Goodbye 2022, Hello 2023

Just some end of the year fun.  Painting, crafting, eating A LOT, and just general Christmas cheer.

This poor kid got the stomach just before Christmas.  Min had it too earlier.  Poor babies, poor parents!

Playing with watercolors with Min.  Takes me back to Snicklefritz a few years ago when I started her on the watercolor journey.

 

Merry Christmas and Onward to 2023

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I finally figured out what was up with my phone for emailing, at least I think I did because I was able to email myself the photos of the other watercolors.  

Aren't they cute.  Hope to do some more and play more with the medium this winter.  

Last night The Hubby went with me to attend a Christmas gathering of my high school class, or some of them.  It was much fun but since Roger wanted to start it at 5 pm by 7 I was ready to go home and The Hubby I felt was too, although he said he didn't mind sitting.  Maybe it was just me feeling he was ready.  He seemed to enjoy visiting with several of the classmates he knows and a new one he had not met before.  I'm sure there were others that showed up later on but I just wanted to go home.  WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME!!!!!  Am I turning into my father, antsy and wanting to just be home.  Good LORD I certainly hope not but the indications are I am.....NO NO NO NO NO NO NO....

I think it's a bit because of all that is on my mind, the business shut down, baby Max, Min, Snicklefritz being sick with the stomach bug...a lot on my mind.  I can't even seem to focus on reading lately.  I was even up at 4 this morning (yes a nap is on tap for me later.)  

Christmas Eve for us is to hang at the nephew's house this evening.  I've got to get busy and fix my appetizer to share today.  I'm making deviled eggs topped with bacon onion jam, but will leave some without for the vegetarians and hopefully a chip and dip made with non-dairy yogurt for the vegans.  Tomorrow our girls and their family and one of the bro-in-law's will join us for lunch/dinner and opening of presents for the babies.  I'm really looking forward to have my family around me.  

As we step into the next year, 2023 I need and want my family close.  There is going to be so many changes and happenings for us and honestly, except for the unknown for Max I am feeling that this spring and summer will the bright for us.  Looking forward to not having to head to the office but head to the cabin or the studio to spend all our time.  Hang with family and friends, paint, watch birds, be with each other.  2023 for me feels AWESOME!

Merry Christmas to one and all and I will, should post at least one more time this year on my blog that I have been contributing to for almost 17 years.  

 

Did I Hear The Word....RETIRE

It is that time...CHRISTMAS!  My favorite holiday of the year and I think it is because of the decorations, and the fruitcake.  I did get a batch made and maybe after the holidays I will whip up another batch.  

Last week I spent a lot of time at home and decided to play with my watercolors.  I've got more to share but for some reason my phone will NOT let me email a picture to myself so the only way to get these right now is to post on FB and then copy.  ARGHHHHH!  

Having a lot of fun with this medium and will play more as the winds are whipping today.  Winter is here.

I am going to share this now too.  

We....Have...Announced...to our employees and most everyone within earshot that we are FINALLY retiring.  We did have a buyer and have been working with them for over a year but a couple of weeks ago they just backed out, cold feet we think.  It's all good, although it would have been nice to have the company go on but we are totally okay with it.  As you know I've always been okay with just shutting the doors.  The Hubby promised me that if this sale did not make it we would do just what we are doing NOW!  It's not an easy process, let me tell you to stop a business, especially if you have employees.  But we had to at least let them know what was happening so they have the opportunity to move on too.  They will either have to find other jobs or, as some will do since they are the same age as us, will retire too.  We only have 5 employees and four of them have an inactive contractors license or close to that.  The other is a journeyman and can find other work, no problem  This process will spill over into the year 2024 because we will, accounting wise, be a business for the tax season because we will have payroll into this next year.  We will slowly stop the work and stop buying material and just trickle it closed.  The accounting will just be at a standstill till then, quarterly reports of nothing actually.  I am SO excited!  It's also just in time for us to step up with the joy of the birth of Max.

This week I've had these two in the house for 3 days off an on.  It makes the house alive and shows what our lives will be like after Max comes.  

We had a small family meeting to help with Nick's fears on how he is going to manage with Min while Af is in OKC at the hospital with Max.  We have it covered.  Bri and I were able to let him take a deep breath with relief to know we will be there to help him anyway we can.  It's going to be a journey and we are all in it, together!

 

Life Journeys

All I can say is life is changing for us...stay tuned for the update later next week.

