The Trip to Wooster

So much has happened in the past two weeks that I have had plenty to post about, but just haven't had the time nor the inclination to do so.

First - the holidays!

We went to Ohio to deliver Greta's cabinet that she FINALLY decided was a good idea to purchase.

The first day of the three was to Wooster.  We went to Smuckers to look for sugar free jelly and whatever else we could find that was interesting.  I was disappointed that there was no Boysenberry jam at all, either regular or sugar free, but we did pick up several jars of blueberry, strawberry, peach, apricot, orange marmalade, blackberry, and raspberry  I saw a couple of cardinals that were cute, so they came home with us too. One is on the tree in the corner of the dining room and the one perched on top of a snowman's head is on the window sill.  If I had known that cardinals were going to be a theme of the small Christmas tree, and ultimately in the dining room decor, I would have saved more of Mom's collection.  At the time though I was just tired of all of her stuff and wanted to be rid of most of it, including the collection of clowns and cardinals.  Ahh...hindsight, right?

That day we also went to Rubbermaid for a few things, then stopped at the cemetery, drove past the house on Barnes Drive, and stopped at Rural King Ohio where they always have a great selection of toys, and on Monday they were all 30% off. 

Another stop at Buehlers, then dinner at Longhorn, and back to Days Inn we went.  I felt really strange on this trip to Wooster.  I felt like I didn't belong there at all.  I had no one to visit--or to want to avoid visiting, if that makes any sense.  I missed my dad, and I kept thinking of him as we drove past Lowe's and the town square and by the library and past the house and at RKO because he liked going to those places.  Most of the thoughts of Mom revolved around how unappreciative she was, or how she always argued about things, or how she thought everyone was her friend when they didn't even remember who she was.  Those thoughts came back as we looked at the Christmas lights.  We took her on a drive around town to look at lights one year because it was hard for her to drive, in the first place, and looking at lights while driving would be impossible for her.  Well, on the 'tour' she kept talking about all of the houses with NO lights and speculating on why (they must be Jewish or there  must have been a death in the family or they were too poor to decorate) and at the end, she asked me what else I wanted to see since she thought I was the one who really wanted to drive all over town and see the lights.  I tried to explain that we were doing it for her, but that was lost on her, of course.  Then there was the last time we were there before Christmas when she exploded at me and Gary and accused us of stealing her food and things out of the little shed and bad-mouthed Dad and started cussing at us.  That was horrible.  Finally when we stopped at Buehlers, I could hear her talk about how all of the clerks really loved her and the ladies who worked at the pharmacy were all her close friends.  As we walked through the store looking for sugar free lemon jello (long story), I saw various candies and treats for the holidays and I could picture Mom still buying all of those, even though it was just her at the house and no one came to see her at the holidays and we would end up throwing most of it away later.  Not a good mindset for the visit to Wooster.

Leaving there was a good thing for me.  We had breakfast at Farmer Boy, a local favorite of ours, then headed to the outlet mall at Lodi to do some shopping.  Eventually we arrived at Greta and Kent's condo to deliver the cabinet.

I have no desire to return to Wooster.  I will check and see if there is online ordering from Smuckers for the future.  I really don't need to visit the graves either.  Mom and Dad's bodies are there but that is it.  I stood there for maybe 3 minutes, then I was ready to leave.  I stared at the tombstone and the graves and felt like I was just there, if you know what I mean.  Maybe because I felt like I needed to be there---but I really didn't.  It was an odd feeling.

I am glad we went.  I am fortunate that Gary supports me in what I want to do, even if he thinks it is a silly idea or not really important.  I guess overall it was not a bad day, but it is not one that I feel I need to repeat anytime soon.

Maybe it would have been different if Brian and Melanie had been home and we could have stopped to visit with then.  Or maybe it would be different if we knew ANYONE else at all in the town.  But we don't.  Ryan and Jen are there, but we didn't want to drop in on them on such short notice (even though he was disappointed we didn't).

It will be a long time before we return.  

Saying "Happy Trails" to Leo

A couple of years before I left Ivy Tech Leo came to occupy the office next to mine, teach Science at the Logansport campus, and become a very popular and well-qualified professor plus an asset to the college in many ways.

As he was acclimating to the campus life, he spent so much time in my office, or I in his, just helping him become comfortable, asking and answering many questions, listening to and offering many suggestions, and just becoming friends.

