Ahhh...

Whoosh - and Christmas is all packed away! It feels so good to put everything away. I may be a semi-grinch, but I don't care.

There is not much in life I dread more than packing up the Christmas each year. So every day after Christmas I look at everything with a sneer.

Happiness is everything gone!

Merry Christmas

May the miracle of this child's birth

bring you peace.

Looking for shelter

Traveling to fulfill the prophets promise is still riding an ass while nine months pregnant. I can't imagine how much discomfort there must have been.

And then giving birth in a strange land at the back of an inn where the animals have to be moved to make room.

Having your husband help you deliver the baby - the women in your family, St. Anne and St. Elizabeth, far away.

Christmas Concerts

What a nice day. The Carrollton music teacher, Mrs. Williamson really did a great job of picking great music and the kids had fun. This is what they will remember.

Ayva and Grandma Caroline Visit

We had such fun. We were surprised at church when only Caroline and Ayva came in. Javier spent the night with a friend. Romeo had a sore throat.

After church we all came to our condo. The snow was coming down real good. I made pancakes and Papa warmed up the bacon. Ayva declared they were the best pancakes ever. (I used a Jiffy cornbread box, a heaping cup of Bisquick, two eggs, 3/4 cup pumpkin Coffeemate and enough milk to make it the right consistency. )

Then they went out to play. It was so much fun watching Ayva and her Grandma.

Christmas at Fandangles'

A small group of us had lunch at Fandangles'. A nice time to reconnect with my Lock. That is Celia, the person I shared a locker with from 1st through 12th grade. Alphabetically Schrems and Shea forever linked.

Museum Fun

Romeo's 2nd time and Tino's 1st time at the Children's Museum. We had such fun. Never had any problems. They loved playing and sharing.

The tubes were the favorite. But trying on glasses was a close second.

New Home

This is our 2nd Christmas in our condo, but we moved in a week before Christmas so we didn't decorate. Today was our first time to get the Christmas decorations out. I forgot I bought a couple more angels at an estate sale a few years ago.

Fran, one of your Mom's camels is hiding on the left. (And I got a card but saving it for my birthday.)

Family!

We went to a baby shower yesterday for a cousin's daughter. It was shocking to me that only two other cousins were present. That family is feuding with each other.

I don't know what I would do if my brothers and sisters took sides against each other. I depend on their love and they depend on mine.

I love my cousins - on both sides of that feud. I won't take sides. I'll love each and every one of them. I'll pray they get over this because I know they need each other as much as I need my family.

Favorite Salad

We both love the berry pecan salad from Meijer. I usually get one every time we go shopping. Always fresh and always delicious.

Woohoo - Inspiration has hit - Chapter 1 of Martha Street Market - book 5 of the Saginaw Series

I am so happy to announce there will be a fifth book to the Saginaw Series.

SPOILER ALERT - the following first chapter explains which band won the Michigan Talent contest from the last book, Daniel's Den.

Over Thanksgiving my husband's brother agreed to work on the cover of the fifth book, Martha Street Market.  D.A. Clifford is the artist for the covers of the Saginaw Series Books and I wasn't sure he would want to do another one.  But as soon as he said yes, ideas started forming.  This morning I began to write.

Chapter One - ROUGH DRAFT - Martha Street Market

Jen and Colleen walked to the Hoyt Library after school. They had a term paper due in a week and they wanted to get it done before the weekend.  They both knew their parents would never let them do anything over the weekend if the term papers weren’t finished.

Jen asked her friend, “Have you talked to Katy?”

Colleen grunted.

Jen knew what that meant, “I guess that means you didn’t.”

Colleen looked like she was going to cry.  She turned to Jen to complain, “You know she isn’t talking to either of us.  She is very angry that we argued with her last week.”

Jen nodded her head as she replied, “I know, but this has gone on long enough.  She stayed at home in her room all summer long.  She quit being a lifeguard at the pool.  She wouldn’t do anything with us and now that school has started you would think she would at least have lunch with us.  No… not the long suffering, the world is all about me, Katy.”

Colleen agreed, but she knew that Katy still felt so bad about letting everyone down when the band came in second in the Talent Michigan band competition.

