Today’s Friday Photo Flashback takes us all the way back to……. yesterday!
Ok, maybe the photo doesn’t really qualify as Flashback, but the story is too funny not to share.
I’ve said this on numerous occasions – my brother Christopher and I could not be more different. However, there are some things where we share a common bond. One of those things we share in common is our love of Christmas and Classic Christmas Specials. The Year Without A Santa Claus is probably our favorite.
Recently, he sent me a picture of a set of dish towels that feature the Heat Miser and Snow Miser that they bought for their house. They are pretty cool. Yesterday I got a hold of this year’s Hallmark Ornament featuring the Miser Brothers and Mrs. Claus. I sent him a picture of me with it and before the night was over he sent me a photo in return.
Yeah, we couldn’t be more different, and we couldn’t be more the same!
We continue with my trial run of Share Your Nostalgia, an idea suggested to me by some fellow bloggers. The topic for this feature is “The Toy of Your Life.” Was there one toy that you considered the “best?” When you think of yourself as a child, what is the toy that immediately pops into your mind? What was the toy that you brought to Show and Tell or took with you everywhere?
We turn the blog over to my buddy, Randy Dafoe today. Randy is a fellow music lover and he and I happen to share a love for a good (and sometimes bad) cover song. His blog, Mostly Music Covers, is a daily read for me. Be sure to check him out here: https://mostlymusiccovers.com/
Will Randy opt for a musical toy like Nancy did yesterday? Take it away, Cowboy …..
The Toy of Your Life – Randy Dafoe
What was the “Toy of Your Life?”. What was that one toy that you carried with you everywhere, brought to show and tell, and made your friends envious of you? When you think back to your childhood, what is that one toy that sticks out as a favorite? Why was it? Why did you want it? How did you get it?
When Keith asked the above questions, I needed no time to think about which toy I was going to write about. It was my Roy Rogers toys. If you grew up from the 1940s through to the 60s it was a coveted thing to have the pair of Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger action figures.
If you don’t know who he was here is a song “Blue Shadows On The Trail” and a little background.
Roy Rogers (Leonard Franklin Slye, November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was following the dusty trail blazed by the likes of Tom Mix and the great Gene Autry (where Rogers was at one time just his sidekick). However, Rogers would come to be known as the “King of the Cowboys”. A great singer who would go into acting and become the biggest singing and acting “Western Star” of all time.
Elton John & Bernie Taupin wrote a song about him, and it appeared on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album in 1973.
Being a star like that you inevitably have the merchandise. Back then lunch boxes were a big thing, but for me it was the Roy Rogers Cowboy figure and his faithful horse Trigger. I found a picture that shows it came with his dog Bullet (gotta love the original names) but I really don’t remember having it. At around seven years old Roy Rogers was like a hero to me. He had his own TV series that, like his Western movies were in reruns in the mid 60s. So, I got to watch his shows when we got our first TV in about 1965. Now one TV and eight people in the house, my time was rationed, thankfully my dad liked to watch Roy Rogers, which is where I picked it up to begin with. Roy was the prototypical good guy in the white hat who always did the right thing and saved the day.
So, I probably bugged my parents for the better part of a year before I got it for Christmas. I would pretend he was riding into various adventures and sometimes I just liked to look at it sitting on the floor of my room. I use the term ‘room’ generously, I actually didn’t have one at that time. My bed was on the landing at the top of the stairs in our little one and half story house. My sister’s had the room on the left and my two older brothers the room on the right. But there was plenty of space to play and as possessions were a rare thing, I coveted that Cowboy and horse for at least a couple of years.
But, as it is said in the song “A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys”. Roy and Trigger got put in a box. At first it was in the closet in my sisters (I have three of them) room and then to be honest I don’t know what happened to them. My mother made a healthy habit of donating our things. As the years passed Roy became less of a celebrity and to another little boy it was probably just a cowboy and horse. Needless to say, I have not forgotten Roy and Trigger, nearly 60 years later I can still picture myself on the floor and having the time of my life making up my own cowboy stories.
Thanks, Keith, for the opportunity to reminisce and share a story about my favorite toy.
