Christmas is sneaking up on me a lot faster than I remember it sneaking up on me last year! Maybe it's because there really is only 4 weeks-to the day-between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Maybe not-maybe I'm just that much older that time files faster now. Oh well...It's coming and I'm just about ready. Two or three things I ordered aren't here yet, but there is still time. Or is there?!
This is the time of year I miss my family the most. Thinking about Mom and Dad is part of it, but I wouldn't give those thought up for anything. They are both still a big part of my life, one that is very important to me. My sister and brother and their families are so far away--oh, we keep in touch, but I would love to have a Christmas where we could all be together. We all have our own families now and we all have our own traditions. And that's the way it should be. But I still miss them. Trips "up North" are great, but not frequent enough. I am so anxious to meet Ainsely!
Chamois is doing great at her training. She graduated and we are going to keep up the exercises so she will keep on being a pleasant, obedient, fun dog to have around. Walking with her is a joy now. She stays on heel even when there is another dog or a cat or a squirrel or whatever around. She quivers with excitement but she stays on heel. Good girl! And this is off leash!
The new hardwoods are down and looking great. The new carpet is down and we really like it. We plan to have central heat and air put in the cottage-then the same carpet put down up there. The day after the carpeting went down in the computer room we had a water leak. They came back and had the leak fixed and then tore up the new-old carpet and put down new. What a hassle. When you have new flooring put down it's like moving! You have to pack everything up and store it somewhere and then get it all ou(and now you go through it all and get rid of stuff) and put it away. AGAIN. Did that twice in the computer room. What a drag!
Kitties are doing fine. Bailey is getting old but she still acts like a young cat. She's 13 and Grace is 4. Gracie is the friendly one - compared to Bailey, who is not friendly at all - but even so Gracie is cautious.
Decorations are up..parties and cookie exchanges are on the horizon and I will be a two-ton-nellie if I don't stop "sampling". Can't help it. Ralph's Sin is too good to leave alone! And we've already eaten almost the whole batch of Texas Trash. Guess I'll add those two things to the list to make. The only other traditional thing I make is -are you ready-PRUNE BREAD!! My family doesn't think it's Thanksgiving or Christmas with out it. And it is good!! More like cake than bread.
As the grandchildren get older it gets harder to think of Christmas gifts for them. AND the gifts they want are getting more expensive every year. No more baby dolls and matchbox cars. Now it's i-pod docking stations and PSP slim docking stations and electronic things like that. I don't even know what 1/2 of those things are. So, like our parents before us, we rely on the parents to tell us what is on the grandchildren's lists. And then to decifer(sp) it for us. Easy for Mike and Deborah this year. They gave us a very comprehensive list to choose from. Plus there is always the donation to the cat facility for Deborah and one to the flying "kitty" for Mike.
I hope you-all have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
