Thankful

We have dodged a huge blizzard which is inundating Kansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. We may see a few flurries and that will add to the festiveness of the season.

When I think of Christmas, I recall past times with family. I've spent the past 43 years with my husband, 40 years have included our son, Sean, and 38 years have included our daughter, Melinda. For the past 19 years we have been grandparents, and each year we have been more blessed than we could ever have imagined.

It's so easy to lose the spirit of this time when there are so many activities going on. Today I encourage you to take the time to go out of your way to do something unexpected for someone. Pray for not only guidance for yourself, but also for your neighbors, not only the ones you know, but for those you don't know. Behind each door are difficulties that are not necessarily shared. Smile, it is contagious. Be reflective. Be thankful for all that you are. Know that God will be by your side at all times. Thank the people you interact with. All of us need a boost of encouragement.

This may not be in your plans today, but now that I have written it down, it will be on my agenda.

Thank you to all of you for your support for me and my family. You give me strength each day.

Stay warm,
Jan

Yum!

Coffee in bed this morning, a treat from my favorite husband. What a nice gesture for a loved one. The decorating is complete, the shopping is done so next on the agenda is to finish up the baking. It's a good thing the inner baker comes out at these special times.


I've completed the banana bread and pumpkin bread mini loaves, the pecan sandies, Oreo/cream cheese balls, peanut butter blossoms, and white chocolate pretzel sticks. Today I'm going to tackle decorated sugar cookies. Wish me luck, I need it.

It's so nice to be retired and have the time to put together treats for friends who don't have the pleasure of time. I remember too well the stress of being young with children and working away from my home. So appreciative when someone remembered my family and shared their spirit of the season with us.

Keep your fingers crossed that I have all the ingredients I need today since I don't drive. Steve is busy working on our son's basement so he won't be home for a while. Oh well, it's always gives me a chance to touch base with the neighbors if I find I'm short of something.

Here's a great, easy recipe for all of you.

Oreo/cream cheese balls:  Cream together one package of Oreo cookies (crumbled) and eight ounces of cream cheese. Form into walnut sized balls. Refrigerate for over an hour, dip in melted almond bark. Cool.  Eat!

Love to you all!
Jan

Breathe

I am so excited to share our event from last Saturday morning. Steve and I hosted a fund raising Christmas brunch for our neighbors. It was time for the house to be adorned for the season, time to give to those less fortunate, time to bake, and time to share with friends. This was the perfect way to be motivated to do all of it at one time.

I like to take time to go through my house and decide how I want it to look and feel for Christmas. Steve always reminds me to "shop" the decorations he's displayed in the family room, before I decide I need to purchase something new. Funny that after 42 Christmas seasons how many things I have to choose from, even though I have deleted numerous items in the past. (Remember when everything had to look country or the homemade phase?). Well, when I feel the pressure of an event, I do much better setting a deadline rather than doing a little bit here and there.

The tree was adorned, the holiday dishes set the festive table, the menu was selected so the only thing left was to order the perfect morning weather. As it turned out, we could not have chosen a more perfect day for a brunch. In Nebraska, we had already had our first beautiful snow and the early morning brought a frost that turned the trees and bushes into shimmering white icicles. The temp was warm enough so some braved the short walk to our house in just sweaters and the sun shown bright.

Our company enjoyed mimosas, orange juice, coffee and a few bloody Marys. We served Creme Brûlée French toast, egg casserole, fruit, Swedish Hamballs and Christmas cookies.

Our generous guests brought donations for the women's shelter and later in the afternoon a few of us delivered them. I would call the effort a great success and a reminder to all of what the season is all about.

Today is the day I have set aside to start the Holiday baking. Must get the stash ready so I have something in hand when I visit my friends' homes.

I'm blessed to be able to still do this again this year. I must take advantage of these fleeting moments. The past two years, I didn't think I would have, have flown by too quickly.

Breathe, and enjoy the season,
Jan

Caregivers

As I sit here, in this small room, full of chairs and people I don't know, I feel a kinship with all of them. In one respect I have been on both sides of the coin. I have been the patient, waiting for the door to open and the technologist calling my name and today, I am the family member waiting for my loved one to return to the safety of my company.

There have been numerous hours of my husband and I waiting on separate sides of this door I sit next to today. When I am the patient experiencing the stress of an MRI, I always wonder what Steve is doing to occupy his time. Our daughter, Melinda is the patient, so I wear a different hat in this waiting room today. The stress is still there, but the anxiety is at a different level when it is your child. (Yes, I know she is in her upper thirties, but she is still our child.)

When we need to spend time waiting for tests to be done at one of our local hospitals, I always am amazed that these big buildings are full of people who need expert care from all the professional care givers residing here. When you spend so much time in doctors' offices and hospitals, you begin to think there must not be anyone out in the real world without illness.

Thank goodness there are bright, compassionate people who dedicate their lives to be caregivers to others. Thank goodness we live in a metropolitan area that specializes in research and is a magnet for doctors interested in cancer, transplants and other necessary areas.

I will continue to take deep breaths, on this side of the door, and pray the specialists get enough information o enable them to do the next test on Friday. I also pray for Melinda, may she have strength and peace.

A loving Mom,
Jan

Thanksgiving

Today is one of my favorite days of the year. It is the day before Thanksgiving and we are preparing a host of fabulous dishes for the favorite people in our lives. Yesterday Steve and I teamed up to prepare most of the dishes and set the table. We do this in order to have a stress free day, the day of our meal.

You may wonder why we are celebrating a day early. In my mind everyday is Thanksgiving.. I have a trillion things to be thankful for and...our grandchildren were not available on Thursday so, what the heck, gather when you can.

