Christmas Shopping

In all the years I've had my blog, this is the first year I have NOT posted through Christmas, and I missed it. I had several pictures downloaded and ready to go, but I was so busy, and tired, I didn't even open my computer.  I am so very tired of the busy-ness.  With working on the house (almost every night-we have five rooms finished now, check out our bathroom) family stuff, estate stuff, a few crafty times, some entertaining, reunion planning, and holidays, something had to suffer.  And sadly, it was my blog.  I'm going to go ahead and post stuff that I have not posted through this past year.  I might post several times a day just to get caught up on some of the family things we did this year. I want to be able to go back in a year or two and see what we did.  I will say, I'm not sorry to see 2015 go.  I'm ready for it to be finished.  It was not one of my favorite years, although I did have some fun times.  

 I'd like to start the new year off with a clean slate, and a blog that people want to actually read.  So without further ado.....

I did get squeeze in some fun shopping.

Traditionally, my sister and I go shopping the day after Thanksgiving.  We used to go for the social part of it, but we stopped doing that last year.  We used to see a lot of people we knew when people would stand in line outside the doors of the stores to get the coupons and the snow globages (our word for them, from Penneys).  But since the stores started opening on Thanksgiving Day, we stopped the whole social black Friday shopping thing.

However,  Mom and I went to a couple of places later in the day, and we went to Penneys to get the globages. Oddly,.they did not give the globages out until 3:00 pm.

 

So we went back at 3:00 pm and there wasn't a line for them at all.  And we were supposed to keep it a secret but they gave us two.   We gave one to my sister and one to my  niece.  Penneys said this was the last year for them.

 This is Horton's in Tipton.   My cousin Vickie and I went there, and we were a bit disappointed.  It was very foggy out that day so we had to go later than planned.  And I heard from "Susie" (She junks) that it was very busy that morning so we might have just missed out.  Here are a few pics of Hortons, not necessarily their Christmas stuff.

I think I want to hang some ball jars by Coral Belle and put candles in them!

I was trying to talk my Shug into these lights for our foyer area.  I think they'd look great.

And this is Patty Becks, Herbs and Clay pottery.  We stopped by there on our way to Horton's.  Her Santa this year, is a cookie baking Santa. Next year I am going to do some cookie baking in my new kitchen with someone.  I don't know who yet, maybe whoever wants to come over!  I'm starting new traditions.

And this is a store downtown called The Jitterbug.  They had a window decorating contest.  I went to downtown Kokomo with Mom and Dad on First Friday in December. 

I thought The Jitterbug's window was so cute.  Look at all of those letters Santa received!

  

 

 And we did stop by to see the Seiberling Mansion, but we did not go through it this year.  This is the first year in about 9 years that we did not take my nieces through the We Care park either.  As you know, my Shug's Mom passed away this past summer.  We always took her out on her birthday, which would have been the 14th, looking at the Christmas lights. 

 

A lot has changed this year.  I know there will be years like that.   Out with the old, in with the new!  If only it were that easy!

Cindy Bee

Our room

Hello!

I'd like to show you what we've been up to. 

See this door below, with the two windows on either side...

It is the entrance to our "room" where we are living,

and have been living for three years now.

 Come along inside...I want to show you something.

 

 Last Friday (not two days ago, but a week and two days ago), we finished the bedroom and bathroom UPSTAIRS in the main part of the house.

This is what our room looked like last year at Christmas time.

And the year before that...

and the year before that....

but now...

(ok these were the messy pics after moving the bedroom out.  Have you ever noticed when you are in the process of moving furniture it creates a bigger mess?  But...)

 

I got that cleaned up and now...

it looks like this.

And I had exactly two days to get it in shape

 and get the tree up and decorated because I had company coming over for brunch on Tuesday!
See the difference.  The bed is now upstairs.  So I no longer entertain in the same room I sleep in!

 

And I have an island, which adds a bit more countertop space.

I got this "island" at a friends auction for only $10.  I had no idea what I was going to do with it when I bought it, but it had an enamelware (or porcelain) top on it, and I'm a sucker for furniture with tops as such!

My Shug hung a curtain rod up so I could hide the bottom part of it.  I put the Christmas curtains up for now, and I'll add something else later.

 TADAH!

Click HERE to see our new bedroom!