Leo was from Seattle, had gone to Marquette on a scholarship for his undergrad, and completed his PhD at Purdue.  He left a research position to teach at the Logansport campus.  He was younger than Megan yet older than Hilary so we joked often that he was my 'middle child' and I was his '3rd mother' since his own was not much of a prescence in his life and another woman in Seattle who was a family friend occupied the second spot.

As the years progressed at Ivy, he moved through the reclassification process, took over the PTK leadership, even at the state and national level, and became a presence on the campus and in the college.

When I left, he told me he felt an emptiness since I wasn't there for his sounding board, that the office next door had changed, that he missed my advice and expertise, and most of all he missed my friendship.

Then the week before Thanksgiving, I sent him a text about my making apple crisp, which was a favorite with the students at our campus for our Wednesday fund-raising lunches.  PTK used to make lunch on selected Wednesdays for the students which really became quite popular.  Favorite items were sloppy joes (Jan's recipe), vegetable soup (not sure where that recipe came from), and apple crisp.  That was always fun, and it was also music to my ears when students would stop by and thank me for making something that they really enjoyed (like the big pans of apple crisp that I continued to make even after I gave up the PTK advisorship).

During that texting, Leo told me they were packing up the house, getting ready for the move.  A quick to follow phone call revealed that Mike had taken a job in Seattle (long story about his exit from the employment at Rolls Royce) and Leo had just given his notice to the college that he would be leaving at the end of the semester.

Going to Seattle was not a surprise since it is Leo's home town.  Moving without a job lined up would scare me a bit, but his father has offered the above-the-garage apartment to them, rent-free, and they do have friends there to live with as well.  Plus he already has a possibility of a position at another community college which he has discovered through his connections with PTK.  He will be fine.

Gary and I met him for a late breakfast at Bob Evans in Kokomo yesterday, a breakfast which lasted for three hours.  Yikes!  But it was good to talk, to catch up, and to bid him farewell for a while.  During our conversation, I realized several things.

First, we always need to make time to keep the connections strong.  Leo and I were very good friends, talked all the time, but when I left the college, after a couple of lunch meetings, we seemed to drift apart.  While it wasn't intentional, it still happened.  Gary's folks died, I was helping him with harvest, my mom died, we had to clean out the house, we were babysitting a lot, I was teaching at Trine, we moved...he was busy with classes and overloads and PTK and many committees and additional responsibilities at the college...and time slips away.

Second, life is a series of changes.  When I went to the college, I liked what we were doing and our student clientele.  Our mission was a good one and we tried to make it work so students could receive degrees and continue to hold a job and raise a family.  Now it seems like the student needs are falling to the bottom of the concerns and the focus is not where it should be.    He was also frustrated that a few faculty are engaged and others are quietly existing, sitting back with no extra responsibilities while others are over-extended.  Unfortunately that seems to be the norm for most groups, in schools, in colleges, in workplaces, in churches, in clubs and organizations.  It just happens.  So the life at Ivy Tech that I knew and really enjoyed when I first started, and even when we first moved to the new building, has changed, and not for the better, it seems.  When that happens, it is time to move on.

Third, friendship is something to be treasured.  Much as I dislike technology sometimes, it is easy to keep in touch with texts and emails, even when distance is a factor.  One just has to work at it.

I will miss Leo.  But as we talked about yesterday, now that he will be in Seattle, that gives us one more reason to travel west and visit.

And we will.

Happy Trails, Leo!  Safe travels today as you fly home and start a new phase in your life.   I'll miss you!

Two Fun Days

On Monday Gary and I went north to Michigan City to the Lighthouse Premium Outlets to do some shopping.  We do that occasionally, even though my favorite outlet shopping spot is in Sevierville.  We were on a mission for a few things, and we found them!

Next stop was the Bass Pro Shop in Portage.  We like that store also and have visited it several times.  I know this sounds weird, but we do like the clothes there.  I like the more casual styles and they seem to fit me better than those from other stores. Plus I like the longer tails on shirts so I can wear them with skinny jeans or leggings.

The only problem with shopping in these two places is that now they are not just an hour away, but two!  We agreed that while we had a good day, it will be a while before we make the trip again. We put over 200 miles on the Escape just in that shopping trip.  But it was fun!

Yesterday our plans changed a little. We were planning to visit the Indiana Historical Museum and wander through the Christmas tree display.  We went last year and really enjoyed it.  Since Cooper was running a fever and Megan had asked if we could help out with watching him, we cancelled our plans for Friday and moved the trip to Indianapolis to that day so we could be available.  Then Matt decided to stay at home with him, so we changed our plans again to a shopping day.

