Zoom - Where Did It Go!

Dear Friends,

I love Christmas and everything about it, but I hate the lonely afterglow!   

Our Christmas was great.  Daughter and SIL (son-in-law) arrived Christmas Eve in time for a leisurely dinner.    I had made lasagna, a marinated cold vegetable salad, fruit salad, and cookies and coffee for dessert.  We exchanged a few presents, sat around and talked, and were all in bed around 10:00.  The kids had worked much of the day before coming to our house and they were tired. Of course, us old folks are always tired.

Daughter and SIL had called a couple of days before they came and said not to buy anything for Christmas breakfast.  They were going to cook breakfast and would bring the food with them.   WHAT a GREAT TREAT!    SIL  cooked each of us a big vegetable omelet, accompanied by bagels, orange juice, and I still had fruit salad left over, so we had a little of that too.   I told them that was the best  Christmas present ever.

SIL's brother and wife had their first baby on 12/22/13, so our daughter and SIL wanted to go to the hospital to see the baby before going on to SIL's aunt's house for a big family gathering by 2:00 p.,m..   The brother lives about 145 miles from where we live with the aunt living between our two locations. It made sense for them to go Christmas morning, otherwise they'd have to make another special trip down south.  They left our house at 9:00 and took a few pictures so we could meet the new precious bundle of joy too.

Now I'm in the after Christmas humdrums.  My mother was from a big family (12 children) and the holidays always meant lots of activity - getting together with various family members during the week of Christmas.   I miss all those family gatherings at Christmas.   I try to keep busy and not let it get me down, but it sneaks up on me at times.  Hubby's family is spread out all over the place too.  So we never see family at Christmas.  The humdrums will pass in a couple of days.

Mother Nature is going to pull a good one on us starting around midnight tonight and into Sunday.   Freezing drizzle will start about midnight, followed by light snow flurries, followed by 4 days of extreme cold.   Monday will give us a day time high of -1 with a nighttime of -13.   Then we're going to warm up 1 whole degree each day until Wednesday.   Other than a trip to the grocery store, we won't be leaving the house.   I have a couple of errands to run this afternoon.  Guess one of those stops should be at the gas station and get the car filled up!!    It's no fun standing out there when the wind is howling and the temp is below zero.

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas.

Mary

Have Yourselves A Very Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Friends,

The picture is of a house one block from our house.   Note the choo choo train on the roof!   

As I've mentioned before, I love all the houses decorated for Christmas.   It's so warm and inviting in the neighborhood to drive down the street.  Each house seems to say "stop in for a visit."   But no one has time for that these days like they did in years past.    Guess I'm feeling nostalgic today because our life has slowed down considerably while the remainder of the world keeps whizzing by.   

My wish for you is to be able to slow down, enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas and reflect on the important things and the people in your life.

From Our House

to Your House

Have A 

Merry Christmas 

From

Mr. D, M and Mario

It's Beginning To Look Like Chriistmas

Hi Friends,

Yes,it's beginning to look like Christmas around here.   Mr. D is hard at work making Peanut Butter Balls.   Yes, this  wonderful man cooks too!    I used to make them, but he took it over when he retired and I still worked.   Now it's to hard on my back to stand over the stove for any period of time.   I think he really enjoys doing it anyway and I'm very thankful.   He actually mentions mid-November that he should get the ingredients for "his" peanut butter balls. So, I think it's safe to say he enjoys making them.

I'll publish the recipe at the end of this post just in case anyone wants it.  It is an old recipe, so most of you probably have it.  I received it from two very dear friends here in town several years ago.

The song "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like  Christmas" has been playing over and over in my head for the past two days.  Mostly because we received 4 inches of fresh, white fluffy snow on Thursday night into Friday morning.   Starting tonight another 8 is headed in our direction.  YIKES!   

I am so very thankful for the man who takes care of our snow removal for us.   He is a true blessing to us.   He is so very particular - leaves about 1 foot of shoveled area next to the driveway on the grass so we have a pathway to walk on that isn't as slippery.   Then around the mailbox he shovels out a good 5-foot section so we can just reach in and grab the mail without walking into the street.   Here's a sample of how he shovels around our small walkway to the house:

You can see the foot wide path on the grass running all the way down to the street.   Are we spoiled or what!!    We did not ask him to do it this way - it's just the way he does his own too.   

On Friday he was unable to get here until evening, so our neighbor came over and blew out the driveway, which we really appreciated.   But then early this morning our regular guy still came over and took care of the patio and cleaned up the front according to his specifications.   See what I mean - he's a blessing to us for sure.

Well, that's it for  today.   Here's the recipe.   I'll probably post once more before  Christmas, but if I miss anyone - please have a very Merry Christmas/Holiday and Healthy, Happy 2014.

