California - What a Trip!

Welcome to Hollywood! What's your dream?

Everybody comes here; this is Hollywood,...

I can't wait to share my pictures with you, Greg and Chad. After the Florida trip, you said I had to pick out ONE picture to share with you. I guarantee you, that is impossible with this trip. You can't see San Diego and L.A., and say pick one. I could not even pick one thing to write about, so I think for this post I will take the boys' approach and do random thoughts of my trip to California.

1. The beaches are wonderful and indescribable. You really have to experience it yourself - the breeze off the water, the waves, the boats, the beach houses, the white sand, and the surfers. This trip the waves were high enough that I saw people surfing.

2. Pretty Woman - I did all the stops that were in this great movie. However, The Beverly Wilshire Hotel is not as tall as one would expect after watching Julia Roberts in the balcony scene.

3. Hollywood - Just call me a "tourist". I did not even try to hide the fact. I had my camera out snapping pictures of all my favorite "stars", footprints and hand prints.

4. We had Sunday brunch at the world famous Beverly Hills hotel, the place where this Marilyn lost her life. Most people go here hoping to get a glance of a star. Since I do not know too many famous people, I was taking in all the other sites. Rick was taking in all the "boobs and Botox". Lots of dollars are spent on these! Speaking of lots of dollars, I think this could have been the most expensive meal that I have ever eaten. Some of you may be wondering how did the "country girl and boy" dress for this citified event. Well, for you who know Rick - No one died, so he did NOT have anything on but his jeans and T-shirt. I did put on black jeans and sandals for the day. We were a little under-dressed by Hollywood standards, but we did not care. I was happy, and Rick was comfortable!

5. Home Sweet Home - California style or Gunter style. Give me my home on the hill any day of the week. The couple we stayed with the last two nights had a very beautiful, expensive, small house with NO yard. I asked Brian if he cut the grass with scissors. Anything else would have been a waste of money. I am not kidding, the yard had no more grass than my kitchen dining table. The yard did have a very nice patio, hot tub, shrubs, and tropical plants. I also have to add they had a few crazy neighbors. While Rick and Brian were outside, the neighbor shot them several times--- with a hairdryer.

Yes, Virginia! There is a Santa Claus

The years: my early childhood

Place: My Grandmother's house

Santa Claus would come in person to bring a gift for each of the children and to visit with us for a few moments. Then off he would be supposedly to the next house. This Santa Claus was not a holly, jolly Santa. In fact, he was downright SCARY. He had a worn out red suit with a rubber mask for a face. So the anticipation for Santa to come to Pa and Ma's house was on several different levels.

Fast forward to about 1982, when I had my first child. I wanted to start a Santa Claus tradition with Greg and Justin. So I made a Santa suit and purchased a beard. We asked Marlon that first year to come to the house to bring presents and for pictures. This tradition has been going on for 27 years now. We have never missed a year with a holly jolly Santa. Some years have been more memorable that others.

Don Webb Taylor played Santa about 20 years. Our children grew up, but they still wanted Santa to come visit. Then Don Webb passed away. At Christmas they new Santa had died, and we had this discussion that Santa might not make it. However, we asked Randy Miller, one of Greg's best friends, to do the honors. The surprise on these college-aged kids face was priceless when they realized who it was.

There was another year that really sticks out. This time the joke was on me. Santa had come and gone for the night. Then he came back. He walked in the house with a tiny black puppy. Everyone is standing in a circle wondering who the dog is for. It was mine. Everyone knew but me!

The memories and stories could go on with Santa through the years. Many pictures have been made with Santa. So if any one every doubts, there IS a Santa Claus in our family. We will be awaiting with much anticipation the arrival of that special man again this year.

Family, feel free to add comments about some of your memories of our Santa Claus through the years.

This Little Chair of Mine

This little chair of mine,

I use it all the time,

To reach the things I couldn't,

And lots of things I shouldn't!!!

