Makin’ A List

Posted on by
11

The holidays are not what they used to be…at least for me. I used to enjoy the holidays when my kids were small. The joy and wonder, the anticipation was worth all the hassle of decorating, shopping, wrapping gifts and hiding them, etc. It was fun to help the kids make gifts and goodies for Santa! We had our traditions; the cookie baking, the homemade pizzas, popcorn cake, and pizza balls. That was all on Christmas Eve! The kids got to open a gift that night and leave cookies for Santa. We watched Christmas movies and had lots of laughs! I always made a big ham dinner on Christmas Day, along with tons and tons of appetizers that we got full of before we even had dinner! The kids enjoyed all of it and so did I.

The kids got older, became harder to shop for, harder to please. You know, pre-teens and teenagers. They no longer believed in Santa Claus. Ok, so before someone decides to educate me on the true meaning of Christmas, don’t. I’m quite aware. I’m not a religious person but I always taught my kids “the reason for the season.” But that’s not what this post is about.

About 11 years ago, certain events changed the way I thought things would be in our family. On top of that, chronic pain has invaded my every move, my every thought and…my everything. It’s rough. I was able to spend a little time with my son, his wife and the littlest grandson on Christmas Eve and I enjoyed every minute of it but I thought my house would be full of kids’ laughter and play, during the holidays. Depression, loneliness, and sadness always sets in.

I try not to succumb to the depression but it’s hard. I eat too much, don’t sleep enough, and I cry a lot when I’m alone. During the holidays, I try so very hard to hide my sadness and put a smile on my face. I’m not able to do the cooking I used to do. My son made the popcorn cake for Christmas Eve this year but he didn’t have time to make the pizza balls. That’s ok though, we still had pizza; it was frozen pizza but it was still good. I threw a ham in the oven on Christmas Day and opened a can of baked beans, which was fine because it was just me and Dad. Still, not what this post is about.

I bet you’re thinking, “Damn, I wish she’d get to the point!” I’m getting there, I promise.

Every year I try to make myself feel more festive and happy by giving gifts to others. GIVING TO OTHERS makes me feel good about who I am and I love to make gifts. This year, I crocheted over a dozen gifts for family. I carefully chose the yarn color and pattern/design I thought was perfect for each person. I worked my ass off, sometimes ripping out a design that just didn’t look good and starting over. I put my heart and soul into everything I made. It felt good to do it and I’m not sorry I did, but I’ll tell you what…

I’m makin’ a list…

woman s hand using a pen noting on notepad

Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com

I’m making a list for next year and if anyone wonders why they didn’t get anything from me then maybe they should think about Christmas 2019 when they didn’t even have the common decency to send me a simple text to thank me for their gift. It takes just seconds!! What a bunch of ungrateful shits in my family. And this does not apply to young children. It applies to adults; young adults and older adults.

I didn’t make the gifts for the thanks, just to be clear. But it would be nice to be recognized and appreciated. I busted my ass to get everything finished and shipped in time for Christmas. It really hurts my feelings that only 3 people thought to thank me for their gift. Next year, I’ll be sending my handmade crocheted items to people who might actually appreciate it…perhaps the Nursing Home, a homeless shelter, or the children’s hospital. Maybe I’ll just make scarves for all the homeless dogs and cats in the area!

dog wearing crochet scarf with fringe while sitting on snow selective focus photography

Photo by Benjamin Lehman on Pexels.com

Generosity and Kindness

Posted on by
6

Today, while Dad and I were out picking up a few groceries, we decided to stop at the Dollar Tree. Oh, how I love the Dollar Tree! Some people I know just shiver at the thought of going into a Dollar Tree. I don’t know why! They have some really great finds there! Just make sure your food items are not coming from China and you’ll be ok. Other things like make-up, facial care, and baby items I would be a little careful with as well. All in all, if a person HAD to (which some of us may someday) we could get pretty much everything we need to survive. But I digress. I always do that!

The store was pretty crowded as you can imagine. Most places will be this close to Christmas. We grabbed what we needed pretty quickly and headed to the checkout line. There was one young woman, probably in her early 30’s in front of us in line. She was having a hard time with her debit (or credit) card. It kept being declined and she couldn’t understand why. She ran it 3 or 4 times and still, declined. She didn’t have any cash on her. There was a woman behind us in line (probably in her 50’s) and she quickly asked how much the young woman’s tab was. It was a mere $4.00 and some change. She (the woman behind us) said, “I got it!” She pulled out a $5 and paid for the young woman. It was very nice, and although not very much money, the young woman insisted on a hug and thanked the generous woman for her help. It was heartwarming to see something like this in person.

It has me bothered though. It got me thinking… Those old rickety wheels of mine started turning. I wondered if I had had cash, would I have thought to help the young woman? I’d like to think I would BUT it never occurred to me while standing there like a dunce, if I had cash I would pay her tab. The thought never entered my mind. Does that make me a bad person? It sure made me feel like an asshole, but this isn’t about me.

