Twelve Days Until Christmas

Let it Snow-------It's snowing here in Western Oregon. Not something that happens in this area very often. This storm was predicted to arrive last night (it hit around noon) and it is supposed to be from Alaska (that it is, it's pretty cold) Last night it was in the 30's when we went to bed. I woke up around 1am to let Chloe out for a potty break and voila!! snow. When I woke this morning it was still snowing but it's very wet so it isn't sticking to the driveway. Now tonight and tomorrow are supposed to be the worst days of the storm. We will be at the drive through Christmas program at the church and hopefully it won't get too bad while we're out. Good thing Hubby took our motorhome there yesterday to use as a place to get warm. If need be we can sleep there tonight and not have to worry about driving on slippery roads. This is going to be an adventure for sure. Woohoo!!

Fourteen Days til Christmas

Well, we finally got our lights up and last night we turned them on and had a section that was out. GRRR! And it was on the highest peak of the house of course. So hubby went up there today and replaced the whole string. These LED lights are so nice. We have 6 strings all plugged together and only one plug to the house power. They are such low voltage you can plug in like 40 strings on one circuit. Isn't that cool? I think I am just going to put up my little tree this year. It's quick and easy to put up and it has built in lights. I have small ornaments for it and I think it will be perfect. I haven't been on here in the last few days. I have been a bit upset with a family issue. My daughter and her DH (dumbass husband) up and decided to move to California. No planning, no money, no kids. Her oldest is 18 so he doesn't have to go and the younger one is 14 but lives with his Dad. I was so upset that she just left the boys at Christmas time. Well, nothing I can do about it but continue to pray for her to come to her senses. Enough said on that subject. I made a meatloaf I got from the Martha Stewart website tonight and it was really good. While it was cooking it smelled terrific. Hubby is doing pretty well with his diet. He's already lost 6.5 pounds the first week. He hasn't had a regular soda in 2 days. He saw how much better his blood sugar was when he didn't drink one. He even ordered just water yesterday when we were out with friends for dinner. I was amazed. Now he just needs to start exercizing. I think he will, he doesn't want to become disabled over this thing so I am pretty sure he will do his best to improve his health. Tomorrow I have about a billion things to do. I need to get stamps so I can mail my Christmas cards. I 've had them addressed and ready to go and keep forgetting to buy stamps. Then I have to go to Walmart for a few things and the vet to pick up food for my Chloe and a couple of other stores for other things. Tomorrow night and Saturday and Sunday our church is having a drive thru Christmas program called "Journey Through Christmas" They had it last year and we went to it and were really impressed. It is so well done and they give out hot chocolate or apple cider to all the passengers of the cars driving through. My hubby reluctantly took a part as one of the guards for King Herod. I'll be serving cider and chocolate to the guests. Should be a fun weekend.

Maxine's Christmas Gift

I got this in my email today.

��Merry Christmas To My Female Friends

If I were ol' Santa, you know what I'd do I'd dump silly gifts that are given to you And deliver some things just inside your front door Things you have lost, but treasured before. I'd give you back all your maidenly vigor, And to go along with it, a neat tiny figure. Then restore the old color that once graced your hair Before rinses and bleaches took residence there. I'd bring back the shape with which you were gifted So things now suspended need not be uplifted. I'd draw in your tummy and smooth down your back Till you'd be a dream in those tight fitting slacks. I'd remove all your wrinkles and leave only one chin So you wouldn't spend hours rubbing grease on your skin You'd never have flashes or queer dizzy spells And you wouldn't hear noises like ringing of bells. No sore aching feet and no corns on your toes No searching for spectacles when they're right on your nose Not a shot would you take in your arm, hip or fanny From a doctor who thinks you're a nervous old granny. You'd never have a headache, so no pills would you take. And no heating pad needed since your muscles won't ache. Yes, if I were Santa, you'd never look stupid You'd be a cute little chick with the romance of a cupid. I'd give a lift to your heart when those wolves start to whistle And the joys of your heart would be light as a thistle. But alas! I'm not Santa.I'm simply just me The matronest of matrons you ever did see. I wish I could tell you all the symptoms I've got But I'm due at my doctor's for an estrogen shot. Even though we've grown older this wish is sincere Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year

Okay, so far this is the only card I have given for Christmas. I bought 3 boxes of cards and so far they are still in the bag from the store. I also have yet to get my decorations out from under my house. I am seeing a pattern here, are you? I gave up on putting my Christmas do dads on my kitchen cupboards and just put my usual decor up there and filled it in with the Christmas greenery I bought at Michaels. I think it looks good, even if it isn't snowmen and angels and santas and reindeer. I can't say I haven't had the time because I work full time, since I am retired. So what is my excuse?? I have none. I guess it is a bit of the blue Christmas that seems to be going around blogland. I keep thinking I don't want to drag all that stuff out and put it all up including my tree when I have no family coming for the holiday. We are thinking of getting out of town and heading south to the sunshine shortly after Christmas so we would just have to put everything away before leaving. So there is my dilemma. To decorate or not to decorate....that is the question.......

