HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 Yes it has been awhile since I posted.  No particular reason other than ennui.  Not much exciting is happening nor have I gotten much done.  

Husband had a tooth pulled 2 weeks ago and was given medication to avoid an infection – so last week we had to run to our doctor as he was allergic to the medication the dentist had given him.  Which of course meant that he spent last week taking meds to offset the allergy problems from the first med.  He is feeling better now.  

Bought our Thanksgiving turkey last week – a lot of turkey for 2 people!  Went out later in the week after I wrote a list, of course) to buy the other items needed for Thanksgiving dinner and fill in a few items we were low on in general.  

Now I have to clear out our dining room so we can have dinner there next week.  It is filled with our excess food storage due to still being concerned about Covid and its coming back now that it is getting fcold again and people will be inside more.  I will say this is always a problem since it is the least used room (other than general walking through to the rest of the house from the kitchen/den/basement and getting/storing excess food items in it) in the house.  

What are your Thanksgiving customs?    My husband and his family used to go out for Thanksgiving dinner, while my family ate same at home or at one pair of my grandparents.  It used to be “our holiday” - the one when we had both families come to us for dinner.  (This stopped as did most of our normal activities when we had bed bugs.)  Being of mixed religions we picked Thanksgiving to make as “our holiday to have everyone over” as it is the only one which both families celebrate.  


Thought of the week -
Do you have people in for Thanksgiving or other holidays or do you eat out?  Come on – someone must be reading this as I see the number of people who have done so rising all the time – answer me and let me who is out there!

No matter whether you do or don't, a Happy Thanksgiving next week.

CHRISTMAS ALMOST ALL STORED AWAY

 

Well my storage of our Christmas items has progressed. I have put away all 3 regular trees, the Christmas figures (Santas, elves…) that we put out in the living room (most were Christmas gifts from someone husband worked with – one small plastic Santa goes back to when husband was a boy and one elf I sewed and entered in the local tri-county County Fair), and a set of bear figurines that I put out by the month – December is boxed and stored and when I finish putting away the rest of Christmas I will put out the February bears from that set – they go in the corner display unit in our living room (this is NOT part of the Teddy Village I talk about – that is upstairs). (BTW – I store the Christmas bear figurines to this set in holiday design boxes which are sold to store photographs. When the figurines are all put out the boxes are empty and put them under the big Christmas tree in the living room as set dressing of presents as we do not get many Christmas presents – husband buys himself a couple of things and gives them to me to wrap and I do not get any presents – don't need more stuff around the house. But the tree so looked so lonely without any gifts so this way it looks cheerful with (empty boxes as) gifts under it during the entire season.)

The ornaments from the trees has progressed and are boxed and waiting to go downstairs – it is a tall set of steps so as I go down on trips I take the boxes down – second box will go down when I go down to change laundry loads shortly and third will follow later when I go down to bring up the laundry – that leaves one box to go down tomorrow.

I have to pack the assorted small decorations – candles, “greens”, mugs, Lego Christmas figures, and the like in the 2 boxes they store in. These two boxes will be stored on top of the ornament boxes – all of which go in a corner of the basement which is a perfect fit for them.

I have beaded Christmas tree which I made some years ago and is in a glass dome, as well as a large light up teddy bear and the wreath for our front door which will go on top of the stack of boxes.

I have a number of soft decorations – small stuffed toys, as well as items I have embroidered – other stuffed toys, wall hangings, holiday throw pillows, and such. They will go down last to their box which is elsewhere in the basement.

I do have great incentive to get the tree and the items which go on top of it quickly – I can't do the laundry until I put away these items as assorted items which are stored in front of these items are moved to the top of the washer and dryer to get the items out for Christmas – and I had to get them put away – Wednesday night is laundry night! Second load washing first load drying – and a load of Covid masks to follow.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -

While it is much more fun to take out the Christmas (or other seasonal) decorations – it is not as much fun to put them away – but it must done so go ahead and get it done – it is February after all!

THANKSGIVING IN A YEAR WHICH IS NOT NORMAL

 First, a big OOOPS – and an apology.  For the first time since I started this blog in October 2015, I missed posting last week.  I may have otherwise posted a day (maybe 2 days once) late, I have not missed any other full week.  Even worse, I did not realize that I did so.  I was starting to write this post and since it about Thanksgiving last week, I looked to see what I posted about our holiday last week – and there was no post for last week.

I have mentioned before that husband and I used to have both our families for Thanksgiving dinner from 1984 through 2008.  I have probably mentioned that since we are of different religions Thanksgiving was the only family type holiday that both families wanted us to come to them for dinner.  (Meaning his family for Christmas, mine for Chanukah, his family for Easter, mine for Passover – plus mine for other Jewish holidays which are big family meal occasions.)  The first several years we generally ended up with husband's family for Thanksgiving.  

But in 1984 we decided to try something different – both families would come to us for dinner.  My husband thought the idea was crazy.  We lived in a small 3 room apartment and between the 2 families (including grandparents)  and us there were  about a dozen people (his sister and brother in law were on their honeymoon).  I had thought it all out.  His parents had 2 large folding tables – we could set up the 2 tables as one running the length of the living room.   My good china, glasses, silverplateware served 14.  (The china pattern was discontinued after we started buying it and we bought 2 extra settings in case anything broke.)  It could work if we borrowed some extra folding chairs in addition to the tables.

But the menu?  Surveys taken in the U.S. of what people have for Thanksgiving dinner all sounded the same - “turkey and all the fixings” until people were pressed in later surveys about which “fixings” they have.  It was then discovered that while turkey was generally a given (short of vegetarians or such) the side dishes varied greatly by the part of the country people were from, as well as their ethnic backgrounds – some even had chicken instead of turkey.  While my in-laws had been going out for Thanksgiving dinner for a number of years, when they had the dinner at home of course there was a macaroni with tomato sauce course and Italian pastries for dinner.  My family when Thanksgiving was at home would have chicken soup and then turkey, vegetables, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pies... My family though, for some time had been going out to a kosher deli for Thanksgiving dinner as an aunt was kosher.  Since mom would make a turkey for dinner (with lots of leftovers for other meals) a couple of times a year, when confronted with dinner in a kosher deli – my sisters and I went for corned beef sandwiches as we did not get them as often as turkey.  So compromise was needed in the dinner menu.  We settled on a traditional menu – turkey, corn, green beans, stuffing – I think the first year was the year I tried to make my own stuffing which included chestnuts which I had never cooked before – mashed potatoes, and I baked pies for dessert.  Somehow it all worked and worked well, so we continued making the Thanksgiving dinner.  We moved into our house during October – finishing up October 31 and still made Thanksgiving dinner in our newly bought house.  There were adjustments – dining room would not hold the two long tables end to end or next to each other, so we built a setup of plywood which clamped to our old kitchen table (which was in the dining room as it was too large for our small kitchen) to make a large, square table.  (Eventually we bought a dining room table which fit 14 if we squeezed in.)  Nieces and a nephew joined our number along the way.  Once or twice husband's best friend from high school joined us.  Husband's sister's mother-in-law joined us.

The annual dinner came to an end the year we had bed bugs.  Of course that year we could not have anyone as the house had been recently treated for the bugs and was in disarray (real disarray – sofa cushions and such all over the floor clothing, towels and fabric out – all due to the treatment) and we did not have the families in for Thanksgiving and we went to an inexpensive restaurant for our dinner.  Since then we have not felt comfortable having people in the house as we cannot deal with having bedbugs ever again and terrified of getting them.  After a few years of going out for Thanksgiving dinner, we started cooking dinner for ourselves.  

This year was a challenge.  Our dining room table was covered with the excess canned, bottled, jarred, and packaged foods we have due to the pandemic.  Husband suggested we eat at the kitchen table this year.  I pointed out to him (and after the holiday he agreed) that we needed the kitchen table for carving, filling bowls, storing items waiting to be used as we have very little counters pace and only 1/3 of it (about 30 inches long) would be available to use.

So I had to clear off my work table in our studio (dining room is on one of the kitchen – studio on the other side) and move all the food there.  Two evenings work – but everything was going well.  I even managed to put out my Thanksgiving decorations (not all of them are bears) including paper ones my niece made for me decades ago (she is 30 now).  

By now the setup is repetitive – I know which bowls and platters I will use for serving which food.  I know I need to add one board to our dining room so it is large enough to hold the bowls and platters.  I baked the pies the night before.  I got up early (well, for us) on Thanksgiving and took the turkey out of the refrigerator and turned on the oven to preheat.  Back to sleep for an hour and then down again to put the turkey in the oven and then back to bed again.  Everything was going according to plan – as it always does.  Each item being cooked at the time it needed to be – or so I thought.  

The turkey had come out and cooled off.  We were almost ready to eat.  Husband asked me where the mashed potatoes were – uh oh!  Normally I make mashed potatoes from scratch and use boxed stuffing mix.  This year as we are avoiding buying fresh produce due to the corona virus and not wanting to get items which were unwrapped when purchased and had been touched by others we had decided to go with instant mashed potatoes.  Well, at least they and the boxed stuffing were quick to make when we realized I had not made them – and while we were waiting for the water for each to boil – husband noticed that we had not heated up the (canned) gravy.  Yes, there is a reason I was so disorganized this year – actually 2 reasons – I had not bothered to periodically check my list of what I was making.  (I keep the list each year for each holiday dinner I make in a spiral notebook – I filled it front to back and am now using it back to front – the list was there, I just did not look.) The other reason – while this year husband is bored from staying in so that we don't get Covid-19 and decided to help. In telling him what I needed him to do, I lost track of what I was doing.  

