Your lights look wonderful!

For each of us Christmas brings with it many different thoughts or memories.

It brings with it happiness in all sorts of ways even some without us even thinking about it it just happens.

It brings with it friendships renewed and family gathering along with all the gifts we collect over many months.

For me, Christmas brings happy memories as each year I unpack the little manger you see in this photograph.

I made this one night in 1965 when I was on military active service. I was on a rest period and had found a square of board so using my combat knife I spent some time cutting and shaping this little thing designing it so it was flat packed as I was due home late December.

Sadly my young baby daughter did not get to see it so each year I set it out in her memory.

Now I don't want readers to feel sorry for me that is not the reason for me posting I want you to understand my joy and pleasure in keeping her memory alive like this.

We all have our reasons for doing things whatever the things may be and this is my reason for doing the lighting display and setting out my little manger or crib.

This makes my Christmas a happy event and that's the way it should be.

:D:D:D
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Jeanie i am thinking about you and hoping all went well, can't wait until you are able to come back for an update..

Jeannie I hope your okay! Im starting to get concerned we havent heard anything from you yet. Hopefully you are just recovering and there arent any complications. Let us know your okay when you can. We miss your bright and cheerful personality on here and are hoping all is well. I hope your Tibbs and your family are giving you alot of attention right now.

Thoughts and Hugs

Lisa

I'm back online today. Lost some blood and have a hematocrit of 7.7 and have been running a low grade fever they just can't trace any origen of - have been to ER couuple of times to get fluids and x-rays and get checked out - so have been pretty weak and unlike doing anything much at all. It's all I can do to do what I have to, my exercises, eat, wash-up, etc., and then I just want to cocoon, but you can't due to the schedule they have me on. I didn't want to take a transfusion so am trying to build bloodcount back up with iron and food but have NO appetite. The home nurses stay on me pretty good with f/u and are out daily and between them and my son and neighbors am pretty well looked after. But I feel pretty punk right now. Thank you all for your lovely prayers and thoughts- I felt them many times and still do. I was such a joy today to just get out the computer and see YorkieTalk. You all made me feel better just reading your posts. God bless you all. Am doing to take a little break right now and get some rest and then it is "exercise" time - and that is a painful job, let me tell you! Back later and I need to get caught up on what has been going on. Excuse typos as I am on this pain rx and it makes me pretty crazy! Love you all! Jeanie

Low blood count and low grade fever on top of the surgery would make anyone feel really bad. Sending prayers you are better soon.

Jeanie i hope you are doing better...thinking of you

Just want to extend my thoughts to you Jeanie. Hope you are feeling a bit better.

Me, too. It's not the same without you, Jeanie.:)

Last night we started decorating the tree. The pups of course had to get involved in the todo. Even the cat jumped up on the dining froom table to explore the baubles.

I love how the tree looks and smells. Of course all lower branches are empty of decor...we all know why. lol

Today is some more Xmas shopping, and then off in the early evening to look at the pictures we had done, and hopefully select some photos :-)

Must remember to buy some more candles too.

Jeannie Im glad to see you posting although I know you arent feeling your best

I get all Alexa Raes teacher gifts together today and got the cupcakes and other things that she needed for her party on Friday. I will be getting my layaways out on Saturday then wrapping gifts. Then I have My neice and my son to buy for then done. MY neice I know what Im getting though and my son is getting gift cards so its simple. Im also going to pick up some small things for our mailman and exterminator. So all in all on Saturday I will be done. I would have been done by now but the main monthly check my husband gets didnt get here yet which seems to happen every year at this time, Oh well I hope everyone is getting done

I still need to buy for 1 more...LOL i will get them wrapped by Christmas eve :D

Just nipped in for a few mins. today to see what's up. Need to get a better way to sit with my new hip and use my laptop - so keeping online activity to minimum til get a laptop desk or something. I've got one more gift to buy and wrap and a check to write and I will be done with shopping. Bought one of those Pet Riders for my son the other day on the phone and it was this automatic ordering thing that would not let you off the phone without offering you another deal for like 20 minutes and I was afraid to hang up for fear my order was not finished plus hadn't told them I wanted a 2nd for just the extra shipping but when it said I had automatically won a trip to the Bahamas or somewhere and automatically transferred me to the travel site, I did hang up once the guy told me he could not transfer me back to the Pet Rider line. I just hope I get the Pet Rider thing at all now as they are no doubt going to charge my credit card for it! I got no order# or confirmation# or anything! I just hope it is on the up and up! Oh, well. Next year I can go shop in stores the old fashioned way and forego phone ordering! Anybody have any decorating pix to share?

Jeanie i just bought a laptop desk holder /light last week and it is pretty neat..

So glad you are feeling better

I walked through that dept at Wal-Mart and they had a bunch of different kind of laptop desks - some on rollers that you could pull over your chair.:)

that sounds neat the one i bought just rest in your lap

Well this am, made the ginger pound cake(but the top is very dark, sheesh hope it tastes ok inside), washed and rewrapped Razzle, walked the dogs, did the groceries, and am now sitting down to rest a bit. lol

I bought two gifts small ones today as well. I have about three here to wrap, and about 12 more gifts or so to buy.