It had been a long summer after that ill-fated concert in Detroit, Michigan.  They all had been at the concert.  Katy’s band, the Lifeguards, performed like pros.  They were so good, but the Wildcats were better.  No getting around it, the band that should have won, did.  After losing, the band broke up and then Katy began her summer of wallowing in self pity.  Jen and Colleen did all they could to get her out of the funk she was in, but nothing worked.

Finally they gave up and quit calling Katy.  After a few weeks Jen tried again, but Katy wouldn’t leave her house.

Colleen and Jen walked up the steps to the library entrance.  After taking the elevator to the second floor they entered the genealogy and Saginaw Historical room.  They went their separate ways to gather books for their research for the term papers. 

Jen was not happy having to go to the library.  She complained to her teacher, Sister Carmelita, that the topics to choose from were so specific that they couldn’t use the Internet to get enough sources to quote for the term paper.  Sr. Carmelita smiled as she explained that was exactly why the topics were local Saginaw topics.  She told the students that not every single thing in life was on the Internet.  While they could use the Internet as one way to find sources for their term papers they also needed to learn how to research at a real library, with real books. 

Jen chose the Webber House as her topic; it was a building close to her heart.  The summer before starting high school she had fallen down the cellar stairs of the old mansion and had to be rescued! The officer looking for her and the current owner of the Webber House eventually fell in love and planned on getting married this year; Jen took credit for getting them together.

Colleen was very happy to be in the historical section of the library.  Her topic was to report on the Hoyt Library.  She pulled out the books she needed and took them to one of the large oak tables.  The librarian had warned her some of the books were very old and needed to be handled with great care.  After looking in the index Colleen carefully turned to the pages listed and began to read.  Almost immediately she became absorbed with the story.  After reading a few pages she motioned to Jen to come to the table. 

With great excitement she whispered, “Oh Jen, our term papers are going to be connected.  Mr. Webber was Mr. Hoyt’s lawyer and good friend.  Mr. Webber actually wrote Mr. Hoyt’s will which set up a fund to build the library.

Jen became interested and read over Colleen’s shoulder.  Neither of them noticed Katy watching them from behind the bookshelves.  She felt left out and angry that they didn’t even see her.  She turned and left the room without saying a word to her former best friends.

Duh!

 Fat chance - lol - I've been baking and cooking all day long! Tomorrow watch out!

Holiday Cooking Update

Tuesday

Apple crisp
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
Pie Crust mixed and in refrigerator

Wednesday

Pies baked
Egg rolls and cheese rolls rolled
Corn casserole baked
Dressing assembled
Gravy started

Not too smart!

We stopped yesterday to watch several turkeys on the side of the road. They never moved. Usually when we stop most turkeys take off into the woods. These were BIG turkeys. Anyone looking for Thursday's main coarse would have been happy to see them.

One day can change everything

Snuggled into the couch watching snowflakes falling. Today 39 degrees outside (look at the post from yesterday!)

I love Michigan!

Gorgeous Day

What a gift -
68 degrees with a warm breeze on November 18th!

We spent a lot of the day on the porch. How I wish this weather would last one more week! We are having 21 for dinner on Thursday and it sure would be nice to have the porch available.

Martinez Christmas Photo Shoot

We had fun. First time to meet baby Emerson. Such a doll. We went to the Walmart park. It was so windy, but 59 degrees and not cold at all. A friend of Caroline's took pictures, but of course so did I.

Midnight Moon

Just 5 days from the closest full moon in this century. I couldn't fall asleep so I came back out into the living room. The moon is so bright the living room looks like there is a night light on.

Butternut Squash Salad

We ate at Kathy's in Flushing yesterday. Oh yum! I had a warm roasted butternut squash and grilled chicken salad that was served with a toasted sesame dressing. The ingredients were cut very small so I had a bit of everything on each bite. I will be making my version of this very soon.

Butternut squash, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, walnuts, strawberries, dried cherries, shredded cheese, toasted sesame dressing.

Do you see something?

I took a picture of the sun coming through the clouds this morning. I told Pat it looked like the head of a cat. He told me I'm seeing things.

Just in case you don't!