The Gift of Days......

I have had a lovely three days at home.

No stress and low key with no real agenda or a long list of things to do.

I needed these days.

Saturday was delicious!

I lingered longer in bed than usual, stretching it into the afternoon.

Between reading, praying, catching up in my Country Diary and looking through recipes for Christmas, the time passed but slow enough for me to savor the hours.

I changed from a nightgown into fresh pj's after a long hot shower in the afternoon.

It was cold Saturday so I built a fire in the den and settled down to address my Christmas cards while I watched a Hallmark Christmas movie. Perfect, right??

As I write this tonight, all my cards are ready to go out in the mail tomorrow.

I do want to mention that I hand addressed each one. However, I did not write a personal note inside on any card. The reason? I had the cards made from heavy card stock and selected white letters on a black background for the reverse side. Alas, I wasn't thinking about the fact that I couldn't write on it!

Pam suggested I get a silver ink pen but I never got around to it and I was in a 'Get 'R Done' mode.

So I hope you will overlook the lack of a personal message......

By the way, if you would like a card - it features my Western Santa - I have a few left

  and will be so happy to send you one if you will email your address.

I never left the house Saturday!

My idea of a perfect day!

No make up, no dress up clothes, no hairdo.

Poor Louis Dean, having to look at me like that all day.

I'm hoping my smile and twinkling eyes made up for my appearance.

Sunday morning we both got up a little earlier than normal - probably because we both went to bed quite a bit earlier than normal! We sat in the den with our coffee for a good hour before time to get ready to go to church. I've missed a couple of Sundays lately - Louis Dean hasn't though. Every week, they have asked him, "Where is your lady?" Well, Sunday I was there! and it was GOOD to be there!

Normally we would go over to Brookdale after service to visit Reaoma.......and it sprang to my mind to ask him if he minded if we stopped by over there.....and then I remembered.....she isn't there anymore. It wasn't a sad thing to remember.....I just forgot for a moment.

We came home and I think I set a record in being a quick change artist!

Within 4-5 minutes of walking in the front door I was out of my nice Sunday dress and back in my flannel pj's! Louis Dean wasn't as fast as I was but we met back in the kitchen to fix lunch together.

He made the best bacon burgers and I fixed rosemary roasted veggies.

Oh, my goodness! It was delicious!!

Then I went back to bed.

I got up in time to watch the 4th quarter of the Cowboy/Eagle game.......

apparently the most exciting part of the game.

We usually pause it and the game is over while we are still watching.

And I totally admit that I cheat and check online to see the final score and if they lost, I quit watching. Sunday was an exception - we were in real time and it was exciting to see them win!!

I've been wandering around fluffing and tweaking the decorations.

There was a container of gold and cream ornaments left and I was compelled by my obsessive/compulsion nature to use them. 

Then I went outside to turn the lights on and noticed a basket of unbreakable shiny bright gold ornaments. What to do with them? While I didn't use them all - I did tucked a few into the folds of the mesh ribbon around the front door. I like it!

Just a touch more sparkle and shine.

I love looking at all my Christmas decorations.

I made this sequined Styrofoam ball using plain straight pins in 1964 when I was 16 years old.

We lived at Mrs. Morrison's apartment house.

I've taken it out and admired it every single year since then. I love my memories.

This is the oldest ornament I have and it came from my childhood Christmas tree - back when I had a childhood. It hung on the tree in 1954 when I was 6 years old. Deanie was 3 and Nita was 1. Mother was pregnant with Lonnie and he would be born in January 1955. It was once covered in blue glitter but only a few specks remain. I have two of these and they were on all the trees from 1954 on. Mother gave me a box of ornaments in 1964. It was my very first Christmas tree after I married in 1963 and I have hung them on my tree every year since. In addition to the two blue bells, there was a gold one as well..... but I have lost that one. I don't know how that happened because I keep everything!

Sunday night we closed out the weekend with our feet up by the fireplace.

The weather said it was going to get down to 29 degrees Sunday night.

It was 40 degrees by the time I got up this morning but I decided to make a cold weather breakfast anyway!

Oatmeal, bacon and buttered toast.

Note the difference in the size of our bowls.

It was another day at home except for a trip to return the rental car and pick up Summer's vehicle from the body shop. I had 'normal' clothes on so I clapped a hat on my head, put on some lipstick and drew in my eyebrows. Went straight there and straight back!

I decided to bake up some fruitcake cookies so I could get them in the mail tomorrow when I go to the post office to mail out all my Christmas cards. Without thinking I set the oven to preheat -

and forgot all about Santa being in there drying!

I jerked him out as soon as I smelled the heat!

He did get a bit drier with the heat and I'm so glad he didn't burn!!

I got a spurt of art mojo juice and decided it would be best to finish Santa and hang him up on the wall to dry! So that's what I did.

I have been keeping up with my routine housework and was emptying the dishwasher and getting our coffee ready for in the morning.....when I noticed.....

my possum!!!

I knew he was alive and well and had been eating but I had not seen him in quite awhile.

Louis Dean has....but not I.

Just this afternoon I was talking to Sherry and telling her how much I miss the ranch and feeding the chickens, the ducks, the goats, the horses and Rufus and Blue. I am now only feeding my possum!

So I was really happy to see him tonight!

Real life resumes in the morning but it isn't happening early!