Of course it was a great meal anyway.  So far we have leftovers for dinner 3 times and he had a turkey sandwich once.  2 people, one turkey is a lot of leftovers including turkey broth made with the carcass late Thanksgiving dinner.  

Every item used was washed that night & air dried in 3 groupings, some help with drying on the first 2 groupings.  The dining room was back to its prior state by the next day.  The good china, etc, was put away by then also.  

I have spent the week since clearing up what was around in the dining room before we started – reenacting items not stored in their box benches, stuff from my family house sitting on extra chairs as we did not know where to put it.  Small amount of stuff to go back out to our RV as we brought them to use them in the house in the past year.  Excess pans and racks which had been removed from the oven over the past year.  Dented food cans that husband still not will get rid of and we want to keep away from the ones in the studio that are okay to use are in a line under one of the box benches in the dining room.  3 large boxes of food still in dining room – I will try to move them to the studio, but need to move things from the living room there first or we will not be able to put the tree and other decorations in the living room.  If worse comes to worse, the food boxes can stay in the dining room (perhaps a table cloth over them?)  Yes, the dining room is back in better organization than it was before the holiday so that I can decorate it for Christmas.  

Next I start on the living room.  Husband has until the middle of December to use it as his “loom room” for his weaving (our agreement is he gets it from mid January to mid December as his loom room and I get the other month for Christmas decorating), but I can get started moving out his inventory and the large DVD chest (latter stores in the dining room for the holiday against the side wall and he made it on wheels so it is relatively easy to move) in the interim.  Since last year we did not get around to decorating in the house – I know if we don't this year, we may never do so again.  

Outdoor lights went up the day after Thanksgiving.  We found ourselves short 4 strands of lights  - they had expired last year or in the interim – one set only half the bulbs lit.  We did not want to the store (as we go out rarely these months for health safety) so decided to work with what we had.  Our the trees on each end each have only 2 strands not 3, the bush next to one tree has only the lights from that tree traveling over its top on its way to the electric outlet.  On the other end – we normally wrap red lights (with white wires) around the white post of our mail box – this year instead those lights are on the bush in front of the mail box.  On the other side of the front steps (back towards that first tree) are the remaining set of lights.  Not bad considering.  Our door wreath lights with batteries and is up on its magnetic hook (left from last year) and is lit up.  The battery candle lights are in the front windows on their timers.  

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -

This year we need the holidays – whichever holiday or holidays one celebrates this time of year – more than ever to try to spark some joy (and a bit of almost normalcy) in our lives.  If one can not put up/set up everything one normally does, we must do our best with what we can setup.  It is a year like no other in the memory of most of us.  We must try to do what we can to make our holidays as normal as we can while staying distant and safe so we will be here for next year's holidays and celebrations.  

NOTE -

When I went to publish this post – I found  I had written a post last week – but since it duplicates part of this weeks post – I have deleted it. 

COVID 19 #26 - PLAN NOW FOR THANKSGIVING APART FOR THIS YEAR

 Well, Thanksgiving is coming (in the U.S.A.) in 2 weeks.   Yes, family is important, but family staying well and alive is more important.  Please don't have (or go to) a big family gathering this year.  Have a dinner with those in your household.  

How about a long distance (or short distance if family lives nearby) extended family celebration on Zoom– perhaps even set up a monitor (yes, this would be exception to the “no TV, no computers,no phones at Thanksgiving dinner rule)  where everyone having dinner at your house can see the screen and have your extended family members do the same.  Make an agreement for what time to have dinner which works for everyone – then all can share dinner across the Internet and still be safe.  

Have Aunt Mary send a copy of her secret recipe for her pumpkin pie (will you find out that she uses the one on the can of canned pumpkin?).  Have Cousin Susie her recipe for the stuffing and so on.  Everyone can make the dishes for their family (or not as they choose – perhaps Uncle Dave adds a bit too much “fun” in his rum cake?).  If everyone has the same foods it will seem like everyone is eating together.  Or, just let everyone make the dinner they want – perhaps next year your sister-in-law's vegetable soup (a dish I always make for Thanksgiving) will be the new family favorite that no one has had before, but when she made it for the dinner she and your brother had with their children – it looked soooo good and her children asked for more – yes, more vegetables  - and then you will all asking her for the recipe.  

The holiday is something which can be celebrated across the miles -  or across the street – so that all stay safe and well.  I am sure that you all would prefer for grandpa Jack to be with you at future Thanksgiving dinners than this be his last one due to his catching Covid-19 from someone at the dinner.  

My husband and I used to have both families at our home for Thanksgiving dinner – it was “our” holiday.  10 years ago we had bed bugs – we have not have family join us for the holiday since.  I still cook the same foods for the two of us – just a bit less than I made for the families.  I set up the dining room with the “good” china and silverware.  I use smaller serving bowls than before, but we have a nice holiday.  We do this annually now – and I only suggesting your family and friends have this one Thanksgiving apart – so that hopefully you will all be alive and well for next Thanksgiving to be together again.  

I am writing this column now – 2 weeks before the holiday so that you have time to plan with your extended family to have your holiday apart, while still joining together in some way over the distance so all will survive the corona virus and are here to be there for next year.  

Me, I have to figure out what to do with the all the extra canned goods, bottle, jars, and packages which are currently residing on my dining room table – taking up the entire table plus there are 3 huge plastic boxes of foods,which might attract vermin if it was just out, stacked next to the table.   I figure I have to clear up my studio worktable and move the food from the dining room table onto it.  (This will also allow me to decorate the dining room for Christmas afterward which I never had a chance to do last year.)  Husband has said to have the dinner in the kitchen,but I know from the past we need the kitchen table for related things – such as carving the turkey.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -

For the Jewish holiday of Passover one of the prayers is “Next year, may we all be in Jerusalem” - for Thanksgiving let us all stay apart and safe and say “Next next Thanksgiving may we all be at Aunt Anne's” (or wherever you normally celebrate Thanksgiving) and survive this pandemic to do so.  

A little planning is all that is needed.

Let us also remember on this Veteran's Day all of those brave people who have fought to protect their country in the various wars which threatened our country as well as, including those in other countries who share the memory of Armistice Day when World War I (the Great War) had it truce.  If not for them we would not be living in the world we have now (meaning of course the good things of our world.)  Tell a veteran (or two) that you appreciate their service.

1775 CHRISTMAS FOLLOWED BY 2019 NEW YEAR'S

Last week I was talking about getting the Christmas decorations finished, our holiday celebrations, and going “back” to 1775 for a candlelight Christmas event at a restoration village.  When we went back this past Thursday we found out that there were 1500 people through the village last Saturday night and 2200 people last Sunday night - and Sunday night they turned people away for lack of parking.  Makes one feel popular - even if the people are coming for the overall event - not us specifically.  As a result for the second weekend they made arrangements for off site parking and school buses to go back and forth.

Thursday and Saturday this week there were so many people waiting to come into the restoration that they let them come in early - event is suppose to start at 5 pm and they have an opening parade at 5:15, so we don’t get many people before then.  Both nights people were coming in at 4:30 pm (and they can not just wander in, they have to be let in).  Unfortunately since no one had informed us of this -or even the possibility of this - we were not ready for the public yet when they started to walk in.  Talk about looking disorganized!  We made our apologies and asked people to come back later. I ended up starting to give the tour at the door as people wandered in as the fellows normally there were not in place yet, and when they were ready, I followed the crowd in to where I needed to be. On Saturday night I needed a last minute trip to what was called in 1775 “the necessary”, even though I had stopped in the ladies room in the visitor’s center before we walked out to the house.  I went to the one out in the restoration and noticed other buildings having the same problem - one small house was letting people in, other larger ones (take longer to get setup for the evening) had a person out on the porch - door to the building closed - talking to the people who were waiting.  I made note of same and told husband about it in case we have the same problem in the future.  We had a huge crowd already in our house and I again had to follow the crowd into the kitchen - while removing my modern winter jacket and trying to scrunch it down small enough that it would not be noticed..  Husband had asked our unit commander to man (“woman”?) the kitchen until I was there and he was doing a good job when I arrived - but was glad to go back to music and singing and talking about “guy” things.  We don’t have counts yet for those nights, but I am guessing they were crowded than the week before.  They, again, canceled the event for Friday night as, again, there was a huge rain storm.

With the event behind us we realized that we had no plans for New Year’s.  Husband decided that we (I) would attempt to make chicken pie from partial things - premade pie shells, chicken purchased cooked and cut in small piece, canned cream of chicken soup for the sauce for New Year’s Eve dinner.  Worked relatively well and did not get either of us sick.     

New Year’s Day I finally had a chance to work on setting up my teddy village for winter.  It is mostly done at this point - I need to fix some mini-Christmas lights whose strand is out and I need to get some button batteries for some of the lights in the village.  We went out in the evening for dinner at the Asian buffet we go to on weekends. 

Not a big exciting holiday, but as I have posted many times - every day is the start of a new year.

Today was my embroidery chapter meeting.  Last night husband - whose arm and shoulder were finally doing well - fell coming down the stairs to wash his hair in the kitchen sink.  (Due to a bad cold he did not want to take a shower as the house is drafty.)  He scrapped some skin off one leg - a problem as he is Diabetic and also he cannot use normal band aid type bandages on his legs - but I bandaged it up for him.  His knee and arm hurts and he keeps worrying that he broke something - they look okay to me - not bruised, not swollen, no bone looks or feels out of place.)  So after the meeting I came home and did not have a day out alone - in exchange, as he asked me to do this - he had to join me in my normal errands for this day each month as I don’t want to let the empty soda bottles pile up.
           
