Christmas Is Very Close

I know it's close to Christmas when my dining room table is covered with cookies. Today, with the help of Mom, Jessica & John, we made several kinds of cookies. Most of these cookies are only made at Christmas time. It's a tradition that goes a long ways back. The recipes are from parents & grand-parents. And they probably got them from their parents & grand-parents. Just think, I could be using the same recipe that Eve used for Christmas! Did Adam & Eve celebrate Christmas?!? I'm sure they knew about it. But I digress... Everyone seems to have their favorite cookie, so I can't just make one or two. Uncle Dan loved the nutmeg logs; Travis loves the peanut butter blossoms; Tawnya loves the galaxy cookies (with the hidden surprise inside); Jessica just had to make Gingerbread cookies this year (she talked to them the whole time as if they were real). Personally, I love them all! Isn't it wonderful that Christmas is almost here!?! Of course the real greatness of Christmas isn't about cookies at all. It's all about the sweet baby Jesus coming to earth and starting his glorious mission to save all humanity. Oh, how I love Christmas!!

Babysitting Grandchildren

As a grandma, it's important that I treat grandchildren equally. So... I consented to babysit me darling grand-daughter Ruby! Now maybe I lost the touch; or perhaps I never had it with this grandchild. But, this week has been a learning experience for both of us!! Ruby loves to play with her puppy toys, but sometimes grandma tosses the toy and it gets hung up "out of reach" for little Ruby. That causes a few growls and barks (not from Grandma)!





And then there are new monsters that Ruby isn't familiar with. Such as the vacuum. She refused to go near it, even to walk past it. This caused Ruby to crouch in her "attack position". We tried to coax her next to the vacuum by laying her toy next to it, but she was very cautious! She grabbed/rescued her toy and ran far away from the monster. We finally decided it was the cord, not the vacuum that was so intimidating.




I love babysitting! Sure hope Ruby survives this week!!

Freshly Painted Walls

It seems to me that freshly painted walls are an invitation to be creative. I just want to grab a crayon and start drawing. We finished painting the living room walls last week and they look so good. Just like a brand new tablet for the first day of school! Jessica informed me that I can't hang anything up on the walls unless she approves of it first. Honestly, I can't decide what will inspire me enough to want to drive a nail into my new smooth walls. Needless to say, my walls are still bare! Thankfully, it's time to put up the Christmas tree. Maybe that will distract me from drawing on the walls!

Thank You Veterans!

Today is a day to honor and remember the veterans of our country. I'm so grateful for their service and sacrifice on my behalf and for this whole nation. I hope other countries are grateful too for the service they have provided on their behalf. My dad was a WWII veteran. Although he didn't speak about it much, I know he had 4 1/2 years that took him away from his beloved family farm. This was a time of extreme danger and difficult conflicts in the Pacific arena. I'm fortunate to have copies of letters he wrote home during this time. He was always concerned about his family at home and his other brothers also serving in the military. Perhaps that is the responsibility of being the oldest son! From my dad I learned to respect the American flag and what it represents. To this day, I get choked up when saying the Pledge of Allegiance, or see the colors presented.

I couldn't make this posting without also saying how grateful I am for my son. His service was a nail biter for me, but thankfully he has returned home safe and sound. He is one of the very fortunate. I wasn't happy when he enlisted in the Marines, but he is a man of self-determination. He chose to serve his country and I'm very proud of him for that. I also look at his wife, Nicole, as a veteran. She kept the home fires burning while Travis was off in the big sandbox. Her service was also commendable and gracious. So thank you to all the service men and women, and their families, who have given of themselves to benefit us all!

Blessings from Heaven

What a blessing... I just held our newest granddaughter in my arms!!!! Jenna Noel Thomas was born at 2:18pm this afternoon and mother and baby are doing great. Jenna weighed in at 10 pounds 3 ounces and measured 22 inches long; no wonder Shawna had trouble sleeping this last month! She is a doll (much like her grandma), and has dark thick hair (unlike her grandma)! Her brothers and sister took several turns holding her at the hospital tonight. They will be her eternal older guardians as she makes her way through this life. What a thrill to have this newest addition in our lives and feel such happiness from her arrival already. Auntie Tawnya missed her by one day, but I promise to put a picture of her in Jenna's crib until December when Tawnya can meet and greet her in person!!
Welcome Jenna - WE LOVE YOU!

Election/Wallet Woes

My friend Sarah is headed back to Alaska, all her "expensive" clothes have been donated to the needy, and I'm still numb about the election results. Although this election was "history in the making", I'm not pleased with this page of history that is being written. Yeah, I've heard it is now time for all U.S. citizens to unite... but frankly, I think that's a crock! When have all our opinions been united?! We thrive on diversity and difference of opinion. I will continue to speak with a conservative voice and oppose government regulation and controls. I have a wallet, but no control over the spending of any funds within it. My only hope, as a member of the middle class, is for all my money to be redistributed. Then, as a member of the poor class, I will have access to the redistributed wealth! Working as an election judge in East Bethel Precinct 1, it was very satisfying to see the results of the voters in our area overwhelmingly support the republican candidates. So all I can say is that I'm surrounded with a majority of politically like-minded neighbors. That brings a smile to my face!!

Run Away Girl

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I ran away from home and went to SLC, UT! It was a good run and I've had a few others since then. Ran to Fredericksburg, VA, then to Rapid City, SD. The last two were business meetings so all I saw were airports, hotels, and convention centers! My trip to SLC was the first and most enjoyable. At Tawnya's school in West Jordan, I transformed myself into Betsy Ross. It turned out to be a lot of fun as I visited four different 5th Grade classrooms. The kids in Tawnya's class informed their parents that Ms. Bator's mother was Betsy Ross! That must have raised a few eyebrows at home.

Jessica and Tawnya planned some very interesting activities and we dined at some great places too. It's fun to go and let them wait on me!! Gardner Village was decorated for Halloween with witches flying everywhere. (Tawnya hasn't shared those pictures with me yet).

A drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Park City was absolutely gorgeous. The aspen trees were ablaze and looked like they were on fire! The picture just doesn't do them justice.

I'm a sucker for water and rocks. I love the way the sun makes the water shimmer and puts a glint on the rocks.

Dinner at the Mayan was a treat with some very buff guys diving from the high rocks above our table. Ou-la-la! Tawnya & Jess tried to show their Michael Phelps form!

I'm glad to be able to run away every once in a while, but it's great to be home too. After two weeks of travel, my house is in dire need of cleaning. I don't know why my house gets so dirty when I'm gone, you would think it would stay clean with less people running in and out. It makes me wonder what goes on at home when I'm gone!?!