FAMILY. DID YOU SURVIVE THANKSGIVING?

I was on my feet in the kitchen form 10 til 5:30 when we finally ate.  Thank God for my daughter's mother-in-law.  I walked in the kitchen after dinner and turned around and walked out.  Linda came in and did all the dishes and put food away.  It was a blessing.

We ate late because my daughter volunteered her family at her church.  They packed over 6500 dinners for the needy.  They packed turkey until it ran out then switched to ham, then to chicken and finally carnitas.  I guess they had volunteers running all over town picking up food donations, cooking and packing.  We tried to do this years ago but whenever we asked to help, we were told that they didn't need any more help so I'm glad she finally got the chance to do it and she did get a soft, warm fuzzy spot for thanks.

Just so you know, the best ever after Turkey day sandwich is:

Spread cream cheese on bread then spread cranberry sauce over it, put on your turkey slices and top with bean sprouts and sunflower seeds.  Yum!

Well actually the best part is the pumpkin pie for Friday's breakfast.

Fawn was grumbling because her daughter didn't make dressing for the bird, so Friday night I loaded up all the left overs from my fridge, showed up at her house and we had a feast.

Years ago, Cat made an 8x8 Thanksgiving album and every year we get two new decorated pages.  One page is for each family member to write on as to what they are thankful for.  Then we take a picture of all of us and it goes on the other page.  It is so much fun to go back over the book each year and read what people have said and see how the two grandkids have grown.

And speaking of pictures.  Did you ever notice WHEN the camera comes out. It doesn't matter where you are or the occasion they never bring that sucker out at the start when you are fresh, have on lipstick and look your best. NO! They wait until you are tired and frazzled, the lipstick is long gone, you've got foot in your teeth and a dazed look in your eye. I think that's probably why I never take a good picture.

Wishing you Joy and Laughter Everyday!

GIRLFRIENDS - I JUST LOVE THESE TOO FUNNY GALS!

One night a while back we had another dice game at my house, this time I served cheese and crackers with Fawn’s wonderful Jalapeno pepper jelly.  Just to get off the point a second (or two), this jelly is delicious and especially good with a smidgen over cottage cheese – any who see the recipe on the recipe page.  Okay, back to the dice game – Fawn and Margaret once again paired up against Nancy and me and were giving us a hard time.  They were saying something particularly nasty about us and Nancy looked at me and said, “Do the think we can’t hear them?”  I told her that they were old and thought they were whispering and they would probably start spelling things next.

Less than a minute later, Fawn looked at Margaret and said something about us but spelled every word, about half way through the sentence we all really looked at Margaret and saw this really blank look on her face.  So once again, we are in a fit of giggles.  Later, we all got to telling some really funny dirty jokes but I’ll just skip that.

I should tell you that my dining room set is only seven years old and that explains why I haven’t had the time to take the plastic off of the seats yet, well that and the fact that they are upholstered in white.  Now I’m kinda thinking about not taking the plastic off because sometimes when you sit down it sounds a whole lot like a whoopee cushion and is good for some chuckles.  What can I tell you, you gotta get your laughs anywhere you can.

We were chatting about “special talents” and I told them how my sister could raise just one eyebrow and I had tried many times but it just wasn’t happening for me.  So Fawn, the brat, easily raised just one eyebrow and the rest of us spent several funny minutes trying to raise just one of our brows.  Fawn won that one, hands down.  She can whistle too and that really impresses me.  I have tried and tried to whistle but I just get a sick little windy sound.  What I would really like to learn is that sharp piercing whistle where you put two fingers in your mouth, well anyway I was never that great at blowing bubbles either.

Fawn called this morning and we were laughing about her spelling again when I finally fessed up and told her that when she first started spelling, I wasn’t getting it either and about half way through I finally caught on that she wasn’t speaking Greek.

Wishing you Joy and Laughter Everyday!

FRIENDS – OH MAN, I WANT ONE OF THOSE!