Cindy Bee

Christmas Shopping Trip

These pictures and stories tend to be the same every year, but that's what makes this trip a Tradition!  We always go on a Christmas shopping trip the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Theresa always picks up Dan's Donuts.  I used to live close enough that we would walk there, but now she picks them up on her way to our house, in the country

And I always text Vickie a picture of me eating her favorite donut!

Off we go....shopping in Ft. Wayne, IN.

Mom did not go this year.  Her and Dad had plans to go to a play or a musical or something and spent the night in a hotel.  And Gloria didn't go because she had back surgery.  But they both either called or texted.   I'm thinking...even though they "don't want to go anymore" I expect they will come with us next year.
We always get our picture taken in the car.

 The first stop was the outdoor mall, and the first store my Sister and I went in to they had coffee and dessert on the table by the door!!!!!  WOOHOO!!! PAR-TAY!

I started to help myself to a cup of coffee when Theresa walked away and made a comment about the last time this happened.

Wooooe, I remember...but I really wanted that coffee.

The last time we saw a table set up like this was at the same mall, but at the Vera Bradley store, a couple of years ago.  Theresa and I walked right up and grabbed a cup of coffee and maybe a snack or something, then a sales lady told us it was for a private party!!!  EMBARRASSING!

I put my cup back down and took a couple of steps away....
and looked around....
you know how you do....
you keep looking at it, then see if 

a) you can get the coffee without getting caught

or 

b) you can find a salesperson, so you can ask if it's ok if we have a cup.

   A saleslady walked up and YES!  We could help ourselves!

 And it's a good thing we got some warm coffee because it started to get really cold out that day and of all days....SNOW!

 

So, our newest tradition is to take our picture in front of the big outdoor Christmas tree.  You can't even tell we have our Ugly Purdue Christmas Sweatshirts on because we were all bundled up.  Some lady walked by as we were trying to take a selfie and she offered to take our picture.  We thanked her and started to walk away and we noticed the tree wasn't in the picture!

 So, we stopped again and started to take another selfie when a guy walked by and offered to take our pic.  Theresa said, "No thanks" and we were all saying, "Let him take it."  When he walked away.  We all started laughing.  Oh well...it's the best we could do! (almost looks like the tree is part of my hat)

 The windshield when we got back to the car.

  And this is what the weather looked like when we left the mall and headed to the indoor mall!

 Merry-Go-Round is still there...

 We shopped all day, left around 9ish, then went to the car.  ANd look.....

 It was really snowing when we headed to the hotel.

 We got back to the hotel room and even though we are not supposed to buy each other gifts, we all did.

Ashley got us cute little note pads with sticky notes

Vickie got us gift cards from starbucks

Theresa got us bath and body stuff 

and I got us little Annalee mouse ornaments and chocolate.

Our room was a suite with a little kitchenette.  We all brought little snack foods and had snacks in lieu of dinner.  Twas a wonderful evening.

And here we are the next morning ready to head out again for more shopping.

 

 If we can find room in the car for more stuff!

Talk with your teeth together....kind of clenched.... This little hunk of snow drove me crazy!  The wipers wouldn't get it off and I couldn't reach it!

 We all had a wonderful shopping trip weekend, but....

on the way home, Theresa hit a deer.  :-(

She found out the other day....$5,000.00 worth of damage.  

Most expensive shopping trip ever.

 Cindy Bee

PS - Today, December 12, 2015, it was 66 degrees outside.  VERY unusual for our part of the country this time of the year.  My bees were out!

 

What's your preference?

Just curious....do you prefer shopping at stores where you can feel, touch, smell, and return!  Or, do you prefer ordering online, where you can sit in your chair, eating popcorn, drinking wine, in your pj's?  Of course, people wear their pj's everywhere now, so I guess that part doesn't matter!

Cindy Bee

Thanskgiving on the Rocks or Epic Persimmon Pudding fail!

My Sister was going to start a blog called "Why I Drink Wine." 

 I think it's a great idea. 

 I could do guest posts now and then!  

On Wednesday evening my plan was to make persimmon pudding, apple pie, and do some blogging and blog hopping.  

But this happened instead...

 Which took over an hour to clean up, and I'm still finding glass.

This is what a baking pan full of cooked persimmon pudding looks like, when it is set on the stove top, and explodes. Yes, it literally exploded.  The stove top was probably hot.  I actually just moved the pudding from the left burner to the right one when it went BOOM! Luckily, I did not get hurt.  But the persimmon pudding was ruined, and the second batch that was started, had to be started over, since glass flew everywhere.  And I do mean EVERYWHERE!

