Mon.-Washed, cleaned up weekend clutter, worked on paper work-discovered I was given a Sr. citizens discount at a local store and they didn't even ask! Not sure how I feel about that especially since a close friend said she has noticed that I have aged this year. She said it nicely and in context of a different conversation. Went out to Appomattox to pick up another round of antibiotics. I am weary with this coughing that jolts my insides and bones. I can't talk for more than 5 min. without losing my voice so I am not talking much. I noticed how people seem worried at Walmart. They are uncertain of the future. And no wonder. Came home and finished up the homemade baker's clay dove ornaments. They are so pretty. Michael was discouraged to find out that his car is beyond repair. He said that he thought of the verse, "I would have fainted unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of God in the land of the living." He was soon encouraged and said that "dad had been a voice of reason to him." Later, he took Chace and Jordan to Richmond with him for a business meeting and he had a great time with them. Philip is letting him use his car. I started reading one of T.Dek~~~'s books and I got to tell you, I am not sure about this. There is much horror and violence and I read evil things I never had thought of before and yes, the ending has redemption in it, but the analogies in his book only work so far and not the whole way, and I am bothered but Alli helped me with her thoughts on the book and helped me focus on the good ending. I stayed up until 1:30 Tues. morn. to finish reading it and my neck is sore probably because I was gripping the book too hard and reading without my glasses. Oh well, you live and learn. I ate about a pound of M&M's while I was reading it in the afternoon and that's another reason I feel rather yucky.
I am thankful that I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow.
I am thankful for Phil.
I am thankful for the way Michael so quickly appropriated the grace of God
when his back was up against a wall.
Tues.-Finishing up some odds and ends. Blogging. Baked our traditional Sand Tart cookies. Made venison smothered in sour cream and served it over mashed potatoes and it was out of this world. Christi came over in eve. and exchanged presents with us since she is going to Fla. for Christmas. We played Apples to Apples for awhile. Michael had a conference call in the eve. and had to leave us for the back room.
I am thankful for the two hams given to us today from Jamerson's and Gilliam's and also the gift certificate to Outback from the G's as well.
I am thankful for this Christmas break and the time to bake, clean, and read.
I am thankful for my new blue dangling earrings that Christi made.
Wed.-Nice time to study and organize desk. Finished 'When God Weeps' by Joni Earekson Tada and Steve Estes. Baked a ham and made up some plates of cookies to give away. Lack of sleep, too much sugar, an antibiotic, and feeling sick I guess are reasons enough to be dragging. Susan shot her first deer today! A big fat doe! Mike and Phil got one each as well. Michael took a picture with his phone and sent it to Gil since he is her oldest older brother. Stopped subscribing to Dish Network today. No more TV. Went into town early and did some shopping and stopped in at the Bantons to give them a few Christmas gifts. Lindsay gave me a gift bag with hot choc. mix and 4 tile coasters. Very nice. Went to Missi's for the eve. and visited with her and Nanette and heard Nanette's happy news. So happy for her but we will miss them so. Thankful for Susan's success and the proud men surrounding her life. I'm thankful that Susan bought her updated ipod with her own money. I'm thankful for old friends and new.
Thurs.-Gil here hunting. From the back, you cannot tell Philip and him apart. No luck hunting today. Susan and boys were cutting meat into chunks for several hours today. Super cleaned most of my desk, washed some windows, wiped down bookshelves, etc. Ate a cucumber and got deathly ill just like last week's lettuce experience. I know where I am not going to buy produce anymore. Thankful that I didn't eat the cuc until 4 so I got alot done before that. Thankful that Michael made supper even though he added 3 Tablespoons of salt instead of 3 teaspoons to his sloppy jo mix. Thankful that I was asleep before 7:00.
