Happy Birthday, Mother!

My mother, 8 years old

Yesterday was my mother's birthday. She would have been 96. She was born during the Great Depression and had a hard life growing up in poverty and a troubled family. But she always said that she had it better than her siblings. Because she was the baby, they took care of her first. 

Times were tight, and often, there was not enough money to have much of a celebration for Christmas, let alone her birthday. She vividly remembered the Christmas when the Salvation Army brought them presents. It was a very special time. That's why my sisters and I always put money in every Salvation Army kettle we see. 

When my sisters and I were barely aware of when my mother's birthday was.

When we were kids, my mother's birthday was not celebrated much. We were too involved with the magic of Christmas to think beyond ourselves. My aunt always brought my mother a gift, but we never got her anything. I'm not sure what my father did. 

Fast forward to when we were in college, and my mother decided that she had had enough of not having a birthday celebration, so she "moved" her birthday to March 26. We were usually on spring break then, so that was when we could be home for it. We still didn't have big celebrations, but she always said our visit was enough. But over the years, we tried to have a cake and presents. 

My mother on her birthday many years later.

Fast forward many more years to when my mother was having memory problems. When she moved to a nursing home, we told the staff that if my mother said her birthday was March 26th, she knew what she was talking about. They kind of looked at us funny but said okay. 

So Happy Birthday, Mother. I'd like to think you're in Heaven with Daddy, celebrating your birthday whenever you want.

Merry Christmas!

 

 ^"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.^"

"...And that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." 

 "A Charlie Brown Christmas" 

That Christmas Feeling

 Christmas comes with so many emotions, and most of the time, they are all jumbled up. At least, that's the way it is for me. That may be why I'm having difficulty finding a focus for this post. 

Holidays always bring up memories of those who are no longer with us, and for me, that also makes me think about my own mortality. Pretty heavy thoughts for a supposed joyous season. Also, I've been thinking about a past Christmas when we moved my mother to a nursing home just before Christmas. It was the right thing to do because, even with two caregivers, she couldn't be managed at home. But it also meant to me that was where she was going to die. That took me a long time to adjust to. Granted, she had another 2 1/2, mostly good years after that move, but I didn't know that then. 

But I'm also thinking about my childhood Christmases and the magic that they held. I loved the anticipation, and my mother made them special. Another time, I'll tell you about that. Then, I'm thinking about the Christmases we spent in Texas without any family around and how we're lucky that we can now visit with some of both Ward's and my families. 

I am thinking about troubled family members who will be spending this Christmas alone. 

I've just scratched the surface of my busy mind. I think it's time to move on to the here and now.

We are organized this Christmas, and it hasn't been very stressful. (Stress comes from everyday stuff like bank mistakes and leaking pipes) We've made and bought all of our gifts and have them wrapped. We've delivered cookies to the neighbors, candy to my coworkers, and have goody bags ready for all of Ward's family. We've been enjoying our Christmas tree and other decorations. Tonight, my sisters and families are coming over for dinner and gift exchanges. We've hit the easy button and are going to order Chinese. It's all good. 

Despite all of that, I've felt a malaise. That was until last night when Ward, Wally, and I drove around and looked at Christmas lights. While we discussed our favorites, we played Christmas music and sang along with the familiar carols. That little outing made me happy.

It just occurred to me. I think I know the purpose of this post.  Last night was special because I was in the moment. I wasn't preparing or anticipating anything. I was just enjoying the beautiful lights and singing. Hopefully, this epiphany will help me remember that "The present is the present."

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

(The guests are arriving. No time to add pictures.)

Blogger

 Blogger has been filling my Reading List with posts from 5-10 years ago. Every once in a while, a current one is sprinkled in. All that means is that if I'm absent from commenting on your blog, your post is lost among the old ones. Hopefully, this will right itself soon. It's been happening for a couple of days.

And now a picture from Christmas past.

Annie loved the Christmas mints. She would knock the basket over and then roll around on the floor with them. Maybe they reminded her of catnip? But she did it every day.

The Elves Have Been Busy

Sometimes, it's bothersome when regular life gets in the way of holiday preparations. Does anyone else feel that way? But work continues, appointments continue, paperwork continues, and chores continue. They don't seem to take a break. Can you tell, I'd like to just concentrate on holiday things? 

Despite the everyday distractions, we are making progress with Christmas things here. We have bought or made all of the gifts we can think of. (However, there are always some people we're unsure what to get.) The holiday letters have been mailed, and the Christmas tree has been decorated. Hopefully, we will be done decorating the house this week, which makes it sound like we do a lot, but we don't. 

Ward and I have been working on a few projects together. We make a good team. I come up with ideas, consult on designs, and manage projects. Ward implements his many skills to bring the projects to fruition. 

Below are what we've done so far.

This is the prototype for bluebird boxes that we put together for kits. We will give kits to our older (5-7 yo) niece and nephews, along with a bluebird book.

Ward made hamburger stacking toys for the younger kids. In the foreground, you see the separate pieces, and in the back, you can see them stacked. The stacking puzzle is harder than it looks, so a couple of the very young ones may have to grow into it. 

We are still experimenting with different versions of these trees. These two will live on our mantle. Hopefully, we will get more done to give away.

These are cross-stitch projects that I started years ago and finally finished. I will add some garden tools to these for a gift.

There are a couple of other things that are already wrapped. Maybe you'll get a look at them after Christmas.

How are things going at your house? Do you celebrate the Christmas and/or Hanukkah? Do you do it in a big way?

Those everyday things are calling, so I guess my computer time is over.

Until next time...

A Cold Holiday Catchup

Ward got a combination of Thanksgiving and anniversary flowers. (Our anniversary was on Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Good morning! It's a chilly 21 degrees F outside, and I am so happy. to have a working furnace. I don't like being cold and am ready to hibernate for the next few months. It's a real chore for me to go outside in the cold, even when I'm dressed for it. However, the hard freezes we've had recently have finally killed all the plants, so some bed clean-up is in order—at least in the front where the neighbors can see. 

Also, it's time to put up the outdoor Christmas lights. Last year, we simplified and put them only on the front bushes instead of along the roof line. I don't do tall ladders, and I convinced Ward he didn't need all the ladder work either. However, the cold is discouraging this chore right now—even for Ward, who usually describes cold weather as invigorating. But perhaps, more than the cold, we are avoiding untangling and testing all of the lights. We have slowly changed all of our lights to LEDs, which are supposed to last for years and years. Has anyone else had problems with the wires to the lights? The bulbs seem to be doing well, but the wires are shorting somewhere along the line, causing problems. Good bulbs with cheap wiring are not a good combination. 

Anyway, I'm not immediately ready to jump with both feet into the holidays, as many are right after Thanksgiving. I like to give Thanksgiving a little time to simmer before switching gears. We had a low-key Thanksgiving here with a dozen people. Ward smoked a turkey while I baked a ham, made a pie, and a couple of sides. Others brought sides, and Wally and Theo helped with the setup, where we got one long table set up in the living room for everyone to sit together. The entertainment for the day was the 15-month-old with a sense of humor that only a 15-month-old understands. :) We have just about finished the leftovers, so we may have to cook today. Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted. 

Over the weekend, we attended a 90th birthday party for a dear friend. It was at a fancy restaurant, and Ward and I dressed up for it. Putting on our fancy clothes was a rare event, but it was one we could do more often. Anyway, a good time was had by all on this momentous occasion.

Work keeps chugging along, and I am struggling to keep up. Hopefully, I can play catchup today, so I better get going.

Until next time...