And this ain't no box mix people.  Recipe here.

 I was not happy.  As a matter of fact, when Mom called to tease me about it, I told her it's too early to be teasing me.  She heard about it through my sister, who heard about it through me.  News travels fast in this family.

And actually, Mom and Dad bought the persimmon pulp for me a couple of weeks ago.  And they bought extra this year because Dad wanted me to make him one all for himself!

Mom then offered to come over and help me clean it up.  I declined, but thanked her.

In times like this it's best I be alone!

I tend to talk a lot, to myself, during times like this, and I probably wouldn't want anyone to hear me!  Oh come on, don't pretend you don't do that now and again!

 And the reason I use my stove top for a counter top is because I have been living (for too long) in a room with one foot of counter space.  My advice is two fold.
1)  Do not  use your stove top for a counter top
2) Do not agree to move into one room in a basement while your husband builds a house.  Because your one room will probably only have one foot of counter top.

 I did get the persimmon pudding re-made, in two smaller pans, that are not glass.  I decided if there was enough left, I'd give one to Dad.  (I also made a spare blackberry pie, that I left in the car, just in case there wasn't enough dessert.)  

 At this point it was late.  So I sat down to watch repeats of Friends while I sipped on some Bailey's Irish Creme, on the rocks mind you!

Thanksgiving Day we went to my Sister and her husband's house.  We got there early because my Shug brings wood and he always starts a fire in their fireplace. 

My niece came downstairs, because "her Mother said so," and she started snacking on some mac and cheese.....

ewwwww

Yep, it's a hair!  I know.  What would Martha say?  What will Mother say!

I will probably get in trouble for even posting this picture!

I did not eat any mac and cheese, nor did I make it, but for those that did eat some, and if you read my blog....

what you didn't know, didn't kill you right?

So, I say...."Hand me that bottle of wine kid!"  

And I had wine....not on the rocks.

Now do not get the wrong idea.  I was not getting drunk on either occasion.

Have you ever seen the Ellen video when Gladys says, "I love the Lord but I drink a little!"

Yup....you can call me Gladys if'n you want!

This is my Sister's MIL, and our Mom.

and Dad, My Shug, Emily, and My Brother relaxing before dinner.

  While my Sister's Shug cut the turkey.

 

Now here I am with no pictures of the beautiful table setting.  And it was beautiful. 

We all ate, and then,

we played the kleenex box game!

I keep threatening to take Pinterest away from my sister.

You take a kleenex box,

put ping pong balls inside it,

belt it to your backside,

then you jump around and bend backwards and do whatever jig you can do to get the ping pong balls to fall out of the kleenex box.  

Yes, I'm serious.

And yes, this was AFTER we ate Thanksgiving dinner.

What in thee hell....

Who comes up with this stuff?

 And I seriously just had a conversation with my crochet group the other day about why I don't jump around anymore.

 I said, "I'd poke my eye out!"

 And "K" said, "She'd knock herself out!"  LOLOL!

(notice I did not put pics of myself on here!)

This pixie of a kid won.  Of course, she could have done a back bend if she wanted to.

I'd suffocate myself doing a back bend, but that'd be after I broke my back, or passed out!

 Now crafts are a different story!

I brought the stuff to make some Christmas decorations. 

 My sister found one of the craft ideas, and I found another one.

 And I think those that participated enjoyed it.  No jumping required!

 Cute huh?

 

 We then all gathered for dessert....

 and to wish Lorri a Happy Birthday!!!!

 During which time Mom and Andrew struck up a conversation about what Mom wanted for Christmas.  Now, Andrew is 29 and Mom is 80.  Andrew drew her name.  I happened to be standing nearby and heard him ask her if  she wanted to go sky diving with him for a Christmas present!  And she was seriously giving it some thought! I know!

What in thee hell again!

I said, "No, please, you will break something." When others asked what we were talking about, the conversation then turned to that Bush guy that did it at 95.  Whatev!  He probably had Dr.'s standing by!!!

I came home and hung up my Christmas tree,

 put my salt shaker next to my sugar shaker from a couple of years ago....

 put my pumpkin away that I made a couple of weeks ago,

 and called it a night!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day....on the rocks!

Cindy Bee