Weekend in Review . . . a day late!

 Thursday night was our service of Loss and Light. Christmas is often difficult for those who are mourning. It is historically held at our smaller campus. I love this service and worked as the greeter at the door.

Over the last two weeks we made stars out of clay and painted them to give out to each person. The stars were made so that they will fit in a person's hand to remind them that the light (God and his glorious light) ALWAYS wins.

When I got home, I put on my comfy Christmas leggings and made a cup of no sugar ice cream, light egg nog, and Paddy's Irish Whiskey. It was yummy.

Friday found me in the kitchen making cheese straws. I made 2 1/2 recipes -- 2 1/2 pounds of cheese, multiple sticks of butter, lots of flour and red pepper. YUM!

Mark likes for his cheesestraws to be extra spicy so I made a few just for him.

On Friday night, we went to a Christmas party on our circle. I got to hang out with Lu for a little while!

Susan and Pat's home was decorated beautifully.

She served lots of food.

I'm on the left, Susan (hostess) is beside me, then Lu . . .and our newest neighbor is on the end. She begins a new cancer treatment on January 4 for a recurrence.

The host, Pat, is wearing red and our next door neighbor, Mike, is in the blue.

In addition to food, they served Cosmopolitans and Old Fashioneds and wine and bourbon.

On Saturday, I went to WW and stopped to pick up a couple of things. Right before dark we took a golf cart ride around the neighborhood to see some Christmas lights.

On Sunday, I worked and we went to our Contact Christmas program where stories and Christmas music are shared.

We took a nap! I made some chili for my lunches.

I also sold a camera on Facebook Marketplace so I met the people in the Walgreen's parking lot. I wrapped presents for the granddaughters and watched The Family Stone. I didn't know it was going to be sad. I had an ugly Sunday afternoon cry!!!

While I was at work on Monday, Mark headed to the farm. He broke the farm record when he caught this fish! He was so excited.

Also, on Monday . . .our daughter was in a bad car wreck. She is "fine" - they are waiting on the results of an x-ray of her wrist. They think it is just a bad sprain but it could be broken. Every airbag in her car deployed and the car is totaled. I am so thankful she is ok and that she didn't have the kids with her. I didn't know whether to jump in the car and drive to her or what. They went to the ER but there was "no room in the inn." Literally! They ended up going to Urgent Care where they still had to wait for hours. She is going to be black and blue all over today. The driver of the other car pulled out right in front of her. He was clearly at fault but proceeded to jump out of his car shouting at her and calling her every name in the book. Two older ladies saw the wreck and stopped and stayed with Laura until her husband and the police arrived.

I have slowly been filling the stockings . . .

I have them in order by age - - Mark, Lisa, Scott, Lauren, Laura, Glenn, Wynn (our son by different parents), three granddaughters.

I can't believe it is Christmas Eve Eve. Mark and I will attend our Christmas Eve Eve service (which is the first of multiple services over the next two days) tonight and we've invited our neighbors to come and sit with us. We will grab some dinner afterwards. I will work until 5:15 on Wednesday and then I'll be off Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I will work again on Sunday and then I'll be off most of next week - yay!!

Ho Ho Week - Sunday Stealing!

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

Impetua is a blogger who stole this meme from someone named Yello, who I could not find. While it's not specifically about the holidays, these questions do have a festive feel.

Stealing Some Fun

1. Describe your favorite cake. I don’t eat sweets, but if I did . . .German Chocolate Cake made by Mark’s mother’s recipe. I made one for Thanksgiving.

2. Think of the best party you've ever attended. Were you a host or a guest? We’ve been to some great parties over the years, but my all-time favorite was probably my 50^th birthday. Many of you may remember that I have shared that my mom died right around her 50^th birthday. I always said that If I made it to 50, I was going to throw a massive party to celebrate. A friend heard me say those words and said she wanted to host it. Mark hired a caterer who stayed and cooked some things to order during the party! My sister, Becky, was here from Texas. Our kids and some of their friends were there. We invited our whole Sunday School class plus some other church friends. It was a great night.

3. When you choose a greeting card, do you pay more attention to the words or the pictures? I am drawn to the cover first and then I read the words – they both have to work for the person that will receive the card. The last few cards we have purchased have been $6-8. That seems a little ridiculous!

4. What's your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There aren’t so many expectations. There is wonderful food and family time.

5. Who is your favorite character on your favorite TV show? I’m not even sure what my favorite TV show is . . . I like quite a few! I loved the character development on Schitt’s Creek. I also loved the character development on Breaking Bad. I love all of the characters – or almost all – on The Big Bang Theory. We are watching Ozark, Goliath, and Better Call Saul right now. I like random characters on all of those shows.

Mid-Week Shenanigans

Tuesday night was our Young Adult Christmas Party which includes Dirty Santa! Mark and I always have so much fun!!

Jessie was number one and started the game for us.