It started at Cracker Barrel, always a good place for breakfast.  I found a breakfast that I can eat with fewer points than my favorite Momma's French Toast Breakfast (love that French toast but too many points for me!)  We discovered that we can find some reasonably priced items in their Country Store also, so we did a bit of Christmas shopping after we ate.

Next stop was Lowe's to pay off the bill for the appliances and some other items for the new house.  We had opted for the "No Interest for 6 Months" plan instead of 5% off the total price.  I had been paying a few hundred each month, but we decided to just pay it and be done with it so we did.  Landon had asked Papaw for a tool box and had given him a list of tools he would like so Gary shopped for that for him.

A stop at Five Below was next.  Megan had found an item available at that store and asked us to stop and see if it were in stock.  We hit pay dirt in that place.  EVERYTHING was $5 or less so we picked up some stocking stuffers and a few charging cords for Nick plus some things for the kids. We decided that paying $5 for games that they may tire of in a week or so or lose the pieces from was better than paying $20-30 for a game and just as fun.  And we found the item that Megan had asked about too!

Gas was under $2.00 a gallon at Sam's so that was the next stop.  It had been a long time since we filled up the tank for around $20.

Staples was next.  Every year Gary gets me a calendar that hung beside the front door at the old house.  It replaced one that we always used to get at Peoples State Bank in Francesville. Since we don't bank there anymore and since they changed to Alliance Bank, we found another calendar at Staples that worked well.  The only problem now is that there is no good place to hang it at the new house---except on the back of the cabinet door in the kitchen where we keep our medicine and paper plates and other stuff like that.  It works for me, but Gary isn't used to it yet.  Anyway, we found a calendar there plus I needed something under the chair in the sewing room, so we found a pad that was perfect for that.

Since we were in the area, we went to Barnes and Noble.  I had missed out on just browsing there during Megan's book fair before Thanksgiving. Landon, Tessa, and Cooper were with me and my focus was keeping an eye on them.  Plus Brian and Melanie and the girls were visiting and stopped by so I spent some time with them and introduced them to Matt's folks and a few other friends.  I stopped at Starbucks and ordered a chai latte (never again) and browsed.  I finally caught up with Gary and of course we found several items we liked, including a couple of musicals for Megan, three puzzles, and a few books for gifts for us!

It was time to eat again so we went to Cheddars Scratch Kitchen. I like going to places where I know I can find something to eat and keep within the points for the day.  This time I tried something new - lemon pepper whitefish on rice with baby carrots and a house salad. It was great!  I was stuffed, but then it hadn't really been that long since breakfast.

Back to Home Depot we went to do the same thing as at Lowe's---pay off the bill for the lawn mower.  This had been an unexpected expense since the old owners had left a mower here and we were moving ours down as well.  The one they left didn't last through one mowing and was not worth repairing. Ours was needed at the old house to continue to keep the yard nice.  So we had to shop for a new mower and wanted one that would last us for several years.  Same option as at Lowe's - no interest for 12 months, but I wanted to pay it off, so we did!

Homeward bound after that.  And we had plenty of time to do other things with the day!  Another perk of living closer to Lafayette!  We really enjoyed the shopping fun and just being together.  It was a good day!  Plus Christmas shopping is always fun, especially when the crowds are small and the stores are not crowded.  The busiest place we were was Cheddars!  Everyone has to eat, I guess!

Six Months Already!

I just realized yesterday that we closed on the new house on June 25 so that means in two weeks we will have owned it for 6 months.  We moved the 'big stuff' in on July 28, the day before Gary's birthday, so we officially lived here for five months in a couple of weeks.

Sometimes after being away from home for an extended period of time....or spending days and overnights with the girls....or just spending lots of time on the road and in Lafayette shopping or going to the doctor....or going to Ohio to work on the house....I just wanted to be hone.  I wanted to sleep in my own bed.  I wanted to cook in my own kitchen.  I wanted to look at my own yard.  I just yearned to be home.

One of my fears with moving to the new house was that I would still want to be home---meaning the other house. I hoped that wouldn't happen because we weren't moving back and I needed to be happy in the new house.  Well, never, not ever, have I yearned to be at the old house.  Actually I don't like to return there, and I know we need to occasionally, especially since we still have some cleaning out to do in the laundry room!