Fri.-Made jello ribbon salad, cole slaw, mashed potato filling and cinnamon rolls for tomorrow's meals. Fixed salty sloppy jo mix by adding two packages cooked bland spaghetti and 2 jars spaghetti sauce. Everyone loves it now. Did 3 loads wash, vacuumed house and washed floors. Susan cleaned out the exploded cider mess in the outside fridge, cleaned out the car, cleaned up her room, made tapioca, and ran around doing all kinds of things for me. Mickey and Mitch came down and gave us a homemade carrot cake. We gave them a few gifts as well and had a nice time visiting. Mitch kept asking where Phil was and wondering how Big Phil was. He was working on the skiddy down at the low grounds. Every time I looked at Mitch, he laughed and pointed his finger at me and said, "You're a nut!" He is really one of my favorite people and he knows how to give great hugs. He likes to sit beside Phil on the sofa and put his arm around him. Sometimes he pokes Phil in the stomach. (Mitch is my Down-syndrome 37 year old neighbor.) Michael and Philip had fun exploring the swamp and lake with Travis. Philip pushed them around on the ice in the boat. Then Philip got so hot he took off all of his upper clothing and ran half naked on the lake, diving chest first on the ice and taking a good slide. Michael videotaped it and was going to put it on face book. Mother sent an email and Phil read it out loud. She was sad that the boys and Phil weren't coming up for the family gathering and then she said that Uncle David and Aunt Margaret were going to be there. Philip almost cried and said, "Stupid cows!" and I think Michael almost swore, so disappointed were they. I listened to Charlotte Church's Christmas album today. Phil suddenly remembered that he needed to get some Christmas gifts so he went out for an hour or two in the eve. Susan and I watched the movie "Space Camp" and "Mr. Bean." I am thankful for Mickey, Mitch, and the frozen swamp and pond.
Sat.-Merry Christmas, 2010! Had cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Phil worked with some cattle and the guys cleaned up their space to get ready for tomorrow's company. They played Uno with Susan until Alli and Freeman came around 10:30. We exchanged gifts. Phil had Susan's name and he gave her the gun he had purchased long ago from Harold King. She loved it. She gave Philip oodles of candy. Philip gave Phil a Cutco filleting knife. Michael gave me a white handled Cutco scissors. I gave Freeman a sampler box of Sweet Maria's coffee. Freeman gave Michael a work in process-a gun at the shop being revamped for him. Phil gave Alli a canister of licorice and some other candy and we all gave her an oil lamp, wicks, and oil. She gave Michael and Philip fluorescent orange scarves which she had hand knitted and they promptly wrapped them around their heads. She gave me hand knitted wash cloths and a wonderful smelling green candle. She gave Susan two cool t-shirts and a necklace and Phil an orange scarf and both of us a wedding photo of the family. I gave each of them some flannel lounge pants. Alli and Freeman's match. Then Susan, Michael, and Philip went back to playing Uno while Freeman and I got things going for lunch and then I sat down and somehow, the kids started singing so we sang the old Hertzler favorites while we sat, cooked, and played games and it was so nice and it was the first I could semi sing for a very long time. "There were Shepherd's abiding in the Fields," "The Message", "Silver Star," etc. Phil read the Christmas story while we waited for the filling casserole to finish up in the oven. For lunch, we had Freeman's chili, cheese, chips, sausage gravy, biscuit, corn, sweet potato casserole, mashed potato filling, ribbon salad, and cole slaw. I asked each of them what they wanted and thus the conglomeration of food. Then we played the Jr. version of Apples to Apples and liked it better than the party version. Then everyone split and went their separate ways for about 45 min. Freeman and Alli went home to get a movie, warm clothes, and Diesel. Phil has been sleeping since lunch. He is exhausted. Susan and the boys are resting and I am catching up on Hertzler Doings. Soon, they will all reconvene and go down to the swamp/pond and go sliding. It's snowing lightly again. It was earlier this morning as well.
For supper we had more chili, crackers, cheese, dill pickles, celery and olives, tapioca, ice cream and Christmas cookies. We ate as we watched "Despicable Me." We got to bed at a decent hour but I didn't sleep but an hour or two. So thankful for a day to just 'be' together as a family. I am thankful that there is a Christmas story to read and songs to sing and for the One who made it all possible. I am thankful for the spontaneous singing of old songs today and the amazing male voices singing the different parts.
