A NEW YEAR IS A'COMING

A DIAMOND IS MERELY A LUMP OF COAL THAT DID WELL UNDER PRESSURE.
                                                                                   Unknown

It's been about a month since I got a few minutes to tap out a post. sigh  Tis the season to be busy.

How did everyone's Christmas go? I had so much fun this year. The original plan was to hold our immediate family celebration at The Woodbridge Building again. But there was a scheduling conflict with Dan's wife and work, so we opted to wait a few days and go to Jenna's house. Since I had always set up my Christmas tree by the fireplace in the family room which is on our lower level, but now I can't get up and down the stairs too well anymore, we nixed that idea. Then, the building was booked solid for about ten days in a row with other people having family get-togethers, so we couldn't even use our own place. Hahaha

Have you ever gone to a casino and they offer a freebie item if you play for a little bit...regularly? Well, Hubby and I have collected several items over the past year, which I wrap up in plain brown paper, and then we play a Christmas give-away  game called "Crappy Holliday gifts". (actually, several of them are quite good, but I do NOT need a ton of extra stuff in my house. Remember, I am trying to get rid of a bunch of things I don't want or use.)

Uh...we ended up with approximately 36 items. I did sweeten the pot a bit, by slipping in a dining gift card, a 3-pound peanut butter cup package, a yard-long box of Snickers, and  a few odds and ends that were a surprise for the kids. It was funny to see the men when they happened to get a package that contained a necklace or a purse. They would prance around the room, acting silly. There was some competition over the pink stand mixer. Abby ended up with it (after she batted her big blue eyes at whomever tried to "steal" it from her, and they gave up trying to snag it).

Dan and wife, Tammy, got here Friday and had to leave for Minnesota on Sunday morning. I was sooo glad that the weather was magnificant. In the 50's!!! Wow! Great for traveling.

I haven't had the time to post Mother and Dad's Christmas flowers so here goes, for sister Karen and sister Sandy, who live a distance away.

This year has flown by. I think that is what all old people say at this time of their lives. Speaking of old people, I want to report that everytime I look in the mirror, some old, wrinkled lady looks back at me. It is really startling when that happens! Anyhoo, 2020 is right around the corner. The days go so quickly and there never seems to be enough time to get everything done. I don't know how I ever ran a household and worked at the same time. hmmmm

​

Here are a few pictures of my loved ones. 

I just wanted to thank them all for the marvelous gifts I received this year. I was especially surprised by something that Jenna and her Joe bought/did all the work on. They came in and redid my bathroom. It has not looked so good in 48 years. Yes, 48 years!  A lot of time, effort and money went into it and I can't express my gratitude. They also splurged on me with other things. 

However . . .  the one special, unique present I received from Joe was . . .  well, let's just say that there are absolutely no words that can even begin to express how I feel about it. SEE BELOW

​

I'll just close now. Have a happy, safe New Year.

                                          GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY     AMEN!!!!