2024, Family, holidays, Kids, Travel, Uncategorized

Grateful!

30 Comments

I am feeling incredibly grateful today. I am comfortably ensconced on my son’s sofa. I am listening to my 6 year old grandson read aloud. It is amazing how his reading has taken off since September. Our 8 hour trip yesterday had some of the worst driving conditions I have dealt with for a very long time. I am so grateful we didn’t crash, we didn’t end up in the ditch, and we don’t have to go anywhere until we choose to. We made it here about 6:00 pm last evening.

Son bought a standing rib roast that we will cook and eat today. We will go to church tonight for the late service, and we will open presents after church. Life is good.

How are you spending Christmas Eve? What are you grateful for?

30 thoughts on “Grateful!”

  1. I met Alan at work in 1986. When I met his wife Julie and their three daughters a few weeks later it was like magic. I’ve been spending holidays with them ever since and they joyously swept up YA as part of the package when she came along. Christmas Eve is usually at their house. They now have 14 grandchildren and it is a huge loud chaotic, glorious mess. So much food, so much laughter, so many hugs, so much wrapping paper. And then when we finally head home, YA and I both comment on how quiet it is in the car!

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  2. I am grateful for so many things in my life that if I started a list it would go on for pages. But your header photo made me realize that I am extremely grateful that a couple of different companies now make vegetarian marshmallows. I went without marshmallows for decades, and I’m very very grateful to have them back in my life. In fact, I think I’ll go downstairs right now and make a big cup of hot cocoa and fill it with marshmallows.

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  3. Rise and Merry Christmas, Baboons,

    We will go to a Candlelight Service tonight, which I will enjoy. It is one of the Christmas Events that I really enjoy.

    I am grateful for this Baboon Blog, as well as the friends here; for my Phoebe-Doo (dog) AKA Nurse Phoebe and her full recovery from Immune Mediated Polyarthropathy; for my wonderful son and Daughter-in-law; the lovely snow last week; and for having eliminated the large “Family Christmas” which I did not like. Now I get to stay home, fix food I like, then go to Wicked (the movie, not Mar a Lago) and do whatever suits me for the rest of the day. Also, last night I tried a new recipe, Cajun Linguine, which was delicious–today we have leftovers of that. Yummy. I am further grateful for our kind and competent carpenter, Craig, who installed the washer and dryer in a laundry emergency. What would I have done without him?

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    1. PS. We will have ur official Christmas after son and dil are back from Milwaukee where they assisted her mother following the death of dil’s father. What a month they have had.

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  4. I have finally got my Christmas cards started, the ones I’ll send through the mail, which is mostly to relatives. I also have a first Physical Therapy appt. (for my right hip this time) that I agreed to at the last minute – it’s probably a good idea to get this started.

    Later this afternoon we too are going to see Wicked! And then have some leftovers I just thawed for dinner, as we prepare food that we’ll take to our Christmas dinner tomorrow, hosted by dear friends.

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  5. I, too am grateful for the Baboons. Grandson is 6. He loves math. He said he doesn’t know how.to do algebra. I asked him last night what was 20 x 3 + 3. He thought for a minute and said “63”. I told him he can do algebra.

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  7. I ran a few errands this morning. Daughter has a cold and cough (plus snot of course) so she had a rough night sleeping, and Mom is still sleeping too.
    Will be a quiet night here I think. Well, I’m sure daughter will be delirious with Christmas energy and watching some Christmas Movies.
    I’m gonna do a few things in the shop this afternoon, but won’t work too late. Taking advantage of this warm-ish weather.

    I drove through a cemetery this morning and remembered people.
    There is so much I am grateful for, too. Just the simple act of walking around! A few years ago I wasn’t having much luck with that.
    our warm home, the dogs, my shop, my skills, family, friends, a reliable car and truck, just… everything.

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  8. I have so, so much to be grateful for, and I am. I, too, am grateful for this far flung baboon community and all the care and support it has provided over the years.

