Friday Fotos & New Year's Eve...

 

I think many of us would like to smash 2021...

But, there have also been blessings, so I choose to embrace God's plan for my life and to seek BALANCE (my 2022 word) going forward!!

I don't have any new pictures but I don't think I have shared these with you yet...

Vinny found his Christmas gift from 'Aunt Tammy' and had to play with it before it got unwrapped. It is a catnip toy.  Lilly and Lucy both got one, too.

I have a bracelet that has snap-in charms and Tammy got me this new one with a heart to mark my first Christmas without Joe.  So sweet of her to think of it.  I love it and have worn it twice already!  She got another charm for me too. It is a fun piece of jewelry!

Kathy (former DIL and mother of Lauren & Tristan) sent me this Christmas photo of her and the kids.

I am working this morning, which is fine. I have a couple of projects to work on while all the guys have the day off.  I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Joe always got me Bang Bang Shrimp from Bone Fish Grill for my birthday.  The price of that delicacy was a little much but I got a gift card that will cover it and a whole lot more so I am treating myself to Bone Fish goodies for my New Year's Eve repast.  Looking forward to that.  I have no plans for tonight (other than Bone Fish) or for tomorrow. I am quite looking forward to sleeping in, catching some of the Rose Parade, and getting the rest of Christmas put away until next year.  I do have kraut, black-eyed peas, and pork chops for my "good luck" meal tomorrow.  This is the first New Year's Day I haven't had dinner guests and I'm kinda looking forward to having the day to myself as the start of a new year. Seeking balance!! 

Peace & hugs!!

God is in control!!

Wishing all of us a blessed new year!!

Whimsical Fashion Fun 2021...

 

There isn't a linky and there aren't any rules!

Check out the dress and pick the shoes you like best for the dress.

It is all in fun and only a whimsical thing!

Photos are always from the Storybook of Dreams & Beauty!

I think the model is almost ready for a special New Year's Eve event!! She is undecided about which shoes to wear.  Count down from the top 1-2-3 and tell us which ones you like best for the dress!

My thoughts:  The first thing I noticed was that there are pockets!!  I really like this dress and would wear it if it came in my size!  As for the shoes, none of them are for me but for the model, I think I will choose pair #1 (it's a lower heel).  What are your thoughts?

Peace & hugs!

God is in control!!

------------------------------------------------------

PS:  My word for 2022 is BALANCE

I am seeking balance in my life now...

No Hodgepodge so it's a Throwback!

Since I introduced you to Kali's family yesterday, I went back five years in my archives and found the post when we met them all the first time, in 2016.  We enjoyed our visit to their lovely home.  Here is what I wrote back then...

Jeff's girlfriend's parents live in Clermont, which is about an hour north of Lakeland.  They invited us for brunch yesterday.  We were to deliver Jeff to them and they will get the "kids" to the Orlando airport today, for their trip back to Virginia.  We had never met the parents before, or Kali's sister, so we were a little anxious about it.  Not to worry. They were gracious hosts and Maureen had prepared a delicious lunch for us!  Shrimp quiche, ham quiche, a potato casserole, banana bread, pumpkin bread, and smoked salmon bruschetta (delicious!). There were also mimosas and coffee. Kali's family are from Jamaica, but her folks are US citizens and her dad is a retired Colonel from the air force. Her mom is a retired elementary school teacher.  Her sister, Leslie, is working on her Ph.D. in the art field  (she has her Ph.D. now!), so we had a lot to talk about. They were all delightful and we were made to feel like family.  (Note: We still feel like family!)

 Jeff and Kali

Jeff, Stuart, Joe, me, Kali, Maureen, Leslie

I asked Kali if she was okay with me referring to her as my daughter-in-love and she said she loved it. That made me happy because that is how I think of her all the time. She is precious.  

Peace & Hugs!

I believe!!

No Tuesday 4...