While I was waiting for him to get ready to go out I made some phone calls - I had a  bill from medical lab as they must not have had my new medical insurance - I called and the hold wait ran too long.  I filled in the info on the form and will mail it to them tomorrow.  I then called the company from who I had ordered new checks for our reenactment unit - they spelled the name of the organization wrong and they will send out us new checks - glad I ordered them long before we need the new checks.  (Once again, I had to do something twice - what is going on with everyone right now?)  I also called our heating oil company.  This company gets odder and odder.  Last year or the year before our company joined another company and the other company is in charge (I may have mentioned chasing them down to try to get them to do the pre-season cleaning of the furnace, which they did not do last year either - and they cannot come until the end of February when the season is well along and heading for the end in a month or so.)  Our original company would leave a receipt when they delivered oil and then send us an invoice.  This second company would leave an invoice for us to pay as the receipt.  Well, just before Christmas a large oil company in this area delivered oil to us - not either of the ones that we have dealt with.  They left an “invoice” that did not say how much we owed them and said that a final invoice would be coming.  So I called them today to find out when the invoice would be here.  Total confusion - “Didn’t they leave an invoice?”  I explained and pointed out that I don’t know who the company who delivered is (I was talking to the second company that we have had).  “Well, I guess than they should have mailed an invoice to you.”  I held my tongue and did not get sarcastic and reply “You think so?”  They are sending me an invoice.  If I had any question about changing companies next year - this resolved it.

Hopefully we will have a couple of quiet days to catch up.  Husband is again thinking of a trip on Friday to Lancaster, PA - but I know how well his plans for same in the recent past have worked out (not at all).  Though if we go with the RV he can buy some food items not available here and maybe he will enjoy dinner a bit more than he does.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -

The start of a new year is good time to take stock of where one is and what one wants to do.  I make no resolutions as they are never kept (except my last one to never make a resolution again).  If you want to change things think about what you want to change and how to do so.  It is better to think in this manner, I find, than to make grand resolutions and then find that they cannot or are not kept one feels bad.  If it was just one or two specific things - one might actually get them done and if not, it is just a hope to get something done and one does not feel as much as a failure than not keeping a “resolution”.  Resolutions are large things - work on small things and the large things will fall into place on their own.

2018 Christmas mixed with 1775 Christmas

I hope those how celebrate Christmas had a good holiday.  I hate to use the Merry or Happy as there are many for whom that won’t happen, but good holiday has a larger definition and is more inclusive.  (By the way - Queen Victoria was the one who changed the expression from Merry to Happy in Britain.  Why?  Well what we think of as the meaning of Merry is not what it then meant.  To wish someone a Merry Christmas then, was to wish them a drunken Christmas.)

Did you get all of your holiday preparations done on time?  I didn’t.  Between time lost back in October and November to my husband’s injured shoulder/arm, doing an assortment of tasks twice to get them done finally and correctly, work, and my general laziness, compounded by the fact that I lost 2 evenings (which should have been 3 - but more on that later) to the Candlelight Nights reenactment event we do with our reenactment unit just before Christmas, I fell behind - even for me. 

Normally I would have everything I wanted to do finished, except my (infamous) Teddy Christmas Village setup.  Over the years it has become normal for me to be setting it up on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day night, or even just after same.  Dinner for Christmas Eve would be planned in advance,gifts wrapped, all the other trees and decorations up and in place.  Not this year. 

As I wrote last week, I had set up the living room and dining room and front hall decorations - mostly - in advance.  I put artificial roping over the windows in the living and dining room and did so this year in the dining room.  The living room involves moving a coffee table from in front of the windows to hang the roping there - and an embroidered hoop piece that I put in the center of the roping.  (The coffee table is there and not in front of the sofa since it became husband’s weaving room and while not heavy is shoved between 2 chairs and therefore hard to move.)  At Christmas Eve the roping was still waiting.  I put it back the box and sat the embroidered piece on a chair (which will not be sat in anyway).  While doing this annoys me - the lack of the roping does not change the holiday in any way. 

Last week, you may remember, I assembled the tree while writing my post to you.  On Thursday night I brought up the two boxes of decorations that go on it first (the nicer ones), put “Lion in Winter” in the DVD player (a tradition with husband and me) and started on decorating the tree.  It took a few hours but the decorations went on the tree.  I put them on the tree in sections as there are so many that it makes it easier to see them.  I put angels on the top section of the tree all around  - or at least on the 3 sides one can actually see.  On the front of the tree I put the ornaments we have bought on vacation - and about vacation - I remember as I start to leave a vertical space for key chain we bought at one of the Smithsonian Air and Space museums of a red fabric piece which says “remove before flight” as used on planes.  An ornament does not have to be an actual ornament is something we figured out a number of years ago.  (We were someplace and they had the same piece as a key ring -not this one - and as an ornament.  Key ring was $3, ornament was $15 - we bought the key ring.)  In addition to key rings, we have bought the pins that people put on their hats to show that they have been someplace and a variety of other small items.  On the side of the tree facing the front hall and to the left of the vacation ornaments are the Santa ornaments - there I have to leave a space long enough for Santa hanging from a parachute until I come to it. To the left of the them are the teddy bear ornaments - and above them the ones dated with our anniversary - towards the back of the tree - paper houses are hanging.  On the other side of the tree - facing the side of the room, but visible are sections with stars, characters (Snoopy, Alice in Wonderland...), (fake) candy, vehicles and so on.  Then other ornaments are mixed in around the tree in all of these - handmade ornaments (some embroidered of course), and so on. 

Friday night we were suppose to be at the Candlelight event, but there was a huge rain storm coming in and the restoration canceled the night on Thursday as it would be too dangerous for people to be out in the storm and they figured few people would come.  So I was able to work on the other two boxes of ornaments (while watching the second version of “Lion in Winter” that we have.  These boxes have larger ornaments - balls and such - so there are less of them.  I put the more “important” of them on the tree - and stopped.  The back of the tree - the side facing the window and not seen in the room (or outside as the drapes are closed) is naked this year - for the first time ever.  I cleared up the room and stored the boxes downstairs.  As I took a box down I brought a large Santa or elf figure upstairs.  This also allowed us to food shop Friday afternoon.  While I had already bought stuff earlier in the week to make a Brunswick stew for Christmas Eve dinner, we also need food items that don’t have to be cooked or cook quickly to eat for dinner when we come home at around 10:30/11 pm after the events. 

Saturday night (well, actually afternoon) we ate a bigger lunch than normal at Wendys as we were eating earlier and would eat dinner much later than normal.  We then went home to dress in our period style clothing.  I had previously laid out my clothing - in reverse order of how they worn so the first piece to be put on is at the top of the pile and the last (my apron) is at the bottom of the pile.  I put on my “stockings” and shoes (I can’t reach the shoes after I put on my stays) and then my “shift” (a white more or less A-line dress that serves as underwear in period).  Over this I wear “stays” - not a corset and not worn tightly tied as Scarlet O’Hara wore her corset.  The stays have lacing up the back and front and I only open the front lacing to put them on and off.  I had them on and laced up the front. I then pulled the lacing to tighten them (only to the feel of “a gentle hug” and then to tie them - suddenly I was holding a piece of the lacing in my hand and the rest had mostly unlaced itself.  The lacing had torn apart!  I do not have a spare lace as it came with (on) the stays. Husband suggested that I get some fabric seam tape from our studio.  I ran down glad of a solution.  Uh, Oh!  I had stored his weaving stuff - yarns, finished pieces, table on my side of the studio.  I had taken out what I thought we might need to access - safety pins, thread spools and such, but we never need seam tape - so I could not get any.  On my way back upstairs the thought hit me, I could pull the seam tape in the waistband of my other petticoat (skirt) out and use it - no problem unless I decide to wear my other petticoat the next night - then an even better idea hit - I have a spare apron and have it used it while cooking at events so it is stained and I would not be wearing it during this event.  I pulled it out.  I started trying to lace the stays with it - end was stiff and it was wider than the lacing - I grabbed a pen and used to point to push the lacing into each hole - and it worked great (no one sees it as it under the rest of my clothing.)  We then rushed - afraid to be late to get there as husband is in charge and the first night we have to make sure the building is set up right and that we have candles, etc. We got there half an hour early to be there an hour before the event started!  We sat in the car until we saw some employees of the restoration go into the building. 

Everything we needed was there and we rearranged things from how they had been left for us to how we needed them.  As unit members came in each started setting up what they normally work with.  We made sure to put the keys to the building in the spot where they are suppose to be kept (don’t want to miss them when we go to lock up later).  As 4pm approached we lit the candles inside the house and on the steps outside.  Three of the rooms are behind clear half height gates, the others are walk through.  I put on my cap and offered the mirror in one of the gated off rooms to other women in our unit before I slide that gate into place, the last of the gates to be put in place.  One of the fellows had the fire going in the kitchen and the musician was ready.  We had a very successful and fun - both for the crowds and us  - evening.  Members each do whatever they feel they would like to do at the event - sing, greet people at the door and tell them about the building, be a person of the past (as husband and I do) and talk about the house and “our” time as someone who knows nothing of the future, just up to the matching day in 1775.  We are on the village for some of our fellows to fire their muskets 3 times during the night in front of the building.  When we went back on Sunday night we found out that 1500 people had come through the village the night before!  And Sunday night seemed to have almost as many people.

