Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Wrapping Up 2017

 
 Blowing out the Advent candles
on the First Day of Christmas

This little grandson is almost as angelic as he looks.

Joyce, our dear Hodgepodge anchor, the one who weekly gives us something to write about, is taking a wee, much-deserved break. I, on the other hand, who only seems to be able to write a blog post for Wednesdays these days anyway, decided to go ahead and put something in the Hodgepodge spot. How I'll come up with something without her clever prompts, I don't know. Just bear with me.

I've decided to post a few photos of our Christmas. Two of our sons and their sons were with us on Christmas Eve and returned for Christmas Day. We had our usual fare of New England clam chowder and popovers for dinner on Christmas Eve, followed by leftovers (of the same) on Christmas Day - along with some treats I'd made.

This is why we have a photo archives.
It has looked exactly like this, every Christmas Eve, for years!

I don't have a good photo of the popovers, but they were delicious, if I do say so myself. Actually, credit goes to Betty Crocker and her 1969 cookbook. They're incredibly easy to make, puff up nice and high in the hot oven, and everyone loves them (slathered with lots of heart-healthy butter, of course). :-) 


This is how Tommy & Smokey spent Christmas
Lazy, good-for-nothing, much-loved members of the family

Most of the family will be gathering here next weekend for New Year's, so I'll be sure to take some photos of 'the boys' playing board games at that time. I was so engrossed in watching 'The Muppets' Christmas Carol' (LOVE Rizzo the Rat - did you know he has 1,274 brothers and sisters?) and 'White Christmas' (LOVE Bing Crosby - did you notice that he has the bluest eyes!) with Oliver, that I completely forgot to take a photo of two of our sons at the kitchen table with board games surrounding them. I know, I'm a bad mom. But I do feed them pretty well.

He was a VERY good boy this year and a real charmer!

And in case I forget to mention it, the video last week and this are all the fault of Sandra (MadSnapper) who got me thinking about posting videos. Okay, I promise I won't post too many (very subjective, that). And I'm sure I'll catch one of the other grandkids or even the kittens next weekend. For now, here's the pre-reader, totally engrossed in ancient Egypt, or whatever it is he's telling Grandpa about from those pages!





It was -15 F this morning. Good thing we have a fire in the stove and are blessed with Cuddl Duds, polar fleece, and Christmas cookies.

 From the archives.
There's nothing sitting on the stove this morning
because I built a fire in it!

I don't know if I mentioned in an earlier post (probably not) that Mr. C. and I celebrated our...Forty Eighth wedding anniversary this month. I know. I know. It makes a shiver run up my spine. When I was younger, I couldn't even imagine people living as long as my parents had when they celebrated their twenty-fifth! 

 It scares me too, to see how young we were.
This was taken in early 1972
Scroll to the end to see Mr. C. today

And we're still married! Incredible, isn't it.
Only by the grace of God...
Really. 

And as it happened, we were on the way to Arizona on the actual date of our anniversary, so when we got back into MSP and had returned sweet Glenn to his home (and the rest of his waiting family) west of the Twin Cities, I suggested to Mr. C. that we make our usual stops to celebrate this momentous occasion:


 Brit's Pub, Minneapolis
for, of course
Fish & Chips

Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis

Basilica, interior

 Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul, Minnesota


Cathedral, interior

Coffee and dessert at Cafe Latte, St. Paul

This photo was taken last year, but the only change was that Mr. C.'s dessert was some sort of double chocolate flourless cake. Mine was the much healthier option, fruit tart. LOL No kidding, I have to restrain myself not to order two pieces. I've thought about making one of those, but I probably should only eat it once a year anyway...

So that, along with having a nice looong trip to Arizona with our son and his son (last week's Hodgepodge), takes us to this, the THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS. Let me know if your Three French Hens don't arrive. The USPS is notoriously unreliable this time of year.

 by Warren Kimble
via surroundyourself.com



Have a wonderful Wednesday. See you next week with the Hodgepodge, if not before.


***


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Judy

Mr. Naughty

Doesn't he just look the picture of trouble??!!
(You'll find Mrs. Nice pictured above - sprouting angelic wings)
I'm sure that humor has been one of the greatest assets God has given this marriage,
besides all those gifts from God that usually come to mind.



20 comments:

  1. Oh, I love this post so much! 48 years! It does my heart good to hear your story!
    Your Christmas sounds lovely. Relaxed and happy. Your little grandson does look very angelic. And y’all looked very young!
    We used to have clam chowder on Christmas Eve. I had forgotten about that. One year my daughter ordered the chowder along with bread bowls from San Francisco.
    Now you have a Family New Years celebration to look forward to! We will be going down to our camper on my stepsons ranch on Saturday.
    My 81 years old husband is tired of all the busyness of the holidays and when we came home on Christmas night from our last celebration, I told him he was off duty and I wouldn’t ask him to do another thing.....except take out the trash!
    You and your beloved are still such beautiful people! Happy New Year!

