The first week back at work is finally over! And boy am I tired. I'll eventually get used to being perpetually exhausted and sleep deprived again, but for right now, I feel like I've been rode hard and put up wet.
Or run over by a truck, whatever. Seems the older I get, the longer it takes to get adjusted to the busy season, and the long, long hours that accompany it. All I know is it's a whole lot harder than it was 25 years ago.
It won't get any better, either. Just before the end of shift, Supervisor came around and asked if I could start coming in at 4:00 Monday morning until further notice. Ugh...but those paychecks will be nice.
This won't be a very long post, but I did want to show you what I picked up in the clearance aisle this afternoon -- these cute little cookie and cupcake decorating kits.
What I'm wondering, though, is where were these before Christmas? These would have been so much fun to make, but I didn't see anything like them. It's entirely possible that I overlooked them, but that doesn't seem likely back when I was looking for stuff to decorate cookies with. I'm going to put them back for next year.
Oh, and those gingerbread house kits like the one I made were marked down to $1 each. I started to pick up three of them and put them back for next year, too, but I didn't. I figured the gingerbread would be stale by then. On the other hand, I don't really recommend eating them anyway, so I guess it wouldn't really matter. I mean, I started eating the one I made this year, and it doesn't really taste very good, besides being dry as all get out. I've thought about dunking the pieces in hot tea, but haven't tried that yet. Maybe if they still have some next week, I'll get them.
By the way, I tore my gingerbread house down and put the pieces into a ziploc bag, just to get the thing off my cabinet. At this point, I'm thinking most of it will end up getting tossed.
On a completely unrelated note, I put my name on the waiting list for that weight loss program. Maybe if I keep doing it over an over, it will eventually become a habit.
I also found this stuff, and again, where was it before Christmas?
It's got mini marshmallows, and candy cane shaped sprinkles. It's even got a cute little mug of hot chocolate on the lid. I haven't tried it yet, but I can't wait to! This was the only jar of it I found, but would have bought more if they'd had them. The only other thing I got on clearance was another bow that looks just like the one I got last week, so I won't take another photo.
Speaking of photos, have you ever wondered what happens to all the humidity when it turns cold again? This morning, I found out.
But first, the before photo. I took this one a few days ago.
This is inside my carport, and no, it was not raining. I think part of the reason it does this, especially in winter, is because the concrete gets cold, then when the weather warms up and the dewpoint rises, it causes the concrete to sweat. I'm sure a regular meteorologist would be able to explain it better than I ever could, but that's basically it.
So where did all that humidity go? As we say in Texas, Raht cheer.
It was so weird to see all the fog clustered around the lights like that, crawling and squirming, and moving like a living thing, I had to stop on the way in and take a picture.
That's about all I have for you today. I've been working on some deep, thoughtful, and insightful posts for you, mentally composing them while at work doing my no-brainer job. The downside is by the time I get home, I'm just too tired to type them out.
I almost made it. Yesterday, I mean. I almost made it out of the plant, but no...my supervisor stopped me and said, "Can you come in at 5:00 in the morning and work on [getting line 7 caught up]?"
Tired as I was, I'm not one to turn down overtime, especially after I'd told him earlier in the day that I was trying to work as much as I could so I could actually afford to retire someday. But that's a different conversation for a different day...
So, up I got bright and early this morning, and in to work I went. It was just me and one other brazer who'd come in early.
When I got to the department, it looked like it had been hit by a tornado. I mean, it usually does, but today it was worse than normal. Nobody had put their work up, or cleaned up, or even confirmed their parts in the computer.
After a brief moment of grumbling, I said -- more to myself than to anyone else -- "I wonder if they sent second shift home early or something?"
My coworker heard me and replied, "Yeah, they did." She then told me that her husband (who also works at the plant) had gotten a text from a friend of his who works on second shift. Seems one of the big JP Hunt trucks had hit and destroyed a utility pole with a transformer, knocking out the electricity to the whole plant. It was pretty obvious it wouldn't be a quick and easy fix, to they cut their losses and sent everyone home at 10:30 or so.
