Saturday, Nov. 23

Up around 7:30 this morning, but skipped my exercises so I could get ready to go to an Extension Homemakers Holiday Open House, at 10 a.m. After breakfast, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and around 9:30, we headed out.

The event took place at the Extension Services Office conference room, where ladies demonstrated making various crafts and holiday treats. At one table, kits for making ribbon angels were available for sale for only a dollar apiece, and we bought three of these to play with during the Thanksgiving holiday.

At another table, participants could make an angel, and Mother decided to try her hand. This angel is constructed of a large pretzel shaped paper clip, ribbon, wood beads, and pipe cleaners. Except for the paper clip (which can be purchased at office supply stores), we have all the supplies for making these.

At one table, a 4-H member was making kids' flubber from Borax and Elmer's glue. This would be a great learning project for kids. I brought home a sample.

At another table, I bought a small wood crate, which is just large enough to hold two pint or half pint jars of jelly. It's just the right thing for jelly gift giving.

Holiday treats were displayed on one table, which also served as refreshments. Here, there was a big bowl of a what was called White Trash Mix, which consists of two kinds of cereal, pretzels, pecans, almond, and walnuts, plus white almond bark. It makes a huge batch, intended for a party, or to bag for gifts. It's additively delicious.

There was also a treat called Cake Batter Truffles, which are not baked, and hamburger cookies, that kids would like to make. These are made from vanilla wafers, mint cookies (or mint patties) vanilla frosting, flaked coconut, and food coloring.

Each person who attended the event got a booklet with all the craft instructions and treat recipes. We'll be trying some of these things over the holidays.

Mother really enjoyed this outing, since it afforded her an opportunity to visit with ladies she hasn't seen in a while. She enjoyed making the angel craft, too.

On the way home, we stopped by a fast food restaurant to pick up containers of chili for lunch. It was just the right thing for a really chilly and windy day.

We relaxed after lunch, until around 1:30, when we went to the college down the road to attend a performance of "The Nutcracker." We arrived too early, as it happened, since our local paper stated that it began at 2 p.m., when it actually was scheduled for 2:30.

We were treated like royalty, though, when we were escorted into the theater early, so that Hubbie and I would not have to stand for a half hour waiting for the doors to open. Once we were seated, a woman went back to the lobby to fetch programs for us.

Some of the dancers were practicing on stage, and soon the director came to where we were seated (in the very back, where there was a wheelchair space), and talked to us, saying how delighted she was that we were there. She's a very nice person. Hubbie and I attended her ballroom dancing lessons a couple of years ago.

Hubbie was not keen on attending the performance, but perked up when a woman that we worked with before we retired (she is retired now, too) stopped by to talk and bring us up-to-date on the lives of others we worked with. Nothing like a gossip gab session to lighten the mood.

By the end of the performance, both Hubbie and Mother were glad they had attended...it was that well done. I knew it would be good, after I saw last year's performance. The dance instructor who directed it used all ages of students, but she had whipped them into shape to perform at near professional level. The littlest performers were adorable and captured the heart of the audience, of course, while the older students and the lead, who is a professional, sufficiently awed us.

Back home, I accompanied Mother to her house. Later, I made a batch of Ramen noodle soup for her, and Hubbie took a serving to her for her supper. Hubbie and I had leftovers...he opted for the last of the roast beef in a sandwich, and I ate a bowl of the gooey-noodle Autumn stew.

While we ate, and afterwards, we watched our favorite college football team, as they played to a disappointing loss in overtime. I'd recorded the game on DVR.

It was a day of entertainment, so we accomplished nothing productive. But we had a good time.