Throw-back Thursday!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Twins: I had a doll house like that too!

(Sadly, dd has a lovely wooden one that was wired for lamps, etc. although I think those stopped working. She doesn't let the kids play with it. The house itself was lovely, but the furnishings are whatever we could get cheap, or make out of balsa wood.)

I lost momentum and have been unable to recover it. Sigh...

Dh is home at 11:15 tomorrow morning and I need to get the vacuuming done before I leave for the airport. Ideally, I need to go to Costco on the way to the airport. And I need to prep the stew for the crock pot.

Which means I have no time in the morning.

Dh ended up having access to What'sApp on the airplane so started texting me when over Taipei since he was bored. He couldn't sleep. Anyway, that meant that I was distracted by him for about 30 minutes. Then I went out for the labels, missed the call with the grands cuz I was out, and picked up the parcel on the way home, so no walk.

I did make a Bisquick Quiche for my dinner tonight, so ate a healthy dinner (after the soup last night, this was important, I had run out of easy meals in the freezer, now there are 3 servings of quiche for the next time I need an easy meal.)

But aside from that, washing up, hanging up to dry the laundry I had forgotten in the washer, and refilling the vitamin dispenser, I've done nothing since getting home at 4:30.

There was an incredible moon tonight. I noted it when hanging up the clothes. When I got to the apartment FB group this evening, I see there were 6 posts about it (5 with photos!)

I'm a bit worried about dh, he's had a bad sore throat disturbing his sleep. He thinks the hotel room was too dry but since our apartment is even dryer, I wonder if he's sick. I've asked him to test when he gets home and I might just mask until we get the results. He's really not going to like that. I'm not going to like giving up the tree trimming and church if he's sick. This is a constant concern I have about his travel. I don't care if he gets sick, I care that it blows up all my plans.

[lucylee]

Two more down with the flu here
-- dgs is out of school (and basketball) for the rest of the week, so will miss the first game...
-- ddil out of work for the weekend (which is good, because I'm not sure dh & I feel like babysitting duty)

Can you catch the flu a second time if you're exposed immediately after finishing a round of Tamiflu???

So far, dgd seems okay, but judging by her resistance to illness, I can't believe she will escape.

Dmom is doing much better, she says, and now hopes to come home -- rather than going to rehab. She says if PT is confident she can manage the three steps from her carport to kitchen, she will be fine. I am "iffy" about this, but don't have the energy to argue any points with her.

DH and I both are having moments when we think we're getting better, followed by moments when dh thinks he is not long for this world and hours when I just want to sleep and sleep and sleep. * Dee * I think this is just part of it, right?

Christmas Memories...
Well, a special gift was the year my maternal grandfather had me pick out the expensive watch and gave it to me for Christmas, even though my mother and grandmother said I wasn't old enough for it, wouldn't take care of it, etc. I still have it, even though it doesn't work anymore. (Not my fault, parts eventually became obsolete and the jeweler told me he couldn't keep it running.) It's on a shelf in the bathroom, a constant reminder of my granddaddy's faith in me.

Christmas decorations when I was little... as you come into our little Tiny Town, there is a slight hill. As you go over the hill, you used to see lighted garland stretching across the streets, all around the town square. One of the stores had a HUGE plastic Santa in their window. All though the rest of the year, you could see that Santa lying in the attic window of the store, LOL. I loved those decorations. Now, we have the all-white snowflakes that so many towns have.
We do have an amazing display of lighted trees on the courthouse square though. This started a few years ago; people pay for trees and decorate however they wish -- churches, businesses, families in memory of loved ones -- it's really neat to see how different themes celebrate or memorialize the groups that put the trees up, and it is beautiful. It stays lit up 24/7.

Drinking spiced tea and eating Christmas cookies and fudge my dmom prepared every year.

All the chaos and fun at my paternal grandparents' house as we six grandchildren grew up and later started our own families. We continued to get together till Covid got us out of our routine.Now there are 9 great-grandchildren, all but two starting their own families, and it has become impossible to schedule everyone, apparently.

The ceramic tree, circa 1977, which our next door neighbor made and gave to my dmom one year. I "borrowed" it for our first Christmas after dh and I married, thinking we didn't have room for a real tree, and I have had it ever since. It was made by the neighbor who passed in May, and I treasure it more than ever this year.

Waving to all.

[Harmony]

My childhood Christmas I remember most was one year I must have been 5 or so and the reason I remember it so well is DDad had movie pictures of us coming down the steps and pictures of the tree with the gifts all underneath. Every once and a while they'd get out the projector and screen and play some of those movies and so I've seen that scene many times. You know, I can't remember many other memorable Christmases. I remember the one after DDad died and our first little tiny tree. I remember the holiday after I was married when I was criticized for us doing too many gifts for each other. I seem to remember some bad memories more than the good ones.

I think I am finally recovering, though I am pretty tired. Got really cold again this afternoon and huddled under a blanket. But I am beginning to feel better and cramping is just about all gone.

DH was out all day working. He came in all proud of himself, saying something about his first full day of working. I'm sorry, he thinks I should be impressed but I'm not. Whole thing is just stupid.

I got 2 Christmas Cards ready to mail. Both had letters inside, 1 to my lifetime girlfriend and the other an answer to her letter.

The Green Machine, LadyM I remember those! Kids used to do round wheelies on them. When you said green machine I was thinking of those carpet spot cleaners! I do remember Sunny's DH putting together the metal and cardboard kitchen set for my oldest DD. He did not give it to us in a box to put together! Yes, that was a good Christmas!

Elizabeth should be wearing long underwear under her clothes. The ones these days are nice and soft.