It's over!

The Christmas Blizzard has moved on, thankfully!  But in its wake is a whole lot of snow.  Hubster finally made it home around noon today but couldn't get in our yard with the truck. There's a 5ft snow drift the entire width and length of our driveway.  Thankfully our young neighbor - Tony - came with the industrial snowblower on the tractor.  Yeah!! 

I spent yesterday rearranging my office/spare bedroom, cleaning out papers, organizing files, and getting ready for year-end stuff.   I tried to get things ready today to actually do year-end, but just couldn't find it in my mind to focus.  So, I did some more cleaning and organizing. ~L~  I have the cleanest, most organized office that I've ever had! (hope it lasts).  

I think my New Year's resolution is going to be "Be Organized!"   My good friend Becky said, "yeah, let me know how that works out for you!"  Snot! ~LOL~ 

Seriously, I had a stack of mail on my desk that was at least a foot high.  Crazy!  In my "perfect world" I would think I should be able to take a piece of mail and handle it - be it pay it, file it or toss it - just deal with it.  But nope, not me.  I deal with it, then lay it down, and stack more paperwork on top of it.  It's a vicious cycle. 

So yes, my New Year's resolution is "Deal with it" AND "Be Organized."   (Check back with me in three months to see how I'm doing on that!)

Ok, on a lighter side...since hubster wasn't home last night either, I went surfing on Amazon.  Oh My GOSH!  My wish list just grew by TEN books!  I seriously think that AFTER I get organized, I'm going to have to take a little winter break, order some books, and just plain READ for an entire week.  Seriously, there are sooooooooooo many good books out there that I'm salivating as I type.      Next to yoga, reading is my favorite thing to do.  I tend to get a little bit sleep deprived though as I just HAVE to finish "one more chapter" - which ultimately turns in to two or three more chapters.   

Diana Gabaldon's new book is out in hardcover - the latest installment in the Claire and Jaime Fraser story that spans generations. I cannot wait until it comes out in paperback!  This is a love story that had me at the 2nd page, despite the time-travel between centuries.  The author writes the characters with this sense of humor that has me in stitches one minute, then crying the next.  This book is the 7th book (?) in the storyline.  It's gonna be good, I just know it!

I'm also a fan on werewolves, vampires and fairies...(I know!)...so there are some new books out by Karen Marie Moning and Sherilyn Kenyon that I want to order. For all you literature snobs out there, despite what you may think, they are well written and DO have a good plot and storyline.  The characters - once you get past the fact that they are werewolves, vampires and fairies - are quite entertaining.  (Acheron is my absolute favorite!) 

OK...first things first ......get ORGANIZED, then play! ~S~

How I Spent Christmas

1. Alone - except for my cat, Boris.  Hubster spent the day at main ranch and tended to the cattle.
2. In a Blizzard.
3. Talked to every one of my siblings and wished them and their families a Merry Christmas.
4. Watched "Rachel Got Married" - a good movie about a dysfunctional family.  Love Ann Hathaway's work in this one.
5. Had toast for Christmas dinner.  Splurged and put PB & J on top!  
6. Did yoga.  Yeah!!! 
7. Searched for friends - and found a few - on FB.  (Double cool).
8. Chased Boris around the house.
9. Talked with various people on the phone, like good friend Becky and mother-in-law Ella.
10. Took a hot, leisurely bath and shaved my legs (ok, too much information I know, but it's what I did!).
11. Searched for fun and unusual sights on the internet.  Didn't find anything that tripped my trigger.
12. Read other people's blogs.  There is some hilarious stuff out there. (Blase, keep writing hon!)
13. Did my nails.
14. Thought about doing some bookwork....then stopped that thought right quick - it was Christmas for heavensake!
15. Paced between the frontroom window and kitchen window hourly trying to decide how much snow we were getting and if was any worse out from the last time I made the trip.
16. Checked http://www.weather.com/ often to make sure that yes, we were STILL in a Blizzard. 
17. Made some popcorn and hotchocolate - cuz that's what you do in a Blizzard when stormed in at home, alone.
18. Alphabetized my cd collection by artist and title. 
19. Searched Amazon.com for some books I want to order.
20. Fell asleep thankful that everyone I love was safe.

Merry Christmas!

It's the afternoon of Christmas Eve.  It's a time for families to come together to celebrate the holidays, for friends to wish each other well and give thanks for the special bonds that bring them together.  A time for reflection on all the good things in our lives and to remember those no longer with us who have left their imprint on us. 

My mind turns to my family on this day and the special memories the holiday holds for me.  I'll be going to my sister's (Peggy) tonight - weather permitting - to celebrate with her and her daughters (and son-in-law).  Very few Christmas Eves have gone by that I haven't spent  them with Peggy.  It all started back in the 70's - my parents and I would spend the evening with Earl and Peggy - eating, drinking, driving around and looking at Christmas lights or going to Christmas Eve services.  My parents and Earl are no longer with us, but the night holds us close to them and their memories.

I want to extend a warm, heartfelt wish to everyone to enjoy their Christmas - hold family members tight and enjoy their warmth and love.

A White Christmas

I’m dreaming of a White Christmas, but seriously…I don’t want THAT much white! 

