For The Barbie Lover

 I had the most wonderful Christmas.  But first, I want to tell you about the incident on the night before Christmas Eve.  It had been very windy that day with some rain.  I heard a loud crash in the middle of the night.  I checked the porch area, and nothing.  Early in the morning around 7:00 (it was still dark out), I heard a chain saw and a couple men talking.  I went outside, and a BIG tree in my yard fell over and landed on the mailbox and into the street.  There were limbs and branches everywhere!  Two of my neighbors were cutting the wood and clearing out the road, so it was safe to drive.  One of the mailboxes (where the packages are delivered) busted open, and some packages fell to the ground.  My neighbor covered the packages with a big plastic bag so they wouldn't get damaged.  There were piles of wood everywhere, and it was a mess!  If the tree had fallen in the opposite direction, windows might have been broken, and damage might have occurred to my car and house.  Thank the Lord.  Oh, and shortly after, the postman came to the house - those packages that fell to the ground were mine!  They were torn open a little, but they were just clothes, nothing breakable, and secure in plastic bags.  My neighbor chopped some of the wood from the fallen tree, and will use it for firewood this winter.

My brother-in-law came over right before Christmas and brought me lots of goodies.  My sister-in-law baked and baked this year, and I got to sample it all.  When my in-laws send me surprises, it's like Santa came!  There was peanut brittle, brownies, rocky road, and Ghirardelli chocolate peppermint bark.  Brother-in-law made raisin oatmeal cookies and homemade chili.  His chili is the best, and it taste even better with a little cheese on top, and some corn chips. 

  Me and my son had appetizers on Christmas Eve, and he made a nice ham dinner.  I didn't get pics of it, but it was a delicious glazed ham, with the meat just falling off the bone.

Jess gave me the most thoughtful gifts - white towels, plates and bowls, a school photo of Francesca, See's candy.  Nel's will be coming soon, and it will be fun getting a surprise in January.  This Mickey's coffee was delightful.  Jess is always visiting Disney, and it's her happy place.  This cup was a gift from my son. 

And Jess gave me this white soft, furry, sweater/jacket.

During the week, my son made tamales, and although this was a process and it was his first time, they turned out really good.

Charlotte was sick at Christmas, but here are a few pics at their house the days before.

And there is always the tradition of seeing the Nutcracker production every year.

I packed up Christmas and put it all away until next year.  I did keep some wintery things out, as winter just started and will linger on for another four months here.

We have a huge interest and love of Bigfoot around these parts up here, and there have even been sightings in northern California of people claiming to have seen him.  Jess placed this stuffie in with all her gifts.

Isn't this the most delightful Barbie?  It's a Self-Care Barbie.  Jess got it for Christmas, and it's a reminder to take time out just for herself.

And I just got these pics back from Jess.  It's the French Cafe we went to when I visited.  It had such a magical atmosphere.

Here's to a splendid new year!  May it bring many good things to you and me.

My Christmas Trip

I visited all my family for Christmas, and the second part of my trip was spent at Nel's house.  When I first got there, Mia had just gotten out of school, and we headed over to the village to our favorite taco restaurant.  Now, the chips and salsa here are the best I've ever had.  They serve them warm every time, and they give different types of salsa to try, some sweet and some spicy.  This place is fun and lively with an eclectic and whimsical vibe, with giant elephant and alligator sculptures on the walls, and a big upside down Christmas tree in the center of the room.

Look what Mia made me at school today.  I will keep it forever.

We did a little shopping in the village, and these windows were decorated so festive for the season.

Nel's Christmas tree is so lovely this year, and she found pretty red and gold ribbon to wrap around it.

Like Jess, her ornaments are a little of the old and new, and so unique and pretty.

Mia got her bangs cut.  I like her new look.

One night we watched the movie My Secret Santa.  It was funny and entertaining.

Then, it is a tradition of ours to always watch Rick Steves' European Christmas together.  We love this show, as it explains all the traditions and foods of Christmas in the different countries, and we can just visualize ourselves right there sharing this special time with the Europeans.

I wrapped some presents for Mia from grandma and uncle b.

And while I just put a bow or two on mine, Nel puts a handmade bow on every present.  She loves doing this, and it brings her joy to create them.  They are just wonderful.

We baked sugar cookies one night, and one of the sprinkle containers just spilled out.  It was so much fun baking with Mia, using the star, tree, and gingerbread man cookie cutters.  The cookies were messy, and oh so Yummy.  The frosting was homemade too.

We went to a favorite French bakery in the morning, and sat and talked with coffee and a chocolate croissant.  In one corner of the shop, they had panettone for sale in festive containers.  Now, I spend about $7 for panettone at the store, and these tins come from Italy and range from $40-$85.

Nel had this mix of red berries and greenery on her table all week.

We played Candy Land, with Mia winning the game. 🍭

Mia made me cinnamon toast one morning.  I was so surprised and pleased, as my mom used to make that for us kids growing up.  Four generations enjoying this cinnamon toast.

We went to Mia's school performance, which was called "It's a jungle out there," and Mia's character was a monkey. 🐵  She did so well on stage.  She got flowers from the relatives, which was thoughtful.

Afterwards, we all went to the pizza place, and it was delicious.  Such a fun event.

Here's Mia coloring with me right before her ballet class.  I love her bright and cheerful pictures.

Mia went to see Santa the week before I got there, so I didn't get to see her joy with Santa, but I love this pic of her with her mom and dad and the reindeer.  Renecke makes me laugh, and I appreciate all that he and Brian do to help out when I come for a visit.

Back at home, and I had to go to the DMV.  They had everything they needed except a photo, so I had to drive up the mountain, and wouldn't you know it, there was FOG!  But it was only a small patch - most of it was down in the valley.  After finishing up at the DMV, I went to a few places in town, the grocery store, the nursery, the coffee shop.  I got myself a chocolate donut and coffee and drove over to the lake.  As I was appreciating the stillness of the December morning, I began to think about the baby Jesus who came into the world for us.......and His Mother Mary, who gave birth to God's Son.  As the three wise men approached, He laid there, a gift of love for the entire world.

And a Christmas gift.  There were two on my lawn, and four in the distance.

Merry Christmas, friends.