This house is home.  I think it became even more our home after Thanksgiving when we hosted the Siemens family dinner.  Mike, Angie, and Nick spent two nights here.  Greta and Kent were here for three days.  Now everyone has seen the house, everyone knows how to get here, and everyone knows that this is where we are, if that makes any sense.  Not only do the girls stop by frequently, but Karen and Clay also pop in.  Amanda has been by also.  This is the way I want it to be.

But not only that, I am very relieved to have gone through things (even though it was hard to do at the time) and sort and pitch and donate and find places for things we want to keep.  I know there is more to do, especially since we still can't park the Escapes in the garage yet, but we are getting closer.  And more sorting and pitching and donating will happen. 

I like this house. 

I like going to Lafayette for a nails appointment, running a few errands, picking up lunch, and driving 10-15 minutes to be home.

I like that Hilary is just 5 minutes away and that Megan is only 20 minutes from our house.

I like that I can see Owen and Lynnlee in the mornings if I want to.

I like that it will take just 5-10 minutes to get to my WW meeting tonight.

I like that the bathroom is right next to the bedroom and I don't have to walk downstairs and through two rooms to get to it....and back again.

I like the new tree in the living room.

I love the sewing room!

I feel like I am home.

And yesterday when we went north to Michigan City and Portage to do some shopping, when I wanted to be home, it was this house that I was ready to return to.

This is home.

Gary is here.

I love it!

The Sewing Room

We had a long list of things we wanted when we were searching for a new house.

Two bathrooms.

Master bedroom/bath combination.

Bigger kitchen and dining room.

AC

Barn

Yard

Sewing room.....

Yes, a sewing room.

The other things we have checked off and enjoyed and always talk about as pluses about the new house.

But the sewing room has been forgotten.  Except when I show someone the house.  Then we step in and look at it and I say "Well, this is my sewing room.  We put the stuff in here and I just haven't done anything with it yet.  But I will." and that is the end of it.

With making the quilt for Sandy for Christmas, it was time to do something with the sewing room.

The ironing board is set up.

The machine is out on the table.

Gary emptied all of the trash bags and put everything into spare tubs that were in the garage and stacked them in the corner.

I had plenty of room to cut the squares out of the layer cake and the fabric for the backing and the flannel for the batting.

I have plenty of room to sew.

I have room for the wastebasket next to me.

The ironing board is close enough to put stacks of squares on for easy reach.

The view to the family room is very cozy, warm, and inviting.

The room is warm.

I can see the family room tv if I want to watch something or at least listen.

And I don't have to put anything away when I am finished for the day or I need to do something else.  I can just turn off the machine, unplug the iron, flip the switch on the light, and leave the room.

If I need to, I can close the door too!

This is just the best! 

This afternoon I was in the sewing room working on some squares when Hilary came to pick me up to go shopping.  I shut off the machine and flipped the switch and we left.  Later I returned to the room, turned on everything, and picked up where I left off.  No problem!

I like it.

This is just the best!

Each Day a New Roadblock

Last year I drew Karen's name in the family drawing and decided to make her a lap quilt  We had three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I was able to select fabric, cut the squares and piece it together, take it to Betty to be quilted, and sew the binding on, all in good time.  I wasn't rushed.  The quilt was ready a few days before Christmas Eve when we exchange our presents.

This year I drew Sandy's name.  I thought it would be a good idea to do the same thing.  But I went with something a little different---a layer cake of Moda prints. I thought it would be easy to put together a quilt with those squares of fabrics and not have to stand and select coordinating pieces and figure out what to do.

Going to the Rossville Quilt Shop and selecting a layer cake was the easy part.   Actually, I found the perfect set of fabrics almost immediately after I walked in.  What happened later has been the problem.

What to do with the layer cake?  I couldn't find my books, so I resorted to the inertnet for ideas.  Most of those were very detailed, even the ones labeled 'easy' and I gave up quickly.  Gary finally found my books in a box in the garage, but even those were not very helpful.  What I settled on was a simple pattern with small squares and larger ones. 

Next was to check with Betty about quilting time.  I didn't think it would be a problem, but I asked her when I needed to take it to her so there would be enough time to be quilted in a timely manner so that I could put on the binding and do the hand-stitching.  After all between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year there were FOUR weeks, not three like last year.  Her response was that she couldn't do it at all because she was working alone now and had no time.  Darn.  On to Plan B---whatever that may be.

The only thing I could think of to do was a rag quilt but I wasn't sure if the cotton fabric would work with that.  I sent a note to Linda Doll and asked her opinion.  She was very positive so that was the direction I decided to go.

