Michael Jackson memorial/funeral? I don’t think so.

 

7. Do you know anyone who graduated from high school this year? Were you invited to their graduation party? Did you go? I’m sure I did know someone but I didn’t go to anything.

 

8. White with black stripes or black with white stripes? Black with white stripes!

 

9. If we were to call your 6th grade teacher, what would they say about you? That I was smart and finished my work quickly BUT then I talked too much.

 

10. Can you draw a perfect circle? If I have something to trace!

 

11. What was your favorite scratch & sniff sticker scent? Cherry.

 

12. How many light switches and electrical outlets are in the room that you are in right now? There are electrical outlets on both ends of the island and both sides of the stove and both sides of the sink plus one in the wall behind me and at least five outlets in the “living” portion of the space

 

13. Do you know sign language? No.

 

14. Do you step on cracks in the sidewalk? If I think about it, I don’t . . .and I hear “don’t step on the cracks or you will break your mother’s back!”

 

15. And the sheets on your bed look like....? They are white and we always make our bed.

10 on the 10th of December

 

1. Would you rather give up Christmas cookies or Christmast trees? I'm going to give up Christmas cookies which won't be hard because I already don't eat sweets.

2. Would you rather get one amazing holiday gift or 10 just ok gifts?

I think I'll go with 1 amazing gift.

3. Would you rather wash your hair with Christmas cookie icing or cranberry salad?

I'm going with cranberry salad on the hope that it will make my hair smell great and rinse out easily.

4. Would you rather surprise your people with gifs or shop from their lists?

We've shopped from lists for as long as I can remember.

5. Would you rather eat only the desserts or the main course for your entire holiday season (however long that might be)?

I'm going with the ham and turkey, dressing, and gravy.

6. Would you rather watch "A Christmas Story or "Elf" for the entire day of your holiday?

I think I would get tired of either one if I had to watch it for a day. My original answer was going to be "Elf" but I think the silliness of it might irritate me more than "The Christmas Story."

. 7. Would you rather listen to "All I want for Christmas" or "I want a Hippopotomus for Christmas" for an entire week?

Both of those would get on my nerves!

8. Would you rather have a "Ho, Ho, Ho" Santa laugh or an evil Grinch cackle?

I'm going with Ho Ho Ho!

9. Would you rather wear red and green or silver and gold for the entire holiday season?

Today I'm in a silver and gold mood so I'm choosing that combo.

Am I counting incorrectly? I've counted top to bottom and bottom to top and only count 9 questions!

Thank to Marsha in the Middle for the "would you rather" Christmas questions!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

 

1. What's one fun thing on your December calendar? Well, today is my neighborhood ladies’ lunch and I’m looking forward to that. We have our office party next Wednesday at lunch and the “girls” in the office are all getting together one night next week. We have some amazing church services we will attend.

2. Sherwin William's Color of the Year for 2024 is Upward, described as 'a hint of silver lining', 'a breezy blissful blue' (see sample here). Benjamin Moore's Color of the Year for 2024 is Blue Nova, where 'violet and blue come together in a sumptuous hue'. (see sample here) Valspar's Color of the Year for 2024 is Renew Blue, a balanced blue with a touch of grayed sea -green' (see sample here). 

Seems like the design world is keen on the color blue for the new year. Do you have a lot of blue in your home decor currently? What shade? Of the three colors listed which one's your favorite? Do you need to paint? How likely is it you'd select one of these shades for your home? Which one? 

I do not have a lot of blue in our home. Our walls are Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray. Our artwork has some hints of blue. We DO have some blue check chairs! They are a darker blue. Of the three colors, I think I would go with Blue Nova – maybe in an office or library. I actually surprised myself by liking that one the most. We do not need to paint. Everything in our house is freshly painted. I don’t think I’ll be choosing one of those shades.

3. Do you struggle with 'the seasonal blues'? What are some things you do to try to beat the blues? I must admit that it is funny that this was the next question because I was thinking that blues and grays sometimes make me feel blue/gray. I do not like the shorter days. I need more sunlight. We have a service of Loss and Light on the shortest day of the year and I’m always excited to watch the periods of sunshine get longer beginning the very next day.

4. Blue jeans...love 'em or no? How many pair do you own? Are you married to a particular brand? I do wear them in the winter. In the summer I much prefer dresses, skorts, and shorts. I love some Target jeggings/jeans – I think they might be Ava and Viv. I also have a cute new pair from Talbots. I got them last year but only wore them once. They are similar to these but they are blue denim. I’m not married to a particular brand though I do love the way the Target ones fit.

