Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2019 Indiana Christmas Party, Movie Theatre, Dh: Church,

Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2019 

Happy New Year!
Indiana Christmas Party

I was able to take a picture of the painting Dd gave Grampy last year for Christmas.  It is of the family farm's barn.  They hung it right above their fireplace; the primmest spot.

Hello Friends!

We spent the week getting ready for our annual Christmas party, in southern Indiana, with Dh's family.  Once again, Hailee, Dd's dear friend, agreed to stay in our home to take care of all our critters for us.  I took care to buy her some frozen pizza's and have some of her favorites on hand.  She says she likes to stay at our house and I know I feel so much better knowing my animals aren't left alone.  

New Year's Eve: (This paragraph won't center---sorry!)

We had our small intimate special Christmas Eve party this year.  We lit up our special angel/candle/bell thingy; my grandmother used to light up one similar when I was growing up on this night.  And we had two bottles of sparkling cider and fancy glasses to make our toasts in a rotation.  We toasted so many things---from honoring my rooster, Zeus, to Dh's successful surgeries, to my gallbladder being removed last February (which I regret!).  The toasts are always a lot of fun.  We managed to stay up until 11:30 before falling asleep.  Just the three of us, nice and cozy, and full of us being thankful for all that happened in 2018.

Felt Birds:

I *finally* started on my 2018 felt birds this week.  Giz has brought up how much she loves the felt birds I've given her for Christmas presents, so I wanted to make sure I had her one done for this year.  I decided to make her a pretty yellow one; like a goldfinch size.

Audio:
My Antonia by Willa Cather: In Process
We are really enjoying this new audio!
  

My grandmother had one of these neat candle/bell things.  It is one of the very few family traditions I remember.

Movies:

All three of us went to the movies this week to see Aquaman, the new DC movie.  It was visually interesting but so different than how I envision Aquaman.  I was a little disappointed how 'ruff-gruff manly-man' stereotype they cast Aquaman as I always saw him as being so empathetic and connected to the sea life.  It was okay, just not how I grew up imagining him.  More than anything else, it was just fun to be at the movies!!!  We have a wonderful, very small theatre (small audiences) in our little town with the best massive electric reclining chairs.

This is what a party looks like in our home---Sparkling Ciders and fancy glasses!

Church:

Finally, this Sunday Dh returned back to church!  He felt ready to return; his doctor is letting him keep his head up hours each day. It was so nice having back in our pew!

Giz has this little spot for her favorite photo's of her grandkids.  She loves them SO!  Now JC's daughters have made it up too!  Dd is in the big hat.  T is adopted and one of my favorite family members.

Dh's Eye:

This week (Mon & Tues) mark six weeks since Dh had his cataract and then retina surgery.  His eye is very slowly healing; slow and steady.  His activity level seems to also be slowly improving.  Prayers appreciated that his retina will attach and stay attached!!! 

Giz with N., her grandson's daughter, living next door now.

Sleep-Over:

After church, on Sunday, Dd asked to go home with Hailee to spend the day...well, a few hours later she called to ask to spend the night.  

Expense Report:

This isn't something I'd normally share, but it was such a huge relief to me---Dh finally completed his expense report for his last trip to Italy in March.  We drove the report to his office in Grand Raids and turned it in on Tuesday night!!!  This was one of those items I had been asking him to do for 10-11 months!!  So glad that is finally done and off my mental list of things to try and get completed.  We all have those lists of things that we have no control over and have to accept the timing from God and that has been my nemesis for so long; how many times I've prayed for Dh to complete over all these months.  Thankful it is done.

Grampy walking by Aunt April.

Christmas Shopping:

With our family Christmas party on Saturday, we had to get our last gifts at various stores this week.  Dh took us to find a special tool for Grampy at a store called Harbor Freight.  It took most of the week, a thing here and there, but we finally got it all together.  I had a lot of fun creatively wrapping the gifts!!!  