She then told me that the electricity people were out there all night working to get the power restored, and didn't get it back on until about 3:00. It's only a temporary fix, because they just rerouted the line to another utility pole. They're still going to have to come back out and set a new pole, and put up a new transformer.
After that, the rest of the day passed pretty much without incident, and the supervisor said we were caught up enough we didn't need to come in early tomorrow.
In other news, I got a flyer in the mail today for that weight loss program I did a couple of years ago. I'm thinking about going through it again, because I didn't do so well the first time. I mean, I lost quite a bit of weight -- nearly 30 lbs -- but I started gaining it back even before I finished the program. Now, I'm almost back up to what I was before.
I just don't know, though. The program didn't seem very realistic -- at least not for those of us who live in the real world. I suppose it's OK for people who sit at home all day and can drop everything and eat a meal when they reach level three, but for people who work and can just tell the boss, "Hey boss, I'm at level three hunger and need to go home and cook a meal", not so much.
Besides that, I get tired of feeling like I'm obsessing over food all the time. I get tired of having to pick and nibble when I want to just relax and enjoy my meal. And after a 10 hour shift in the factory, I'm too tired to "walk the dog, even if you don't have one."
I don't know. Still, it's free, and better than nothing. Maybe I will give it another shot. Maybe this time, I'll do better, and it'll stick.
On a completely unrelated note, I started eating my gingerbread house. When we were kids, we had a record telling the story of Hansel and Gretel. When they found the house in the woods and started eating it, the old witch would say, "Nibble Nibble little mousey. Who is nibbling at my housey?"
Now, every time I take a bit of my gingerbread house, guess what runs through my brain...go on guess.
And finally, I'm sure you will all be pleased to know that this cat of mine finally has a name. Eve. Or Evie.
It's short for Evil Incarnate.
"Yeah, you're going to pay for that one," she says.
Here's a little fun fact for you. The whole time I was off for Christmas break, and I mean the whole two weeks, I didn't have insomnia once. Not one single time. Then we get to last night. The last night before I had to go back to work...I did not sleep, not one single wink. Oh, I dozed off an on, but real sleep...nope.
To make matters worse, the cat yowled all night long. I don't know if she sensed my restlessness, heard me tossing and turning, or if it was the impending storms that set her off, but she was definitely off. I finally got up and let her into the bedroom with me -- which she's not supposed to sleep with me on my allergist's recommendation. Then, of course, the minute she jumped onto the bed, she made a beeline to my night stand so she could knock everything off. Which wouldn't have been too much of a problem, if only she'd leave my phone on the charger. Sigh...
It made for a long, and tiring, first day back at work.
But for a bit of good news, they replaced the sinks at work while we were off!
We had motion sensing sinks before, but they never worked right. You had to flap like a hummingbird just to get the water to turn on, and if you moved your hands just a fraction of a millimeter out of the beam, it would turn off. And during the three seconds you did have water running, it was cold. I never felt like I got my hands clean. I guess enough people complained that they rectified the situation.
It was so nice to have running, hot water to wash with after ...you know.
More good news, I have now joined the ranks of those who have built gingerbread houses.
Yep, that's right. For the first time in my life, I sat down and made me a gingerbread house while I was watching football yesterday. And yes, I did have a supervisor...at first. About halfway through, she got bored and went outside.
I'm thinking if we do this again next year, I might buy the kind that have the houses pre-assembled, because putting it together was a bit of a pain. On the other hand, now that I have one under my belt -- so to speak-- it should be a bit easier. Let me tell you, though, this roof holder thing they put into the box was crap. It was supposed to hold the roof pieces in place while the icing set, but as you can see, it didn't even fit the house, so I had to stand there and hold them into place while the icing set.
Nevertheless, we persevered and got 'er all put together.
One of the sides kind of fell in a bit while I was fussing with the roof, but by that point, the icing was set and I didn't want to pull it all apart to fix it, so I just left it.
Once I'd gotten it all decorated, it isn't all that obvious anyway.
Here is the other side.
I didn't get all the little snowflakes on the roof piped, because I popped my frosting bag and ran out, so I improvised.