Yes folks, we are going to be in the grips of a winter storm/blizzard through the Christmas holidays.  This is going to bite big time!  

Though I don’t have to travel far – just to town on Christmas Eve and less than a mile on Christmas Day – I do have two nieces scheduled to come in from Minneapolis.

My husband already informed me that if it gets as bad as what they are predicting, he may not be home for Christmas, opting to stay at the ranch to make sure the cattle fair through the storm relatively unscathed and still inside the corrals.   The cattle are our livelihood so he makes sure they are cared for.  He’s a lot like my father in that respect. Dad always said, “you can judge a man by the way he treats his animals.”

I’m already thinking ahead  - do I have enough milk, toilet paper, and bread on hand JUST in case I get stranded at home.  (Those essentials, you know!)    

I remember many a blizzard at home while growing up.  Dad would say, “as long as we have food and electricity we’ll be fine.”  Most generally we were.  Dad would wear out the carpets pacing from room to room looking out the window (gee, I wonder where my brother Ron gets that from!) to make sure everything was ok.  He was always worried about fire in a snowstorm.  Honestly, I worry about that too.  

So, IF (and I hope that I am not) stuck alone during Christmas, or even if hubs is home, I’m going to hunker down in my favorite chair, watch some good movies or read a book, maybe even play on the computer, and talk to my siblings to make sure they (and their families) are all ok and safe during the storm.

It may be a lonely Christmas for many people if their families cannot make it home.  But, I’d rather people be safe in their homes than stranded out on the road ways. 

Stay safe everyone and remember….Christmas is in the heart, blizzard or not.  ~S~ 

Sherry

The countdown is on....

If you haven't gotten it, wrapped it, baked it, written it out, mailed it.....  GET TO IT!  ~L~

I had every intention of writing out Christmas cards last night, but it was hubster's birthday so we ended up going out for supper to The Grille...and I just didn't feel like doing them when we came home.  We watched a rather stupid movie called The Seeker...but it was entertainment AND I got to eat lots of buttered popcorn.  So....Christmas cards have just turned in to New Years cards! ~L~

Had a good day though yesterday and today. It's so pretty outside with the frost covering the trees. Here are a couple of pics that I snapped on my way in to the gym yesterday morning.   They are pretty enough to put on a postcard!

I spent the afternoon with Peggy and Blaine.  They were doing their annual "Peggy does the baking and Blaine does the wrapping" date and they "decided" to let me in on the fun!  And fun we had!  I tell you what, I laughed at the way Blaine was wrapping those caramels.  He has the "Schulz" flip of the wrist down, just like dad used to do.  I even got in on rolling Krumme Kakka (spelling?).  It was great!  Love that stuff.  Peg wanted to send some home for Tom but I told her "don't bother, they won't ever make the trip home."  ~L~  Tom would never see them!   

I am having an absolutely difficult time with self-restraint. I want to eat everything in sight it seems ~L~  Soooo much good food out there!   Every time I turn around I hear of another good receipe.  Like tonight, talking to a girlfriend, she says..."Oh, this is supposed to be good...cheese covered popcorn covered in almond bark."  Oh YUM!!!   ~LOL~  I'm still thinking I'm going to make a batch of mint balls..  sounds easy enough: cream cheese, crushed mint oreo cookies and chocolate almond bark.  Three ingredients!  I MIGHT be able to handle this one folks!

OK....so...now that I've got myself super hungry...at 9:56pm at night......I'm gonna log off, raid the kitchen, brush my teeth and fall in to bed and in to - hopefully - a deep slumber.  Lots of ground to cover tomorrow and I needs my sleep!

Night all!

How to eat during Christmas

This email arrived in my email this morning and I couldn’t help but chuckle.  These days, I’ll all about healthy eating, watching the calories and exercising like a mad woman.  BUT, there was a day when I followed each of these 10 steps and had a good time doing it.   

 

So, with nostalgia, I’m forwarding them on to everyone in hopes that maybe you’ll indulge in one (or 10) of them and have an absolutely fantabulous Christmas season! 

 

 

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare.. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. if something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. as for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip:   If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read these tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Have a wonderful Christmas season!!

 

 

 

This made my day!

I was setting up the training room this morning for another round of staff training classes.

 

In doing so, I asked the instructor whether he showed a movie with his course. 

 

His reply was priceless:  "I AM the movie! The good, the bad and the ugly all rolled in to one!"

 

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing!   

 

What a wonderful way to start my day!

 

Christmas Memories

Almost every radio station I listen to these days is in full Christmas music mode.  I am loving it! 

 

Every song I hear is bringing back some absolutely wonderful memories of my childhood.  

 

When I was a little mite, my grade school would have Christmas pageants. Those pageants consisted of beautiful homemade costumes, poor acting and  lots of Christmas carols sung off-key by hyperactive children in 1st - 6th grades. 

 

It was a big event for us.  We started practicing in November and December, every afternoon during the week.  We learned our lines, or tried, sang about jingle bells and the twelve days of Christmas, and had a lot of fun skipping out on classes in the afternoon and misbehaving while we were not on stage.   We had a lot of work to do in order to be ready for the grand event the week before Christmas and somehow managed to pull it off, much to the delight of our parents.   