Peanut Butter Balls

2 Cups Confectionary Sugar

2 Cups Peanut Butter (Chunk or Smooth)

2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs (Nabisco)

1/4 Cup Butter softened

Big Chunk of Chocolate (Dark) -  found in most stores - Christmas baking section -  this time of year.

Combine all ingredients -  mix like a pie crust dough until crumbly.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.   Form into a long roll, about 3/4 inch in diameter.  Cut into slices and then form small balls by rolling in your hand.    Place balls on baking sheets covered with wax paper.  Set in cool place to chill.  In double boiler, melt the chocolate.   Take chilled balls and dip into chocolate and place back on cookie  sheet.   Refrigerate until firm and chocolate is very firm.   Balls are now ready to be eaten or  frozen to enjoy later.

Enjoy!

Mary

Ditzing Around Again

Hi Friends,

The other night I was out running a couple of errands and remembered to grab my camera before leaving the house.   One of the streets I pass by quite often is very decorated.  It seems that if one house on the block goes all out, quite often 2 or 3 others will join in with putting up lights!  At least that is what I have observed in our neighborhood through the years.

Out of 6 pictures taken, this is the only one that I felt somewhat happy with. What a disappointment.   Will try to go back and retake a couple one of these nights again.   

It's supposed to snow again tomorrow, then Thursday a possibility of a few inches coming.    I am so very thankful for the man who comes to shovel/plow us out whenever we do get snow.   He did tell me tho that he plans on taking a couple of days this week to go skiing.   I'll have to call a neighbor to see if he can help us out.   Neither Don nor I can do it anymore.  I tried scraping a light coating of snow off the driveway the other day and my back squawked loudly "don't do that!"  Okay back - you win this round.

Until next time,

Mary


   

Day Stretcher Needed

Hi Friends,

I'm feeling panicky today - my computer is over heating terribly, so our dear son-in-law is coming to the rescue again.   But that means I'll be without the computer probably until the weekend.   i'm madly trying to think what all I should print out before it goes.   Are we terribly dependent on these things or what?

The tree (all 5 feet of it) is up anyway, and the cards in progress.   It would be nice to have another week before Christmas.  I think we all need a "day stretcher" at this time of the year.

Hope you are not getting frazzled too!

Mary

From Our House To Yours

Hi Friends,

Thanks so much for stopping to read my blog.  I do appreciate it and any comments you care to leave.

Whenever I think of Thanksgiving, I always think of this song.   When we first moved to our current city, we used to have to travel back home 136 miles to visit our parents for each of the holidays.   While we traveled by car then, it still reminds me of this song.

Over the river and through the wood,

To Grandmother's house we go;

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh,

Thru the white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood,

Oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes and bites the nose,

As over the ground we go.

Over the river and through the wood,

To have a first-rate play;

Hear the bells ring, "Ting-a-ling-ding!"

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river and through the wood,

Trot fast, my dapple gray!

Spring over the ground like a hunting hound,

For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river, and through the wood,

And straight through the barnyard gate,

We seem to go extremely slow,

It is so hard to wait!

Over the river, and through the wood,

Now Grandmother's cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!"

Our parents are gone now, so no more traveling home.  But we do have a son-in-law and daughter who have been hosting Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving Day for D and I, SIL's parents and brother, his brother's wife, and his brother's in-laws, and soon to be child.   There are usually 10 of us and we all bring a dish to pass.  We are so blessed to be part of this family gathering when so many are alone and without families on holidays.

Thank you dear daughter and son-in-law for doing this.

We are very thankful for our family, extended family, local friends, and our many friends on the Blogosphere, Twitter, and Facebook.    You keep us shuffling along!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Mary

Goodbye Fall - Hello Winter

"Hoop Girl"
painted by Don

Hello Friends,

Well, it had to happen before too long - snow is arriving tonight.  Now granted it won't be much (1/2 to 1 inch predicted) but that's more than what I even want to think about.   Thanksgiving hasn't even happened yet.   The deer hunters will be happy, even if I am not, as they should have tracking snow for the opening of the Dear Hunting Season in our state on Saturday. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES DEER!"

Many of you don't know, but Mr. D is a hobby artist. The picture above, "Hoop Girl," is his latest finished painting.   

I'll be  featuring one of his pictures in my blog periodically.   If anyone has an interest in purchasing a painting, send me an email and we'll see what he will come up with for a price.   

He dabbled in painting while in high school, but didn't begin taking art classes at the Tech School until he retired from employment.   A local friend, who is an artist, was taking classes and suggested Don might enjoy art once again.   Painting when you are shaky from Parkinson's Disease isn't easy, and Don does get frustrated with himself at times.  But we think he still does a great job.  I can't even draw a straight line with a ruler!  he he  (not kidding either). 

Well, that's all the news for this time.   Stay tuned on the amount of snow we get and how long it sticks around.   It is supposed to turn bitter cold with a front coming down from Canada.

Mary