Christmas Busyness ...

I've been busy ... but not completely with all-things-Christmas. I've been crocheting a lot, making little gifts that I want to give people (and not really intended for Christmas, just because I wanted to do it.) And there have been some errands to run, lunch with friends, and yesterday I spent baking cookies for my sweet hubby to bring in to work.

There have been cards to write and trips to the post office. And phone calls. Lots of phone calls (some to friends and others to figure out why I'm running low on funds in my mom's checking account and trying to make address changes obviously not made when we moved.)

Yesterday was a phone day. I spent 3 hours (yes, 3 as in three) on the phone with an old friend who was feeling kind of down. Truth was, I was feeling a little down too. Sometimes all the merriment of preparing for Christmas can get to you. I'm hoping she felt better when we got off the phone -- I know I did!

One thing that she said that really brightened my day came up when I was relaying a story about how my father had picked up a man stranded in the Blizzard of '77 and drove him as far to his house as the roads would allow. The man didn't really have good protective weather gear on and was going to have to brave the blizzard to make it up the road the rest of the way home. I had recently given my father a scarf I had made -- my first ever crochet project and it seems my father cherished it. He gave the man his scarf but insisted on exchanging contact information and asked that the man return the scarf. When he didn't (in a timely enough manner apparently) my father went to his house and got it!

We laughed about how I was so into crocheting then (I must have been telling her that I had a few projects going now) and I told her that on Thanksgiving my brother had sent me a picture of himself in the woods where he was hunting. I think I had sent him a text wishing him a Happy Turkey Day and encouraging him to stay warm. He replied, "All is well, have hat sis made me." And on his head was a hat I had made him for Christmas some 30 years ago. I couldn't believe he still had it -- and wore it!

Well, my friend then shared that her husband (we've all been friends forever) still wore the hat I made for him some 30 years ago each and every day! She said he often puts it on and says "Thanks Barbie! Warm again today." I was flabbergasted. He still has that hat? Again -- I couldn't believe it.

I guess what struck me is how some gifts stay with us. I'll be honest, I don't remember giving the hats to my brother or our friend. I know that I've made a zillion hats and slippers over the years and liked to give them as gifts. It just really has touched my heart as I'm finding myself getting back into crochet that things I made years ago are still around and still being used!

Now the whole reason I wrote this post was not to talk about crochet or gift giving. It was because I felt guilty not having written anything in the past few days. The truth is that I rather like coming to my blog and seeing the pictures of my Christmas ornaments first thing. They make me happy (I made all the ornaments that are shown in the pictures -- well, except the balls.) I realized I love handmade things and especially like to see handmade things USED year after year.

So for the moment I'm giving up seeing pictures of my Christmas tree on the upper fold of the blog. Maybe later today I'll get a chance to take some pictures of ornaments we've picked up during our travels this year ... they make me happy too!

Moral of the post: Make gifts from the heart and with your hands ... as they bless others you just might find yourself blessed as well. Merry Christmas!

My Mom's Stuffing

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and it's going to be a little different for us this year. Instead of hosting and doing the cooking as I have for the past 30 years, I'll be traveling to New York to spend the day with my daughter and mother-in-law (and to visit with my mom who's in a nursing home.) I won't be doing the cooking this year -- I'm leaving that to Wegmans.

While I'm so happy that despite moving to Massachusetts we are still able to be with family on special days, there is one thing I'm really going to miss -- my mom's turkey stuffing. She made it for as long as I can remember and when I took over the cooking duties many years ago, there was never a question as to what kind of stuffing to make.

I still remember mom telling me that she got the recipe from her good friend, Ruthie Kern, when she was a young bride. The recipe was attributed to Ruthie's Great-Grandma Colgrove and mom told me that while we use regular store bought saltines in it these days, back then they actually made the crackers to put in the stuffing.

I thought that since I won't be making this tomorrow, I should at least share the recipe. (I did buy a turkey today to put in the freezer and was thinking maybe I would make this for Christmas Eve ... so all is not lost!) And my son mentioned to me last week that his wife now makes this stuffing as does her mother and all her aunts ... long live Grandma Colgrove!