At Hobby Lobby Hilary and I looked at flannel (per Linda's suggestion to use instead of batting) and Hilary thought red would work fine.  After I bought three years of it, I decided that I would be too scared about washing that, especially with some of the lighter colored fabrics.  What if the red bled all over those light fabrics?  So we stopped at JoAnns after the cousins Santa picture and I selected a gray flannel for the batting part of the quilt.

Yesterday I spent most of the day cutting squares of fabric and flannel.  All set in stacks, ready to sew.

I also bought a walking foot to ensure that the fabric was moving through the pressure feed correctly. For some reason, the shank on the foot is too short and when I lower the presser foot, there is such a large gap that I can't use the walking foot.

That was the last straw.  It just seemed like everything i was trying to do, I couldn't because something was wrong, or didn't fit, or wasn't ready, or just couldn't be done. 

You know how it is said that the devil will throw wrenches into your day to keep you from reading the Bible or accomplishing what you need to do?  Well, I really thought that either the devil was doing a great job of keeping me from making this quilt or these were all signs from God that I really wasn't supposed to give Sandy a quilt for Christmas this year.

I decided to give it one more try.  I started to put together the little 'sandwiches' of top square, flannel, backing square.  Then I sewed two diagonals across the square.  It worked!  I have over half of the 84 small squares put together.  I need to finish those and do all 21 of the larger squares, then the little squares can be sew

I am sure there will be more roadblocks.  It wouldn't be surprising to me if I were still working on the quilt on the morning of Dec. 24.

In the midst of all of this today, my phone beeped and it was Sandy with a couple of suggestions for gifts for her.  I think I will go ahead and get those for her, just in case the quilt isn't finished.  One can't be too careful when it comes to Christmas gifts!

Outside Decor for the Holidays

The final piece was put into place for the outside decorations for this year.

We purchased a 60" wreath at Menards to decorate and hang on the barn.  Putting it together was a task in itself since it was in three pieces that needed to be bolted together.   Next was winding strands of lights around it.  The first strand of 100 was not nearly long enough, so a trip to Target gave us another set of lights to complete the look.

Yesterday afternoon the wreath went up.  My job was to hold the ladder while Gary tied a heavy string to a hook on the south side of the barn.  Then he attached the wreath to the string and used it to pull the wreath into place.  An extension cord was added to the bottom and pulled into an outlet inside the barn. 

And it looks great!   We took a drive down the gravel road south of the house to see how beautiful the wreath looked.  Of course one has to drive on the gravel road to really see the wreath  and the tree on the circle and the lights on the deck railing, but that is ok.  As Gary said, we didn't really put out the lights for other people.  We put them out for us and our family to enjoy.

Meeting the FIrst Goal!

I struggle with my weight, and I feel horrible when clothes do not fit. 

I have tried various methods to lose weight over the years, but the best method for me is Weight Watchers.  At one time, in 2005-2006, I lost over 40 pounds, met my goal, and achieved Lifetime status.  I attribute the success to not only following the program and adding in exercise, but having the support of my good friend and fellow WW partner, Kathy.  It is much easier to work on this mission with someone who totally understands what you are going through and can support you in every way.

After we left West Central, the weight returned for both of us.  At various times I returned to WW, with some success but I never met goal again and I eventually became frustrated and gave up.

I even tried Keto for a while.  Ugh.

I tried a FB small group with my friend Karen from Decatur and we both realized that without the accountability of going to weekly meetings, we were not too successful.

Finally after we moved in July, I decided to return to WW.  The closest meeting was in Delphi, at the Canal where Megan and Matt's wedding reception was held.  An added plus was that Sharon, our leader in Monticello where I first met my goal and became Lifetime, was also the leader in Delphi (and even more amazing was that she totally remembered me by name and knew where I lived and what my profession and she was surprised that I had retired and moved!). 

The new program is Freestyle and there are many foods that are 0 points.  Not free, because nothing is ever free, but 0 points. 

I have struggled a little with this journey, mainly because I have experienced small gains a couple of times, and that makes me mad.   I miss not having Kathy going to meetings with me.  Even though the ladies are becoming more familiar, as in I recognize them and know the names of a few, the only one who has really talked to me is Linda Landis who comes in to weigh, then leaves.

So today....after having a slight bout of a stomach bug....my weigh in was a good one!

I lost 3.6 pounds since my last weigh-in which was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  That put my total lost since the beginning of August at ......drumroll......20.6

I was thrilled beyond words!  I had set my own little goal of losing 20 by Thanksgiving and I fell short.  I had met it on the home scales a few days before that pre-Thanksgiving weigh-in, but that didn't show on the official day.

