How Do I Get Talked Into These Things?

Here, for your viewing enjoyment, are the fuzzy punks who have been keeping me company for the last week….

Dippy

Rascal

Buddy

Sadie

And Pookie…

Who won’t sit still long enough for me to take his picture.

He’s black and cat shaped but you’ll just have to take my word for it.

Christmas Morning

For those of you who weren’t aware, I’ve been house/pet sitting since the 23rd. The house is located in what I affectionately refer to as ‘the sticks’ and it takes about twenty minutes to get there from my apartment. There are times over the last week or so when this drive has been almost too much for me to handle, especially when it is compounded with some of the family things I’m dealing with and some of my other obligations but mostly I’ve enjoyed it…and it was especially beautiful at dawn on Christmas morning. The roads were so empty and the world was so peaceful that I was literally able to stop in the middle of the street and take pictures without being in anyone’s way…so I did.

Holiday Baking

So…since it’s the holidays…I made pies and cobbler.

The Holiday Post

Bless Us All

Life is full of sweet surprises,
every day’s a gift.
The sun comes up and
I can feel it lift my spirits,
It fills me up with laughter,
it fills me up with song,
I look into the eyes of love
And know that I belong

Bless us all, who gather here
The loving family I hold dear
No place on Earth, compares with home
And every path will bring me back from where I roam

Bless us all, that as we live
We always comfort and forgive
We have so much that we can share
With those in need we see around us everywhere

Let us always love each other
Lead us toward the light
Let us hear the voice of reason
Singing in the night

Let us run from anger
And catch when we fall
Teach us in our dreams and please, yes, please
Bless us one and all

Bless us all with playful years
With noisy games and joyous tears
We reach for you, and we stand tall
And in our prayers and dreams we ask you bless us all

We reach for you, and we stand tall
And in our prayers and dreams we ask you bless us all

* * * * *
A very Merry Christmas to you and yours, love HistoryDiva

The DivaFamily Christmas Tree

It’s pre-lit, eight feet tall and come out blurry this year…

This ornament is the first one my father ever gave to my mother and has been on our family tree every year for as long as I can remember. When I was really young I used to rip it off the tree and chew on it. (I’m ashamed that I just admitted that…)

Oh, and if you can’t tell, it’s two little mice in their little toadstool house.

Only I could turn Christmas into a sheep joke.

My mother made this about twenty years ago or so. She crocheted a dozen different snowflakes and then dipped them into a sugar solution to make them stiffen and pinned them down to a foam board so that they would dry correctly. They hang on our tree every year and still look brand new.

My mother made this too. There are about a half dozen cross stitched ornaments on the tree every year.

This ornament was made by my Aunt J and is one half of a matched set…the other one has the mouse looking at you. Have you picked up on the ‘theme’ of our family tree yet? No? How about another hint…

This is another one of those ornaments that have been around FOREVER. It’s a little girl mouse in a stocking…and yes, there is a matching little boy mouse in a stocking.

And for those of you playing the home game, yes, the ‘theme’ is mice. It’s a long story.

The picture of the cute kid in the creepy bunny ornament frame.

The cute kid is me.

Shut up!

Hail to thee, my alma mater!

This is one of two paper angels that hang on our tree. My mother got them years ago from a co-worker who’s mother makes them out of wall paper scraps.

This little house is part of a set my mother purchased the first Christmas she and my father were married. She painted them herself and over the years I have done everything I can do to preserve them. I love them. I plan on stealing them.

Merry Christmas!

Trivia Night

…was a wash out last week due to an influx of college students and (oddly) families with small children. So we went out to dinner instead!

Here’s Dave, the H.O.P.S.F., and JustJulie enjoying their grub.

See Julie? I told you the picture wouldn’t make it look like you were stuffing your face with fajitas…but it makes the H.O.P.S.F. look like a napkin-less heathen!

And here’s JustJulie’s brother and the LibraryDiva…also enjoying their grub.

Maybe we should do this ‘dinner’ thing more often…