Back Home

Today I made the 6-hr. trek back home in my van. Roads were dry, little traffic, no sunglare, life is good! My sweetie was glad to see me, as were my 2 cats.

I finally read all of the mail and unpacked my clothes, etc. Now it's bedtime. Nighty nite.

Blogging is fun!

After reading all of your blogs about your Christmas Day in Florida, Texas, Mexico, etc. I am so happy to be blogging. I love reading about your families and friends, your recipes, your visits to restaurants and other fun places. Your pictures of sunsets, deer, birds, and other RV's are so beautiful and fun to see.
My sister and husband headed for home early this morning so she could be back at work by 1:00. Dad and I went to church. It was a combined service of the 3 worship services so there was a good crowd. It was informal and very nice. I liked getting to choose a favorite carol to sing-We 3 Kings. Afterwards, we went out to breakfast with friends.
Now we are working a puzzle and getting ready to watch the Colts beat another team.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! 'Hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas day. We had a quiet day of eating, playing on the computer, working a jigsaw puzzle, and waiting on my sister and husband to make the trek down from Chicago.

An hour before they arrived I looked up a recipe for baked tilapia on the internet. There was the perfect recipe with easy steps, and only a few ingredients that we actually had on hand! I've had bad luck broiling fish the last 2 times because they overcooked and dried out. The baked tilapia turned out perfectly and were moist.

Grease a 9 x 13 oblong pan. Pre-heat oven for 375.
Place fish in pan. Put a little butter on each.
Sprinkle with Old Bay and a little garlic salt. Place sliced
lemons or limes on each.
Pour out a bag of frozen vegetable medley (cauliflower,
broccoli, red peppers) around the the fish. You can salt
and pepper the vegetables.
Cover the pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

Christmas Eve

This morning we got up early, ate breakfast, and went to the noon church service. My dad acted as usher and passed out bulletins. I played my flute for the prelude and during communion, and then played along on all of the hymns. The organist is so good she can can play anything. She asked me to play along on the postlude too which was Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. That was fun!

Afterwards, we ate lunch at a local restaurant, came home and checked e-mail messages. Jerry says my cats are doing fine back home. I am so fortunate to have him in my life because he does so many nice things for me. He is a joy!

Travel Day

Yesterday I traveled to my dad's home for Christmas. I was glad to arrive safely after 6 hours on the road. We ate dinner out at Fazolis and then I unpacked.

Tonight we ate dinner at my aunt and uncle's home. We had Swiss Steak made from cubed steak. It was so tender and delicious! Then we played a game of cards called "Spades." My uncle and I were partners and we lost. :-( Actually, I don't care that we lost because we just played our hands, bid what we thought we could take and let the cards fall as they might.

Sunday-Music Day

Sunday I had the alarm set to get up early but overslept anyway. I was supposed to be at choir practice by 8:50 AM and I didn't get up until 8:30! I got there in time to sing 1 page of our anthem and then direct the carol sing in the sanctuary at 9:05. I was glad Jerry made it in time for our choir anthem and that he stayed for fellowship time and congregational meeting. We voted on the slate of officers and on the proposed budget. $$

In the afternoon Jerry picked me up to go to his family's Christmas dinner. It was very nice. I took some different recipes of the famous chex mix for appetizers. We ate a delicious dinner and even had a little room left for cookies and pie for dessert. The kids opened their presents and pulled out very fashionable clothes. I guess the peace sign of the 60's is back in style. The boys loved their snug-a-lug blankets with sleeves. I was thrilled with my bath set and fleece blanket. Kelly always makes peanut butter and chocolate fudge. Jerry knows I like it so he let me eat a few pieces. Yum!

Thursday-Busy Day!