Perhaps this year I will plan a bit better. I hoped to post this year-end recap on January 1, 2024, but life had other plans. If I made New Year’s Resolutions, planning ahead just might be one of mine. Better late than never …
2023 was a year of ups and downs, but that’s what makes life interesting, right? As I looked back at the year in preparation for this blog, I was surprised at what a decent year it was. I found myself smiling at so many of the memories. I truly believe that there was more good memories than bad last year.
2023 was a year of accomplishments for me:
I read more books last year than I have in a very long time. There were so many good ones (many of them I reviewed here)!
I completed a full semester of my Bible classes and am ready to start the 5th semester (of 9).
Then there were the projects my father-in-law and I completed. We turned a closet into a nook, put in an entire new deck on the porch, and built a fence for the puppy.
I also completed a course on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
I participated in 12 installments of Turntable Talk for Dave Ruch’s A Sound Day site
I contributed a few songs to my friend Nancy’s The Rhythm Section site
I taught a couple classes on Sleep Medicine at a local college
I wrote my 1000th blog
There were a lot of new things in 2023 for me:
Sam and I both got new vehicles
I got a new schedule at work when I switched to afternoons
We got a new driveway and sidewalks because of that construction mess on our street
We added to our family with our new puppy, Daisy
A new diagnosis of ADHD and long term depression for me. This brings many challenges.
There were so many wonderful times with family and friends:
Ella celebrated birthday #3
Andrew celebrated birthday #2
Dante turned 21
Dimitri turned 16 (and I golfed with him for his birthday)
I celebrated my birthday with a princess party theme (picked out by Ella) and wore a tiara!
Our family enjoyed a nice day at the beach in Caseville
We enjoyed a great day on the Halloween Train with Aunt Margaret and Uncle Walt
My brother and I got to spend some time together thanks to his visits up to Michigan (He even contributed a nice guest blog)
Sam and I enjoyed a night out with a nice dinner and then seeing a Golden Girls play
My radio buddy, Cam, who I hadn’t seen in decades, came up and we had a great time reminiscing over coffee
My Goddaughter, Marissa, got married
The family enjoyed a night at the Detroit Zoo enjoying their Christmas Lights display
I had all my kids over on Christmas Eve and it was nice to have them all together. It may sound crazy, but we all sat on the couch and watch the Christmas episode of Shaun the Sheep and laughed like crazy together.
I also got to enjoy my first ever Daddy Daughter Dance with Ella.
Andrew certainly kept us busy this year. He’s been through the ringer. This year he’s had an MRI, an EEG, a few Sleep Studies, throat surgery, a swallow study, received a diagnosis of mild cerebral palsy and is now wearing braces on his legs. Between doctor appointments, he’s been doing speech therapy, and physical and occupational therapy. We spent a lot of time in the car this year. Thankfully, we continue to work on things and his prognosis is looking great.
I was finally able to hold the amazing portrait of Ella and Andrew in my hands this year. My friend Belita sent me many photos as the portrait progressed and my excitement built with each one. It is so beautiful. I need to get a frame for it, so I can hang it up on the wall.
As a bonus, the Detroit Lions have given me the best season I have been able to witness in forever!.
In 2023 I wrote 274 blog posts and this site had almost 31,000 views. As I looked back at the most popular posts, I was surprised to see that there was a new “Most Viewed” blog. The 6th blog I ever wrote for this site somehow always was the most viewed blog every year. It was a blog I wrote with some of Red Buttons’ funniest lines:
That blog came in at the third most viewed this year (Over 700 views). The second most viewed blog was a holiday themed blog about one of my favorite Christmas specials:
The Year Without a Santa Claus blog just beat the Never Got a Dinner blog (750 views) The new champion, and most viewed blog this year was also holiday themed and got an amazing 4841 views!
I have to wonder why it got so many views. I do think it is cool, though.
As a loyal reader and visitor to this blog, I want you to know how much I appreciate you. Thank you for reading and commenting on my posts. Thank you for making 2023 something to remember.
As we continue in the new year, I pray it is a good one for you and me. That being said, I’m going to do something that I really have never done before on here.
