I hope everyone had a fun and safe Christmas holiday however you might celebrate! Hubby and I didn’t intentionally indulge in the commercial side of Christmas but strangely, there seems to be a lot of presents under the tree. Funny how that transpired…..
The holiday preparations got ahead of me but in the end it all worked out. I managed to keep calm and not allow panic to creep in. We decorated the tree Christmas Eve, which was a first for sure as the tree is always in and decorated on my birthday, it’s tradition since I was a wee lass but, better late than never. Usually we biff the tree New Year’s Day but this year I’ll let it hang around until our company leaves so the poor thing wasn’t chopped down for only a week’s pleasure.
I ran out of time to bake cookies but in the end that worked out perfectly as well. Company arrived from Ontario bearing several varieties of cookie and butter tarts. How is that for all’s well that ends well. I still plan to do some baking, but the pressure is off as I munch away on baked gifts.
Christmas day didn’t go without incident but that’s par for the course for the Littles. We have a grey cloud that follows us around but in the end always sends down a bolt of silver lining. Some call it Murphy’s Law, we just call it normal. It seems everything we do comes with a certain degree of difficulty but all irons out in the end. We expect it now so we take most things in stride.
Gregg left for the airport at 2:00 to pick up his brother and sister in law while I stayed home to prepare the feast. After he was on the road for 1/2 hour his brother Terry called to say the plane had been turned around and went back to Toronto airport. The estimated time of arrival in Halifax would be after 5:00. So I phone Gregg and he drove back home in time to help peal the blanched pearl onions.
Charlene came by for a visit to chat with me while I peeled and chopped and made dressing. The dinner was pushed back an hour and a half but no one cared, especially after we plied our guests with liquid cheer. The dinner was delicious if I do say so myself. I’ve always found the Christmas feast a fairly easy meal to prepare. The worst part is standing in one position and having to feel complaints from my right knee. The turkey basically cooks itself with periodic basting, veggies are a no brainer; the only problem is playing seven musical pots with only four burners. A lot of precision timing to get it all to the serving point at the same time. To my Martha credit, after many years of making the turkey feast, I have it down to a science so there weren’t any surprises there.
The big news for the day was my son got engaged to the love of his life, Ashley. I couldn’t be more excited. Ashley is lovely and I look forward to their big day in the near future...maybe this summer! The ring is gorgeous and sparkly, almost as brilliant as the woman wearing it. Momma is very, very happy! I look forward to experiencing the preparations as we steer toward their big day! Every time I think of them I tear up, sentimental old fool that I am.
Saturday evening Patsy and hubby Jay, and three pups dropped in for a visit. Seven dogs in the house was the best entertainment ever. My dogs are rarely socialized with other canines; there aren’t many dogs in our circle so it was fabulous that they brought their furry kids over to meet with ours. Our two girls weren’t bothered at all, Henri was skittish at first but four and still a puppy himself, he quickly played with Howie, their youngest of less than a year. Jake was a bit of a handful to start but he quieted down, mostly sat on the sofa beside me and watched all the activity. I look forward to more play dates! We posed them all on the sofa for a Christmas picture and maybe they are looking in different directions but I think we accomplished a great feat having them all in a row. What fun! I was secretly thinking, I could have seven dogs…….
Boxing day we received the very sad news of our friend, Thom Lawrence, who passed away. Although he was in the hospital it was still a total shock and so unbelievable I could barely comprehend the words, but seeing the pictures of him posted on Facebook, that familiar contagious smile, brought home that we would never see it again and then it was so real it was palpable. He had a lovely face, I always thought rather handsome, his eyes sparkled and danced to match his mischievous grin. He had more fun in his pinky finger than I have in my entire body. He lived large and it is consoling to know that every minute he spent on earth was used, squeezed for every ounce of fun and adventure, but that doesn’t make his loss any less devastating. RIP Thom. Another person taken in their prime, still young, beautiful and full of life.
I feel so sad for his life partner Juanita and can’t begin to imagine how she must feel but she has a huge network of friends who love her and will be there for her to lean on in the days ahead to help get through this heart-breaking transition. There is a Celebration of Thom’s Life on Saturday, a chance for his friends and loved ones to come together, tell stories and share memories, a time for all to say our good-byes.