Today---it happened!  My first big goal has been met!  On to the next one! 

Hmmmm....maybe another 5 by the first of 2019?

Decorating for Christmas

I used to love to decorate for Christmas.  I love the lights and the glow of everything.  The lights reflecting on the snow or through the house at night was always special to me.  It reminded me of Christmas past and times with Grandma and Grandpa at the farm and happier times when we lived in The Little Brown House on 62.

Then it seemed like our house became too cluttered. I liked the way it looked before the holidays, with everything in its place and the hominess of it.  When Gary started to drag everything out, I was just overwhelmed with where to put things and what to do with the things I had to put away for a month.  Then I could never find the things I had put away and had to substitute different things.  It just seemed to overwhelming.  And when I am overwhelmed, my patience level drops considerably and no one is happy!  In the past few years I have dreaded the days of decorating.  I was always happy when it was done, but I dreaded doing it---and un-doing it was even worse.

I was determined last year that I would streamline and get rid of things that we no longer used, that had gone out of style, or were just old and decrepit and would never grace a table or wall again.  Fast forward to 2018, and that determination became a reality when we moved to the new house.

New house meant new challenges in decorating.  

First of all - new tree!  The tall slender tree we have used for probably 12 years or so has seen better days.  The branches didn't fall naturally anymore, the lights burned out and new ones had to be added to the pre-lit ones and Gary didn't want to take off the old strands so the tree looked like a giant mess of wires and bulbs.  I thought we might be able to resurrect it for the family room, but no.  It was best just to trash it and start new.  The top of it did end up stuck in the iron kettle from Dad that sits on the circle, so it is getting some use now, in a new spot.

The new tree is much larger and fuller than any we have ever had, but it looks perfect in the spot for it in the living room. I think it will be a good choice for the Siemens Family Christmas as well as the smaller one we will have with the kids.

Digging through the old decorations has been interesting.  Some things we have no place for sine we moved and those areas no longer exist.  The things we put on the entertainment center had to find new homes since we didn't move the entertainment center with us.  Then there is Ann's washstand which used to be in the kitchen and held the microwave but now is in the living room with her bowl and pitcher.  Wall hangings - where to put them?  Plus we have two bathrooms to decorate also.  The fireplace mantle is longer and the hearth is much nicer.  The window lights won't fit into the current windows plus the outlets are not close enough for some of them.  Battery operated might work, but then I thought about who would actually see any lights we put in them. Our house sits back from the road so far that no one can see any of our lighted outside decorations.

Then we have three bedrooms to decorate, plus the family room that is used, and a larger kithen and dining room, but the brick wall on the south side of those two hinder hanging anything.

All in all, though, the house does look very nice for the holidays.  I am pleased with the effects.  When we take down everything and store it away, there will be a new evaluation of any decor which did not make it out for display this year.  Keep it?  Donate it?  Trash it?

Lights along the railings on the deck.

Wreath on the barn.

Snowman and wreath on the front porch.

All exterior doors have wreaths.

Lighted garland on the mantle.

New wooden box for cards.

Many battery operated candles scattered through the house.

Big full tree full of white lights and old ornaments that we found in boxes in the garage.

New location for the nativity.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas---and the joy of decorating has returned.

Holiday MIni-Sessions

The weekend before Thanksgiving Hilary hosted the first annual Holiday Mini-Sessions using the location and props of friends as the background.  Of course it had to be one of the coldest weekends in November.  But it was fun for everyone and she had some great shots of families and individuals and small groups.

On Sunday afternoon Gary and I asked if we could stop by, just to see the location and the background settings that she and Blaine had orchestrated.  While we were there, she wanted to snap some pictures of us too.  We had not planned on having our pictures taken, and if we HAD, we would have asked five other people (AKA the grandchildren) to join us and we would have worn different clothes,  I never would have taken a picture professionally wearing a South Haven Michigan sweatshirt!

When she posted the pictures on her FB page, I was surprised that our two photos had 85 'likes' and five very nice comments.  Not bad for two people who just stopped by to see the backdrops, visit a bit, and check on how things were going.

Today I used one of the pictures to order photo Christmas cards from Meijer.  I haven't done that for a while, and I haven't done it with just a picture of Gary and me for quite a few years.  Usually there are pictures of the kiddos included.

I hope they turn out well.  Next year we will plan better and get a few with the kids also! But for now, Gary and I will have to do!

Merry Christmas!