My faith is something that you are aware of. I am always open to a good conversation about my faith. I make it no secret that I believe the Bible and am a Christian. I understand that you may not be. That is your choice and I am not in the position to judge anyone for what you believe. That being said, I watched a message from a pastor friend that really was powerful. I’m going to post the video here on this blog. Feel free to watch if you wish. If you don’t want to watch it, that’s ok. Consider this the end of this blog post.
If you do want to watch, let me set it up for you:
In the 1990’s, William Strauss and Neil Howe wrote a book about the historical cycles in America. It was called The Fourth Turning.
It is really a fascinating read! Bryan Ross taught a message about the New Year and if the cycles of history continue to follow the pattern, 2024 could bring some issues. His message was full of information and really helped me to be at peace and ready for what history might cycle back our way.
Keep in mind that the book itself is not a biblical book about prophecy or anything like that. It looks at the cycles of history. Pastor Ross presents this info honestly and then answers the question of how we should prepare for it.
Christmas has come and gone. I hope that you and your family had a wonderful holiday! We had a lot of fun moments, for sure. Here is my Christmas recap.
I want to start by saying that this had to be the least “Christmassy” Christmas in a very long time. Part of that could be that there was no snow on the ground and it was about 50 degrees. The sounds of the holidays were certainly there (musically), but it was very difficult to get into the Christmas “mood.”
That being said, I had Friday off and I needed to get a few last minute things for my sons. They had asked for a couple video games and I couldn’t find them. I could have ordered them, I suppose, but all the sites were saying that they would not arrive until January. So I improvised. I took Ella and Andrew with me and we went shopping. I found them some things (that I am sure they thought were not fun) that were more … adult.
Dante’ is 21 and Dimitri is 16 now. I got them things I knew that they could use or needed. It’s hard when you ask them what they want for Christmas in the fall and they have no clue. Or better yet, you find out that the thing they told you they wanted, they went out and bought for themselves with the money they made working. I didn’t want to do gift cards. That just seems easy, boring and requires no thought. I couldn’t help but remember when I started getting the more adult gifts….sigh. The Christmas magic fades too soon.
It was nice, however, to have all the kids together on the morning of Christmas Eve. I made a big breakfast and we had some good conversation. Dimitri had to work that day, so they weren’t at my house more than a few hours. It is a rare occurrence to have them all together in one place.
Christmas Eve night, we went to Sam’s folks for dinner. It was quite a spread: turkey, ham, meatballs, mac and cheese, baked bean, potatoes, and just about every dessert you can think of. Sam’s mom set up some cups on a table for the kids to toss cheese balls in to win prizes. Afterward, $200 in play money was handed to each person and gifts were auctioned off. I won the bid on a nice “evening in” bag – popcorn, candle, candy, hot cocoa and slipper socks. We also played a board game called “Something Fishy” or “Sounds Fishy” where you had to lie about a question that was asked. It was a fun night.
We left later than we expected and got home to get the kids in bed. Before we could do that, we had to leave out cookies and milk for Santa. One of our neighbors (the one who has the box to mail Santa letters – and answer them), messaged me to say that they had something special for Ella and Andrew. I went over Friday and they handed me a beautiful board for Santa’s milk and cookies.
Once the cookies and Egg Nog were in place (we were out of milk and I told them that Santa liked Egg Nog), the kids were off to bed. It was then that Santa began building toys! Ella asked for a Barbie Princess Castle and Andrew wanted a train table. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, as it only took me about 3 hours to put every thing together.
The dog started barking earlier than normal and I was up to let her out. Andrew was up first and he ran to get Ella because Santa had arrived. For one brief space of about an hour, we felt like it was Christmas. The magic of watching them walk out and seeing their toys ready for play! Wow, do I remember that feeling! It is one of the most powerful memories in my life. That initial walk out to the tree … pure magic!
They were so excited that they didn’t open another present for some time!
Ella got this HUGE Barbie. It is almost as big as her. She loves it!
Andrew loves to take pictures with our phones and his tablet. We found a cool camera that he had a lot of fun with.
