Okay .. carrying on the 'tradition' ...

A little Christmas Survey....
I saw this on Amy Benson's blog and then on Mary Ellen's blog, so here goes ...

1. Christmas tree up yet? Yes -- I usually get it up the day after Thanksgiving -- this year, it was a week later.

2. Any Christmas decorations up yet? Some -- I got the tree done!

3. What are you asking for for Christmas? Nothing in particular -- except framed photos of my kids and their families!!

4.What do you usually do on Christmas Eve? Go to a late Christmas Eve service (11pm). This year, I am actually helping with the choir at our church's 7pm service. We always have liked the late service, too.

5. What do you usually do on Christmas Day? The kids come over in the afternoon. I almost always make scalloped potatoes/ham. If I don't, they would think I was sick!! We open gifts --usually we eat first but we changed that last year and let the kids open gifts first!

6. Do you own any Christmas clothes or jewelry? Earrings and some sweaters.

7. Do you use white or colored Christmas lights? All white.

8. Do you bake Christmas cookies? Usually -- and I get the grandkids involved. Although that gets pretty crazy when you involve little boys. They get more confectioners sugar on them then on the cookies. Oh, well!!

9. Do you buy Christmas presents for your whole family? That depends on who you describe as the 'whole family'. Our whole family -- meaning our kids and grandkids, yes. Other than that, no. Mom, Dad, etc., yes.

10. How many friends do you buy presents for? A few

11. Is there a Santa Claus? Well, my kids thought there might be one until they were about 10.
They actually knew all along who was the real Santa!!

12. Favorite Christmas Carol? I'd love to play Christmas music all year long! However, Silver Bells has always been a favorite.

13. Would you rather it be a white Christmas, or a warm Christmas? I like to SEE a white Christmas but I like to be in a warm one!

14. Was last year a good christmas? Each Christmas is different but when there are children involved, it's always good no matter what!

15. Which Christmas color do you like better? Red

16. Do you get a real Christmas tree, or is it artificial? Prelit 9ft tree!

17. When you get older, will you get a real or artificial tree? When I get older?? How old do you have to be to be 'older'??

18. Do you hang stockings? Of course - it's the first thing my girls head for -- their kids aren't as anxious as they are. Of course, they all help to fill the kids' stockings!!

19. When opening presents, does your family all open them at the same time? We tried to do one at a time but with a room full of kids, we decided they all want to do it at once. The adults may take a little longer.

20. What is usually in your stocking? Always something interesting.

21. Do you get up early on Christmas day? Not necessarily since the girls have their own family Christmases before they come to our house.

22. Does your family eat breakfast before or after opening presents? Since they open them after lunch, I suppose it would be after breakfast, too!!

23. Do you have a favorite ornament you hang on the tree? I have a bunch of them -- however, the ones that Sandi has made for the kids are my favorites. Which reminds me, I need to get them on the tree!

24. What Christmas movie do you like to watch the most? I'm not really sure. I enjoy the Rudolph and Charlie Brown programs so maybe it's not a movie but the Christmas shows. My girls enjoyed those when they were little.

25. What do you like better, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Both!

Can't kiss the girls??? But, I am charming!!

Last evening was our church Christmas banquet and the kids stayed at the church. When Sandi picked Tyler up, she heard some interesting info he had shared! The lady that was doing child care absolutely loves Tyler and would like to follow him around all day with a video camera, she told Sandi. Last night was classic!

He wanted to kiss the girls! Go figure!! Donna said, "There will be NO kissing tonight!" Tyler looked at her and said, "How 'bout tomorrow?"

So, he couldn't do that so decided to share with one little gal, "You're beautiful. I got a hair cut today. Don't I look charming?" (Yes, he used the word 'charming' ... at seven years old!!)

He really did not want to get a hair cut earlier in the day yesterday -- but guess he was glad he did last night!!

Elf'ing post below ...

It takes a few moments for this to load ... so be patient .. it's probably worth the wait.. Then again, maybe not!!

Am I an Elf? Or am I nuts? Or what??

Thanks to my friend, Theresa Cook, who sent me this .... well, whatever it is! I just had to add a couple photos. I can assure you that this is the only way I would get Bob to dance. LOL!!

Gotta love ya, Allen!!

Okay, so I was going through old photos -- primarily ones that my mother had collected -- and we found one that was a 'keeper'!! Lots of years ago -- probably before kids! (I figured since Mary Ellen could share the photos about William, I'd share this photo of Allen! If you don't hear from me for a couple days, you'll know I got shot down for posting this!)

Actually, my brother-in-law, Allen, is a great guy. He and Bob shared the title of FIL with my mother (Favorite In-Law) .. depending on who was in her good graces at the moment. No, that's not true -- she loved them both and it was an ongoing joke between the three of them!

Rachel has 'liked' Allen since she was about 12 years old -- didn't she say you were throwing rocks at her, Allen? Well, maybe pebbles -- I don't remember the details but it was a long time ago anyway! After twenty-four years of marriage and six children later, he has developed his gray hair! (Actually, I think he dyes it gray just to get us to feel sorry for him. Not really!)

