Bob and I had a quiet time... nibbles all evening..."Reacher" and something else on Netflix then cooking shows on PBS' "Create" .... then bubbly wine at midnight !
Decided that 2023 had been a good and bad year.. probably mostly good and most of the bad things worked their way to being taken care of!!
Here's hoping 2024 will be a good one... for us, our family and hopefully the world!!
Today is turning into another quiet one...it is sunny and warmish ( 46 F) and the washing machine and dryer are working away!!
I don't feel like cooking so we will be having soup and tuna sandwiches tonight with fruited jello and a green salad.
Tigger ( the orange cat) always seems to know when I am opening a can of tuna fish. I always buy wild caught solid tuna in water... and the cats love "tuna juice" - the water from the can. Tigger starts yowling the moment the can opener hits the can! I split the "juice" into two dishes and both cats lick the dish clean!!
Tigger's next thing was to get onto of my bed as we tried to put the newly washed bottom sheet back on... he digs his claws in and has to be removed or we will have a shredded sheet!! Now he's waiting for the top sheet...
The house has been quiet since Christmas... We are still working our way through the Christmas food things ( like cookies, Chex mix etc.).
.Except my teacher daughter, grand daughter and I went to see a very upscale kitchen etc store. That doesn't exactly describe Cockrells Mercantile down in Lee's Summit which is about 20 minutes from here. It's a complex of buildings... a larger remodeled house with everything from LeCreuset cookware to dip mixes to jams and jellies and so on... where Lili and I found a few things.I even found some things for next year's quilting gift exchange on sale ! 50% off!
There are other smaller redone houses - holding designer clothing in one, Fiestaware in another, baking items in a third, children's items in the last!!
The courtyard and paths are brick which was a little treacherous with the light snow and rain falling but the others (LOL) made sure I was safe.
On the way home we treated ourselves to LaMar's donuts!!
Today it was grocery shopping for me. My daughter and grandson headed out to the KC Zoo.. planning on seeing the new Aquarium, Penguins , polar bear and so on. All the snow melted and no new rain today, so the trip should have been fun!!
Also we were visited by a neighbor and his Junior Girl Scout daughter... it's GS cookie selling time. We ordered 5 boxes which will be here in February!! By then the Christmas goodies should be gone!!
We had a wonderful day yesterday... lots of brunch foodies, Christmas cookies, pecan pralines, Christmas crack, Chex mix... etc. I could go on...Orange juice and Proseco ( home made mimosas) to go with the rest!!
Followed by gift exchanging... Lili on the floor sorting through the pile and handing presents out! We were so busy that I forgot to take pictures.
Everybody had leftovers to take home!
Bob and I are exhausted today... we both keep falling asleep in our recliners ! No real reason for it but we are!!
I probably won't be blogging tomorrow so Merry Christmas or happy Holidays to all!
I think we are ready for everyone to arrive for brunch and the gift exchange tomorrow...we spent today finishing the last little things....
... but the day started with an unexpected phone call !Two family members are in Abu Dhabi ( part of the Arab Emirates) !!! Never had a phone call from that far away before! They are enjoying lovely warm weather... makes me a little jealous!
After pottering around finishing things I spent the rest of my quiet time reading!
Again... Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays !
Looks like we are just about done. Done enough for Bob to be trying another bread recipe. He has the new yeast packages I bought the other day so he should be ok.
One of the things my daughter, grand daughter and I loved on our celebration lunch were the roasted Brussels Sprouts with apples and lardons. So I went recipe hunting and found something similar.. roasted sprouts, bacon and apples. I will give it a try tonight.
Google has been showing up on my computer with pictures from Christmases gone by...some made us
sad... but here's one of of my kids way back when ... 1975 in Rochester, NY.... that one make me smile!
Wednesday my quilting group also known as a "Stitch and bi***" group met here for our annual Christmas get together...We exchange small gifts and eat loads of homemade goodies!! Good times were had with lots of laughter especially talks of being pulled over by cops.. no tickets but warnings for very inconsequential things ( according to us!)
Thursday was gift wrapping day... and emptying out the refrigerator's left overs .. I want loads of room for Christmas goodies!!
This morning I headed out for the grocery store.. joining loads of others. The parking lot was full as were the aisles. But the store was prepared with loads of checkout aisles and baggers! I am glad I did some emptying .. found room for the new stuff!! Think I have remembered everything... but I can go back tomorrow or Sunday!
My grand daughter received all A's for her college classes so as family tradition has it, we (her mother and I) took her out to lunch!! We went to Ophelia's in Independence, Mo and the food was great! Our starter was roasted Brussel sprouts with thinly sliced Granny Smith apples and lardon. When we saw that on the menu we whipped out the cell phones and found it is chopped pork belly. Sort of like bacon. Wonderful!
My grand daughter took home a cute tree ornament .. small very elaborate cocktail in a mini glass!!
So her first University semester is done ( she completed 2 years in a community college) ... loving it, doing well and plans to graduate next winter!!
