I LOVE A SURPRISE!

 LOOK AT THE SURPRISE THAT ENDED UP ON MY DOORSTEP YESTERDAY,

 FOR MY  BIRTHDAY

TULIPS IN DECEMBER?
HOW GREAT IS THAT!
THANKS STEVE AND DORIAN,
I LOVE THEM!

HOPING YOUR CHRISTMAS

 WAS AS MERRY AS OURS!

AFTER A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS EVE AT DENNIS AND CAROL'S, WITH LOTS OF FAMILY, FUN, AND FOOD, WE GATHERED TODAY IN SANTA CRUZ TO KEEP THE CELEBRATION GOING.

LOOKS LIKE THE TWO YOUNGEST GRANDKIDS ARE
GETTING A TALKING TO FROM SANTA.  HMM, DO YOU THINK
THEY WERE ON THE NAUGHTY LIST? 

 IT'S NEVER HARD TO GET EVERYONE TOGETHER WHEN IT'S FOR TAKING A PICTURE WITH SANTA.

NANNY HAD HER PICTURE TAKEN,

AS DID THE HARRIS FAMILY, 

THE LOERA FAMILY, 

AND THE RIANDA FAMILY. 

EVEN PAPA AND I HAD TO HAVE OUR PICTURE TAKEN WITH SANTA.

STEVE, DORIAN AND BRITTNEY HAD ALREADY LEFT, SO THEY MISSED OUT ON THE SANTA PICTURES.

I THINK I HEARD PATTI'S FRIEND, ROSE, SAY THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME SHE HAD EVER HAD HER PICTURE TAKEN WITH SANTA. 

THANKS SANTA FOR STOPPING BY OUR CELEBRATION.
YOU MAKE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL!

A BIG SURPRISE

 LOOK WHO SHOWED UP AT OUR DOOR TODAY.

CAMERON!

HE STOPPED BY ON HIS WAY DOWN FOR A CHRISTMAS VISIT
WITH DORIAN AND STEVE, AND HIS SISTERS.
HE CALLS OFTEN AND CHATS GOLF WITH PAPA,
BUT WE HAVEN'T SEEN HIM IN A WHILE.
I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHEN HE GREW UP FROM THAT
LITTLE BLOND GRANDSON, WITH THE BIG BLUE EYES,
BUT I'M SURE PROUD OF THE ADULT  HE'S TURNED INTO.
WE LOVED THE VISIT CAMERON,
YOU MADE OUR DAY!

CHRISTMAS IS TAMALE TIME!

 THINGS WE'VE LEARNED

THE FLAVOR OF THE MEAT IS IMPORTANT.
I THINK THIS YEAR WE GOT IT PERFECT.

THE MASA HAS TO BE SPREAD JUST RIGHT, NOT TOO THICK,  NOT TOO THIN.

ELISE, THE ONE THAT TAUGHT US TO MAKE THE TAMALES,  HAD TO CONVINCE PAPA TO MAKE HIS A LITTLE THINNER.

BE SURE TO COOK THEM ENOUGH, BUT NOT TOO MUCH.
AN HOUR AND A HALF SEEMS TO BE ABOUT RIGHT.

PUT YOUR FRIENDS TO WORK.
KATHLEEN STOPPED BY SO WE PUT HER TO WORK MAKING THE TIES FOR THE CHEESE  AND CHILI TAMALES.  WE GIVE THEM A CORN HUSK BOW, SO THAT WE KNOW WHICH ONES THEY ARE.

ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD TIME WHILE MAKING THE TAMALES.

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A FRESH TAMALE RIGHT OUT OF THE STEAMER.

ENJOY THE FINISHED PRODUCT.

ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD CLEAN UP MAN!!!
THANKS TO ELISE AND HER EXPERT ADVICE,
IT WAS A SUCCESSFUL DAY OF TAMALE MAKING.

LOOK WHAT SANTA LEFT

 HIS SLEIGH?

NOPE IT'S MY NEW VELOSTER! 

AS SAD AS IT MAKES ME, IT WAS TIME TO REPLACE THE
BEETLE, BEFORE IT BROKE DOWN COMPLETELY.
I GUESS YOU COULD SAY IT'S PROBABLY ALREADY THERE.

IT TOOK A LOT OF HUNTING BECAUSE WE HAD TO COME TO A COMPROMISE BETWEEN SOMETHING SPORTY FOR ME, AND SOMETHING WE COULD FIT MORE THAN HIM AND I IN, FOR DARYL.
HE'S DEFINITELY A PEOPLE PERSON  :)

I THINK IT KIND OF RESEMBLES A SHARK?
WHAT DO YOU THINK,
SHOULD I NAME IT  SHARKY OR VAL???

THE GOOD OLD DAYS

 THE KIDS OF TODAY THINK THAT'S THE 70'S,80'S, AND 90'S.

THAT WASN'T THAT LONG AGO, WAS IT?

JEN SENT ME THESE PHOTOS OF SAM DRESSED UP FOR SPIRIT WEEK

YESTERDAY WAS THE 70'S.
SHE ASSURED ME HE HAD ANOTHER SHIRT IN HIS BACKPACK,
JUST IN CASE.

TODAY THE 80'S.

I HOPE THEIR SCHOOL ISN'T CANCELLED TOMORROW,
DUE TO THE STORM, I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO SEE WHAT
HE COMES UP WITH FOR THE 90'S.
HOW CAN THE KIDS THINK THAT'S SO LONG AGO,
I'M SURE  I STILL HAVE SOME CLOTHES IN MY CLOSET FROM THE 90'S.

I'VE BEEN BUSY

 DECORATING AND SHOPPING

I LOVE CHRISTMAS BECAUSE IT'S THE ONE TIME OF YEAR
WHEN I FEEL YOU CAN'T OVER DECORATE.
 THE MORE THE MERRIER!

MY FRIEND GINGER, WHO JUST TURNED 91, DECIDED IT WAS TIME FOR HER TO DOWNSIZE HER DECORATING THIS YEAR, SO I BECAME THE LUCKY RECIPIENT OF THIS SANTA AND MRS. CLAUS.

THE DOWNSIDE, AND THE ONLY DOWNSIDE, OF NOT COOKING THANKSGIVING DINNER IS THAT I HAD TO DECORATE MY OWN TREE THIS YEAR.  

DO THEY STILL MAKE ANGEL HAIR?  I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR IT TO USE AS SNOW BENEATH THIS CHRISTMAS VILLAGE, ANOTHER OF GINGER'S GIVEAWAYS.

AND MY MOST TREASURED CHRISTMAS DECORATION,
THIS NATIVITY SET THAT SYDNEY MADE WHEN SHE WAS ABOUT SEVEN,
AND GAVE TO ME.

CHRISTMAS WOULDN'T BE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT SANTA PICTURES OF THE KIDS, SPANNING THE YEARS OF 1971 THROUGH 88.
DECORATING FINISHED
NOW I'D BETTER FINISH UP
MY SHOPPING!