Week before Christmas

It's almost Christmas!  I'm starting to feel a bit excited now that I have time to think about it!  Last week Dick strung lights on the bushes outside our slider, and I love them!  Why hadn't we ever thought of doing that before?  When I come out to the living room in the darkness at 6:30 am, I just love seeing them!

And while I hate that it usually is dark before I get home after taking dinner over to Anthony and Lori (M, W, F), I do love seeing all the Christmas lights along our street - and ours too!

The sun is usually setting as I leave their place, and one evening last week it was spectacular!!

There haven't been very many beautiful sunrises this winter, but occasionally it looks like this!  I think that was Friday morning. 

On Sunday late afternoon I was sitting here at my computer working on music for Christmas Eve service, and this was the glorious sight outside my window.  

And now for a few cute pics of our favorite one-year-old!  

On Thursday evening Destiny and I made a grocery run after she came home from work, and we took Elizer along.  By the time we were checking out he was not a happy camper!  He's adorable even when he cries!  

On Saturday morning we were all up bright and early.  Because our local Auntie Anne's is closed during Penn State's semester break, they are sending Destiny to work at Lancaster for a few weeks, hotel provided!  They were ready to go at 7 am!  Grandpa was making Elizer laugh with some favorite animal sounds, especially "quack quack."

Is he not the cutest???   

I have been busy while they are away - deep cleaning, sending some cards, working on music for the Christmas services, and cooking. 

They are on their was back as I'm writing this.  Can't wait to kiss that face!  (Actually, they arrived before I was quite finished here, so I'm wrapping it up this morning. (Thursday)

Our daughter Miki's birthday was on Monday.  I told her I don't know how to make detailed, beautiful cards like she does, but I know how to make funny ones, haha!

On Sunday evening there was a horrific tragedy in my extended family.  My cousin Earl's daughter Jody and her husband Art were killed in a head-on collision.  They have three children, ages 13, 16, and 17.  Even more tragic, Jody's birthday would have been yesterday.  Jody's sister Audrey has been staying with the children the last few days.  She said that 16-year-old Carleigh made a cake and a meal to celebrate  her mama's birthday with some family and friends.  What a girl!  We are grieving for my cousin Earl at the loss of his firstborn daughter.  And especially for the three children.  

  Our hot water heater gave out yesterday, so we have the installation of a new one sometime today.  Gotta get myself decent before they come!

Christmas beauty and good times

I had good intentions of updating here a few days ago, but I had a little "helper" that interrupted my plans, haha!  

We don't have all the Christmas decorations for obvious reasons, except in places that are out of Elizer's reach.   I had showed our beautiful tabletop tree last time.  Here are a few more things.  This beautiful manger scene was given to me by my choir a few years ago.  

The window sill between the kitchen and living room has always been my place to put my angels and churches.  I couldn't find two of my favorite angels this year unfortunately.  Looks like I might have an angel photo bomber in this photo, hahahaha!!

I love this candy cane hanging on Anthony and Lori's door.

Here are a few pictures and videos from last week.   I still know how to sing a baby to sleep, and I love doing it!

Destiny has always loved doing puzzles, but it's so hard to find a chance to do that.  One day she got home from work when Elizer was still napping,  and she got one out and started.  Of course, how do you stop once you start?  We all tried our best to keep Elizer away from it.  Eventually we slid it onto something and put it out of his reach till she gets a chance to finish it.  She's close!

I laughed when I saw that rubber ducky in our bathroom.  Looks like he's in time out!

A few short videos:

Elizer loves to "help" his daddy take out the trash and put the new bag into the trash can.  They always do the "trash bag dance!"

He has found his own personal "Narnia" inside the cupboard of the entertainment console!  

He loves playing with Great Grandpa in the evenings. 

He loves the new coat he got in the mail from his Grandpa Frank!

I took pictures of the Christmas beauty at church yesterday morning.  They do such a great job decorating the sanctuary.

Yesterday was our beloved son-in-law George's 50th birthday.  I used to have trouble remembering how old he was until I realized he was born just a couple of months after we got married.  Now it's easy to remember.  He's a very young 50!  And we love his SOOOO much!  

After church we drove to Duncannon to pick up Sammy and Bianca.  I was so excited to do some of our favorite things with them.  Our first stop was Cupboard Maker Books in Enola, to which we had been once before with them.  We love it!  Bianca especially loves the cats!  These are pictures I took before I went inside. 

I love that book archway!  Bianca wasn't smiling yet because she hadn't seen any cats yet, haha!

How about that sign?  They do have cat walkways all over the store!  Lucky cats!

Sammy was delighted to find a book written in the 1890's.  We got it for him.  

At one point Bianca flicked her bracelet up in the air and it landed behind some books on a high shelf!  I  figured we'd never see it again, but, bless that dear store employee!  She climbed up a step ladder and found it!  

This was the highlight of the day for Bianca.  That cat was just as mild and cuddly as could be.

