I'm Done With 21!

 It's the last day of December loving called "New Years Eve".  Many will gather tonight and celebrate with family or friends or both.  Jack and I are home quietly having snacks for dinner and toasting with sparkling cider.  The Christmas lights and decor will be taken down this weekend.  The temps have been mild this week and today and tomorrow look like the end of this small blessing. 

I took a few walks around the Pines to enjoy this mild day.  The green will soon be taken over with white by Sunday.  That's OK.  It's going to be January for goodness sakes! Usually we're burning wood for heat by now but have been able to  put that off for a few weeks. 

I think my horse and alpaca neighbors are enjoying the day too!

The herd...well, not sure what a group of alpaca are called...is growing.  There are more that aren't in this pic and I'm guessing they have about 7 now.  If you look close you can see the fence has been decorated with garland and wreaths.  Very festive!  

Here's my loaf of Greek New Year's Bread..Vasilopita.  It came out a bit more rustic than usual! Ha! It smells wonderful and will taste good too I'm sure. Inside is hidden a lucky coin and when the bread is cut whoever gets the piece with the coin will have good luck all year. Now that's a hope we can all get behind!  I looked back at some of my previous New Years posts to see how I anticipated the years to go. Well, we never know how things will turn out and our last few years have been a bit sketchy on the good luck part!  But between the lines I have to say it wasn't all gloom and doom. Tomorrow I will do my annual New Years Day post and probably go into that a little deeper.  For now we'll just smile and toast farewell to 2021. As my title says...I'M DONE WITH 21! Before I close out I must mention the passing of Betty White.  What a class act she was. She would have celebrated her 100th birthday in January and I think we all thought she would make it.  RIP Betty, you were very much loved! 

Happy Christmas Everybody!

 The final week of Christmas flew by.  Final shopping, baking, wrapping presents, church services and all the little things that go with hosting family on Christmas day.  Today is that day and again I'm amazed that another Christmas has been celebrated and over so soon.  We had our kids, grandkids, and granddogs here and phone calls for those not able to attend.  It was a fun day and even though the weather this year was more southern than northern feeling, it was good.  Rainy and temps in the 60's...unusual! What was usual was the good food we had and the gathering of family.  Fun times, laughter, gifts and of course YaYa with her camera ready! So here's a snap shot of our weekend.  Merry Christmas to all my family, friends and blog buddies! 

Last night Jack and I had a cozy traditional...for us anyway...dinner.  Years ago we started having breakfast for dinner on Christmas Eve.  Christmas morning with our four boys and then an early start to Jack's parents house made breakfast only a passing thought.  I used to make waffles for the boys but Jack likes French toast better so  I do that for him and waffles for me.  After dinner we took a ride to see Christmas decorations around town. There's those homes with all the crazy blow up decorations but my photos didn't come out great of those. 

I like this old Victorian home and they do have the yard nicely lit up!

After driving around different neighborhoods we stopped at the corner park near downtown. This is where the annual tree lighting ceremony is held and I think they've done a great job of decorating this park.

Santa's house sits all quiet now.  He saw about 900 kids this year! Whew!

Here's where the letters to Santa were posted.  I do hope all who wrote letters got what they wanted this year.  

These potted pines can be found on all the corners of downtown.  After the holidays they are planted. Such a good idea.  Also Christmas music is piped in all day, everyday, for the month of December.  Very fun to walk and listen too.

Downtown is so sparkly! I asked Jack if it was like this when he was little.  I've lived here for 44yrs and this is the best I've ever seen it.  He said: "When you're a kid at Christmas everything is sparkly".  So true!  Our Mayor has made it a project to get the downtown vibrant again and bring in that Hallmark town feeling.  It's working! Many new businesses and restaurants have come in and hopefully can continue to thrive. 

Christmas morning had the gifts wrapped and ready and the fake fire burning on the TV!

As my family arrived I made them stop for a quick pic before the day got rolling. Rae Rae isn't smiling..new braces! She's 2-1/2 yrs younger than Lexi but a few inches taller. That's their sister Aria in front.  She's a half sister but we whole love her! 

Newlyweds, Driana and Jonathan.  They bought their first home back in October so now they can have a dog. Introducing Theo...my new Granddog! 

Phil..Rae and Lexi's Dad and my funny silver fox kiddo! He just had to pose!

Anthony and Cameron.  I don't know if Cam will get as tall as  his brother but he has grown a lot this past year.  

Granddaughter Summer and her boyfriend, Spencer. Such a sweet couple.

