New Year's Eve Menu

Lew and I are staying in tonight.

We are having:

• Cheesy nachos
• Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Treat
• Popcorn
• Moxie and/or Diet Coke
• Martinelli's Sparkling Cider (Apple-Grape flavor)

So let the healthy eating begin... tomorrow.  :)

Happy New Year!

Two-Four-Six-Oh-ONE!

I went to a movie with my friend Julie today. Loved it, loved it, loved it!

We ate at IHOP afterward. Yummy! (I always want to type "iHop" for some reason....)

I leave my readers with two questions:

1) What movie did Julie and I see?

2) Why do I want to type "iHop"?

If nobody responds with the correct answers, I will add a comment to this post tomorrow.

G'night!

Be Prepared

I'm feeling MUCH better today. Perhaps I have escaped the flu that is making the rounds.

One thing that I can't escape is the weather. We are expecting four to eight inches of snow before morning.

Lew and I went to the grocery store around 10:30 AM. The store was more crowded than it normally is at that time.... People preparing for being snowed in overnight, I guess.

The only storm preparation that I typically do is to fully charge my cell phone!

Blahhhhhh....

Lots of sickness going around. Some sort of flu maybe?

Anyway, I think I am right on the verge of getting it.

But I am fighting it hard.

Must. Not. Get. Sick.

An Announcement... by Eli

I wore my jammies for most of Christmas morning,
but then Daddy and Momma put this shirt on me.
Tia made a funny scream and ran to Momma.
Then everyone was hugging each other,
and their eyes were wet...
except nobody was sad!
And they talked alot about July 23.
Wow!  I guess my shirt is pretty special.  :)

Dad 129: Christmas Wrap-up

(According to what Dad wrote below, I expect him to come upstairs any minute now for his exercise session. Enjoy his post! – Tracy)

Derf Here! Enjoying another beautiful, cold, sunny day today. Did receive a little snow yesterday (Christmas Day) for a white (barely) Christmas. The experts are predicting a winter storm coming through tonight and tomorrow. Supposed to add a foot or more snow in the ski areas. This will add to the 2 to 3 feet base already on the slopes. Along the coast we have a warning, but I expect a mixed precipitation. I'm not expecting a whole lot of coastal snow. Sounds good to me. I'll let you know next year!!

It looks like the Patriots will not have to play the Colts in the first playoff weekend. It is possible, however. If the Patriots play like they did against Houston a few weeks ago, they will win it all. If they play like they played the last two games, they will be defeated in the first round. Glad to see Coach Pagano back with the Colts. What a story and we will be pulling for Pagano and "Luck" unless playing the Pats.

Hope all readers of this had a wonderful Christmas. We did in Maine. Enjoyed our family get-together. However, daughter Deb cut her afternoon short with a touch of the flu. I understand that grandson Josh is in a similar situation today. Hope for a quick recovery. Seems to be a lot of flu going around in this area. Hope it skips our residence. Thanks!

Boy, have I become lazy for the last four days. I must get on the elliptical today after four days off for a Christmas break. Should never have taken the time off. Won't do it again! Or will I? Probably! Back to the grind, in a couple hours. Can't wait!

I've been thinking about dropping my weekly blog for the rest of this year. So I'll see you next year. My time off will not be too long. I'll try for more creativity next year. Happy New Year!

Sooooo...

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Merry Christmas!



... and a "Meowy Christmas" from Kurt and Jerry!



Christmas Eve

Lew had the day off from work today and we made the most of it.  We got to babysit Eli for a few hours!  By the time Emily got home, Eli had been sleeping soundly for about 45 minutes... while I was holding him.  Happy Tia!  ("Tia" is yours truly.)

We had a lovely Christmas Eve service tonight at our church.  We sang "Silent Night" by candlelight at the end.  The adults had real candles.  The children had "candles" with batteries.  Somehow Lew and I ended up with the kiddie candles!  :)

Have a very Merry Christmas.  Christ the Savior is born.  Rejoice!

A Precious Wakeup Call

I received a text message from Kayla this morning. Kayla is the 10-year-old daughter of my friend Trista. Kayla was using her mother's cell phone.

