Gosh it has been an excellent December. In this household we are very pleased to say that we indeed had a very Merry Christmas.
When Bruce was not either wrapping presents or playing pickleball, we were shopping and had so much fun doing so. Aside from one or two gift cards, everything else was purchased with love in mind.
One thing that we discovered is that very few stores have boxes for their merchandise, so when we saw this pile at Dick's it was noteworthy.
We shopped at several malls, as well as on Park Avenue following church. One of those mornings we came across the coolest little car parked along the avenue.
Lucky for us, the owner arrived and told us a little about his
Nissan Figaro, made only in 1991. As I recall, he'd had it repainted along with super cool new upholstery. As well, it is right side drive. So cute!
It was on that same morning that we saw a photo op booth in the park and thought, why not? Pulling my camera out of my bag, an older lady (yup, probably older than us), stopped and offered to take our photo. Showing her where to push the button, we put on the requisite smiles and after claiming to have taken several shots, we parted ways after a word of thanks. What is worth noting about this story is that she actually did NOT push the button. It wasn't until three or four days later, while scanning the photos on my Lumix camera, that I realized there were no photos of broadly smiling Mr. & Mrs. Peck!! That's a first. :)
Speaking of shopping, Bruce put this note on his car to remind him to buy what I told him were called Ruby Slippers, a name which seemed to make sense to me as they are little clear chair leg covers with a red bottom. Since moving the table to the new, very handy position, we were in need of more to keep our wood floors looking good.
Opening the package once Bruce was home, I discovered that they are actually called Ruby Sliders, one of those weird things that are sold on tv but every now and again show up in stores. Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself! Speaking of clever products, very handy indeed are these little clips that I used while making a new table runner.A Christmas present from Fallon last year, using them makes me wonder how I ever got along without them.
It was the end to an era when I had Bruce donate these orange table lamps we have been using for countless years.
Not to worry...I am still an orange lover, but it was just time for a change!
One evening we went for a nice little visit with our friends Keith and Patty who have some lovely Christmas decorations in their warm and welcoming home.
We have a lot in common, including loving mid century modern goodies. Because they have a house, there are plenty of places to show off all of her fun decorations!
One major thing that I've not written about yet is losing the peace dove pin that I've been wearing since the war in Ukraine began. A pin belonging to Bruce's mom, it held a lot of meaning for me. Because it seems to have flown away, Bruce searched for a replacement, finding a beautiful small pin for me to continue wearing until this hideous mess is over. So why write about it now? Well, before heading to our friend's home, I'd also put on a Christmas pin that we gave to my mother-in-law, not long before her death. It fell off while we were sitting on their couch. No big deal, I reattached it and we continued our chatting. On our way home I had Bruce pull over for me to photograph an exceptionally lit home on Raeford Road.
I suspect you know where this is going don't you?
Preparing for bed, as has been my custom all these many months, I remove the pin (s) and leave them on the bathroom counter. Except, yes, you guessed it, the Christmas pin was not there. First thing in the morning, I hopped in the car, pulled over close to where we'd done so the night before, and....
Whew!! Second disaster averted!
Never imagine that I'm super good at stuff because the truth is that I am pretty average, especially when it comes to things like decorating cookies. The stupid tops of the colored sugars were challenging to use, to say the least. Thus, an avalanche of sugar graced the tops of the sugar cookies. That said, there are but two left out of the five or so dozen I baked so what should I make out of that?
We interrupt this Christmas post to show you one from our last camping trip that Alissa liked when she saw it on my computer this afternoon.
Back to the here and now, one afternoon, following my dental cleaning appointment, I stopped by the "peacock" neighborhood and was not disappointed as there were close to 50 between the two streets where they mostly hang out. Hanging out is just what they were doing on that gloomy afternoon. Looking pretty doing so, I might add.
Jonathan and Alissa were set to arrive on Friday evening but with the challenging weather around the country their flight was delayed until after our bedtime. Uber to the rescue. Earlier in the evening, as the temperature began falling, I stopped by the lake for sunset. Too cold for me to actually stay until the sun dropped below the horizon though! A freeze, caused by an Arctic blast of air from the North, was in the forecast for that night.
The beautiful day finally arrived however our gift exchange was delayed because Bruce and I attended church, as if it were any old Sunday. Most people apparently attended the Christmas Eve candlelight service as there were but 20 of us in attendance! In spite of the few parishioners it was a lovely service.
Reverend Garvey, as you can see, was in a very casual mood in dress but not in his message. Chilly, chilly chilly that morning. Some people might even call it cold, although I relish the falling temperatures because I am hot for so many, many months. The family arrived at our home around lunchtime and it was one of the best Christmases that I can remember.
Gifts galore, including ones wrapped by Michelle for her first foray into wrapping after having a lesson from her father-in-law. (the black paper up top) That, in itself, was very thrilling. Because I did not organize any formal shots, after recently being chastised by a family member for including a photo found less than flattering, I will skip the ones I did take, instead I'll include one more of that fantastic wrapping done by this blogger''s dear husband.
More lovely days have passed since Christmas which I will talk about next time, but suffice it to say, if the next week is anywhere near as nice, we will be starting the new year off in good form.
I began this post days ago but now finishing it up, Jonathan and Alissa are out meeting up with college friends whom they will attend the FSU bowl game with. Matthew and Tom are on a plane, flying across the mighty Atlantic and should arrive later this afternoon. For a few short hours, all four of our sons will at least be in the same zip code, something that has not happened since Bill and Fallon married.
To say we feel so blessed is a bit of an understatement.
With much gratitude for your continued support of this page, I remain,
your friend,
Gail
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