Thank Goodness For Hallmark Christmas Movies...

So I started feeling puny Saturday afternoon. TLC is convinced I got this—whatever “this” is—from her and/or her family. I was at their casa last Tuesday and Wednesday. The illness had started with Little Leighton (LL), then hit TLC, and then, finally, attacked TLC’s Hubby.

I was super careful—or so I thought. Kept my hands clean. Didn’t let any of them breathe on me too closely. We feel like it’s an airborne issue. Whatever causes you to feel YUCKY is certainly not fun.

Seems to begin with a sore throat—a weird kind of sore. It hurts to swallow (and feels like something is trying to choke me). Headache. My chest hurts. I had a low-grade fever last night. Coincidentally, I’d run out, at the first of the week, of my probiotics I take every morning. I’m super vigilant about taking vitamins and can say, fairly definitively, that I stay mostly quite healthy. (I get the BIG BAD stuff: Twisted intestines. Breast cancer. Total, complete, and sudden deafness in my left ear—eight years ago. A broken arm—my first broken bone at age 54—which was seven years ago. Osteoporosis.) Apparently, I got a teensy bit too tooty about how healthy I am and poked a stick at a bear (this virus or cold or whatever the heck it is being said bear…).

Anyway…I stayed in bed all day yesterday. Only got up to have three cups of hot tea, an orange and chicken soup for lunch. I entertained myself with the six Hallmark Hall of Fame Christmas movies I’d pre-recorded. Honestly? I’ve probably only watched three or four of these Christmas movies in the past however-many-years-Hallmark-has-had-its-own-channel.

I’d been recording them the past couple of weeks. TLC has been doing this, too. The third one I began to watch? I deleted it fifteen minutes in. The acting was not good. The story seemed too-beyond-ridiculous and a tidbit boring. The other five? LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY ONE. Even though they are all basically the same movie! They take place in different cities (New York shows up A LOT, however…) and have different actors. Still, they’re the same. If there’s not a wish-granting Santa, there’s an Angel. We go back to the past. Or we, magically, end up in the future. Or, in some movies, we do both! Same story. Different settings and characters. Who cares? They’re awesome.

The girl ALWAYS gets the BEST/cutest/nicest/sweetest/funniest guy. And vice versa. Parents and/or children end up hugely happy. Good wins out over evil. Every time. All the nice peeps live happily ever after.

I love that. Don’t Y’all? I need that. Especially now. When it's difficult to watch the evening news without wanting to cry. Or scream. Or hide under your bed.

This Sweet Sunday I feel better. I've been up and dressed since 6:00 a.m. Still taking Tylenol and trying not to overdo. In fact, I'm about to go rest and finish a movie I started early this morning. I'm addicted. Someone help me.

Here’s hoping you each have a Wonderful week—wherever in the World you are! (Watch a Hallmark Christmas movie if you can—it’ll do your heart, soul and spirit good—promise…)

smooches and hugs, Sillies…

Freeze Frame...

Little Leighton and I spent the afternoon baking "Peanut Blossom" cookies--something ELC and I would do together every Christmas. I wish I would have thought to take several pictures, but, I'm trying to be more present. I adore Christmas, and I'm always so melancholy when it's over because it seems to zoom by so. darn. fast. This year, LL is so excited. She is filled to the brim with Christmas spirit. It makes my heart nearly burst.

I've had most of my decorations up since before Thanksgiving. I've been adding touches here and there, mostly as I "inherit" some wonderful goodies from ELC. Last Saturday, we took LL to a "Breakfast with Santa" at a church where her cousin attends preschool. She couldn't wait to tell Santa what she wants for Christmas: a Minnie Mouse stamp set and a pink kitchen with a microwave (Plus an oven, refrigerator, telephone and a counter to put her babies on while she bakes--I'm not kidding when I say she is THIS specific--it cracks us up. It's made the kitchen search a bit challenging for Ol' St. Nick!). When we left with our two 3x5 pictures in tow, I couldn't wait to get home to frame one of them. I immediately placed it by last year's Santa picture. I could not believe how much my darling Little Leighton has grown and changed. It made me cry.

She is quite the Little Lady now--a big girl ready to become a big sister this early Spring. I'll be anxious to see what next year's Santa picture looks like--with my 4-year-old and 9 month old. WOW.

Who knows how to freeze time?

Happy Friday Eve, dear friends!

The End of an Era...

This tree would have seen sixteen (16) Christmases at our country casa…BUT it was given away two days ago. Sniff. Sniff.

A friend of ours, who was fantastic at interior decorating and who owned a gift store in the college town near us (he also owned a lovely/delicious restaurant for about six or seven years…), bought this tree for us, on our behalf, for our first Christmas in our new home. We’d moved in at the very end of November—from our Barn Apartment. Things were chaotic, of course. We needed a tree that was at least 9-feet tall—for our 14-foot Great Room ceiling. He found it—at a good price. Purchased some “lodge-y” decorations for us. And then put it up and decorated it, too! For the next four years, he came and decorated our tree and home for Christmas. Right after Thanksgiving. He did this for many of his friends and as a money-maker.

After five or so years, My Sweet Hubby (MSH) and I decided that was an extravagance we could forego. We went back to doing the Christmas decorating ourselves. Sigh. (It was sure lovely—feeling special, fancy and, well, almost ROYAL—all those years.)