An edited version of our text message conversation:

 

This is Kayla hey

You are up early!

Yeah I know! :) I don't know why though

We will see you at church soon. :)

Say hi to the cat for Kayla ok! :)

I will say "hi" to my cats for you.

Ok

Is your mother awake, too?

When I went into her room...she was awake! Why?

Tell her that I said "Good Morning"....

 

Kayla went on to ask me if Lew was awake and whether I was in the kitchen. (Me? In the kitchen?? LOL!)

I learned later that Kayla did not immediately deliver my "Good Morning" message to her mother.... Drat.... I really wanted Trista to join in on our 5:30 AM texting conversation!

I love my young friends! Blessed....

Jelly, Anyone?

Three-year old Vivian met us for breakfast this morning. She came along with her grandparents "Papa and Mimi" (also known as our friends Dick and Carole).

Vivian decided that she would have a blueberry muffin and scrambled eggs. She got chocolate milk, too.

When our food came, Mimi helped Vivian put butter on the muffin. The muffin was already sliced into three sections, and Vivian painstakingly spread the butter over each slice.

I believe she ate no more than a small bite or two of the muffin.

Do you know those little jelly containers that are stacked up in breakfast places? The ones that kids usually like to play with? Well, Vivian decided she wanted to eat some of that jelly.

So Mimi opened the little container and Vivian managed to spoon the jelly out of it. And she did actually eat it.

But wouldn't the jelly taste good on Mimi's toast? So Mimi sacrificed a piece of her toast. And we all watched as Vivian proceeded to lick the jelly off -- without eating the toast.

As we were getting ready to leave, I remarked, "Vivian, you didn't eat very much of your breakfast!" Vivian announced that she now wanted to eat her eggs. (Remember, we were getting ready to leave!) She did take a few bites before she decided that she was really done.

Next time Vivian comes to breakfast, I think that all she should order is her chocolate milk. She can just eat the jelly that's already on the table! :)

Cable Down

I was just getting ready to write my blog post when our cable service went down. That means no Internet.

So I'm writing this on my iPhone. But you know what? I don't have any good ideas for tonight's post anyway!

Thanks for checking in. Hopefully I'll be able to share some fascinating things with you tomorrow.... Smile!

You Could Win $100,000

Our favorite brand of frozen pizza has been running a contest.  Specially marked boxes have a code inside.  Enter the code online to have a chance to win the grand prize of $100,000 (or some lesser prize).

The first code that I tried (over a month ago) came back as "Invalid or used code."  I e-mailed the company to tell them about this less-than-satisfactory attempt.  No response.

The next code that I tried came back "Sorry, loser."  Maybe the message wasn't quite that succinct, but that was essentially what it meant.  They did give me a $1 coupon.

I tried a code about a month ago that hung up my computer.  When I tried entering it again, I got the "Invalid or used code" message.  I e-mailed the company, told them the code, and wanted to make sure they had it on record in case I won the $100,000.  (Ha ha ha!)  They did respond this time with a "sorry" but they can't enter the code for me and better luck next time.  (Thanks a bunch.)

The very next code that I tried told me I won a 3rd place prize!  A FREE PIZZA!  They will be sending the coupon within four to six weeks.

Tonight's code resulted in another "Sorry, loser" and the consolation $1 coupon.

Lew expressed his disappointment.  He was really counting on that $100,000....

Or at least another free pizza.

Dad 128: Winter Weather and Sports

(The sun did show itself for a little bit this afternoon, but it was after Dad had written his entry. And it was so nice while it lasted. Enjoy Dad's post! -- Tracy)

Derf Here! From the very damp Northeast. Had some snow a couple days ago. About 3 to 4 inches. However, a serious rain yesterday that will end shortly has taken our snow cover away. I guess I didn't have to plow after all.

Just read in the daily newspaper that we received about 3.5 inches of rain yesterday. This beat the old record for the date. The previous record was 1.75 inches and happened over 100 years ago. I checked my cellar to see water was covering the earth. Not enough for the pump to come on, however. Supposed to get one nice day this week. Thursday will be sunny with weather turning back to damp and wet for the remainder of the week. And winter isn't even here yet! Good grief!!