Kindness and Generosity

I think another way of sharing the joy of Christmas is by doing something nice or generous to someone you don't even know. These "random acts of kindness" tend to make us feel as though we've done a special favor for someone and we hope they are so inspired that they will "pay it forward" by doing something thoughtful for someone else. And so on and so forth. I wanted to elaborate a little on this idea so I went to my best internet friend, Google. I found a website called http://www.helpothers.org/ I found a wealth of things that you can do to feel better about yourself and make someone else feel better at the same time. For instance, what can you do with five bucks to make someone's day? Tape the exact change for a soda to a vending machine or a payphone. Pay the toll for the person behind you. Leave flowers in front of someone's house. Bake cookies for your neighbors. Put quarters in the laundry machine for the next person. Send cards with beautiful messages to anonymous people. Leave chocolate on the desk of your co-workers. Treat someone to a cup of their favorite coffee. These are just a few inexpensive ways to feel better about yourself. The link has many more. Here is one more, Reach out to the homebound -- seniors, ill or incapacitate children or caregivers committed to caring for their family members at home. Connect them to communication resources like radio, TV or Internet so they can stay connected to the world at large. Find a good-news story in the media and email them regularly. Tag them with an inspiring book. Offer to bring them books from the library. Share 'smile stories' you've read in this newsletter. Help them take care of their pets. Convince a beautician or barber to make a house-call. Buy them nice stationary so they write appreciative notes to those they are grateful for. Maybe one way to avoid being blue this Christmas is by donating some of your own kindness and generosity. It couldn't hurt and just maybe it will help. Bless you all and to all a good night............

Doctor's Follow-up Visit

Yesterday my DH had his follow-up visit with his doctor. He told him he has diabetes and also he tested him for a reactive protein in his blood. It came back very high, in fact the doc said it's the highest he's ever seen. So now he is prescribing him a drug like Lipitor to lower his cholesterol and fight placque. He said that DH needs to lose weight and start exercising. I was relieved to hear he had diabetes and not something they couldn't diagnose. Not that I wanted it but I kind of knew in my gut that he did. He is tired all the time. In fact he has changed so much over the last few years that I knew it had to be something like diabetes. I don't know that he is taking it seriously. He wanted to tell a friend he talked to that he was borderline diabetic. He isn't. The doctor didn't prescribe him any meds for the diabetes at this time. He wants him to try diet and exercise first. He has to go for another blood test in 2 months. I sure hope he thinks about what is at stake here and makes the effort to lose some weight and get up out of the recliner and start walking or come to the gym with me. Men can be so stubborn! He went ahead a drank a full sugar coke last night. I told the doctor he was drinking them and he said that one soda a day will add a pound a month. He didn't come right out and say no sugar!! I think that may be why DH isn't taking it seriously. My mother died as a result of diabetes and I don't want to lose him too.

Twenty Four Days Before Christmas

Well I got some LED lights for outside but we haven't hung them yet. I still have to drag out my decorations from under the house. I know I was going to do it the other day but instead I went shopping. I went to Michael's and got some more silk greenery for the house. They were 50% off plus I had a 20% off coupon. Quite a deal I think. I took down the fall garlands I had up over the kitchen cupboards and had hubby help me with the rope lights we have up there. I had to replace them since the old ones had discolored from use. Now I just need to put some Christmas decorations up there and then I can add the pics and things I bought and it should look festive. I'll take a picture or two when I do.

I took Chloe for a walk to the park where they have the Festival of Lights display yesterday afternoon. I took my camera but I don't know if I took anything worthy of publishing here. I haven't checked them out yet.

We are going to go see a movie this afternoon. It's Fireproof with Kirk Cameron. Last week we saw 4 Christmases with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. It was very funny. I really enjoyed it. Well, I need to go fold some clothes out of the dryer now. Hope everyone has a good day today.