Happy New Year!

The girls and Jason came over New Years Eve. It will be our last 'time' altogether in Tucson. They are moving to Las Vegas next week. Jason starts his new job....a great opportunity for his career in Prosthetics. I am so happy for him...but will miss the girls tremendously. I don' t want to think about it too much. We will be able to get to Vegas frequently since it's not too far.

We had a nice day together. Lola enjoyed her new easel, painting for over an hour. Look at that face! Bella played with her Nintendo ds. We had grilled chicken, baked potatoes, grilled vegetables, fruit and macaroni and cheese for the girls....ice cream for dessert. It was a very nice evening.

Christmas with the girls

Bella and Lola spent the night on Wednesday, December 23rd. We had arranged with Santa to come visit our house early for the girls, so they could wake up and open presents with us Christmas Eve morning. We went to their favorite restaurant, Chuy's for dinner. I think it is Lola's favorite restaurant because of the balloons they get and the Barbies hanging from the ceiling. Bella likes it because she loves grilled Mahi. After dinner we went home and made hot chocolate with real whipped cream and watched 'Prancer'. Bella wrote a note to Santa Claus, including a line for his signature, to prove that he came. Bella put 3 Gingerbread Man cookies and milk out for Santa, next to her note and a pen. Bella's note to Santa:

Dear Santa Claus:

Thank you for stopping by. I wonder why people sometimes don't believe in you. Well, I know I believe in you. I think you are part of my family. You are the best! Merry Christmas.

Your friend,

Izabella Linhart

P.S. hope you enjoy the cookies

Please write your signature on the little paper on the top of this page.

I had bought the girls new pajamas; they were so cute. We all went to bed. The girls slept in our room on the floor...we don't have the spare bedroom set up yet. They went to sleep right away, which surprised me. Bella told Lola when she woke up she would have presents. When we were sure they were asleep, we got up to put the presents out, fill the stockings and 'eat and drink' Santa's treat. Oh, I almost forgot to sign his name, but remembered before going to bed. Ken and Lola coughed frequently through the night. I got up once to give her cough medicine, but honestly I think they call it cough medicine because it makes you cough. The only cough medicine that works, in may opinion, is the kind with codeine. Lola woke herself coughing around 6:30 am and she sat up and said "presents!" We had to wake Bella up; I swear that girl can sleep through anything!
We all went out to the family room together and the first thing Bella did was check her note and the cookies and milk. She was so excited that Santa signed his name. Santa had separated their gifts in two groups and they took turns opening their gifts. Lola was so patient and wanted to see Bella's gifts as she opened them. I think Bella was a little disappointed because she got 2 Wii games and really didn't know what they were. Santa was going to bring her a Wii at her Mom's and Jason's house. (Later, on Christmas day, she called us to say she loved her Wii games!). We all spent some time enjoying their new toys, games. Honestly the most loved gift was the 'vroom' cars that went fast on the tile, flipping and ending back up on the wheels. They even tried it out in the gravel in the yard. Lola loved her new pink scooter. We had breakfast: warm cinnamon rolls, bacon, eggs, orange juice, hot chocolate and then played until it was time for April to pick them up. It was a very fun time and I am grateful.

Kindness for Christmas

We moved in our new home last Saturday. We had many, amazing helpers that made the move go very smoothly. Uncle Don (he's 83) and his friend Russ totally moved our stuff from our 2 garages. If you have ever seen Ken's garages, you know this is no easy task. They used Russ's small pick up truck and must have made 20+ trips. They did it over 2 weeks time, without complaining; unbelievable! Sometimes I would catch up with them at the house and they would be drinking beer! I don't know how they do it. If I would drink a beer before noon, I may as well go to bed! I'm done. After the garages were emptied, they continued to help with all of the other stuff too!
Without my friend Henna, I would still be packing boxes in the condo! First she helped me pack at the condo. She is very organized. As we were packing, she would ask me if I wanted to keep something...if I hesitated at all, she would say, get rid of it. I got rid of so much stuff I do not need. Then we loaded boxes up and took them to the house where she promptly unpacked them. Oh, I forgot to say that the week before we started the packing, she helped me clean the house so it would be ready to put things away. She organized my kitchen and had great tips on where items should be. On Saturday, after everything had been moved and I was ready to collapse, she said we must put some Christmas decorations out. What...are you kidding me? No, she is not kidding. As I found some boxes labeled Christmas, she quickly made the house look festive, warm and beautiful. After all, we were having our annual Christmas gift exchange party at our house that night with her and Larry and Bobbie and Annie! It was planned a long time ago and is an annual event that I refused to cancel. More on that later.
Our other helpers were Larry (Henna's husband), my son Jason, Cole, a young, strong kid Ken works with and Don Raffety. Don calls Ken on Saturday to offer his help. His task was to move our clothes...lucky him! Doesn't everyone hate that job? A month before the move, Ken and I had gone through our closet and donated everything we didn't want anymore. I recommend everyone to do that before a move. Don moved ALL of our clothes (by himself), carrying them down the steps at the condo and hanging them up in our new house. This is such a kind thing to do for someone.
We all took a break for pizza and soda (beer for some!) and then continued until everything was moved. We thanked everyone and had just enough time to shower, make Bobbie's favorite Christmas cookies, make a salad, get the pork tenderloins in a marinade, make a sour cherry sauce for the pork and wrap the presents!
As I was lighting last minute candles, the door bell rings.....it's not time for the party yet??? I open the door and it is Don and Judie Raffety with a house warming gift. Not only does Don give us an entire day moving our clothes, but stops by a few hours later with a gift.
I truly am thankful and overwhelmed at the thoughtfulness of our friends....it's such a great Christmas present.
The party was a success; it's always so fun..very simple. It's just Ken and I, Larry and Henna, Bobbie and Annie. We had appetizers and Pomegranate Martinis, opened our presents and then had dinner at our new dining room table and chairs. The candles were lit and the Christmas music playing; the conversation flowed.....I thought it would be an early evening...we were tired, but it was one of those evenings where everything felt good and right and they didn't leave until 10 PM....which is late for all of us.
Truly a great day...all because of kindness. Merry Christmas!