Sunday-Monday-Pa.-Woke up at 4:30 after finally falling asleep around 2:30. Freeman and Alli arrived soon after 5:30 and we were on the road by 6:05. We drove through 3-5 inches of snow in this area. The further north we drove, the less snow there was. We made good time so we drove around Greenfield Industrial Park and I showed Alli where I grew up and the ponds I skated on and my grandparents home, etc. It's all built up now. We arrived at my brother Abe's early and got changed and visited with Karen until the others arrived. My brother is an amazing cook and should the stock market fail completely, he could open a restaurant. He made turkey, Harvard beets, oyster and regular filling, salad, celery and olives, a cheese and meat platter for appetizers, and clam chowder as a starter. Rosalee made her gourmet potatoes and I brought our corn. We had cookies, cheesecake, and coffee for dessert. Rosalee, Jim, Annika and Stew, and Katrina were there. Abie was dearly missed. Alan and Carol came and Kendra and Erik were there as well and also, Abby. Mother was there and she looked good. David and Margaret and some of the others didn't make it because of the snow. We had a great time playing 'Taboo' and got really loud. It began to really snow around 2 and when we left after 5 there was quite a bit on the ground. We drove carefully through New Holland and got to Mom and Dad Hertzler's before 7. We visited with them for awhile and Freeman and Alli stayed there, Susan went over to Bradleys, and I went over to Joe and Karens where a full scale Pictionary game was going on with the Schwartz and I was only too happy to join them. I slept until 8:45 the next morning. Karen had a midwife appt. in the morning and the roads weren't too bad. The Hertzler's gathered together around 11:30. We ate turkey, filling, mashed potatoes, corn, 7 layer salad, ribbon salad, cranberry salad, bread and jam, etc. Then we sang and got silly and it was just wonderful. I sat beside Dad and at one point I leaned over and said to him, jokingly, of course, "It's not your fault. You raised them right. It is their decision to act this way." He had to laugh. His boys were getting pretty wild. Jim and Joe have a song they like to perform from Handel's Messiah. They said it comes right after 'He shall Feed His flock" on the record. So, Jim sang "Rejoice...Rejoice....Rejoice Greatly..." in a high falsetto voice while Joe provided the scratches on the record as he remembered them. Alli had to lay her head down on the table and laugh. After dessert we went upstairs to exchange gifts in a now you have it now you don't fashion. We girls just stick with the gifts we open but the guys get a bit rowdy. Phil sent ties along for his brothers and dad. He had Johnny pick them out for him in Thailand years ago and Mom remembers being with him when he picked them out and they brought them back for us. Dad put his on and then fell asleep on a folding chair and I asked if he had tied it on too tight and to make sure he was breathing. I thought he was going to fall forward on his face at any time but no one else seemed too worried. I picked Debra's gift and got a beautifully painted wooden bowl and a beeswax bowl with a candle inside it. When I put my gift out, I said quietly to Janelle, "You will want this." So she picked it and told everyone else that they wouldn't want it because it was rusty, so I knew she liked it. It was a windmill bird feeder made out of rust-like metal. I was pretty sure she didn't have any yet at her new residence. We had fun handing out gifts and receiving them. We left around 3 and stopped midway at Five Guys where we wolfed down our burgers and fries and we got home by 9:30. Freeman drove and did a mighty fine job. While we were gone on Sunday, the boys had a party with some of their friends. Some of them played on the swamp and pond-having snowball battles and building forts and others were in the house playing card games and still others were in the rec room watching a movie. I am sure they had a blast. Kelsey got stuck on the drive way going out and Phil and Philip had her out in about half an hour. It was a sheet of ice. Phil got lots of rock salt on Mon. and put it on the lane and we got in and Freeman got out without a problem. I am thankful that we had a safe ride home even though there are many idiotic drivers out there. I am thankful that Phil was waiting for us and that he had started putting hot water in the tub for me before we got home. I am thankful for my heritage and my husband's heritage and for the strength and the songs that come out of both. I am thankful for my big brother's prayer.
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