The holiday preparations got ahead of me but in the end it all worked out. I managed to keep calm and not allow panic to creep in. We decorated the tree Christmas Eve, which was a first for sure as the tree is always in and decorated on my birthday, it’s tradition since I was a wee lass but, better late than never. Usually we biff the tree New Year’s Day but this year I’ll let it hang around until our company leaves so the poor thing wasn’t chopped down for only a week’s pleasure.
I ran out of time to bake cookies but in the end that worked out perfectly as well. Company arrived from Ontario bearing several varieties of cookie and butter tarts. How is that for all’s well that ends well. I still plan to do some baking, but the pressure is off as I munch away on baked gifts.
Christmas day didn’t go without incident but that’s par for the course for the Littles. We have a grey cloud that follows us around but in the end always sends down a bolt of silver lining. Some call it Murphy’s Law, we just call it normal. It seems everything we do comes with a certain degree of difficulty but all irons out in the end. We expect it now so we take most things in stride.
Gregg left for the airport at 2:00 to pick up his brother and sister in law while I stayed home to prepare the feast. After he was on the road for 1/2 hour his brother Terry called to say the plane had been turned around and went back to Toronto airport. The estimated time of arrival in Halifax would be after 5:00. So I phone Gregg and he drove back home in time to help peal the blanched pearl onions.
Charlene came by for a visit to chat with me while I peeled and chopped and made dressing. The dinner was pushed back an hour and a half but no one cared, especially after we plied our guests with liquid cheer. The dinner was delicious if I do say so myself. I’ve always found the Christmas feast a fairly easy meal to prepare. The worst part is standing in one position and having to feel complaints from my right knee. The turkey basically cooks itself with periodic basting, veggies are a no brainer; the only problem is playing seven musical pots with only four burners. A lot of precision timing to get it all to the serving point at the same time. To my Martha credit, after many years of making the turkey feast, I have it down to a science so there weren’t any surprises there.
The big news for the day was my son got engaged to the love of his life, Ashley. I couldn’t be more excited. Ashley is lovely and I look forward to their big day in the near future...maybe this summer! The ring is gorgeous and sparkly, almost as brilliant as the woman wearing it. Momma is very, very happy! I look forward to experiencing the preparations as we steer toward their big day! Every time I think of them I tear up, sentimental old fool that I am.
Saturday evening Patsy and hubby Jay, and three pups dropped in for a visit. Seven dogs in the house was the best entertainment ever. My dogs are rarely socialized with other canines; there aren’t many dogs in our circle so it was fabulous that they brought their furry kids over to meet with ours. Our two girls weren’t bothered at all, Henri was skittish at first but four and still a puppy himself, he quickly played with Howie, their youngest of less than a year. Jake was a bit of a handful to start but he quieted down, mostly sat on the sofa beside me and watched all the activity. I look forward to more play dates! We posed them all on the sofa for a Christmas picture and maybe they are looking in different directions but I think we accomplished a great feat having them all in a row. What fun! I was secretly thinking, I could have seven dogs…….
Boxing day we received the very sad news of our friend, Thom Lawrence, who passed away. Although he was in the hospital it was still a total shock and so unbelievable I could barely comprehend the words, but seeing the pictures of him posted on Facebook, that familiar contagious smile, brought home that we would never see it again and then it was so real it was palpable. He had a lovely face, I always thought rather handsome, his eyes sparkled and danced to match his mischievous grin. He had more fun in his pinky finger than I have in my entire body. He lived large and it is consoling to know that every minute he spent on earth was used, squeezed for every ounce of fun and adventure, but that doesn’t make his loss any less devastating. RIP Thom. Another person taken in their prime, still young, beautiful and full of life.
I feel so sad for his life partner Juanita and can’t begin to imagine how she must feel but she has a huge network of friends who love her and will be there for her to lean on in the days ahead to help get through this heart-breaking transition. There is a Celebration of Thom’s Life on Saturday, a chance for his friends and loved ones to come together, tell stories and share memories, a time for all to say our good-byes.
Happy times of Chester Race Week. Thom is in the peach shirt, my hubby is to the right.
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