    As Christmas greetings from friends trickle in via email, I learned this morning that an old friend died in October. It wasn’t really a surprise as she had been battling breast cancer for years, and last year’s Christmas letter from her husband revealed that she also had dementia. Still, it brings to a close a friendship with an extraordinary woman who I hadn’t seen in years (they live in Bavaria). She was a year older than me, and had packed a lot of living into her 82 years. I’m grateful to have known her and glad she’s no longer struggling.

    We’ll be sharing our current version of a traditional Danish Christmas dinner tonight with a former neighbor (and his two Portuguese Water Dogs) at our house. Roasted pork loin, garlicky mashed potatoes and gravy, caramelized petite potatoes, braised red cabbage, and dilled cucumber salad. Will probably throw in some roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots as well. We’ll wing it as to dessert as our neighbor can’t have gluten (and lots of other stuff).

    Tomorrow we’ll be celebrating with a prime rib dinner at Ann’s house. Will and Mina with be there with their daughter, s-i-l, and grandchild who are visiting from Tasmania. Ann is 90, so we’re all aware that each celebration at her house may well be our last. Appreciating the moment is very much on everyone’s mind, except possibly the granddaughter who is only nine. Cheers to the moment, and Merry Christmas everyone.

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  9. I’m grateful for many things, including discovering the Baboon Congress (thanks to Husband). After being unemployed most of 2023, I’m grateful for my new job and the kind people I work with. Grateful I have a warm home, a car that drives, plenty of food, and nowhere I have to go for the next few days.

    Today I’m catching up on baking. One more batch of cookies to go before I start dinner. I’m making a tourtiere, which is a French Canadian meat pie. I started making it years ago when I wanted to do something at the holidays from the French Canadian side of my family. It will be just me, Husband, and Son for dinner. Tomorrow we’ll be joined by Daughter and Grandson and we’ll have Christmas dinner here.

    Happy viewing to everyone going to see Wicked. I liked it a lot but have never read the book or seen the stage version.

    Merry Christmas, Baboons!

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  10. P.S. I keep meaning to comment on how much I enjoy reading all the comments. I like them when WordPress allows me to, but there are quite a few days when it doesn’t. Just know that I appreciate the conversation here.
    J.B.

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  11. Christmas Eve will be a bit subdued – church at 6P, dinner afterward at my sister’s house. My nieces are with their in-laws so no present opening tonight. Tomorrow my church choir sings at 11A – then dinner again at my sister’s house with my nieces, their spouses and my darling 10 month old great niece. Following that, the present opening will commence. Somehow the 10 month old has the most gifts under the tree.

    I have much to be grateful for, including family, good friends, good health, travel opportunities, music, a warm home, a reliable car, enough food, financial security, and the Trail.

    To those of you seeing “Wicked” – remember this is only part 1. You have the opportunity to see part 2 next holiday season.

    Merry Christmas to all the Baboons!

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  12. Merry Christmas, Baboons! I hope this time of year is healthy, happy, and peaceful for everyone.

    Glad you made it safely, Renee!

    I’m very grateful for friends old and new. I’m deeply grateful for all of you Baboons, this blog, our enduring friendships, and the laughter we share. I’m grateful for what little family I have. I’m grateful for my home, and for my own independence and abilities. I’m grateful for being able to learn new things. There are so many things to be grateful for!

    I’m even grateful for WP! (I’m hoping flattery will help!)

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  15. Also grateful that our garage door (yes, not only the opener) was successfully replaced yesterday. That following the Prius up and running after replacing wheel bearing and tires earlier in December. Most grateful that we can afford these repairs.

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  16. I had dinner at my sister’s place this evening. Her traditional Christmas Eve meal is Swedish meatballs. It was very tasty.

    I have a little book by Shirley Jackson, A Visit, which I hope to read tonight. It’s only 80 pages. It was once traditional to tell ghost stories on Christmas Eve. This book is part of a series of Christmas Eve ghost stories.

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