Too Much

Today's high temperature was: 21 degrees

Sunshiny, but a cold wind.

a nice soft snow tonight.

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Yes--it is cold outside and I should know--I had to go out today!  I never wear a hat or gloves, so I guess I have only myself to blame.

I have so much going on that I can't keep my mind on what needs to be done first.  I have my Christmas cards all ready to mail, but will wait until Saturday.  My reason?  I don't want Jennifer to get the mail.  Pammie will be watching the kids, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, so she will be there when the little kid's cards arrive.  That way, I know they will see them and they won't get thrown in the garbage.  Who knows--I am just paranoid enough to think that could happen if their mother saw them.

...and--I was not satisfied with the last two batches of spaghetti sauce I made for the boys, so I am unfreezing it and cooking it some more.  It just seemed too thin and I want a nice thick sauce.  The first batch was fine.  I will do that tomorrow.

I need to get my card table set up and start wrapping gifts so I know what I have.  Not much, that is for sure, but I need to get organized in that department.  Do you think I should still give Jen and Eric their gifts--even though I will have to send them through Pammie?  I sent Jennifer's birthday gift over with Pammie and I didn't get it back, so........  I am of the mind to just go on normally--even though they won't be with the rest of the family on Christmas Eve.  Such a terrible thing to have going on this time of year!!!

Thank you, those of you who ordered my children's book.  I mailed them out today.  

I had a major problem with my e-mails.  I couldn't get them!  If I went on my server, Comcast, I could pick them up that way, but the server wouldn't send them to my Outlook Express--which I was told was very old and I should get a new e-mail thingie.  I worked on this dang problem for five days--looking through all the configurations.  Finally this morning, I got on live chat with a Comcast rep. and she synced me back up again in ab out 15 minutes.  Why didn't I contact her sooner?  GEEZ!!

Microsoft is doing away with Windows XP in April.  No more support or updates.  I have Windows XP- I like Windows XP--I don't want Windows 8, or for that matter 7 or 6.  Besides that, I can't afford to buy it.  What to do.  What to do?

It's worries like this that drive me stark staring crazy.  So many worries and "what ifs".  What if the refrigerator quits working--it is making a funny noise.  What if the car needs a repair.  What if one of the cat's gets sick?  What if I get sick?  The little bit of money I had in my savings account, set aside for an emergency, is just about gone.  I cannot believe it costs me over $250.00 a month for groceries--that is $250.00 more a month then I receive.  I have checked my budget over and over and there is just no way to come out even, let alone ahead each month.  

I don't know what to do.  It all just gets to me and I feel shaky and scary most of the time--especially when I go to bed and allow myself to think about it.  I think in the spring I will try and sign up for food assistance with Social Services.  What an embarrassment!  Perhaps I need to declare bankruptcy?  Another embarrassment.  

God always provides.  He has so far and I guess I need to truly believe and trust in that.  But, sometimes, it is just so scary.

Well--forget all that.  I just feel weak and shaky and weepy today.  I will be better tomorrow, I promise.  I so hate to be so negative all the time--I hate it!!

Elegant or Goofy?

This two best friends, are so elegant when they are performing and so goofy when they aren't.

The Nutcracker Ballet

Today's high temperature was: 26 degrees

Light snow

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Sunday, my sister Susan drove down here and I drove us over to a little town about half an hour away, to see Madeleine perform in the Nutcracker Ballet that her dance company puts on every year.  This is her 11th year--she started out as a little pink mouse.

One year the part of a Chinese Dancer

The next year, part of the Snow Flakes

The next year, I had the Norvo virus and couldn't go,

so Fred went alone.  Maddie was his special girl.

In 2011, the starring role of Clara.

Karen and Mark were in the performance that year,

as part of the families in the opening Christmas Party scene.

Brothers Marcus and Stephen also had parts--

carrying the Arabian princess' golden carrier. 

Last year, Maddie two roles--one the Jester and one, the solo role of Ice Queen.  Her are Maddie and her best friend, Susanna.

This year, Susanna, danced the role of Snow Queen this year.

These two have been in ballet since they were three.

 Karen and Mark were in it again this year.

Although Karen didn't want to--she said she couldn't 

dance and curtsy,

but Mark wanted to, so they did.

(Imagine a Dad wanting to do that?)

I thought Karen looked radiant!

Some last minute calming words, during warm-up

Notice Maddie's sweats, LOL

 ...and here she is.  The solo role for The Waltz of the Flowers.

