These cute photos were supplied by Jonas Grinevicius and Vikorija Osikaite via their article, “Cats 1st Christmas” on BoredPanda.com
I well remember one of our cats diving into the middle of our newly decorated tree, bringing the whole thing down onto the living room floor. After that, I only used ornaments that wouldn’t break…
Filed under holidays
I hope that you’re not going nuts trying to do six things at once to get ready for Christmas. I realize that if you have kids, much of it is about the presents, but I HOPE that you take time to cherish those who are with you to celebrate, more than the presents, decorations, food, and hustle, bustle. You are building memories that will serve you the rest of your life, something that can’t be taken away
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We went to visit my husband, Harvey, at the nursing home this morning. He was pretty alert, and was following the pictures we were showing him and the things we were telling him pretty well. He seemed comfortable and pretty calm, although at one point, he asked where his gun was. We explained to him that he wasn’t in Arkansas now, he was in Thailand, and that we had auctioned off all the guns before we moved. He told us there was a male nurse who came to his room yesterday. He didn’t like him and wanted to shoot him. GREAT. HUH?!
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Brian and I stopped for a chocolate drink on the way home. There are lots of Christmas decorations showing up every day. It really lifts your spirits to see all the lights and happy decorations. There is a tall Christmas tree in the lobby of our building with colored flashing lights, presents under the tree, and two tiny reindeer in front. Really nice!
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It’s a beautiful day today. It was 66 this morning, so I didn’t wear a hoodie to the gym. I did, however, wear one when we went to see Harvey. The GRAB drivers tend to keep their vehicles cold, and the room where Harvey is is cold, as well, so I was glad I had it with me. When we got home, however, I was sleepy and wanting a nap. I opened several windows, pulled the screens across, turned off my air purifiers, and created a wonderful cross breeze that was perfect for a nice nap. Ahhhh! I now have everything closed up again, but it was a really nice interlude.
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These are my two latest painted sketches. I have such a great time in my art alcove. It seems I barely get started and my alarm is going off that it’s time for me to exercise or go somewhere. Such a pleasure!
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My jigsaw puzzle is going very slowly, but I AM making progress and I DO love to do it.
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Enjoy the days leading up to Christmas. Try to remember to slow down and BREATHE, enjoying the process, the anticipation of the love you’ll share, the fun you’ll have, the laughs you’ll enjoy.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
I hope this link works for you. It shows one type of entertainment for the whole family going on today, which is already Halloween.
I did this yesterday.
I regret that the world is such that Halloween can’t be the simple child-centered holiday it was back in the old days when I was young.
I loved planning ‘what I would be’ each Halloween, using things I found around the house. We never bought store costumes. We loved searching the house for things that would make up our ‘costumes,’ sometimes wheedling, sometimes begging to be allowed to use something that had to be returned in perfect shape after the celebration was over.
My friends and I, usually a group of about six girls, would then walk down the hill toward the neighborhood where houses were much closer together and people really got into the spirit of trick-or-treating. They left their porch lights on if you were welcome to knock at the door. Many of the yards and porches were decorated with wonderful stuff, cute or scary.
My favorite treats were little candy bars. I liked the milk chocolate ones best, being a chocoholic, but ANY candy bars were wonderful. I also loved to get cookies or chips.
When our bags were full, we limped home, tired but elated by our celebration and freedom. My parents made my brother and I dump our goodies on our beds, where they received a cursory parental inspection. Back in those days the main threat was a razor blade in an apple. Then we could choose one big thing or three little things to eat. The rest went back in the bag to be doled out by my mom at her discretion. Those were the days!
I wish you a Happy Halloween – either today or tomorrow – wherever you are. I hope you have a great celebration.
Filed under Halloween - How Do You Carve YOUR Pumpkin?
Village of Rochester, Racine County, Wisconsin
I’m told that some people may set off fireworks this evening somewhere around Chiang Mai, though there isn’t an organized event. I guess there might be enough expatriates here. It would be wonderful to see.
TikTok
OC Fireworks
My dad’s favorite holiday was the 4th of July. We made it an all day event at our house with ‘snakes’ and a ladyfinger or two, but we always went to the swimming club my parents belonged to in order to cook outside, swim, and see their fireworks display.