If you are around him for very long, you will laugh .. sometimes because he is laughing at some joke he told you and he found funnier than you did! LOL! Or just because, he is funny! Of course, I get amused and a little deaf when Rachel asks him to call the kids for dinner. He may be standing right next to her in the kitchen and the deafening 'call' ... "KIDS, come to dinner" may leave your ears ringing -- but they definitely heard him!!

Actually, all kidding aside ... I want to say 'thank you' to him for being a great husband and father. And pastor, as well. Also .. he has been a great son-in-law and for that, we are all grateful. My dad lives not too far from them and Rachel spends a lot of time taking care of things my dad needs. Not every husband would take kindly to that and I'm sure there are many times when Allen might think, "This is enough already!" But, he doesn't voice that and if my dad calls for him to come pray with him, he's right there.

He's a good pastor and preacher ... drop in at Spiceland Nazarene Church some time (just south of New Castle, IN) -- you would find a ready welcome, a big smile and the humor that extends ... well ....

I'll finish with this story ... a true one, too! Larry States called Allen to tell him that his sister, Jeannie and her husband, Clint, were going to be visiting church one Sunday morning. Allen had never met them before but Larry, being the prankster that he is, asked Allen to have some fun with them. So, he did ... He announced to his church that they had a 'homeless family' attending church that morning! In spite of that, they have established a great friendship -- after the gasp from Jeannie and Clint! In retrospect, Jeannie said she wished she would have thought quickly enough to get up from her seat and walk out .. she didn't and they have visited Spiceland Nazarene since then!!

Not sure why I posted this today-- except that I found this great photo and just had to share it!! Allen ... are we still friends? Or family? (By the way, he's the only one I can IM and both of us can type fast enough as if we were talking.)

The Twelve Days of Christmas, Florida Style

Loved this ... it was in our newspaper this morning!!

One parrot in a palm tree
Two pink flamingos
Three pounds of grouper
Four swimming pools
Five manatees
Six turtles nesting
Seven swimmers swimming
Eight grills a-grilling
Nine dolphins flipping
Ten boats a-sailing
Eleven tourists tanning
Twelve beach guys drumming

And your name is???

I attended a LINDA Luncheon yesterday -- I had not been able to attend any of them since the national LINDA Convention in July so I was anxious to catch up with friends! It's amazing how a 'name' can connect you! All of us (except for two) were Linda's yesterday. I always get amused at restaurant personnel when they catch on to the fact that we all have the same name. We usually get either, "You really are ALL named Linda" .. or "You must be one of the Linda's!"

We have established close friendships. Linda Chapman (on the right in the photo at left) attended her first luncheon about a year and a half ago. We're sort of a rowdy bunch (no comments), lots of laughter and trying to all talk at the same time -- must be a "Linda" thing. Linda Chapman arrived and didn't have much to say. I won't share some of the topics that we discussed since it had to do with the upper part of the female body and I'm not sure who all reads this. Suffice it to say, another Linda compared herself to Linda Chapman and a smile began to appear on her face. She shared that her husband had died suddenly of a heart attack a couple months before and she was really struggling with that. I assured her that part of what we do as "Linda's" is to be of support to each other. Let's just say that before that lunch was over, she was 'one of us' and had laughed herself almost silly!! Her sister-in-law (another Linda and part of the LINDA organization for years) was so thrilled that she had connected -- and she's as crazy as the rest of us so she was sure Linda Chapman was in good hands!! That began a neat friendship -- especially for me since she is a committed Christian!

Linda Callahan (on the left in the photo on left) has a grandson, Jake, 5, who has Downs Syndrome. Yesterday, she brought a studio photo of her , Jake and Jake's younger brother, 2. We have shared in her celebration of various milestones in Jake's life -- he was written up in the newspaper not long ago -- and we all wanted to see that!

Linda Swafford (on far right in photo above) grew up in my old stomping ground -- I grew up in the Quad Cities area (Rock Island, IL) and she spent most of her growing up years in Muscatine, IA (across the river near Davenport, IA.) Her father has been ill, as mine has, so we have shared both in our luncheons and by email the various challenges we have had!!

Linda Proux (second from left) had back surgery -- and we all encouraged her each time we were together -- that we were praying for her and anxious for her to go to the national convention, which she did! And what a time we had there.

The Linda on the far left I haven't seen real often -- we attended my first convention 2-1/2 years ago but didn't get to go the past two years. So, it was neat to catch up -- and it's interesting that it seemed like we just took up where we left off.

While we don't know lots about each other's lives, we know enough to make us feel connected. And we all share one thing -- our name. No one seems to be a stranger when we arrive -- we all know each other's name and who we are or where we are from doesn't really matter.

I thought how it is or should be with Christians or 'Christ followers'. We share a 'name' .. we should not feel like strangers! We should feel like we belong when we meet! I want to be known more as a "Christ follower" than as a "Linda" because in the end, that is what will count!!