WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR NOVEMBER 2015

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  • jmkmomm
    jmkmomm Posts: 3,247 Member
    Carol, NC, you are absolutely glowing! Glad you had a good time and it looks like you are doing it right. Meeting at a food court in a mall sounds very safe.

    We went to Denny's tonight to eat, to get to it you go down one of the main shopping streets. We took back roads but the main road looked awful and that was at 5 PM on a rainy day. I can't imaging what it was this morning. They said their worst time was 10 PM last night when some of the stores were closing for the evening. I have looked at some ads online, didn't find anything. One thing I saw in Walmart's ad was a standing mirror jewelry organizer. I have always wanted a standing pivoting mirror and didn't know they had them that could open to put your jewelry in. But most of my necklaces are long, I don't wear bracelets at all, I used to have more earrings but don't wear them anymore and sold most of them. I do have about 8 rings. all of these organizers have places for everything and not a whole lot of room for necklaces, especially long ones. DH doesn't buy anything at all for any occasion so I jsut buy myself something and tell him thanks. But we spend most of our money on our kids and grand kids. Not much on ourselves. So I was planning on keeping this around $100. Not possible. The ones on these big sales are sold out and the rest of them are way to much for my tastes.

    About gifts for a 9 year old. My youngest grand daughter is 9 and I give according to what her hobbies are. She loves science, rock collecting, space exploration etc. So I go towards those kind of things. Neither of the girls take care of their clothes well, the 14 year old better than the 9 year old. So I no longer by the younger one any clothes. The 14 year old, clothes is what she is wild about. I pretty much know her styles and do OK with her loving whatever I pick out. Both the girls love books also. So if your 9 year old loves that it is always a safe thing to go with. Oh, my 9 year old loves origami and the paper isn't that expensive. Last year I gave her a beginners book along with the paper. My 9 year old is a little strange that all she needs is a big package of printer paper and tape. No telling what she will make out of that. And duct tape. There are so many styles of duct tape for kids to just go wild into making things with or covering something old and worn out like their used dresser. It may not look like a designer dresser or one in a furniture store but that child make that creation with their own imagination.

    I intentionally kept my leftovers here last night because we always have a second 'leftovers' meal the next day before the kids go home. My sister also loves to come over and join us. She is made to be a grandma. She was a preschool teacher, teaches that age in Sunday school. She ahs two kids. One only has one child and he is now in college 600 miles away. The other is so afraid to have a pelvic exam she has sworn never to have children. So she uses my 2 for her surrogate grand children. So after today's lunch I sent all the leftovers home.

    Barbie, our family get togethers are so great because of the love that flows. We know that both our parents although they are both dead are with us every moment and smiling at us all day long. My sister thanked me last night for the wonderful time. I said I know it has to be this way because Mom would have it no other way. We could be eating peanut butter sandwiches for Thanksgiving and it would still be just as much fun.

    I really got a shock this morning. My nephew who was the heroin addict and is well on the mend now and completely changed his life around, well he was with a girl for several years. They loved each other, she stood by him while he was in his court appointed 1 year drug rehab inpatient. They had 2 children and she was pregnant with the 3rd when all of a sudden he said by. I'm out of here. He was finally completely sober for the first time i about 10 years and felt like he needed to find out who he was. They have always remained friends, not just for the kids but they truly are friends. She is now living with another guy, they are now engaged and seh is coming for Christmas! She said she could never miss the Peterson family Christmas. her and Matt will share a motel room so they can share the responsibility of the 3 kids. Why do kids just hop in bed with some one, think they are in love, have babies, break up and within a month are living with some one else. What happened to dating???? My other nephew is the same, drug addict, shaking up with a slut of a girl, they have 3 kids, broke up. Both of them are now living with others now.


    OK, I am off my soap box. Nite nite
    Joyce, Indiana
  • cityjaneLondon
    cityjaneLondon Posts: 12,710 Member
    edited November 2015
    Woken up early. Excited, waiting for my new phone to arrive. :D Hope I can manage to get it sorted.
    Going to start on the kitchen packing this pm once my friend has gone. She is calling in for a cup of tea. :love:

    Sylvia - EEEEEEEEEKKKKKK! It's their unpredictability I don't like. They're ok in a cage.