One year my dad developed cataracts in both eyes. The doctors said they had to get ‘bad’ enough for them to operate on one at a time, but that 4th of July, my dad was almost completely blind. He had given up reading, TV, becoming really depressed about the upcoming holiday. He COULD see lights, but decided he wouldn’t ask Harvey and me to drive my mom and him to the club.
Harvey spent the day out doing errands. He came home with a humongous grocery sack full of fireworks, plus snakes and a whole group of ladyfingers tied together. We brought cookout stuff, which my parents expected.
When we finished dinner Harvey suggested we sit out on the back patio. My dad reluctantly joined us, but it was obvious that his heart wasn’t in it.
Harvey brought out the snakes first. My dad’s face nearly cracked open when he ‘saw’ what Harvey had brought. He got down low, sitting on the concrete, so he could see the snakes as they were lit and grew, curling all over the patio. He was like a kid at Christmas.
Harvey brought out the ladyfingers and my dad hugged him. He asked Harvey to light the end so that the whole group of ladyfingers went off one after the other.
And finally, the sky grew dark. My dad had gotten quiet, wishing he could see fireworks.
Harvey spent the rest of the evening setting off one firework after another in our back yard – safely – but close enough my dad had the best row in the house actually being able to SEE each one. He thanked Harvey over and over for providing the “best 4th of July EVER!”
I brought out a towel and a beer for Harvey, who had been working so hard he was wringing wet and thirsty.
If I hadn’t already loved my husband as much as humanly possible before this, this would have proved to me that my husband was a ‘keeper.’ 🤗
Happy Independence Day!
My dad carved these sweet doggies for my mom. I would love these simply for that, but the remarkable thing is that my dad only had the use of one hand. He fell off a horse when he was three. Back then (1920’s) they didn’t know much about setting young children’s broken bones and hands, so he was left with a much shorter left arm than right and useless left hand.
He overcame being bullied at school because of his sense of humor. The other kids found it difficult to bully him and laugh at his jokes at the same time, so the bullying stopped. His sense of humor was one of his strengths thoroughout his life. (When he died, he left a note that said, “Remember me laughing.”)
He started a one-man radio advertising agency in Tulsa, OK and not only provided a living for his family, but garnered awards from the advertisers professional group in Tulsa for a lifetime of achievement.
When he asked my mom to marry him, he gave her this ring he carved.
I have shown you this recently. It’s one of the few oil paintings he did. I loved a set of three landscapes he did – 3 small paintings of some evergreens – framed in the same way. He also did these ‘portrait/personality’ paintings of my brother and me. Brian had an image of this reproduced on glass and it’s sitting on my mantel in my new condo. So my dad lives on in my heart and he is now in Thailand with me.
Celebrate your dad this Father’s Day today – and EVERY day!
Filed under holidays
I hope that 2025 is a fabulous year for you, full of all the good things there are.
We had a quiet celebration here. I was hoping our backyard neighbors might shoot off some fireworks, but it was too cold, even for them this year. I’m glad they stayed warm.
My to-do list is long today, but I’m still yawning and drinking coffee, trying to fully wake up. Our weather is definitely turning toward winter now, with freezing almost every morning and the ‘highs’ gradually getting lower each week. I really wish I could just LOOK at pretty snow pictures, photos of creative snow people and animals folks have made, watch videos of snowball fights, snow angels, and more – rather than to. actually. be. IN. it.
My aim for the day is to clean off my drafting table in my art room in preparation for whatever comes next as a project. I almost need a bulldozer right now, but hope I can make good progress if I can just get up there.
I’m on strike as far as cooking today. We’ll have our regular low carb lunch and hot dogs for dinner. YEA!
Have a wonderful day. I hope that you’re off for the day from work and that you find fun ways to spend your day. Happy 2025!
Filed under holidays, Thoughts on a ________
I’m hoping to be able to visit with a couple of friends quickly this afternoon and take them the presents I made for them, hug their necks tightly, and catch up. I don’t leave my husband for long these days, as he thinks he’s 20 and may end up on the roof… :0)
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I’m having a really good time in my art room. I’m trying to do a wood-burned and painted picture of a kingfisher. I still have no real clue what I’m doing, but it’s fun to try the different tips on my wood burning tools, experiment with shading, and more. Fingers crossed it turns out okay.
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Yesterday I cut down the remnants of my elephant ear plants.