When I moved in the park I met Tanya at Crafty Ladies and she also comes to Ladies Bunco.  Tanya is from Cuba and has a lot of those old world values and ideas.  Her husband, who was older than her, passed away a few years ago and Tanya stayed in full mourning for a year wearing her dark clothes.  Shortly after she lightened up her wardrobe she started getting out more and her sense of humor really clicked in.  Tanya is one of the most fun people to be around, she cooks like a dream and has a heart as big as all outdoors.

Not too long ago I noticed Tanya wearing a Jewish Star on a chain around her neck and I asked her, “Tanya, I thought you were Catholic”?  She said, “I am” and pulled out her cross from under her blouse.  I laughed and told her that she was just like Elvis, trying to cover all of her bases, “Just in Case”.

Recently Tanya bought a trike.  For you younger people, a trike is a full size bicycle but with two wheels in the back.  Now she didn’t get just any trike.  No, not our Tanya!  Her trike is pink with a chrome basket in the back, a pink basket in the front and a surrey type covering over it because as Tanya explained “I am not a sun worshiper”.  It is the cutest darn thing I’ve ever seen.  I think that maybe I need one too, maybe in red or purple or….

Wishing you Joy and Laughter Everyday!

FRIENDS AND LAUGHTER – OTIS THE WEINER VAMPIRE LIZARD

And then on Halloween night, just about dark there came a loud knocking on my door.  When I opened it there stood Carole and Alan and Otis.  Alan handed me a baggie with three cookies in it and told me that they were reverse Trick or Treating.  Oh goodies!  Yum!

Then Carole said, “I know how you hate lizards so I brought you one” and there stood Otis in his lizard costume that Carole had made.  I thought I was going to have to lay down on the floor to get a good picture of Otis but then decided that since it was Sunday and late at night the crane people would charge double or triple to get me back up again so Carole helped Otis pose for me and I leaned way over and took these shots. 

Carole who makes all the costumes wasn’t wearing one but Alan came dressed as a ???, I don’t know how that relates to a weiner lizard but it was sure fun and I really enjoyed the laughter.  Well, just see for yourself, presenting Otis The Weiner lizard!

Well here it is Halloween again and at around 10 this morning Carole came a knocking on my door.  She shouts out “Happy Reverse Trick or Treat!”  and hands me three bags of candy and cookies.  Yummy!  Seems like Carole and Lynn are out and about on Lynn’s golf cart delivering goodies.  Well, that and showing off Otis the Vampire Weiner Dog.  I’m not sure he looks like a vampire, maybe more like a bat and he sure doesn’t look very happy but that’s okay, Mama is very happy and just so you know, Carole makes all Otis’s costumes as well as her grandkids too.

Wishing you Joy and Laughter Everyday!

FRIENDS AND LAUGHTER – THE CAT IN THE HAT’S BOO BERRY BREAKFAST!

October was so much fun last year.  Every month our park has a breakfast and of course being October Carole decided that this morning’s breakfast would have a Halloween theme.  We had Boo Berry muffins, Ghost Toast and, well you get the idea.  Carole decided that if you came in costume you got a treat.  No, I didn’t go in costume and neither did Bea but we sat at a table with Lynn, Ken and Mickie who each had a colored hankie with a face pinned on their shirts.  Ken took his off so when Carole came around giving out treats for costumes I grabbed Ken’s scarf and said, “Look I’ve got a costume and then Bea grabbed it from me and said, “Me too!”  So our whole table got the treats.  Did you ever think that you would hear of a bunch of elderlys pulling a stunt like this?  Well, just wait until I tell you what the treat was that we were all pulling this nonsense to get.  We each got a pair of plastic wind up false teeth so of course, we sat there and wound them up and played with them.  Hey, you gotta get your laughs any where you can! 

Carole even managed to create a costume that has a hat.  So here she is:  the cat in the hat in all her finery. Notice the tail, she swished her tail all over breakfast.  I really have to hand it to her husband Alan because he gets right into the spirit of thing with her.

Wishing you Joy and Laughter Everyday!