Today is Daughter's birthday. Happy Birthday, Daughter!
Up at 7:30 this morning, but skipped my exercises so I could get ready to go to a craft fair at the Sheriff's Boys Ranch at 9 a.m. to buy their mouth-watering cinnamon rolls. They are so popular that if you want them, you have to get there early.
Daughter and Great-Grandkids were here when we got back just before 10 a.m. We all hopped in the van and went to the museum for a Christmas event for families. As soon as we entered the museum, we were directed to the Native American room, where an older lady was reading Christmas-themed story books to children. All three of the Great-Grandkids loved the stories, but one Great-Granddaughter especially liked them, because she's fond of books and being read to.
After that, we went to another room, where a lady was leading a Christmas carol program. This lady explained the origins of the carols, some of which were written around the time of the Civil War. Then a lady playing a keyboard accompanied us as we sang the carols. The kids liked all of the carols, but were particularly fond of "Up on the House Top," and "Jingle Bells," of course.
Following the sing-along, the children proceeded to craft stations, where they made a Christmas tree ornament, a snowman ornament, and a poinsettia flower. Lastly, they decorated Christmas cookies. Once they'd finished decorating the cookies, they ate them and drank cups of punch.
We toured the museum after that. Great-Grandson is a history buff, so he loved exploring the exhibits. Around 1:30, we headed back home, where we had a lunch of a choice of chicken noodle or split pea soup, with deli turkey sandwiches, and cinnamon rolls for dessert.
Soon after 2 p.m., we all, including Mother, piled into the van and went to the Sheriff's Boys Ranch craft fair. Staff at the ranch were giving horse and carriage rides, so we waited for a group to return and rushed out to see how much it cost to ride. We were stunned to learn that the rides were free! A staff member said they sponsored the rides as a way to exercise the horse.
The weather was relatively mild when we arrived at the ranch, but within a few minutes, an icy wind cropped up and the temperature dropped sharply. Naturally, the kids had failed to wear their coats. So I rounded up an old blanket out of the van (it is in there for our dog to sleep on) and the kids wrapped up in that for the carriage ride. Mother was sitting in the warmth of the building, so I borrowed her long-sleeve shirt for Daughter, because Daughter had given up her hoodie sweatshirt to Great-Grandson.
Daughter and Great-Grandkids were thrilled with the carriage ride. Afterward, we all toured the craft fair. I found a cute snowman ornament made out part of an old bedspread, and the girls bought flowers made from the tops of gourds.
We got back home around 4 p.m., when I presented Daughter with her gift pack birthday and Christmas present, plus an apple pie...I make her one of these each year. I gave the girls token gifts of a containers of silly bands, and an inexpensive gift card to a hamburger restaurant to Great-Grandson.
For supper, we had more soup, with a choice of cold chicken or cold roast pork sandwiches, and fresh fruit. Mother went home afterward.
Then I went online to try to find a theater and a convenient day and time that Daughter could take her grandkids to see the 3-D movie, "Tangled." But since Daughter works every day but Saturday, and since the kids have to be in bed by 8 p.m. on school days, and because the movie is only scheduled to play until next Thursday, there was absolutely no time convenient to all of them.
But when I checked our theater here in town, I found it was playing tonight. So I suggested they stay overnight, and we'd go see the movie. Daughter immediately called the parents of the kids, and it was agreed that they could stay.
At 6:30, we went to the theater. The kids really enjoyed the movie. It was the first 3-D movie for one of them. The movie ended around 8:30.
Before we returned home, I drove downtown to tour the Christmas lights, which are particularly spectacular this year. There were lots of oohs and ahhs from the back seat.
Got back home around 9 p.m. The kids were hungry again, so they had PB&J sandwiches and glasses of milk before heading to bed, worn out but happy from an exciting day.
The wind was fierce tonight and frigid cold. TV news announced that there are power outages in some parts of the state. Br-r-r. It's too early in the season for this kind of weather.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Friday, Dec. 10
Woke up around 5:30 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. But stayed in bed until around 6:30, when Hubbie woke up.
Did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Then did a few things to spruce the house for company tomorrow, when Daughter and Great-Grandkids will come for a visit.
Mother came over mid-morning, and after I got ready for the day, we went to a restaurant downtown to meet our friends for lunch. We arrived early, because I'd forgotten if we were supposed to meet at 11 a.m. or 11:30 a.m., so we split the difference and arrived at 11:15.
Our friends arrived shortly thereafter, and we presented them each with homemade Christmas cards and bottles of chai tea. One of the friends brought a Christmas tree ornament for me and a pair of soft slipper socks for Mother. She also brought more rubber stamps to add to our collection for Caring Hands.
A few minutes later, another friend of our friends arrived, and we had move to another table to accommodate her. I've seen this lady before, but don't really know her. So we were surprised when she reached into her bag and brought out token gifts...kitchen Christmas towels. I guess during the holidays, she carries plenty of the towels, packaged in little Christmas bags, to give to any ladies she associates with. It's a sweet idea.
The restaurant was nicely decorated with two large trees...one in featuring lavendar mesh ribbon and huge lavendar and silver ornaments, and another in the dining area decorated all in silver ornaments, with three huge, sparkly stars on the top.
This is the restaurant that serves melt-in-your-mouth rolls, and we each enjoyed one before our meals arrived. I decided on the seafood salad sampler, with fruit, for my lunch, and Mother opted for broccoli-cheddar soup. She thought a cup would be too small, so she ordered a bowl of it. Her eyes got as big as saucers when the waitress brought a giant cup-like bowl of the soup. She had to bring half of it home.