Just a wee funny story. Yesterday, before work I have made up a lasagna, wrapped it so that it was ready to go into the oven when I came home. So did some cleaning when I got home, and said down in front of the telly, and said to hubby "it's Your turn to cook dinner"... Oh my I so wished I had had a camera; the look on his face!. I laughed and said, don't you remember the lasagna sitting up on the countertop, all ready to go into the oven? all you have to do is when the oven is at right temp, place in oven... how long do I cook it for, and what is the temperature. I lifted eyebrow and said, the oven is set to the right temp, and I've pre-set the timer, so open door, put in lasagna, and start timer. Then about 30 minutes later I go into the kitchen, and see the alum foil that was supposed to be covering the top of the lasagna on the counter top. EeecK! I yelled what in all that is holy, is this cover doing ontop of the counter and not over the lasagna? Oh hubby said, I thought you had to cook uncovered. Lah di dah. save me from men!

That is a lovely way to remember your daughter. :love:



I finally decorated yesterday! Man, that took forever. I got my meteor lights, and I love them. My tree is all silver and teal ornaments, with meteors. I'll try to take a picture. It's tough because the meteor lights make everything kind of blurry.

Yes I want to see your tree. I found some of those lights on ebay but I wasnt sure how you could use them.

I am all finished with Christmas shopping and all I have to do is wrap. Im working on getting the house all clean and straightened today so I can just relax all week and enjoy Christmas when it gets here but its a real relaxed type of christmas for us this year anyway. We are going to Christmas at the zoo on Friday night so I cant wait for that. I bought us all red scarfs and gloves to wear so we would be festive. Then Christmas eve we are just having My Husbands Mom over. Then we may go to a Christmas eve chruch service. Then Sunday Travis my son will be over then later on in the day we are going to My Husbands Aunts. We arent cooking a dinner we are ordering our Christmas eve dinner from Bob Evans. The only thing I am making are deviled eggs and peanut butter fudge so this Christmas is a breeze to me. I hope everyone has a joyous holiday!

WOW !! it sounds like you have everything in order and very nice :)

Merry Christmas to you & family

Cha chi - you are very organized. I on the other hand, was just congratulating myself on wrapping more gifts up. All gifts I bought are wrapped and under the tree! Woowee.

I have at least three gifts left to purchase. I need to check my list and see if I got everything, and didn't miss anyone.

House still needs cleaning - I bought some beautiful gilt paper, but it "sheds" little sparkly stuff. I now have it all over the lower level. sigh.

Have to make up grocery list. And do the groceries over two days. I like to buy the veggies as close to the day as possible. So Friday will be veg/fruit shopping day, pick up the lamb, the turkey, pick up the chocolate order, and the fresh roses.

Still a lot to do yet. But I love baking, decorating, and setting the table.

HOpe to get a picture up soon of the tree. Cant wait to see pics of decorated trees.

Well at the risk of being another thread stopper entry. I hope everyone is doing well with their Xmas preps.

I have finished the Xmas shopping and wrapping. I feel very blessed as pups are happy n healthy. We have a warm home, a beautiful tree, and this wk have visited with some lovely friends.

Of course there is more to do, cleaning and grocery shopping not to mention the cooking too. lol

I hope that you are having ajoyous and bright Christmas season

I think everyone is busy doing last minute things LOL you didn't stop anything

I still have so much to do i will finish shopping tomorrow..i work better under pressure ;) my food shopping is done just need to pick up a gift or 2 i wish you a wonderful Christmas

Betty I wish you and yours the very best of the season. I do all food shopping tomorrow and Friday, and cleaning, and washing doggies. But I will stop at some point and say that's it, what is done is done:D

Gail i do that to..although this year i am letting (Sam's club) help me a little ;)

I buy red velvet cheesecake from there, it is from (the cheesecake factory) and it is so yummy..and they make beautiful cheese & sausage trays.. every little bit helps..:)

Betty I took your advice. I bought a cake from Dufflets and a pie from Sanelli's, a yummy bakery here I couldn't even order a pumpkin pie, she said she is all over busy with the orders she has right now. I can check in with her Fri or Sat, to see if there is an extra one or not.

Went to the butchers and the florist, so ticked those off of the list. Yeah. Now to roll up my sleeves and start the cleaning. Then today/tomorrow etc dog grooming. Must have fresh smelling groomed pups for Xmas. lol

Alright I'm a bit stalled. Forgot how much I do not enjoy cleaning!. Got the flowers arranged the table half set. Fridge half cleaned. And now I'm sitting posting. lol

Going to try to take a pic tonight - experiment with camera to see if I can adjust for the brightness of the tree lights.

Ok the last I hope of the groceries are done. Dinner in the oven now. Dogs to groom , but not so bad for the Xmas wkend. Company over soon. Have a joyous Xmas folks.

Gail !!! I was betting on you to pull it all together just in time ;)

Merry Christmas :reindeer2:

:kiss:
Thanks Razzle woke up full of piss n vinegar this morning. I swear our pups do know that something yummy is going on! First off, I'm in the kitchen starting to make the dressing, I hear some package rustling, first I thought it was hubby in the grooming room doing some last minute wrapping;....nope. It was the cat, had opened the sliding doors to the closet; and it was one of the toys I had bought them for Xmas he was desperate to play with!. Bag is now placed on high shelf - door is closed. Back to kitchen, 2minutes later, I hear along with the sound of Razz' running feet the tinkle of the new Christmas collar and leash I bought-he runs into the kitchen with the DoggPaws gift mitten in his hand!:D This is closely coupled by the sound of not one but two other culprits - they found their new toys - squeakers going off. More running feet. LMAO

So far animals 4 humans Zero! :D:D Oops just looked right this moment, Razz runs into the garden grandly shaking his Bib. teehee