They did really well this year, but Mother Nature thumbed her nose at them and froze them where they stood. I spent quite a while cutting down the sad, frozen remains and carting them off. I have tried digging up and storing the bulbs in the garage over the winter, but that was a disaster. So I put styrofoam faucet covers we didn’t need over the bulbs, then put rocks on top of those. Finally, I stuffed as many leaves as I could get into the planter, hoping that will get the sweet plants to survive the winter and grow again in the spring. All appendages are crossed – including my eyes – that this works.
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One of the many things for which I am thankful this year is that I can write this blog, communicating with wonderful people, sharing things I hope you’ll like, hoping to make you snort, smirk, or smile from time to time. Thank you for reading, liking, commenting, and becoming friends.
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Make this a great day. If you’ve already celebrated, pat yourself on the head for a job well done. If you’re dashing around like a fiend desperately trying to cram in as much stuff as you can in the remaining time, BREATHE. The celebration is about enjoying those you love, remembering what is important, cherishing life and all you have.
Filed under holidays, Thoughts on a ________
We just had to chase a bird out of the house (after grabbing Monster Cat and putting her into the bathroom and putting Amber behind the gate to the living room.) It took us quite a while, with lots of hand-waving and towels, and fly swatters, going from the pantry to the kitchen, to the dining area, and the utility room over and over, but we did it. I’m still huffing and puffing a bit. The bird is fine, and is back outside. WE are both intact and unhurt. Monster Cat and Amber are with us again, and all hopefully will calm down. NOT a great way to start a morning!
Monster Cat has decided to take advantage of the morning’s excitement, now hiding-in-wait for me to walk past, and then leaping out and wrapping her arms, claws out, around my leg. It’s a very good thing I’m wearing jeans…
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It never did warm up much yesterday, but it’s supposed to get into the low 50’s today. Hooray! I’ll plan to get outside, cut down and mulch a few things in the yard, and try again to get the light bulb camera on the front porch to work.
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I started a new piece in my art room yesterday. This time I’m trying to wood burn a kingfisher. It’s a wonderful escape to go up there, turn on some of my favorite music, and lose myself in the joy of trying to use the wood-burning tool. I got the design onto the wood yesterday. Now I’m doing the wood burning, and then I’ll paint. Such a fun time!
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I hope you have a list of things you can do to bring yourself joy. I’m lucky because I have a whole host of things that allow me to ‘escape’ from the present world and fully relax for a bit.
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I hope your Christmas plans are shaping up. Don’t be afraid to ask those around you for help. This is a family time. Responsibility should be shared as much as possible, from the planning, the decorating, the wrapping of gifts, the shopping for food, the cooking, and the clean up. When you share the work, the joy explodes. BREATHE.
Filed under holidays, Thoughts on a ________
I hope you’re up to your eyeballs in love today – knee-deep in family and friends sharing a beautiful time and delicious food.
If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know that our son lives across the world from us. He chose his location very carefully and is very happy. He left us a message on the chat program this morning –
He said, “Happy Thanksgiving, guys. I’m very thankful for all the love and energy and patience and support you have given me and still give me.” It just doesn’t get nicer than that. :0)
We’re having a quiet celebration here, just my husband and me. I’ll cook a turkey breast. Otherwise we’ve pared things down to our favorites – the ones we look forward to all year – cranberry jelly and deviled eggs. We’ll have salad, too.
It’s the coolest day we’ve had in quite a while. The low was 29 and the high will only be 49. With the wind, it will seem quite chilly. BRRRRR!
I’m thankful for so many things –
So, a very Happy Thanksgiving.
“What we’re really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?” —Erma Bombeck
Filed under holidays
We’re due for a perfect fall day here in Arkansas. It’s 49 right now, the high is supposed to be 69 this afternoon, and the sun is smiling. Just beautiful!
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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS- One-of-a-kind, hand-painted child’s apron. Size is 2-6 years. The apron is 19″ long and 12.5″ wide, not including neck loop or ties. Fun addition for the holidays, making kids feel festive as they help with the food. $14.99 with Free Shipping. Click on this link to see details on this and other aprons on HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
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LEWIS MAILBOX DECORATIONS –
When we were going to drive our trash down yesterday, I suggested we change the mailbox decoration. I also had my gloves and hand pruners in the truck so I could cut down some baby mimosa ‘trees’ and some other tall weeds at the bottom of the driveway to neaten up a bit.
