Images of the Christmas Holiday

Here are some festive images of the Christmas season with my sister, my mom and her family. Merry Christmas!

Home for the Holidays

The presents are wrapped, the bags are packed, the goodies arranged, the Christmas music in the case, my to do list written, phone charged, camera ready, recipes chosen, and books thrown in the bag. I am going to my other homes for the holidays... Kellogg to the houses of  Silver Valley Girl and Mom.  The roads look clear and the traffic should be light. First stop... Starbucks!

Top Ten Signs It is Almost Christmas at Our House

Top Ten Signs It is Almost Christmas at Our House

10. The house is empty of tags, wax paper, Peppermint Mocha creamer, and Almond Roca.

9.  The missing holiday welcome mat was found just in time to put it away again.

8.   It is time to Photoshop the dark circles under my eyes on my blog profile picture.

7.   JEJ raised a grove of Christmas trees for my Orofino cousins on FarmVille on Facebook.

6.  The cats keep holding out for Friskies Shredded Prime Rib dinner at feeding time.

5.  Shelby has honed her herding skills by nipping at the heels of every snowman on display.

4.  Annie knows Christmas calories don’t count so she has enjoyed taste testing sugar cookies.

3.  I have finally learned to text “Ho Ho Ho” on my phone after a month of failed attempts
2.  JEJ has to be checked for glitter, stray bows, mailing labels or raffia before he leaves the house.

1.  It is time for me to count my blessings and remember the reason for the season.

Christmas Gift Suggestions

Christmas Gift Suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer,service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, humility before God.
-Oren Arnold

These words were printed in our church bulletin and shared today during the service. I wanted to pass these suggestions on to you.

Three Simple Pleasures: All About Red, Cat Companions, Dog Companions

1. Sometimes there is something I really want to have. Yesterday it was the colander set in red on sale at WalMart. JEJ found it while getting the car serviced. Spaghetti has never looked more festive!

2. Our two cats McDuff and Kit are great cat companions, even when they aren't playing sheriff and deputy.

3. Annie and Shelby were Saturday companions as they laid by the fire close to the two of us.

Three Simple Pleasures: Afternoon Nap, Reverence for the Everyday, Winter Break

another Christmas with family back in the day.

1. School for 2009 ended today at noon.  I tried to do a few tasks when I got home, then realized I needed a nap. Have you ever taken a nap in the afternoon that felt like it was one of the best sleeps you have had in a long time. That was my nap today.

2. JEJ brought home a Billy Collins book of poetry I had requested from the library. I have read The Trouble With Poetry before, but wanted to revisit the poems again. On the front jacket part of the description explains why he is one of my favorite poets.  His poems contain " quiet observation, intense wonder, and a reverence for the everyday. See below for  one of the poems I reread today.

3. I look forward to Winter Break.  I have a pile of books ready to read, recipes ready to try, family to visit, a greenhouse to enjoy, and many pictures to take.

The Trouble With Poetry

I wonder how you are going to feel

when you find out

that I wrote this instead of you.

that it was I who got up early

to sit in the kitchen

and mention with a pen

the rain-soaked windows,

the ivy wallpaper,

and the goldfish circling in its bowl

Go ahead and turn aside,

bite your lip and tear out the page,

but, listen -- it was just a matter of time

before one of us happened

to notice the unlit candles

and the clock humming on the wall.

Plus, nothing happened that morning--

a song on the radio,

a car whistling along the road outside--

and I was only thinking

about the shakers of salt and pepper

that were standing side by side on a place mat.

I wondered if they had become friends

after all these years

or if they were still strangers to one another

like you and I

who manage to be known and unknown

to each other at the same time --

me at this table with a bowl of pears,

you leaning in a doorway somewhere

near some blue hydrangeas, reading this.

 -Billy Collins