You Know What Day It Is

Thanksgiving was wonderful with a house full of people and a big long table in the living-dining room! It's a lot of work and I was exhausted, but it was worth every minute of it!



Slowly but surely the house is getting decorated for Christmas. In the past I have always made the day after Thanksgiving my official decorating day. I started that tradition when the kids were young to give them something to do on their school break. Kept it up for quite a few years, too. But the kids are grown and we are empty nesters, so the past few years I have been spreading the decorating over a few days. This year is the first year that I did not put anything up on the day after Thanksgiving and didn't even put the trees up until Sunday! I still have several boxes that I haven't even brought up from the basement. Slacker!

I love my Christmas tree and so does Max!



I've got my Christmas shopping about 50% done. A lot of it was online, although I did venture out on Sunday for a few hours. Years ago the stores would have been packed on a weekend, but not so much now. Makes it a lot easier to shop, but rather sad, too. This economy is taking it's toll everywhere.

Anyway, two more work days left till the weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving

You, my blogging friends, are one of the many blessing in my life that I am truly thankful for. Have a wonderful day!

Sunday Stuff

I really enjoyed my time to myself while Rich was hunting. I got a lot accomplished, pretty much every thing I was planning to do. Just when I was getting bored and missing Rich too much, he was home!

Our local dove-killer was hanging around this week. Here he is sitting on the back fence. He tried to get a little bird that was flitting around a nearby bush but the bird managed to get away. I was, of course, rooting for the little bird!



This morning it was wicked foggy outside.





I LOVE fog! I was outside walking around in it, taking pictures and being very glad that I was not driving to work this morning! I love to look at it but not to drive in it!

I missed the Brenda Photo Challenge this morning. Truthfully, first I forgot all about it and then I couldn't come up with any good things that represented ageless. That is until I looked at some other peoples posts. Anyway, I will be back and participating in the next one.

I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is only 4 days away! We are having approximately 20 people for dinner. I bought matching table cloths, plates and napkins. I am looking forward to having company and mostly having a short week at work!

Mom's Hope Chest

One of the projects I had in mind for when Rich was hunting was to organize all of the stuff in my mom's hope chest. It was all jumbled in there and wrinkled and pretty much neglected for quite a few years. This morning I sorted and ironed and straightened it all out.

There was quite an assortment of pretty embroidered hankies.


This is a small tablecloth (I think). The cool thing about this is every corner has a swan and a embroidered napkin tucked inside.


Someone put a lot of work into this, and I am honored to have it.

There is no less than 35 linen napkins of various colors.

I am not exactly sure what these are, if they are napkins or towels. I think "his and hers" theme was popular at one time.

I'm pretty sure this was my mom's wedding day purse.

I remember this embroidered dresser scarf sitting on my parents dresser for years. It is well used and even has a stain from nail polish spilled on it!

Like most of the stuff in there, I do not know who made them or where they came from. These pretty doilies have beautiful colorful centers, very well made.

There are three small baby dresses. Perhaps my mom or dad's baptismal dresses.

There are a few pillow covers from different places, souviniers from vacations.







I know I said before how disappointed I am that I did not go through this chest with my mom when she was alive and learned the story behind some of these things. I may not know the history of everything, but I will cherish all of it and pass it on to Shauna when that time comes.

I Have Arrived!

Boy, I actually got my first spam comment and I also noticed that GameV@nce is putting little advertising links on my posts! I think I am starting to be somebody in the blogging world! Ha!!

I was awake at 3:00 this morning. Got up and went to the bathroom, tripped on my shoes at the end of the bed and then tripped on them again on the way back to bed! The about a hour and a half later when I was getting up again, I tripped on my shoes on the way around the bed and, I am NOT making this up, I tripped on them once again for the 4Th time on my way back to bed! And that is when I finally picked them up and threw them in the closet! Jeez!

When Rich and I were married for 10 years, he got me a new wedding band to replace the one we hocked a few years earlier for food money. When we were married for 20 years, he bought me a pretty garnet ring with a couple little diamonds. When we had our 30Th anniversary a few years ago, I finally got a three-stone diamond ring, which I was shamelessly coveting for a few years before that! Get the pattern? Rings for every decade we're married!



The garnet ring sat in my jewelry box for years needing to be re sized and the loose stone fixed. Last weekend I finally took it in to the jewelers and now I can wear all three of my decade rings! The diamonds on my left hand and the garnet on my right! Now I have to start thinking what kind of ring I want for our 40Th!

Rich leaves for hunting tomorrow morning while I am at work. I am excited for him because he enjoys spending time with Chris and my brothers. It always feels a little weird when he is gone hunting. Quiet, but a different kind of quiet. Anyway, I have plans to spend time with Shauna and spend a day thrift shopping with my cousin. Plus I have two days off of work and that's what I'M excited about!

The Day Before Hump Day!

It's 5:19 in the morning and I have been awake for at least a hour! I haven't had much problem sleeping lately, so an occasional early morning does not bother me. I will be tired tonight, though!

This past weekend was gorgeous! In the 60's and sunny both days. I sure wish the whole winter could be like that!

I received a $40 gift card from my insurance company for being a good girl and having all of my diabetes tests done this year. There is a bunch of retailers included on the list I get to choose from, including Kohls and Macys and Bed, Bath and Beyond but I think I am going to get an Amazon one so I can order this among other things. I love Stephen King and this novel looks really good!

That's all I got for now. Here is a picture of Coco looking at a video of the water fountain show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. I know she wishes she was there right now!!

Miscellaneous Friday Stuff

I have been sorely neglecting this blog lately in favor of Facebook and Farmville! Damn them!

Halloween was surprisingly busy in our neighborhood this year. I think the crappy economy has a lot to do with it. More people were taking their kids to get free treats, but I think a lot less houses were giving candy out.

Really there is not much going on lately. I had a particularly frustrating day at work yesterday and I am SO glad today is Friday! I swear, I am going to retire the minute I turn 62, even if we have to live in a cardboard box to do it! I am tired of working every day! Still waiting to find out if I ever will be able to work 4 days.

All is well on the home front. I am hosting Thanksgiving this year so my mind is already going overtime with planning. One thing I want to do this weekend is try to find matching paper plates and napkins and tablecloths. When my mom was alive we always had Thanksgiving at their house, with linen tablecloths and her good dishes and silverware. But that was then and this is now! With two plates per person and a dessert plate, that's a lot of work to clean all those dishes and I will have at least 21 people there. So paper it is! I think my mom would understand! Beside, when everything matches it makes for a very pretty table, or three!!

Bought a gigantic clock last Saturday for over the fireplace. It took me a while to get used to it. I wasn't really sure I liked it but it's still there and I think it's growing on me. What do you think?



Our senior cat Tori is still hanging in there. Last week we thought it was time because she was throwing up and she would only lay behind the couch and not come out. It's hard to know if she's in pain or what she's feeling but we figured we would give her 24 hours and see what happened. The next day she was her usual self and she's been OK ever since. I guess she just had a down day. I'm glad she decided to stay with us for a while longer!



Let's see. It's supposed to be really nice this weekend. We got the outside pretty much cleaned up so we don't have to do much there. Maybe I can talk Rich into putting Christmas lights up. I have already seen lights on other houses in the neighborhood.

Well, that's all for now. Here's a picture that Rich took of one of our local chipmunks. Too cute!