Mom's Turkey Stuffing

Single batch (enough for small turkey):

1 loaf fresh Bread
1 stack Saltine Crackers
1 medium Onion
2 cups Milk
2 sticks Margarine
Sage
2 Eggs

Double Batch (enough for large turkey):

1 ¾ loaves fresh Bread
2 stacks Saltine Crackers
1 large Onion
3 cups Milk
2 ½ sticks Margarine
Sage
3 Eggs

Cube bread and crumble crackers. Chop onion. Mix together in large bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, heat milk and margarine over low heat in saucepan until margarine is melted and milk is hot. Pour over bread mixture and let stand for 5 minutes. Add sage to taste.

Beat the eggs until fluffy and fold in. If too soupy, add more crackers. If too dry, add another egg. Salt and pepper to taste.

Stuff turkey. If baking stuffing separately, place in greased casserole and cover. Bake at 325 for about one hour.

So Much Company ...

Since we've just moved to Massachusetts, we've had a lot of company who've come to see our new place and help us to explore Boston and all the other sweet spots close to us. We're getting down into Fall now and the beautiful leaves are gone and it's starting to turn cold. Still, we had friends come visit last weekend and family here with us since Thursday.

It's been wonderful -- despite a plumbing problem last Sunday morning that left us with water pouring through our first floor bathroom ceiling and, subsequently, some frayed nerves as we waited for the plumbers to arrive with the builder on Monday morning (at 7:20 a.m. no less!) All is well now -- there are repairs still to be done and it will mean having someone in to re-paint but the pipes were good to go before the next round of guests arrived.

Yesterday we spent another day in Boston and visited Quincy Market again. We love it there and it's always fun to go. We went to Dick's Last Resort for lunch and were properly insulted.



And we watched as workmen started putting up the Christmas decorations.




This included a 70 foot tall tree brought in from Nova Scotia. Fascinating to watch that going up and a worker climbing up the boughs and cutting the ropes that kept it all pulled together -- and then watching them fall into place. We're hoping to go next week for the lighting of the tree (we hear the Celtics and some of the Patriots are going to be there so it might be fun) so I'll hold off with pictures until then.

Today is an early Thanksgiving dinner. I was up early getting the stuffing made and the turkey in the oven. We're planning for an early dinner and then a trip into Natick Mall so William can cruise the aisles at Toys R Us and give Grandma and Grandpa lots of fun ideas for gifts!

I love having friends and family visit ... but I'm looking forward to getting back to eating healthy and spending some time with Dave and the pups. We are hoping to decorate the house a bit (we didn't even put a tree up last year as we were trying to get ready to move) and we'd like to see what festivities are going on around us that we can enjoy.

For now, I'm off to enjoy some time with my sweet grandson ...

What I Tell You?

Well, I'm laughing ... and I was in need of a good laugh.

The story is one only I will probably appreciate because I'm the grandma and well, we grandmas just think everything our grandbabies do is just adorable and sweet, and we get great pleasure thinking about our little grandbabies clever antics over and over again. Especially when we're missing them. So please indulge me this little memory.

Giggles are the best ...

Here's the giggle.

When we were visiting last weekend Josh told us how he had been playing with William and he picked up one of his toy cars and smelled it. (Don't ask me why he smelled it. I can only imagine.) And William said, "Don't smell car Daddy."

So Josh, being the antagonist that he can sometimes be, smelled it again. And again William said, "Don't smell car Daddy."

So of course Josh smelled it once again. And with that William took the car from him and said, "What I tell you?"

Now he just turned 2 a couple days ago so that kind of conversation just had us roaring with laughter. William was there as Josh was telling us about it and we could see the delight in his face as he listened and realized that his antics had us all laughing hysterically.

So now -- every so often -- when an appropriate opportunity arises, my wonderful hubby will say to me, "What I tell you?" He just sent that to me via a text when I let him know that the fix he suggested to get my computer's volume working again was a success.

And I laugh and smile all over again. Life can be so sweet.

Sometimes Our Best Laid Plans ...

(Image from Google Images)

Today my heart is sad. A call last night brought news of yet more upheaval in the life of a someone I love dearly.  It doesn't seem fair and I hate that I can't be there to show my love and offer support in person.

So -- today isn't going as I planned, certainly not as I had hoped, but I'm still rather certain that our good Lord is going to turn it all into something marvelous. I believe it with all my heart.

I've asked some dear friends to pray along with me as this situation finds resolution. Isn't it a blessing to know that there are people in your life that you know will stand beside you and pray with you when you need it most? I find it most comforting. And I am grateful for each and every one of you.

xoxo