After we got back home, we watched the musical "Scrooge," starring Albert Finney. This is one of my favorite holiday movies.
At 4 p.m., we went downtown to a by-invitation-only reception at a business. We expected there to be nibbles only, but found that hot roast beef sandwiches, as well as dips, etc., were being served. We had planned to have soup and sandwiches for supper, but weren't hungry when we got back home.
At 5:30, we went to the art gallery downtown for "Second Friday" activities. Tonight an eighth-grade string orchestra entertained, followed by a talk by a college art instructor, whose work is currently on display at the gallery.
At 7 p.m., we went to one of the local colleges to hear a Christmas concert featuring a college/community chorale group, and the college band, plus a harpist.
We were back home around 9 p.m., ready to call it a day.
Did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Then did a few things to spruce the house for company tomorrow, when Daughter and Great-Grandkids will come for a visit.
Mother came over mid-morning, and after I got ready for the day, we went to a restaurant downtown to meet our friends for lunch. We arrived early, because I'd forgotten if we were supposed to meet at 11 a.m. or 11:30 a.m., so we split the difference and arrived at 11:15.
Our friends arrived shortly thereafter, and we presented them each with homemade Christmas cards and bottles of chai tea. One of the friends brought a Christmas tree ornament for me and a pair of soft slipper socks for Mother. She also brought more rubber stamps to add to our collection for Caring Hands.
A few minutes later, another friend of our friends arrived, and we had move to another table to accommodate her. I've seen this lady before, but don't really know her. So we were surprised when she reached into her bag and brought out token gifts...kitchen Christmas towels. I guess during the holidays, she carries plenty of the towels, packaged in little Christmas bags, to give to any ladies she associates with. It's a sweet idea.
The restaurant was nicely decorated with two large trees...one in featuring lavendar mesh ribbon and huge lavendar and silver ornaments, and another in the dining area decorated all in silver ornaments, with three huge, sparkly stars on the top.
This is the restaurant that serves melt-in-your-mouth rolls, and we each enjoyed one before our meals arrived. I decided on the seafood salad sampler, with fruit, for my lunch, and Mother opted for broccoli-cheddar soup. She thought a cup would be too small, so she ordered a bowl of it. Her eyes got as big as saucers when the waitress brought a giant cup-like bowl of the soup. She had to bring half of it home.
After we got back home, we watched the musical "Scrooge," starring Albert Finney. This is one of my favorite holiday movies.
At 4 p.m., we went downtown to a by-invitation-only reception at a business. We expected there to be nibbles only, but found that hot roast beef sandwiches, as well as dips, etc., were being served. We had planned to have soup and sandwiches for supper, but weren't hungry when we got back home.
At 5:30, we went to the art gallery downtown for "Second Friday" activities. Tonight an eighth-grade string orchestra entertained, followed by a talk by a college art instructor, whose work is currently on display at the gallery.
At 7 p.m., we went to one of the local colleges to hear a Christmas concert featuring a college/community chorale group, and the college band, plus a harpist.
We were back home around 9 p.m., ready to call it a day.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Thursday, Dec. 9
Had trouble going to sleep last night...2 a.m. before I drifted off. Got up around 7:30, but skipped my exercises again to get ready to go to the Master Gardener Christmas party. I thought the party started at 10 a.m., but it actually wasn't until 11 a.m. I probably would have gone ahead and exercised if I'd had the good sense to check my calendar about the party time.
Mother came over around 9 a.m. and, with Hubbie's help, fixed a dish of Parmesan potatoes for the oven, while I was getting ready for the day.
Around 10:30 a.m., we headed to the party, taking with us the potato dish and the gift pack for the "dirty Santa" game.
The party was held at the Extension Services office conference room, which was nicely decorated for Christmas. A local restaurant catered the meats...turkey and ham...and yeast rolls and honey butter. The Master Gardener members supplied all the side dishes.
I'm glad we brought the potatoes, because there wasn't much else I could eat, since most dishes contained yellow cheese. I also passed on the cornbread dressing, which I don't prefer. Mother said the dressing was too salty and overwhelmed in sage.
It was obvious the turkey had been prepared yesterday, because it had that day-old taste. Too bad the restaurant doesn't know my trick of wrapping cooked meats in a double layer of plastic wrap to keep air from reaching it, which makes the meat taste fresh-cooked the next day.
I had plenty to eat by the time I sampled a sweet potato dish, whole kernel corn, cranberry sauce and fresh veggies, along with a small slice of turkey and a yeast roll. Someone brought a dark chocolate cake, which I enjoyed very much.
After the meal, the MG's drew numbers for the "dirty Santa" gift exchange. Our gift basket changed hands three times, of course. When Hubbie's number came up, he stole a large wooden bird feeder shaped like a cat, but it was soon stolen from him. Then he stole a squirrel-deterrent bird feeder, and that, too, was stolen from him.
He finally ended up with a small volume of the American Horticultural Society's "Great Plant Guide." The book is 702 pages long, but can be held in the palm of one's hand. It has nice photos, and easy-to-understand plant descriptions, as well as information on what kinds of plants to buy for certain climates and environments. I think this was a much better gift than the bird feeders...especially since I can enjoy it, too.
The party ended around 1 p.m. Back home, there was a message on the land line from our friend, giving us a choice of visiting her at her home around 4 p.m. today or meeting her and our other friend for lunch tomorrow. Since Mother was really tired this afternoon, I opted for lunch tomorrow.