I changed the words just a little of the childhood poem. It is so ironic that Keelie and Di both wrote about chairs. Last week when I got home from Florida, Rick had finished restoring my little chair. This chair is an original from the old Gunter school building that I actually attended. I have this chair from the old two-story elementary building and a all-in-one desk from the old high school building. (I will also say that Rick cleaned my stove spotless. I should have taken a picture of it. It really looks like it has never been used. The rain and me being gone worked in my favor.)

The chair is used for everything in our house. I use it mainly for a footstool. In fact, my feet are on it as I am typing this blog. Rick uses it to sit on every morning to put his shoes on for work. Plus it is always used for a step stool. The reason that it had to be restored is because when he painted the ceilings, it was perfect to paint off; therefore, it had paint all over it. Now as we use it, we will be much more careful with what we do with it.

Oh! It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas

Marilyn's To Do

For decorating the house for Christmas

My goal is to start the week before Thanksgiving, so that I do not have to spend the time off I have for Thanksgiving for decorating. This is a challenge because I do have a trip planned to Ruidosa the week before Thanksgiving.

1. Take down all pictures and move out things to get ready for Christmas.

2. Dust and clean.

Now the transformation begins. This is the order that it normally takes place. I do this very methodically, and it does take time and energy.

3. Hang 10 wreaths.

4. The village on the bookcase

5. Nativity set on the mantle.

6. Decorate dinner table and kitchen counter.

7. Unload quilt box of trinkets.

8. Bring out the bears and other animals

8. Assemble and put lights on trees.

9. Decorate den tree

10. Decorate gameroom tree

11. Get greenery and poinsettas out

12. Empty storage box in gameroom

13. Tie bows on anything plain

I think if there is a way to describe my house during the holidays it is "gawdy." The movie "Christmas Vacation" is a good description of the inside of my house.

14. When the boys come in for Thanksgiving, then the lights and yard decorations go out.

It is hard to believe that this transformation is just a few weeks away.

So Far Behind

I have been busy with fun and work. The first six weeks of school have been a whirlwind. I am telling you this as my excuse for why I have done such a lousy job with my blog. I have missed weeks of Friday Fotos and entries for give aways. It is not that I have not had a lot to say; I just have not made the time to say it. My husband says an excuse only satisfies the person that makes it. So I will catch you and me both up.

I want to enter all these give-aways. There are some really good ones out there. Diana has a really cute one going on right now. This is my mention for that one. I filled in another post for someone's give away answering random questions. I hope I get entered for that give away. Keelie is doing a creative Christmas giveaway. This may force me to think about Christmas.

Here is her link. My blog for this is coming next. I had to stop writing this to do Grandma time. I also have not had a chance to tell you some of the things I have been doing lately. Here are just a few:

1. canned 40 jars of jelly

2. canned 12 jars of pepper, carrot and onion relish

3. found our lost bull and fixed fences

4. traveled to Florida

5. PeeWee football games

6. Grandma duties

7. Decorated for fall

8. Cooked for friends and family

9. Read a computer manual

10. Trying to keep up with a woman's Bible study

11. Trying to be a good wife and going places with my husband. He still likes me to check cows and pick garden with him. We did pick a bushel of peppers last weekend.

12. Editing papers for an online course for one of Rick's daughter.

So, please forgive me for not keeping up with my blogging.

The Questions

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your hair? flat
3. Your mother? legacy
4. Your father? one-of-a-kind
5. Your favorite food? chocolate
6. Your dream last night? none
7. Your favorite drink? diet coke
8. Your dream/goal? "well-done ...faithful servant"
9. What room are you in? den
10. Your hobby? cooking
11. Your fear? loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? content
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something that you aren’t? skinny
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. Wish list item? travel
17. Where did you grow up? Gunter
18. Last thing you did? cook
19. What are you wearing? shorts
20. Your TV? unwatched
21. Your pets? fun
22. Friends? fun
23. Your life? wonderful
24. Your mood? conten
25. Missing someone? yes
26. Vehicle?LS
27. Something you’re not wearing? socks
28. Your favorite store? Walmart
29. Your favorite color? pink
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? two weeks ago
32. Your best friend? sister
33. One place that I go to over and over? Walmart
34. One person who emails me regularly? teachers
35. Favorite place to eat? restaurant