Christmas...Cookies, Quilts and Kids.

Good Morning, Friends!

Well, Christmas will be here before I do another post so, I just want to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!  

These are busy days for most so if you're not done with your shopping, be safe out there!  Look around when getting out of your car...keep your purse or wallet secured while shopping and never turn your back on your buggy!  

I was once in Walmart shopping and had my bag sitting and unzipped... (yes, I was an idiot) and had my back turned towards something on a shelf and when I suddenly turned back to my buggy...there, staring at me, was a young woman reaching for my bag...All I could say was, "I wouldn't if I were you..."  (I was younger and quite capable of defending myself).

We had a "Come to Jesus meeting" in those few seconds of time...and I realized how stupid I had been leaving my bag alone and handy to grab by any self-respecting thief. 

  Totally my fault...but no more.  I'm a quick learner.  She smiled that "busted" kind of smile...turned on her heel and slowly walked away.  I didn't stop shaking until I was safely locked inside my car...

Internet photo...not my bag.  But I never fail to clip my bag to the buggy.  Zipped.  

Those straps aren't just for babies...

Isn't it sad we have to take such precautions?  It might never happen to you but just don't take a chance.  

Never used to be this bad...

What's a post without our sweetie-pie Sloane? lol

Anyway, my shopping is nearly at the finish.  I have another gift I want to get for our son in law.  The kids are coming here for early morning breakfast of biscuits & sausage gravy.  And an egg quiche of some sort...I'll make desserts and candy.  Hot coffee and chocolate, of course...The girls will bring their treats and we'll just enjoy a Christmas morning together.  We had them all for Christmas lunch last year so now it's our turn to let them go to Everett's family celebration lunch.  I remember all the places we had to go to on Christmas Day so long ago...so fun.

I've made a small test batch of these Oatmeal No-Bake cookies.  We really like them!  I'll make more for Christmas. 

Then, I made some Lace cookies I found on Martha Stewart's baking site... Larry liked them, but I don't really care for this batch because I used dark brown sugar and should have used light brown!  Too much molasses!  They never really got crisp. 

I also got busy and sewed two of the four panels of my quilt together.  I was sick this past week and didn't go anywhere so I managed a bit of sewing.  And no... not perfect but I'm continuing on and will complete the thing! lol

I don't throw these clippings away...saving them for the birds and animals who are still here to use in their nest or beds.

I found this old slide of Larry and I that was taken while we were on a Caribbean cruise in 1980.  I managed to put it on my phone and use my limited skills to make it "seeable"...lol...gads, we were infants! Larry was already turning grey at 26.

Speaking of Larry, another treatment done...the next will be on the 22nd.  He is continuing to do well!  Thank you for your prayers and...Thank you, Jesus!

Our Air Force granbabies that won't be with us this year...Sara and Tylar (stationed in Hungary) and....

Alyssa, William and Wesley (Alyssa's service furrbaby)  stationed in Arkansas.

God, how we miss them...

This never fails to make me smile...

Well Friends, until next time, May you all enjoy your Christmas...and may God keep you all wrapped in His loving arms.

Santa...Trees, Remembrance and Love.

Good morning, Friends...

This past week had me busy sitting with a sick Sloane...Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  She's better now.

Then, when I had rested up, I finished decorating for Christmas.  I don't have a lot anymore but my trees and a few what-nots and candles.

The two empty stockings under the tree are for our Air Force grandsons.  Will and girlfriend Alyssa are in Arkansas now at his new posting and Tylar and Sara are in Papa, Hungary.

We're going to miss them...Why can't we ever get all our chicks in one basket? lol

 

I finally said enough with our tree!  You can keep adding and adding...so I just had to back away! lol

This is our granddaughter's tree.  Fits their lifestyle...

Grandma Lolli and grandpa Pops, (our daughter Crystal and hubby Tim), got to keep Sloane last weekend!  They live almost three hours from her so they usually drive up and stay at Sami and Everett's house.  This time, they got to keep her in their home...Tim bought her a shopping cart...Too cute!

They had a wonderful weekend!

Larry at his Friday treatment...four more to go...he's tolerating them with no problems.

I found this on Facebook... It really tugged at my heart!  I know the pain of losing loved ones...you miss them being around...calling, hearing their voices.  You see or hear something, and you are filled with memories, sounds or smells.  Those memories fill your emotional tank...if just for a moment...and you smile.  But we'll never see them again if we don't move forward.  We are not finish here on Earth.  So!  Put on that smile and know how much we loved and were loved!  We'll see them again! 