Saturday night after we came home, changed our clothes and had dinner I brought up the rest of my Santas and elves and set all of them up in the living room at the entrance to the room.  (Most of them were Christmas gifts from someone husband worked with, two I made, one we bought, and one is husband’s since he was a boy.    At this point the excess packing was stored away and the room almost finished - for this year at least.

Sunday was a repeat of Saturday - eat lunch early and more than usual, change clothes, drive to restoration village - not as early this time as we knew that everything was ready for us.  The event was basically a repeat of the night before (and really every night we do this), while always being different based on who comes through the building and their interests as life in 1775 had about as many facets as life does today and one or the other of us (or several of us) will be able to talk on the different facets. 

After we, again, came home, changed our clothes and had dinner, I went back to Christmas decorating.  I brought up our Christmas stockings - one pair red and white fur with names for use in the years that there is something for them, one pair decorated with “Santa Claus, the movie” and one pair I embroidered for us.  There are is also a line of small stockings with the names of our Cabbage Patch kids on them (yes, we are that silly).  I also boiled the chicken I needed for the Brunswick stew for Christmas Eve dinner.

Christmas Eve day we went out for lunch and some short errands as places closed early.  While I cooked our dinner and set the table in the dining room - I had to, again, take the stuff we had brought back into the house from the RV to the RV.  Since the stew cooks a long time and has to be watched, I brought up and assembled the dining room tree and decorated it with brass ornaments we have received as members of Colonial Williamsburg.  I have, somehow, duplicates of two them and the two duplicates I put on the main tree in the living room.  I then took the handmade ornaments I had set aside as I did the main tree (the handmade ornaments are split between the two trees) and set up the tree in the studio for them and put them on the tree - the woven wheat snowflake I use for star on top (made by husband) needed a bit of reinforcing glue on one point and I fixed it. 

Ah, all that will/can be done was done at this point.  I turned on the living room and studio tree lights and finished cooking dinner.  We had dinner, I did the dishes.  I put the few (3) gifts we had bought ourselves in recycled Christmas gift bags.  Husband wrapped his 2 nieces’ Christmas gifts in Christmas paper and their birthday gifts in different in different paper and we put them in bags for Christmas Day.  We then went to Midnight Mass. 

Husband later went up to bed before me and I put our gifts under the tree - next to the empty fancy gift boxes there for “show”.

Christmas Day was spent at his sister’s house and the less said about it, the better.  Today was the 26th.  I paid all the bills due until after New Year’s Day, we mailed them, we went to the bank and transferred money to cover them and then came home for a quiet evening to rest up.  Tomorrow night we go back to the Candlelight Nights through Saturday night.  Ah, being in 1775 for 3 more nights - something we love.  Then the teddy village will be changed from fall to Winter/Christmas.
                       
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -

None of us can do everything.  I could be upset and kicking myself for not getting all of the decorating done, but I did the best I could.  Husband points out that there is nothing missing when one looks at it all.  Another year, more will be done. 

Relax - you can only do the best you can - in decorating and organizing.  New Year’s Day will be here before I talk with you again - remember think of what you might want to change or improve and decide to try.  Don’t make resolutions - just pick something and think about what you can do.  And don’t forget - every day is the start of a new year.

I wish a happy, and healthy new year to all of you.

HALLOWEEN HERE - HOLIDAYS COMING

Well it is Halloween.  For the first time in many years (at least a couple of decades) we are home and not in Pennsylvania.  We normally go away for my birthday as I don’t like all the Halloween stuff being associated it with it - including not being able to go out for a nice dinner other than at an Asian restaurant - and while it is everywhere, there is a lot less in the area we go to and we can walk into local restaurants and not be served by a science experiment gone wrong covered in blood - ick.  Since husband’s shoulder still has not healed he could not drive anywhere near that far and he cannot ride when someone else drives, so here we are.

What surprised me the most was the total lack of trick or treaters.  Even when we were home for Halloween we had no trick or treaters until the woman next door to us had her son and his family - including his young daughter - move in and then she came by for a couple of years until they moved.  Then the house beyond that one had a new family move in - they had 3 children and we had the children and maybe a couple of their friends come by for maybe 3 years.  The street is 4 lanes, so the family that lived across the street never came here - too dangerous to cross the street.  We live on a main street with only these children on it in the past and since we did not know the families on the streets near us I figured that we did not have trick or treaters as they did not know us. 

But now there is a new family in the house on either side of us and I figured that they would come by.  They did not.  What surprised us even more is that when we driving home from running errands and lunch - around 3:30 pm (which is when I would have been out making the rounds as a child) and later when we went out to pick up Chinese takeout for dinner - we did not see one child (or adult) in costumes walking around. 

Later, after dinner, I read the regional newspaper (yes, I still read the “dead tree” newspaper) there was an article on how most of the neighborhoods no longer have trick or treaters going around.  Parents and schools have apparently decided (and rightly so) for safety in today’s world to have parties at the schools or what is called “trunk and treat” at the schools or other location rather than the children going around house to house.  This eliminates the danger of children out alone - and possibly in the dark - as well as what strangers might give the children.  In thinking about it I realized that I had not seen any of the usual - “Bring your candy to the hospital and we will X-ray it for you.” 

For those of you who might not know about trunk and treat - groups of families get together in parking lot  at a school, park, or shopping center.  The cars are decorated for the holiday and the trunk (or hatch) is open and the children go from car to car for their trick or treating and possibly other activities.  Parents know who the other participants are and the children have fun and are safe.  The first time I saw this was the Halloween 2 days after Superstorm Sandy.  There were few people out and about and we had gasoline shortages and major electric outages.  Sidewalks were not safe to walk on due to trees and limbs - and wires which had fallen down.  I thought this a great idea for the children. I did not know at the time that it was something being done otherwise than the storm. 

Have you noticed a lack of trick or treaters in your area in recent years - or is this area an anomaly?

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -

If it is Halloween than the start of the end of the year holiday season is starting - if not already started.  As we head into the end of year holiday season, think.   Don’t overdo.   Think “less is more”.  Buy less items (oh, the retail industry will hate me) but think more about what you do buy.  I tend to be very conservative in gift giving and have pushed husband in that direction. 

His sister goes the opposite way and buys each of her two daughters, umm, I mean Santa brings each of her two daughters 64 gifts.  Huh?  Yes 64 gifts - and I don’t mean small ones.  Sister in law has some idea stuck in her head that she received same each year as a child - I knew her then, she did not - and feels she must do this for her daughters.  I have even seen her give duplicate gifts to them as she forgot she already bought the same or very similar gift the same year.  Their grandmother (on their dad’s side) goes into debt that she cannot afford to buy them even more.

As a result the girls do not value what they have received - or even remember what they have received.  The two girls are adopted from China.  When the older one was younger (she is a teenager now) we bought her an Asian faced Cabbage Patch Kid.  Her grandmother also did so.  A couple of years later she was at our house and I was playing with my Cabbage Patch Dolls with her. (No children, so dolls and bears are my substitute - when I play with the dolls with our nieces I am the nice aunt, if I play with them alone, I am “the crazy lady”.) Niece said to me “I wish I had a doll like these.”  I told her that she two of them - and she was shocked. They were “on the pile” at home and she did not remember them.

So as you start the season keep in mind that less can really be more.  Stay on your budget.  Buy items with meaning or is something that the person wants.  Don’t go overboard because other family members do. 

Watch what you spend on what I calling “buying garbage” - huh?  When you buy wrapping paper and ribbon it is basically buying something that will quickly be garbage and thrown out.  My rule for Christmas wrapping was $1 for 50 square feet for decades.  I will now spend $1 for 40 square feet as price adjustment over time.  I buy inexpensive curling ribbon and make long tendrils that I put on gifts - in expensive, one does not feel the need to “save the bows” and they don’t get crushed when traveling.  I have a ribbon shredder to use on the ribbon, which makes it look even nicer. Christmas cards are the same.  They are opened, maybe displayed and then thrown out. Shop wisely and one can get very nice cards inexpensively - and don’t forget the end of the season sales which seem these days to start right as the season starts.  Think about this - my sister had a friend whose father owned a small chain of upscale card and gift stores.  The girl’s gifts for my sister were always wrapped in Sunday color comics - never wrapping paper.

WHAT SHOULD YOU GET RID OF AND WHAT SHOULD YOU KEEP?

Pardon me - I didn’t post yesterday.  As I think I mentioned the most important annual Jewish holiday was yesterday and when it was over last night it slipped my memory what day of the week it was.  So here I am, a day late and a post short. 

As I was talking about last week, much of what one needs to know about organizing we know.  It is finding the time and pushing ourselves to do it that is the problem - at least for me.  Basically one has to sort through what one has and get rid of what is not being used and will not be used and then set up what is left in an organized manner so that one can find what one is looking for quickly. 