    Joyce - Glad it all went well. You have such a big heart. :flowerforyou:

    Gloria - sounds like the job hunt went well. Best wishes for that and a new, lovely place to live. <3

    Must get DH a nice cup of tea. :D<3

    Heather UK
  • klanders30
    klanders30 Posts: 2,569 Member
    Have been having a lovely thanksgiving weekend! Took a long walk with a friend yesterday, we are having unusually warm weather for this time of year, so a long walk to catch up was the best thing for both of us. Got home and cleaned up from t-day, then spur of the moment walked into town to see a movie with my dd.
    We saw a quiet litte movie called "Brooklyn" about a young girl in the 50s imigrating from ireland, have to say i couldnt stop thinking of my mother and cried quite a bit, even though this wasnt her story it seemed to trigger something in me....
    Off to an errand filled weekend, after some exercise.
    Karen from ny
  • grandmallie
    grandmallie Posts: 10,094 Member
    morning ladies~
    didn't sleep to well, but I am sort of out of my element... anyway.. am having a nice cup of tea, and then I will hop in the shower and start my day..gonna get gas for the car,then stop at grocery store and see if they have peppermint patties for Ray, then stop at the house finish up the laundry and and bring it with me, stop and visit with Ray for awhile and then go up to my favorite store on the cape.. as you know I am crazy for birds, and the place is called Birdwatchers General Store, and it always has wonderful stuff there, sometimes I buy something, sometimes I dont ,but love it just the same...
    then I will probably go to the beach, there is a 40% chance of showers today so want to be able to get there before the rain.. then last but not least I will visit with Ruth..I love them both dearly, and it is sad to see that they are at the end of there lives, I can only hope they both will be able to get back to there home before they pass...
    It is a cute little ranch and,they did a reverse mortgage on it, they didnt know I wanted it after they are gone.. so there goes my little house on the cape..Ce La Vie~
    I will enjoy what time I have up here and sit and relax while I can .
    Tom went to see his dad yesterday morning and finally believes what I have been telling him, that the dementia has his dad deteriorating, he said to Tom yesterday, dont leave me,I dont know where I am and it scared the beJesus out of Tom, he doesnt really want to go down there ,but he will.. he feels better when I am with him, because I know how to deal with it better.
    The nursing home where Ray is ,is just kinda creepy, like you would see, all sorts of old people in wheelchairs ,blotto and it smells,Poor Ray Ray sorta looks out of it too and he is now having trouble urinating, like he doesnt have enough going on...
    Ruth the poor lady is stuck in bed,as she has had her leg amputated below the knee and she is from Germany, and is as strong willed as they come. she can be down right mean ..not to me of course but to everyone else
    and it usually is all about her.
    So yes I will try and spend at least an hour or more with each of them but the rest of the day is for me.....
  • lhannon062709
    lhannon062709 Posts: 1,140 Member
    Pip - the fireplace looks lovely... wish I had one about now...

    It's 7:30 a.m., been up since 5 a.m., when I rolled over where I was ensconced on my new foldup sofa (Here's a link to one on Amazon if you're wondering what I'm talking about.) and put my elbow in a small, icy-cold puddle. We thought we had all the leaks taken care of above the back office area... but not so much.

    It's been raining for almost 24 hours straight, a rare event here, and there were more leaks than we knew. The DH actually got up on the roof yesterday in the rain for nearly an hour and did a bunch of fixes, but it wasn't enough. *sigh* I hate a leaky roof more than any other problem, there seems to be no cure for it. And he doesn't want to pull the money out of savings to just put on a new roof, which I get, I really do... but it makes the place unlivable even for short term stays like last night.... not that we knew that until... oh, I stuck my elbow in a puddle. Gah.

    So, I scramble out of the nice warm blankets, drag the bed out from under the leak, wrap a box in a garbage bag so it can sit under the drip, and finally get a cup of coffee going. Forgot I had the heater plugged into the same circuit as the coffee maker, and blew the circuits in the back office. And it is dark and rainy and awful outside and I've never even looked in the circuit breaker box. So, I said to heck with it, threw everything in the front office and am out here, where there's electricity, two heaters running, and it's dry.

