Friday, December 28, 2007

S-N-O-W!

Oh, emmy, it's snowing again! It was coming down like crazy when we got up this morning and it's almost noon and still snowing though not as hard. We already have over 4 inches of new snow on top of what we already had. Now surely this will last until you get here. It's suppose to snow again New Years. I bet between all of us we could outfit you with warm layers of clothes and socks and boots, etc. and you could do some romping around in it! Don is still spunky but now we got more shoveling to do, so when it lets up more, he's out of here!

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Still no Camera

Sorry, no photos yet. We still haven't replaced our camera. It might get postponed a while since the Altima is now in the shop and we are waiting to find out how much the damage is there. Anyway, winter break, aaaaahhhh, yesssssssssss, staying up late and getting up late......... but HELP! Don is on break, too, and he is being a pesty brat. A hilarious pesty brat. What should I do with him? HELP, anybody?!

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Let it snow!

Wow, we got snow. I don't know how much, but where we are sitting, we get huge drifts of the stuff and it's deep!!! Don is out shoveling and I just looked out to see why he is taking so long and he is doing the neighbors across the street. We have never met them, but they are a young couple and the husband has gone into a wheelchair and crutches. I think he is working out some anger issues but helping someone else out at the same time. So it's all good. It is a day when I wish me and my scrawny funky x-mas tree were somewhere in the woods in a cabin with a fireplace where it's peaceful. It's my yearly x-mas dream creeping in on me again.
During the pre-school program, the kids recited the bible verse about in the city of David is born a child who is Christ the Lord and at the end one little voice shouted : found in Luke! It was pretty cute. Those things help soften the sadness I am fighting. I need my kids and grandkids. I will see them tomorrow. Except for Em. Hurry up, Jan.11!!!! geesh!!!!

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Christmas Questions

A 50 Question Christmas SurveyBefore Christmas
1. Does your family send out Christmas cards? YES!
2. How soon do you start shopping? Usually in the middle of November
3. Who do you shop for? family
Decorations:
4. Do you put up a Christmas tree? Yes!
5. If so, is it fake or real? fake - it's real skinny so that it'll fit into our living space
6. Do you like tinsel? yes, but Don doesn't
7. Do you use homemade or store bought ornaments? Mostly made by me
8. Do you put Christmas lights outside your house? no, but we have them on our porch year round!

9. Do you put lights on the tree? yes!
10. How about popcorn and cranberries? hello, it's 2007! (when the girls were little we did it once!)

11. Is there a wreath hanging on your door?not this year
Christmas Eve:
12. Do you celebrate it? Yes! Usually with church, every year is different as to what we do
13. Do you hang up your stocking? Not anymore since the kids are gone

14. Does your family read "Twas the night before Christmas?": Sure we did! It wouldn't have been Christmas without it! We also read about Jesus and Frosty!
Favorite:
15. Christmas Movie: The Christmas Story or Christmas Vacation
16. Character from any Christmas Movie:Cousin Eddie

17. Christmas Song: I'll Be Home for Christmas.
18. Christmas Memory: When Bill and I stayed up all night putting together a Barbie House and a 3 piece kitchen set - everything Santa brought that year had to be assembled!
This or That:
19. Give or Receive? give
20. Eggnog or Cider? Cider
21. Red or Green?: now that they are putting LIME green with red, Ill say both
22. Ham or Turkey? turkey
23. Star or Angel? star
24. White lights or colored?colored
25. Blinking Lights or Still Lights: definitely still
26. Were you Naughty or Nice this year? sometimes I'm naughty, but I still get what I want!
Presents:
27. What do you want for Christmas this year? Just give me Jesus
28. When do you open your gifts? depends on what we decide to do
29. What's the best gift you've ever gotten? a special ring
30. What's the worst gift you've ever gotten? a Hershey bar ornament with the previous year printed on it
31. Who gives you the most gifts? well, not Don! Let's say God and leave it at that
32. Have you ever had a secret Santa? oh, yeah!
33. Do you like wrapping gifts? yes!
Random:
34. Do you put change in those red buckets? not every time, but yes
35. Do you burn a yule log? no, and don't even give Don the idea

36. Can you name all the reindeer? sure, you know Dasher & Dancer & Prancer & Vixen, Comet & Cupid & Donner & Blitzen & the most famous of all, Rudolf
37. Do you bake cookies? Use to, but passed off the tradition to the next generation
38. Have you ever seen your mommy kissing Santa Claus? yes! I've been kissed by him also!
39. Have you ever gotten a kiss under the mistletoe? Yes & under the table & under the .......
40. Do you go caroling? do people still do that? they should. we did by cell phone!
41. Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights? use to......I would like to.........my "bah, humbug" husband never wants to
42. Have you ever left Santa cookies? Of course! And he appreciated it, too!
43. Have you ever sat on Santa's lap? yes and I liked it!
44. Who do you celebrate Christmas with? My kids and grandkids, my parents, my brother and his family and Don
45. Where do you celebrate Christmas? It has varied, it's more about with who and why
46. Have you ever had a white Christmas? in NE Iowa, many!
47. What part of Christmas do you look most forward to? It use to be spending a quiet romantic Christmas Eve with my husband (the 1st one) NowI guess it would be watching the grandkids' excitement and innocence
48. Have you ever had your picture taken with Santa? yes, ho ho
49. Does your family always take a picture at Christmas? many candids, not formally
50. Have you ever heard the song "Thank God For Kids" by The Oakridge Boys? Ah, yes, a classic! It still makes me cry to this day because there's only magic for a while
Well I answered the 50 questions and it leads me back to knowing there was nothing wrong with Santa Claus when you're little and full of imagination and wonder. Such wonderful memories.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Countdown

26 days until Emily comes home!!! I think she would be mystified by all the ice we have - as we all are, but something tells me it could be all gone by the time she gets here. It could be warm and balmy as crazy as the weather is anymore. I know she would like to see snow, but I just want to see her!!! I wish she were here now. Right now. Right here.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Jolly Old St. Nick

Little preschooler Henry came up to me the other day and said, "Look, Mrs. Berends!" He showed me a little green toy airplane. Then he said, "St. Nicholas brought it to me!" He was so excited. Immediately I got all excited, too, and shared with him and his mother about how my family also celebrated the feast of St. Nicholas when I was growing up. What a kick to hear that someone still does that! I think most people (including my own kids) think I made up all the stories I've told about it. Of course we are going back a couple generations here and things were different then, simpler. So St.Nick had a plastic mask and smelled like whiskey - he still got across his threatening message that we'd better be good the rest of December! Those were the days!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

wow, I'm overdue to post! So here I am. What should I talk about? Don't you hate it when people just ramble on and on about nothing? I do. hmmmmm............well, it's snowing outside. yup. It sure is. I also hate it when people talk about the weather when it's real obvious there is weather going on. uh huh, real annoying. so.............oh, yeah, today is Don's birthday!!! Happy birthday, Donald Henry, now you are as old as I am! Let's celebrate!!! If I had a camera, I would take his picture and post it, but I guess the camera must be lost forever. I'm just glad it was the birthday boy who lost it and not me. Maybe we should move out of this funky grieving over this camera and get a new one so that we can move on with our blogging lives. That seems like the healthy happy thing to do. I'll keep you posted. I know. . . .I'll take a picture of our new camera when we get our new camera and post it for all to see! yeah, good idea.