Christmas day was nice because we just got to chill out at home. After we played a bit, we watched The Polar Express together. It is such a great movie. We napped because we were all up early, and then got ready for dinner. A Christmas Story was on and I had yet to see it this year, so I watched as we cooked up our ravioli dinner.
Sam’s folks stopped by to see they kids and what they got for Christmas. After they left, we ate and got ready to call it a night. Sam and Ella were in our room relaxing and I was out in the living room with Andrew. I was getting ready to turn off the TV, but he was engrossed in The Wizard of Oz. He couldn’t take his eyes off it. When the commercials came on, I told him we’d have to finish it another day and we went to bed.
I tried to be more in the moment this year. I neglected to take a lot of pictures. Playing with the kids, chasing them around the house, snuggling them in our bed….yeah, those were the moments! It was a Merry Christmas for us!
Oh, and as a Christmas bonus for guys like me who have been waiting a long time … The Detroit Lions clinched the division. Merry Christmas!!
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your family. I can’t wait to read about it!
It’s lunch time at work. In just a few hours I will punch out and head home for the holiday weekend. I am truly looking forward to four days with my family. It’s been a very busy year for all of us.
I was ready to write that my son had his last appointment for the year today, but I remembered he still has one more. Today we saw his neurologist. We discussed the results of his sleep study, the MRI, and his EEG. It was a long appointment and we have some direction and a plan of action.
I left the appointment and went right to work. I’m only a mile or so from the doctor, so I punched in early knowing I will be able to leave early. I was able to get most of my work done before lunch, so I thought I’d blog.
The other appointment, incidentally, will be to pick up his AFO leg braces. This is something that will help eliminate the toe-walking. Hopefully, he won’t need to be in them too long.
I recently blogged about our family tradition of getting a new Christmas ornament at Bronner’s. We had yet to go this year, but someone (maybe someone who read my blog) did the work for us. We received a Bronner’s box in the mail and the message inside said, “It looks like Daisy needs an ornament for that tree of yours!”
This week, I found out that McDonald’s has adult Happy Meals. Sam took the kids to get lunch and they brought me back one. Ella apparently said that mom and dad needed a toy, too!
How silly is that?!
Money has been a bit tighter this year than in the past. Normally, I would try to get something small for my boss and co-workers for the holiday, but I just couldn’t swing it. One of my coworkers got bags for everyone. There was a small gift and some chocolates. My gift was socks! Go figure, right!? Well, they are actually pretty cool.
If they only made socks with the Miser Brothers on them …
I’m looking forward to Christmas for many reasons. One of them is that the Elf on the Shelf goes back to the North Pole! It becomes work to do something with it each day. Some people really go all out! It’s crazy. My favorite one from this week ties into the last bit of news to share …
I don’t care if I use this one every year! Here is Twinkles, the elf, reading from the Bible. I said that it ties in with my last bit of news.
This week, I finished my 1st semester of the second year of my Bible classes. I will have three tests to do over the next week or so. Then I will move on to the second semester. I feel like I have really accomplished something. Actually having a lunch hour (which we really never got when I was on midnights) allows me to watch an entire class and take notes without any real interruptions. I’m hoping to keep it up and press toward the mark.
I know many of my blogger friends are taking a break over the holidays. I’ve got plenty of things lined up over the weekend, I don’t know that I will not blog, but just in case I don’t, I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas. As we get ready to wrap up another year, I find myself grateful for you. Your own personal blogs, the comments you share here on my blog, and your friendship has brought me much happiness.
I look forward to a year of sharing experiences with each other.
“It’s not what’s under the Christmas tree that’s important, but rather who is around it.”
“The best Christmas gift is to realize how much you already have.”
“The way you spend Christmas is far more important than how much.”
“From home to home and heart to heart, from one place to another, the warmth and joy of Christmas brings us closer to each other.”
Back when I worked on the radio, it was key to always look ahead. We’d often be writing Christmas bits in October and November for use during December. Being away from radio now for a while, I’ve forgotten the importance of planning and looking ahead. If I was better at that, I could have had a month’s worth of music blogs!