And finally, here is the front.
According to the box, I was supposed to cut all those gumdrops in half and use them to make a little sidewalk, but I wasn't having it. I just took the leftovers and made a pile of firewood with them.
Here is the finished product, including the woodpile.
They even included a couple of gingerbread men to decorate.
The only thing I didn't even open were these little snowflake sprinkles.
I put them up into my cabinet with the rest of my sprinkles, so I can use them at a later date.
Now the only question remains, do you actually eat them when you're done, or do you just let them sit around until they turn all manky and moldy, then throw them away?
It is at this time of year that most people set for themselves resolutions for the coming annum. Me, I haven't made New Year's Resolutions in quite some time, but this year I'm going to make an exception. I'm actually going to make one. A resolution, that is.
So, what is this big resolution I'm making, you ask? Well, I'll tell you.
Keep scrolling.
That's it. Just keep scrolling.
When I see you getting bamboozled by a hoax you didn't bother to research...I'm going to just keep scrolling.
When I see you posting an obviously photoshopped picture that you didn't bother to verify...I'm going to just keep scrolling.
When I see you passing on manipulated data that you didn't confirm...I'm just going to keep scrolling.
The memes you took at face value, the altered videos, the internet rumors with absolutely no basis in fact, the flat out lies...I'm just going to keep scrolling.
Yep, I'm just going to sit here and let you "upgrade the system" and "kill the ads" by coping and pasting a status, while I just....I'm just going to keep on scrolling.
But don't think for one minute I haven't fact checked you in my mind...
In other goals, I'm going to try to spend more time reading and less playing games on my Kindle. In fact, just this weekend, I've deleted five of my games. I used to be an avid reader, but have kind of gotten away from that. For some reason, I've take it into my head that I can only read when I'm on my lunch break at work. I've stopped reading at home, pretty much completely. I'm going to try to get back to that, and maybe watch less TV. That might even help my blogging some. Maybe reading more will wake my brain back up.
With that in mind, here are the two books I'm reading right now.
2 CHILDREN FOR SALE. The sign is a last resort. It sits on a farmhouse porch in 1931, but could be found anywhere in an era of breadlines, bank runs and broken dreams. It could have been written by any mother facing impossible choices.
For struggling reporter Ellis Reed, the gut-wrenching scene evokes memories of his family's dark past. He snaps a photograph of the children, not meant for publication. But when it leads to his big break, the consequences are more devastating than he ever imagined.
Inspired by an actual newspaper photograph that stunned the nation, Sold on a Monday has celebrated five months on the New York Times bestsellers list and continues to especially captivate fans of Lisa Wingate's Before We Were Yours and Kristin Hannah's The Four Winds.
Eh, it's an OK, book so far. I'm not even halfway through, but it seems to be more about the reporter than the children. Maybe they'll get back to the kids further into the book. I'll let you know.
Rhode Island, 1846. Estranged from his family, writer Merritt Fernsby is surprised when he inherits a remote estate in the Narragansett Bay. Though the property has been uninhabited for more than a century, Merritt is ready to call it home—until he realizes he has no choice. With its doors slamming shut and locking behind him, Whimbrel House is not about to let Merritt leave. Ever.
Hulda Larkin of the Boston Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms has been trained in taming such structures in order to preserve their historical and magical significance. She understands the dangers of bespelled homes given to tantrums. She advises that it’s in Merritt’s best interest to make Whimbrel House their ally. To do that, she’ll need to move in, too.
Prepared as she is with augury, a set of magic tools, and a new staff trained in the uncanny, Hulda’s work still proves unexpectedly difficult. She and Merritt grow closer as the investigation progresses, but the house’s secrets run deeper than they anticipated. And the sentient walls aren’t their only concern—something outside is coming for the enchantments of Whimbrel House, and it could be more dangerous than what rattles within.
I literally just started this one this morning, and have only read the prologue so far. I'll have to let you know.
In more mundane news, you will all be pleased to know I got my bookshelves arranged the way I want them.
