This has been a week of family and fun as we prepare
for Christmas. Monday Tom and I went to look at trees on some of our rental
property. We met with the tree trimmer
man and discussed which limbs looked most likely to crash onto roofs at
inappropriate times and agreed to have them removed. Tom went on to work at some of the rentals
and do the last of the “fix-it” items on his list.
I had a major project due on Monday and got that
finished up. Alas, I didn’t do much more
work (for pay) the rest of the week. We
worked on candies and getting them made and shipped. This year I made turtles, caramels, peanut
clusters and Susie’s Almond Roca. Oh
yum! I love that almond roca. We had
trays of candy over every level surface. Got them finished on Tuesday and
mailed.
Tuesday afternoon I went and glazed the clay items I’d
made last week. Marian doesn’t like the
glazing process that much, but I love it.
It’s always a surprise as to how it will turn out. Especially for me. I’ve decided I love the red-gold glaze. I tried Marian’s coffee and cinnamon ripple
and it looks better on her things than on mine.
But I’m learning. I’m remembering
glaze should be put on vertical, then the second coat horizontal to prevent
missing places. It was a fun time
chatting and working and coming up with ideas.
We have thoughts for a nativity.
Wednesday I was flat out sick. I was a little worried since I’d been
visiting people in the hospital regularly with MRSA and pneumonia. Now I had a cough, congestion in the lungs and
fever. So I drank fluids like crazy,
tanked up on essential oils, and slept almost all day. The only thing I did was to write notes on
the Christmas letters… and I diffused Thieves oil to kill germs while I
did. Nevertheless, I don’t recommend
chewing on the letter.
Thursday I was a lot better. I moved around and smiled while Tom did most
of the cleaning of the house. We made
beds for all our expected arrivals. We went and did some last minute shopping.
A shoe store in town was going out of business, so I stopped there and found
some church shoes. The deeds Sue and
Steve signed came in so I could move forward on getting my Roth IRA changed
from one trust company to another.
Friday we left bright and early for Silver Dollar City
with our friends Pam and Frank Pfeifer.
Wednesday and Thursday had been bitter cold with gale-like winds. Fortunately, Friday was so much better—sunny and
into the 50’s.
We stopped in Yellville to collect the now-finished
pottery pieces. Marian was so excited
about them. They did look very
nice. I don’t know that I am especially
talented, but she makes me think I might be.
I was happy they looked good.
We arrived at SDC…. And the parking lots were
EMPTY! How can that be? We checked the schedule. Silver Dollar City
was open on the 21th. 10am. Hmm. Not. I
called. “Oh, yes. We open at 1.
Ticketing and central area at 12.”
GREAT! That’s not what your early
calendar said. I guess we needed to check the online updated calendar… not the
one that came at the beginning of the year.
So what do you do in Branson? We
shopped. Pfeifers introduced us to the Old Navy store. Good deals there.
We went back to SDC and enjoyed two great shows. “It’s a wonderful Life” reminded me why I
didn’t like it the first time I saw it.
I hated that George never got to fulfill his dream to travel. Pam reminded me that some of the dreams of
our youth are impractical or not what the Lord wants for us. It was touching to think of how many lives we
may have touched and blessed by our actions.
Then we watched Dickens’ Christmas Carol. Both had
really first class sets and settings. I was touched as Ebenezer viewed the
scenes from Christmas past and said, “Those were such happy memories.” I realized our lives are full of memories—the
good, the bad, the ugly. We get to
select the ones we want to cherish and remember. What might have happened if Ebenezer would
have kept the good memories in the forefront of his life? Won’t we be happier
if we choose to remember the good and let go of the bad memories.
By the time the show got out, it was dinner time. Then we left the dinner just in time to see
the lights on the tree do their dancing and watch the parade of lights. Of course all the buildings have thousands of
lights on each of them. It was fun to share in the Pfeifer’s enjoyment of the
beauty.
When we got home Miranda, Camden and Ethan had already
arrived. Dan had a meeting in Missouri and came in later. Jonathan and Kristy
were a little concerned. The storm that
blew into Iowa on Wednesday had taken out their power. So they had to haul water for the animals and
chop holes in the water tanks (because the water heaters didn’t work.) Fortunately
their power came back on Friday and they were able to head out. They arrived about 2:30 am Saturday morning.
We’ve had a wonderful raucous time. For the most part,
everyone is getting along well.
Sunday we went to Church and Sacrament was a rendition
of the Community Christmas program. It
brought tears to some. Some of the songs
are really touching. And remembering the
Christmas season and the birth of the Savior is always meaningful.
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