Christmas Morning 2019

Each year that we’ve been here we have mailed four packages to Salt Lake -  one for each of my boys and one for my sister and her family.  This year we mailed only one package.  We sent out gift cards to each of my sons and presents to the children of my middle son – not to play favorites among grandchildren, but I knew we’d be receiving a package from them and so wanted to make a gift exchange to the only son that it seems to matter. 

The first gift under our tree was one from some ward members we had had over for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago.  The gift was moved when the carpet was cleaned and we forgot to return it.  We had three small gifts under our tree, presents from my sister and her family.  Jenna guessed what they were – but did not know all of the details that awaited on the inside.  Randy’s gift to Jenna arrived unwrapped, but I took it out of the box and put it in a decorative Christmas tin and put a tag to Jenna from Randy, Carrie and Devin.  Gradually other gifts appeared.  This is how it looked on Christmas Eve before Roland and I finally went to bed:

Roland creates cards and sends them out each year.  He sends cards out the last three months of the year focusing on Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Each year it seems we receive more Christmas cards than we did the year before.  This is what our two doors looked like last night before we went to bed:

And here is the way the fireplace looked last night before Jenna went to bed:

I had purchased some stocking stuffers for Jenna when Roland and I had gone to Eugene (here)

We ended up purchasing another sock to fit all of Jenna’s loot.  So this is what she woke up to on Christmas morning:

Our tradition is to open our stockings first.  This year we opened our socks one at a time – starting with Jenna. I thought she would be more excited over the silicone straws than she appeared to be.  She did express pleasure for the flamingo and pineapple ice cubes.  Her favorite item that she retrieved was a plastic dinosaur that Roland had bought for her.

In Roland’s socks were the first two “stress” super heroes:  Batman and Superman.

I was surprised by the amount of items that my stocking contained – including two pairs of socks.  I selected the warmer of the two and put them on my feet.

My sister’s gift from her family to ours was a pair of socks for each of us.  Minons for Jenna, an almost “cat-in-the-hat ‘thing’” socks for me, and superman socks with capes attached for Roland:

Roland and Jenna put their socks on right away. Jenna continued passing out gifts and we continued opening them up one at a time. 

We had each recived a hat for Christmas – all “wrapped” the same way.  Each in a tin can.  Roland’s to Jenna, Jenna’s from Randy and although Jenna had picked out the hat I was wearing, it had been marked from Santa.

Though Jenna wasn’t wearing her hat until the final few pictures. The last two gifts beneath the tree were for her.  Tony has always managed to sent give Jenna her absolute favorite gift of the season.  Last year it was a lap blanket featuring a tiger. 

The year before it was the first six seasons of Psych (see here) 

She opened the gift from Tony first.  She screamed in delight at discovering the game “Encore” which she has asked for each year since we have lived in Tri City. 

The last gift was from her brother, Randy and his family.  It was a Pokémon hat.  So now she has a Pokémon to wear in summer and one for winter:

 Jenna's top three gifts this Christmas:

Just Like Mom

Even Before my hair started turning white, I would pass a mirror and see mom’s reflection in myself.  It seemed more apparent with white hair – not that mom always had white hair.  I don’t think she let it go white until after I had gotten married and moved out.  I miss my mom.

I remember some quirky things that mom always seemed to do – like complain about having to use construction detours.  She would refer to having to “drive clear around the world”.  It made us laugh.  There were many things that she said that would put a smile on my face.  She wasn’t even trying to be funny which made it all the more humorous.

Often Jenna will laugh at things I say the same way I laughed at mom.  It doesn’t bother me.  Progressive has several commercials that state, “We can’t prevent you from becoming your parents . . .”  Well, good.  Both of my parents were rather awesome people and I am grateful when others compare me to them.  They are wonderful examples and staples of my life.

Mom and dad both wore glasses.  I remember how blind my mom was without them.  I couldn’t understand how she could not see a clock above a pool for example.  She would merge from the water and ask me what time it was and the clock was just right there!  Now I understand.  Many things are blurred or out of vision when I don’t have my glasses on.  

 She would be wearing her glasses whenever she would gravitate to any car that somehow resembled the color of our own.  We would search for the car in a parking lot and she would often go to cars that weren’t ours.  We would tease her about it.  Now my Jenna and Roland tease me when I head toward cars that aren’t even the same model.

I think of my mom often.  I have followed in her footsteps in many ways.  I love my mom.  Whenever I find myself doing some of the quirky things that I remember her doing, I think of it as a compliment that I am so much like her in more than just looks.

Taking in the View

          I’ve seen many landscapes in different view

                   from my friends houses

                   Medford pear orchard

and during drives beyond city limits

and touring the coast or McMinnville

            

I have missed some views

such as the solar eclipse two years ago             

but the skies were filled with smoke

from the fires that had burned that year

          I have missed seeing stars

due to the heavy clouds and rain

though my view of the sky has been

spectacular this year

Fog can be eerie –

not much of a view when

it envelops us

  

I’ve seen both nature and manmade

                   I watched a person above a cherry picker

reach up into a McDonald’s sign. 