 

One particular Christmas pageant had me cast as a Christmas card (one of six). I believe I was in either 2nd or 3rd grade.  My costume was two pieces of tag board strapped together.  A scene having to deal with Christmas needed to be prominently displayed on front and back. 

 

 Luckily for me, my father was a self-taught artist who loved to dabble in oil paints.  Once he learned what my costume was to be, he spent hours sketching a design he thought would be appropriate for a Christmas pageant.   He would disappear for hours during the evening to work on this very involved project.  

 

 He wouldn't let me see what he was sketching in the "cooler" (his term for the basement where he had his office).  I even tried to sneak in to his office get a glimpse, but the door was conveniently locked - locked doors never occurred in our home. 

 

This was getting serious.

 

Every time I would ask what it was, he would just smile and say, "it's a work in progress."   

 

The day of dress rehearsal came and I needed to have the Christmas card costume at school with me, but he wouldn't let me take it on the school bus.  He promised that he would bring it to school in time for the dress rehearsal.  He did as promised.  When it came time for me to suit up, he was the one there (along with mom) to place the card over my shoulders. 

 

The front of the card was a beautiful,  snowy, forest scene with trees of many sizes and shapes off in the distance.  In the foreground  was a small evergreen brightly colored with lights.  A star was brilliantly displayed on top, it's glow reaching up to the heavens.    

 

The back of the card was equally as beautiful and of the same design, but with a manger scene showing beside the brightly lit tree.  

 

Everyone was ooo-ing and ahh-ing at the card.  I was the envy of all of my classmates. All I remember is the feeling of pride I had at wearing something that my father had made for me.  I was over the moon. Even more so when, on the night of the pageant, I stepped out on stage in my Christmas card costume and heard the gasps and claps from the audience. 

 

The love of my father was put in to that Christmas card costume.  I'm not sure who was beaming more, him or me. 

 

That memory can bring tears to my eyes to this very day.  

 

It is not the biggest, shiniest, most expensive gift that matters.  The  handmade gifts made and given out of love are the ones that are most remembered and treasured always. 

 

Sherry

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am blessed

As I sit and reflect on my life, I realize how incredibly lucky I am. 

 

There are days that life seems to be a complete struggle.  You know the ones; those days where you get screamed at by ungrateful shrew on the other end of the phone, a co-worker that has a chip on their shoulder and is unrelenting in their vision of the world, or the unpleasant store clerk who would rather shoot you than help you. 

 

Then there are days when you realize that everything that may cause a hiccup in the day - is just that, a hiccup.  In the grand scheme of life, those small things are insignificant. 

 

I hear of others in our community (and the nation) going through hardship and I look at my life and count my blessings. 

 

Those blessings help me to get through the difficult phone call, deal with difficult or unyielding staff, smile at an unpleasant clerk at a store, or hold my tongue when a family member hurts my feelings. 

 

My Father used to say, "the grain crop was good, the cows are producing milk, the chickens are laying eggs, we have a roof over our head, food to eat, and our health.  What more is there." 

 

Indeed.

 

 

 

Be The Match

On November 18, 2002 I took the first step to help save someone's life - I signed up to become a member of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry.   

It was quick, painless, and it made me feel good about myself; I was doing something worthwhile that just may save someone's life.

For many patients with life threatenting diseases such as leukemia, a bone marrow transplant is their best or only hope for a cure.  Many do not have a donor match in their family and need to rely on people - such as me - to help save their lives.

I often hear that being a donor of marrow - if called upon when matched - is painful.  I've heard the stories, the ones where they need to drill in to the hip bones to extract the marrow.   But you know what?  A little pain on my part isn't anything compared to to the pain of someone going through cancer.  I can - and will -put up with the discomfort in order for someone to have a 2nd chance at life.

I urge anyone interested in becoming a donor to visit the following link: http://www.bethematch.org/ to find out how you can help.  

Namaste'

Every once in a while...

 

I just have to laugh.    I was at the gym last night sweating my bootie off.   After sucking air on my last pass on the treadmill, I decided it was time I'd had enough.  

 

While I was putting on my sweatshirt and bundling up to keep that "post workout heat" going in the frigid temperatures, a gentleman that I've seen (but have no clue what his name is) through the gym circuit for a couple of years was getting ready to head out the doors as well. 

 

He was lamenting the fact that he'd just left warmer temperatures to "come back to this!"   A group of us were gathered around the door and were laughing that this was just the start of it and he should "suck it up and deal with it."  

 

 He just laughed, reached in to his bag and drew out a fresh mandarin orange and tossed it to me. 

 

 He proceeded to say, "try that on for size....I have an orchard full of them; beats anything you get in a can."  

 

As I'm thanking him, he laughs and says, "Know what's the meanest thing anyone can do to a person"?  

 

When I ask what that would be, he smiles and says, "Give someone just one fresh mandarin orange and tell them you have an orchard full of them and will be going there over the weekend." 

 

Everyone lost it and nodded their heads.

 

Yep.... he got us!  ~LOL~