Since there is no Tuesday 4 this week (or at least by my bedtime!), I will post a photo from my Monday afternoon!!  I drove over to Davenport/Haines City, to meet up with daughter-in-love Kali, her sister Leslie, and her folks Stuart and Maureen.  We met at a Starbucks that was about equal distance for us to travel and it worked out great.  We visited for nearly two hours and I asked the manager if he would take our picture.  It's not great with the window reflections but it captures the smiles!! 

We talked and talked and talked.  It was such a fun afternoon and I am so glad I got the chance to see Kali before she heads back to Virginia today.  Kali and her sister and parents are all so interesting and fun.  Stuart is retired military and is an accomplished artist.  Maureen is a retired teacher and also an accomplished artist.  The two girls are very smart professionals (and also talented artists!) with great jobs. Leslie lives and works in Chicago and Kali is in Alexandria, VA.  Stuart and Maureen live an hour north of Lakeland.  It would only have been better if Jeff could have come down for Christmas too.  He had to work (bah humbug to his boss!).

Clockwise... Stuart, Leslie, Kali, me, and Maureen

When I got home, I started laundry and got three loads done before getting this finished and getting myself off to bed.  My house is being pressure-washed this morning.  So blessed!!

Peace & Hugs!

Jesus loves us...

Christmas Weekend Recap...

 

Well, here we all are, heading into a new year.  Last year, I know we all were hoping we would soon be done with COVID and many of us had no idea that we would be saying goodbye to so many loved ones in 2021, especially after losing so many in 2020.  With the sadness, there were also blessings and that is what I want to hang on to.  I am hoping and praying for more blessings in the coming year. I want to be done with sadness.

My sister, Tammy, arrived on Thursday in the late afternoon.  Other than horrid traffic on I-75, her trip went well.  I made smoked sausage with cabbage, peppers, and onions for our dinner. It is one of my favorites and she loved it too.

On Friday, I took her out to see where I work.  She wanted to visit our big Goodwill Store so we went there next. We both found a couple of things but she was hoping for some jeans and didn't find any she liked.  We went home for a little while and then went to Gosh, Asian Bistro, for our early dinner before going to my church's Christmas Eve service. 

Tammy and  I both had the chicken Pho and we shared a sushi roll and egg rolls.
Delicious and Tammy loved it.

We went to church after we ate and met my friend, Shirley, there.  

I took this picture of the ornament that Joe and I gave last year for the tree.

2019 is when we joined Redeemer Presbyterian.

Tammy - Me - Shirley

I took this picture of the front of the church before our service started.

Back at home, we decided to open our gifts so we could 

sleep in a bit on Christmas morning.

I must have been a good girl because there was more under the tree than

I was expecting!!  Tammy did pretty well too!

Christmas dinner was not extra special, except that we had Helen with us!!

Cheryl picked her up and Tammy and I took her  'home'.

Everything is here on the table except the rolls and desserts.

Ham, deviled eggs, pickled beets, Au gratin potatoes, broccoli & cauliflower.

We had chocolate cream pie, cookies, red velvet mini cupcakes, and candies for sweets.

Helen was so cute!! They did her hair for her and she was animated and talked and

ate like a trooper!!  She had two slices of ham, potatoes, veggies, a roll, FOUR eggs,

and then munched out on cookies and cupcakes.  We were all SO happy!!

Tammy made herself a cup of coffee and asked if anyone else wanted one.  No.  Then

when she sat down with hers, Helen piped up and said 

"Can I have some coffee?  I never get coffee!"

Of course, she got her coffee (a decaf pod) and she drank it down like it was nectar! 

We sat at the table for two hours and said it was time to get home.  She got up and seemed

happy to be going somewhere.  When we got her back to her residence, she walked right in

and headed down the hall to her room but stopped, and turned 

around to say "thank you" and "I love you!"

Made my day.  Best Christmas gift ever.