For supper, we had chicken noodle soup and slices of yeast bread from one of the loaves Mother baked this week. She went home afterward, and Hubbie and I got ready to go to a local church that was presenting the play, "It's a Wonderful Life." I was curious to see how they would deal with some of the scenes, like those in the saloon.
Naturally, some scenes had to be eliminated from the play, since it would be unrealistic to have a frozen lake, or a river, for instance. But the events of the movie version were fed into the stage version through narration by the angel, Clarence. And even though the play was held in a church, the characters still touched on the "boozy" scenes, such as the alcoholic Mr. Gower, and the drunks from the saloon, who stumble across the stage carrying and drinking from liquor bottles.
The set for the production was simple, but effective, and the sound was great, except for a couple of screechy times. The lighting was good, and the stage hands were efficient in moving set pieces on and off the stage. The costumes were curtesy of the community theater.
The man who played George Bailey was quite convincing in his role, and the supporting characters were obviously well-rehearsed.
There were only a couple of glitches with dialogue...both times involving the Henry Potter character. At one point, he asked his secretary to bring in "Mr. Potter. I mean, Mr. Bailey." And at another point, he completely forgot his lines and had to be prompted by the George Bailey character. The play has been in rehearsal since August, so it's surprising that anyone would forget their lines...but maybe the older gentleman playing Potter was plagued by a little stage fright.
We were back home around 8:30 after the play, and watched the 2008, PG-13 movie, "My Blueberry Nights," starring Norah Jones and Jude Law.
Law plays the owner of a small diner in New York, and Jones plays a young woman with wanderlust, who keeps in touch with Law through and exchange of post cards. Jones is looking for something that she finally discovers was on her doorstep all along.
Mother came over around 9 a.m. and, with Hubbie's help, fixed a dish of Parmesan potatoes for the oven, while I was getting ready for the day.
Around 10:30 a.m., we headed to the party, taking with us the potato dish and the gift pack for the "dirty Santa" game.
The party was held at the Extension Services office conference room, which was nicely decorated for Christmas. A local restaurant catered the meats...turkey and ham...and yeast rolls and honey butter. The Master Gardener members supplied all the side dishes.
I'm glad we brought the potatoes, because there wasn't much else I could eat, since most dishes contained yellow cheese. I also passed on the cornbread dressing, which I don't prefer. Mother said the dressing was too salty and overwhelmed in sage.
It was obvious the turkey had been prepared yesterday, because it had that day-old taste. Too bad the restaurant doesn't know my trick of wrapping cooked meats in a double layer of plastic wrap to keep air from reaching it, which makes the meat taste fresh-cooked the next day.
I had plenty to eat by the time I sampled a sweet potato dish, whole kernel corn, cranberry sauce and fresh veggies, along with a small slice of turkey and a yeast roll. Someone brought a dark chocolate cake, which I enjoyed very much.
After the meal, the MG's drew numbers for the "dirty Santa" gift exchange. Our gift basket changed hands three times, of course. When Hubbie's number came up, he stole a large wooden bird feeder shaped like a cat, but it was soon stolen from him. Then he stole a squirrel-deterrent bird feeder, and that, too, was stolen from him.
He finally ended up with a small volume of the American Horticultural Society's "Great Plant Guide." The book is 702 pages long, but can be held in the palm of one's hand. It has nice photos, and easy-to-understand plant descriptions, as well as information on what kinds of plants to buy for certain climates and environments. I think this was a much better gift than the bird feeders...especially since I can enjoy it, too.
The party ended around 1 p.m. Back home, there was a message on the land line from our friend, giving us a choice of visiting her at her home around 4 p.m. today or meeting her and our other friend for lunch tomorrow. Since Mother was really tired this afternoon, I opted for lunch tomorrow.
For supper, we had chicken noodle soup and slices of yeast bread from one of the loaves Mother baked this week. She went home afterward, and Hubbie and I got ready to go to a local church that was presenting the play, "It's a Wonderful Life." I was curious to see how they would deal with some of the scenes, like those in the saloon.
Naturally, some scenes had to be eliminated from the play, since it would be unrealistic to have a frozen lake, or a river, for instance. But the events of the movie version were fed into the stage version through narration by the angel, Clarence. And even though the play was held in a church, the characters still touched on the "boozy" scenes, such as the alcoholic Mr. Gower, and the drunks from the saloon, who stumble across the stage carrying and drinking from liquor bottles.
The set for the production was simple, but effective, and the sound was great, except for a couple of screechy times. The lighting was good, and the stage hands were efficient in moving set pieces on and off the stage. The costumes were curtesy of the community theater.
The man who played George Bailey was quite convincing in his role, and the supporting characters were obviously well-rehearsed.
There were only a couple of glitches with dialogue...both times involving the Henry Potter character. At one point, he asked his secretary to bring in "Mr. Potter. I mean, Mr. Bailey." And at another point, he completely forgot his lines and had to be prompted by the George Bailey character. The play has been in rehearsal since August, so it's surprising that anyone would forget their lines...but maybe the older gentleman playing Potter was plagued by a little stage fright.
We were back home around 8:30 after the play, and watched the 2008, PG-13 movie, "My Blueberry Nights," starring Norah Jones and Jude Law.
Law plays the owner of a small diner in New York, and Jones plays a young woman with wanderlust, who keeps in touch with Law through and exchange of post cards. Jones is looking for something that she finally discovers was on her doorstep all along.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Wednesday, Dec. 8
Today is Grandson's birthday. Happy Birthday, Grandson!
