Happy Holidays 2015!

As is usually the case this time of year, things have been hectic.  It took me the better part of a week to do the Christmas decorating that I normally do in a day and a half.  I would start and then quickly become disenchanted......it seemed a lot of trouble just for me!  But, there are some items that I really enjoy seeing each year; so, eventually, I got it done!  Last year I sold my artificial tree and all the lights that used to frustrate me to no end.  This year I bought a pre-lit tree which makes the process so much faster and enjoyable.

Otherwise, it seems that I've just been busy with one thing or another.  Camille, Linda and I met with the Ombudsman from the Council on Aging about the goings on at Bloom. It certainly would not benefit my mother at this point, but their actions were just wrong on so many levels!!  She seemed very interested in what we had to say and wanted to get DHEC's evaluations from their last inspection, as well as contacting her supervisor in Columbia to see if she would meet with us.  We are waiting to hear from her and hope it yields positive results.

Wine-making continues.  Chris and I bottled on Saturday and Camille and I will bottle this coming Saturday.  At left is my holiday label for gift bottles.  I hope everyone enjoys it.  This batch is dedicated to friends and acquaintances, but the upcoming bottling is for me.

Rosie continues to make me happy.  She is such a character and so funny to watch.  She'll leave the room and trot back in with a squeaky toy and just give it a fit!  When we go for walks, she greets everyone as though they are there just to pet her......and usually they do!

My neighbor (Carolyn) and I went to the Choral Society's Christmas Concert.  It's about the only holiday thing I'm attending and it was nice to hear the music, blending of voices, etc.  Other than that, I'm waiting for the holidays to be over.

This has been a great weekend for catching up with friends. Jan called yesterday and invited me to visit in January.  I got online and checked for tickets.....the price was so good that I had to take her up on it.  So that is my birthday present to myself, which I'm sure I will thoroughly enjoy.  It will  be good to get together and a good change for me.

Carolyn also called and, though it has been a long time since we'd talk, we picked up right where we left off.  Unfortunately, she is at the beginning stages of going through the same thing I went through with my mother.  She said she learned a lot from my experience and I told her I'd never realized I was a trailblazer to all the places no one wants to go!  It was so good to catch up and we both vowed to be better at it!

This is my domestic/dietary tip for the day - Salad in a Jar!!  Sounds strange but it is actually great!  It is a take-off on the Buddha Bowl, but it keeps everything fresher.....including the avocados!!  I put 2T. of salad dressing in the bottom and then layer in a mason jar:  red onions, tomatoes, avocado (mashed with lemon juice), black beans, corn, red peppers, red cabbage, and spinach.  Put the top on and it keeps for days.  Chop once and then when you want a salad just open the jar and empty into a salad bowl.....and the avocado does not turn color!!  Of course, you can change up the ingredients as you like..  It also takes up less space in the fridge than trying to store all of these ingredients separately.  I'm so glad I tried this.

Tuesday I'm taking off to NC for a few days, taking my sidekick Rosie with me.  We will be staying with Laney and Julious for two nights as I told them I would come up for either Thanksgiving or Christmas.  I chose those days (the week before Christmas, in the middle of the week) in hopes of missing heavy traffic.  It will also be the first time Rosie has gone on a longer drive, so we shall see how she handles it. 

I can't finish without telling you about the glorious weather we have been having.  Summer was a real bummer, but November and December have been wonderful. I've been walking Rosie in short sleeves.  When Carolyn called, I sat out on the patio as we chatted. It has just been wonderful.....and I guess the crummy summer makes us appreciate it more.  Winter will arrive at some point, but we are certainly making the most of this while we have it.

Here's wishing you and yours a Very Merry Christmas and all good things in the New Year!