I’m trying to convince my husband that we should create a different method for storing the mailbox decorations in the shop. Right now each is on a hook suspended from a bar that runs overhead. This has worked well for years, but now it’s much harder for my husband to stand on a ladder and get the decorations down and back up again. So far, he won’t consider any changes, so I’m now trying to choose decorations that are smaller and lighter to make things easier for him.
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I’m frustrated because the days are whizzing past my head and I struggle to get in HALF of what I would like to do. Either the time is too short, we have other priorities, or my energy poops out at the wrong time.
I’m trying to find a balance between chores, exercising, and doing something fun each day. That rarely happens, but it IS an ongoing goal. So far, doing exercises with my 3-pound weights between things I’m doing on the computer is working out well. I do several sessions each morning in between blog posts, email, research, etc. My afternoon yoga session gets lost in the shuffle a lot, so I’m trying to get into the habit of doing that after lunch and a rest. Hit and miss so far.
I’m enjoying making some new things for us to eat. My husband isn’t picky – saying I always cook good things – unless I try to serve him many veggies we should be eating. Then we get into problems. We’re compromising in a lot of areas. Last night we had shrimp chef salad that was good. Tonight I’m trying a new recipe for a ground beef casserole that is low carb. I’m substituting broccoli for the green beans called for. Hopefully, this recipe will be a keeper. If it is, I’ll give you a link to it. :0)
No big plans for the day, unless another tree has fallen on us. Enjoy yours.
Filed under DIET!, exercise, HandmadeHavenByLinda on Etsy, Thoughts on a ________
“The holiday is meant to honor those who have died in the country’s service and thank those who have served. Originally known as Armistice Day, it was proclaimed in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson and became a legal federal holiday in 1938.”
My husband served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1961-1965. He was on ships offshore in all the hot spots around the world during that time – most notably the Cuban Missile Crisis – but thankfully never had to face combat. He is funny about it, though. If he wears his vest that has Marine Corps patches on it, and people thank him for his service, he is embarrassed. He doesn’t think he deserves the thanks because he never actually ‘fought’ like ‘real veterans’ did. I heartily disagree, but he won’t hear me on this.
In the middle of the square in Greenwood, Arkansas is Memorial Park. It’s the center of many happy events during the year. One of the most impressive, however, is Veterans Day, where U.S. Flags are placed by the memorial ‘stones’ placed by families of veterans in our town. I wanted to get one for my husband, but again – he won’t hear of it. You can’t really see them in this photo, but there are half-size statues of service men from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Marines standing guard around the clock tower in the middle of the park.
There will be a parade today.
To people who have served or are serving now – THANK YOU for your service. THANK YOU for being willing to put everything on the line for our country and its people. THANK YOU for the sacrifice of your family. We honor you today – and every day.
Filed under holidays
I’ve been having a blast wood-burning and painting wood slices for Christmas ornaments.
They’re 3.25″ in diameter and .5″ thick. They have a red and white attached string for hanging on the tree.
On the back, they have places for personalization – one line for the year and a second for a first name to create a keepsake.
The wood-burning is done first. Then the several steps in painting. After one is ordered, I’ll personalize it and then protect it with several layers of polyurethane spray.
Each is a one-of-a-kind design. My parents gave my brother and me a Christmas ornament that was personalized each year, letting us add it to our tree. When we were grown, they presented us with a box of ‘OUR’ ornaments as a housewarming present, to decorate our tree and start a new tradition.
We are saving our son’s box, since he lives halfway across the world and travels light. When he joins us for the holiday, though, we decorate the tree together, reminiscing about Christmases past as we take out each of his decorations.
I hope that you are surrounded by those you love at Christmas this year. HandmadeHavenByLinda on Etsy
It’s quite rainy-looking outside right now. We may get rain around 2pm today. I say, “MAY” because we were due for some yesterday, but only got very overcast skies for a time and some thunder, but no rain. It would be good if it comes. Update – now the sun has come out…
I hope you’re in the middle of a family-and-friends weekend celebration of Labor Day. We’re having a quiet one, and hopefully will talk with our son on either the chat program or the conference call today or tomorrow.
I just asked my husband if he “missed getting the memo.” I went to the bathroom and was joined by Amber, our 95-pound yellow lab, and Monster Cat (aka Jet). Both were playing and stretching, rubbing up against me over and over, making it a bit difficult to finish what I had gone in there for, since it’s a small space. I really don’t think we could have fit my husband IN there, if he HAD gotten the memo. I love my animals, but a bit less companionship at that time would be nice.