What to get rid of?  A good question.  Some of it is rather obvious - empty boxes of cereal for example.  They are garbage. Almost empty box?  Depends on how much is left - if you can eat it all while continuing to work - eat it and toss the box; if it is enough for a meal or two - use it up at meals and toss the empty box.  In this case I mean for the cereal box to stand for anything which gets used up, but the empty container is still around.  This week and last week I made a chicken stew that my husband loves for dinner.  Problem is that the garbage pickup is on Monday and Thursday and I was making the stew on Monday last week and Tuesday this week and both times had to hold it all both times until Wednesday night when I put it out for Thursday pick up.  The bones, skin and such have to be thrown out, but if I toss them in the kitchen garbage and they don’t go out right away, it will smell terrible.  I can take the kitchen bag out to the can outside, but it really upsets me to put the bag(s) out only about 1/3 full.  So, I put the chicken garbage into one of those plastic shopping bags that one gets at groceries stores, put same in the bowl I had used to hold the cooked chicken overnight (cooked the chicken one day, made the stew the next) before taking it off the bones and left it in the fridge.  When it was time for the garbage to go out I added the shopping bag of chicken icky stuff to it and out it went.  I then washed the bowl the bag had been in.  I actually have left over stew from both nights.  It can’t be frozen as it has potatoes in it and they never freeze well.  I have the stews in two canning jars in the fridge (one from last week and one from this).  I will hold them until the end of the next week - if husband has not eaten it by then (he really LOVES this stew) then it will go out that Sunday night in the garbage - it will not be allowed to sit beyond when it will be safe to eat.

Staying with the kitchen, some items are harder to get rid of.  Husband will decide that he likes something - say a particular canned soup - and buy a lot of it.  Then something will happen and it will not be eaten.  Say, he decides it raises his blood sugar too much and he should only have it once in a while.  The items sit........and sit.........and sit..........and sit.......and sit.  Suddenly they are past their date and one cannot even donate them.  It really kills me to throw out 6 full cans of something because it passed its date a year or two before - but out they must go.  They are taking up needed room and if they are eaten by accident they may make someone ill.  I have to check on some eggs we have in the fridge - wait, I will check right now - an entire dozen dated for June 16, 2018.  Now what do I do?  Normally I would toss the eggs.  But here is a bit of info - when eggs pass their date and are sent back to the producer by the stores they are allowed to be repackaged and sent back out a certain number of times - gross right, but it is true.  Eggs can be tested to see if they are still good and I will have to find the instructions on how to check them.  Okay, per “The Joy of Cooking” if the eggs float in cold water they are no good.  I will test them tomorrow and then throw them out if they float.  We go through periods where we eat eggs or use them in cooking and will buy them - and then the period of eating them ends - see husband deciding he likes something and then deciding not to have it any more, above - I think he was making quiches with them and then stopped doing so - and they sit.  Usually it only part of a dozen, which is left.  In case you are thinking - what about breakfast?  We wake up so late that we have lunch for breakfast, dinner for lunch and then a late night snack for supper, so eggs tend to be more of a dinner food here.  I am going to test them.....  Well, they will going out Sunday night with the garbage for Monday, the 3 I picked at random all floated - but, on the other hand, I was wrong - there are only 10, not a full dozen.  We have a quart of milk in the fridge also.  I know that is fresh, we bought it for a meeting of our reenactment unit last Monday - husband had volunteered to bring snack - oh that reminds me of something else, we are going to return an unopened package of cookies - we bought 2 different kinds for the meeting and apparently it was a chocolate mint cookie crowd, not a chocolate chip crowd.  But no one opened the milk to use in their coffee.  So I have to figure out how to use up a the quart - I guess we will be having diet pudding for snack a few times.  We were lucky to find the quart - mostly it comes in half gallons and more around here, and the quart cost almost as much as the half gallon.

So - when one sorts through stuff one will find stuff to toss, stuff to check and decide if it should be tossed - now or soon after, stuff to return, and stuff to use up.  If only I had some chocolate syrup for the milk, but if I buy same, then I will have a started bottle of chocolate syrup and someday in the future will be deciding if it should be thrown out or not.  (Plus we just plain should not have the extra carbohydrates.)

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -

You know that you know what to do.   Go through and toss the floating eggs and the long past date things (whether they are actually dated or not) - and the chicken stuff which has been stored until you can toss it.  Get rid of the empty boxes or finish up what it is in them and get rid of them.  Return items which are in good condition which can be returned.  Use up the items that can still be used - before they have to be tossed because they are floating eggs.   This applies in the rest of the house as well as in the kitchen - paints and makeup can go past their use time also, for example.  The dress you bought for Sally’s wedding a month ago and then bought a different one, that you wore instead - return it if you can or donate it - unless you know that you can wear it for Harry’s wedding next month.  And so on. 

BALANCING LIFE AND WORK

First, let me say - we had another snow storm this past Monday - April 2.  I know that it affected many others around the country.  It of course put husband into a panic as we were hearing about 8 inches of snow - again.  Luckily what came down was not much and was mostly melted by the time we went out. 

This leads into today’s topic in the “life” part of the balance.  Husband’s birthday is this week.  He had planned (hoped?) for us to go to Lancaster for his birthday and/or the day before.  The day before is one of the farmer’s markets we go to.  To go there for same would have been fine with him.  To go on his birthday would be fine with him.  If the weather was mild I had suggested that we drive down for the farmer’s market in our RV and stay overnight (without running water as we have not yet been able to dewinterize and put the water tanks and pipes back into use, due to the cold weather that is still around) so he could be there both days.  He really loves the idea of his birthday and being a special day, so he is terribly upset when it does not work out.  Not only did we have the snowstorm on Monday, we had a terrible rainstorm today and we are due to have heavy rain on Friday and rain or snow on Saturday (which already has him in a panic) - so a trip to Lancaster on a day we would like to go is out.  His latest plan is a trip to New Jersey for dinner at Golden Corral Thursday (tomorrow) when it is not suppose to rain or snow - yet.  (For a story about another attempt to go to this restaurant -  http://wheredidileavethat.blogspot.com/2017/07).   I should say that despite huge snow storms in our general tri-state area, our immediate area has been fairly lucky with much less snow and electric outages than other parts of the general area.

When it was his birthday we ended up eating our normal lunch at Wendys and then we went to a large chain computer store just to walk around, amuse him, and take his mind off the lack of birthday fun he is having and the coming snow.  Of course, with our luck, the store was in the middle of a major redo and it was hard to find where anything he wanted to see had been moved - and the aisles so narrow that one could not really bend to see anything without hitting the other side of the aisle.  I wandered over to the laptop section to look, as I always do, what they have, just in case I need a new one quickly.  It amazes me that I can walk around and look at the laptops for 20 minutes (or more) and no one comes over.  As soon as husband comes to find me, one or another of the salesmen comes running - do they still think only men buy computers?

We could not figure where to go to dinner for his birthday which would be “special”.  We rarely take food in and had been looking at a local chicken place’s handout which was delivered to us and decided to go there.  Dinner seemed okay - and I was able to get grilled chicken instead of fried - but about 20 minutes after dinner he decided that there had been too much grease and he did not feel well.  “Great” ending to a disappointing birthday.

So life has been pushing into my trying to work. 

Now the period between, say February, and April 15 is my busy season.  I no longer have the size accounting/tax practice I used to and have less than 10 income tax returns - plus a couple of business returns for businesses that I do the books for all year.  The week before last it suddenly dawned on me that I had only received information from one client - and I had been holding theirs to work on as they were away anyway.  Most of my clients have moved away and are in other states, so I need some time after doing their returns to get the returns to them in mail so they can file them on time.  (Well, actually most of my clients have died which is why I have so few left.) Oh, and our return and our business return of course.

So I sent an email to a client in FL which is a fairly quick return who normally sends me her stuff early.  She had an accident and had not had a chance to send her info - but she was planning on getting it out to me right away.  (Hers was received the beginning of last week, done and back to her.)  I was going to email to two other clients, but heard from them.  One arrived later last week and is mostly done now, it has to have it’s state return prepared - she lives in New Mexico.  I plan to have it out by Friday so she gets it in plenty of time.  Another just mailed me their return - and I received it today.  They are local, so if it is finished close to deadline, I can always drop it off instead of mailing it, but I hope to have it done soon enough to mail out.  One client always asks for an extension and I heard from him today and will prepare his extensions and his estimates for next year and mail them to him and then do his return later in the year.  And so on.

How is life making a problem?  Well, husband is so upset about the weather and his birthday that I don’t get enough time to work on all the tax returns.   I did nothing on returns today to keep him company.  Plus I have to do some of the returns on husband’s computers due to some odd circumstances and I need to displace him from his computer.  I had hoped he would ask to warp his loom - when he has a weaving project in the living room I have the office to myself - but his upcoming project is trying something new and between the weather and his birthday, he is too nervous to warp the loom for the project.

Now, I know that somehow it will be all be done and on time.  How do I know?  It always has been before.  Our return is done last - of course - and I can always get an extension for it if we need to.  But what made this year terribly odd is the nothing until the last minute.  We had our car in for work a week or so ago and the owner commented to me that I must be jammed as the tax season is coming to an end and was shocked when I told him that I had not even started yet.  I If I had realized that nothing would come in until this late, I would have done our return instead of figuring I would have to stop in the middle of it to do a client’s return.

And of course I also have to do the housework - dinner cooked 5 nights a week (we eat out on weekends), dishes washed every meal 7 days a week, laundry, etc.  Somehow, though, it always done. 

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -

What we must do ebbs and flows.  There are times when we have too much to do and times when we are looking for things to do, so that they will be done before we run out of time to do them.  I have learned that as a general rule, what needs to be done somehow does get done - and on time.

I grew up in a house with accountants.  I know the ebb and flow of tax season.  Nothing to do.  Then all of a sudden a rush (my rush is smaller and over a shorter time than it used to be, but it is still a rush). Then all of a sudden it over.  Since being married I learned how to deal with husband and his wants and needs during tax season - and he learned what will be going on during tax season decades ago. 

