. . . with a few words thrown in.
Like a kitten mesmerized by a dangling string, I’m drawn to the sight of dancing flames, sparkling lights . . .
. . . and twinkling smiles! DD and her girls arrived late afternoon on Christmas Day and left Sunday afternoon.
But before they arrived, we were guests for Christmas day dinner at Candy and Johns’.
Sometimes you “eat” and then sometimes you “dine”. And the food and the company were as wonderful as the table was beautiful. Thank you Candy and John!
Soon after we returned home, DD and her girls arrived.



That evening we exchanged gifts and just enjoyed being together.
The youngest gift-giver, Mimi, gave me a very interesting gift. Can you guess what it is?
— it’s a very warm and cozy little muff with an ice scraper inside!
I went to the garage to test it. Perfect! While I’m scraping my windshield, my hand will stay toasty warm. I’ve never had one of those, but I know it will be very useful!
This was my early morning breakfast on Saturday morning (as compared to my second breakfast that I ate hours later with my family!) eaten while admiring gifts from my grandchildren (including the placemats!).
When everyone else got up, we had bagels and cream cheese with the wonderful homemade grape jelly our next door neighbors Belinda and Mike gave us. It is absolutely delicious. If this were the grape jelly they served in restaurants, no one would ever ask for some other spread for their toast!
After breakfast, DD, Mimi and I went shopping to spend the money gift Mimi had received at her favorite store — the Disney Store. She bought a glittery princess gown with matching crown, shoes and wand. The key word there is glittery! Let’s just say, even after a good going-over with the sweeper, our house still “sparkles”! But, she looked darling in it (I can’t believe I didn’t think to take a picture of that!) and enjoyed it, so that’s what counts. The little bit of glitter residue is temporary . . . the memories are forever.
When we returned from shopping, we all went to Cinema Grille for dinner and the Chipmunks movie. Mimi wore her whole new outfit, including the wand, which she did understand had to be turned off during the movie. I imagine, with her looking like a princess as she arrived at the theater, we must have looked like her serfs just tagging along behind.
I can also imagine that when the employees went to clean up the theater afterwards, they must have wondered at the sprinkles of “fairy dust” here and there.
Next week is the birthday of the little giver of ice scrapers/princess. So, when we returned home from the movie, and she changed into more dealing-with-food-approprite clothes, she supervised while I baked her a chocolate cake, her favorite. And then she decorated it. (Why yes, she had just drank some red fruit punch. How did you guess?)
It’s obvious she is her Nana’s girl (besides our shared love of “sparkle”) — she loves lots of color just like Nana does too! She was very proud of how it turned out and said she thought it looked like stars and fireworks. I think so too!
On Sunday, we went out for lunch and then came back to the house to have birthday cake (and, of course, to give Mimi our presents, which I had bought at the Disney Store while her mom shopped with her over in the “sparkle” section) before they left for home.
Then it began to snow in earnest and the forecast predicted more, so it was time for DD and the girls to leave.
Already buckled into your seat in the back of Mom’s car, and then realize you didn’t get to kiss Papa good-bye? Not a problem. Papa will find a way to get to you for that good-bye kiss!
Papa’s “little girl” made sure she got her good-bye kiss too!
And they were off for their four hour drive home, which they completed safely.
That evening, after the snow quit, Hubby went out to plow and I went out to take some pictures.
He worked . . .
. . . while I played. The neighborhood lights are lovely at night.

There are two of these concrete urns flanking the garage door that faces the street. I put geraniums in them in the summer, but they look somewhat “naked” in the winter.
But about a month ago I saw this suggestion in an article on outdoor decorating — you put an evergreen wreath on top of an urn and put a big Christmas ball in the middle. It was easy to do and I like the way our seasonally drab urns look “dressed up” for Christmas.
A fun weekend with friends and family. I hope yours was the same.