Until then, please enjoy this sweet commercial.  Yes I know it is a commercial for kettle bells, but trust me it is a must watch.

Nostalgia - Melancholia...

Nostalgia, melancholia...

What is it about Christmas time (and probably the stupid dreary weather for me) that brings out the sadness, the loss, the loneliness.  Gosh has it been two years since we lost Daddy and sold the house. 

Daddy is gone, Momma is gone..the middle two siblings are now gone...

Daddy, Grandpa, Uncle Wayne and his son, cousin Matthew...

Daddy and his best friend, Jay...

My Great-Granddaddy and GreatGranny (she was my favorite)...the memories of their place in Jay I miss too.  It was the place, when I would get so mad at my parents, I wanted to run away to, a safe haven.

Grandpa and Grandma...

Granny and Granddaddy...oh how I wish they all could see us now, see how all our lives have evolved.  I think they would be so proud of Bro, Sis and myself.

I miss my dear friend Gail, oh how I miss her.  She was someone I could really talk to, tell EVERYTHING that was on my mind.  Anyone else I find that I hold back, with her that was absolutely not necessary.  I miss my confidant.  I have loads of friends and the past few years my bestie from high school has reappeared in my life, another I can confide in (thank goodness.)

I miss this sweet face.  No, I'm not ready for another dog, I'll go to our girls to get a dog or cat fix if needed, but I sure miss him.

 

Just feeling, well, just feeling today.  I think it's the holding pattern we are all in awaiting the arrival of sweet baby Maximilian to arrive in this world and all that is to happen.  I know I'm not the only one in this family.  It is a lot of the unknown, yet it will be the familiar to have a sweet baby yet again in the family.  

Upside/Down Kind of Weekend

 Monday, yes it is Monday morning, and as always (as of now) it is busy with watching Min.  I am really looking forward to it every week so I can spend time with her.  I love my granddaughters and they both absolutely amaze me in everything they are and do.  I do need to go to the office but it can wait till tomorrow morning.  I'm caught up, mostly and there is nothing important that can't wait till tomorrow morning.  

Hopefully today I will finish wrapping the last of the Christmas gifts and the rest of the day while watching Min I have a lot of choices:

Make Fruitcakes
Change sheets on our bed

Play with watercolors (Christmas card for next year)

Declutter the kitchen cabinets (still have Thanksgiving dishes out, clean, but out!)

See I do have a few things to do today and I guess it depends on what I'm feeling like doing today, my mood, and maybe I'll do it all!

This weekend was a weird kind of thing.  

First of all, last week I went to my old Jazzercise group's Christmas party.  It's been several years since I was able to go and it was such fun to see everyone.  We were missing one in particular though as she lost her husband two days before.  He was 91 and had a stroke.  Kathryn though is a trooper.  She has already made plans to travel in March and I've been invited to join on her trip to California in March to see another long time Jazzerciser that lives in CA.  I told them I'm not sure what my life holds right now, we will see.  

All this being said, Saturday, well, here is another part of the story.  Earlier in the week I sent a text out to our Cabinite friends that I wanted to host dinner Saturday night with homemade gourmet tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  It turned out that only a handful were going to be at the lake and it would be a small gathering.  Then on Thursday one of the girls, that I had a text conversation about the thing sent out a huge group text to all saying she was hosting Saturday for the "game" (no idea what game that was as I could care less) and she would be having soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  WTF!  So I private sent a text reminding I was doing dinner that night with the tomato soup thing.  She went back and was OOPS, sorry forgot about that but suggested we combine.  I said sure, not a problem and since I don't usually have the capability to catch some of the games, sure.  My thing is that on Saturday I had an art meeting I HAD to go to back in town so would come back for that and then to Kathryn's husbands memorial that was a block away from my meeting.  I thought, in my head I had plenty of time to come back and make my soup and show up for "DINNER" at her cabin.  GOOD F....ING GRIEF!  Our wires were sure crossed because she sent a text asking if Robert was bringing the soup over for the half-time break, and that they would wait for me.  WHAT!  Well, just CRAP.  I told her I would make it when I got back, then as I was driving realized she meant for about 12:30!!!!! DAMMIT!!!!!!!

Then The Hubby sent me a text saying she said her soup would be plenty and she was doing the grilled cheese anyway, not to make my soup, she was making her soup too.  My plan for the Saturday evening meal totally got hijacked and then it messed me up in my head.  My plan was a warm bowl of soup and grilled cheese around our porch fireplace, a wonderful evening.  With it changing so much it also meant I had no dinner for The Hubby.  What we ate was popcorn.  It was just a messed up kind of weekend, fun being with friends, but messed up.

