My Christmas Favorite

I swear I could watch the 1989 holiday classic "Christmas Vacation" every day in the month of December and still laugh like a loon. I love it so much that I just had to buy a couple Etsy t-shirts about it to wear during the season. One is a tad PG13 with a bit of salty language quotes, but it's not enough to deter me from donning it. As a matter of fact, I plan to wear it tomorrow night on Christmas Eve so the dozen or so folks attending the little party at our house can enjoy it, too. 

Holiday game on the hardwoods

School is out for Christmas vacation across the state of Texas, finally, so we kicked it off by attending a holiday basketball game. The grad student invited a friend she has known since 5th grade and they had a great time catching up.

I invited one of my good friends and her older daughter to join us, so we could watch my friend's younger daughter perform with the team's hype squad. 

My friend's daughter is the cutie patootie behind the drum as seen on the Jumbotron for some contest they held during a timeout.

The last time we attended a game over Thanksgiving break, my younger daughter and her boyfriend were on the Jumbotron's Kiss Cam. Unfortunately, none of us had quick enough reflexes with our phones to get evidence of it. Last night we were luckier, when our grad student's friend was able to snap a quick pic of us on the Jumbotron's Emoji Cam. We cackled for a good five minutes afterwards. Then when the Kiss Cam rolled around, we awww'd at the live wedding proposal in the stands. 

Mimi's trip back home

I'm not sure if doing something for two years in a row qualifies it for annual status quite yet. My mother (aka Mimi) wanted to go back "home", the little town where she grew up, to visit a few friends as well as the cemeteries to put flowers on the graves of her mom and dad. So we loaded up and hit the road Friday morning for a flying weekend trip to Southeast Texas. 

At the old country cemetery where my pawpaw is buried, we had assistance from this cat who wandered up for some attention.

Lucky for me, we got to eat at some of my favorite places. I could have eaten my weight in the tasty seafood and Tex Mex we enjoyed on Saturday and Sunday. It was a lovely gastronomic stroll down memory lane for me.

Meanwhile, the husband and older daughter in from grad school took cairn Ollie to hang out with some local pups at the dog park and enjoy holiday decor downtown. The younger daughter went with her boyfriend to a Spurs game, where his family has season courtside seats. A lovely perk in these seats is photo time with a player. A very tall man, indeed.

Belated birthday present in time for Christmas

Back in September, I needed a new ride and decided to shop around for one to commemorate my October birthday. The husband and I did some test driving of a few different brands and I made my selection, but they didn't have what I wanted in stock. So I ordered one from scratch to be made over in Ol' Blighty and got to pick exactly what I wanted on it. It was supposed to arrive at the dealership on November 29. However, they were running behind schedule at the factory in England. Then that big snowstorm hit the southeast where my new auto was waiting at the port in Georgia for transport to Texas. Yesterday, I FINALLY got my new SUV. It's here just in time for Christmas, which is a pretty nice way to celebrate. Behold my new coach, with some nice horsepower beneath the hood!

Sir Elton

Earlier in the week, my sister and I attended Sir Elton John's farewell concert and it was great. Below I've posted video clips of some of the cool songs you'll recognize from his career that spans decades. I loved the sparkly coats and colorful sequined glasses he wore. Plus the fact that I could sing along to so many of his hits. With nary of whiff of weed or any attendees falling down drunk, it was a very civilized concert populated with mostly middle-aged fans.

On the second weekend in December

Friday afternoon, we hosted a happy hour for the husband's direct reports from work. It was a manageable gathering of about 16 folks. Of course, rain came down in buckets right before everyone started showing up and the roof sprung a couple new leaks. At our money pit, when it rains it inevitably finds a new place to penetrate the roof and ruin some more sheetrock. I've decided I want a new roof for Christmas instead of a piece of jewelry I was considering. 

Yesterday daughter C invited cousin L to go with us for brunch at the Guenther House, a belated celebration of C turning 18 last weekend when she was on a college tour in the southeast. The Guenther House is an historic home in the King William section of San Antonio along the river that now operates as a museum and restaurant. The daughter said her cinnamon roll was divine.

Puggies past one's prime

Last weekend, my mother had her annual first weekend in December old ladies trip to visit the Texas Christmas markets. Therefore, I was in charge of riding herd on her two ten year old pugs, Max and Ruby. Which was basically me running the canine version of a nursing home. Their puggy pills were in one of those days-of-the-week pill boxes. And they had to be hidden in a cheese chaser to get them down. 

Since their teeth are loose and falling out these days, I had to fix them squishy food with some dry mixed in for meals twice per day. They hobble around on stiff legs due to being overweight all these years - like two sets of chopsticks holding up a bowling ball - in addition to arthritis. Since the weather had warmed up, they enjoyed sunning themselves on the patio. I had to pay my cleaning lady an $70 extra to clean up the pug hair all over the saltillo tile floors in the cabana since that's where they stayed while their doting mother was gone. Pugs really are sweet and cute, but OMG the hair they shed will drive a neatnik like me up the wall trying to stay on top of the constant shedding.