Had a bad football weekend. Patriots were beaten. Score could've been a lot worse if the opposition had taken advantage of all the mistakes. Indiana family had no better "Luck" as the Colts lost also. Hope things improve this weekend. Don't we?

My favorite basketball team, the Boston Celtics, are in my mind a team that will lose as many games as they win. They are now 12 - 12 after three losses in a row. Will they make the playoffs? Only time will tell.

I see a "study" on Benghazi states a systematic failure at the State Department. I guess this is not too serious as all employees are still employed. I'm sure under previous administrations there would be cries to get rid of those involved in the failure. Enough said!

Just looked out the window. It is snowing again. No accumulation – won't last!

Should probably mention the horrible event that took place in Newtown, Connecticut this past Friday. Such a senseless, cowardly act. I don't believe there is a simple solution. Seeing innocent 6- to 7-year-olds wiped out is a sad, sad occurrence.

Within a week we will be celebrating the birth of Christ. Looking forward to Christmas Eve candlelight service. Remember the reason. A Merry Christmas to all! Enjoy the family!

The snow has stopped. The sun is not shining. Hopefully tomorrow! Please!

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

And That's (Almost) a Wrap

I spent the afternoon and early evening wrapping Christmas presents.

I just have a little bit more to do, and I'll be finished!

Of course, I would already be done if I wasn't watching Perry Mason at the same time.

Smile....

Warm Fuzzies

Now that colder weather is upon us, we find that our kitties are becoming more cuddly with us... and with each other!

Lew couldn't resist taking the following picture of Kurt and Jerry tonight:

We love our kitties!

The Hobbit and The Snowy Earth

Lew and I just got home from seeing The Hobbit with some friends. Our friends didn't know that the current movie is just Part 1 of 3, but fortunately we shared that information with them beforehand. Otherwise, the ending would have seemed somewhat abrupt! We've already planned to see Parts 2 and 3 together.

When we got out of church this morning, we were having snow flurries. These flurries lasted all afternoon, so it was a Winter Wonderland when we got to the theater. When we got out of the movie, winter weather had truly set in. This is what I would call our first "real snow" of the season. The ride home was a bit slick, but I passed the time by talking with a friend on my cell phone. Lew was driving... better he than I.

Now it is time to watch Sunday night football. Go, Patriots!

Our Cookies and Cocoa Party

Pastor David and Laura and their two little girls came to our house tonight for hot cocoa and cookies.

We also had popcorn!  Lew makes the best popcorn.

They were the first visitors to see our disco ball since we moved it back to its proper spot.

Our Christmas tree lights were on and the living room Scentsy was giving off a wonderful pine tree scent.

Jerry and Kurt were their usual sweet selves.  The girls had not met Kurt before tonight, but they were already buddies with Jerry.

We had a wonderful time.  I think we will make "Our Cookies and Cocoa Party" an annual Christmas season event!

Praying

I don't need to relate what happened today in Newtown, Connecticut.  The whole country is aware of this senseless tragedy.  And all of our hearts are aching for the victims and their families.

This is one of those times when prayer may be difficult.  We are blessed to have the Holy Spirit to carry us through these moments.  (See Romans 8:25-27.)

Lord, please have mercy on us.

My Perry Mason Addiction

Yes, I am a Perry Mason-ic.

Me-TV, which stands for "Memorable Entertainment Television", airs two episodes each weekday.

I DVR both episodes and currently have 12 to watch.

I should probably stop recording them until I get caught up with my viewing.

But then I might miss a really great story.

What am I saying?....

They are all great!

(Postscript:  This addiction is not a new phenomenon for me.  The Perry Mason Theme Song has been the ringtone on my cell phone for quite a while now!)

Dad 127: "Youk" Have Gotta Be Kidding!

(I decided to dictate, rather than type, Dad's post today. Watch for the word "era" as you are reading. The software originally picked up this word as "error".... but did I really need to correct it, given the context? LOL! Enjoy Dad's post! -- Tracy)

Derf Here! From the cold Northeast. Temps are down in the teens now and the experts say they will continue this pattern over the next few days. Teens overnight but warming up to 20° - 30° during the day. May even hit 40° sometime during the daytime. Wow! Perhaps some snow next week. That is the prediction. Will it happen? Tune in next week.

