Mandatory Fun

Every time we get the family crew together I end up planning little activities and games that have come to be known as mandatory fun! It doesn't matter how dorky or stupid the game is everyone has to participate at least once. It starts out with a few complaints and "I can't believe you are making us do this" but then it turns into fun. I am thankful that my family is willing to put up with these times because they mean a lot to me. It is one time we are all sitting around the table together and laughing. This year we have decorated cookies, played Imagineiff..., Pictionary, and Pop Five. People are allowed to wander off as the game goes on but for the most part everyone stays. It has been a fabulous holiday family time!

Texture

Recently I have been going through old pictures of my family. Specifically when I was a cute little girl who morphed into an awkward teen etc. (You know how it goes and I know you all have those pictures of yourself in your background that you just look at and go...I don't believe it...or much stronger language.) Anyhow, after looking at the pictures for awhile I started to notice the backgrounds. I realized that it's the background that adds texture to our lives..it's those little details that we don't think about that add up to be important. One small background detail for me was the paper bag sculptures that my dad used to make. We would grocery shop at the commissary once a month and we would have tons of paper bags. My dad would make little people, turkey's, reindeers and other little animals. In the pictures we would have all these 3-4 feet high paper bag people and animals in the background. I realize now how special those were.

Celebrate!

Ok...the cat is so freakin upset to be in a Santa hat and cape. He is trying to be tolerant of us for tormenting him in what we think is such a cute way. Good thing he can't talk or we would get an earful! Happy Holidays!

4 more days!

Is this the most beautiful picture? As I was doing my countdown list for Saturday when the family begins to arrive, I discovered this picture from the wedding this summer. I think the picture is fabulous and it just happened because we were taking pictures on the beach after the wedding. Ahh...so many fun family times! Remembering the wedding and family fun surrounding it is one of those stress release times to hold on to in the rush of the holidays. I sort of breathe and think of the beach and family and friends! Ahhhhhhh!

Feeling bad

I was feeling bad because I haven't blogged today until I realized that no one that I follow blogged either. Looks like we are all playing catch up! Only 5 more days until Saturday! I'm more excited about Saturday than I am about actual Christmas!

and counting.....

Six more days until Saturday!

Count Down

I'm on the count down for the beginning of my Christmas! Saturday I will see Nicole, Monika, Clay, Sheila, Dan, Pat, and Gail for drinks at the Rio. The opening toast will mark the beginning of my Christmas celebration. Good friends, good food, good times, good health and lots of fun and love. Meanwhile I have divided up this week with chores and baking etc to get ready for two weeks worth of company. I am lucky enough this year to have three different sets of company visiting grandpa and us. It will be so much fun to see everyone. Today it's clean sheets and buying the last Christmas present......Woot!

Drumming

I joined a new drumming group this evening. Natalie and Gail are in the group with me. It appears to be a fun group of about 8 people who are willing to meet at the Double Rainbow Ranch twice a month to drum. It's sort of a yoga Buddhist retreat place that is half way between Boulder and Longmont. We learned root and accompaniment rhythms which we used in structured and nonstructured patterns. There was a meditation drum period along with just plain fun. It will be the one activity to save my sanity with elder care.

Did I mention that I have to take it down a notch for the meditation part. I'm so frickin excited to be out of the house that I sort of am like a bull in the china shop. Kind of like dancing at Deadwood. Hmmm...I'll work on that coool!

Impulse Buy

The fountain is our new impulse buy. Going Christmas shopping is fun because we always come home with stuff for us too! Ours isn't on the nice table as shown in the picture but it's pretty cool anyhow. The fountain even has lights so it's lit at night. I love impulse buying...it's the way I got the singing Frogs too!

Elliptical

Since I've been hibernating at home and haven't been able to go to the gym lately we bought an elliptical machine. This has consumed our lives in the past couple of weeks whenever we have a few moments. I've been trying out machines in every store I can find. Sort of fun to run into a store, throw off your coat and begin to jump from elliptical machine to elliptical machine. It's amazing how personal preference varies from person to person where elliptical machines go. Some people swear by treadmills but I am trying to protect my knees so I'm sticking with the elliptical. The other day I came home with the number of a machine that I thought I could be happy with for exercising. So far it turns out to be a good buy (not here yet so we'll see once it arrives if it's what we think!). (Lot of punctuation there but you get the gist.) It was two hundred dollars cheaper online than in the store with...yes...with free shipping!!!!!!! So of course we ordered it. Now the reality has set in and I am trying to figure out how I'm going to be able to get it down the basement stairs. Maybe I can carry it piece by piece to assemble in the basement. Hey...I've lost three pounds just ordering this thing....it's working already!

Catzilla

We are working hard to get some seasonal decorations up around the house. Every year we put this little village under the tree with a train that circles the village. So far things are going great until Catzilla stalks through the room. So far Catzilla has a fondness for the sheep and the hay bales! I can imagine the little people cowering in fear as the cat stalker approaches and begins swiping villagers!

Pictures from the Past

For Christmas this year we are sending a picture frame to grandma with a chip that has pictures from the past loaded on it. This has turned into a much bigger project than we expected. First we keep getting sidetracked by old picture albums and then we have to scan pictures to put on the computer before they can be loaded on a chip. Actually, Dan's doing most of the work since I have been sidetracked with grandpa but it is fascinating. Tonight we spent about an hour previewing the first batch of pictures. It was so much fun. Lots of memories and goofy times. I'll get a picture up sooner or later to go with this blog. "Were we really that thin?" "Did we really have that much hair?" "Oh, I forgot about that!" "Where was that taken?" "What year do you think that was?" "HaHaHa......"

December

It's frickin December and I haven't even been thinking about Christmas. Since we celebrate Christmas here I better get crackin or no one is going to be very happy! I swear my whole life has been centering around Grandpa and his medical needs. Maybe I can give everyone surgical tape and bandages for their stockings. Start whispering loudly with suggestions since I am not thinking too clearly this year. Tis the season and I'm just floating along.