Then six-ish years ago, MSH started complaining about this tree. Loudly and non-stop. We’d made a mistake when we put in our front door. It’s a double door—but only one side opens. Dragging this tree in through the door that opened started messing up the lights. When MSH plugged it in? Half the lights would not be working. He’d commence a 2-4 hour process of trying to find which dadgum lights had gotten loose and were messing 2/3rds of the tree up. Often times, he'd be forced to make a run to Hellmart, which is over 20 miles, one way, from our home. Sheesh. (Not the word he usually said.)

He started a campaign I called his “Please, Dear Lord, AND ELC, Let Us Purchase A New Tree” Campaign. Being the tightwad (about some things) I am, I would say, sweetly:

ELC: Now, listen, MSH. We don’t need to spend the money on a new tree. I understand it takes you a while to get the lights going, but you always do. And, think about it: A new tree will likely have the same problems.

MSH: That’s not a certainty. We had no problems with the tree lights for the first nine or so years. I can’t stand this job. It takes a toll on my Christmas Spirit.

ELC: Well, let’s discuss it next year, 'kay? 

Yep. We'd have that discussion. I’d hang tough and say, with determination: Not this year. Let’s discuss it next year. Winky. Wink.

A couple of weeks ago, as we planned our “Tree Lighting Ceremony,” MSH began his annual campaign. This time, I didn’t have the energy to argue/plead/threaten. I gave in. My rules? The tree had to be smaller. No more than 7 feet tall. It had to be on sale. It had to be—in all likelihood—the last we’d buy. I was confident he’d have NO issues with these demands. He didn’t.

We found this tree at a Hobby Lobby in Fort Worth. (There is nothing more fun than Hobby Lobby right before Thanksgiving and up until Christmas—said no one. Ever.)  It was 50% off. (Although, frankly, I think even that price was about $30-$50 too high.) It’s slender, easy to assemble, and, when one light goes out, it doesn’t cause 100 more to fail. It worked for both of us!

I’m gifting TLC and Little Leighton the small tree we bought the year of the Sandy Hook murders. If y’all have been with us since that time, you might remember I couldn’t find my Christmas spirit. It was just too horrible/sad/devastating. I bought a little 4-foot lighted tree and put it on a table in front of our bookshelf. I had an ornament for each of the children and the adults (except for the adult psychotic killer and, yes, I should have found a way to forgive him…unfortunately, I still don’t think I’m there yet…) that had perished that horrific day. It’s a very sweet tree. Multi-colored lights. I’ve kept most of the ornaments and have put them on our new tree. Little Leighton (and soon to be born Baby Leighton) will be able to have a tree in her/their upstairs playroom. She/they can decorate it with some of TLC’s ornaments she had when she was a small tot. I’m hoping to take it to them this week. I'll be tres anxious to see it! (TLC is the Quintessential Lover of All Things Christmas! At some point, I see some rebellion from Her Hubby on the horizon. She even wears me out.)

MSH and I have scaled down, significantly, from our past efforts to mega-decorate our home. We feel the need for SIMPLE. (This is where we are—MSH and me—in total sync, being in the “Golden Years” of our lives. Less is more.) TLC will be receiving some Santas, including a Santa Nutcracker, and other decorations she’s had her eyes on for a few years. She’ll even inherit the plastic storage tub for it all—I won’t need it. YIPPEE!!!

This year, on January 1^st or 2^nd, it shouldn’t take me two days (as it always has in the past) to disassemble my Christmas hoop-la! Trust me: that will make this ELC/Wife/Mom/Grammy VERY VERY VERY Happy.

Y’all have a WONDERFUL Week…PLEASE...Wherever in the World you are!

ta-ta for now…

And Yet Another Gratitude Post--Part 2

(Taken from a post entitled: Get Your Gratitude On! Tuesday, November 22, 2011…)

December. December??? It’s December, Y’all. This post was to be done on November 30^th. Oops.

So here is the rest of that recycled/updated post!

What ELC Is Grateful For At This Very Moment:

1. The Love and Grace of our Lord God Almighty and His Son, Jesus Christ.
2. God’s Creation of This Spectacular World!
3. My husband, our children and their spouses, our grandchildren (the newest is on her way!), family and precious friends.
4. The Freedom given to us by our Forefathers and every single military woman and man that has served (or is serving now) The United States of America, especially those who have given their lives or who were injured and/or changed forever, from the time America was born until the very second you are reading this. And beyond.
5. My health and safety—my eyes (to take in Nature and all of its splendor), ears (well, my one good ear!), arms and legs. And all of the general good health for which our family has been blessed.
6. Our comfortable casa on our beautiful hill in our Terrific Texas!
7. Teddy Buddy Boo Bear and Hurricane Henry.
8. The food we have—and have always had—to eat; our clothes we’ve always had to wear—especially warm coats and gloves; our vehicles to drive us where we need/want to go and the lovely lower-priced gas to put in those vehicles.
9. Amazing music (most especially Christian, Country and Christmas!), television (and DVRs!), movies, books and exquisite art.
10. Cell phones and computers (so I can keep in touch with My TLC, Little Leighton, Baby Leighton, family and friends.
11. Laughter. Hope. Peace.

With our Love and Hugs, we wish each of you a Happy, Safe, Healthy, Delightful December!