Off this morning at 9.00 to meet up with my daughter at her sister's house. The garage was full of gifts meant for senior citizen's living in the Oak Grove (MO) Phoenix Family housing site!! But before we could load up the cars we had to re-label some gifts. Guess there were two Linda's! We had to figure out which gifts went to which Linda!
Finally we headed out for Friendship Manor where we unloaded our cars! Volunteers will make sure gifts get to the right person!! I was glad that we had done a good job of labeling our gifts which had gone to a different housing site!!
It looks like my teacher/daughter and I will be taking my grand daughter out to lunch tomorrow... it is a family tradition for all A's on report cards ... even college ones!!
Ps ...the two with the same first names had the same first two letters for their last names
Well... today was putting up more "stuff" around the house. I want to be ready for our quilting group's Christmas get together on Wednesday evening. And I made another new to me recipe for my part of the refreshments - a white chocolate, craisin and pecan "candy"
Placed more of my Annalee things.around... so glad to put out my huge Annalee Santa mouse up on the landing..greenery along the handrails...He stands 30 inches tall!!
I always tie him to the newel post so that rambunctious cats don't knock him down the stairs!!
I started collecting AnnaLee mice, Santas, angels, reindeer , etc when we lived in Michigan way back in the late '70's. I still pick up a few now and then.
Tomorrow Bob, the teacher daughter and I join the non-profit daughter delivering Senior gifts. They have been stored in L's basement as she brought them home, car load at time, from downtown KC. Phoenix Family has a senior housing site in Oak Grove!!
My teacher/daughter is finally getting to feeling more normal after her bout with covid and she can smell and taste a little. So we went Christmas shopping!!
A local furniture store closed down maybe a year or two (?) ago. The building was bought and renovated this past fall ( I think). I remember shopping at the furniture store feeling like I would never finish wandering around looking at the furniture... and the new renovated business is just as huge.
The business is Queen Bee Boutiques ( Blue Springs, MO) .. and it houses MANY MANY small mostly craft business booths. Sort of like the antique malls. It looks very well organized and organized so that different booths are not near others of the same type. One large check-out area since all items are bar coded and nicely wrapped.
We found things just right for our gift exchange ( stitch and b***h group) and some impulse things for family members. I also found some snacks for our grand dogs Harper and Scout. I might have added more for them but they are big dogs and the doggie booths seem to specialize in much smaller dogs!! No cat booths at all !!
I put Bob to work on the lights around the front door this morning. He 's no longer "up" to step stools and ladders so this is our solution. He's also too frugal to want to hire someone... there are many businesses now that do this around here. And while the lights look great the cost is high.
I spent my time, lest you think I was work free, wrapping our seniors' "stuff". I use different paper for each and made sure everything was labelled.
Tomorrow we head downtown KC to drop things off! I received a reminder email just as I was about to send one saying we would be coming tomorrow to the organizer!! Then we got an email from our daughter... she will stop by tomorrow on her way to work and pick up things. Hooray no 45 minute trip in and 45 minute trip back home.
In exchange we will help our daughter deliver to one of the Phoenix Family sites out here in the suburbs (lol). She will have taken everything to her home in batches... we will help her take things to the site.
Our teacher/daughter is still not up to snuff with the remnants of covid... but is back to school , masked. As soon as her students are bussed back to their respective schools, she heads home and collapses! Friday is the last day before winter break...
Well... think we have the want/need Christmas lists for our two seniors filled. Some things were hard to find.. others easy. .....time to wrap?
I cleared off the dining room table and brought downstairs one seniors "stuff". We will label everything and pack everything into something. Then start all over with the other's stuff. Wrapping everything in two different papers ... to lesson the risk of confusion...lol. Then we take everything to my daughter's house and load op her car so she can take it to Phoenix Family Housing offices.
Our teacher/ daughter went to school today. She still sounded awful yesterday but she planned on a science experiment - making snow - today!! Sometimes I think/ know that she enjoys what she plans as much as the kids...everything from chess tournaments ... to rockets... to maps.... and loads of reading!!
Heard from her on her way home... the kids loved making snow. One type was a physical reaction... the other chemical. The difference was key to this science project. They also made gingerbread houses using graham crackers. The kids took them home... but not before finishing up their supplies by eating them!!
BTW.. she's lost her sense of smell and taste!
My daughter stayed home today.. not wanting to infect students, teachers and staff. So many are ill that she would have been pressed into substituting which she did not feel up to. So instead she is home , in an empty house ( husband at work, son at high school)....
So far Bob has not brought home Covid from his helping with the new dishwasher.. hooray! Masking and boosters seem to be working in his favor! BTW ... new dishwasher is a bomb!
Talked Bob into finding our adress list of relatives and friends... time to start writing Christmas cards??
Tomorrow I will be heading out to the grocery store.. list in hand for our stuff.. lists for our seniors as well. We have gotten most of their wants/needs... just a few hum drum grocery store things to go!
Then is will be wrapping and labeling time...
Our younger daughter left school early the other day feeling awful. Didn't feel any better yesterday so stayed home.
One good thing about being home was that she could be there when her Christmas present arrived... a new dishwasher. Bob was on standby and masked. The delivery men took away the broken one and brought in the new one... carrying it up the stairs ( inner and outer) using back straps!!
