HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

First Annual Blog Party

All my fears that no one would come to my blog/birthday party were ungrounded.

Marcia and Anna arrived first.

In a few minutes Jaena came bearing LEMON BARS from Starbucks!!!! What a treat.

Shortly thereafter look what apparition appeared at my door - - -

Anon in her ski mask!!! Step aside, Jason. (As in horror movie Jason, not my son-in-law.)

Before Kyle came home to be our photographer, we had to take turns. This time I'm the photographer.

Jaena's shot. A little later the doorbell rang one more time - - - - - Deb arrived.


Here are all of us: Anon, Deb, Jaena, Marcia, Anna, et Moi. (Of course I WOULD be the one with the eyes closed.)

We talked, laughed, ran up here to the computer to blog, played Catch Phrase, and closed out the evening playing Guesstures.

Thank you girls for coming to my party. You made my birthday happy.

If you weren't able to come - - - we missed you.

By Special Request - - -

This is for you Jeany - - - -


Northwoods Black Bear Nativity

"Blog Party"

If you are reading this blog - - - -

And if you live within easy driving distance - - - -

You are invited to a "blog party" here this Saturday night, 12/30/06, at 7 p.m.

I'll provide the place, the punch, and the "Catch Phrase." You bring yourself and a finger food snack.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Sorry - - - party's over.

White Stuff - - - -

Just in time for the morning AFTER Christmas.

Makes everything look like Christmas!!!

Surprise, surprise - - - no golfers today!!! ;-)

Korie and Kaeleigh - - -

In their new Christmas Eve jammies. Korie - - - you look just like your Aunt Jeany!!!

Merry Christmas!!

It Takes A Village - - -

To make a house a home.

Oh, that's a blend of two different sayings, isn't it???

Anyway - - - - you may remember Keri giving me a hard time about the lights being out in my village. I spent time rectifying that situation this morning.


Before - - -no electricity, no lights, dust and mayhem. I took everything down, washed the pieces, replaced the bulbs, and reordered the village.

And here's the after - - -


Electrical bills all paid just in time for Christmas - - - - of course, you may not be able to tell that with my flash - - - - but trust me, in person it is OBVIOUS.

I did replace the stockings (shortly AFTER taking this photo) which were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon will be here.

Special Delivery for Grammy - - - -

YOUR Pride-and-Joy holding HIS Pride-and-Joy!!


MERRY CHRISTMAS, Mom!!

(If you are a regular Greg 'n Keetha Stuff reader - - - - scroll down and check out the addition I made to the naked tree post.)

Keri's Sentimental Nativity

Keri mentioned earlier in a comment that she felt sentimental attachment to the nativity that was Greg's "pride and joy." This is that nativity.

For at least the first 10 years of our marriage, the only nativity we had to display at Christmas time was an all-in-one plastic scene about 6 inches long, 3 inches deep, and 4 inches high. The people and animals were tiny and glued into place. It had glittler sparkling on its roof as wanna-be snow.

I was somewhat attached to it as it had been given to me at a school Christmas exchange when I was in the elementary grades.

Greg thought it was abominable.

One year, just after Christmas, he found these little nativity figurines in a store. No kresh, just the figurines. Since Christmas was over, they were half price. They were also made of fine porcelain instead of plastic. He didn't even hesitate - - - he brought them home.

For years afterwards when visitors would come to our house during the Christmas season (and well - - - up until February really since I often don't undecorate until then) he would pick up one of these figures, show it proudly to the guest, and make sure they read the bottom where it says, "Lefton" china.

Beats grade school plastic any day.

Speaking of Sentimental - - -

These little wooden houses are sentimental to me.

My Uncle Mac and Aunt Farol were dairy farmers in the rolling hills of southern Wisconsin. Their farm was absolutely gorgeous with a creek cutting its way through a deep valley and flowing beneath a large sandstone formation at one end of the gorge. As a girl I spent many hours splashing in that creek beneath the sandstone wall.

Well, the Army Corps of Engineers decided they WOULD build a flood control dam in that area, and said dam was going to turn our beloved farm into a lake bed. Uncle Mac and Aunt Farol had no choice but to sell their farm to the state and move off their land.

Before leaving, they saved much of what they could from their land, their home, and their barn.

These little houses are actually small sections cut out of the barn beams and hand painted. The shingles on the roof are farm pine cone scales each glued down individually. The colors and styles are reminiscent of Aunt Farol's farmhouse.

Now if I just had some of their homemade maple syrup the picture would be complete - - - -

Other Random Decorations

Christmas kitty

The best kind.

No fuss.

No bother.

No mess.

Christmas Mess

This is the part I HATE.

When the Christmas decorating is over, it isn't over. There's all the storage "stuff" to put away, and before you can blink your eye, it will be time to dig it all out and do it in reverse. Yuck

My Christmas Card to You - - -

Light the lights, Trim the tree--
Hang the wreath for all to see.

Christmas comes but once a year,
Makes me want to stand and cheer:

"Hooray for stockings in a row!"
"Hooray for windows all a-glow!"

And when the Day has come and gone,
College football bowls will have JUST BEGUN!!!!

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!!

Love,
---Greg, Keetha, and Kyle

Decorating for Christmas

Kyle doesn't wait for Christmas to decorate - - - he does it all year round, and here's how he adorns the entry hall:

He "decorates" other areas of our house too - - - - but I won't show those here. Hehehehehehe

I don't begin my Christmas decorating process as early as the rest of the world does, but - - -

Today is D for Decoration-day. Take a peek:


Our 9 foot tree - - - - naked but for the lights, it's a pre-lit tree. (There is a WHOLE story about why we have a 9 foot tree - - - - - maybe I'll tell it later.)