Grandpa was showing some interesting pictures to the kids.  I think we bought that book.  I said,  "We have no room for it."  Sammy said, "On your coffee table!"  Hahaha!  Wouldn't Elizer have fun with that?  We'll keep it up high for now and someday it will have its place on the coffee table.

Next stop was Zeiderelli's for a late lunch.  Yum, yum, yum!!!  Bacon cheeseburger pizza, honey BBQ ribs, mozzarella cheese sticks, and an Italian hoagie.  

Bianca is like me - she likes the crust of the pizza the best.  This was supposed to be a picture of her biting into that pizza crust, and of course Grandpa could not resist making it more interesting!

Sammy likes to make pictures more interesting too!

On our way from Zeiderelli's in Marysville to Old Sled Works in Duncannon, we drove along the Susquehanna River for a few miles.  So lovely!

We spent over an hour browsing at Old Sled Works.  Just no end to all the interesting things.  It is HUGE!!

A Lifetime roaster just like the one I have from my mom.  They truly do last a lifetime!  Or two or three!

What a fun cookie jar!

Calling home!!

A Princess Diana bride doll!  $100.00.

We got this gorgeous view of the sun setting over the Susquehanna River.

December already!

Time to catch up here before another week begins!  Can you believe it's December??

Last Sunday morning we woke up to a light layer of snow.  It was so beautiful!

After church Dick and I packed a lunch and headed for Lancaster County for the first time in seven weeks - the day of my brother Dick's funeral in mid-October.  Our first destination was Pleasant View Communities in Manheim to visit Dick's stepmother, Grandma Arlene.  We had a wonderful time catching up.  We're so thankful for her, the only parent we have left.

Next we went to Park City Mall near Lancaster to surprise Destiny.  She was working at the Auntie Anne's there for the three-day weekend.  Wow!!!  Were they ever busy!  They had the longest line of any kiosk in the center mall.  She said it was like that ALL DAY Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!  

What an exciting place at Christmas time!  The music and the lights!  In this video you can hear the glorious ending to Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.  And you can see that long line for Auntie Anne's!

After we left there we went to my sister Mary Ellen's place.  She had recently gotten some of our parents' things from Dick and Nancy's attic.  There were several Family Bibles that were SO interesting! The calligraphy! We wondered if there was a family member who wrote like that, or if there was a person who offered to do it.  

Our trip home was interesting.  We were keeping in touch with Destiny and Alex.  They were about an hour behind us.  We hit stormy rain, even a bit of snow above Harrisburg.  When we got to Seven Mountains, which is the big mountain we go over before entering Centre County (our county), we hit crawling traffic, due to snow, on our side and NO traffic coming the other way.  We slowly made it up the mountain with no trouble and saw a tractor trailer jack knifed on the other side when we got almost to the top.  That explained the reason no traffic was coming the other direction!  

We were getting near home when Destiny and Alex started getting messages about Seven Mountains being closed.  We told them to get off at the last exit before the mountain and get a hotel room.  We had had to do that several years ago.  But of course, lots of other people were doing that too, and there were no rooms available.  After a while they got a message that the mountain was open for traffic again, and we were glad after all that there had been no rooms available!  We were SO glad when they were finally home!

On Monday when I took dinner over to Anthony and Lori's, Austin took me up to his room to show me the shelves displaying all his amazing creations.  Of course I had to take pictures!  I'm so glad he still likes to do such creative things.

Brennan's 6th birthday was on Thursday and I had not remembered to put a birthday card in the mail in time to get to Portland.  So a Jib Jab video to the rescue!  I thought this was so cute!!  That sweet face of his!!

There's no end to photo ops with Elizer in the house!  He's SO busy and nixy and sweet and naughty and adorable!! 

Destiny has always loved doing arts and crafts, so she was the perfect person to write the employees' names on the stockings for Auntie Anne's.  She did such a great job!  The next morning the glitter ink wasn't completely dry, so she carefully laid them on her back seat and hung some up with pins.  

Our son Frank (Destiny's dad) and his wife Lauren have been working HARD this past year.  She went to school for her cosmetology license, and they rented a building which Frank turned into a gorgeous salon for her business, Fleek Beauty.  Last evening they had a grand opening celebration.  We are so proud of them!

Also yesterday was our youngest son Ray's 39th birthday.  Like I said on Facebook, we did not meet him until he was 14 (bottom right picture).  He came for "a weekend," but when he walked in the door my heart knew he was going to be ours forever.  

Destiny had off work today, unusual for a Sunday.  So she and Elizer came to church with us this morning.  We do not have nursery service, but I did take him to the nursery to play while Pastor Lynn was preaching.  He really did pretty well,  and Destiny said he liked listening to my piano playing.  Awww!

This afternoon we got some Christmas decorations out.  With Elizer in the house this year we decided we would have just a table top tree.  Destiny got a little elf to sit under it, and we decided we really love it!

Have a good week!