A new year is coming...another chance to get things done!

I had the idea to buy my daughter, Crystal, an old-style telephone/address book like mine.  She often asks me for numbers, addresses...birthdates, etc.   It was just by chance I found the same style in red, for her!  I'd bought mine back in the early 2000's.  Talk about a sign! lol

I've written addresses and numbers she will need in the years ahead...birthdays and anniversaries written on a piece of paper by my Dad, her favorite grandfather...long past.  I've always said this newfound AI stuff is nice but nothing beats a hard copy!  You never know if one day you may need it.  Hope she likes it.

Playroom/television room tree...

My Mom's handmade tree...she made it back in the 1960's.

A railroad Santa tree I found last year at the Goodwill!  

16" tall...I've tried everything to get it to work but to no avail...:o(

Well sweet friends, I'll stop boring you.  It's just been a slow week for news around here.  So, I'll let you get on with your day.  

Have a sweet and peaceful week and until next time...

A Birthday...a Treatment, a Sandwich and Mushy.

Happy Birthday to our sweet angel, Libby, aka, Olivia Pug Princess!  She turned 10 on December 1st !

This little girl is my buddy...stalker...protector...and she has my heart, hook, line and sinker.

I can't think of my life without her... 

Larry started BCG treatments December 1st, as well.  The actual treatment took only about 15 minutes...butttt...the nurse made us stay for two hours.  She said it was so Larry's reaction to treatment could be observed.  Made perfect sense so...he got to kick back in his heated massage chair and watch a little television.  All subsequent visits, he can leave right after treatment.

I haven't gotten to work much on my quilt top lately.  Little Sloane has been out of daycare with fever because of her ears.  Momma Samantha's schedule, this week, calls for me traveling 30 minutes to their house to sit with Sloane.  We don't want any type of fever around Larry while he's receiving his treatments.  Fine by me!  Anytime spent with Soane is a spirit lifting time.  And Samantha appreciated the clean kitchen and folded laundry when she got home.  We "do" for our babies no matter how old they are. 

Finally got Sloane down for a nap...took a while! lol

Finished all 20 blocks...finally!  And no, they're not perfectly aligned.  My first quilt top...getting to know my machine...takes a while and a lot of mistakes. 

Got them all laid out on our bed...this is the back side of the blocks.  I flipped each stack and labeled them.  I did get one row sewn together before I needed to take care of Sloane.

I'll get there...

Managed to get our tree up.  I'm not through decorating it but it'll just have to wait in line...I been busy.  I received a jury summons...had to appear this past Monday...Long story short, I got picked to serve on a jury but my Angel took care of me!  The case was civil and it settled out of court!  Yeah me!  All of us potential jurors heaved a huge sigh of relief and quickly left the building! lol

This is Larry's favorite breakfast sandwich...fried egg on buttered toast with mustard.  

He would eat it every morning if I made it!  I don't... but hey, once a week is fine.  My favorite?  A Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich...lolol  I rarely make one.

We drove the 50 miles to Corsicana, Texas, to the cemetery my folks are buried in... Larry wanted to go visit the Russell Stover candy company.  We'd never been and after "visiting" with my mom and dad...we stopped in.  It was huge...and chocolate everywhere...and, I forgot to take a photo!  But, here's what we bought...Hope the kids like all the chocolate.

While in Corsicana, we wanted to eat at a place that we knew would be good and not waste our money on...lol...right.  The managers must have changed since our last visit because the food was nasty.  

This is me and Larry...Lol

A few fries...uncooked hushpuppies and cold...and don't let the look of the fish fool you.  The fish itself was mushy!  Awful...and that crust?  I seriously don't know what it was.  But it fell apart when you touched it.  The Mac & Cheese were passable but almost tasteless.  Best thing on the plate?  The okra...and only, just.  

Guess another restaurant bites the dust for us.  We have a Cotton Patch here in Waco...it also used to be good, but we haven't tried it in a long while.

I've never heard of an apple pie made with custard, but I think it might be good?  I'll let you know...click to enlarge photo and print, if you wish.

Well friends...Hope you aren't stressing about Christmas and buying loved one's, things.  It's just "stuff".  A bonus to what the Day stands for.  The Baby Jesus arrived!  How wonderful is that!  What a Gift!

So... until next time...stay safe and be well.