I heard a song today on a Christmas channel that got me to thinking. We have many Christmas standards that are played throughout the season. Many of those have been radio/holiday staples for decades! I always love to hear those songs that became holiday hits because they were featured in some holiday special. I guess you could call some of those songs standards, too (Linus and Lucy, You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch, Christmas Time is Here, Frosty the Snowman, etc…).
Maybe next year (you may have to remind me come October) I will feature a different Christmas song from Holiday specials or movies. I’m sure I could come up with 24 of them.
Anyway, the song I heard today was from the Polar Express. It is a fantastic movie with Tom Hanks, Michael Jeter, Peter Scolari, Nona Gaye and my pal Eddie Deezen. If you are unfamiliar with the story it is “an inspiring adventure based on the beloved children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg. When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.”
The song’s melody is simply beautiful. At the same time, the lyrics are heartbreaking at times. The song is performed by Matthew Hall and Meagan Moore in character as Billy and Hero Girl respectively. The song’s placement in the film happens just before the train arrives at the North Pole.
The characters Hero Boy and Hero Girl notice Billy looking out from the back of the observation car and singing the song. Hero Girl joins in after the first verse. In the song, Hero Girl sings about the joys of Christmas while Billy sings about how he has never been able to experience these joys.
This song moves me every time I hear it.
This video incorporates some of the movie clips from the scene.
(Billy) I’m wishing on a star And trying to believe That even though it’s far He’ll find me Christmas eve I guess that Santa’s busy ‘Cause he’s never come around I think of him when Christmas comes to town
(Hero Girl) The best time of the year When everyone comes home With all this Christmas cheer It’s hard to be alone Putting up the Christmas tree With friends who come around It’s so much fun when Christmas comes to town
(Hero Girl) Presents for the children wrapped in red and green (Billy) All the things I’ve heard about but never really seen (Both) No one will be sleeping on the night of Christmas eve Hoping Santa’s on his way
(Hero Girl) Presents for the children wrapped in red and green (Billy) All the things I’ve heard about but never really seen (Both) No one will be sleeping on the night of Christmas eve Hoping Santa’s on his way
(Hero Girl) When Santa’s sleigh bells ring (Billy) I listen all around (Hero Girl) The herald angels sing (Billy) I never hear a sound (Hero Girl) And all the dreams of children (Billy) Once lost will all be found
(Hero Girl) That’s all I want when Christmas comes to town (Both) That’s all I want when Christmas comes to town
Despite having been able to sit and get a blog or two up this week, it has been a busy one and I thought I would let you know what’s been going on. As with most weeks, we’ve rode the emotional roller coaster.
Funny
We ran out of coffee creamer this week. Andrew wanted to go to the store with me to pick some up. I got him out of the car and put him in the cart. As we made our way into the store, I saw his eyes widen. He saw something behind me, so I turned around. There, in a shabby Santa suit was some guy obviously going to play Santa somewhere.
Andrew never saw the jeans that he had on under the Santa pants, all he knew was that Santa was following us. The guy saw him and said, “I’ll see you Christmas Eve!” and walked to the ATM in the lobby to grab cash. This made me chuckle. Of all the people who aren’t hurting for money this month, it’s Santa!
Andrew ran in the house with the coffee creamer and told Ella and mommy who he saw! I wasn’t quick enough to get a picture. Although a picture of the jeans under the Santa pants would have been funny.
Testing – Testing
We continue to take Andrew to tests to rule out things. Since his diagnosis of mild Cerebral Palsy, we’re doing everything we can to get him what he needs. We’ve been waiting for 6 weeks for his leg braces to arrive. These will help him stop toe-walking.
Sleep study # 5 happened. Once again, I got to hook him up. Wish the results had been better, but he still has sleep apnea. Looks like we’re going to be getting him back on CPAP. The results of this test is among many others that will be discussed next week with his neurologist.
Yesterday, we were up at the butt crack of dawn to get him to his MRI. The neurologist was pretty sure that it will be unremarkable, but wanted it done as a precaution. We should have results by Monday.
He had to be sedated for the procedure. It always breaks my heart to see my kids come out of anesthesia. All went well and he slept on the way home. Once he was awake, he was pretty much back to himself.
The appointment with the neurologist will be a long one, but hopefully, we’ll walk out of there with a solid plan of action.