Well, we have topped off our kerosene tank for the winter. Fill it in December and in the spring when there is no snow on the ground. Only used 76 gallons since last March. Price per gallon rounds up to $4.00. The monitor heater is quite efficient. Just the way we like it!

The Patriots had a good game Sunday when they gave the Texans their second loss of the year. Now we'll wait to see how they do against the 49ers this weekend. Congratulations to the Colts as they continue to keep our Indiana family happy. Hope the "Luck" continues.

While watching the local sportscast last night, I heard some startling news. It was later confirmed by ESPN and with an article in today's paper. I find it difficult to even admit the news. The face of the Boston Red Sox until traded last year, Kevin Youkilis (Yooouuk), is now a New York Yankee. The same Youk that we saw come through Portland is now a Yankee! Yuck!! They needed a player to take A-Rod's place until midseason. They have a great replacement. Well, he won't have to worry about getting beaned by Joba Chamberlain anymore. They will now be teammates. It will be an interesting opening game at Yankee Stadium when they face the Red Sox. Even more interesting when the New York team comes to Fenway Park. Well, I now have two Yankees to root for. Jeter and Youk! Still hope the Yankees stumble! Good luck, Youk!! Never should have been traded by Boston. The Bobby Valentine era is now over. Thanks!!

Just a reminder to all out there. Christmas is coming and you had better get all your plans taken care of prior to the day. I have all my duties taken care of. Actually, I do nothing, so my chore is easy to complete. Well done again, Derf! Even if I do say so myself.

I still can't believe it. Youk is a Yankee!

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

 

A Silver Anniversary

Tomorrow is 12/12/12.  (How cool is that?!)

But it is already 12/12/12 in England, which is where my dear friend Suzy lives.  So...

HAPPY 25th ANNIVERSARY, SUZY AND BARRY!

Barry wrote a beautiful blog post about how they'll be celebrating.

A couple years ago, I wrote two posts about their wedding that took place way back in 1987:

• Read first (please try not to laugh too hard)
• Read second (I love this photo of the gals in the wedding party)

I am so blessed to know both Suzy and Barry.  Congratulations to them on 25 years together!

One of Those Days....

I have a lengthy church board meeting tonight that I have to leave for in a few minutes.

I had to prepare for the meeting today.  I am finally ready... and not a moment too soon.

Tomorrow I plan on wrapping Christmas presents, doing my laundry, and watching as many episodes of "Perry Mason" that I can!

Christmas Decor

Emily and Eli visited us today while we were decorating our house for Christmas.

It was fun to pull all the stuff out of the bins and find the perfect spot for it.

We even sent a few treasures home with Emily and Eli for their house!

Here's our newly-decorated tree, with Kurt the cat napping underneath. :)

Not So Fast....

Yesterday I wrote that Lew's fantasy football team was finished for the season.

That's what he believed, and that's what he told me.

But when he looked at his fantasy football website last night (after I had posted), he saw that he was indeed still playing.

He quickly made a few changes to his team for tomorrow's games.

You do know what this means, right?.... I am currently the only "big loser" in our house.  (LOL!)

We Are (Not) the Champions

Lew informed me last night that his fantasy football team is done for the season. The remaining weeks of the regular NFL season are his fantasy league's playoffs, and he didn't make the playoffs. In fact, he tied for last place.

Last night I went to a baby shower. We played a "smell" game. When I was told that we would be smelling diapers with baby food in them, I expressed my sincere hope that it was pre-digested food. (It was.) There were ten diapers. The winner -- the mother of a toddler -- identified seven of the foods correctly. I only got three right, which was less than everybody else.

The last shall be first, right?

2:10:55

Two hours, ten minutes, fifty-five seconds....

That's how long I spent on the phone with my friend Donna this afternoon.

Donna is one of my bestest buddies in the whole world, but we don't chat often enough.  Even so, it always seems like we take up right where we left off -- like we'd just seen each other yesterday.  (Actually it's been closer to eight years.  Yikes.)

