HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Greetings bloggers -- hope you are all enjoying this holiday period. I heard it is already 2010 in Australia -- Did all of you have a good time New Year's Eve?

There are just the two of us in our house tonight -- we aren't much for celebrating. Grandson is still around but is staying with his Mom while we prepare to go off with some friends for some fun and games. We took my Mom home yesterday and today she left with Brother and SIL for a 2 night trip to visit children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was looking forward to the trip.

The new year ended with a crash for us -- I was walking past my china cabinet carrying a basket of laundry. I looked away and clipped the corner of the cabinet with the basket resulting in a terrible crash of china and crystal! Not the way I wanted to end my year but... it is only "stuff" after all, and much of it can be replaced. Sweetie came home early and helped me fish the pieces out from behind the sliding glass doors (which did not break.) We lost surprisingly little.

As we look forward to this new year, may I wish each and every one of you PEACE, LOVE, JOY, HEALTH, FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND A NEW APPRECIATION FOR ALL THAT YOU HOLD DEAR.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!

Wherever you are around the world, we wish you a wonderful day! During this special season when we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, may you hold his love in your heart!

We are celebrating with family and there are smiles on all our faces.

And for all of you, also, a Very Happy New Year. May the year, 2010, bring not the end of the world, but the beginning of another year of wonderful life.

From all of my family here in south Texas -- Peace be with you!

I haven't been around for a while -- lots to do and the time is quickly draining away!!

We have Mom here and she has been enjoying the parties and church service. Yesterday a grandson flew in -- oh, my, he has gotten so talllllllll! He is 16 so there is a good possibility that he will grow even taller. He may be the tallest in the family when he reaches his full potential.

Mom, grandson, and I are going shopping this morning -- picking up a few more items to round out our Christmas. I need to sit down and make a list of ingredients needed for the meals, and I need to check it twice! I have my meals planned -- tonight we are having pot roast and will be 6 around the table. I will put the roast in the crock pot and let it cook while we are out shopping. What a wonderful invention!!
Wednesday I have planned stuffed poblano chilies. I cooked the chicken yesterday so that won't take long to prepare. Christmas Eve we will have Beef Enchilada Casserole -- a family favorite.
We are all excited about that -- we don't have it too often. Christmas Day we will have ham and our favorite trimmings. Oh, such good eats and me on a diet!! groan!

Class day -- the last one in 2009. I asked the students if they wanted to do something special and they voted to bring snacks to the class.
I took cookies -- F, our only male in the class, brought Natilla, a sweet dish similar to a bread pudding. It is a Christmas treat in Columbia.
A, the new student, brought little cherry bites -- sweet cherries in crust.
The other A brought chocolate pudding with a cherry on top.
M, from Iran, went all out and brought a meat dish along with a flat bread, dipping sauce, and pickles. Evidently you put one of the meat croquettes on a piece of the bread, spread on some of the sauce, and eat it with pickles. It was very good. The other M, from Korea, brought rice cake a thick chewy dish with black beans and corn. It wasn't very sweet but tasted good. She also brought a beef and noodle dish with vegetables in it. I'm afraid I sampled everything.

We shared the food with the librarians -- some dropped by for a visit and the others were going to eat during their breaks. There was a lot of conversation going on during the eating time. I enjoyed seeing my students interact.

"I" came back -- she has had health problems and she had to go back to Mexico for some treatment. I was glad to see her. She was afraid that I had dropped her.

After we finished eating we had a lesson on George Washington -- They read a short story about him and we discussed the information -- A new word- surveyor. Our article mentioned that he was home schooled. I asked if people still home schooled and A, from France/Mexico, said no, not in today's world. That opened the discussion of my 4 home schooled grandchildren. They enjoyed hearing about them and how successful their schooling had been. I don't think any of them knew about homeschooling in the U.S.
After reading the article we did a brief quiz and they seemed to have a good grasp of what they read.

All in all it was a good class. It provided fellowship, sharing of food customs, pronounciation help, reading for content and comprehension, and some American history. Even though F was late, as usual, I was much happier with my class overall! (After class F told me that he had enjoyed the class and that he was very happy with me.)

Fall colors

We have been living here since 1996 and this is the most fall color that I have ever seen! We had just the right amount of cold weather to set the process in motion -- the leaves are just beautiful.
I took a few pictures around my neighborhood -- Hope you enjoy them!

Sweetie and I have been out shopping -- we got quite a lot accomplished! He had some vacation time to burn so he is taking several Fridays off. This is nice but then it is hard to face Monday morning when he has to go back to work. Retirement is looking better and better! 3-1/2 months!
While I was at one store he went to visit his Harley -- it may be ready before Christmas. He has really missed riding.

Back when we had the snow and ice, one of my door handles broke off. We are having it repaired and it is costing over $150.00! That isn't a good thing right here at Christmas! Sweetie also had to replace two tires -- he had a flat back a week ago and that tire was shot and the spare wasn't good so he bought two new tires. It was raining when his tire went flat and he wasn't a happy camper!

Last night I went to a Ladies Ornament Exchange -- everyone took a wrapped Christmas ornament and we drew numbers, got to pick a bag and open it -- and then keep it , at least for a while, then... perhaps someone will steal it and then you have to open another one or steal someone else's. I ended up with an angel, which is now on my mantle along side her "sisters" who have been with me for several Christmases. (An earlier ornament was "stolen" from me.) We had loads of fun, talking and laughing and eating. This is a yearly tradition at my church and is much loved.