That was interesting.  

Never had seen anything like it before.  

A bit freaked out at the       

mass size the “M” appeared to be.

I have viewed different works of art

including paintings and quilts. 

I have had the opportunity to view

“dressed” vegetables

I am grateful for the opportunity that I have

to view pictures online to see family members

who are so far to see each day in person

I am grateful that daily quotes

that uplift and remind me

that I am a child of God and

His point of view matters more

than what any human may think

There is definitely a different point of view

with each religion and scripture read

          I appreciate the differences

My favorite point of view for book reading

is first person. 

I like the creative approach that some authors

have used,  such as

the “Dear Mr. President” series.

R.J. Palacio’s “Wonder” or

Rob Buyea’s “Mr. Terrupt”

in which several characters take a turn

at telling the story – written in first person

and different points of view.

One of his characters likes what he refers to as “one dollar words”

which is another way to view

spelling and math combined

I have gone on countless job interviews

and Jenna was able to interview Bill

for an assignment last year

She has also used a creative approach to book reports

          by pretending to interview         

a character from whatever book       

she may be reading.

I have always tried to review my work

before I’ve turned it in. 

Our county newspaper is called

The News Review. 

Jenna had her picture taken and

put on the front cover on

                      August 8 this year.

Decorating Pics

As mentioned in the last post, the skies darkened before we were through:

Roland had purchased "candles" to place in our windows.  

They will turn off after six hours

Jenna fell twice.  I don't know why she finds that amusing

Cell phone does not have the same sophistocation

as does some of the cameras I have owned

I thought the reflection of the tree in our window looks cool

as it appears the tree is really inside of the house.

We stopped decorating not only because it was dark but

The three adjoining cities will put on a light parade each year

on the second Saturday in December.  

I've taken several pictures in the past; this is the best I could do this year.

This last one was taken yesterday when we put the balls on.

I will have to get a picture of our finished product later on

Next we have our non-traditional advent wreath which I thought we would decorate with Christmas festivities.  Jenna decided to go for a more unique approach adding things that may not have anything to do with Christmas but may find a use for later on.  And so here we are from Dec 1 to Dec 15.  First the naked wreath:

Day 1: plastic dinosaur

day 2: granny square stocking

day 3: a plastic "diamond" from YW excellence
Aladdin theme "Diamond in the Rough"

day 4: book lamp

we tried turning on but the picture did not turn out as well

day 5: Believe

day 6: deer head

day 7: plastic container and snowflack on the booklamp
(so that it doesn't blend in with the door)

day 8: fairy doll

day 9: rubber star

day 10: match box ice cream truck

day 11: orange sunglasses

day 12: whoops, the wreath had fallen. Some ornaments
rearranged.  and dust puppy added

day 13: fish shaped blush brush

day 14: owl covered hand sanatizer

day 15: Elmo

And here is my little elf ready for school this morning  

Almost There

Written Satuday

Last year we were the

only house on our street

to put up Christmas lights

and decorate our yard. 

This year everyone

started yard decorations

early. 

Our roof was being fixed

and then it rained. 

Until late today we were

one of the few houses

on our street that wasn’t decorated.

We appeared to be "bah humbuggers"

but we are really not.

Our roof is finally finished

I had noticed on Wednesday

that the flatbed trailer was gone

– the one Roland insisted remain at

our house until the job was complete.

It rained all day yesterday.  Sometimes

the rain felt like snow.  I was

doing crosswalk duty again. 

All students had been ordered to

go to the gym after lunch.  I would

much rather stand out in the

rain then be in the overly loud gym.

It was nice today.  I didn’t even

wear a coat. Roland wanted to go to

Winston to look for a coffee table.  He

took me with him.  We were gone for

a long time.  It felt long. 

I was afraid it would be dark before

we returned. We had promised Jenna that

we would decorate the outside.

We did get home before dark but

did not finish with the lights until after dark.

Jenna and I plan on finishing with

big bulbs after we return home from Church.

Facebook Questionnaire

(Because I am too tired to come up with a fresh post right now)

What was the last thing you put in your mouth? My toothbrush

Where was your profile picture taken? The picture on my facebook page was taken at Granger 14^th Christmas party eight years ago

Name someone who made you laugh today –  initially answered at 6:00 a.m.  I hadn’t laughed up until that point.  Jenna offered a family prayer at 6:10.  She mumbled like a shy kid reciting something in front of class.  Good thing God has radar hearing.

How late did you stay up last night? I went to bed before 9:30.  I fell asleep before 10:00

If you could move somewhere else, where would it be?  Tillamook maybe, or closer to the coast. Never been to Astoria.  That would be sweet.

