Eloise's personal videos post at the top of these blogs for some mysterious reason. That is my great niece and nephew, Camryn and Baby Ben. Enjoy some sights from this year's Holly Trail, set to a great version of O Holy Night by Brett Young--with a nice touch of a country twang, it has a homey feel to it. -Enjoy!
Merry Christmas from the Lamp Post!
The house is a bustle this year
with the older kids home for the holiday break.
Friends have been around,
catching up,
and checking out the trees
laughing at old ornament gifts
from elementary school.
My trio has been getting along fine.
The only spats they've had are over the bathroom.
Who is hogging it?
Who made the bigger mess?
Who used the last of the shampoo
and left the bottle there?
Ellen's friends suggested this for Sam,
who has been known to use any sort of squirty shower liquid
as a means to clean his body.
After strange looking hair,
we determined he used just conditioner
for almost a full week.
Even Hazel was appalled.
But, she gave him a break
as Sammy was down with a virus for most of the week.
She snuggled with him on the couch instead.
Sick kids,
even when they are older sick kids,
seem to take up considerable time
that you would ordinarily spend on other things.
I spent many an evening in Spot #4 at Walmart.
What a saving grace.
We did get some outdoor lights up,
and had time to make our holiday party favors.
The Canada Dry and 7 Up cans this year
have really cute sayings.
Two ten packs of mini cans
and the bucket of Fireball shots
make for a really fun little gift.
If you sent me a card,
I hung it in the Lamp Post kitchen.
Every year my hubby tells me
not to tape things to the cupboards.
and every year
I stand back and admire your thoughtfulness.
The vintage red truck decorating theme
is at the height of its popularity this season.
I went to my parents' house next door
and asked my mom to find me the photo of my dad
sitting on the hood of his vintage red truck.
Grandma knew exactly where it was,
and produced it within seconds.
I want to make some prints
and look for the perfect frames
for my mom and sister.
Let me know if you spot a good one.
This is my dad on his 1950 Ford,
with their first dog Barney.
Locals will recognize Firman Road.
He's sitting right where the Firman Road
Community Park entrance is.
I'm amazed at how much he resembles
my sister and her sons!
All of the holiday prep is so tiring.
I'm up early each day,
and go to bed much later than usual to get it all done.
It makes a person wonder if it's all worth it.
Eloise is telling you that it is!
Extra time put in to make this holiday special--
It's Worth It!
Each morning as I arise,
I thank the Good Lord for another day,
and make a plan to make the best of it.
After morning prayers,
reflection,
and a quiet cup of coffee,
I grab my Diary.
My sister is drooling--
thinking of what juicy tidbits she can get her hands on,
just like she did when she was younger
when she'd search my room for my hidden journals.
This diary isn't so much exciting
as it is useful.
It's a three year diary
for recording little things--
weather,
events,
and little moments that are nice to
reflect on.
This is an excerpt from the first pages of the book.
Looking back,
I realized my holiday fatigue is a natural part
of my life cycle right now.
Here's December 21, 2017
December 21, 2018
And this year--
and I'm still tired,
but It's Worth It!
Here's the order information if you'd like to start one in 2020.
You can choose
1 year,
3 year,
or 5 year.
I have a 3 year diary and it's just the right size.
Another suggestion if you are looking
for a fun activity for the family
is picking up an Adults vs Kids trivia game.
I've found them all over the place
reasonably priced.
All you need is a deck of cards
and some paper to keep track of the score with.
If you have a particularly dumb family member,
just stick them on the Kids Team
and make them the Captain.
We loaded up the kids yesterday afternoon
to embark on our annual Holly Trail.
My in-laws started the tradition years ago.
It's a great thing to do if you have a large group of family or friends.
Pick a starting spot and an ending spot,
and make a path of stops along the route.
See all of the trees.
Have a drink and a snack.
Then move along to the next house.
It's so fun.
Even if you have a small house
you can pack everyone inside for a half an hour.
It took about 5 hours to get from West Millcreek
to Harborcreek
to North East.
Sam has been learning to play the piano
and entertained us with some nice background music.
You are never too old to play with a train table.
One of the most fun games we played
was shared by my niece Cora.
This Saran Wrap Ball Game was an absolute blast!