Let it snow....kind of

We took Bella and Lola to see the 'snow' at La Encantada. Snow in Tucson is rare....although it does snow occasionally. Every year, the La Encantada outdoor mall showers the shoppers with a snow storm. It's actually soap but really looks like snow. There is Christmas music, hot chocolate, lots of children and an overall festive feeling. The girls had a wonderful time running around and trying to catch the snow flakes. When they did, it tasted yucky!

After the snowfall, we had dinner at Bluepoint. Bella and I shared Grilled Salmon, Ken had Mahi Mahi and Lola had the orange off of my martini and french fries. Afterwards we went to Frost for Gelato and ate it near the fireplace outside. It was rather chilly! We had a fun time.

Jason picked the girls up at the condo later. He was flying in from an interview in Las Vegas. He got the job....a great promotion! He will begin January 4th, so they will be moving pretty quickly. It is sad to see them move; I will miss seeing the girls; but I am very happy for him. It's a great opportunity for his career. We'll have to visit Las Vegas more often!!

I'll be home for Christmas...

We are getting close...we plan to move in this Saturday! My purple shag carpet for the bedroom is installed..wow! I love it. Ken said we may as well take off the doors and hang beads. It's so luscious! We still have lots to do but moving in will make everything easier. Our goal was to be in before Christmas and we will make that goal. Now I have to find some Christmas decorations amongst all the boxes, including the stockings for Bella and Lola. We are planning on taking the girls to La Encantada for the 'snow' on Friday! Can't wait.

Happy Birthday Uncle Don!

Uncle Don is 83....or 84. See, it all depends on whether he counts the time he spent in WWII. We celebrated at Annie and Bob's house. The guests were me and Ken, of course Annie and Bobbie, Larry and Henna, Uncle Don and Loraine and their friends Russ and Mary. Uncle Don is amazing. He still volunteers 3 mornings a week at Catalina State Park, cleaning up horse manure, driving dump trucks, maintaining trails and anything else they need help with. I guarantee he can outwork most of us. He takes no medication and never goes to the doctor. He drinks beer whenever he wants and never eats salad, and rarely eats vegetables. He prefers pretzels and beer, chips and hamburgers. I asked him if he ever has aches or pains; he said of course, he just ignores them. He recently had to go to the VA hospital to get a check up, including blood work because if he didn't go, he would never be able to use his Veteran's benefits. He went, but told them NOT to tell him any of the results. He is amazing.
I think he had a wonderful birthday; we had many appetizers. I made two pies: pumpkin and cherry. Happy Birthday Uncle Don!

Get a grip!

I can't believe it is December 15th. I'm kind of aggravated because I haven't had time to enjoy the Christmas holiday. We have been busy with the new house. No time to go look at lights, experience the 'snow' at La Encantada, no time to bake cookies and pass them out to friends, no time to watch my favorite Christmas movies (we did watch a few). Oh pleeeaaassse Margie! I need to get a grip!!!
It's no surprise that we are a bit behind in our work at the new house. We hoped to be moved by now, but it doesn't always work out that way. I have really noticed this year that deliveries are never on time. I've always completed most of my shopping on line and most of the time things arrive on time or earlier. This year it is different. Every single thing I have ordered has been late. Our bedroom carpet was supposed to be in by now but we still wait. We can't move in until that is installed. Last night I got so agitated because once again it had not arrived! Ken quickly reminded me how silly my upset was in the scheme of life. We are healthy, we have each other and so many blessings. Gosh, he is so right. How many people in this world don't even know what carpet is? I am thankful for my husband; we tend to keep each other grounded. I think part of my upset is that I am tired. Ken and I have remodeled many, many houses, but this time we seem to get tired more easily. I guess we aren't getting any younger.

To keep myself grounded and perhaps CHANGE my attitude, I am going to list some things I am thankful for (in no particular order) :

My country, that I was born in the USA
The Military
Husband
Health
God
Friends
Job that I love, with great benefits
Simple joys of life..the little things..so many
Granddaughters
Freedom
Christmas..that Jesus was born
Wonderful memories of my grandma
Wonderful memories of raising my sons
A safe, warm, cozy home
As much food as I need and want
Clean water
A husband with a sense of humor