I had to move a few things off to make room for all I want, so no more autographed Allen West photo or Bill Whittle CD. I'll put them into my office area -- if I ever get it put together the way I want. Right now, that room is being taken up by my seemingly immortal snakes. When they finally go into that great beyond, I have lots of plans for the room. But I won't go into that here. I'm sure you're all already bored enough with this post.
Well, one good thing about last week's super duper deep freeze is that it killed all the weeds in my back yard.
They'll come back in the spring, though. I was looking up that Scott's Turf Builder Southern formula that I used last year, but wow, it has gotten so expensive -- just like everything else. I'll keep checking and see if someone puts it on sale before I need it. If not, I'll have to bite the bullet and pay the higher price.
I guess that's about it for today. It's almost time for the ball games to start, and I'm going to need my computer to stream at least one of them, so I'll see you later.
Oh, and I just realized I completely forgot about the Rose parade, so now I really need both devices!
Once again, I've totally whiffed on the Holiday Homestead Share, but at this point, there just doesn't seem any point in continuing. It is the last day, after all. Today's topic is Ring It In, but it's been so long since I've actually done any ringing in, I wouldn't even know what to post.
That kind of stuff is for the youngsters.
Back in the day, I used to do some year in review types of posts. I haven't done that in a while now, though. Not quite sure why. I'm not going to do tonight, either, because I'm just not into it. Truth is, I've had trouble even getting into the Christmas spirit this year as well. I guess I was just really missing family.
Me, I've spent today watching football and taking down my Christmas decorations. I still have the outside lights and the stuff on my mantle to take down, but that'll wait until tomorrow.
The older I get, the more I understand why my grandparents only put up a three foot tall tree. Now, my mammaw always had a full sized tree, but she had all of us -- plus my aunt and uncle and cousins-- to help. Yeah, Cody and Brennan helped put it up, but they don't come take it down.
By the way, I checked out the clearance sales yesterday when I was in town, but all I got was a new bow for my front door wreath and a few more picks.
I was really tempted to get some wrapping paper, but I've already go so much of that I want to use it all up before I get more. I've really cut back on paper usage since I've started having my family's gifts shipped directly to them.
So anyway, I haven't yet put all of my regular stuff back out, because I'm going to have to make some changes. I'm going to put my trebuchet on top of the book shelf where the TARDISes are right now.
Which means the TARDISes will have to go somewhere else. Not quite sure exactly where yet, but I'll figure it out.
Tomorrow....
For now, I'm going to bed, so let me sign off here by wishing you all a very happy new year.
I’ve been wanting one for years, and this year, I finally have one! Yes, a real, working trebuchet.
It's been in my wish list for years, and now I finally have one.
In the interest of full disclosure, this isn't the exact model that was in my wish list. Cody found this one at a hobby store up in Memphis, and it's actually better because it's a more authentic replica.
He wanted me to put it together right away, so he could see how it worked. Happy to oblige, I moved the cookie decorating stuff to the side and sat down at the table to do just that. The instructions were pretty clear, and easy to follow -- and clearly written by someone with a sense of humor.
I hope coke and cookies work, because that's what I ate when the instructions called for them.
Unfortunately, Cody was disappointed, and didn't get to see the completed model. It took longer than expected, due to having to wait for the glued parts to dry. And I mean, I had to glue the part into place, then wait for it to dry before I could go on to the next step. When it was time to glue the base into place, I ran into a snag, because the wood was warped. I had to go find these clamps I use at work in order to clamp it into place, and I wasn't too sure about the glue they'd included in the kit, so I went and found my Gorilla glue, and used it instead. Just to be on the safe side, I let the whole thing dry over night.
I won't bore you with all the details of putting it together, but I eventually I got it done, and here is the finished product.
Time to try it out!
It took a little bit of trial and error, most of which involved figuring out how much weight to put into the counterweight basket. I also figured out it works better if I hold the base down, because the counterweight was flinging the trebuchet across the floor.
Once I got the kinks worked out, I tried it again.
