The Day Before

Well, it's almost that time of the year.  I typed "that time of the month" first but decided I'd change the wording. hee hee    It's 8:30 a.m. and I've been hopping back and forth between the Today Show and Good Morning America.  I pretty much can't stomach Justin Bieber so he gets no air time in this house.  I get a little weary of Carson Kressley (who was also a contestant on Dancing) strutting around and showing off so I usually turn him off as well.

And while I did watch the three winners on Dancing with the Stars, I wasn't pleased to see Derek and Ricki at 3rd place so I turned the show off last night. The Kardashian sisters are doing their best to get in the spotlight  this morning giving sweet messages to brother Rob but ZAP! - Away they go.

Jenni just emailed me that the heavy rainfall last night caused their septic system to slow down and she had to mop up a floor of water in the bathroom this morning. What a horrible way to start the day.  I've noticed that the toilets "act up"  in this house during heavy rainfall as well.

Half hour later....

Had to make a quick run over to Jen's to pick up Sammy as she got a call to hurry up and get to work as they needed her to open the bank.  Sammy was as pleased as punch to see me, as usual.  He's running around the house with his toys right now.  I'm gonna finish up this morning post and prepare the oyster dressing for tomorrow. I found a new recipe I want to try.

Certain dishes that I used to make on a regular basis for the holidays seemed to have gone by the wayside.  I always loved Peach Delight, a jello dish with whipped evaporated milk, cream cheese, pineapple, nuts, and peach jello but not everyone shares my enthusiasm for it so I don't make it too often. It's a lot of work anyway.

We don't seem to fix sweet potatoes or yams all that often either although I really like them. I'd make them for Christmas but Jenni fixes twice-baked potatoes and they're the favorite of EVERYONE!  My aunt Elva used to make a lime jello dish with cottage cheese and walnuts but I don't make that all the time anymore either.  Maybe I will at Christmas this year.

If it wasn't so much trouble, I'd bake yeast dinner rolls but with everything else you have to do in preparation for the meal, stopping to make rolls is hard to work into the schedule.  I used to put a lot more effort into having special dishes but these days, I get just plain weary of being on my feet for an extended period of time.  Yeah, I know. If I got out of this computer chair I'd have all the time in the world.  But that probably isn't going to happen any time too soon.

Three of the pictures I'm posting today are things I saw on Facebook that I liked.  This first one, though, is granddaughter Maddie working on a jigsaw puzzle with Sammy at her feet. I told her I wanted to take her picture because I liked her hairdo. She did those braids up herself.

I was feeling a little "off" yesterday.  Not depressed exactly but still kind of blue. As I thought about it more today, I decided it was probably a case of remembering holidays past. Three years ago this week we were preparing for the funeral of my stepmother, Marcella, who had died November 15, 2008.  In April of the following year, dad passed away, and in February of  2010, my stepbrother Steve Smith died. 

The twins posing with Great grandparents, Marcella & John, and their uncle Steve.


2011 has so far taken two more relatives--My Aunt Lorraine in April and my cousin Sue's husband, Don Johnson, in June.  Right now, my cousins in Gig Harbor, are preparing for their mother's last days. Marlyn Butler was married to my cousin, Bob Walker.

I know that death is just another part of life but seems like the holidays stir up the memories a little more than usual.

Guess I'll get going on that dressing recipe now. Here's three pictures on Facebook that I liked...

This is Port Townsend's poster picture for the season. I'd sure like to get a copy as I have a lot of PT scenes on my walls.

Have a nice Thanksgiving and don't eat too much.