Just rambling on

As I sit in front of my computer today my mind feels blank. It seems I have written everything I know this past year. Of course that is not true. Not everything, and with a new year coming who knows what I may experience to write about.

I have a few things I want to share with you.

This precious little Guardian Angel of Computers was given to me by my DIL. I just love it. She also gave me two books about blogging since she knows of my addiction to it.

I received a copy of

True Compass

Edward M. Kennedy's

autobiography, actually called a memoir.
I was gifted with two boxes of Mighty Leaf tea,
Green Tea Tropical and

Organic Mint Melange.
Out of this world.


Our son in Texas sent a pound of "Ethiopia
Moplaco Yirga Cheffe"
Roasted,ground and vacuumed along with the video of the process he rigged up to roast the coffee.

http://pugmonk.blogspot.com 


HH is pretty particular about anything he puts in his mouth. If he can't pronounce it, he don't want it.
He received DVDs of  several seasons of "Bonanza."
He was happy.
Gifts cards to art stores were tucked down in some of the packages. Yippee

A new set of steak knives, since the last time D#2 was here the one she tried to use fell apart.


Now the serious thing on my mind.
Next week I have an appointment with an orthopedist to see about a torn rotator cuff .
The MRI confirmed what I suspected for some time now.
In the past 5 years I have skirted the issue with physical therapy and done well. PT does not help anymore.

Has anyone out there had an experience with surgery for rotator cuff repair?

I was told I would not be able to use my hand for several days.
Of course it is my right shoulder and I am right handed.

Guess I will have to write a bunch of posts ahead of time. 
Who knows I may not even need surgery.
I may opt for something else, if there is anything else to choose.
Happy New Year to all of my wonderful, compassionate, funny and very interesting and educational bloggie buddies.
Every year I give the New Year a name.
2010 will be The Year of  Our  Golden Anniversary and The Big Wedding for the first grandchild to be married. 
The first time for HH and I to be 
Grandparents of the Bride.
The bride to be is chomping at the bit to get things rolling. Parties and showers are being planned and I just hope I can hold out.
I don't want to miss anything.


Princess Cindy and Prince Jeremy.

Mosaic Monday and some Christmas fun

Some of my favorite pictures of Christmas day.

Dad visiting with son and grandson all visiting virtually with other son in Texas.

 

Waiting for last minute arrivals.

 

New guests arriving every minute.

 

Oohing and oing over their journals.

 

This one shed a few tears.

 

Waiting for the Chinese Christmas Game.

You get a number and take a gift or someone else's gift. Warning, can be dangerous.

Nobody, I mean nobody, better try to take this away from me.

 

I think somebody is hiding the one I wanted.

I sure don't need any candles.

 

A bottle of Maker's Mark is hard to hide.

 

Soon to be new grandson-in-law agreed to play Santa. He wanted to keep his gift.

 

The last ritual of Christmas day. 

The grands pick a ribbon to put in QMM 's hair for the last picture.

Good thing it is the last the battery is going down.

Mosaic Monday with

Mary 

Click on for other MM creations.

All gifts painted or crafted for children and grands by Papaw and Mamaw.

It was a wonderful Christmas celebration.

Now a little rest before the next biggie.

The wedding of the year in May 2010.

 

The Feast of the Holy Family

The shepherds hastened to Bethlehem where

they found Mary and Joseph and the baby 

lying in a manager.

Luke 2:16

FSO Angels

I went to the cemetery in my town to look for angels did not see many.

This is a very old statue of an angel and looked very forebidding to me ..

 

When I got up closer to look at the statue I realized this was the ultimate victory of good over evil.

Lucifer being banished into hell by the good angel. 

Go here 

to see more angels. 
Thanks Kim for the theme.

Celtic Women and O Holy Night

Day of Discovery

 

I was ironing tablecloths for our family Christmas Day celebration and it hit me.

Fact #1.

I had never ironed the huge white linen tablecloths that I only use for holiday celebrations before.

 Fact #2.

I had always taken them to the professional laundry to have them done.  

Fact #3.

I was so enjoying cleaning, decorating and getting ready for Christmas.

So what was the answer to why I suddenly realized this and why had I never felt this way before.

It has been nearly 2 years since I retired completely.

At age 70 I did not retire because I wanted to. 

I stopped working because my one day a week job, which was beneficial to me and to the company, was being moved from my nice little home town to the city. A change of 2 miles to work to 50 miles down town into the stressful city traffic.

Stress with all caps.

The job would still be mine if I choose to make the move.

Obviously I did not choose to do so.

As I was standing there ironing my beautiful tablecloth that represents one of the things that is so wonderful about family, family heirlooms, it was my Great GM's tablecloth, traditions, I knew the answer.

For the first time in nearly 50 years I did not have to work, juggle care of children and try to be a supermom and then supergramma.

I was scared to death when I faced being home everyday. Not making any money to spend, not keeping my mind active with problems to solve and using my love of creativity. Oh yes I liked to do a lot of things. I have a lot of skills but also know I find it hard to pace myself and get tied up with too many commitments and involvements.

I decided to not do anything for a year, two years, whatever it took.

One year ago I started to blog.

I endured some discouraging comments from my family.

"You are living in a make believe world."

"You need to get out more."

"You need to move more. Don't sit at that computer all day." 

Well I could not pay any attention to that.

I started blogging. Having no idea how to do it.

I met so many wonderful and creative folks who helped me learn the techniques and the skills to do all kings of things.

Blogging every day gave me something to build my time around. Ideas for improving my garden and the venue to show off what I was doing was the next big thing. I learned small ways to redecorate my home and the venue to show that. Ideas for painting were all over the blog world for the taking. Learning more about photography soon became a great interest. I blog every day, but the new interests I have rediscovered get me out of this chair and busy. It has been some years since I really enjoyed getting all my decorations out and everything done. I made new curtains for my kitchen; put up a new shower curtain; cleaned my windows just today and did a post too.

Now if I could make a little money, I would have it made. LOL. Just kidding about the money. I don't need anything. I can just move this around, take this little trim from one pillow and put in on the new curtains and just carry on.

I am so happy to be retired now and free of the feeling that I need to buy things, I am doing the happy dance, and that is good exercise.

So when our family come this Christmas they will find a Mom and Dad who are still very active and enjoying each other and taking care of our home.

I better not hear any comments about my blogging.

Thanks to all of my wonderful bloggie friends.

 

 You will never believe what I found at

http://pugmonk.blogspot.com 

My first Christmas gift of the year being made.

From our son in Texas. 

Ghosts of Christmas Past

Mosaic Monday with 

Mary

The pictures in this mosaic range from 

1962 to 2008

That is a lot of Christmases.

Would take nothing for them, even if we do look like we are tuckered out.
I had bilateral knee replacements 1 month before the picture in the center was taken.
That was a tough Christmas.

The house in the picture is the house where we lived before the house pictured in the header.

Look at that hairdo in the 1st picture at the top right.
Look at the sideburns on HH.