Cool, huh? I sent that video to Cody and told him I wanted a full sized one next year. I'm thinking about making a bit of an adjustment, though. I think if I use a longer string -- and I'm talking about the string I use to crank it down -- it would allow that counterweight to swing freely and I could toss the little balls even farther.
As it is, this is as far as the counterweight goes.
A longer crank string would give it more follow-through, and perhaps more power. Or maybe if I just untied that string so it wouldn't stop right here...Hmmm, it'll take some experimenting. I'll keep you updated.
The only other thing I've done since last we spoke was to watch a lot of TV, and decorate two more cookies.
The stocking isn't too bad, but the star didn't turn out at all like I'd imagined. Still, they aren't bad for my first time.
I've got me a freezer full of food, that's for sure.
Last night after I posted, I put up five containers of gumbo. I save my old mayonnaise jars to freeze it in, and I find they're the perfect size for two to three servings.
When I was done with that, I vacuum sealed three dozen chocolate chip cookies and two dozen snickerdoodles. I still had more to go, but decide to save them for today, and sat down to watch the Call The Midwife Christmas special on PBS.
I got up this morning and finished putting up all I was going to, and ended up with some 10 dozen cookies, and maybe three pounds of fudge, plus a couple dozen sausage balls. Not to worry, I still have plenty of cookies and candy to eat.
I also kept out some of my roll out cookies for me to decorate. I whipped this one out in a hurry, and will probably do the rest later this week.
I'm telling you, it's not as easy as they make it look on the cooking shows, but then, I'd bet they have better icing than I did. Still, it was fun doing it.
In other news, yesterday morning I went into town and hit the clearance sales, which I don't normally do. I typically avoid stores on December 26th as rabidly as I avoid them on Black Friday, but alas, I was out of cat food, deer corn, and almost out of bird seed, so into the lion's den I went.
It was just as much of a madhouse as I expected, but I managed to pick up a few things on sale, like these bows.
Yes, next year, our packages will have bows on them, and maybe even ribbons as well. Depends on how fancy I want to get.
You want to hear something funny? I was trying to think of a place to store these bows so they won't get squished between now and next Christmas. Some place out of the way...where they'll be safe.... I finally put them into the bottom of the nightstand in Cody's room. Knowing I'd be tearing my hair out trying to find them, or will have completely forgotten even buying them by next year, I put a reminder in my phone for November 1st to get the bows out of the night stand. Seriously.
You may laugh. I don't mind.
I also picked up this little enameled metal mug.
and some picks for decorations.
Some people put those kind of picks on packages, too, so I may pick up some more if they have any left when I go in Friday for my regular shopping day.
The only other clearance items I bought were a couple of boxes of Christmas cards, which I will not show you as most of you are probably going to receive one here in about 11 more months...and despite already having enough candy to give an elephant diabeetus, I bought even more. They finally got some more Hershey's cherry cordial kisses in stock, so I got a few bags of those, since they're my favorite.
It's funny, but these last few years, they've had either the cherry cordial kisses, or the mint truffle kisses, but never both at the same time.
Heh, I was in the store, and they had a whole big stack of chocolate covered cherries. Cases and cases of them. I got a couple of boxes, but I saw one lady pick up a whole case and put it into her buggy! I got a good -- covert -- chuckle out of that.
I spent most of the rest of the day doing mundane things like cleaning up the kitchen, but I also sat down and watched the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol. A lot of people say that is their favorite version, but for me it's not even in the top 5. My favorite is the Patrick Stewart version, followed closely by the Muppet Christmas Carol, Scrooge with Albert Finney, the Alistair Sim version, and the one with Reginald Owen. Then there is the cartoon version I posted about the other day. They all rank ahead of the Scott version in my opinion.
Before I forget again, here is your Holiday Homestead Share for today
#27 -- Winter Warmer
There is nothing like a cheery fire in the wood stove to warm the cockles of your heart. Alas, there will be no more fires here until I get some more wood. I'm not completely out, but I want to hold some back just in case there is another power outage in 35' weather. Like the one we had in 2020. That thing was a lifesaver, I'm telling you. The wood stove, not the power outage. Well, maybe not a lifesaver, but it sure made things much more bearable. That was probably the only week of my life I was actually glad to go to work. I was warm, had lights, and could charge my phone.