If you are having a time problem - think back to the last time you had to do something similar and how you managed to find the time to get it done.  Generally most non catastrophic problems or something similar, have happened before and will happen again.  Learn from the past to help with the future.  

Think about what you do and the ebb and flow of time - when is your time short in supply and when do you have a chance to breathe and are looking for things to do. 

18 CENTURY, SNOW STORM AND NEW YEAR

Sorry to be late again.  I am still running terribly behind where I should be due to the holidays, I guess.

The reenactment event we did last week is usually a nice simple, although time consuming, event to do.  It has been one of my favorites every year.  It was an unusually cold week for around here.  Normally the weather should be above freezing here in December, one night last week was 9 degrees Fahrenheit and on the final day of the event it snowed.  While it is an 18th century house it does have a furnace in the basement and we also make a fire in the kitchen fireplace. This kitchen is unusual for the period as it is in the house - at least as it is set up to be interpreted by the restoration.  Normally we are comfortable in the house, but this year it was cold in the house - so cold that husband (with his cold) actually asked to switch rooms with me during the last 2 nights as the room he was in was too cold for him.  So he got to talk about our musicians/singers, the odd cabinet bed in the room, the kitchen, and Sinter Klaus (there is a display table related) while I got to talk about the owner’s office and the 2 bed chambers - he likes doing the back rooms as he can talk more about anything he wants to than in the kitchen where there are things to be covered in talking. We even brought plain knit gloves the last two nights to keep our hands warm in the house.  Our unit is lucky - we are in the first house in the village so we have the shortest walk from the visitors’ center in the cold.  One thing which surprised me was how many people came out in the terrible cold - and many brought very small children and babies. 

So after “spending” 5 days in the 18th century, I was behind on everything.  I have since read 9 newspapers, caught up on a week’s worth of email and mail, caught up on my online groups - one of which moved to a new setup and I had to join and setup my account all over again, plus doing all of same that has come in since. 

We had been told that we were to have snow from early this morning (Thursday) through the day.  Where we are was suppose to get about 4 inches.  Husband now panics over bad weather.  I had my embroidery chapter meeting yesterday so on Tuesday I told him that we should buy whatever he wants or feels we need to have for a snow day.  We bought stuff.  I told him that I would go to the meeting (which is actually in extended walking distance from our house) and would not stay for the class on stitches after the meeting part.  I did make one stop after - I exchanged USB stick drives in our bank vault - I use same for offsite data storage, which is changed once a month. (When he went to work, I would send the drive to work with him and he would bring the old one home with him for reuse.)  I then came home.  We ended up going to Walmart, the adjacent supermarket and the Walmart supermarket here.  (Our regular Walmarts have small food departments, but not the supermarket areas that they do in other places  - the Walmart supermarket is smaller than the sections elsewhere and is only a supermarket and pharmacy.)  When we came home we went into “horrible weather mode”.  All of laptops and cell phones were plugged into charge (and have stayed same since) and he had bought two devices to recharge cell phones, so those were plugged in also so they would be fully charged.  Normally I would move anything in the middle of the traffic patterns in rooms out of same - but the living room and dining room where this is mostly done were still neat from the holidays. This way if we did lose electricity it is easier to walk around in dim light and not walk into anything.  (For us, we are still in the holidays.)    
                                       
When we went to bed last night, the snow had gone up a bit in how much we would get, as it had shifted further west.  (Those of you in the South or the Northeast part of the U.S. who were hit by this storm, you have my sympathy.)  The weather reporters has also started talking about blizzard and nor’easter (think hurricane with snow in cold weather).  But, he had not panicked and I was glad of that. When I went to sleep around 4:30 am, there were still no school closings showing up on the local news.           

Well, it ended up that this area had over 10 inches of snow - in bitter cold weather.  It finally stopped snowing around 4pm and based on the suggestion from the weather reporters, as well as husband’s need to do so, we went out to clear our driveway.  Our neighbors on either side were also doing so (they are young with young children - we are old with no children).  And shortly after the neighbor’s son from two doors over (in his 20s) came out with some friends to dig out their cars.  Our driveway is semi circular.  It goes from one edge of our property to the other so just figuring out where to put snow is hard.  Husband used the lightweight snow blower we bought last year.  I used a shovel and a brush - the latter to clear off our car.  We were out there about 2 hours doing this.  Husband had trouble with one of the cuts to the street (4 lane road so we get 2 driving lanes plus a parking lane’s worth of snow plowed over on same) and had me cutting it down with the shovel (breaking the snow loose so it would spread over more area and easier for him to throw) while he worked on the other cut.  The neighbor on that side who has a larger snow blower, came and cleared it for us.  (Thank you again Sal!!!).  I cleared half the stair case to our front door so the mailman could get to the box (I have no idea if we got mail today - I was not going to look - we did get a newspaper, but I forgot to take it in and was not going back out for it) and also cleared the snow all the way across the top step so that the door would open in an emergency. 

Finally exhausted we came back into the house.  I could not feel my toes.  Husband looked as if he would pass out.  We lost a small piece off the snow blower - a knob - which we have lost before, found it, but are still missing the nut to it and hope to find it tomorrow when it is light out.  (By 4 pm when we started it was dark out - and our garage light is on a motion detector, so when it went out one of us had to run to where it would go back on.)  When he was coming to the end of the snow clearing he heard a noise in the blower which upset him - we later found out, he ran over the Christmas lights on one of the low bushes - good thing I told him to shut off the electricity to the lights last night.  Schools are already closed for tomorrow.  The weather is suppose to remain 15 degrees F or less until at least Monday, so there will be a lot of ice on the driveway.

I had told him to do a bit of the snow clearing, then in the house and rest a bit.  But, being a man, it all had to be done at once, of course.

After dinner I went upstairs and did the paperwork I planned to do today and never got to.  Moving some money around to pay bills, paying the bills, and a birthday card for my brother in law and one for the daughter of the neighbor who helped us out.  Both birthdays are Monday and one bill is due out by then - not sure if we will get to the post office (and bank) in time for them to go out before Monday, but if they can, we are ready. 

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -

We had a quiet New Year’s Eve. 

The way I look at it, every day is the start of a New Year.  I don’t make resolutions - the last one I made I have kept ever since, it was not to make any more resolutions.  I look for what I can do (or not do) and then do my best to follow up.  Resolutions are usually to broad to be followed and then one feels bad for not doing so. 

And if you make resolutions and don’t keep them - remember every day is the start of a new year and one can start fresh.

Happy New Year.






Well, storms do not always do what they are predicted to do, and we got 10 inches!  We had spent

       

LOST A CHRISTMAS GIFT

I finished decorating our main Christmas tree and our studio tree on Christmas Eve Day.  I went to wrap the gifts - such as they are.  I pulled out the shopping bag that I had stored them in from the back of the dining room table.  I brought down the Christmas/Chanukah wrapping holder.  (This is a hanging item which holds the wrapping paper, decorative bags, tissue paper, etc. as well as an envelope with printed labels which we use instead of buying gift tags - they are done in a Christmas font and have the name of the person who is getting the gift and our names.  Right now we are only using the ones with his nieces’ names on them.

I wrapped the two gifts for one of his nieces and put on tags - I put them in a smaller shopping bag to give to her.  I then went to wrap the gift card we had bought for her sister.  I could not find it.  I looked in the shopping bag of gifts.  I looked everywhere in the house - including every pocket of every jacket in the closet.  Even though there was a big rainstorm I went out and checked both our car and our van. Husband looked everywhere.  For some reason he did not give me the “you have to be more careful with things like this” lecture.  (I think he finally is understanding that my sudden disorganization with things like this is the fault of not having a chance to put things where they belong due to excessive running of errands.)  Husband said that we would give his niece cash and when we find the card - which we assume we will some day - we will find some use for it.  (This being rather limited as we don’t really shop at the store in question.)  I found a small gift box and husband made a cute note on the computer as to what the money was for and I wrapped it. 

Now, this is basically the wrapping that needed to be done - but husband had bought some items for himself so I stuck what I could in recycled decorative holiday bags and wrapped the two items which would not fit into same.  I stuck a small book I had bought and a stuffed teddy bear I had bought into additional recycled gift bags and stuck it all under the tree.  I try not to waste wrapping paper on our stuff as we each buy our own “gifts” if we happen upon something.

Husband started feeling a cold coming in and the weather was to become bad during the evening, so we went to 4 pm mass instead of waiting for midnight mass.  We came home and I cooked Christmas Eve dinner - and of course we ate it - with lots of leftovers.

What I had not had a chance to do was put up my teddy bear village.  I started it on Christmas Day  - but everything was going wrong with the tree for the village - I am guessing it has reached the end of its life and I will need a new one next year - the branches keep sagging and the lights seem to all be turning white from their various colors.  We left for Christmas Day dinner and I have not gotten back to work on the village since.  I am changing the name of it to “Teddy Bear Winter Festival Village” so that it can stay up longer.

Starting the day after Christmas we have been doing a Candlelight Nights Event at the local restoration village with our reenactment unit - we are in the only house which is set up as a 1700s house.  It is a favorite event. The weather has taken a turn for COLD and about to get COLDER with possible snow or freezing rain either or both of the last two days (Friday and Saturday) of the event.  We had 1100 people come through the village the night after Christmas - the “warmest” night of the week and tonight there were 700 - not bad based on how cold it was. 

