Marking Time

Today is New Year's Eve. It will be a quiet celebration here on the corner of Dirt and Burt. I no longer need the festivities of a party, dancing, noise makers, and champagne. I will be quite content with a nice dinner and my warm bed at the usual time.

This is the time many of us will make our long lists of resolutions, all those promises we make to ourselves as the old year becomes new again. Although there are certainly many things I would like to promise myself (and then act on) this year I have resolved (oops is that a promise?) not to look back with regrets on less than stellar accomplishment, hoping to change... but to look forward instead. If, as Dr. Phil says, the past is a predictor of the future, I may not lose all that weight and finally reach goal. I may not exercise every day, I may not keep my house spic and span. And, oh worse of all, I may not use up all that fabric sitting on the shelves of my quilt room. I may not even get into the closet from hell and finish all those projects.

So today, on the last day of 2010, I chose instead, to remember all that I am thankful for. Of course family is at the top of that list but as I sit every morning and read email I am also most thankful for friends.

Last evening the OddOnes (now that is a story in itself for another time) met for dinner out and then back to Joan's for dessert and chatter. We usually spend out evenings together working on our individual projects but last night we seemed content to simply spend time together. How comfortable we all are with each other. Over the years we know each other's joys and concerns. If ever anyone "has my back" it is the OddOnes (yes I will explain that name sometime). I belong to other newer groups but these are my "homeboys"or more correctly "homegirls". We have been together since?????? Well, many years! They saw (yes, saw, through the many pictures I bored them with) the birth and growth of my five grandkids. They read my email posts every day and seem to tolerate my daily ramblings. Obviously they realize how fortunate I am to have five such remarkable grandkids...grin! And if I ever need a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on,,,the OddOnes will come running. I know that like I know the sun will come up tomorrow on a new day and a brand new year.

So, let's raise our cup (mine is coffee) to the coming of 2011 and to family and friends. Thank you for being mine!

Christmas 2010 - The Day After

Christmas 2010 was wonderful as always. The entire family, including dates (the five grands became nine), joined us for Christmas Eve dinner and gifts. We had a houseful and a packed living room with paper flying. NO..we are definitely not a picture perfect family. We are more like Charlie Brown. And speaking of Charlie...I forgot to get a gift for Michele's Charlie and got scolded for it . Now, Charlie is an almost 1 year old steer that Michele adopted and made a pet when he was a newborn and had to be bottlefed several times a day. He is now almost grown but follows her around the yard like a puppy. Being a rather large puppy his head butts (affection) have put her on the ground more than once but she is certain he is sorry afterwards. She buys him special apple treats...a good life for a steer. I always have treats for the various dogs and kitties under the tree but somehow forgot Charlie. I guess Charlie will forgive me. Christmas morning we had brunch and following that I declared the kitchen closed for the weekend.

One thing I will do next year to make life simpler is NOT bake all that stuff and make so much candy. I thought it was so smart to lay it all out on a table in the family room and provide bags for everyone to fill and take home. I baked for a week. It is all still sitting there. Nobody filled a bag. Guess I will fill freezer bags with an assortment and stick them in the freezer to be gotten out a little at a time to send over to the elevator.

DIL Michele has declared her house a "NO Cookie Zone" and Beth and Kimberly are always on a diet (skinny girls already...could that be why?). The guys...Brad, Brian, and Kevin don't eat many sweets. I need some little ones who love sugar!

Darn and I was really in the mood to try baking some of those cool cupcakes everyone raves about and they do on Food Network. With me trying to eat in a more healthy way it's only Leon and while he loves desserts he can only eat so much. Perhaps I should watch less of the Food Network and more of, oh let's say The Biggest Loser? Why wasn't I so fascinated with this cooking and baking thing when I had kids at home or the grandkids were little? Why now that they're grown and gone? Maybe because I now have time to do other than the washing, cleaning and other chores all busy Mothers have. Sometimes it seems to me that things are turned upside down. When the kids were young and full of energy I was too busy trying to keep up with the essentials to do the extra things and now the time is there but.......