That last day, when I was on the way home and saw the electricity people just up the road...I was so glad to see them I literally started crying. Tears of joy. And when they finally got my power back on, the first thing I did was to take a hot shower, even though it was the middle of the night.
Speaking of, I'm sure you'll all be pleased to know my redneck solution worked. This one, I mean.
I turned the water fully on Sunday afternoon, and it flowed freely! Woo Hoo! No frozen pipes here! Rednecks for the win!
And finally, despite my good intentions, and weeks of practicing, this is the only Christmas song I got recorded for you.
I still don't like the way they sound when recorded on my phone. It sounds like I'm pounding the heck out of those keys, but I'm not. I wonder if it has something to do with it being recorded digitally, and how it would sound on some sort of analog recording system.
I was going to record more, but my keys have gotten somewhat loose and rattly. I don't know if you can tell from that video, but I sure can hear it. By the way, I've done some research and this seems to be a pretty common problem with electronic pianos, and is pretty easily fixed, well, by someone who knows what he's doing. It's somewhat akin to needing a piano tuner every few years. After the holidays, I'll look around and see if I can find someone who can take care of it.
If not, I've found YouTube videos on how to do it, but don't really want to go there unless I absolutely have to.
Anyway, the whole point is the rattly keys annoyed me so much that I didn't even bother to try to record any more songs.
Since I bought that phone stand thing, I may try to record more of my regular practices. You'll just have to put up with the rattly keys for a bit.
Man, I totally whiffed on the Holiday Homestead Share these last few days, so I'll have to do a bit of a catch up. I'll put the days I missed at the end of this post, but today's topic is Christmas Aftermath. And here it is.
OK, I didn't take this photo just to show you my pretty Christmas containers. No, this is the aftermath. All of those are filled with homemade cookies and candy. What is aftermathy about that? Just that now I'm the one who has to eat it all up!
Cody and Brennan didn't take anything with them, so it's all up to me to somehow consume about three million calories worth of leftovers. And this isn't even counting the cheese ball, or sausage balls, or Bartley Snack stuff...
Oh, and we mustn't forget the store-bought candy...
I think I'm going to try to vacuum seal and freeze most of the cookies and candy, just to keep from eating it all at once. I've frozen my chocolate and peanut butter fudge before, so I know it'll be OK. And I'm going to freeze most of the sausage ball mix, too. And all that gumbo...
I also wanted to show you the rest of the gifts I got.
The baking pans are from Brennan, the Snoopy record is from Cody (as is the trebuchet -- but more about that in a later post), the piano book and dish towels are from my brother Scott, and the Texas tea towel, coasters, and cutting board are from my sister and her family. My older brother sent us checks.
When I was straightening up yesterday morning, I found Cody's check that he'd forgotten to take with him when they went home Christmas Eve. No problem. I just forged his name the way I used to do when he was little (it's what the teller at the bank told me to do), signed my name right under his, then did a mobile deposit into my credit union. Once they approved the deposit, I Paypalled him the money.
Modern technology for the win.
But I digress...I'd put this cutting board into my wish list, because I need a new one. However, after seeing how beautiful it is, I don't even want to use it.
I'll have to find a place to display it...or something. It's too nice to be hidden away in a drawer or cabinet.
And finally, I managed to get my trebuchet put together last night, but I'm going to save that story for a different post, as this one is already pretty long.
I hope all my readers had a very Merry Christmas!
Before I go, here are the rest of the Holiday Homestead Shares that I missed.
#21 -- Stockings
These aren't just any stockings. There is a story behind them. When I was along about 10 or 12ish years old, I found them in the sewing department of the old Kresge's department store in McArthur Shopping center, which has since been torn down. They were those pre-printed panels that you had to sew together.
Now, I could sew a little bit. My mother had taught me, and I wanted these stockings. I wanted them so badly, I worried my mother to death until she gave in and bought them for me. I promptly sewed them together, then gave them to my Mammaw for Christmas that year. She hung them up every year, until she died. Now they hang in my house, and in my mind, they are Mammaw's stockings.
