CHRISTMAS AND THE NEW YEAR

For most, Christmas is over. For me, not quite. I still have a few gifts to deliver, a few visits to make. This year I just couldn't clear my mind about the things I had to do. When I finally did, every time I left the house, my car would break down. Thanks to some wonderful men in my life, I was able to get a new vehicle, but the delivery date kept getting pushed back due to one issue after another, so the car wasn't delivered till the day before New Year's Eve. A little late for Christmas shopping.

One of the gifts I had been working on for my family was a cookbook. I'd managed to get about 20 pages printed when I ran out of ink. It was discouraging but I decided to go with what I had because I didn't have anything else for them. I had intended to put the pages into a binder with dividers, but that was one of the errands I started on when my car broke down so I didn't get them. I decided to temporarily bind them with cardstock and ribbon. I felt a little reluctant to give them out because I thought my family would grrooaan when they saw their "gift", but to my great surprise they were all very excited about it! I didn't make a copy for my son-in-law thinking he wouldn't want one, but he came in so excited, telling me what a great idea it was, so I felt much better after that and now I'll be making one for him too! They even loved the crude binding and didn't want me to change it, but I explained that I couldn't be tying and untying it every time I had new recipes to add. I plan to spend a lot of time this year completing the book. I have so many recipes to pass-on, and I am hoping the rest of the family will contribute to it as well. It could be something to be passed down for generations to come.

Christmas dinner was also definitely out of the ordinary. My son-in-law was making a deep-fried-turkey. The rest of us were supposed to bring dishes to go with it. Well, for one reason or another, everyone showed up empty-handed. (You already know my reason.) My son-in-law said the grocery stores would be open in the afternoon, which I thought strange, but whatever, so we made up a list and my son and grandson went to the store. It closed 15 minutes before they got there! Now what? Well, everyone started scrambling around the kitchen to see what could be put together for dinner. There were some two-serving, precooked mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese sides in the fridge. My grandson grabbed some green beans from the pantry and threw them into a pot, seasoned them up and started heating the potatoes and macaroni and putting them into a serving dish. My daughter had some fresh tomatoes she sliced up. And in 20 minutes we were sitting down to eat! It was one of the best Christmas dinners ever and cleanup was a breeze! Why do I feel prepared food was so good for Christmas dinner? I don't really, although it was pretty good for prepared food. What I did think was really good was the way we all put our heads together and made do with what was on hand, enjoyed our time together and were rather proud that we were able to pull it off. To me that was the real beauty in that meal. We have become very spoiled, and it was nice to remember that we don't have to have the best of the best to have an enjoyable and memorable Christmas, and I personally think it brought us closer to remembering what Christmas and family is all about. It's not really glitz and glamour, it's humility and love.

The New Year was spent with my mom. She will be 83 in a few weeks. She broke her wrist a couple of months ago and had to have surgery to repair it. She lives a couple of hours away, so I had been unable to see her as I didn't have transportation. When the car finally came through I headed on up to her house and spent the better part of a week with her.

Now it's on to the New Year. I have so many things on my list for this year. Painting, moving furniture, organizing, getting my yard shaped up, and getting all of my Art and Crafts organized and in line for a really productive year. Given my health problems and space limitations, it won't be easy, but I'm shooting for a good year anyway. I have a car to pay for so I definitely have to supplement my income. Onward!

As for you, I'm hoping you each had a wonderful Christmas to remember with your families, and that your New Year will be safe, happy and productive!

THANKSGIVING

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. As for myself, it was!

Usually our whole family gets together for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but alas, our family dynamics are changing. The children are all grown up and are married or have attachments. A few of them have kids of their own. They have other commitments. It is harder to get us all in one place at the same time.

This is the first year that we haven't gotten together for Thanksgiving, and it was a sad time for me because it is usually the only time I get to see some of my family, and how the children are growing and changing.

On the other hand it was a happy time for me. It was the first time in many years I had Thanksgiving Dinner with just my kids and grandkids. It was very quiet, and though I worked extremely hard to prepare everything, it was nice to be with just my immediate family.

Unfortunately, I think I will have to retire as head chef at these events. It is too hard on the old bod...and the mind can't keep track like it should. This is evidenced by the fact that the garbage got to eat the mirliton casserole, the carrot cake and the stuffing. We couldn't. :( Once an excellent cook, but now so out of practice the garbage gets the goodies...somehow that doesn't sit right with me...

There were many things to be thankful for though. I won't list them, because they are personal, but they are much more important than what the garbage got to eat. The fact that we are all here is the biggest of them. How could you not be thankful for that?

Well, Christmas is right around the corner. It seems like the whole family get-together thing might be struggling to keep afloat. I hope not, but we'll see how things work out. Enjoy your Christmas shopping, preparations, parties, and whatever else you have planned for the month to come. It's always such a busy time!

Lake Pontchartrain in Mandeville, Louisiana

DazzleMe Logo

I have decided to change part of my logo. A "DM" and beads has always held a place in the center of the circle. That has now been replaced by a Fleur de Lis.

One reason I decided on the change is I no longer make just jewelry, but a myriad of other items as well.

Another is that I was born in New Orleans, LA and have always lived within two hours of the city. There is usually a special place in your heart for the place you were born, but when it is a place as full of history, mystery, uniqueness and fun as New Orleans is, you develop a very strong bond to the city of your birth.

The Fleur de Lis has always been a symbol of the city. It is also the symbol of our hard-working, dedicated, 2009 Super Bowl Winning, "New Orleans Saints"!

After Hurricane Katrina, the Fleur de Lis seemed to take on new life as the symbol of New Orleans and south Louisiana as we continue to re-build our lives, businesses and homes after such a devastating event.

So with all of this said, it has now become my honor to display it as part of my logo. Hope you like it as well as I do.

Well, it's the beginning of November already. The Hurry-Scurry is about to begin. I'm not sure why we wait till the last minute to do all of the things we need to do for the holiday season every year. Maybe it just enhances the experience for us. Maybe it's because we put off what we can until we can't. Either way, it will be several months before things get back to normal routines for most of us. It seems to me that the older I get the faster the years pass. Each year I just turn around and it's the holiday season again. I really wish I'd learn to prepare all year. I'm getting too old for all the Hustle and Bustle. Well, as I say each and every year..."Maybe next year!" Hopefully one year soon I will succeed, cuz I'm probably running out of time...

NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA SKYLINE

This photo of the New Orleans skyline was captured from the window of a doctor's office several stories up. The Superdome where our beloved New Orleans Saints play, is on the left.

The Superdome was a haven for thousands of people after hurricane Katrina in 2005. It was severely damaged during the storm. Restoration was finally completed in August 2011and it was renamed the Mercedes Benz Superdome.

It is the largest fixed domed structure in the world. Its steel frame covers a 13-acre (5.3 ha) expanse. Its 273-foot (83 m) dome is made of a Lamella multi-ringed frame and has a diameter of 680 feet (210 m).

This photo can be purchases at my etsy shop. http://www.etsy.com/listing/84592589/new-orleans-louisiana-skyline-photograph

WISDOM QUOTES

....DO WHAT YOU FEEL IN YOUR HEART TO BE RIGHT - for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't......Eleanor Roosevelt