Yesterday, Tammy's sister-in-law, Kathy, and her wife, Gretchen, came over after we got home from church.  We fed them leftover ham and had potato salad, fruit salad, 3-bean salad, rolls, and all the same sweets from Christmas dinner.  They enjoyed it. We visited with them for a couple of hours before they headed home to Clearwater.  It was a great weekend full of fun, feel-goodness, and the joyful celebration of our Savior's birth.  Tammy and I are both happy to have conquered the holidays okay without our hubbies.  She lost her Bruce about six months before I lost Joe.  We are survivors and doing fine, surrounded by people who love us.  We both got text messages, face-times, and pictures sent from loved ones. Our phones were dinging all weekend long. To our "dingers", thank you!

Back to work today for me and Tammy headed out early (6:30) so she could visit the big Webster Flea Market on her way home.  I have one last get-together after work today. I am meeting up with Kali and her folks for coffee at a halfway-between place.  She is son Jeff's girlfriend/partner and her folks live about an hour north of Lakeland.  Looking forward to reading about your holidays!!

Peace & hugs!

Immanuel!!

Merry CHRISTmas To All....

 

I wanted to wish everyone a blessed Christmas weekend.

I will be back on Monday!  

Whimsical Fashion Fun 2021...

 

There isn't a linky and there aren't any rules.

Check out the dress and tell us which purse you like best for the dress.

It's all in fun and just a whimsical thing!

Photos are from The Storybook of Dreams & Beauty.

Oh my, wouldn't it be nice to look like that in this dress!  Great for a holiday event but she will need a purse to carry.  Count down 1-2-3 and tell us which purse you like best for this rather vintage-like 1960ish dress!

My thoughts:  I probably would not have chosen this style even back in the 60s when I could have zipped it up but it does look quite festive and the purses are all cute. I'm going to pick #2 just because I like the texture.  What do you think?  

Peace & hugs!

Christmas blessings to you all!

A Wednesday Christmas Memory...

Since our Hodgepodge hostess is taking a couple of weeks off, I went back in time and found a sweet memory of my dear friend, Helen, who you read about often in my blog.  Back in the day, Joe and I hosted them for Thanksgiving each year and they hosted us for Christmas.  We did that for quite a few years.  This is just an excerpt from my Christmas blog back in 2012... just a short nine years ago.  Al died a few months later (March 11, 2013) and Helen is now in memory care at 93 years old. Having the blog archives is so great to look back and remember...

-----------------------------------------

We had a wonderful Christmas dinner, with our friends Al & Helen.  Helen prepared ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, creamed peas, sweet potatoes, jello salad, fresh fruit, macaroni & cheese, and had pecan and cherry pies for dessert.  Wow.  She also sent leftovers home with us, which is awesome!  Our Christmas Day weather was beautiful (photo taken Christmas morning)!

We went to the movies when we left our friends' house.  We saw 'Parental Guidance' with Billy Crystal and Bette Midler.  It was GREAT!  Lots of laughs, and also some tears.  We both loved it.  I recommend it if you haven't been already (especially recommended for grandparents!).

----------------------------------------

That picture is of our pool and patio at the house where we lived for 28 years before down-sizing to Mas Verde.  The cats miss the screened-in 'playground' but I don't miss pool chores and pressure-washing chores, etc. It was great and we loved it there but it was time to give up all that work and expense.  I will note that I have no recollection of that movie! 

I will go home after work and get some cleaning done.  My sister, Tammy, arrives tomorrow and I have Friday off!!  

Peace & Joy!!

A Christmas Tuesday 4...

 Thanks to Annie for today's Tuesday 4! You can join in HERE!

Tuesday 4

Christmas at Tuesday 4

Welcome Friends.. to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

Let's discuss Christmas!

1. Is your tree up?  Yes. How tall... what color lights?  Three feet tall with white lights.  Is there a color scheme you use?  No.