This morning I slept in until 9. The sun was out so I felt good about going to the Y to exercise. I took one of my girlfriends to her doctor appointment. We got out at 2 so I dropped her off back home and went to Jerry's for lunch and a dog walk. We visited and read the newspaper together which we like to do. He is so quick at getting the Jumble puzzle answered he has to give me hints.
Around 5:00 I headed over to the school to pick up my Market Day order. I had a hard time fitting everything into my side by side freezer but no problem since I can leave the bag of peas in the car--it's only 22 outside.
After taking care of the cats I headed over to another friend's home to drop off some boxes of unsold jars of soups and cookie mixes our group was selling.
Finally, I went to church and helped serve the Christmas dinner for the Pilgrim Brass group. It was good to see all of them. Mary prepared a lovely dinner of chicken, green beans, salad, veggie plate, cookies and ice cream. We helpers got to eat afterwards :-)

Tuesday

This morning I took the aquasize class at the Y. Then I went to Jerry's for brunch and took Hoby on a nice walk in the woods. The rain/sleet mix was wet!

I went to the beauty shop and got my hair cut and styled. That was a big improvement! Afterwards I went shopping, came home for dinner and went back out in the snow to choir practice at church. I stopped by the library and picked up some books on CD for the car.

Most of the evening I spent talking to my family on the phone. Thank goodness for cell phone plans.

Rainy But Wonderful Sunday!

This morning I arrived at church in time for an 8:25 bell rehearsal, followed by choir practice. We rang bells for the prelude, began the service, rang some more, sang in the choir, had our regular service and an immersion baptism of a young man.
The flowers on the altar were in memory of 2 special women-my mother who died a year ago this month and Jerry's wife who died 8 years ago this month. The flowers were pretty red and white carnations.
Our bell choir brunch was great because we had time to relax, visit, eat, and enjoy the comforts of a member's beautiful home.
At 12:45 I headed back to the church to pass out carol books and bell necklaces to our caroling party. We sang all of the carols at an assisted living home, a nursing home, and several members' homes. It was fun to sing and visit with them a little bit. We gave bells to the people we sang for and let them ring and sing along.
Tonight I am back at home playing on the computer, keeping my cats fed and entertained.

Sunny Saturday

The sun was out most of the day and the temp. was in the 30's. You can't ask for more than that. So why didn't I go outside and enjoy it? I really don't know. I got up around 9, baked my coffee cake for the Sun. bell brunch, iced it, and sprinkled the nuts on top. Ta-duh!

I finished typing a little note to insert in the Xmas cards, printed it, cut it in half and stuffed the cards. I even licked the envelopes and put on stamps. I plan to drive by the post office tomorrow and drop off about 50 cards. Next week I need to buy more stamps and mail the rest.

Friday-Blustery Day

This morning the wind was howling and snowflakes were flying! I chose to stay home and work on Christmas cards. Around noon I headed over to Jerry's and took Hoby for a run through the woods. Man, was it cold!

Next, we went to BJ's Wholesale Club to see what bargains we could find. Food is expensive, even in this kind of store. We each found a few things to buy and agreed that the creamed herring was the best deal.

I made it to the Y and exercised on the Fitness Links machines plus another 12 minutes on the recumbent bike. My legs were sore before I went but they feel better now.

Thursday-Goofing Off Day

The first thing I heard early this morning was the snowplow going down our street. There really wasn't much snow so I presume it was the salt truck. The temperature was 18 degrees and boy, was it windy!

This morning I was up early to meet Tim the Nuisance Control Man. He found 2 dead mice in my attic and refreshed all of the traps in the house, garage, shed, & RV.

I picked up dead branches off the driveway from last night's heavy wind and did a quick check around the house to make sure no damage was done to the house.

Later Jerry and I went shopping at some local stores and then stopped for lunch at McDonald's where we sat and read the newspaper. For being a good dog, Hoby was rewarded by shopping at his own pet store. He loves sticking his head into the bins of dog bisquits and helping himself. I figure if they didn't want dogs to do that they wouldn't put the treats down on the floor at their level. Anyway, Jerry bought lots of bisquits and 35# of dogfood. We shopped at Dollar General and then it was 3:30 so we headed to our respective homes.

It was a nice leisurely day with no commitments or schedules to follow. To top it all off THE BROWNS BEAT THE STEELERS!!!!!!