I’m about half finished with my project of editing the items on my Etsy site. They want me to add more pics for a lot of my items, so I’m doing that. I’m all for making changes that might give my stuff more exposure. I’m also continuing work on my two newest wood-burned pieces – ‘cat’ and ‘dog’ signs with pegs for leashes, etc. I’m trying some new techniques, having a great time.
Have a blast with those you love!
Filed under holidays, Thoughts on a ________
“With a small window of opportunity in the weather, Eisenhower decided to go—D-Day would be June 6, 1944. Paratroopers began landing after midnight, followed by a massive naval and aerial bombardment at 6:30 a.m. American forces faced severe resistance at Omaha and Utah Beaches.”
“The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, ended the debate over American intervention in both the Pacific and European theaters of World War II. The day after the attack, Congress declared war on Imperial Japan with only a single dissenting vote.”
Filed under holidays
The number of flags has increased as memorial plaques are ordered, created, and added to the park each year. The park is in the center of the square in Greenwood and is quite a sight on all patriotic days like today. The city crew places all the flags and then comes back and removes them. It is a profound reminder of all the men and women who have served our country. Since my husband served in the Marine Corps for 4 years, I wanted to have a plaque made for him. He refused, telling me that since he didn’t actually fight in combat, he shouldn’t be honored. I highly disagree, but won’t fight him on this.
A good reminder on a day when we are hopefully celebrating a day off with friends and family that we have a lot for which to be thankful.
Filed under holidays
Happy Mother’s Day! Hats off to all of you ‘moms’ – a more-than-full-time, never-ending job chock full of all possible emotions and dedication. A testimony to survival of on-the-job training without a manual where you do the best you can with what you have at the time and hope for the best. May you be celebrated not only today, but EVERY day.
The image above for Mother’s Day was drawn by Hal Thomsen, one half of the husband and wife friends of our family as I was growing up. They both did art that sold commercially to make a living, but we had a whole wall of images Hal drew to commemorate events and milestones in our family. My parents devoted a whole wall in the living room to his beautiful images. Mary Ellen did sculpture and painted, as well as doing artwork that became iconic as beautiful artwork for a fashion store in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Mothers are never truly appreciated until we are adults. Maybe we’re lucky enough to be parents ourselves, trying to be everything to everyone day after day, well or sick, confident or flying by the seat of our pants. This is a role that brings forth every emotion known – some at the worst possible time, teaching us to be less selfish than we were, our hearts on our sleeves, our focus on something larger.
If we’re very lucky, our children grow up, liking and enjoying us as people, rather than ‘just mothers.’ :0)
Happy, happy day to you. I hope you’re surrounded by love and appreciation today.
I’m having a hard time getting my act together this morning. I have no excuse. I sat down at my computer with a cup of coffee and POOF! the morning is almost completely gone and I haven’t written a thing on the blog yet!
I’m trying to remember that our trash day has been delayed one day due to the holiday and that we’re supposed to gather trash TODAY and put it at the bottom of our driveway for pickup tomorrow.
I’m delighted that the weather forecast changed. We did NOT get the snow showers predicted for last night. Now they are predicted for TONIGHT. The sun is shining brightly and it looks beautiful outside. I’m hoping it will get warm enough in the afternoons today and tomorrow that any snow showers will melt away and be a fond memory almost immediately.
I hope you had a nice Christmas. Some compassionate people wrote beautiful thoughts remembering that there are lots of people who have a hard time during holidays. I hope they made it through and that the coming year is a better one for them. We’re all in this together.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Brownsburg Animal Clinic
My husband and I are together 24/7 since he had a couple of strokes a couple of years ago. The worst is past, and I don’t worry as much now, but friendships have suffered some because I need to stay with my husband. I get a massage once a month, have my hair cut when needed, and every once in a while, see a friend as a very special occasion.
This morning, I saw two of my long-time, much-loved friends. I took them presents and cards I had made for them for Christmas, but the important thing was sharing great hugs and catching up a bit. Both were fine, thank goodness, but it was great to see that for myself.
The time is never long enough, but at least we got to acknowledge how special friendship and love are, and how lucky we are to have people who mean so much to us.