    Also had to throw the kittens back out in the warehouse about 2 am because they just kept using me as a racetrack... Good thing they've got fur coats... So, I've not had much sleep, had a rude awakening, and just started my third cup of coffee (turning the heaters off for that five minutes while the K-clone was burbling). This morning, coffee is my contribution to the safety of those around me, because without it, I would be killing people.

    Can't drive yet, still 32 degrees outside. While it's just at the edge of freezing, there are a lot of windswept areas of the 30 miles of road to the ranch gate that will be skating rinks until the sun comes up and warms things a bit.

    Thank goodness we haven't actually had any business at the warehouse yet, because at the moment, the front office looks like the Beverly Hillbillies came through...

    Ah... into each life some rain must fall. Just kvetching, my peoples. None of it is the galloping never-get-overs. Now that I'm halfway through the third cup of coffee, I'm almost brave enough to go put on my rubber boots that I found in the back of the closet yesterday, put on my raincoat, also at the back of the closet (and far too big! yay! NSV!) and go see if I can find the right switch to flip to get the electricity back on in the back office so the refrigerator will at least be able to run... Now I know why my husband wants to flip the breaker box around so it's inside the building and not outside. Smart boy. Wish we'd gotten that little thing done!

    Lisa in wet and frozen West Texas
  • miriamwithcats
    miriamwithcats Posts: 1,120 Member
    edited November 2015
    Mice are one thing I never have a problem with!

    Lisa, what a drag! It is so hard to find the leaks in roofs! I was up in my attic investigated wet areas and climbing on my roof numerous times before I found the leak and patched it alongside a dormer window. I don't do heights well, but it had to be done!

    Carol, you are glowing!
  • DamitJanit
    DamitJanit Posts: 1,329 Member
    Call me crazy but I love to see other people happy and succeeding .

    Good Morning Ladies,

    Sylvia, sorry about the mouse but…..smiley-laughing025.gif Not that I would want one in my bedroom but what do you think that tiny little thing is going to do? Trust me, he has more reason to be scared of you and Spot. I do hope you were able to get some sleep.

    Kim, it sounds like a full day on Thanksgiving but also a fulfilling one. Good for you.

    Joyce, your Thanksgiving sounds wonderful with all the love. I have to agree that I just don’t get it with the younger generation sleeping with anyone and having kids without getting married, etc., etc., etc. smiley-confused005.gif

    Allison, you are so good to visit your friends and spend time with them but I’m glad to hear that you will spend some time for you. You definitely deserve some peach and relaxation. ((((Hugs))))

    Lisa, not a fun way to wake up, finding a leak with your elbow in the puddle. Hope your day only gets better.

    I may venture out today to return something to Stienmart. I haven’t decided yet. If I can get DH to hold the ladder, I’d like to get the Christmas lights up today before it turns cold. I got my activity tracker today and downloaded the app to my phone, but don’t know how to turn it on???? I’ve had it charging for about an hour and that didn’t do anything. Do you have to turn on the FitBits or do they always stay on? Always something. lol I hope all of you have a productive day, if that’s what you want, otherwise a restful one.


    I hope all of you have a healthy and happy day. rose.gif

    Words I live by:
    Savor. I have to slow down and savor every bite.
    and
    Opportunity. Each day offers new opportunities for good health and happiness if we just look for them and choose them.
    I Love you, smiley-love013.gif
    DJ
    Myrtle Beach, SC
  • pipcd34
    pipcd34 Posts: 17,264 Member
    godmomkim - Pip – so glad you did not fall, and that you’ll be back to biking – I know it is good for your health, physical and mental. I am sorry to see others not trust your skill and common sense, I believe in you.

    thanks :0). i am kinda excited to ride again... i will be lit up like a christmas tree !
  • margaretturk
    margaretturk Posts: 5,258 Member
    Today I will work on putting up the Christmas decorations. My rule is I put something out something else is put away. I did put our the creche set I rescued from my mom's last April. It is hard to believe there are no broken pieces. It is fragile so I am trying to find the best place to display it where it will not be disturbed. I remember going to someone's house and making these for a bazaar over 50 years ago.I'll post a picture later.