She is the Dew Drop Fairy

...and to think, just a week ago today, she was in a car accident that should have injured her badly or killed her.   

God is Good!!

VICTORY FOR MSU!

Ohio State has won 24 in a row.  We beat them and are the Big Ten Champions and going to the Rose Bowl--for the first time in  26 years!!!    We won 34-24, with a new quarterback that didn't start until the second game of the season.

I AM GEEKED!!!

Michigan State Fight Song and marching band.

Computer Problems

I may or may not be able to post--I am having major problems with this electronic toy!

Does It Matter?

Today's high temperature was: 59 degrees

At wake-up time.

36 degrees by five tonight.

We are heading into the refrigerator.

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...but we aren't going to get the freezing rain/ice/and snow that the rest of the Mid-West is going to get.  The first storm went north of us into the UP of Michigan--the second one that is traveling east now, is missing us to the south.  How fortunate!!  I have to drive 20 miles on Sunday to see Madeleine perform in the Nutcracker and if there were a lot of snow, I would have to stay home!!

I woke up this morning singing, "Muskrat Susie, Muskrat Sam, living and loving in muskrat land..." I have no idea why that song.  Weird things happen in my mind while I sleep, and when I wake up, sometimes they are still with me.  Monday morning I woke up way early, trying to pull the open end of the pillow case over my head like a hood!  The connotation weirded me out.  White.  Pillow case.  Hood.  I live near the (once) Michigan Capitol of the KKK--Howell, Michigan.  Or, maybe my ears were just cold and I was trying to pull a hat down over them, who knows!  Last week I woke up saying, "Thank you for the world so sweet.  Thank you for the food we eat.  Thank you for the birds that sing.  Thank you, God, for everything."  Now, I haven't heard that prayer for 40 years--why would I think of it while I slept?

Some mornings, I open my eyes and am startled and amazed that I am still alive.  Then I wonder if I am really dead, but living in a parallel universe, where everything looks like it does in real life.  Then I have the urge to call someone on the phone and see if I can reach them, which would prove that I am truly still alive.

I tell you--I am weird!!

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So, after Maggie The Cat's demolishing of Bethlehem under the tree, I did not put it back up.  I just didn't want to take another chance down on the floor and not being able to get back up.  I used my Grabbit-Stick from when I had hip surgery, pulled out the little stable and all the animals and people and put them away.  The next morning, she had the tree skirt out in the middle of the living room again.  I pulled her over to it and said, "No.No!" which she seems to understand.  Later that day, I found this.  

Apparently, Buddy was teaching her how to respect and enjoy the Christmas tree,

as the tree skirt has remained in its place every night since.

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I could not find a frame to fit this collage I did for my sister.  I got advice from another customer in Michael's the other day and bought a floating frame--glass on both sides.  I think it will work.  I will let you know.

This shows things from The Farm BEFORE 

their renovations started.

Some of the old sheds and the little house that they tore down

to make room for the new family room and garage.  

I think she will like it.

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I had one of my extreme Liberal friends notify me that I was being a "pagan", with the whole Christmas tree and decorating and that "Jesus was not born on December 25th!  Quit living in denial"  So I just had to reply, because she is such a know it all and I wanted to prove that I was just as bad a know it all as she is.

"Yes, I know Jesus wasn't born on December 25th.  Point #1: Shepherds were not abiding their flocks by night in the fields in December.  Judea is much too cold and rainy that time of year.  Point #2:  Caesar did not ever have a census taken in December--the cold and rain would have kept people from traveling to their home town, which is why Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem--his home town.  Point #3:  John the Baptist was born the end of March.  He was Jesus' cousin.  Scripture states that Mary went to visit John's mother Elizabeth, who was ready to give birth.  Mary was three months pregnant.  Jesus was born six months after John, so that would put His date of birth around the end of September. 

The Romans celebrated the infant birth of their Sun god on December 25th, near the winter solstice.  The new Christians wanted to one-up them, so they celebrated their God Son on the 25th also...this was way back in the 4th century.

As for the Christmas tree--early German's cut evergreens and placed them in their home and barns to keep the evil spirits away for the new year.  Later, German's brought a freshly cut tree into their home and decorated it with fruit and candies.  Prince Albert, of German descent., had his servants cut an evergreen and bring it into the palace for Queen Victoria, where they decorated it with candles and pretty ribbons, beads and ornaments.  The people in the New World--the rich people, many of them English and German, thought this was a sign of affluence, so they did the same.  My family always celebrated on Christmas Eve night, because, being of German descent, we believed that the baby Jesus was born that night, NOT Christmas morning.   