Up around 7 a.m. this morning, but skipped my exercises in order to get ready to go to the Water Babes Christmas party.
Once I was ready for the day, I finished putting together the gift basket to be used as Hubbie's "dirty Santa" exchange gift at the Master Gardener Christmas party tomorrow. Then I gathered card-making supplies, which Hubbie put into the van for us.
Mother came over in time for us to head out to our party around 10:30. The party was held at the Italian restaurant, and about 20 of us showed up for it. After we'd ordered, our aerobics leader informed us that the swimming pool at the college will probably not be ready until March. We all groaned in disappointment.
Then she asked if any of us had news to share. We learned that two of our members are moving out of state, that the husband of one the members recently had rotator cuff replacement, and that one member's daughter-in-law is awaiting a kidney. My big news, of course, was my new venture into tutoring for the Literacy Council, which met with enthusiastic approval.
Re: daughter-in-law awaiting a kidney: this person is one of a set of triplets, and one of the siblings thought she would be a match, and she was, but she was rejected because she has blood pressure problems. We were told that a donor has to be in perfect health. Even if the donor is in perfect health, family members will be evaluated to see if there are other medical problems that would affect the feasibility of using the organ.
After we'd eaten, we played the "dirty Santa" game. Not surprisingly, the gift basket I brought was the first to be chosen (food gifts are always popular), and then it was stolen two more times before it was frozen. Interestingly, the lady who got my gift basket last year got it again this year.
I was the second one to choose a gift, and I got a hand-crocheted scarf...white with green and red details. It's very pretty, and fortunately, no one stole it from me. After the party, I learned that the scarf was made by the lady who stands beside me at water aerobics, and she said she was glad I was the one who got it.
Our aerobics leader brought pretty, sparkly, Christmas tree ornaments for us to choose from. Mother and I chose silver ones...a reindeer, and a wreath...which fit nicely into the scheme of my "white" Christmas tree in the living room.
The party ended around 1 p.m., and afterward, Mother and I went to an independent living center to help make Christmas cards for Caring Hands Hospice. Besides four of us who always gather for card-making, four residents of the center also attended. Caring Hands needed fifteen cards, which we produced. Mother and I made ten of them.
The session lasted until 2:30. When we were done, the center's activity coordinator, who is also a member of our card-making group, gave Mother and me a tour of the facility. If a person has to go to an elderly center, this is the kind to go to. It has nice one-bedroom and two bed-room suites, an elegant dining room, a smaller, very attractive dining room that residents can reserve for entertaining family, a library, a movie theater with comfortable recliner chairs, a spa, an exercise room, a laundry room, a beauty shop, and several activity rooms. Although the suites have small kitchens, three meals a day are served in the dining room. The facility provides housekeeping services, and transporation for shopping and medical appointments.
When we got back home around 3:30, Mother and I made two more Christmas cards to give to our friends when we visit them tomorrow afternoon. Our friend who lives about an hour and a half east of us is coming to stay with our other friend for a couple of days. We were invited to have lunch with them at a local restaurant tomorrow, but we will be at the Master Gardener party.
So we are invited to visit at the home of the friend who lives here in town. Since she has entertained us several times over the months, we want to take her a small hostess gift. Besides the homemade Christmas card, we'll take a bottle of chai tea and some homemade sugar cookies.
Later, we had a supper of the leftovers from Mother's and my lunch, plus the veggies from the pork roast we had on Sunday. Both Mother's and my meals at lunch were way too huge to consume in one sitting...Mother's was chicken primavera, and mine was breaded eggplant with red sauce. We both had fruit for our salad, plus garlic bread and marinara dipping sauce.
After supper, Mother went home, and I changed into comfortable clothes to watch our favorite college basketball team play to a win.
It was a good day, but tiring. I was plenty ready to kick back and rest.
Up around 7 a.m. this morning, but skipped my exercises in order to get ready to go to the Water Babes Christmas party.
Once I was ready for the day, I finished putting together the gift basket to be used as Hubbie's "dirty Santa" exchange gift at the Master Gardener Christmas party tomorrow. Then I gathered card-making supplies, which Hubbie put into the van for us.
Mother came over in time for us to head out to our party around 10:30. The party was held at the Italian restaurant, and about 20 of us showed up for it. After we'd ordered, our aerobics leader informed us that the swimming pool at the college will probably not be ready until March. We all groaned in disappointment.
Then she asked if any of us had news to share. We learned that two of our members are moving out of state, that the husband of one the members recently had rotator cuff replacement, and that one member's daughter-in-law is awaiting a kidney. My big news, of course, was my new venture into tutoring for the Literacy Council, which met with enthusiastic approval.
Re: daughter-in-law awaiting a kidney: this person is one of a set of triplets, and one of the siblings thought she would be a match, and she was, but she was rejected because she has blood pressure problems. We were told that a donor has to be in perfect health. Even if the donor is in perfect health, family members will be evaluated to see if there are other medical problems that would affect the feasibility of using the organ.
After we'd eaten, we played the "dirty Santa" game. Not surprisingly, the gift basket I brought was the first to be chosen (food gifts are always popular), and then it was stolen two more times before it was frozen. Interestingly, the lady who got my gift basket last year got it again this year.
I was the second one to choose a gift, and I got a hand-crocheted scarf...white with green and red details. It's very pretty, and fortunately, no one stole it from me. After the party, I learned that the scarf was made by the lady who stands beside me at water aerobics, and she said she was glad I was the one who got it.