I hope that you are able to catch up with people who mean a bunch to you at least at this time of the year, and hopefully more in the coming year.
Filed under Friendship, holidays
Cheezburger
We’re scheduled to meet our friends for Lunch Bunch today. I’m really hoping we have people show up. If not, we’ll eat somewhere and then do our grocery shopping before the rain is supposed to start this afternoon. We’re in for a couple rainy days if the forecast is correct.
I’m supposed to get the wood burning equipment I ordered today in the mail. I got the tool yesterday, and I’m supposed to get the goggles, mask, and finger protectors today. I’ll at least work on clearing up my drafting table today in preparation for trying to use both the Dremel etcher and the wood burning tool very soon. It looks a bit like a bomb exploded after my work on the glassware lately.
My hair is blowing time is moving so fast! We just started December and it’s half over. I struggle to believe it. I remember counting the days until Christmas as a child and it seemed the day would NEVER come.
I have really happy memories of Christmases past. One particular memory this morning is our family walking to a neighbor’s house singing Christmas carols. (Our neighborhood was two mile-long streets in Tulsa with each house on an acre and a half – 24th Street and 25th Place between Sheridan and Memorial for those of you who might be familiar with Tulsa, Oklahoma.) We would ask the people who came to the door to join us, and would then all walk to the next house, singing. By the time we finished, frozen and smiling, we had quite a group of people. We would gather at our house for hot chocolate for those who wanted it, and alcohol for the adults who wanted, all warming up around our fireplace in the living room. Happy times.
I wish you a happy Friday and great weekend.
Filed under Friendship, holidays, memories, Thoughts on a ________
Alaska Photography-Getty Images
Cutigers – cutigs1 on X
It’s sunny outside, but it’s 40 degrees F. and we’re due for ‘gusty winds’ soon. Oh, GOOD!
We’re going to go out soon to drive our trash down to the bottom of the driveway, get our mail, and replenish our groceries. That’s it for ‘out’ today.
I have never figured out whether having long weekend holidays makes it easier or more difficult to go back to work. In some of the jobs I’ve had, the work load exploded while I was gone, so it was really hard to face it and I thought it might have been better just to work through the holiday and keep my head above water. Other jobs I had made it so I could really relax and change my focus for several days in a row, a luxury I really loved.
Now that I’m retired, the point is moot. I have the luxury of working like a nut when the mood strikes or lazing like a sloth when it doesn’t. I don’t usually HAVE to be outside when the weather is lousy. I can snuggle between my heat pad and my throw in my recliner and make the world go away for a bit, if needed. How spoiled I am!
I hope that all of you were able to see family and friends during this holiday, get several good hugs, lots of smiles, and some delicious food you don’t normally allow yourself. :0)
Welcome back to ‘normal.’
Filed under holidays, Thoughts on a ________
Conky Animals-r/midjourney-Reddit
Here I am, up almost 2 lbs since yesterday. UGH. The worst part is that it will take me a week or so to get the regained weight off again. (Sigh. Whine) :0(
That said, we had a really nice dinner and my husband was quite complimentary. He was serious about getting ‘his share’ of the deviled eggs before we were even technically ready to get the plates out. One would think he NEVER gets them. It’s reminiscent of our dog seriously telling everyone who will listen that there has been a HUGE mistake – that she hasn’t been fed in a month!
I was pleased that, when I got up and started to clear, he actually came and helped me put things away and clean up the kitchen – another thing for which I am truly thankful. :0)
I FINALLY got out and weed whacked around the house and under the deck yesterday – something I’ve been flapping my lips about for several days now. I followed that up with the leaf blower, so now we look pretty civilized, for the Lewises. I’ll watch to see if it gets warm enough for me to do some weed whacking in the area behind our shop and beside the garden this afternoon.
Otherwise, I’m planning to just do a bit of this and that today, moving from one thing to the other as the mood moves me. I LOVE days like this, where I don’t have any ‘have-to’s.’ It doesn’t happen often and I cherish them.
I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving and are enjoying a nice, long weekend off now.
Filed under holidays, Thoughts on a ________
Pro Church Media
“Love wholeheartedly, be surprised, give thanks and praise… then you will discover the fullness of your life.” ~ Brother David Steindl-Rast
dreamies.de
“Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” ~Robert Caspar Lintner
Tenor
“The thing I’m most thankful for right now is elastic waistbands.” ~Author Unknown
The Emily Post Institute
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ~William Arthur Ward
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Giphy
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you spend time with people who mean a lot to you this holiday.