The best gift we are giving this year---slow smoked ribs!  Dh and I bought a bunch of slabs of ribs and Dh cooked them.  I 'tested' one piece and it was amazing!!  The best ribs he has ever made!  Then he wrapped them up and froze them.  We gave them to G&G for one of their gifts, and they put them in their freezer and pull out a few at a time for their meals.  Such a great idea Dh thought of years ago and a gift they really, really seem to appreciate.

Everyone finding their seats before the gifts get opened...one at a time in a circle.  It took about 2 1/2 hours for each of us to open our 5-6 gifts.  I received a pretty metal rooster!!!

Wrapping:

Dd agreed to wrap the Aldi chocolate bars that we gave as gifts, but I wrapped all the other presents.  Actually, this year I didn't wrap everything---each year we buy Giz (Dh's mom) a 50 lb. bag of sunflower seeds and a big bag of blue mechanic paper towels for Grampy, and I didn't wrap those big bags this year.

The Indianapolis Colts (football team) were playing today, so T was anxious to get through our party asap!

Mom/Transitions:

It was a really difficult week with my mom as she is unhappy with living in limbo in Maine.  She hastily moved to Ohio last year.  She had flown to visit a friend on March 3rd and then called to say she had already moved on the 31st!!!  Then Oct. 26th she flew/moved back to Maine without having an apartment lined up.  She thought she would easily slip back into an apartment, but that has proven impossible.  She is really struggling with the consequences of all these impulsive decisions and considered moving here for a few days.  Prayers appreciated for an apartment to open up for my mom and for her to find some peace in her life.  It is hard watching your mom struggle so and it is another one of those situations where I don't have any control and have to turn it over to God to help. 

Christmas party:

It was a bit different this year.  Dh, Dd and I usually stay at the family farm or a hotel but opted this time to spent our visit staying with G&G.  They had offered to pay for the hotel, but I just felt too guilty having them pay.  Dh's middle brother and family are living at the farm this year while sorting out their next home purchase.  Dh still has to sleep sitting up in a recliner, so he was out in the living room sitting there all night and we didn't have to worry about a hotel having a good cushy chair for Dh to sleep in.

Can you see the two little white eggs?  Those are from Miss Lemon, our Bantam hen.  They are all doing well!

The morning of the party got off to an odd start; Dh's eldest brother called to chat with G&G only to be told the party was in 3 hours!  He thought the party was next weekend!!!  He had also been sick, with the flu, the day before and was a bit out of sorts.  Fast forward to Monday when I woke up with the flu and spent the whole day (and night) vomiting....wonder who I picked up the flu from???  He called his wife, at work, and they all managed to rearrange and hustle and still made it to G&G's house faster than the family that actually lived NEXT DOOR!!!!  Really, the nephew (and family) that live next door to G&G were over an hour late to the party!  It doesn't really matter how many hours it takes to get to someone's house to be the earliest or latest, I find.

Instead of getting a gift that Giz picks out, she lets me buy my own 'book' gift.  This year I picked these two Bible Commentaries by Wiersbe after appreciating the Transformation Bible (by Wiersbe) that I borrowed from a friend in my Ladies Bible Study group / Sunday School class.

 In the end, all but one niece made it to the party, as she works for a cruise line and was in the tropics somewhere and was 'kind' enough to skype in and show us the blue ocean behind her in the immense sunshine!

To add to the other Bible Commentaries we use---so far my favorite is the Believer's Bible Commentary by Willaim MacDonald.

The party was a lot of fun and it was great getting to see everyone all together.  We had the extra blessing of seeing many of them at a niece's wedding a few months ago, but not everyone, so this was great.  It is also hitting me hard this year, after Giz having so many health scares the past 3 years, that any Christmas could be our very last Christmas with this exact group.  I'm glad I am appreciating them while I have the chance, but it is bittersweet. 

One of the adult Sunday School groups at our church is doing this bible study.  Dh chose it for us to do together now that we finished Seamless by Angie Smith.

Next Week:
Dh has another eye appointment with his eye doctor; who had been on vacation the last few visits.  We are hoping to get more information and ideas about what we should be planning for from him at this visit.  Dd returns back to her Grace co-op classes, to her dismay!!!
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