Jack and Evelyn who didn't have to pose in front of the fireplace.  This was a hard day for Evelyn as her Dad passed away a few months ago.  I didn't get a pic of her cousin Mandy who is living with them. If  you recall I mentioned they took guardianship of her when her Mom, Evelyn's Aunt, passed away this summer.  It was a hard day for Mandy too as it's the first without her Mom.  Sometimes the holidays can be a challenge when life throws in those sad times. Mandy went and slept after eating and just wanted to be alone for a bit.  

Jack just hanging out...look at those piercing blue eyes!

After dinner we played the saran wrap game.  Inside that ball of saran wrap are tons of gifts..some silly, some good, some delish, and some lottery tickets! It's a fun, fast and furious game.  Nobody won a million on the lottery tickets but Summer won $2 and Driana won $25...not too bad I guess!  Soon it was time for all to head home.  We had a great day and I'm so grateful for my wonderful husband who helped me all along the way as it's hard to do this by yourself.  I'm grateful for my family who brings a smile to my face and happiness in my heart!  I hope everyone had a good day today!

Merry Christmas and God Bless Us Every One!

Hugs All Around

 This past weekend the pilgrimage home happened for my family. We came from distances south to north, from east and west.  Siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents and parents all coming to celebrate, remember past gatherings, and make new memories.   I remember in the past how we would drive up Mom's driveway and she would be out on the porch smiling and excited to see us or in the kitchen waiting for our arrival.  Her house would be decorated and many dishes prepared for us and for the family Christmas party.  That house is now my sister's home.  We drive up the same driveway and are greeted with her smiles and the house decorated and food prepared as in the past.  But a little of the light is gone as this is the first Christmas family gathering without Mom and also without my brother Greg.  My sister arranged for a Catholic Mass to be held on Saturday morning as a memorial for Greg. His daughter Vicki and his granddaughters came.  My sister-in-law couldn't make the trip up from Georgia because of her own health issues.  But there were many family members and friends who came and after the Mass we gathered for a nice brunch and a time also to reminisce about his life and share memories.  We wanted it to be a joyous time as I know Greg would want it to be that way. He was a happy person who wouldn't want all the sadness to continue.   Later that day we gathered again at my nephew's home for the annual Christmas party.  This year some couldn't attend because of travel problems or health issues.  Still, we had fun, ate good food, opened silly gifts (white elephant gifts we call them!) and gave hugs all around.  Afterward we all departed to homes or hotels.  Most of the kids stayed at my nephew's for a huge cousin sleepover! I'm sure that was a lot of fun for them!  We left for home this morning after bidding farewell with the hope of next year on our lips that all can attend and we can continue to make memories, laugh, eat and again give hugs all around!

We got to Chicago on Thursday so we could help my sister out with preparations for the weekend and of course we were greeted by her pup, Hope. 

Hope just loves Jack....has to be by his side or begging for attention.

She even shares her favorite toys with him...she's generous like that!

Preparing food is always on the to do list and my sister is fabulous at that! 

My nephew Bill and his wife Laura hosted the party at their home. Thanks guys! Plus they had all the cousins stay all night.  They have 5 kids of their own and add a few more dozen and I bet it was pretty fun for the littles and pretty crazy for them! Thankfully a couple of the kids are teens who could help out.  The following pics are just a few of the cast of characters we lovingly call FAMILY.

My brother Phil and his wife Cilla.  They just moved back to the states from Panama and now live in Florida.  She's from England and has a delightful accent!

My nephew-in-law...Eric. He's married to my niece, Amy.

Here's Amy with her favorite Uncle...at least Jack thinks he's the favorite!

Midge and me being photo bombed by my brother, Rick.  Funny boy.

Rick and Phil having a lively discussion.  There were lots of kids here and there but I didn't get too many photos of them.  They were in the family room and having some activities of their own...

They all got to make gingerbread houses...good job kiddos! 

Remember I mentioned a "white elephant" gift exchange?  Well, this is a good example of what you might be so lucky to receive...a unicorn mask.  You never know what can be lurking in those pretty packages! 

On Sunday Midge and I took a few moments to visit Mom and Dad's gravesites.  The weather was pretty nasty on Saturday night but sunshine came through for Sunday and we had a nice day together.  The drive home today was good with warmer temps..in the 50's! And lots of sunshine.  I'll take it.  My brother Rick lives in northern Wisconsin and he got a foot of snow on Saturday! I was very glad not to come home to anything like that. Now on to planning for our family Christmas here at the Pines.  Lots to do in the coming weeks as I'm sure most of you have.  I hope all your gatherings are wonderful and contain hugs all around.

Deck The Halls..Walls..All!