Unfortunately doing this evening event actually takes up almost all of our time as husband is in charge of it for our unit.  Remember we don’t get up early - to be polite.  So we wake, have lunch run an errand - maybe - come home and dress in period clothes, drive to the “village”, set up the house, do the event, close down the house, drive home, change clothes back, cook dinner (at 11 pm) eat, try to get some chores done and maybe check some email, have snack and go to bed to start over.  The event runs 5 pm to 9:30 but involves us starting to get ready at 3 pm and by the time we are changed back to modern clothes it is 11 pm.  We have 3 more nights - unless the weather is too bad on Friday and/or Saturday and the “village” closes.   The unit takes over the house as if there is an 18th century holiday party in the house and we and the public coming through are the guests.  A few members play period music - especially Christmas, others sing, some of us do first person interpretation - we are someone from the period and know nothing past the same date in 1775, and others talk about the house as modern people.  The public seems to enjoy it - some people tell my husband that they come to the village for the event every year just to see our unit, and we have had current descendants of the family who lived in the house visit and say how wonderful it is.  It is exhausting, but fun.

I have not entered the chores, repeating appointments, etc for next year into either my cell phone or the setup I have on the computer - I did not even have a chance to make up a list.  The newspapers piling up are approaching a week’s worth unread.  I have mail stacking up on my desk, and the teddy village awaits yet.  This is about the worst December for getting things done in some time.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -

If you lose something, after searching “everywhere” for it and not finding it - give up and find an alternative. 

I hope all have a wonderful New Year - as I have mentioned before I do not make any resolutions as they are, well, never kept and one feels guilty about it.  I do reflect on the year past and try to do better in the year to come.

IT WOULD BE ENOUGH

I managed to get the dining room decorations finished over the weekend.  I also decluttered it a bit - and hid what has to stay a bit better.  The small Christmas tree I put up in there is up and decorated with the brass ornaments we get with our membership in Colonial Williamsburg.  A silverplated tea caddy ornament (we bought the full size caddy on sale one year and the ornament came with it) hangs at the top of the tree instead of an angel or star. 

Sounds simple right?  To get ready to set up the tree I had to store away husband’s DVDs which have accumulated since last Christmas.  The new ones sat on the chest he made to store his DVDs because - yes - it filled a few years ago.  We have a secretary (piece of furniture- drawers with fold down front for desk and shelves above it - green curtain inside hides the shelves and what is on them).  It was bought to be used as a bar and to hold table linens in the drawer.  The shelves held assorted bar and my good glasses.  I have been clearing it out as I can to make room for - yes - more DVDs.  Most of the bottom of the 3 shelves is DVD storage - I donated unneeded, unused glassware in the kitchen last year and moved most of my good glasses to where they had been to make the room for these DVDs.  I just donated a set of small wine glasses we never used earlier this month.  I want to get rid of most if not all of the bar ware as it was rarely used when we had people in and that will give him more room.  But, back to the chest now.  I ended up with DVDs that there was no room for and set them aside.  The chest when it was built by my husband was put on wheels just for this - I pushed it from the living room to the dining room.  Other than having to jump a molding between the living room and front hall, it is easy to push.  It goes against the far wall in the dining room.  The table is moved to the center of the room for this - it is normally pushed against the same far wall.  This gives room in the living room for the big tree (where the chest was) and a place to put the dining room tree.  I put the leftover, homeless DVDs behind the tree and then found a nice throw we received from CW some years ago, folded it in half lengthwise and wrapped the bottom of the tree - and the DVDs behind it - it looks like a nice tree skirt and the DVDs are hidden.

Sunday I also started bringing up the parts of the big tree and stuck them together - and the small tree that goes in our studio.  The studio tree gets ornaments we have made - but some also go on the big tree and all are stored together, so they get decorated together.  I figured - okay, we are close on time, but not too bad to get done before Christmas.  I had planned on Monday night to spread out the branches and make the big tree look nice and add the lights - along with our traditional first 3 items - the angel topper and two angels all stitched by me or my husband. 

Then we got an order on our Etsy account.  We don’t get a lot of orders and they are mostly of the smallest of the items we sell.  This was for a medium priced item and I had to do the paperwork before I started working on the tree - okay, I figured, half an hour.  Yeah, right.  Paypal changed their website and we got so confused trying to buy postage and print the label that we ended up doing it twice and had to cancel one of them.  So the entire evening was gone and no work on the tree.

Tuesday we went to the eye doctor.  He is in the next county so we go to together.  We can’t come home right away as neither of can see enough to drive that much so we go to stores near him.  (Good eye report, thank goodness.)  We ended up having dinner out at Ikea on the way home.  I did get the tree arranged and the lights and first three items on it at night.
Tonight I took the exam I had to take and now the exams are done with until the middle of next year.  But by the time I was done, and taking into consideration doing the laundry and writing to all of you - no time for the tree tonight.  Oh, well, at least gift shopping is over - we are done with his nieces and I will mail checks to my niece and nephew. 

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -

One can only do what one can do.  For the Passover holiday in the spring there is a song which translates to “it would have been enough” - it talks about things that God did to help the Jews leave Egypt and after each item is mentioned the refrain is “it would have been enough”.

If the tree is finished at the last minute it will done then.  If it is not finished then however it is, it is finished (and I can always add on after the holiday).  My teddy village will be done when it is done.  It is often not worked on until Christmas Eve or Day or later (I guess that is why it stays up so long). 

My point being that whatever is done when the holiday come is enough.  If stuff is shoved into a bag and stuffed behind a bench - that is good enough if that is all there is time for.  A few years ago for two years we had one little tree with only a limited decorations - and that was enough.

I take the time now to wish all who celebrate, a Pleasant Christmas (merry sounds too demanding). 

TOO MUCH TO DO AT ONCE

Well Christmas is closer than I thought - and so is Chanukah (which is already here).  But only a small part of my efforts have gone towards the indoor decorating.

Last Friday we took a day trip to, yes, Lancaster, PA.  For once the trip went well.  Even though it was a day trip we went in our tiny RV.  Why?  Well, after my problems with our car last month (stalling when I stopped and having to be restarted and our service guys found nothing), the RV not getting enough driving due to our few trips this year, and the fact we wanted to buy some local foods from there for the winter - we decided to take the RV.  We left early (for us) and we were there by noon. 

Husband had wanted some additional attachments for his loom and the wool store he buys loom things at is there - he called ahead and the stuff was waiting.  The ladies there are very nice and chatty - as are we normally - but we made our apologies and explained that we were on a very tight schedule and paid for the items and left. 

We actually went backwards a bit and went to one of the large farmer’s markets there that we like to go to.  It was rather cold and we would have had a problem eating the submarine sandwiches we buy from a local place as the seating is outside - but we had the RV!  We went back, turned one front seat around, pulled the table out - took out the cold can of soda we had brought in the fridge and had lunch.  When finished, we turned the seat back to the front, put away the tables and took the garbage to toss in a bin.  Most of the day vendors - the ones who come and set up tents and tables by their vehicles - were not there due to the weather, but there are still buildings and buildings - and outdoor stands - of vendors.  We always enjoy just walking around and we have been going there together for over 40 years together so it feels like home - some vendors even know us by sight and they feel like friends - of course in all that time a lot of them have retired or passed away and we miss them when we pass by their spaces - of occupied by new vendors.  One vendor (not sure if I have mentioned this) is consolidating her stores from the 3 large markets in the area and the one she has at home - two of the stores are now closed.  She had been selling out her very discounted items at 50% and this year went down to 60% off.  I always think that I have bought everything she might have had that we would want - and find something different (I won’t say new as nothing is new - not used, just there a long time.)  I have added greatly to my Christmas bear village and my bear collection in general since she started consolidating. 

When we went to leave the market it was 4:30. We had hope to get to the local butcher whose ham and (lunch/dinner) sausages we love - and husband loves their chicken salad - but we thought it too late to get there while they were open.  I pulled out my cellphone and found out they were open until 7 pm - and we knew they were on the way to where we planned to eat dinner.  We bought a ham section, sausages, and chicken salad for him to have for dinner one night.  We would have bought another ham section - but a tiny RV has a tiny fridge and it would not fit with the rest.  

On to dinner at a local supermarket which has a buffet in an restaurant in the building (and nice looking other dishes on their menu also) and had dinner.  We even got a seat in our favorite area of the restaurant.  (Although to be fair, it was the waitress who was in this section that made it our favorite and she had a baby last year and is mostly not there when we go.)  After dinner we started home.

Now, on and off the report was that it was suppose to snow or rain when we would be coming home.  It then changed to snow the next day.  Just in case the first report was right, we brought a day’s worth of medications and a change of clothes - we could have stayed if needed, but the weather held.  As we left the restaurant husband turned to me with a smile and said “We got it all done.  How great!”

Tuesday I went to my accounting client to do her books.  Wednesday (today) is the 13th and she has a major fear of 13 and will not let me come on the 13th (I don’t even call on the 13th for an appointment) and Thursday we are suppose to have snow.  A bit of confusion while I was there - but in the end everything worked out - finally - thank goodness.  All the past problems are resolved.  Coming home - the darn car had the same problem as last month.  This time they were able to find some “codes” which were not right and they replacing solenoids which hopefully will fix it.  Having dealt with this last month, I did my best not to stop - just roll slowly when a stop was coming if I had room - and tried to pick roads that I would have the least problem with constant stops (during rush hour) for one of the last parts I took a local street as I knew that it was not heavily traveled - drivers were much nastier this time than last - much horn beeping at me - last month none. 