Our aerobics leader brought pretty, sparkly, Christmas tree ornaments for us to choose from. Mother and I chose silver ones...a reindeer, and a wreath...which fit nicely into the scheme of my "white" Christmas tree in the living room.
The party ended around 1 p.m., and afterward, Mother and I went to an independent living center to help make Christmas cards for Caring Hands Hospice. Besides four of us who always gather for card-making, four residents of the center also attended. Caring Hands needed fifteen cards, which we produced. Mother and I made ten of them.
The session lasted until 2:30. When we were done, the center's activity coordinator, who is also a member of our card-making group, gave Mother and me a tour of the facility. If a person has to go to an elderly center, this is the kind to go to. It has nice one-bedroom and two bed-room suites, an elegant dining room, a smaller, very attractive dining room that residents can reserve for entertaining family, a library, a movie theater with comfortable recliner chairs, a spa, an exercise room, a laundry room, a beauty shop, and several activity rooms. Although the suites have small kitchens, three meals a day are served in the dining room. The facility provides housekeeping services, and transporation for shopping and medical appointments.
When we got back home around 3:30, Mother and I made two more Christmas cards to give to our friends when we visit them tomorrow afternoon. Our friend who lives about an hour and a half east of us is coming to stay with our other friend for a couple of days. We were invited to have lunch with them at a local restaurant tomorrow, but we will be at the Master Gardener party.
So we are invited to visit at the home of the friend who lives here in town. Since she has entertained us several times over the months, we want to take her a small hostess gift. Besides the homemade Christmas card, we'll take a bottle of chai tea and some homemade sugar cookies.
Later, we had a supper of the leftovers from Mother's and my lunch, plus the veggies from the pork roast we had on Sunday. Both Mother's and my meals at lunch were way too huge to consume in one sitting...Mother's was chicken primavera, and mine was breaded eggplant with red sauce. We both had fruit for our salad, plus garlic bread and marinara dipping sauce.
After supper, Mother went home, and I changed into comfortable clothes to watch our favorite college basketball team play to a win.
It was a good day, but tiring. I was plenty ready to kick back and rest.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Tuesday, Dec. 7
Today is Pearl Harbor Day, so the first thing Hubbie did was hang the flag on the well house. Hubbie was around when Pearl Harbor was bombed, but I was about a month from being born.
Up around 8 a.m., and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. Mother came over mid-morning and continued working on Christmas cards for Caring Hands Hospice. Later, I helped her choose paper suitable for inserts in the cards, as well as searched out colored card stock for making more cards at the card-making session tomorrow.
I got an e-mail from the Caring Hands Hospice coordinator today advising me that the group will meet at 1 p.m. tomorrow at an independent living center, which means that Mother and I will be able to attend after the Water Babes Christmas party.
After lunch, I put together a gift basket for a "dirty Santa" exchange at the Water Babes party. Included in the basket is a loaf of yeast bread, a jar of cherry preserves from the Amish store in Branson, MO, and an assortment of hot chocolate packets and hot apple cider packets.
Mother baked the bread from a frozen loaf I bought at the WDCS. I was perfectly willing to bake the bread, but she said that the day she couldn't cook anymore was the day she'd hang up her spurs (or something to that effect).
So she's going to bake another loaf tomorrow to include in a gift basket for a "dirty Santa" gift exchange at the Master Gardener's Christmas party Thursday. Besides the bread, this basket will include a jar of the cherry preserves, a couple of packets of hot chocolate and a couple of packets of hot cider mix, as well as a bird house and a package of birdseed.
The large baskets being used for the gift packs are ones we bought at a discount store and a flea market.
I'd bought red "grass" at the everything's a dollar store for the gift baskets, but discovered I needed more, so Hubbie and I went to that store to buy more. It takes about two packages for a large basket. Fortunately, I'd bought several packages of cellophane bags a few months ago. So the baskets placed in cellophane bags and tied with big red bows make for very presentable gifts.
Before I put together the Water Babes gift, I prepared an apple pie for the oven...I give one of these to Daughter each year for her birthday, which I'll give to her this Saturday, when she and Grandkids come for a visit.
After that, I finally sat down to read last Sunday's newspaper, as well as today's issue of our local newspaper. That took me up to suppertime. Tonight, we had leftover pork roast and veggies.
Mother went home afterward, and I went to the college for a session with my student.
Tonight, we learned the plurals of words, as well as new words, like waiter and waitress, doctor and nurse, factory worker, and taxi driver. The object of this teaching approach for English-as-a-second-language students is to help them understand common words and phrases that they'll need for a job, for making a doctor appointment, for eating in a restaurant, etc.
In this session, we also covered how to respond to "what's your name," "what's your address," and "what's your telephone number."
The student has difficulty with the letter "v" as in "driver." We worked quite a while on this word, which she kept wanting to pronounce as "dry-ber." I finally had her hold her upper lip up while pronouncing the letter. Her daughter, who accompanied her tonight, found this to be hilarious.
We also had to work quite a bit on the word "address," and our state's name. "Waitresses" was a bit difficult, too. But her daughter wrote down all the words she needs to practice.
And we worked on hearing the sounds of letters, as in the "e" in the word beat, and "e" in the word bet, or "a" in mate, and "a" in mat, and learning which sounds were the same, and which were different. "Sock" and "suck," for instance are close in sound.
Got back home around 7:15 and watched Hubbie sleep through TV programs, while I half watched a show and played on my laptop. When he woke up, we watched a PG-rated, 2006, true story movie on DVD called "Follow the River,'' starring Ellen Burstyn and Sheryl Lee.
