The Day After Christmas

I received a call yesterday morning from our 7 year old grandson Kash.  It seems he had been up really early to play with the DS game we gave him for Christmas.  He said he liked it and that it had some hard areas in it too.  His mother said he was balled up under his blanket playing away when she got up that morning.  Apparently he had been at it for a few hours already.

Nola Wrapped in the Hello Kitty Blanket We Gave Her for Christmas

His sister Nola had a cough and had to take some medicine for it before going to bed Christmas night.
She wanted to use her new Hello Kitty sheets, pillow and blanket that night but her parents didn't want any of her medicine to stain them so she had to wait until her cough was gone.  She was not too happy with that parenting decision!

Chandler was very happy with the Smyrna Bulldog clock, T-Shirt and knitted hat that we got him.  Also his gift certificate to Family Hobby was equally received. 

It feels so good when you hear that all the gifts you selected were met with such enthusiasm.  In my childhood, gifts were played with over and over.  They brought joy to the receiver.  My hope is they will think of their grandparents fondly as they use the gifts we gave to them this Christmas.

God is good!

Red Hat Friendships

After our Red Hat Christmas meeting a few of us hung out in the parking lot for a while.  We have such a good time together that we tend to linger on and on at our meetings.

We had played Dirty Santa and collected some canned items for our local food bank.  Traditionally we wear purple with red.  This combination seemed odd to me when I first joined the group but seems perfectly normal to me now.

Walter and I were talking recently about all his many hobbies and interests.  I concluded that my hobby is meeting with friends and eating.  I think that is a wonderful way to spend your time.  You don't have to own a fully stocked hobby closet or have deadlines for finishing things.  Certainly it never goes out of style.  Our friendships grow sweeter with the passing of time.

Anna, Trish, Me and Lydia in Front- Carolyn and Shelia in Back

It would seem wise of me if I could wax profound, but just laughs and grins with others is fun enough for me now.  The only decision that our group usually makes is where do we eat next.

God is good!

Backstage at the Living Nativity

This month throughout the world thousands of people are working behind the scenes to produce religious productions in their local churches.  This work typically has long hours, usually with small budgets and tight deadlines and with no pay.  And I am proud to be a part of this group of workers.

At my church we are having two nights of the story of Jesus' birth called the Living Nativity.  There are five scenes depicting the foretelling of His birth, the rejection at the inn, the birth in a lowly stable, shepherds around a fire, and the wise men visiting the young Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Behind the scenes were carpenters, painters, sewers and technicians, to name a few.  I was one of the sewers.  For days before the production the team of sewers decided on the proper costumes, inventoried the costume closet, bought materials, cut patterns and sewed the many costumes that turned church members into Biblical characters.

I am not as seasoned as most of the other sewers.  That fact did not deter me from jumping in with both feet.  I cut patterns and got to run the serger. That machine both cuts the fabric and binds the seam with overlapping thread.  It has four needles working in unison, which was pretty intimidating in the beginning.  I was glad to learn a new technique and I got fairly good at it before the project ended.

After all the costumes were completed, they needed to be ironed.  We removed as many wrinkles as we could.  We used steam irons and even a steam machine which one of the sewer team owned.  She had been a professional seamstress during her working career and had a heavy duty steamer.

I was afraid of it, quite frankly, but with time learned to manage it.  I had burned my hand on a similar carpet cleaning machine.  I did not wish for a repeat of that burn.

The Steam Machine Was Challenging But Effective in Removing Wrinkles

We learned to use a glove and to pull the fabric slightly taut while holding the nozzle over the fabric.  Although we knew after the actors put the costumes on, they would get some wrinkles, we wanted each person to start out with a fresh pressed costume.  And they did!

The Living Nativity played out with no major glitches and everyone seemed to have an awesome experience.  Many people visited our church those evenings and today, seven people joined our church!

God is good!  (Side note:  I like to think that I, as a lowly sewer, had a small part in that being the outcome.  Any talent or skill you have can be used to glorify our Lord).

My 65th Birthday Restaurant Crawl

I have had a fantastic 65th birthday.  I qualify for Medicare now.  My health plan has changed, I get free Silver Sneakers coverage at the local YMCA, and I expect that a lot of other changes are coming my way.

Walter wanted to give me a great gift.  What I really wanted was not a gift at all.  I wanted to spend some time with my family and friends.  And I wanted to not cook or wash dishes for a week.  So I convinced him to accompany me to a series of restaurants over my birthday week.  I contacted about 40 friends and set up small dinner parties at O'Charleys, Hickory Falls, La Siesta, Jim & Nicks and Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse.   The final dinner was with my children and grandchildren.  Each meal took on its own personality and had its own jokes and conversations according to the guests at each table.

Friends Celebrating My 65th Birthday at Jim & Nicks

I got to visit in small groups which I prefer over a large party where I do not get to speak very long to any one person and the event is over too soon.  This gave me a sense of intimacy with my friends.  It also gave me the gift of anticipation as I waited for each evening to come with a renewed energy.  After the meals, I was able to reflect over each conversation and enjoy them again and again.

The surprising thing was everyone said yes to my invitation immediately.  The month of December is so busy for all of us so I know they made the time for me.  I have a great set of friends and family members.  Some of my church members thought this was a great idea and asked which restaurants were on the list.  A few even said they might do the same for their birthdays.

I made sure to exercise during each day so I could eat a good meal each evening.  I did not gain even one pound!  How exciting is that?

God is good!