This week’s “Awwww” moment
I have a pocket Bible that I bought for when my son used to come over. There was a time where we would do a Bible study together. Since he hasn’t been over in sometime, the Bible sat in the room we turned into a play room. Ella knows that it is the B-I-B-L-E (“… yes, that’s the book for me!”). She calls it her “Jesus Book,” and who am I to correct her?!
One morning she came out of her bedroom and curled up on the chair in the living room. ”Daddy, I’m just going to read from my Jesus book, until breakfast…”
This girl! What a blessing my children are!
Elfin’ Around
I added that Snapchat app a long time ago when my boys were using it. One thing I love to do is look at the filters on it with the kids. They love when it makes them look silly. This week, the “elf” filter is back!
They get a kick out of that!
Speaking of Elves …
Last night, we made sure to put the kids in pajamas that were stained. Why? Well, we had their Elf on the Shelf (Twinkles) go in and cut their jammies. I went in and cut one of the legs of Ella’s off and both of the legs from Andrew’s.
When Andrew woke up, he said, “Twinkles cut my pants!” This was before he even saw Twinkles, who was sitting in the Christmas Tree with the scissors and the pieces of their PJ’s (using them as a blanket). Andrew ran in and woke her up yelling that “Twinkles had scissors! She cut your pants!” Ella wasn’t sure what to make of that and walked out to the living room rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She couldn’t believe it!
Only a few more days to try to come up with “elf” ideas!
The Family and I had the opportunity to go to the Detroit Zoo for their Wild Lights this weekend. Sam and I used to go every year. The last time we went she was VERY pregnant with Ella.
Ready to see the lights
We figured this year they were both old enough to enjoy the lights. While the weather was wet and rainy, the temperature was perfect. It was about 45, so we weren’t too cold.
Snowflake
The temperature was a positive, but so was the rain in that it was not too busy. We could casually walk and not feel like we were being rushed. We also had great views of everything. Short lines were a plus for some things.
So pretty
One negative the rain brought about was that not all of the lights were lit. I’m not really sure why. The rain wasn’t going to hurt any of it. If I had not been there before, I may not have even noticed. There were enough lights for us to enjoy and some new featured sections.
Bear chasing bees at their hive.
There was a section called something like “Underwater Enchanted Garden” that has lots of blue/green lights to represent water. There were areas with lotus flowers, light up fishes, huge whale lights, penguins and more. It was very cool. At the end of that section, you had to walk through a building where a guitar player and drummer were jamming some blues/jazz tunes. You could also get a coffee or snack there.
Beautiful tree
They had a cool area with these LED seesaws for the kids. Neither kid has ever been on a seesaw before, but it was obvious just how much they loved it!
That train behind the seesaw was something you could walk through. They also had like a plane you could go up in. There was no shortage of photo opportunities along the walk.
Such a cool picture
I am always amazed at some of the light displays they have. Some of the animals are spectacular. Look at this giant teddy bear!
My favorites had to be the foxes. These are so neat up close, but more amazing as you walk towards them.
I just love looking at Christmas lights. We all do. I am always so impressed with the displays. Kudos to those who spend the hours and days to make this happen
We usually don’t get the “staged” photos when we are there. They are usually expensive and there is always a wait to get them done. Due to the weather, however, we were able to walk right up and get a family photo in a sleigh that came out fairly nice.
What you may not be able to tell is that the cushion we were sitting in was wet. So we walked the zoo in wet underwear! Worth every second!
I hope now that the kids are older, we will do this every year!
I have to thank the mail lady at our local post office who literally saved Christmas today! Let me explain.
Sam took advantage of the Amazon deals and finished up the Christmas shopping this week. One of the things she ordered was a big Barbie Townhouse thing for Ella. She kept asking for a Barbie Dreamhouse, which is like $200 and as big as our living room!
We decided to go a little smaller and got her the Barbie three story townhouse… which has an elevator!
Considerably smaller, but still a place for her Barbies to play!
Anyway, because of all the construction on our street, the Amazon driver called to say that he couldn’t get to the house. He left the package at the local post office. Sam called me while I was out running errands with Ella and asked me to stop and get it – hoping it was in a cardboard box.