2.  Got a menu for Christmas Eve and Day?  Christmas Eve, we go out for Chinese. Christmas day will be ham and whatever else I decide.  Not finalized yet.

3. When does it go up and how long does it stay up?  The menu or the tree?  The tree went up after Thanksgiving and will come down on New Year's weekend.

4. What is your favorite Christmas memory.  I have many.  When do you open your gifts?  Usually Christmas Eve.  Growing up, it was always Christmas morning.

I hope your Christmas holiday is merry and bright!

Thank you for helping to make Toni's Tuesday 4 a success.

Peace & hugs!

Christmas blessings!

Weekend Recap Time...

 It is Christmas Week!  

Last Wednesday, here in Mas Verde, there was a golf cart Christmas parade. I totally forgot about it until I heard the Christmas music and ran outside just in time to see Santa bringing up the rear of the parade. He threw me a couple of candy canes so all wasn't lost!

On Thursday, our dinner group went to Olive Garden.  They sat us in our own little alcove room. I had spaghetti and meat sauce and salad (of course).  Judy and Tim had us all over to their new house for desserts afterward. They moved a few weeks ago to a condo (1,800 sq.ft.) in the next development over. Their new home is beautiful and we will all be in touch. They will still go to dinner with us on Thursday nights. 

I did some grocery shopping after work on Friday and found my melting chocolates!  I still have to go one more time before Christmas and will do that after work on Wednesday. My sister, Tammy, will be here on Thursday, late afternoon.

On Saturday, I headed for Celebration (Orlando) to meet up with my great-niece and her hubby.  Gina is niece Linda's daughter. Linda is Joe's older brother's daughter.  She and Steven met at and graduated from SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design).  My longer connected readers might remember when Joe and I went to Savannah and met up with them while we were there (2013). They married in 2015.  It was a lovely two-hour visit outside at Starbucks on Saturday. They have only been in Florida for a few months. Both have new jobs and are buying a house.  Steven's folks live in Orlando and he is happy to be "home".  They moved here from New England and are really happy to be done with winters up there.  

Sunday was Sunday school and church. Sunday school is over until January now so I'll have a couple of Sundays to sleep a little later.  It was announced that our monthly pot-luck lunches will begin again in January! I've really missed them and am so looking forward to one more step to 'normal'!!

Back to work today and I am working five hours for four days so I can have Christmas Eve day off.  So nice!!  Wishing you all a good week ahead!

Peace & hugs!

Jesus is the reason for ALL seasons!!

Sunday Stealing...

 Thanks to Bev for today's questions.  You can join in HERE!

Fauxklore, Part 2

 

Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World". . Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and was published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

Stolen from Fauxklore
 

 

16. Do you want any piercings?  Nope.

17. What’s your mouse pad look like?  The arm of my chair here at home.  This is my one at work...

18. Have you ever been to a psychic/tarot reader?  No.

19. How do you identify spiritually (do you follow a religion, what do you think about soul/spirit, etc.)?  

20. Do you prefer your nails long or short?  Short, short, short!  I can't do long nails.

21. What are your favorite smells?  Vanilla, yeast bread baking, cinnamon...

22. Do you still use a radio or just use your phone/computer for music?  I use the car radio.

23. What kind of socks do you prefer to wear?  I rarely wear socks.

24. Do you have any family heirlooms?  Quite a few but my favorite is my mom's Lane cedar chest that I have promised to my niece, Sara.

25. Are there any musicians you didn't like at first but grew on you?  I can't think of any.

26. Is there anything you used to love but now dislike?  Theme parks.  Been there, done that.

27. Your favorite place to be aside from your home?  Anywhere with family!

28. What is your favorite kind of tea?  Iced tea.  At home, I make Luzianne Decaf and sweeten it with stevia.

29. Any old home remedies you use when you're sick?  Chicken noodle soup!!

30. What level of brightness do you usually keep your phone at?  It's on "auto" so I don't pay attention to that.

Peace & hugs!