Silver Sneaker Class

This morning Carane and I met up at the Y for the Silver Sneaker Class. I thought it would be mostly stretching but I was mistaken. When we arrived we were given a chair and directed to the closet to pick up a rubber inflated ball, 2-pound weights, and a rubber band with handles. There was a lot of aerobic dancing back and forth, side to side, arms moving up and down for a half hour. Then we sat and began heel and toe stretches, weight lifting for 5 min. Back up with our weights we repeated the dancing around and then sat to use the rubber bands. Finally, we paired up with a partner and tossed the balls. After an hour I was ready for the showers!

Later in the day I took the good dog Hoby for his walk through the woods. I sincerely hope my heart is healthier and I am getting stronger. I feel better even though I am sore.

I shopped at Marc's for over an hour and then came home to eat dinner and play on the computer. It is really blowing hard outside so I am glad to be in. Temperature is dropping by 20 degrees since this morning. Snow is in our forecast. :-)

Aquasize Class

This morning Carane and I tried the 9 AM aquasize class which combines water and exercise. I'm glad I was in the water because putting my body through all of the rigorous exercise would have been harder putting weight on the joints. Man did we work! Of course afterwards we rewarded ourselves by sitting in the hot tub. Still, I was really wiped out.

I delivered Meals on Wheels with Jerry and then we went to McDonald's for lunch with Bruce and Kenny. That was fun!

This afternoon I took Hoby for his daily walk and then hunkered down to read the newspaper and relax with Jerry. He made tuna noodle casserole for supper which I always enjoy. Then it was time to go home and feed the cats.

This evening was bell choir practice and choir. It was a busy day. Now I am ready to turn in. I hope to go to the Silver Sneaker class tomorrow, weather permitting. The YMCA has so many good programs.

Monday-Book Study Day

This morning was our book study day. We are reading The Faith Club about 3 women of different faiths-Muslim, Jewish, and Christian. Our group is so mind stimulating that I come away feeling awed.

Afterwards I went to the Y and tried out all of the machines on my own. I did pretty well and even learned to balance on one of those giant balls to do stretches. I know I will feel that tomorrow.

This afternoon I ran errands with Jerry and then came home and made ham and bean soup. I tried it for supper and thought it was very tasty.

Of course we are all reminded of Pearl Harbor a day that will live in infamy.

Christmas Tree-Up!

We had a sunny day today but it was cold-in the 20's. After I took the good dog Hoby for a walk I put up my Christmas tree over at Jerry's. We used his lights and ornaments. This was an old tree that friends Tom and Zoraida gave me over 30 years ago. After you get the lights and decorations on it I think it matches any of the expensive trees you see anywhere.

Saturday-Exercise Day!

Today I finally went to the YMCA and had my orientation for the exercise machines. My name and fitness machine information is entered into the computer and I can use the FitLinks. Now I just have to get myself over there to do it. Afterwards I took Hoby for a walk in the woods.

Tree Lighting on Chardon Square

The annual tree lighting on Chardon Square was beautiful, even without the snow. Santa & Mrs. Claus arrived in a one-horse open sleigh.

Christmas Parties in Full Swing!

This is truly a week of parties for me. So, heeeeere we go!
December 1st, the first Christmas party of the year took place. Geauga County Retired Teachers met at the former Grandview Inn in Middlefield for a fine luncheon and great entertainment by the Cardinal High School "Cardinaires."
December 2nd, the second Christmas party of the season will take place at Dino's in Mentor. The American Business Women's Association will have a family style dinner and be entertained by Chardon High School's "Free Harmony."
December 3rd, the Chardon Square Association will host the annual tree lighting ceremony on the square. A wonderful chili supper is held at the Pilgrim Christian Church next to the fire station. Everyone wants our chili recipe but we can't give out the secret. Many people bring their chili and we dump it all in together for the best chili east of the Cuyahoga.
December 4th, Cardio Rehab is having a Christmas party at Big Creek Park. The exercise enthusiasts will bring a potluck meal to the Meyer's Center. I'm not sure of the entertainment yet.