I met Donna when I lived in Kansas.  We loved watching old movies together while drinking hot tea.  Now that we live halfway across the country from each other, we can no longer do that....

....I think that it's time Donna came to Maine for a visit!  :)

Dad 126: Strike Up the Band

(Dad had his yellow-lined pages to me this morning, but I was just able to enter it now. It's not quite as nice outside as when he wrote this, but at least there is no snow. Enjoy Dad's post! -- Tracy)

Derf Here! The day started rainy, but the sun just broke through. Quite nice, actually! From the couch, it looks like a nice spring day. I'm not fooled. I know what is on the horizon! Not too much cold and snow! Please! Last week we had a couple days that stayed below freezing. Then the heat wave arrived and temps in the 50s. Up and down. Like the ups!

Spouse and I attended Josh's concert last night at the high school. (Kind of brings back memories for me as I see him playing trumpet. Those were good days back in the 1950s. Yes, I remember them well.) Enjoyed the numbers played by the concert band. Very happy to attend the performance. Now will wait for Zack's concert as he plays his tenor sax. Don't know when Zack's band will play. We'll wait and see.

Happy for our Indiana family watching their Colts win as time expired. We were fortunate to watch the ending bonus coverage here in Maine. Colts are now assured of a winning season. Quite a turnaround. Wish them "Luck" the rest of the way except when in direct competition with the Patriots.

Mark my words. With all the Patriot injuries, I will not be surprised if they get beaten up by Houston come this weekend. Monday night game, I believe.

Sad story out of Kansas City as Javon Belcher murdered the mother of their three month old, then shot himself in the presence of coach and police officers. Still waiting to hear if he had problems while playing at University of Maine. Sad, sad story! Did get a chance to see his teammate and Illinois family friend Andy Studebaker relate how the tragedy affects all of the Chiefs.

Well, I now have the motor home television in our living room. It is hooked up and is next to the big TV. So I can watch two things at once. It is great for game time. One doesn't need to hear talkative announcers to enjoy the game. So far, it is working out well. Don't miss any games that I want to watch now. Very enjoyable!

My countdown to Christmas has started. Three weeks from today it will be over. Think about that! And then 2013!! Where do the years go? How did they go by so fast? Anyone have an answer? I don't!

Enough for today. More next week. Soooo....

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Mission Accomplished

Over a month ago I wrote about my project to clean and reorganize our back room upstairs.

The disco ball -- the catalyst of this project -- has been in place for a while.  But I still had boxes and cartons of stuff to sort through and put away.  I couldn't spend every hour of every day doing this, which is why it has taken me so long.

But I finally finished yesterday!

Hooray!

This project has now "spilled over" into other rooms of the house.  "Spilled over" in my mind anyway.  I am going to tackle another room after the new year.

But for now....

Hooray!

Simple Pleasures

Lew and I each ordered a new pair of slippers from L.L. Bean last week.

Our package arrived today.  Lew tore it open the minute he got home from work.

I am wearing my beautiful new chocolate-brown slippers as I write this.  I must say that they live up to their name...

Wicked Good!

An Advent Blog

Our pastor has started a blog for the Advent Season. The following is from this morning's bulletin:

Each day during the Advent season (Dec 2nd - Dec 24), a post featuring Scripture, reflection, and action will be available as a tool for preparing room for the King. We believe Jesus has arrived and will be arriving to rearrange our lives under his Kingdom of hope, peace, joy, and light.

Here's a link to the blog: Coastal Viewfinder . This link is also available on the right of my page under KEEPING UP WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS.

Please feel free to read along with my church family!

A Smashing Situation

Several days ago I noticed a little bump on the back of my right hand. The bump moves up and down as I flex my hand. It's kind of creepy.

After I demonstrated the bump and its movement to Lew, he went where all responsible people go to get a medical diagnosis: Google.

Lew's web search identified my condition as a ganglion cyst -- cause unknown and nothing to worry about. It should go away over time.

We had a good laugh when he read about the old remedy of smashing the cyst with a heavy book. Hence its nickname of Bible cyst.

(Postscript: By the way, some doctor friends at church confirmed Lew's diagnosis. So did my friend that works at a mortgage company.)