    :heart: Margaret
  • nccarolb
    nccarolb Posts: 858 Member
    DJ - Fitbits are always on. At least, my Flex is always on.
  • Vickil57
    Vickil57 Posts: 1,882 Member
    Happy Saturday. Well I am working this weekend and DH leaves this afternoon to meet DS and DDIL to go to Kansas city to the big football game tomorrow afternoon. DS that lives here in town will be picking me up from work today and taking and picking me up tomorrow as DH took the car and with all the snow and ice I will not drive the truck.

    Had a good time with the DGC yesterday. We worked on Christmas projects and getting us all in the spirit of Christmas. I am working on our Christmas letter and will do cards as like I to get them mailed the first week of December. Then I can just enjoy the cards as they come, they are one of my favorite things at Christmas.

    Katiebug--Thanks for sharing the pictures. You have a very nice family and I think the turkey looked great.

    becca--Sounds like you also had a very nice Thanksgiving day. Thanks for the address I will get a picture sent today. I hope when you get your tree done you will post a picture.

    DJ--Hope your back is better.

    Carol--Beautiful smile. Glad your date went well.

    Allison--Glad you arrived safe. Sounds like you are busy all ready taking care of others. Remember to take sometime for yourself.

    Ladies once again I am caught up and need to get somethings done. Pretty slow day compared to last day I worked. My dear new boss messed up my time card. When I was sick last week I put in my sick time. I was checking my timecard this morning as time goes in after midnight and she also put time in for the day I was sick. I do not want to burn 11 hours of time so sent her a note and hope she gets it fixed. Have a good rest of the day.
    Stay safe and warm. Keeping you all in my prayers.
    Blessings, Vicki GRAND ISLAND NE
  • 40DmBjunkie41
    40DmBjunkie41 Posts: 18 Member
    Hi everyone. I'm not sure if this will be a good fit for me or not, but I sure like the organization & mindfulness of this thread. I'm over 50, but very young at heart, with very specific health conditions. MFP & support from my health-conscious son has helped me become more aware of what I'm putting into my body. If it weren't for MFP I would never have recognized where my eating mistakes were occurring. I've been here nearly 3 months now, have only 1 RW friend here, & have found that ppl drop off with their level of dedication at times. I'm counting on others to help me stay motivated, recognize my mistakes, and to do better moving forward. My goal is to lower my calorie, sugar, carb, sodium & fat intake. I'm sedentary - it's hard (emtionally) for me to leave the house, therefore I get very little exercise & fresh air. I LOVE giving support/encouragement & of course like getting some as well. I just moved to the east coast from CA - what a difference! I want to lose 110 lbs, become a "clean" eater, & develope the courage to get outta the house, explore my area & become more active. This is DmB Junkie signing off until next time
  • megblair1
    megblair1 Posts: 1,226 Member
    HI gals. Only 40 posts…I can manage that! I’ve been really busy trying to deep clean our office. IT’s a total nightmare. Bleh! It’s sleeting again outside and is very slippery. Benny has fallen down the back stairs twice going outside.

    DJ: sounds like you are doing a fine job with maybe less than great leftovers?

    Pip: have you ever made homemade dry dog food? We can’t find a dry food that is low enough in fat (4%). We don’t’ want to feed just moist because he seems to be hungry. Even with all his meds, Benny Beagle’s triglycerides were over 1000! Hooray for heat!

    GRITS: I join you in saying “hell no” to Black Friday. What a mess.

    Grandmallie: be safe in your travels. You are truly a blessing to your friends.

    Peach: love the avitar!

    Lisa: I watched the TCU/Baylor game and was amazed at that weather! Stay warm!

    Irish Teri: congrats on the weight loss!

    KAtla: your tour sounds wonderful! I bet everything was beautiful!

    DJ: usually we put up the outdoor decorations on this weekend, but it’s so icy out we may wait!

    Sylvia: EEEEK is right. Hope Spot is a killer! LOL. Personally I would trap them and let them outside; I can’t even step on an ant!

    Joyce; I am with you, wondering about kids having babies willy-nilly. I always wished for a big family to celebrate holidays with, but maybe I’m better off this way….not much drama other than DD#1.

    Karen: glad you had a good holiday!

    Vicki: nice to see you are doing well

    Junkie: welcome aboard!