Caleb had on a great shirt -- Go Jesus! It's Your Birthday!

Mark sitting between Josh and Clarence . . .

Katie, Eliz, and Elizabeth

Josh is opening a gift - I think he opened three throughout the course of the evening.

 I can't remember what Ella opened!

Bailey had on the cutest sweater/sweatshirt -- the hood was the top of the Christmas tree!

We were missing about 8 people who were traveling . . .and we were missing one who broke her ankle!!

Wednesday was our "filming" day. Our senior pastor and our executive director take a popular song and re-write the lyrics and then choreograph the whole thing for a music video. It is released at our Contact Christmas service. The point is that we make total fools of ourselves for Jesus . . .actually, to feed, clothe, and house the people whom Jesus loves! We have a Manger Offering during Advent and the money given goes to help 20 ministry partners (such as homeless shelters, Wesley foundations, etc.) plus the money helps fund our Outreach Hub (where Mark volunteers every week). Last year, the offering was almost $250,000. We just took up a special offering in November to help students whose families SNAP benefits were suspended and our goal was $25,000. People gave $200,000. We don't know if that large offering in November will affect our Manger Offering. I think our goal is either $150,000 or $200,000. For some reason, this crazy video we make each year increases that offering . . .so we willingly make fools of ourselves.

I was Six - Six Geese-a-laying plus the 6 of 6-7.

One of the fourth grade Sunday School rooms was set up as the green room. Our senior pastor (my boss) is directing this shot. That would be the "French Hen" strutting across with the Partridge in a Pear Tree leaning against the wall.

In between shots, I ran down the hall - Chef Bert was busy setting up the food for our Staff Christmas Party.

Back down the hall . . .here we are outside the green room. I'm on the right (red on my head). Seven is standing beside me in her sequined swim cap . . .7 swans a swimming.

Normally I have to work on Wednesday nights, but there were no activities so I headed to Target. Mark was at our daughter's house about an hour and a half away.

Why was he there?

Because this morning (Thursday) was our granddaughter's class party. Our daughter, Laura, is a teacher at the school and her party was at the same time. Mark went down to be our granddaughter's plus one! I'm so glad that Laura was able to run down to the classroom and get a quick photo with "Pops" and our sweet girl!! Laura looks so much like Mark!

Today (Thursday) is the 50+ Christmas Party. They had a packed house. Three on a String is a musical group that played a local bar, the Lowenbrau, back when I was a young adult. They were the entertainment for the party! They have aged . . .just like I have haha!

I stayed long enough to snap a couple of photos and headed back to work.

Here is a wide angle view of the fellowship hall. Chef Bert prepared tons of lovely food and they had door prizes and entertainment!! Some of the folks in the room were brought by caregivers or by their children.

I guess that is my mid-week shenanigans. Anything exciting happening in your "neck of the woods"?

 

How Can It Be Hodgepodge!

 

Hello Hodgepodgers. Here are the questions to this week's link up. Join us at From This Side of the Pond, or in the comments, to share your answers. 

Please note: Joyce will take a MUCH DESERVED vacation from the Hodgepodge next week! The Hodgepodge will be on Christmas break next week, so no link up on December 24th. We'll return to our normal Wednesday hop on December 31st. In the meantime, here's what we're answering this week...

How can we be so close to the end of the year? Seriously! How?

1. What's one thing on your to-do list that you want to get done, need to get done, or that must get done before the year ends? 

I need to buy stocking stuffers before the 27th. I need to straighten up some closets and I want to work on our attic.

2.  December 17th is National Maple Syrup Day...are you a fan? Do you like maple flavor in other food items such as candy, cookies, donuts, oatmeal, hot toddies, coffee? 

I'm "take it or leave it" on the Maple Syrup. I buy Mrs. Butterworth's no sugar added syrup for me. I do like a packet of 100 calorie oatmeal that has maple syrup flavor. 

3. Time magazine names a person of the year every year.  The tradition started back in 1927 with a 'man of the year' but has since changed to recognize not only an individual, but also to consider the impact of a group, movement, or idea that most influenced the year. The selection is not always someone or something good (think Hitler in 1938 and Stalin twice). 

This year they've named The AI Architects as their 'person of the year'. What say you? Is this a good choice, an obvious choice, a logical choice? Who do you think should have been named person of the year? 

I use AI often (chatGPT) and I must admit AI is pretty amazing. The architects behind it are pretty smart. I'm not sure I would have named them as "person of the year," but they are probably a better choice than some others!

4. What's a city, state, or country you've visited that you never care to visit again? Tell us why. 

I want to say Egypt . . .but I would probably go back just to see the things I missed! The new museum was not open and I would like to see it.

5. Next Sunday (December 21st) marks the first day of winter (or the opposite if you're living down under). What's one thing you love about this new season? 