I think I have mentioned that I have to take 20 hours of classes to keep being able to prepare tax returns and represent clients at IRS each year.  I signed up (again) with an online company one course at a time (varying from 1 to 4 hours) I have completed all but the big 6 hour course which has a 3 hour, timed, exam.  Tonight was when I finished the last of the smaller courses.  I have next Wednesday night marked on my calendar to take the big exam.  I have until the end of the month to take it - and I get 3 chances, I am hoping to only need 1 chance to pass it.

I was so busy with everything that I almost forgot Chanukah (remember, despite the Christmas decorating I am Jewish).  Good thing I had a reminder in my cell phone and Tuesday night I pulled out my menorah (traditional candelabra) and stuck in a candle for the first night and a candle for the “worker candle” (one is suppose to light this candle and use it to light the other candles) for the first night.  Tonight I lit 2 candles plus the worker candle. 

I did more work on the few decorations in the dining room.  Tonight before sitting down to write (while taking the laundry downstairs to start the first load) I pulled out assorted soft items - mostly bears - that sit around in the living room - and “Rodney Reindeer” who sits in the hall on the top of our clock/door bell mechanism.  When I go down to switch loads, more will be done in to finish the dining room decorations.  Lots more decorating to do and I have to figure out when and how to get it done - somehow I always do, even if some go up on Christmas Day!

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -

Take time to breathe and rest as you are getting ready for the holidays.  Don’t go over budget on shopping.  Stop and enjoy what you are doing.  (I actually talk to the decorations and ornaments when I put them out welcoming them back as old friends - ok, I know that I am a bit looney.”  Maybe send a card with a quick note in it to an old friend you keep meaning to contact. 

Look at the decorations of others and take time to enjoy them.  (Thank goodness, when they finished putting out their Christmas decorations, my neighbors actually finished taking down their holiday decorations - no more witch looking at me - I really enjoy that.)  If there is a drive or walk through light event - especially if you have children - maybe go and see it (and around here I know, help out a good cause). 

Remember those less fortunate then you at this time of year.

SEMI UNORGANIZED THANKSGIVING

Ah, the holidays are coming!  Is panic setting in?

Last week I put out my few Thanksgiving decorations.  A small setting of Pilgrim bear figurines going to Thanksgiving at a house in a tree.  (I painted the tree and most of the bears from kits - in one case while I was supposed to making and getting the house ready for Thanksgiving dinner.)  Other “human” Thanksgiving figurines and salt and pepper shakers and a pair of candleholders given me by a friend decades ago.  Husband took me to “Thanksgiving world” - aka Plymouth, MA decades ago and I bought most of the assorted non-bear items there in gift shops.

I am sure I have mentioned before, but just in case I did not, my husband and I are of different faiths.  I am Jewish and he is Roman Catholic.  As a result we did not have that “whose family are we going to” problem for most family holidays.  We went to my family for Jewish holidays and his family for Christian holidays.  But then there was Thanksgiving.

Growing up, as well as an adult, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday - and not just because I am an eater.  It was the only uniquely American family holiday which was not religious based - it was/is a holiday for all Americans.  Also there were no gifts - gifts I received tended to have nothing to do with me or anything I was interested in - especially beyond my immediate family - and I had to smile and say thank you - and then figure out what to do with the item - this was not a problem with Thanksgiving. 

Now, it has been found that when the answer to what do you have for thanksgiving dinner - answer “turkey and all the trimmings” was further looked into, it was found that same varied greatly.  For a while growing up our Thanksgivings were celebrated with my mom’s family and her sister-in-law (my aunt) had become kosher, so we would go to a kosher delicatessen restaurant for dinner.  Mom would cook turkey during the year, so it was not what we wanted there. My sisters and I  wanted corned beef sandwiches!  The waiter would keep asking if we were sure and we were.  They had handed us the complete regular menu after all, and that was our dinner.  My husband’s family is from Italy.  They would have a first course of some kind of macaroni (what we Americans call pasta).  So while being the uniquely encompassing holiday, Thanksgiving is large enough to encompass all of various backgrounds. 

While dating and the first few years we were married we would juggle which family we went to - generally we ended up with his family.  One year I had the idea to have both families come to our tiny apartment for Thanksgiving dinner.  He was shocked at the idea.  Oh, one difference between our families is that my family tends (short of accommodating the kosher aunt) tends to eat at home for holidays, while his family eats out.  We figured out a menu, found a place that has hot turkey pick up on Thanksgiving, and went ahead.  It went fairly well - the entire living room filled with two long folding tables put end to end.  For 25 years we made Thanksgiving dinner.  Nieces and nephew came along.  My dad died.  A few times a friend or an in law of a family member was included.  We moved one year at the end of October from our apartment to this house - and we made Thanksgiving dinner - and used the good china.  It was the bedbugs which brought this to an end as we cannot bring ourselves to have anyone in the house.

Organizing? I see now how organized I was for those dinners.  Now the two of us have our Thanksgiving dinner alone.  At first we went to an inexpensive general food buffet restaurant and it was very nice as the manager made it feel party like.  Then he left and it was not as nice and then finally the place closed.  So on and off over the past several years I have made Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us.  What a mess! 

First of all, I never know if I am making dinner or if we are going out to an Asian buffet until the last minute.  Last year we waited so long, we almost could not get a turkey which was not frozen - and that would not have defrosted in time.  This year we bought a turkey this past Saturday. 

In the old days I had a menu from the past to work with.  We might change a dish or two, but basically it was the same menu.  I have a spiral notebook with almost every dinner we made for Thanksgiving and the other holidays we took a turn out with, mostly, my family over the years.  (I reached the end of the notebook using the right hand pages and now I am going backwards, using the left hand pages.)  The first week in November I would start checking ads and buying things for the dinner, so at the last minute items like milk which had to be bought fresh were all that was left to buy. 

Well, we went this past Sunday to the supermarket to start buying what we needed - without making a list of what we would make or what we needed.  It was as if there was a combination hurricane and major snow storm announced at the same time!  The parking lot was jammed.  The store was jammed.  We gave up and left.  We then actually made up a list of what we would have and needed so when we went back Monday it was not as jammed  - we actually went to another supermarket chain as they had items we were looking for on sale - and were able to buy almost all the items needed at the one supermarket, with a quick stop at the one from Sunday for 2 items we had not been able to get.  Husband complained about the crowds - I told him flat out - “This is why I used to shop the first week of the month!”

We have baked a pie tonight.  Everything else can be done tomorrow, Thanksgiving.  I will set up the turkey tonight so when I get up really early tomorrow to put the turkey in the oven, I can go back to sleep a lot quicker. 

While downstairs doing my regular Wednesday night laundry (I will not fall behind just because it is a holiday) I took out “the turkey platter”.  This is a larger platter than our others and has a chip in it.  We use it to put the turkey on to carve it and then use smaller ones for serving the turkey (whether for the family or just us).  I washed it as it is kept in the basement.  In the afternoon I brought a bunch of RV stuff (clean sheets, towels...) out to the RV so it is all out of the dinning room.  I moved some stuff into place in the dinning room. 

Tomorrow I will add one board to our dinning room table, instead of the four boards that I used to add for the family.  I will cover it with a plastic/foam cover (I have them in sizes to fit all lengths of the table) and then my Thanksgiving tablecloth (much too large as it fits the table with four boards - so the ends of the table have long overhangs.   One board is needed so that the serving plates and bowls fit on the table.  I will take out 2 settings of my good china, one fabric napkin & one paper napkin, one of my good glasses & husband’s every day glass, and use my silver plate tableware.  I will cook the dinner.  I used to know - start the potatoes first as they will be mashed, and heated in the oven at the end, so get them out of the way as if they cool off it is okay.  No idea what to start with these years - we are making boiled potatoes instead of mashed.  No sweet potatoes this year - he likes them I don’t.  And we will have our Thanksgiving dinner.

After dinner the extra food will be put away, and when you are two people with a 14 lb turkey, there is a lot to store away.  The table will be cleared and I will wash (by hand) the dishes, pots, pans, etc.  The napkin and tablecloth will be washed and dried (by machine) and I will probably also wash the last load of regular laundry which is normally washed on Thursdays nights.  The garbage will go out to the can - no pickup until Monday. 

I really miss the juggling of which dish to cook when.  The baking Venetians (rainbow cookies) starting on Tuesday so they would be ready in time (jelly between layers has to sit weighted overnight).  I miss spending all day Wednesday cooking beef vegetable soup from scratch.  It used to be all so organized!  Now with less to do it is all so disorganized.  Well, at least I don’t have to clean well enough to have my (late) mother in law here.  (One year my sister actually wrote the year in the dust!)        

I do not go shopping on Thanksgiving - or on “Black Friday”!  There is nothing I have ever seen offered on sale that was worth the crowds.  Think about this - the more you buy, the more you have to deal with and organize. Do you really need this or that?

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -

I wish all a happy Thanksgiving!   

Remember it is just one day - there will be joys and problems (one early year we cooked, shelled and peeled chestnuts for hours, then while they were cooling on the counter, I dropped a glass I had washed and was putting away - next to them and they had to be tossed as we were not sure if we could get all the glass shards out.  The time with family - whether a large group or just two or even time alone - is what matters. 

Take time to be thankful for what you have - don’t look for what you are lacking, even if there is much you are lacking. Stop and breathe and think about what you do have.