Pictures In No Particular Order

Not much different than 2005. You can probably distinguish between a mantle (**mantel?), piano, bookcase and a tree from the inside and the outside so I won't label these.

**It seems to be one of those words with optional spelling. I looked it up and found both versions. Maybe another difference between American and British English?

I think I caught the reflection from the flash in the tree. Oh well. That green thing is a small electric tree from the 99¢ store that Rebecca fell in love with. Girl after my own heart. The thing that looks like a trophy is. It's one of Elcie's from her "games" each year from 3 years old through 5th grade. It's our local version of the Special Olympics. The others are there but not as visible.

We've been trying for something resembling normal. We put the fake tree up (untrimmed except for lights) last night and, as soon as I returned from church with Rebecca, we all pitched in on decorating. That means Ray and I set the ornaments out, the girls put them on the tree. I'm responsible for the royal blinding electric blue and royal garish purple tinsel of course. Nothing tacky or over the top about granny.

I replaced last year's tree with one that included the lights. Ray usually does them but it's a lot of work and I remember he was tired last year by the time he figured out what worked and what didn't and finished it all. I don't think we'll try for outside lights this year unless someone young and tall shows up to volunteer. I'm much too short and Ray's balance is a little shaky on the best of days.

I assembled a Christmas playlist on Rhapsody, turned my computer speakers up enough to be heard in the living room, and we all managed to enjoy it. My taste in Christmas music, however, is not necessarily everyone else's . I started off with Pavarotti and Carreras followed by some really old standards of my generation and a little before.

Later this week we'll go back to the piano, Frosty, and Rudolph. Today was my turn.

Rebecca and I did the shelves, mantle, and piano together. She dusted and wiped down all the surfaces. That's colored water, not kerosense, in the hurricane lamp base. I have a matching green one on the other side. Don't know what happened to the globes. I'll replace them one of these days.

We shoveled out the living room and said enough for one day. Tomorrow we'll stash the empty boxes now in the kitchen somewhere and be done. Sort of.


I took her with me to the store and then over to visit with her Uncle Tim (and Aunt Melissa) at Barnes & Noble. The other girls were spending time with their mom.

And now I'm doing not much of anything except watching the Saints playing Dallas and leading so far. Carol didn't feel like company today. I'll get over there tomorrow which is when some of the decisions about transferring her (when and where) should be made. She had forgotten she wouldn't be coming home (so far as we know now) and, as people often do when they're medicated, was confused and hurt. I hugged her, told her I didn't want to upset her further and that I loved her. Then I left and sent the nurse in to explain it to her again as a professional.

Short post again. I woke up before 6 I think and it's been a long day.

Hi and welcome to former lurker and now visitor (and Blogging Baby friend) Mama Christy from Texas; the mom of an extremely cute little boy who has just learned how to wet the bed without actually "wetting" the bed.

And thanks again for all the comments and emails. We're doing okay and we've had a little time to adjust as much as anyone can. Not that it's easy; it isn't, but I can't crawl into a hole and pull it in after me. Life goes on and I'm trying to focus on that as much as I can.

So we trimmed a tree, we did some shopping and stopped for a treat, and I'm thinking about the holiday season and what's on my agenda for next week. It helps keep me sane, at least for now.

Love to all and take care. I have a few silly pictures involving cats and Rebecca for another post while Blogger is cooperating with pictures.