We are all so wrapped up in our own lives and in a rush, especially this time of year. We need to slow down and be helpful and kind. Everyone is trying so hard to get things done, to be somewhere on time, or trying to take care of their families. We all have “stuff” to do but it won’t hurt us to slow down a little. It won’t kill us to be more helpful, more kind, and perhaps a bit more generous.

Have a wonderful week ahead, my friends. Enjoy family and food… If things get rough please refer to my last post and have a Merry Christmas!

red merry christmas printed mug

Photo by Roman Koval on Pexels.com

Friday’s Funnies – Christmas Edition #3 – A Tribute To Alcohol

Posted on by
7

Yep, you read that right! This week’s funnies are entirely dedicated to alcohol and the holidays! What would we do without it? Some of us would strangle our own mothers, kill our co-workers at the office party, cold-cock the husband with a cast-iron skillet, or ram the neighbors’ giant lighted Santa up their asses because it feels like Clark Griswold’s family just moved in next door….without the aid of our long-time friend, alcohol.

ae844a30-87f4-0133-b2dc-0e438b3b98d1

Alcohol can’t solve our problems, but it sure can make parties more fun, relatives more tolerable, and well, you know! Alcohol can even make a headache go away…ahem. If you drink enough of it, that is! But be sure to stay home or have a designated driver! Please drink responsibly!

3400

Ok, now on to this week’s funnies. Enjoy!

~~~

wine-wankers-christmas-images-liquor-cabinet

 

 

mom-says-funny-drinking-memes

 

images (3)

 

images

 

im-ho-ho-hammered-funny-christmas-drinking-memes-8-king-tumblr-54156876

 

images (2)

 

images (1)

 

glass

 

ec1b204f-5a9d-41d5-aa5f-9adc94b99ec9-screen-shot-2017-12-01-at-45131-pm

 

Drinking-Memes-Funny-400x237

 

anchorman

 

alcohol-does-funny-drinking-memes

 

avoid-drinking-too-much-at-the-office-christmas-party-by-53225273.png

 

Cabernet-on-Everything

 

4634443af65117760fdd4b4d6673bd34

 

15f9c602504cf28b7e58808c8f209844

 

1g0l9u

 

Think about poor Santa! How much alcohol do you think he needs to get through the holidays?!

looks-like-santa-will-be-drinking-more-than-egg-nog-this-year-73329

~~~

Bottom’s up, my friends! Have a wonderful weekend and an even better Christmas! Don’t forget to spread that wonderful holiday cheer around! *Snort*

holiday-cheer-spread-itaround-18328650

 

Merry Christmas!

Aunt Debbie

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Posted on by
9

First of all, I just want to say I am SO behind on reading your blogs and I will try very hard to get caught up! I promise! There are so many of you who are producing great reads and I feel terrible for falling behind.

Dad and I decided to stay home this lovely Saturday. We normally go out on Saturdays for lunch but we went out twice this week already! The first time was after Dad’s periodontist appointment. I asked him if he was in pain and he said, “Not enough to keep me from eating. I’m hungry!” So we stopped at a little Mexican restaurant on the way home called, El Patron. We had eaten there before but it seems to get worse every time. The salsa was so full of cilantro that I couldn’t taste anything else. The enchiladas weren’t very tasty, and the service wasn’t very friendly or attentive. They have octopus dishes on the menu and I can’t help but wonder, where the hell are they getting octopus in SW Missouri? Is there an aquarium down the road that I’m not aware of? Ok, before you think I’m stupid, I know it has to be frozen!

nature-3262715_960_720

Is this the elusive octopus of SW Missouri? Photo Image Pixabay

Two days later, we were out getting groceries. Yay, Walmart. I despise that place. Anyway, we got groceries and then drove a few extra miles to have pizza at our favorite pizza restaurant. Our eyes were bigger than our bellies that day! Dad had a shrimp basket and I had cheese ravioli, which was delicious but then we decided to get a pizza to go – our regular 16″ House pizza, adding black olives – and an 8 piece hot wings appetizer TO GO! We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the entire next day! I’m about pizza’d out!

pizza-634967_960_720

Photo Image Pixabay

One of those days we were out and about, we spied 19 hawks while driving to and from. We used to see a lot of hawks, and sometimes eagles, but for some reason, we stopped seeing them. It was like they moved to another state or something! I mean, it wasn’t just for a season. It had been over a year before we started seeing them again. We were shocked and amazed at how many we saw in one day after such a long period of time.

red-tailed-hawk-947416_960_720

Red-tailed Hawk Photo Image Pixabay

We saw a few different raptors that day: a Broad-winged hawk, a few Red-shouldered hawks, but mostly Red-tailed and Cooper’s hawks. There were a few that we weren’t able to identify, because we were, after all, in a moving vehicle. I miss being able to go outside with my Field Guide to the Birds of Missouri, my binoculars, and camera. I guess I have to be satisfied with our “hawk hunting” when we go somewhere!

I suppose I’ve rambled enough for one day! I’m going to leave you with this: A bear doesn’t wear underwear OR use toilet paper and no one would ever mistake toilet paper for a bouncy castle! Hahaha! Have a wonderful weekend!