Jesus is the reason for the season!

Saturday 9...

 Thanks to Crazy Sam for today's Saturday 9! You can join in right HERE.

Please Come Home for Christmas

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so to speak. We encourage you to visit other participants' posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here are today's questions!

Saturday 9: Please Come Home for Christmas (1992)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this video, Jon Bon Jovi recalls decorating the tree with Cindy Crawford. They took turns wearing a Santa hat. Will anyone in your household be donning a Santa hat this season?  Nope. That is not a tradition that was ever part of our Christmas.

 

2) He sings of the salutations he's received from friends and relatives. Have you received many holiday cards this year?  Blessed to still be getting three or four each day. They are hanging two and three to a clip now. I love a full mailbox!!

 

3) Will you wrap many presents? Or do you prefer to use gift bags?  I prefer bags. My wrapping days are behind me. 

 

4) Jon Bon Jovi says he and Frank Sinatra are distant relatives. Do you believe that musicality is a genetic gift, or that it can be taught?  I think genes certainly come into play but hard work can also bring success. 

5) Jon is such a big Star Wars fan that he wrote a carol called "R2-D2: We Wish You a Merry Christmas." There are a dozen Star Wars movies. How many have you seen? I saw the original first three (4-5-6 ??).  They were entertaining but I am not a big Star Wars fan and don't care to see the others.

6) Jon once guest-starred as Carrie's love interest in an episode of Sex and the City, the popular HBO sitcom set in New York. The new reboot, And Just Like That, also centers around NYC life. Where does your favorite TV show take place?  The network shows I watch (not many anymore) all take place in Chicago... Med,  Fire, & PD.

7) Jon met his wife, Dorothea, when they were still in high school. Do you remember who you wanted to marry when you were in high school?  I had a steady boyfriend during my sophomore and junior high school years but I didn't love him and marriage was never a thought. I guess after that I had ideas of marriage with the man who became my first husband. He was a Marine in Vietnam and got home about the time I was graduating.  We got married the following December.

8) At Christmastime 1992, when this song was released, toys that tied into Disney's Little Mermaid were very popular. Have you purchased toys for anyone on your gift list this year?  Nope. Not even big-people toys this year.

9) Jon recorded "Please Come Home for Christmas" to benefit The Special Olympics. Here's your chance to plug a cause or organization that's near and dear to you.  Polk Museum of Art, and of course, New Paths Horse Sanctuary
 

Peace & hugs!

Jesus is the reason for the season!

Friday Fotos...

 

Oops!  Friday is here and I only have one new photo to share. 

Time is going too fast, for sure.

Our beautiful Lake Morton (the bird lake).  The sun was causing diamonds to sparkle on the right-hand side of the lake.  It was beautiful and not captured at all by this photo. You will have to take my word for it.  I was pulling out of the bank's drive-through and stopped to snap this picture.

That really is all I have.  Time is getting short and I really need to get some cleaning done, the guest room made up and some baking done.  I went to Sam's Club after work yesterday to get some melting chocolate.  They had NONE!  I will try Publix after work today and sure hope I can find some or my pretzels will have to remain naked. I also want to make some peppermint bark that blogging friend Maggie wrote about this week.  

I can't close this without asking for prayers.  My cousin, Jim, died of covid yesterday.  He is a few years older than me (still middle age!!) and should have had many more years ahead. He was a devoted Christian, so we know where he is, and also a very talented artist.  Pray for the Willman family, in Alabama, please, especially his wife, Gail.  Thank you.

This was at our beach reunion back in 2015.  Cousin Lana, me, cousin Jim, cousin Vicki, and cousin Pam.  These cousins are my mom's first cousins making them my 2nd cousins.

I've posted this one before. I grew up with these cousins. They called my mom Aunt Helen, even though she was their cousin (just a lot older).  Lots of wonderful memories of good times and love shared.  

Peace & hugs.

Jesus loves us, this I know.