    OK I need to get busy for my company. Maybe you all can do the “snow day” dance for Monday for me. I would love a snow day! Take care, Meg from Omaha where our garbage truck just slid right past our house.
  • margaretturk
    margaretturk Posts: 5,258 Member
    lzsvi8j7iv11.jpg

    Still struggling on how to share pictures from Windows 10. I import the pictures and I find them in photos, but I struggle to get them to post. I had to reconnect this to my camera to get this to download and then the file is so big because I cannot resize the picture. :angry:

    :heart:
  • cityjaneLondon
    cityjaneLondon Posts: 12,710 Member
    Meg - nice to see you posting!

    Well, my phone didn't arrive, but I wasn't charged for postage and didn't get a text saying it was coming, so I guess it's Monday after all. They lied! !!!!! I will ring and complain.
    I did manage to pack up some drinking glasses from the glass cupboards today, but DH didn't want to help as he had sport on TV. He said he would do it on Monday. I will do a bit more tomorrow, but I'm not going to kill myself. Need to think about my own packing. >:)

    Bought a new Kindle Paperwhite today on BF sale. £30 off with adverts. :laugh: I can take them off for £10. It will be useful on holiday when I want to read in the night and not disturb DH. Been thinking about it for a while as mine needs an external light and my tablet emits blue light, plus is a bit bright.

    Got to finish Christmas cards tonight.

    Love to all, Heather UK
  • 17761776
    17761776 Posts: 1,098 Member
    Margaret: doing the same today, missing some boxes. Not sure about a tree with the kitty n puppy. Last year we put it on the deck, beautiful!!


    Hope all had a wonderful thanksgiving!!! Gayle Minneapolis
  • bjkidfun
    bjkidfun Posts: 377 Member
    :)
  • Peach1948
    Peach1948 Posts: 2,473 Member
    B)
  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
    Here's my plan on "The Women Ages 50+ Christmas Felt Tree". I do have an advent story that goes until 24th. For many years on Christmas Day I would make up the ending of the poem of the story....with info pertaining to what we did during the past year. I will share some of them, because we got quite creative some years. I will post a pic of the things that were in each pocket on each day. That is my plan anyway. :-)

    Becca
    Oregon

  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
    @margaretturk What I have been doing photo-wise is this. I have a free photo sharing site called Photobucket. I put the digital camera square thingy in the computer and put the pictures into our Pictures. Then I go to the Photobucket site and upload the photo. Then I go to one of Photobuckets tabs that says Library and the picture shows on the screen. Then I click to the right of the picture is an option IMG and it will say "copied" in yellow when you click it. So then I have our site up also and right click to paste it on here. It's really easy.

    Becca

  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
    Hi everyone. I'm not sure if this will be a good fit for me or not, but I sure like the organization & mindfulness of this thread. I'm over 50, but very young at heart, with very specific health conditions. MFP & support from my health-conscious son has helped me become more aware of what I'm putting into my body. If it weren't for MFP I would never have recognized where my eating mistakes were occurring. I've been here nearly 3 months now, have only 1 RW friend here, & have found that ppl drop off with their level of dedication at times. I'm counting on others to help me stay motivated, recognize my mistakes, and to do better moving forward. My goal is to lower my calorie, sugar, carb, sodium & fat intake. I'm sedentary - it's hard (emtionally) for me to leave the house, therefore I get very little exercise & fresh air. I LOVE giving support/encouragement & of course like getting some as well. I just moved to the east coast from CA - what a difference! I want to lose 110 lbs, become a "clean" eater, & develope the courage to get outta the house, explore my area & become more active. This is DmB Junkie signing off until next time

    Welcome! Just unload any mental baggage you have to the white sides of this thread. I joined this haven of ladies back in May and its a nice place to feel accountable. No judging, no pity parties, and if you just whine they will call you out on it. (In a loving way mind you)..

    I have realized throughout my journey so far is one important fact. I need to walk the walk, to talk the talk. Not just say I want to be healthy, but to live it. To say what I mean, and mean what I say. If I eat something I own up to it, not just make up excuses.

    I think it comes down to forgiving your self. To celebrate the fact there is perfection in IMPERFECTION. I know there are many ladies in here that have traveled the same road I am on. Like WISE WOMEN...but without the warts..... I try to pay attention and learn. Again....welcome!

