Christmas 2011 Part I: Annie and Audrey

This year's Christmas was divided up between family members...getting everyone in one place at the same time is decidedly difficult! However, it was a blast and full of food, love and more love...and, it went wayyyy too fast!

Our time began after a long flight from California -- both Annie and Audrey wanted JASONS!

And some shopping....

Before opening PRESENTS!

Audrey wanted a "Fidget" - its an electronic friend that chats, dances, lights up and well...is very entertaining for five year olds :)

The Happy Face is due to the fact that some of my gifts came from Beekman 1802...more on that later....

Over the next few days of their visit, there was eating, shopping, a pizza party and many good times:

My favorite photo of their visit ---

Audrey and Rudolph at Blue Frog Mercantile:

Topping the day off with a peppermint cupcake at Hesters:

Topping the night off by reading Mommy a story (in THE bed - which she loved~)

It was so sad when they left... but Jen and Scott would be arriving in a couple of days so I felt a bit better about the empty house. To be continued... :)  

Prepare Ye the Way

I can't wait for Christmas. This year, Annie and Audrey are coming and staying with me for several days, and then there is singing at Midnight Mass, followed by a visit with Jen and Scott. There is so much to look forward to -- but first, preparing for company. Last year, Audrey was four...and since my house has two bedrooms, Annie stayed in one and Audrey stayed in a walk-in closet. Now, it's a large closet - very large, and a youth-sized bed fit in there just great -- but, it was still a closet. Something told me that it was time to step this situation up a notch.

I found a beautiful daybed at World Market while looking at Christmas ornaments with Ron. Totally spontaneous, it was purchased and within an hour loaded into his truck. We brought it home and he helped to put it together ...well, he actually put it together and I flitted around in total excitement. Audrey was going to have a bed - and it was going to be in my bedroom!

Here it is after the assembly -- everything, including the pillows it came with, was white. As you can see it fit beautifully under my window, but that white had to go.

So a trip to the fabric store to get more of the fabric I used to make the bedspread and curtains, and out came the sewing machine....

While measuring and cutting, I watched the birdies playing in the birdbath outside. Yes, it went up to 80 degrees this week - I love South Texas weather! Evidently, so do the birdies....

Some red-winged blackbirds and sparrows enjoying a communal bath :)

Here is the finished product - I couldn't be more pleased. Audrey will have a bed at my house, and I can use it as a quiet place to read, drink coffee and watch the birdies:

Now, with a five year old coming for Christmas, the one foot high tree I used last year wasn't going to cut it:

So I went into the attic and got down alllll the boxes for Christmas decorations, including the BIG tree. Come on in and take a look:

 This figurine was painted by me in 1985. Those are supposed to be Jen, Annie and Scott in the sled. Note Scott's glasses - made of wire. He wore glasses when he was young.

 More Christmas - I painted the angels in the background. A house can't have enough angels you know...

The table - you can see Ella regally lying in the background. 

 Note the staff in St. Joseph's hands. St. Joseph has held that staff since the day I cleaned, painted and brought him home from being fired at the ceramic shop in 1982 - I made it from some twisted wire. Ron took a look at it and studied it a bit-- I couldn't figure out what he found so intriguing about it. Tonight, he showed up with a new staff for St. Joseph - made out of brass and shaped by hand.

Ron is extremely talented and can fix anything... St. Joseph is infinitely proud of his beautiful new staff. And I am so happy to share Christmas with my loved ones.

Goosebumps

This is a bit of a blog of boastfulness...but the offertory we sang on Sunday at the Corpus Christi Cathedral is among my all time favorites. "The Yearning" by Craig Courtney -- a perfect prayer for Advent.

 If you go to this website - and use your computer not a cell phone (too much data to download), let this download for a while. If you don't want to watch the whole Sunday Mass (Gaudete Sunday - it is beautiful), simply go to the bar and fast forward to 31:15 after downloading. You will hear "The Yearning".

I cried while listening in my office during lunch.
BTW the photo above is dated...our new Bishop had all that green carpet removed, and white marble floors were underneath. Yes...underneath. They are glistening now, so beautiful. Our cathedral is a work of art.
Blessed Beyond Measure.

Retirement Plans

I've been thinking about what's going to happen when it's time to leave this job and begin my life as a Professional Retired Person. This is not around the corner mind you, but it is going to happen one of these days. I've been talking to some investment type people to get the finances organized...you know, the what-am-I-going-to-do-for-income-when-I'm-no-longer-working type questions. I love my job (as you well know), but at some point the energy required just won't be there. I don't want to be a faculty member that hangs on long past the point of  being effective in the classroom -- no way. So, maybe when I'm around 80 years old I'll quit :)

I'm devising a plan. Ron has been helping -- he has had, unknown to me when we met, the same dream for his retirement....When I leave, I'm going to have a farm in the Hill Country. It's going to be kind of like the Beekman 1802 farm featured on Green Planet, only Texas style, and no 19th century house to go along with it (read: can't afford that house on my retirement income). Here are some of the animals and stuff that are going to be on the farm:

A narcissistic llama (they think they are the world's most beautiful creatures) must adorn the grounds....

 See how they pose? They think they are so gorgeousness....

 If there was pond nearby, llama would spend all day staring at themselves.


Some ducks will waddle around the stock tank/pond and create cute little ducklings in the spring:

Of course every farm needs a chicken coup so you can have fresh eggs and cute chicks. Did you know you can buy a chicken coup on Amazon.com? Yeah...I checked it out ...

 Goats are a necessity - they keep the yard trimmed down. They taste pretty good too, but we aren't going there....

And sheep grazing in the back pasture. We plan to keep them trim and use their fur and llama hair to help subsidize our operation. I know...better keep the day job, right?

Some cows and calves will be necessary -- they kind of act like big dogs when they're used to people....

 
Every farm must have at least one horse and a donkey -- or a pony - for the kids (and their grandmother) to ride....

Ron is an expert gardener - so there will be a huge garden and some delicious fruit trees (our peaches are famous in Texas) and probably some fence to keep the bunnies and deer  out of the garden....

Every farm needs a tractor - something for the grandchildren to ride around in and to haul stuff. This one looked pretty nice....

If there isn't enough profit from sheep wool, llama fur, goat milk, eggs and veggies, maybe we will settle for this one:

I'm sure the ride is just as fun :)

I can't WAIT to start the farm, and really, really look forward to the day when the grandkids and maybe even great-grand kids are scampering all over, chasing the sheep and goats.

I know it sounds like a great dream, right? I really think it can come true.  It's like Thoreau said,
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."





So begins the first step...find the land. Right now I have to give a final exam. Stay tuned....