NaBloPoMo 2024 (Dec)

12.31: Silliness

This might be one of those things that won’t translate…

We were sitting around last night, making plans for tonight — a small new year’s eve celebration at home with family.

I’m making scalloped potatoes & ham.

Ann’s making a salad.

Kate’s going to make some soup.

Sense a theme?

We’re continuing with sausages (hot dogs), s’mores @ the solo stove, shampagne, sparkling “kid wine,” snax, sbeer, swine, schips, scrackers, smilanos…

We were cracking ourselves up!

It’s not a proper blog post without a pic, so here’s one that came up in a different conversation last night.

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That’s John Wayne on the left, Rusty’s dad on the right. Addison asked, “Who’s John Wayne?”

Yikes!

I doubt I’ll be watching the ball drop tonight, but who knows?

Happy New Year’s Eve!

NaBloPoMo 2024 (Dec)

12.29

We had some fabulous weekend guests.

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There was some painting… with added googly eyes!

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And gaming…

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Fortnight w/friends FTW (and such a great Nintendo Switch accessories kit from Auntie Kate for Christmas)!

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A super fun visit to the local model railroad club’s open house. I took itty bitty Junah there years ago with Mack & Addie, and Rusty & I had a blast taking all four kiddos this year. I made note of their regular “open to the public” hours, and I’m sure we’ll be visiting again.

They had one room separated from the rest with THOMAS & friends that the kids could control… but, oh my goodness, Davy just really wanted to touch the actual things (anything!). There was a small room with random items for sale and he was able to walk away with a couple of train cars for a very reasonable sum. Happiness all around.

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I don’t get the NYT in print anymore, but I was able to order the Puzzle Mania section — something of a holiday tradition around here, in various configurations — and it did my heart good to see (and sometimes assist) these two in their crossword efforts!

Not sure I’m a fan of this smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-the-week holiday stuff… but it is what it is. I’m back to work for a day-and-a-half, then off for a day-and-a-half, then back to work for a day, and then a “vacation weekend.” It’s been a whole year since implementation of the “new” work schedule, which allows for a nice long weekend a couple of times a month… it’s gone quite well, even better than I’d imagined it would. It’ll be “new” probably until I retire… it always seems to take a couple of years to truly settle in & get comfortable. So, I guess, looking forward to true/full retirement (which seems a little unreal… and is still a ways off), I’d best prepare for some settling-in.

2024-Amsterdam (& Taylor Swift) · NaBloPoMo 2024 (Dec)

12.27

Our Christmas tree will be up for a little while yet… there are still gifts to exchange with Ann & fam, and that will likely happen on New Year’s Eve.

Since I last mentioned our tree, there have been some decor additions — a dozen or so candy canes, a gigantic bow from someone’s gift, and this:

I saw this idea on IG or somewhere and had everything needed to make it! It’s a plain glass ball filled with some of the Swiftie friendship bracelets that I still have, using the strap from the concert wristband as the hanger.

Ann gave me her wristbands, too, thinking that the girls might like them… but I kept them! I told her to bring her bracelets, and she’ll be making one, too. It’s perfect!