In frontier days, a woman, her sister, and her six-year-old son, are stolen by Shawnees from their home and taken to an Indian encampment, where they learn to blend with the natives. On the way, she gives birth to a baby that she has to allow an Indian wet nurse to care for, because she herself hasn't enough milk to keep the baby from starving. Finally, the woman becomes determined to return home at the first opportunity, and convinces another woman to join her in an escape.
This movie, which meets with mixed reviews, is one I picked up in a bargain bin. It's an okay movie, but apparently doesn't come up to the standards of the book its based on, though I haven't read the book.
Up around 8 a.m., and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. Mother came over mid-morning and continued working on Christmas cards for Caring Hands Hospice. Later, I helped her choose paper suitable for inserts in the cards, as well as searched out colored card stock for making more cards at the card-making session tomorrow.
I got an e-mail from the Caring Hands Hospice coordinator today advising me that the group will meet at 1 p.m. tomorrow at an independent living center, which means that Mother and I will be able to attend after the Water Babes Christmas party.
After lunch, I put together a gift basket for a "dirty Santa" exchange at the Water Babes party. Included in the basket is a loaf of yeast bread, a jar of cherry preserves from the Amish store in Branson, MO, and an assortment of hot chocolate packets and hot apple cider packets.
Mother baked the bread from a frozen loaf I bought at the WDCS. I was perfectly willing to bake the bread, but she said that the day she couldn't cook anymore was the day she'd hang up her spurs (or something to that effect).
So she's going to bake another loaf tomorrow to include in a gift basket for a "dirty Santa" gift exchange at the Master Gardener's Christmas party Thursday. Besides the bread, this basket will include a jar of the cherry preserves, a couple of packets of hot chocolate and a couple of packets of hot cider mix, as well as a bird house and a package of birdseed.
The large baskets being used for the gift packs are ones we bought at a discount store and a flea market.
I'd bought red "grass" at the everything's a dollar store for the gift baskets, but discovered I needed more, so Hubbie and I went to that store to buy more. It takes about two packages for a large basket. Fortunately, I'd bought several packages of cellophane bags a few months ago. So the baskets placed in cellophane bags and tied with big red bows make for very presentable gifts.
Before I put together the Water Babes gift, I prepared an apple pie for the oven...I give one of these to Daughter each year for her birthday, which I'll give to her this Saturday, when she and Grandkids come for a visit.
After that, I finally sat down to read last Sunday's newspaper, as well as today's issue of our local newspaper. That took me up to suppertime. Tonight, we had leftover pork roast and veggies.
Mother went home afterward, and I went to the college for a session with my student.
Tonight, we learned the plurals of words, as well as new words, like waiter and waitress, doctor and nurse, factory worker, and taxi driver. The object of this teaching approach for English-as-a-second-language students is to help them understand common words and phrases that they'll need for a job, for making a doctor appointment, for eating in a restaurant, etc.
In this session, we also covered how to respond to "what's your name," "what's your address," and "what's your telephone number."
The student has difficulty with the letter "v" as in "driver." We worked quite a while on this word, which she kept wanting to pronounce as "dry-ber." I finally had her hold her upper lip up while pronouncing the letter. Her daughter, who accompanied her tonight, found this to be hilarious.
We also had to work quite a bit on the word "address," and our state's name. "Waitresses" was a bit difficult, too. But her daughter wrote down all the words she needs to practice.
And we worked on hearing the sounds of letters, as in the "e" in the word beat, and "e" in the word bet, or "a" in mate, and "a" in mat, and learning which sounds were the same, and which were different. "Sock" and "suck," for instance are close in sound.
Got back home around 7:15 and watched Hubbie sleep through TV programs, while I half watched a show and played on my laptop. When he woke up, we watched a PG-rated, 2006, true story movie on DVD called "Follow the River,'' starring Ellen Burstyn and Sheryl Lee.
In frontier days, a woman, her sister, and her six-year-old son, are stolen by Shawnees from their home and taken to an Indian encampment, where they learn to blend with the natives. On the way, she gives birth to a baby that she has to allow an Indian wet nurse to care for, because she herself hasn't enough milk to keep the baby from starving. Finally, the woman becomes determined to return home at the first opportunity, and convinces another woman to join her in an escape.
This movie, which meets with mixed reviews, is one I picked up in a bargain bin. It's an okay movie, but apparently doesn't come up to the standards of the book its based on, though I haven't read the book.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Monday, Dec. 6
Up at 7:30 on this yet another frigid morning. Did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast.
When I came out of the room where the treadmill is I was startled to see Mother sitting in a rocking chair. I didn't know she'd come over. Seems that while I was exercising, a friend from the Extension Homemakers Council had dropped by to leave gifts and cards for Mother and me. The gifts were small jars of homemade jelly. We've exchanged gifts with this lady every year at the EHC Christmas party, but this year we didn't go to the party. So we'll put together a gift of a bottle of chai tea and cookies for the lady, and I'll deliver it to her next week.
Before I got ready for the day, I gathered materials together for Mother to begin making Christmas cards for Caring Hands Hospice. The Caring Hands card-making group is to meet Wednesday for a session, but I'm not sure we'll be able to attend. Right now, the session is scheduled for 10:30 to whenever on Wednesday, but Mother and I will attend the Water Babes Christmas party at 11 a.m.
If the card-making session is changed to the afternoon, then we'll be able to attend. The Caring Hands coordinator is trying to work it out for us to meet in the afternoon at an independent living center, so that some of the residents of the center can join us in the activity.