On a good note, last night I bought myself a Christmas present, a painting.  Yes I know I could probably paint it but this is an investment.  I already own one of Kathy Anderson's paintings and this will go nicely on my gallery wall. 

Isn't it stunning.  Honestly I'm not that good with roses so glad I have hers to look at and practice. 

O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree

Yesterday was a full day of kiddos.  I was bound and determined to get my Christmas tree up and the house decorated yesterday.  Every year I TRY to have the girls, their babies, sometimes the bro-in-law and hubby come and help and I feed them, but this year everyone was going 20-thousand different places and it was not to happen.  BUT, I was going to get it done with the help I had and what wonderful help.  Honestly it was quite fun.  The sparkle in their eyes as they put the ornaments on is priceless.

Snicklefritz is so wonderful with Min.  We had a mini-meltdown when it came time to put the star on.  I honestly won't have any of it but little Snicklefritz is, as her mother says, the Min Whisperer.  She is magical in how she gets her sidetracked or just quieted down.  It was nice to have her helping with all of it yesterday.  Min's parents were in the middle of painting a bedroom and having a 3 year old in the midst of it was a No-GO, so Granny's it was, and she had way more fun.

It has been an exhausting kind of few days but most rewarding for everyone.  She'll be back on Monday as her parents head to OKC for the weekly doctor's appointment.  Sadly Snicklefritz won't be around to help as she is back in school.  I'm sure we will have a lot more of these days when school is out for Christmas break and baby Max arrives.

Think I will have some issues if both girls ever spend the night together as they BOTH like that bed in the pink bedroom!!!  Going to have to figure out a plan if that happens.  I don't want to disappoint either one of them...

 

Thanksgiving 2022

Well, I will just start off with the best part, DESSERTS!!!

I know you think it's turkey, but in reality it's the pie!!!

It was wonderful to have the family and it also included the bro-in-law's hubby and father.  Usually E goes home but this year delighted us with his daddy, who was an absolute delight.  He seemed to have such a good time.

GOSH, we stuffed ourselves and everyone proclaimed it was the best feast ever.  

This little one had a great time too and stayed to watch Home Alone.

Sure was tired by the end of the day, but a good tired.  The Hubby took care of all the clean up, washing every single dish.  Today it's my turn to put stuff away that he has no clue about.  I'm good with that.  I will also put the fall decor away and ready the front room for Christmas.  I bought a new tree and it's been sitting in the garage in it's box for 2 weeks now.  I bought it on Amazon and hope it's not a bust.  I was going to have everyone over tomorrow to decorate and I would do pizza but think I'll just do it myself with the help of Snicklefritz.  She is to come sometime this weekend to spend the night.  

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving.

Is everyone ready?  It is 8:40 a.m. and my turkey is in the oven and smelling wonderful.  I have made lists upon lists upon lists this week trying to get my time table perfect to pull of this day.  

I've added, changed and created all kinds of things to do.

Yesterday I spent the morning chopping celery, onion and cleaning brussel sprouts.  I went out to the small herb bed and cut tons of fresh sage.  I made an apple pie and a blackberry (for the bro-in-law's birthday.)  

I'm going to roast half of the sprouts and the other half will make a casserole, much like the green bean casserole. 

Lovely sage and rosemary.

Monday was yet another day of watching little Min but before she got there I decided to sketch a bit, trying to work on next years Christmas card.  The tree I did last year I had made into lovely cards for this year.  Think a snowman will be next years, a Mr. & Mrs.

Painting, The Vote is In and Fire

I have been missing in action as of late mostly because of watching kiddos and a bit of painting.  Also prepping for Thanksgiving that has just snuck up on me.  

Last week I finished this landscape and I love it and The Hubby loves it.  In fact he said not to sell it and lets hang it at the cabin!!!!  He NEVER says that.

"Fall Skies"  

16x20 oil

I also finished this commission for a friend and she will pick it up the week after Thanksgiving.

I actually started it several times and they just didn't make me happy.  In fact, this one below here is not great but Snicklefritz LOVES it so I finished it and will give it to her for Christmas.  Like all little girls she loves horses.

I did get a vote in, not that it did any good but I did it.

We've also a lot of time at the cabin and this past weekend was our first fire of the season.  I love that concrete skull in the fireplace.  LOL!