Decked and done

It's hard to believe we're just getting into the month of December since I've been enjoying my Christmas decor for about three weeks now. I always have fun and look forward to decking the communal living spaces with Santas. I began collecting the jolly old elf when I was 24, so this is my 27th Christmas enjoying the fat man in the red suit. Though sometimes it's the green suit. Or white suit. Doesn't matter... I love Santa in all forms and pursuits. Here are some pics of our house all ready for the holiday season.

I always enjoy unearthing my Santa nesting set in the boxes of stored Christmas decor. Purchased while on a river cruise with my husband at our stop in Budapest, I love the bright colors and unique design.

Hola, Santa! We're not drinkers, so I had to scratch through several cupboards to find a random wine and liquor we were given last year as Christmas presents to use with the two Santa bottle covers. Along the bar shelving, I placed my little grouping of Santa mugs, including a few we picked up at the German Christmas markets in Cologne while living abroad.

In my opinion, good decorating is all about the details, both big and small. It's making sure I have good coverage with my theme of Santas. The trick is to edit appropriately and not go crazy so that it gets cluttered. Too much stuff means it all becomes a blur and can't be appreciated by your guests. Even the hand and dish soap at the sink are in seasonal colors. Plus the heavy doggy door stop that looks like our black cairn Pepper.

My large dining room table is covered with an assortment of candleholders in various sizes surrounded by my collection of Santa and Mrs. Claus salt and pepper shakers. Some are vintage, while others are brand new. I love the variety of poses, clothing and expressions even though it's just a repetition of the same two characters in this simple yet sweet design. 

Happy 18 to our bitty bear

It's hard to believe the younger daughter C is now 18. In some ways it seems like her birth was just yesterday, but on the other hand it's hard to remember our life without her. She is our old soul even though she's the baby of the family. She has a dry sense of humor that we always enjoy. Like her great grannies Doris and Annie, she has an iron will as well as a strong sense of right and wrong. 

From our chubby cheeked cherub to the sleek young woman of today, we feel blessed that God entrusted you to us. Her daddy and I look forward to high school graduation in the spring and seeing where she lands for college with Decision 2019. Her two frontrunners continue to be Bama and Clemson, though I believe Clemson is taking the lead right now since she just made a second visit to check it out. Auburn isn't out of the running, especially since her boyfriend attends school there and she's waiting to hear if she's accepted into the honors college.

Our fervent hope and prayer for C is that the Lord continues to bless her and guide her, now and always. Happy birthday, bitty bear - we love you!

New travel wall idea

I was scrolling through some mind-numbing social media earlier today and saw this in an ad. I've got my own picture travel wall, but I really love this idea that relates all of the pics to a particular continent/country. At some point, the oldtimers is gonna hit and then I won't be able to recall where/when all of our various travel pics were taken unless I place labels on the back soon. I've pinned these two pics below and will definitely keep this in mind for the second home I'm longing for in the mountains on a lake.

Gone Too Soon

Yesterday the husband and I attended a funeral. All deaths bring grief, but this one was especially heartbreaking since we were memorializing a high school senior who took her own life on Thanksgiving Day.

This young woman seemed to have life by the tail, with her impressive resume and Ivy League college applications. She was articulate and kind. She grew up attending church and had loving parents who provided the cushion of financial security. She wasn't into drinking, drugs or promiscuity. But she obviously had a lot of inner turmoil we'll never fully understand, to the point where impulsivity and hopelessness in that one moment had her making an irrevocable decision that would forever change the lives of many who knew and loved her.

Every morning, I wake up and think about this young woman's mother. How all of her dreams and hopes for her daughter died on Thanksgiving Day 2018. How this holiday will never be the same for the rest of their lives. That this family will struggle with grief and anger in the coming days, weeks, months and possibly years. 

I don't have the answers we all seek. How could a loving God allow this to happen? How will God use this for the greater good to help others? Why did this young woman's life come to such a tragic end at such a young age? All I can do is pray for strength and peace for all of us, the family in particular, as we move forward through this painful period of mourning.

For anyone who is struggling... CHOOSE TO STAY!

Turkey Day 2018

This year, we somehow avoided the zillion pics on a major holiday and rather just enjoyed the time together. Plus the usual great food! It's always nice when the grad student rolls in for the holidays so we can enjoy both girls and be a family of four again for a little bit.

Getting lit

This morning, the lighting company rolled up and finally installed the holiday bling. Our contract stipulated it was to be done by Thanksgiving, so they shimmied up ladders to wrap our trees at the last minute. 

They lit up seven trees candy cane style in the front yard per the high school senior's request. The back patio got five trees wrapped in alternating red and white. It's all on a timer and I'm thrilled at the results. That just leaves the finishing touches on our new wreath as well as the front gate lights that all has to be installed by me and the grad student on Friday. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here, even though it's the day before Thanksgiving.

Last but not least, the front gate with the finished wreath!