Things get complicated in the first two weeks of December, when it seems everybody wants to schedule parties and other activities.
Spent the rest of the morning doing household chores. After a soup lunch, Mother prepared carrots and onions, Hubbie peeled potatoes, and I browned and seasoned a pork roast for the slow cooker.
Then Hubbie and I ran errands...to the bank; to a grocery store to pick up on-sale fruits (found bags of six pears for $1. The pears are very ripe and need to be used right away); to a fast food restaurant for gift cards; to a cake and candy making supply store for white chocolate; and to the WDCS for groceries. Here, we found sweet potatoes for ten cents a pound. Grabbed 22 pounds of those. They'll keep for a long time, and each time we bake some for a meal, we'll bake enough to put into the freezer.
We were back home around 3 p.m. I did a few things related to card making, and then tried to order more bottles of chai tea to be used as token gifts, but the online site is blocking visitors from ordering...guess they're being overrun with orders right now. I'll try again tomorrow.
Supper was very good, but I had to hurry and eat, because I needed to be at the college at 6 p.m. to meet my student. To my consternation, there was a basketball game going on tonight, so parking spaces were at a premium. I had to park quite a distance from the library, but I got there right at 6 p.m. My student didn't arrive until nearly 6:15, probably because of difficulty finding a parking space.
Then we had difficulty finding a study room in the library. Semester final tests are coming up, so the college students are using the study rooms to cram. Walked all around the upper level, and finally found an unoccupied room.
Tonight, we learned the contractions of I am, you are, it is, that is, he is, she is, as well as names of primary colors, objects and humans, like desk, door, boy, girl, student, teacher.
We also reviewed the alphabet, and numbers up to nine, as well as the student's address. She seemed well versed in these already.
She does have trouble with the words chair and yellow, which she tends to pronounce as "char" and "chello." When corrected, though, she pronounces them correctly. So I keep coming back to the words and asking her to repeat them.
Tonight, I sent her home with a workbook for practicing writing letters, numbers, and her address.
Nice surprise today: the mail yielded a $100 check made out to our scrapbook club to be used toward a community project. The club won't meet until January, so we'll discuss how we want to use the funds at that time.
Also got a $10 coupon to the store that has a sale every weekend that I'll need to use before Dec. 24. I'm sure I'll have no trouble doing that.
And a jigsaw puzzle in a tin arrived in the mail. The puzzle is a Christmas gift for Mother. It features a photo of the cat and the cat's name on the lid of the tin. I think Mother will really love this gift.
When I came out of the room where the treadmill is I was startled to see Mother sitting in a rocking chair. I didn't know she'd come over. Seems that while I was exercising, a friend from the Extension Homemakers Council had dropped by to leave gifts and cards for Mother and me. The gifts were small jars of homemade jelly. We've exchanged gifts with this lady every year at the EHC Christmas party, but this year we didn't go to the party. So we'll put together a gift of a bottle of chai tea and cookies for the lady, and I'll deliver it to her next week.
Before I got ready for the day, I gathered materials together for Mother to begin making Christmas cards for Caring Hands Hospice. The Caring Hands card-making group is to meet Wednesday for a session, but I'm not sure we'll be able to attend. Right now, the session is scheduled for 10:30 to whenever on Wednesday, but Mother and I will attend the Water Babes Christmas party at 11 a.m.
If the card-making session is changed to the afternoon, then we'll be able to attend. The Caring Hands coordinator is trying to work it out for us to meet in the afternoon at an independent living center, so that some of the residents of the center can join us in the activity.
Things get complicated in the first two weeks of December, when it seems everybody wants to schedule parties and other activities.
Spent the rest of the morning doing household chores. After a soup lunch, Mother prepared carrots and onions, Hubbie peeled potatoes, and I browned and seasoned a pork roast for the slow cooker.
Then Hubbie and I ran errands...to the bank; to a grocery store to pick up on-sale fruits (found bags of six pears for $1. The pears are very ripe and need to be used right away); to a fast food restaurant for gift cards; to a cake and candy making supply store for white chocolate; and to the WDCS for groceries. Here, we found sweet potatoes for ten cents a pound. Grabbed 22 pounds of those. They'll keep for a long time, and each time we bake some for a meal, we'll bake enough to put into the freezer.
We were back home around 3 p.m. I did a few things related to card making, and then tried to order more bottles of chai tea to be used as token gifts, but the online site is blocking visitors from ordering...guess they're being overrun with orders right now. I'll try again tomorrow.
Supper was very good, but I had to hurry and eat, because I needed to be at the college at 6 p.m. to meet my student. To my consternation, there was a basketball game going on tonight, so parking spaces were at a premium. I had to park quite a distance from the library, but I got there right at 6 p.m. My student didn't arrive until nearly 6:15, probably because of difficulty finding a parking space.
Then we had difficulty finding a study room in the library. Semester final tests are coming up, so the college students are using the study rooms to cram. Walked all around the upper level, and finally found an unoccupied room.
Tonight, we learned the contractions of I am, you are, it is, that is, he is, she is, as well as names of primary colors, objects and humans, like desk, door, boy, girl, student, teacher.
We also reviewed the alphabet, and numbers up to nine, as well as the student's address. She seemed well versed in these already.
She does have trouble with the words chair and yellow, which she tends to pronounce as "char" and "chello." When corrected, though, she pronounces them correctly. So I keep coming back to the words and asking her to repeat them.