 You might be afraid to visit me at Christmas because you could get yourself decorated.  I do have a tendency to spread some Christmas cheer as Buddy the Elf would say.  Only not by signing loud and clear, but hanging, draping, lighting, and covering all surfaces with decorations.  Well, it's not really that bad. I report you decide.  Here's a sampling of a few decorations I put up this year.  I might have to call this "Post #1"

I found this  metal sign on the LTD commodities website.  I saw something like this in a magazine and stole the idea.  Fits nicely here!

I liked these bows on my cupboards on this side of the kitchen. 

I liked them so much I got some this year for these cupboards. Take notice of the kitchen clock. Yep, it's a piece of toast! Ha! Jack spied it at a resale shop and I think it's kind of cute.  Yes, I know it's not a Christmas decoration but I'm a bit ADD!

I found this quilt in a cupboard and thought it looked good on the kitchen table. Santa cookie jar was a gift from a friend. 

This season's greetings sign belonged to Jack's folks and we got it after they passed away. My Mother-in-law could decorate with the best of them and I think I got the bug from her! Notice the Christmas valance? How about the snowman and woman my Granddaughter, Driana, made for us? 

Jack's Mom crossed stitched this for me.  It's probably 30yrs old or better. I think of her every time I look at it.  I miss her!

I think I've shown these guys before. My sister made them for Jack and I after we were married.  Another decoration that holds meaning and is pretty old...47yrs perhaps?  

Of course the tree is up.  I put up some of our older, Hallmark ornaments that Jack's folks would give us every year.  Most are pretty delicate now but we don't have littles around to mess with them or even a dog or cat to cause any problems with a tree so I decided to use them this year.  That brought back memories as I hung each one up.  They are dated from 1974 to 1999.  Jack's Mom passed away in 2000 and Dad passed in 2001 so that's where we stopped with dated ornaments from them.  I think I'm getting a bit sentimental this year!

Even though I've lived in Ohio longer than Illinois, I think I will always refer to Chicago as home. And yes, we'll be going home for our family Christmas gathering this weekend.  We haven't celebrated since 2019 because of Covid.  I remember Mom saying that year would be her last Christmas. We smiled and said, "Come on Mom, you'll be here next year!"  Well, she knew better than us and passed in May, 2020.  So I don't want to pass up another year without seeing family.  You never know what life will have in store so gather, celebrate and appreciate.  You know I'll be back with more pics from that party!

Welcome December

 Day 2 of  the last month of this crazy year.  I hear many saying that this year is at least better than 2020. The verdict is still out on that in our family but for now all is good and I'm hoping we get through the rest of the month in good shape!  Next week will find us in Chicago for the annual (that hasn't happened since 2019) Christmas gathering.  It's also a memorial service for my brother Greg who passed away in June.  It will be good to see everyone again but with this stupid Covid still giving problems I'm hoping we can all stay healthy.  The weather has been pretty mild in our neck of the woods.  It's technically still fall so having temps in the mid 50s' today is a nice gift but also very fallish here.  We did have some snow again the other day just to keep us humble.

View from the front yard.

View in the back yard.  It was pretty but melted by the afternoon with sun and temps rising to the40's.

Bye bye snow for now!  When I was out walking in the morning I could tell I wasn't the only one checking out the snowfall...

Looks like it was rush hour at the Pines!  It was confirmed who the trespassers were when 4 deer jumped out from the side woods.  It's hunting season so maybe they felt safer closer the backyard.  I didn't follow them for any photo moments since you never know for sure if there are hunters back there hunting on our property without permission.  Did you shop on black Friday?  I did not but on Saturday I went downtown and checked out the businesses there and also the decorations for the season.  It's turning into a Hallmark town with lights up everywhere and Christmas music piped downtown all season.  

We have a new park in the downtown and this was an interesting decoration.  Very big but kind of a cool spot for any photo moments.

This doesn't show the town decor real well, but all those little trees and lamposts look great at night.

This is new to me...a huge nativity scene in another park near the business section.  At least they are keeping the reason for the season on display!  Saturday is our Christmas parade and tree lighting.  They also set off fireworks.  I swear our Mayor watches Hallmark and incorporates something new each year as he sees it on TV!  It has made the area a go to spot and new businesses and restaurants are now destinations that keep the downtown busy.   I applaud all new businesses!  I think it was a pretty successful small business weekend.  After walking all over I was ready to head home.  In keeping with the holiday mode I had to have some hot cocoa.

Whip cream anyone?  I'm almost done with decorating and we'll get the tree up this weekend.  You know I'll be clicking some pics! Have a good rest of this week!