Ever been kissed under fireworks? I’m certain that Roland has kissed me under the fireworks

Which of your friends live closet? Jenna and Roland

Do you belive ex’s can be friends? Yes but it depends on the ex/situation.  Like with Roland and Maleficent.  Someone who doesn’t like his or her self can’t really be friends with anyone. She’s a user.  Using people is not being a friend.

How do you feel about Dr. Pepper? I can tolerate one once in a while.  It is definitely NOT the coolest drink on the market.

When was the last time you cried? a couple of days ago I knocked over the coffee table glass panes.  It was an accident, but it still made me cry.  I don’t even like that coffee table.

Who was the last person you took a picture of? Jenna, who is by nature a fantastic selfie taker, just couldn’t seem to capture all that she wanted on some funky costume creation.  She handed me her tablet and asked me to take a picture.  I don’t even know how it turned out.

Was yesterday better than today? I hope not!  Today has to be better at the middle school than was at the elementary school yesterday.

Can you live a day without TV?  I can live my entire life without TV.  I do watch it because it’s there, but I doubt I would miss it if it were removed.

Are you upset about anything? I am.  Roland woke me at 4:00 in the morning and I wanted to sleep.  I think I offended him which in turn upset me.  I couldn’t even go back to sleep.  Roland got up and seemed to be sulking.  Jenna (who doesn’t normally watch TV) had the TV blaring.  I’m still not fully awake.  I need to read the scriptures so until I am no longer upset.

What’s Different?

            I was in a 6th-grade math class yesterday.  The instructor had put a similar illustration on the board – only the dimes and nickels were laid out in the same manner.  And three or four of the pennies were shinier than the one that is in the center of the pennies in the above illustration.  The instructor asked which set of coins was different and why?

            The first answer was logical for a math class.

            “The dimes are different because all of the other coins add up to 25 cents.  Five nickels make 25 cents.  25 pennies make 25 cents.  A single quarter makes 25 cents.  But five dimes make 50.”

            The instructor asked what might be some other possible answers.  It was interesting what answers were provided.

            “The pennies are different because Abraham Lincoln is looking in a different direction than the other three presidents”

            “The quarter is different because it’s all alone and the only one not divisible by 5 to get a whole number”

              “The pennies because they are a different material or color”

            The pennies also looked newer in her illustration whereas the quarter looks to be the newest in mine.

            I don’t think any of them stated that the nickels were different for any reason.

            My favorite answer was the dimes – not because they added up to a different number but the logic behind a different students answer.

            “The dimes are wrong because they look to be the same size as the nickel and that ain’t right”

            The experiment was to listen to and understand one another as we each have different points of view but there are things that we can learn if we will focus on ration or logic of others and not be so focused on only one way of looking at it.

            I thought that was an interesting concept for a math teacher to share as there is only one correct answer in math.

The Drug Called "Sugar"

For those who have followed Corey's (calls himself Cody) blog but stopped because he did, I have a post he shared to facebook and I have his permission to repost to my blog:

I'm addicted to sugar.

When I say that I don't mean it as a joke. I really have a problem and it affects my health in a negative way.

I love the taste of sugar and I eat way too much of it. I have great difficulty resisting sweets and when I do eat sweets I overindulge (why eat one brownie when you can have six?).

And yet, I am fully aware of how terrible my sugar consumption makes me feel. I sometimes have little energy, I will often just not feel very good, and what's sad is even when I don't feel good I will still indulge in sweets that make me feel even worse. It's like an alcoholic turning to drink or a smoker who can't seem to kick the habit even though he knows he's slowly killing himself.

My mom was diabetic. I myself have been diagnosed with being prediabetic three times and then I'm "good" for a while until I get my sugar level down.

From January from September of 2017 I successfully cut the majority of sugar out of my diet and was eating much better. I felt better, I had more energy, I lost weight. It was good. But still hard. The first three days I stopped eating sugar cold turkey I felt horrible...probably because my body was so used to the constant influx of sugar and I was going through some sort of withdrawal. But I succeeded.

Then I went on vacation and fell off the wagon and haven't ever been able to get back on.

Every night I go to bed and think, "Things gotta change. I've got to eat better." In the morning I wake up with the best of intentions. But I see something sweet and my will power dissolves. And then I eat one thing and want more, even as my nausea is telling my tongue to stop. After I stop feeling terrible, it's hard to remind myself how terrible eating sugar will make me feel.

I don't particularly enjoy exercising, although I try to motivate myself to do so. I fluctuate between anywhere 199 and 216 lbs continually, depending on how diligent I'm being in my eating habits, but it's like everything I crave are the things that aren't as healthy for me.

I only write this because I am aware that I have a problem and maybe if I put this out there I can be more accountable. I see friends of mine who I know have had eating and lifestyle challenges. Some have been more successful in working on those challenges and others still struggle. I just want you to know that if you struggle with your weight and diet, I am in the same boat. And if you have managed to turn the corner and live a more healthy life, what was the turning point for you? How do you stay motivated to eat well and exercise?

Anyway, I just felt the need to put this out there.