Tonight, I sent her home with a workbook for practicing writing letters, numbers, and her address.
Nice surprise today: the mail yielded a $100 check made out to our scrapbook club to be used toward a community project. The club won't meet until January, so we'll discuss how we want to use the funds at that time.
Also got a $10 coupon to the store that has a sale every weekend that I'll need to use before Dec. 24. I'm sure I'll have no trouble doing that.
And a jigsaw puzzle in a tin arrived in the mail. The puzzle is a Christmas gift for Mother. It features a photo of the cat and the cat's name on the lid of the tin. I think Mother will really love this gift.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Sunday, Dec. 5
Up at 7 a.m. on this frigid morning and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. Once I was ready for the day, I did this and that until lunchtime.
Mother came over around 10 a.m. and watched a couple of Christmas musical shows, while I uploaded photos to a social network and did other things at my office computer.
Mother heated the leftover soups and barbecue for our lunch. She went home after we'd all eaten, and Hubbie and I relaxed until time to get ready to go to a "Festival of Lessons and Carols" service at a small local church near the college. The church only seats about 200.
The service was at 4 p.m., and even though we arrived around 3:30, most of the limited parking spaces around the church were already taken. But luckily we were able to squeeze in behind another vehicle close to the entrance.
The service included a ten-member flute choir, a college student trumpeter, a student mezzo-soprano, and an organist, who played the church's beautiful Dutch pipe organ. The nine scripture lessons, which began with the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, and ended with the three wise men bearing gifts to the Christ child, were read by flute choir members, college professors, and even the college's president.
The student mezzo-soprano did a wonderful job of singing a different rendition of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." I've not heard that rendition of the song before, but it was beautiful, and I liked it very much.
Of course, the congregation participated, too, in singing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," and a couple of others.
The service was non-denominational, and several denominations...Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc....participated either as part of the service, or as congregants. Many of the participants and the congregants are friends or acquaintances of ours, of course.
Mother usually goes with us to this event each year, but today, she didn't feel up to it. So when we got back home, I visited her for a few minutes to see her Christmas decorations. Her cat, Snoops, became fascinated with my faux fur coat to the point of grabbing my arm, attempting to crawl up my leg, and gnawing on my boots. It was as though she thought I was a giant animal of some sort. When she laid her ears back and raised her hackles, I knew it was time to leave.
I spent some time tonight with one eye on the TV, and one eye reviewing the lessons I'll need to teach to my Literacy Council student tomorrow night. The lessons are pretty simple, so I only needed to brush up on them a little.
We've arrived at the season of nothing-new-on-TV, so I played a couple of DVD movies. The first one was "Chain Reaction," which we got for free with cereal boxtops. The 1996, PG-13 suspense movie stars Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman, and Rachel Weisz. A student machinist gets caught up in government cover-ups, espionage, and murder.
The second movie we watched (one I bought in a $3 bin at a discount store) was the 1999, R-rated thriller film, "Arlington Road," starring Jeff Bridges and Tim Robbins. A man finds a child wandering bloody down the road near his home. He takes the boy to the hospital and later discovers he's the son of a neighbor, whom he begins to suspect as a terroist.
Mother came over around 10 a.m. and watched a couple of Christmas musical shows, while I uploaded photos to a social network and did other things at my office computer.
Mother heated the leftover soups and barbecue for our lunch. She went home after we'd all eaten, and Hubbie and I relaxed until time to get ready to go to a "Festival of Lessons and Carols" service at a small local church near the college. The church only seats about 200.
The service was at 4 p.m., and even though we arrived around 3:30, most of the limited parking spaces around the church were already taken. But luckily we were able to squeeze in behind another vehicle close to the entrance.
The service included a ten-member flute choir, a college student trumpeter, a student mezzo-soprano, and an organist, who played the church's beautiful Dutch pipe organ. The nine scripture lessons, which began with the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, and ended with the three wise men bearing gifts to the Christ child, were read by flute choir members, college professors, and even the college's president.
The student mezzo-soprano did a wonderful job of singing a different rendition of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." I've not heard that rendition of the song before, but it was beautiful, and I liked it very much.
Of course, the congregation participated, too, in singing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," and a couple of others.
The service was non-denominational, and several denominations...Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc....participated either as part of the service, or as congregants. Many of the participants and the congregants are friends or acquaintances of ours, of course.
Mother usually goes with us to this event each year, but today, she didn't feel up to it. So when we got back home, I visited her for a few minutes to see her Christmas decorations. Her cat, Snoops, became fascinated with my faux fur coat to the point of grabbing my arm, attempting to crawl up my leg, and gnawing on my boots. It was as though she thought I was a giant animal of some sort. When she laid her ears back and raised her hackles, I knew it was time to leave.
I spent some time tonight with one eye on the TV, and one eye reviewing the lessons I'll need to teach to my Literacy Council student tomorrow night. The lessons are pretty simple, so I only needed to brush up on them a little.
We've arrived at the season of nothing-new-on-TV, so I played a couple of DVD movies. The first one was "Chain Reaction," which we got for free with cereal boxtops. The 1996, PG-13 suspense movie stars Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman, and Rachel Weisz. A student machinist gets caught up in government cover-ups, espionage, and murder.
The second movie we watched (one I bought in a $3 bin at a discount store) was the 1999, R-rated thriller film, "Arlington Road," starring Jeff Bridges and Tim Robbins. A man finds a child wandering bloody down the road near his home. He takes the boy to the hospital and later discovers he's the son of a neighbor, whom he begins to suspect as a terroist.
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