Let me give you a quick run down of our menu. Picture this, Turkey, Swedish ham balls, ham, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole (compliments of Sean and Sarah), corn casserole (compliments of Melinda and James), potato casserole, dressing with Italian sausage, gravy, orange/apricot salad, cranberry/apple salad, rolls, pumpkin bars, pumpkin cheesecake, and pecan pie (compliments of our dear friends Dick and Barb. and I am proud to say, everything is homemade!!!

The real reason I love today is because I have the privilege to show my special family how much I love and care for them. The food is an important part of our tradition but so is our time of prayer and sharing what is important to all of us.

My life has been so blessed. I was allowed to grow up in a Christian home with parents who cared about our life goals and supported us in our choices. I was blessed to marry a man who turned out to be my best friend. God helped Steve and I adopt the most beautiful baby, over forty years ago. Little did we know, that by doing so, we would be blessed with four perfect grandchildren. Again our life was enhanced by giving birth to our special daughter, thirty eight years ago. And because she is so loving, we are fortunate to be able to help raise her step granddaughter.

I personally want to thank my two donor families who made life-changing decisions to donate organs, so my life could be enhanced to allow me to be active, alert and alive! I feel they did not just touch my life, they have touched my family, friends and everyone who will hear my story.

We join together to reflect on our past year and anticipate the joys and challenges of the year to come. Thank you God for standing with us day to day.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Jan

Annie Oakley

I know I was supposed to be "Annie Oakley".  I believe it all began when I was about three.  I know when I was in kindergarten I always wanted to wear my cowboy boots.  My Mom was accommodating by cutting my bangs short and putting the rest of my hair in braids.  I owned a cowgirl skirt with a matching vest and it seemed to go perfectly with my cowgirl shirt.

Our play time, way back then, consisted of playing cowboys and Indians.  We tried to copy what we witnessed on the Saturday morning television shows.  You know the ones, "Sky King" with his daughter, Penny, flying around in the Songbird.  There was "My Friend Flicka",  "The Roy Rogers Show" with Dale Evans.  "The Lone Ranger" with his friend, Tonto, and of course, "Annie Oakley".

I didn't understand much about her at the time, but I knew I liked her hair, western clothes and that she always turned out to be the heroine.  I was lucky that my mom went along with my fantasy, so in the mind of a six year old, I felt a small piece of Annie's bravery and attitude.

When I was in second grade, my parents announced that our family would be moving from Albion, NE to Los Angeles, CA.  I truly thought I had just been transported to heaven.  I had heard about the gold rush and had conjured up in my mind, that it must still be going on.  I pictured living with the cowboys and cowgirls out west and certainly my attire would finally fit in with everyone else in California.

We made the move and I realized my vision was not quite like I had expected, but never the less, I continued with my plan to be Annie Oakley.  Moving to Los Angeles in 1957 was a total cultural shock for our family, especially my father.  My dad had been a Lutheran pastor only in the mid-west and now he was ministering to people in sandals, shorts and flowered casual shirts.  Dad was also trying to keep his cool while trying to navigate the freeways while Mom read the map.  Not a pleasant venture I can assure you.

Our family home was the destination for a number of relatives and friends due to living quite close to Disneyland.  I loved it when we had visitors because then I could wear my favorite cowgirl outfit and escort our vacationers to Disneyland.  I felt it was my park and I could show everyone the best places to go.

My parents bought my older brother a Tennessee Walker palomino horse, Regis.  They boarded the horse at a place where a number of the famous horses that were ridden in the Rose Parade in Pasadena stayed. Sometimes even I got to ride one of the smaller ponies.  My dream come true.

I am no longer "Annie" but I still feel the excitement and bravery of her ventures in my heart.

Getty up,

Jan

Grow Garden Grow!

Steve and I have been traveling this last week, so sorry I have not updated the blog lately. This was our first trip out of town since my back surgery so that gave us a few challenges in itself. Sitting for a great amount of time is not comfortable yet so it required us to stop often to stand and stretch the old body.

We started out with only one intention and that was to visit my Mother's sister. Alva is 93 years old and is now placed in hospice. We were able to meet with her son and daughter-in-law, David and Nancy. I was surprised at how much my Aunt and Mother looked and sounded so similar. (I imagine that's exactly how I will soon look, after all I already have the white hair.) Alva was very alert but did tire easily. I'm glad we took the time to see her. I hope our children learn from our example how important it is to stay in touch.

Two couples moved this past year, from our neighborhood, to Minnesota. We were able to see both couples. Bob and Jane are motivated to complete their new home due to moving closer to two beautiful granddaughters and their own two daughters. Steve and I could feel the anticipation and pride of completing a grandparents' dream. We are so excited for them.

Denise and Gary also welcomed us with open arms. Their move was work related and they have encountered a few trials along the way. Denise is undergoing chemo and while we were there, she was scheduled for chemo so we decided to stay to keep her company since Gary needed to be out of town. Good to report, all went well.

A few more bits of trivia, Steve and I were so happy to be a part of a special birthday party for two of our grandchildren. Katie is now fifteen and how gracious she is. She's a diligent student and has unendless possibilities for a great future. Evan turned two, but please don't tell him. I believe he thinks he is much older. While Katie sat through the party as a demure young lady, Evan decided to take over and make sure everyone was involved and had a good time. It's these special days fitted In-between the everyday ones that help us keep track at how fast life goes by.

Our friends and family are like a garden and we recognize our garden needs to be tended to in order for it to continue flourishing.

May you tend your friends,
Jan