I walked into the post office and explained who I was and why I was there. As Ella was wandering around the lobby, I mentioned that it was a Christmas present and that I hoped that it was in a box. The lady looked at me and whispered, “Is it a Barbie house?”
I told her it was and she shook her head. She informed me that it was literally in the box you would see at the store. I obviously was not going to be able to get it with Ella there with me. I told her that I could probably come back later and pick it up on my way to work. She told me to wait a second and she looked under the counter.
She found a garbage bag and said she thought maybe she could fit it in the bag. It just fit, but she said it wouldn’t close at the top of the bag.
She wanted to be sure the secret was not revealed to Ella, so she grabbed a few USPS envelopes and covered the end of the box that was showing so that there was no way Ella could see what it was!
When she handed me the bag, I expressed my thanks. She really went above and beyond for me and I could not appreciate it more. In my mind, she truly saved Christmas!
It is hard to believe that we are just 4 days away from Christmas. Someone observed that time moves a whole lot faster in December if you are an adult. This is so true! As a kid, it seemed to crawl by as we waited for Christmas.
SNOW!
This weekend kept us pretty busy. We got about an inch of snow on Saturday night and when Ella woke up she saw the ground was covered. So after breakfast, the kids and I suited up in snow gear and went out to play in the yard.
It was fun to see Andrew all bundled up. He looked so funny trying to walk in his boots and snow pants. The snow wasn’t “snowman” ready, so we really couldn’t build one. But we did get to run around and throw snow at each other. He really had fun once he got over the “awe” of it. Ella? Well, she just loves to run and jump in the snow.
Cookie Time!
Our Elf on the Shelf, Twinkles, had the idea to decorate cookies this weekend.
She is obviously a Sam’s Club member!
The kids had a blast decorating them.
Ella had her “Bucket O Princesses” with her as she decorated hers. Andrew was eating them as fast as he decorated his …
Picnic
Yesterday, Ella wanted to have a picnic. So we put a blanket down in the living room, I whipped up some grilled cheese sandwiches, and they had a picnic.
Note the “Bucket O Princesses” are with her at lunch, too! LOL!
I probably should have thought about giving them applesauce pouches. That blanket needed a good wash after the picnic was over.
Say “Ahhhh”
This morning, when Sam got home, we had to take the kids to the dentist. Ella did ok, but there are things that she won’t let them do. Sam went back with her and I guess she started to freak out about getting an X-Ray. We will probably need to see a pediatric dentist who may be able to get her calm enough to get them. Andrew had no issues at all, He was a champ.
After our visit to the dentist, it was time for a visit to Santa. Ella was so excited to go see him. More on that in my next blog!
One Final Story
Last year my dad got us an Amazon Echo. You have to link it to an Amazon account, so I linked it to mine.
Sam and I decided that we were not getting each other anything for Christmas this year. I decided to get her something from the kids. So I took $20 I won on an instant lottery ticket and put it in the account I used for my DJ business (so she wouldn’t know) and ordered her something on Amazon.
She was standing by the fireplace yesterday where the Echo is yesterday. She see’s something that pops up on the screen.
She asks me, “What did you order from Amazon?”
“Nothing,” I said.
“According to the Alexa, you have something arriving Thursday that YOU ordered,” she says.
“Don’t worry about it!” I told her, hoping she would drop the subject.
She didn’t drop it and says, “We don’t have the money to spend. Did you put this on your credit card?”
“No. It’s not anything big. It’s something from the kids to you.” and I explained that it was from the lottery ticket money.
She finally drops the subject, until today.
“By the way, I know what you have coming from Amazon,” she slyly says.
I look at her flustered. “Every time I try to get you something as a surprise, something spoils it!”
She then says, “What made you think to get that?”
I don’t say anything. I told her to just act surprised when she unwraps in.
Then she laughs and says, “Yeah, I don’t know what it is. But I was hoping you would tell me by telling you I knew what it was!”
“Wife Trickery” at its finest!! Man, I almost told her what it was! Somehow I think she knows what it is anyway, but we’ll see.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 