#22 -- Snuggle This one doesn't really need any explanation....Other than to say the movie on the TV in the background is called The Holiday Stocking, and is well worth watching. You'll need tissues. If you don't, you need to pray to God to remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
#23 -- Tradition
Even thought it was just me, I still got up Christmas morning and made our traditional family breakfast of sausage balls and monkey bread.
I'd already started eating before I thought to take the photo. This year, I did something different, in that I bought the Pillsbury kit instead of using canned biscuit dough and my own cinnamon and sugar. It was all right, and a whole lot easier to do. I bought canned dough as a back up just in case this wasn't good. Now I need to figure out what to do with that. Oh, and I used the new pan Brennan gave me.
#24 -- All Is Calm
Sunrise this morning. I don't often get to see these, as I'm at work before the sun comes up. I chose this photo because the days I do get to see the sunrise are usually pretty calm.
#25 -- Magic
May we never grow too old or jaded to have this much joy when opening a gift.
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Well, we almost had a white Christmas, but not quite. Most of the snow -- what little we got -- has melted, leaving just a few spots in the shadowy places. The good news is, it's supposed to get up above freezing tomorrow afternoon.
You know, when I was younger and used to read a lot of Jack London novels, I wanted to live in Alaska. Now that I'm older and wiser, I realize how little I am prepared for a life so far north. North Mississippi is too far north for me! This cold spell turned my icicle lights into literal icicles.
There was some doubt about the roads in Memphis, but by this morning, they were clear enough Cody and Brennan were able to make the trip down.
I just wish they'd gotten here in time to see this guy behind my fence.
I tried to sneak a little closer to get a better picture, but as soon as I opened the door, he took off into the woods.
Now that was a deer with a nice rack! I hope he's the one making the babies out there, and not those other deer -- you know, the one whose tines are flipping us off.
Anyway, Cody and Brennan made it down without too much trouble, and the minute they arrived, I put Brennan to work chopping the onion for gumbo. As I told her, I've watched all the YouTube videos and all the Gordon Ramsay tutorials, but when I try to chop onions, it ends up being a mess. She did a good job, though. I'd already gotten the bell pepper and celery chopped, and the turkey cut up, so that was all there was to do. Except Cody did cut the sausage. And made the gumbo. Which turned out really good, despite my early misgivings, because we used turkey broth instead of chicken. It's very rich, but still very good.
Once all that was done and the gumbo was simmering on the stove, Cody said, "When do you want to do presents?"
"We can do presents any time you want." So we did.
Brennan was very excited about the book I got her,
until she opened…
the box of rocks.
"Oh, I'm going to cry!" she said. Which made me really happy. I'd thought about getting her a rock tumbler, but Cody said she already had one, so I got her rocks to tumble in it.
I don't even know what this is that I got Cody, but it was in his wish list and seemed to make him very happy.
Some piece of electronic gear he needed. For his PS...whichever number he's up to.
And look what I got!
A trebuchet! It's been in my wish list for ages, and I finally got one. Several years ago, Cody asked me, "Why do you need a trebuchet?" and I said, "So I can throw stuff...at stuff..." Now, I can, once I get it put together.
And Cody got me the one album I was really hoping someone would get me.
As is our family tradition, I had them lay out all their loot for a photo.
Mine isn't in this one, because I saved a few to open tomorrow. Once I do that, I'll get a photo of my stuff.
After we'd opened all the gifts, Cody and Brennan decorated cookies.
Brennan said she'd never done this, and thanked me for setting it up for them. I said it was my pleasure. Their cookies turned out pretty cute, too. Brennan made a Taco Bell bell, a tree, and an ornament.
Cody made a house, an ornament, and a snowflake, which he ate before I could get a picture.
There are still quite a few cookies left. I might try my hand at decorating some tomorrow, and I still have to do my gingerbread house (which I hid from the kids). But for now, I'd better get to bed, or Santa won't come.
So good night, and a very Merry Christmas to you all!
