Two days 'til Christmas

Getting cookies, popcorn, and nuts ready to deliver to people for Christmas. What a good heper we had today (that is she rocked nicely in her swing so we could cook.)

We baked Cinnamon Bread with and without raisins, and little loaves of Cranberry Orange Quick bread.

When we made cookies and sugared nuts (Lynda's recipe), Madison wasn't too helpful.

Okay, so we never put lights on the house, the Christmas card didn't get sent (they didn't even get ready to send), so far we haven't made any chocolate bears, we didn't drive around and look at the Christmas lights in town. There are probably a lot more things that we didn't do this year. There is always tomorrow, and after that......well we can always do better next year.

December ramblings

In case anyone forgot what Garrett looks like, here is a picture of him. Of course it was taken two years ago, but he hasn't changed that much.

We are planning on making the drive up to Ely the week after Christmas. Wonder if there will be snow like there was two years ago? We had fun didn't we dacheese? Since that Christmas, Andrew has spent a year in Iraq and is now back in the states. We have four new granddaughters a new son-in-law and soon to be one or two daughter-in-laws. I don't think we have aged at all - anyway we sure don't feel any older. Where does time go?

Thanks to dacheese and Rhaynnon we have a decorated tree in our living room. I think this Christmas is the hardest one yet. We have children at home, but they aren't ours anymore. They are their own people and have their own families. Who is Santa? Who will fill the stockings? I didn't realize how hard this year was hitting me until last week when I was freezing cold and alone in Kansas City. Then I realized that this big change is real, we don't have our own babies anymore who will wait wide eyed for Santa. That is a resposibility that falls to the next generation, and even though we can be there to watch, we are just onlookers. There won't be children all piled into one bedroom, staying awake all night, talking. We won't need to find an ingenious way to block off the living room to hide any unwrapped presents. No great treasure hunt type gifts. Nothing the same as it has been for the past 25+ years. Maybe the mom won't be so grouchy either?

This year we may be able to act out the Nativity, but who gets to be Mary? We have the perfect candidate for the role of the Christ child, but who should be Joseph? Oh for the simplicity of the years when we grabbed a doll, wrapped it in swaddling clothes, had two wise guys H & G, Joseph Jesse, Mary Briana, and Angel Andrew. Putting appropriate headgear on the dogs so that we could have a donkey, a camel or a sheep. We can't go back, so I guess we'll just have to move forward and honor those wonderful memories.