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  2. Congrats on your 48th anniversary. You two look marvelous. That is a gorgeous pic of you with your grandson and I love the video. I wish you all a very blessed new year. xo

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  3. Judy, You and your Mr. have been blessed with a good strong love. Also you have aged very well....not that you are so very old by any means. You both look good, even if you think Mr. looks naughty . LOL Oh that wee voice reading...that boy is a sweetie pie. I need to learn how to post videos. I have cute ones from my children about the little ones. I love all your wonderful photos. Blessings to all of you, stay warm and safe. Wishing you a new year of happiness and good health. xoxo, Susie

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  4. Mr. Naughty looks mighty NICE to me.. and even more handsome that 48 years ago.. but then what is up with that? Males seem to look better with age, or mine does. i love the video, he sure is reading a great story. i started giggling helplessly as i scrolled and read about how you celebrated your anniversary... we went to Culvers' for burger and fries. see why i am giggling? and last year we hit Golden Corral, and one year we hit Five Guys for a burger. are you picking up what i am putting down? of course we only have 33 years to celebrate . i doubt we will make the 48th since that would make us 96 and 88... but then who knows... i enjoyed you post and you needed no prompts. very entertaining and loved the photos. i have 2 favorite things, the cat in the rocker and the fire in the stove..

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  5. 48 is a good number. We are coming up to 44 in March. We will be away on the Rhine when that happens on another river cruise.

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  6. What a lovely post, Judy! That one photo of the Christmasy room looks just like a Christmas card. Congratulations to you and Mr. C on your anniversary. You surely did look young in that photo ... but you have both aged well and are even better looking now. Not sure how some people manage that!

    And your temps... well, I thought it was cold here! 0º this morning and 6º right now. We have a wind chill advisory tonight. I walked out to the mailbox this morning but could not bring myself to go anywhere else. Grocery shopping tomorrow. BRR!

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  7. What a fun post. I'm finally catching up to blogs today. Congratulations on your wedding anniversary. We, too, celebrate in December (37 for us this year). Love all the before and after shots. Give Smokey and Tommy a hug for me and enjoy this quieter week before New Year's.

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  8. Humor is a wonderful thing in a marriage for sure! Congratulations on your many years together! Brrr... glad you have all you need to stay warm. Cute little grands!

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  9. Forty-eight years is wonderful...Happy Anniversary! I always enjoy the wry humor that comes through in your writing. This time it leaves me wondering about little Oliver who certainly does look angelic; his sweet voice is angelic. Loved seeing the young couple you were and am wondering about finding a photo of you both in the same frame...there’s one here someplace. Stay safe and cozy in this frigid cold.

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  10. Happy Anniversary! I wonder if you were married on the same day of a December wedding I was in 48 years ago. So enjoyed this post -- we have arctic temperatures here too--well if you call 20s arctic, but it is for us. We have soup on Christmas Eve too--usually several kinds, but this year broke tradition and had it on Christmas day.

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  11. Judy, Happy Anniversary! Your Oliver is a cutie, love the video. The kitties are enjoying the warm fire. Those minus temperatures are too cold for me, but we are at 10° this morning. I enjoyed your post and photos. I wish you and your family all the best in 2018, happy New Year!

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  12. I want to know where you found heart healthy butter...nice wrap up. Enjoyed the pictures...All the best to you in 2018

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  13. You're like me...I usually rely on the hodgepodge for my post of the week...kinda lost without it! I have started a New Year's post but only have a few words on it so far. I loved seeing the cozy and warm photos of your lovely home and the first one with the candles looked like the front of a Christmas card! Happy anniversary to you and Mr. C! The photo from 1972 was so sweet...you and your hubby both have aged very well...still beautiful and handsome! Happy New Year, Judy!

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  14. Happy Anniversary to you and Mr C! What was I doing December 1969? Going to school, sewing, dancing, having fun. I no longer sew or dance much, but I'm still having fun! :D

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  15. Hello, such a lovely post, a wrap up of your past year, it's good to catch up. You made it to Minneapolis too, very fun. Your grandson is a cutie for sure. I'm wishing you a most merry and happy New Year! Enjoy all your family celebrations too.

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  16. Such a love-filled post!!

    And about your soaps...love them so much!

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  17. Enjoyed all of your photos. I love watching Christmas movies. Sounds like your Christmas Eve and Christmas day were lovely. Have a great weekend with your family. Happy Anniversary and Happy New Year!

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  18. Thought I'd pop in and say hello! I love keeping up with your life a bit on insta - but love seeing your photos and wonderful blog commentary here as always. ;) Glad you've been having a safe and blessed Christmas dear Judy! I hope you have a very blessed New Year's as well! And happy belated anniversary - we're December folks too! xoxo

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  19. What a wonderful post! I enjoyed every bit of it. Thanks for all the photos. Love your woodburning stoves. Do you cook on the kitchen one? I've only ever read about them. Congratulations on your anniversary. We're at year 36.

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  20. Loved your Hodgepodge . . .
    And extra special to learn more about Egypt . . .
    Happy Forty Eight . . .
    I agree, laughter, humor, wit are excellent ingredients for happy life . . .
    Along with a few others too . . .
    Happy New Year Judy . . .

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