Then Bob and our s-i-l put in the new one after he got home from work. Our daughter supervised (LOL) and still felt awful... Bob still masked!
Today she reported that whatever is going around at her school tests positive for Covid and she has it! Oh so glad Bob was masked every time he was there!
Our daughter is so glad not to be washing dishes by hand!
We're so glad Bob was masked, that I was home and that we have had the latest Covid boosters!!
Bob and I went on our first Christmas wants/needs lists from two seniors who live in one of Phoenix Family's sites.
One said on his list that he never had Christmas as a child and that he doesn't read or write. BUT he wants a writing practice book as he is learning to do both.. I think I found one at Hobby Lobby! We found most of what is on his list ...
The other one wants a wire folding cart ... We hunted all over Wal-Mart and had several employees look up the cart on their cell phones... nope! But we did an on-line search , when we got home, and found one. But now we are worrying on whether she can assemble it and whether it is sturdy! Did find an adult coloring book for her! And a huge tin of flavored popcorn..
I don't think we done as much searching for listed items in a long time.. and are exhausted.
Our younger daughter... the teacher one.. seems to have picked up what lots of the kids and teachers have... the dreaded stomach bug. She headed home early and was planning on a nap ( woke later and felt and sounded worse - taking tomorrow off)
At Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby three little boys decided I was ok...One in the Wal-Mart's check out line was young enough to just be able to say "hi" and smile with dimples! He winked at me and when leaving I got a big bye-bye. Two little brothers in Hobby Lobby wished me "Merry Christmas". We discussed whether they had seen Santa yet .."no" not to talk to but had seen him at the fish store. Yes they had been good and when they did see Santa we discussed not crying so their Mother could get a good picture.
Enjoyed it.. especially since my grand son is now 17 and towers over me.. sometimes even gets down on his knees to give me a hug.
Heading out tomorrow for some more things on their lists like canned tuna, chicken, soups and Hershey bars ( his favorite).
I tried a new recipe today... coconut pecan pralines. I thought I had failed somehow . I followed the directions and at the end I scooped the mixture onto wax paper over cookie sheets. . The recipe writer suggested placing them into the freezer to cool. I put them on the deck - 40 degrees.
Well they didn't harden and I had to peel them off the wax paper. A sticky mess. Turned them upside down on the cookie sheet hoping to harden the sticky bottoms.
FINALLY 5 plus hours later they have hardened!! They taste great but they are super sweet. Not sure I'll make them again... depends on the reactions of my family, I guess!
We have been taking "steps" towards Christmas... I made a huge batch of Chex Mix and gave some to both daughters. Started baking cookies. Made "crack pretzels" for my grandson ( he loves them!)
I shopped for more things for Christmas baking,,, and impulsed some necessary food stuffs.
Went to Dollar Tree for plastic containers for whatever I've made... colorful tissue paper for wrapping...Andes Chocolates ( mostly for my younger daughter. They were her grandfather's favorite and the chocolates remind her of him).
The Hallmark store for cards. I found some by Unicef which remind me of what we need most of now - peace. While looking I didn't put some card boxes back correctly ... so down they went with a crash. The cashier came running to make sure I was ok..she was concerned ( nice).
Talked with my grand daughter who wanted some ideas for presents... We talked about present coupons for "help with needed tasks". One she is thinking about is for her parents. She wants to make a special dinner for them. She has been working in Houlihan's kitchen and has learned lots!!
Tomorrow I will try a new recipe for non-baked cookies. Hope it works.
The PO tracks my bears that I sold and mailed... fun watching the tracking. The packages went all over : Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Alabama
The purple glass recycling bin awaits us at the grocery store!! Our recycling bin ( three stack able units from IKEA) is getting full.
I do love chucking our glass into the purple bin...makes a great noise! And it's nice knowing more bottles will be made from everyone's trash!!
I managed to find two Christmas presents online at Amazon...I can't believe how quickly they will arrive. I placed the two orders this evening and one is supposed to arrive Wednesday.. the second on Thursday.
Bob and I adopted two seniors from our daughter's non-profit. We were sent a short biography and a list of wants/needs for each. Things have to be at the non-profits office by the 17th.. so better get going!
I'm still sitting at my computer while I box sold bears and print out USPO "click and ship" labels and Paypal details....
I'm not complaining because it means I sold a lot of my bears!!
I made one trip to the PO to put boxes in the rotating barrel and will be going again tomorrow. Lucky me the PO lobby is open 24/7!
With "click and ship" I can print postage labels ( paying for them through PayPal or a credit card)... no standing on line. Especially good at this time of the year!
Today starts this weekend's "Bear Blitz" ... an online artist teddy bear show.
If you have been wondering why I am The Glass Dragon it is because I have been making teddy bears and friends forever ! I am getting closer and closer to 7,000 bears and friends.
If you want to take a look at this weekend's sale page... here is the link
https://gdragonbears.weebly.com/
(hope I have done that correctly)
Bears are being bought.. which is great! Tigger has decided he wants to be close by while I wait
I between waiting times I have started on Scotch shortbread cookies..
.JPG)