BUT--as your dear friend Hillary is so fond of saying, "What difference does it make?"  September is much too busy a time of year.  We need a celebration of light and life in dark December and what would all the people do the day after Thanksgiving.  AND, as my favorite Tevye would say, "TRADITION!" and he was Jewish and celebrated the Festival of Lights."

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I have not heard back from her.  Hm-mm.

So--if you don't want to celebrate Jesus' birth, celebrate Santa Claus--it matters not to me!

Okay--done with my rant and enjoying my Christmas tree and my nativity collection, along with my Santa collection and Angel collection and...all of it.

This 'N That

Today's high temperature was: 56 degrees

Grey and misty

Cold front coming through tomorrow.

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Yes--the cover on my book is an adaptation of my nephew Matthew--who I dedicated the book to.  Susan's youngest son who died of Leukemia just a month shy of his high school graduation.   I asked the illustrator to put MSU on Matt's baseball cap because he had been accepted there.  The illustrator said he would, if he could put HSU on Matt's friend's cap because he had gone to Hobart.

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So strange--the weather that is.  Such huge amounts of snow fall and cold temperatures--where they don't belong, while we were warm and dry with still nice green lawns.  I swear, if this climate change keeps up, we are going to growing oranges and Florida will have ski resorts!!!
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I haven't written a thing in two whole days--busy, busy.

I designed and printed my Christmas cards all day Tuesday--and I mean--ALL DAY!!!  Got them in envelopes and all set to mail--first of next week.  I usually buy the religious themed Christmas stamps, but this year, the ones with the Gingerbread houses were so cute, I could not resist!

Tuesday, I also finished the last batch of spaghetti sauce for the "boys" Christmas gift.  

Wednesday, I visited the Chiropractor and took his reception the baby afghan I had crocheted for her.  She just loved it--even got tears in her eyes, and she is usually a kind of cold person.  I also gave my massage therapist a tip--I think the massage helps me more then the Chiropractor, and I gave him a copy of my book for his two young boys to enjoy.  Just out spreading holiday cheer where I can, LOL.

Then, I stopped at the Rich People's store to get some cake and a couple of salads and some medium size croissants.  I use them for my noon sandwich.  If I keep bread around, I have to keep it in the freezer and it eventually gets dry and nasty.  These croissants I keep frozen too, but a quick warm-up in the nuke machine and they are nice and soft and just the right size.

Got a scary call from Karen.  On her way to school, Madeleine had been in a horrific car accident.  It seems someone cut in front of her on the expressway, clipped her driver's side front, which caused her to do a 180 degree spin, with the car facing the wrong way and then it rolled twice into the median.  It is a miracle that she wasn't hit by oncoming traffic.  She said she had just got done saying her prayers and finished up with the Hail Mary, when she got hit.  She told Karen, "I wasn't even scared because I could feel God with me all the time."  I think she got scared afterwards when she realized she could have easily been killed.  I shook for about an hour after the phone call, but, amazingly, she is just fine and will dance one of the starring roles in the production of the Nutcracker this weekend.

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We had a weird thing happen in church on Sunday.  The first time I have gone in two months.  The preacher had just finished his pastoral prayer, mentioning thanks that Doug was back in church after a two week absence--he had a heart problem..and the preacher went on to thank God for EMS and firemen who come to our rescue.  We said the Lord's Prayer and stood up to sing, and I saw this strange look come over the preacher's face.  Apparently, a few rows behind me, Doug had fainted.  I could hear an usher, out in the back, calling 911 and saying "heart attack."  I did not turn around to look!  Doug was sitting two rows in front of Merle and Pearl so they saw it all.

Then, the preacher said, "Folks, let us go into silent prayer."  and we did, as we heard the ambulance come, and they took Doug out--for about 15 minutes, we sat heads bowed and prayed like crazy!

I don't remember much of the sermon--I don't think anyone did.  We got word just after the sermon that Doug was fine--it was no heart attack, but an AFIB attack.

Everyone was quite shocked and worried.  I told Pearl later, "What better place to have a heart attack or die.  In church, where 150 people instantly, all at the same time, start praying for you?"

Pearl said, "I'll bet that's what saved him.  God saw and heard all those prayers coming up--for just one person--and He said, "I have to take care of Doug so these people will see my miracle.""