Earlier in the week, as I was putting a pan into the trunk of my car (the turtle, I think some of you call it, or the boot.) the trunk lid came down on me. It didn't hit me hard but I was caught with 1/2 of my body inside the trunk and 1/2 outside. I was parked on a steep incline so it was a bit difficult to wiggle out! I'm sure it look amusing from the street! Today we purchased the necessary parts and Sweetie put two new power lifts on my trunk lid. Hooray!

Oh, my, I just looked at my calendar and found that next week is my SIL's birthday. Drat! I always forget it!! Hummm, what can I do?

Tonight Sweetie and I went to a choir party. Part of the activities was a "White Elephant" gift exchange.

Do all of you know what that is?

We had a lot of fun opening the gifts or 'stealing' someone else's gift. I took a small basket that is meant to have a plant pot in it and a can of mulling spices. That was one "White Elephant." The second gift I took was a jar of dried beans meant for 15 bean soup. In the same bag was a set of colored marker stamps. I brought home a stuffed reindeer that sings "Blue Christmas" like Elvis would have done if he were drunk and suffering from a bad cold. Sweetie gave away his gift -- a set of woodworking books that a friend wanted.

Tomorrow night I will go to a party for ladies only. We will have an ornament exchange but it will be handled like the White Elephant exchange -- the more popular ornaments will be "stolen" until they are "frozen."

My quilting group had a party on Monday and we exchanged gifts of fat quarters, using the same format. Saturday evening we have still another party and another white elephant gift exchange.
All these parties are a challenge to my diet!

Our temperature up and down is still going on -- 70's one day and then 50's the next. A cold front is blowing through tonight. I have uncovered most all of the plants so I hope we do not get another freeze.

Today was class -- I was totally frustrated and told my students that I was. They learned that new word, frustrated! I was unhappy with students showing up late time after time, not doing the small assignments I give them for homework, and leaving during class to talk on the phone on a regular basis, and missing class without letting me know why. This is the worse class I have ever had as far as those things are concerned. I think they understood -- one girl got a call but she silenced her phone and did not leave the class.

We studied the long and short U words, and reviewed all of the vowel sounds. They asked for this study of vowel pronunciation but I am not sure they learned much of it. We also talked about Christmas -- the difference between religious and secular holidays and we discussed different holidays and determined which they were. We also looked at the holidays Christmas and Easter and determined what part of them was religious and what part was secular. Each told the class if Christmas was celebrated in their native country and if so, how.

One student, A, showed up with a friend who wanted to join the class. I allowed her to join because she will be an asset. She is fluent in French, almost fluent in Spanish and has a good command of English. She understood everything I said, which is good. Not all of my students understand everything I say. I do a lot of "face reading" to see if they are understanding. We made sentences and talked about the difference between "may" and "can." By the time the class was over I was feeling better about what we had accomplished.

Next week is our last class for 2009 -- we will have some treats. Then we will take a three week break.

Our Christmas special "Drive-thru Life of Christ" was well attended last night. This is a three night event, normally, but we had to cancel Friday night due to icy road conditions. Saturday night it was very cold but we made it through the evening -- my position (as are many) was outside and I dressed in 4 layers of clothing. My body stayed warm but my hands nearly froze despite gloves.

Sunday night wasn't as cold but we had some wind and drizzle to put up with. The church rented some small tents and we had one over the table where we were working. I called our table the "Good-bye" table since we were handing out goodie bags to those who had just completed the drive around the scenes. We stayed dry most of the time -- when you go out and approach the leaving cars in the rain you are bound to get wet.

Sweetie, having just been sick, only took an inside position on Sat. night and then on Sunday he was singing the entire time. Choir, Praise Team, Quartet, etc.

On the way to the church Sweetie had a flat -- it took us a while to get it changed and him back on the road. He had to be there 2 hours before I did so I wasn't with him. He called and I went to help with then tire changing and then went back home for a while.

Today I have a quilting Christmas party and I'm really looking forward to that!

Take care of yourselves and stay warm and dry!

A quick trip outside produced these images....


Our split-leaf philodendron -- we call this plant "The Elephant." One year it froze down to only one leaf -- then it came back. We have to cut 1/3 to 1/2 half of it out every year or we would not be able to walk around the corner of the house.

Our hisbicus in bloom -- this, of course, is a hibiscus -- a tropical or semi-tropical plant. It will not like the hard freeze that we are having tonight. It may get a blanket!

"Sassy" My car in the snow!

IT IS SNOWING IN KATY!

No, I'm not kidding -- snow is falling here on the gulf coast of Texas. It isn't sticking right now but the prediction is for 1 - 3 inches on the ground. A little early for a White Christmas, but it is lovely to look at. Schools are closing early, V's day care is closing early, Sweetie, who has been ill for the past two days, is getting off work early, church Christmas program is cancelled for tonight. I told Sweetie that we will light the fireplace and just be cozy today. Perhaps I will get my Christmas cards addressed, or some sewing done.

I was out shopping yesterday and enjoyed looking at the fall color that we are having. This area doesn't get much fall color because we don't usually have the weather that prompts the change in the colors of the leaves. However, this year we had an early cold spell and there is a good bit of color showing. I told my friend that I was going to get my camera and take some pictures to blog. Well, I didn't, and I'm afraid they may not survive the snow and 20 deg (F) weather. My hibiscus has nine blooms on it -- best it has ever looked! ...and it is snowing! Go figure!