I love the fact that on the very next day after December 21 . . . is December 22, when we begin to get more light. It is just a little each day, but eventually . . .we get back to more sunshine. I know that was not exactly what you were asking, but that is how I feel! I do love using our fireplace (gas logs) throughout the winter months.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our home is almost fully decorated . . .or as decorated as it is going to be. I want to bake cheese straws and I need to take some goodies to one more neighbor. I've ordered Christmas stockings for a friend and for our youngest granddaughter. As I mentioned in my #1 answer, I need to buy stocking stuffers. I need to plan our Christmas (December 27 celebration) family menu. Christmas cards are in the mail. Seriously - I have a few extra. If you want a Christmas card, please email your address to me at lelliott@trinitybirmingham.com.

Weekend in Review

As usual, our weekend started on Thursday. This is not a great photo, but I was wearing a new outfit to our Sunday School Christmas party and I was texting the photo to a younger friend to find out whether or not I needed to front tuck this shirt.

We picked up our neighbors, Laura Lea and Tommy, and headed to the party at the Pearson's home. Their house is pretty amazing.

We challenged each other to make donations to charities this week and everyone who did donate . . .wrote the name of the charity on a star and hung it on their tree. It was anonymous and we didn't put the amount given - just the name of the organization. It was so cool to see all of the stars!

Everyone brought something to share.

I thought the little Grinch hats were cute!

Here is a long view into their kitchen.

Our hostess, Claudia, is to the left in the apron. I made little ham and cheese sandwiches using a recipe from an actual cookbook! It is one of those recipes that everyone used to make back when I was a newlywed. They ate both pans in a flash and Mark nor I got one!

Their house is so large that everyone spread out and no room was crowded. There were at least 50 of us enjoying the party!

Friday morning found me at my third doctor's appointment of the week. The Thursday appointment was a killer because I had to wait a LONG time and had forgotten my phone!! Friday morning's appointment was much better - I ran into an old friend in the waiting room and chatted with her for a few minutes and then I was called back! I love how they have a cut out of Chevy Chase by their tree!

I left the doctor's appointment and headed straight to Peggy's house for a Friday morning brunch. She has hosted the women from out office for several years now. Going to her house is like walking into a Hallmark movie. She replaces all of her artwork with paintings of Santa - see the one over the mantle?? Her den tree has more ornaments than I have ever seen on a tree . . . and her tree rotates!

She takes everything out of her bookshelves and replaces it with Christmas items.

We all brought brunch items and ate together.

We also played Dirty Santa with ornaments. It was fun!!

I ran home to drop off some stuff and while there . . .the doorbell rang and it was a delivery man with flowers for us!!

It was from our friends we met on the cruise. They sent the sweetest card.

I was literally working on the centerpiece for our dining room table and was able to slip that arrangement right into the middle of my wooden box. I've added more things since I took this photo, but it turned out great.

Mark was at the farm on Friday night and I worked . . .and worked . . .and worked on our Christmas card. I watched White Christmas while I addressed cards. No decorations on the mantle yet - just wait!! I snapped this photo during the sister's song. I love that movie.

I love sending and receiving Christmas cards.

I snapped this on Saturday morning. I had on an apron I found at Mark's mother's when we were dividing up her things. I have a shower cap on my head because I was getting ready to bake. My sweater is drying on a towel on the bathroom floor and you can see junk on the counter behind me. Oh well!

At some point, I sat down for just a moment.

Mark brought greenery home from the farm. He brought a lot which was wonderful!!

It was nice enough outside that I had on shorts and a t-shirt for about an hour while I decorated my mailbox. I wanted to do it before dark because we knew a bitter cold front would be arriving during the night. I had presoaked my oasis so it was ready to go when he got home. He brought limbs from the Bay tree - smells so good! He brought magnolias, cedar, long leaf pine, and the plant with red berries - not holly (can't remember what it is called).

Ta da! Here is the mailbox. I'm pleased. It actually held together during those crazy north winds on Sunday.

Sunday morning was extra special because I was able to attend worship!! It was the service of Lessons and Carols and it was spectacular.

I used one of the silver trays I inherited from Mark's mom as the base for our kitchen tree.

On Sunday afternoon, I bagged up the brown sugar brownies and cookies I had made and even though it was SO COLD, headed out to deliver. Mark drove while I hopped out and ran to each door.

In addition to brown sugar brownies, I made the Ritz, peanut butter, and chocolate bark cookies. A few people received those instead of the brownies. One pan of my brownies went into the trash. I think I didn't let the pan cool enough before filling it with the next batch of batter.

My friends, Marietta and Tim, brought this fun pink bag to me last week as a thank you gift. I love it!! I used it to pack the cookies/bars for delivery.

On Sunday afternoon, I decorated the mantle while watching The Muppet Christmas movie.

I use a 9 foot long piece of fake garland as the base and then I work live greenery, along with battery operated lights, into that base.

Just one more shot of the tree . . .

That is our weekend in a nutshell. What about you? Did you do anything fun this weekend?