This naked tree has been standing in our family room for an entire week, unfluffed and undressed, waiting for me to have the time to clothe it.

I started fluffing this morning, and very soon I'll start to add the flair.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree - - -

Gather 'round the tree - - - it's time to celebrate!!

First the ribbons and bows, then the ornaments . . .

All Finished.

Nativity

Just our nativity - - - - no sentimental story to go with it. (Yes, that's me in the mirror taking the photo. Hehehehehehe)

The Hanging of the Greens

If you look closely, you can see bits and pieces of nutcrackers through the pine.

Christmas Hearth

Nutcrackers standing guard.

I keep my village up year around just because I like it on the mantle. However, the folk who live in that village never pay their bills, so their electricity gets disconnected. I think I'll have to help them out tomorrow and restore their lights.

;-)

"It is Not Good That Man Should Be Alone"

Nor woman either, I guess.

My "boys" are both working and while I've been home alone tonight, I ate my entire supper (which was too large in the first place), a cold chicken snack, and an entire 3.5 oz bag of microwave extra butter popcorn.

Oink, oink.

No Comment - - - -

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I have no comment.

Not because I have nothing to say (that rarely happens) but because several blogs won't TAKE my comments. I keep getting an alert that says to check my password.

I know my password - - - - its the same one I've had and used successfully for ages. The problem ISN'T my password.

I have noticed something about this lack of ability to comment. It only happens on beta version blogs. I'm thinkin' that stinkin' beta is BLOCKING me out. I'm thinkin' it's a communist plot to FORCE me to go beta, and I don't wanna!!!!!

I say it once again grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

So friends and relatives 'o mine who have the beta version of blogger - - - - - it ain't because I ain't a tryin' that you ain't a gettin' any comments on yo blog from moi.

Anybody else out there having this same problem??????

Today It's Not My Fault - - - -

They did it all by themselves. And that's all I have to say about the slaughtering.

:-(

Remember the "Balmy" Weather?

Sven and Ole swore it was "balmy" on their weekend fishing trip, that they were 'sweating' in the sun. Judge for yourself - - - -

The boat cutting through the ice at Lake Webster with Sven (in scary ski mask) at the helm.

What do you think???? Does it look "balmy" to you????

Ole SAYS He Caught These - - - -

He also says none of the other three fishermen caught any.


First Muskie of the trip.


And he SAYS this is a SECOND Muskie - - - - - what do you think???? They look exactly like the photos from last year's trip. How do we know these are NEW photos?????

I teased him about taking two photos in different locations, but of the same fish.

;-)

You'll Get a "Charge" Out of This - - - -

Triple pun intended.

Early this morning, 9 a.m., my doorbell rang. It was the electric meterman asking me to turn off my computer. He was about to install a new meter.

Seems we are the first neighborhood in Marion to receive these new meters.

We can now be "charged" for our electricity without the meterman ever leaving the comfort and safety of his vehicle.

Big Brother is truly watching.

Sad Moment

I always find it a sad moment when I've finished looking for new "stuff" on my blog and all those I frequent. It's rather like coming to the last word of a very good book.

Big let down.

Anyone else out there feel the same?

Can You Believe It????

I'm home alone again on a Friday night. Only THAT'S not the unbelievable part, the unbelievable part is WHY - - - - - - - -

I'm home alone because Sven and Ole, our two wannabe Norwegians, went NORTH two and a half hours on a two day FISHING spree. It was a whopping 9 degrees this morning, and then we had a HEAT wave and it hit 23 by late afternoon. I'm sure they are just sweating and sweating up on that lake in that boat. Oh wait, could they even GET the boat INTO the lake, or do you suppose they're using the boat as a snowmobile and gliding around on top of the ice??????

I don't know for sure cause they aren't answering their cell phones. I'm thinking their hands are probably FROZEN to their poles making them incapable of either answering OR calling out.

Well, I used to think that only traits like hemophilia and male pattern baldness were found on the 'missing' leg of the Y chromosome, but now I'm pretty sure BRAINS are there too.

They'll come home swearing it wasn't cold and that they had a blast. I'll know the truth. They are LYING that it wasn't cold and they had a blast alright - - - a blast of frigid arctic air.

As for me, I'm singing "Praise God from Whom all blessings flow" as I sit in my warm family room, under my fleece afghan, in front of my cozy fireplace, eating a spicy enchilada from Taco Bell and watching taped episodes of CSI Miami!!!!!

"No One Cares What You Ate For Lunch"

Is, I believe, the title of a book written by a woman I heard being interviewed on NPR the other morning. The purpose of the book was to instruct people on how to make an interesting blog.

It sounded to me that she thought talking about food was boring.

I disagree. I enjoy TALKING about and READING about and SEEING photos of food on blogs.

I think Miss "NPRauthorinterviewee" used her blog as an online department store of unusual goods and services. I think THAT is boring.

I guess my little nonpoint here is this - - - - the blogs I like are the ones where people share random things from their real lives, things like visits to pumpkin patches, chocolate desserts, children and their antics, fun quotes, frog princes, pies in the face, football, name the baby contests, choose the Christmas picture contests,Pig Latin essays, and funny anecdotes. I really don't want to spend my free time perusing someone's sales pitch.

And - - - - - for all who are wondering, and even for those who are not, I had leftovers for lunch.

Colt's Loss

Here's how I see it, Big Fat Chicken - - - -

Any team, even my beloved Colts, which squanders away a 14 point lead with penalties and interceptions deserves nothing more than to lose by a triple record tying 60 yard field goal.

But I'm still sick about it.

Rain, Rain, Go Away - - -

I'm ready for cold weather and snow.

This constant warm, wet, muddy, gray, depressing weather weighs me down.

Snow is celebrational. Bring it on!!!!