5. In terms of holiday preparation (baking, shopping, wrapping, mailing, meal planning, etc) how far along are you? 1=haven't given it a second thought, 10=nothing left to do but wait.  My final is this week and then I’ll start preparations! I want to make cheese straws for the neighbors. Our kids have decided that we are only buying for the littles this year. Mark and I have mixed emotions about this. I can’t imagine having nothing left to do but wait! The only time I’ve ever had everything done by this time was the year I was pregnant with Laura and Glenn. They were due Christmas Day but were born in November. I had done almost all of my shopping before they were born. That was 37 years ago!

6. Insert your own random thought here. Mark tore his retina last Wednesday. He drove himself home from the farm (1 hour and 45 minutes) AFTER he finished what he was doing. He called his eye doctor and they were getting ready to close but waited on him. She thought it was a very bad tear with a flap hanging down (yuck). They referred him to a surgeon who did laser surgery on Thursday. He said the tear wasn't as bad as originally thought BUT the tear was near a blood vessel so there was lots of blood inside. His vision is still wonky - he said it is like looking through a dirty screen. Have any of you torn your retina? surgery? 

Sunday Stealing

 Here we go:

1. if someone wanted to really understand you, what would they read, watch, and listen to? I guess they should listen to Mark and the kids and the in-laws. I guess they should watch me and how I live my life. Hopefully, you could watch our grown children and see how they live, too. You should probably read The Enneagram & Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr or The Road Back to You by Suzanne Stabile. I am a #1 on the Enneagram and as much as I hate to admit it, the definition of a #1 is me. I know the way I answered two parts of the question probably wasn’t the way this question was supposed to be answered but those were my immediate thoughts.

 

2. have you ever found a writer who thinks just like you? if so, who? I cannot remember his name, but one time I was teaching a large adult Sunday School class and the book was written by a man . . . and I felt like I could have written the same words.

 

3. do you care about your ethnicity? On a daily basis, as a middle class white woman in the U.S., I don’t usually have to think of my ethnicity. I have become more interested in genealogy over the last few years and we had ALWAYS been told that we were ¼ Cherokee. I’ve mentioned this before . . . my DNA shows otherwise. I am mostly Irish with some other European countries thrown in. My granny’s last name was Murphy and I did enjoy our time in Ireland. I did feel a weird bond!

 

4. what musical artists have you most felt connected to over your lifetime? I have NO idea.

 

5. are you an artist? Nope. I would love to be, but I’m not. I can be creative but definitely not an artist.

 

6. dog person or cat person? We have a cat, Harvey, so I guess I’m a cat person . . .even though I’m allergic. Our son and his family are dog people, along with their friend. I'm allergic to dogs, too. We ate dinner at their house last night and the dogs love me. This is not a flattering picture of me but it definitely tells a story.

Harvey - in my office with me

This is Dog #1

Different collar - different dog - Let me
lean on you! As soon as one jumped down,
another jumped up.

 

7. inside or outdoors? I guess I’m an indoor person, even though I would like to say outdoor. Mark is very much an outdoor person.

 

8. five most influential books over your lifetime – Y’all know I can’t pick favorites – I did love Same Kind of Different as Me. I loved What’s So Amazing about Grace. I loved American Dirt. I would be remiss if I didn’t say The Bible.

.

9. would you rather be in Middle Earth, Narnia, Hogwarts, or somewhere else? Once again, favorites are not my forte’. I would love to go to Narnia and I would love to go to Hogwarts.

 

10. list the top five things you spend the most time doing, in order. I’ve never kept up with my life hour by hour but I work, I sleep, I eat, I talk, I cook. I probably read more than I cook, so maybe it should be work, sleep, eat, talk, read, cook. I don’t know.

 

11. have you ever felt like you had a “mind-meld” with someone? I’m sure I have but this early on a Sunday morning, that memory is not coming to me. I can think of how I have felt in those moments – the thought “oh my goodness, they get me!” zings through my head!

 

12. could you live as a hermit? It would be very difficult for me to live as a hermit. The 12 weeks we worked from home back in 2020 were hard and I wasn’t alone – Mark was there at least at night.

 

13. do you feel like your outside appearance is a fair representation of the “real you”? I’m not sure it is. Like I told you earlier, I am a #1 on the enneagram which makes me think I should be perfectly thin. I always struggle with my weight. Back in 2017, Iost 70 pounds and I’ve kept over 60 off but I could still lose at least 25 more.

 

14. three songs that you connect with right now. Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, O Holy Night – seriously? I have no idea!

 

15. pick one of your favorite quotes. I used this as the closing greeting on our Christmas cards: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY MY FAVORITE QUOTE (I HAVE A FAVORITE TODAY!!)

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”

― Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967