We enjoyed a quick message from our son, who lives across the world from us. He is 12 hours ahead of us (or maybe 13 with Daylight Savings), so it’s a bit difficult to actually talk real time. He said he enjoyed a good Thanksgiving dinner with his friends. One of the nannies who takes care of their toddler told him about a place that houses children who need a place to live. He checked it out and decided to sponsor a child there, sending a monthly donation.
I’m thinking I’ll get out and see if I can get some weed whacking done this morning. It’s a bit cool, at 52 degrees, but the sun is shining and I’ll be working hard enough I think I’ll be okay. I would love to get things neatened up around the house and under the deck.
Have a wonderful day, filled with food and family!
Filed under holidays
Do you get caught up on all the hoopla around a holiday and have trouble going on with life afterward? Here are some skeleton art images that hopefully will help us through today and get back to ‘normal.’
These were gathered into an article by Ezzly on hubpages.com. I hope they helped you as much as they did me.
Amy D. Pinterest
Sandy Brower – Pinterest
Artur Luczak
I’m delighted that people are getting into ‘skeleton art,’ and I’m a bit disappointed that they haven’t expanded the creativity and humor into other holidays yet. Maybe one day.
In the meantime, Artur Luczak shows us how a master carves a pumpkin (or two) into works of art.
BT – @bikertrash68 on X
Each year I look to see what’s new in pumpkin carving, costumes, and decorations. I found these cute children’s costumes –
All of these children’s Halloween costumes were provided in an article on BoredPanda.com by authors Inga Korolkovaite and Janus Caunt
mbcreativestudio.com
My husband and I still feel bad when we think of one Halloween years and years ago when our son was about 5.
My husband decided to ‘get into the spirit’ and went out and bought a rubber mask. He tied a pillow around himself to give himself a hump back, made a hole in a large piece of burlap and pulled it over his head, then donned the mask. He looked really gruesome. He was proud of his costume and looked forward to trick-or-treating with our son, plus scaring kids who came to the door for candy.
Well, even though our son had watched the whole process of making the costume and watching my husband put it on, when it was altogether our son freaked. He was scared and crying. When it was obvious that our son was really upset, my husband took the costume off and took our son trick-or-treating while I handled our visitors.
When he got back, our son was sleepy, so he spread out on the couch while my husband put the costume back on and proceeded to have a grand time scaring all the kids. I had to go out and buy more candy because the word spread and I think the whole neighborhood turned out to see the scary thing at our house.
Even when the holiday was over and the mask was on the floor where we encouraged our son to stomp on it, if he wanted, or put it on – which he refused to do – our son still wasn’t happy until my husband put it away – far away.
A mixed bag of memories, for sure. Our son still remembers the mask, and NOW loves the idea…
diydarlin.co
I love Halloween – the feeling, the creativity people show regarding costumes and decorations, trick-or-treating, Halloween parties, and more.
I have fond memories of trick-or-treating with my friends when I was in grade school – a hundred or so years ago. Back in the dark ages, it was safe to actually go trick-or-treating. A group of us would head out to the neighborhood behind us where the houses were closer together and the Halloween spirit was high. People would turn on their porch lights or keep their house doors open to show kids they were welcome.
We wouldn’t stop until our containers were full and we hardly had the strength to walk all the way home again. It was glorious.
The only warning back then was to be careful of apples because some bad people might put a razor blade in them. Since an apple was the least favorite thing I might gather that night, I could readily ‘watch out’ for that! :0)
I loved the freedom of that night. Being with friends so late at night, sharing the one night a year it was okay to gather and then eat candy, the day we donned our costumes and enjoyed the houses decorated for the occasion.
If It’s Hip It’s Here
“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.” ~Rajneesh
Love Nature – YouTube
“Grown don’t mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What’s that suppose to mean? In my heart it don’t mean a thing.” ~Toni Morrison
Mix 93.1
“Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had, and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed.” ~Linda Wooten
My Baba
“A mom reads you like a book, and wherever she goes, people read you like a glowing book review.” ~Robert Brault
National Geographic
“If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?” ~ Milton Berle
National Geographic
“When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.” ~ Sophia Loren
Happy Mother’s Day
Filed under holidays
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