    Becca
    Oregon
  • pipcd34
    pipcd34 Posts: 17,264 Member
    bp13lzczor9s.jpg

    new look for him, u like??? i picked them out myself!
  • pipcd34
    pipcd34 Posts: 17,264 Member
    edited November 2015
    megblair - i don't make any of my dog food homemade. i mix two brands of dry dog food, one is cannidae senior platinum (lower fat) and it used to be royal canin medium special but rc is now selling their dog food direct so i switched to merrick dry dog food. i do get a case or two of moist merrick food but only put a teaspoon in with the dry so it lasts a lot longer.
  • pipcd34
    pipcd34 Posts: 17,264 Member
    stats for the day:
    jog- 27.37min, 8.55ap-min. mi, 152ahr, 168mhr, 5k = 330cal
    rowing machine- 20min, 32av watts, 1st time using both hands, 2713 meters = 193cal
    total cal = 523
  • DeeDee2211
    DeeDee2211 Posts: 1,133 Member
    Pip :) HOT!!!!!

    Margaret :) Just absolutely gorgeous!!!

    Carol NC :) I just love that fantastic smile on your face!!!!

    Barbie :) I hope the pain has lessened in your legs! Sending you lots of good healing energy!

    I have tackled one 9ft. Christmas tree today, cut myself twice on it and banged my head twice on the window sill :s . My mother would have told me she was going to wash my mouth out with soap :#:laugh:. I decided I should stop for the night and regroup tomorrow :) .

    Hope everyone has a wonderful healthy and happy weekend!

    Hugs,
    DeeDee relaxing in NC
  • grandmallie
    grandmallie Posts: 10,094 Member
    evening my friends~
    It's been a long day.. back at the hotel and in my jammies
    I took a shower and stopped at the house and put laundry in dryer, and stopped at Walgreens and got Ray some York peppermint patties, and then stopped to see him this morning.. had to hunt his teeth down and clean them off, thank goodness for keeping gloves in each room.
    Met his room mate who was very nice.. then got in the car and went up to Orleans, to the Birdwatchers General Store.. there were a ton of things I would have loved to have bought but I was good and just bought a keychain..
    I had a killer headache so stopped for a bottle of water and an apple... then went to Nauset Beach.. quincidental Cape Cod Beach~ just stunning and alot of Surfers were out because it was a bit stormy.. will see if I can post some pictures later..
    Then took the scenic route back..stopped back at the house and met the neighbor who is helping Ray out. He was thrilled to death to meet me,he said because he didnt have a clue on who to call if something happened to them, so we exchanged numbers
    went in and got her laundry and then stopped back in to check on Ray, he is only a block from there home, then from there down to see Ruth..
    She is a force to be recond with..visited with her for about an hr and she asked that I bring her bills and checkbooks back down,so since I am leaving early tomorrow, stopped one more time to see Ray and brought him some magazines from home. and then back to to Ruth with her financial stuff, she was barking at the poor CNA because she didnt have her nightshirt on her right and it was bunching up and she was just miserable to both the CNA and me,took her awhile to calm down.. but I went and took her old nightshirt and washed it in the sink in the bathroom and hung it to dry, brushed her hair and helped get her situated and off I went, and here I am, checking in with you all.. so part of my day was for me,
    I just have to think will be the last time I see them alive? I think Ray will go first.Ruth is so tenatious she will not go down without a fight.. I think Ray has a brother,but Ruth only has 2 nieces in Germany and so neither of them have family close by..
  • drkatiebug
    drkatiebug Posts: 1,976 Member
    DJ, the Fitbit flex stays on all the time, and you get an email telling you when the battery is getting low. But, Bluetooth needs to be turned on in your phones settings for the phone to recognize it and connect. You also have to go through a process of registering the device. It may have to charge longer than an hour. What kind of tracker do you have?
  • 17761776
    17761776 Posts: 1,098 Member
    pipcd34 wrote: »
    bp13lzczor9s.jpg

    new look for him, u like??? i picked them out myself!
    pipcd34 wrote: »
    bp13lzczor9s.jpg

    new look for him, u like??? i picked them out myself!

    He looks great!!! What a ordeal!! Great smile, threw the whole thing. Gayle Minneapolis

  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
    So, I found my "why is there a star upon the Christmas Tree" story for my felt tree. So I have a request for all the poem writers here. My advent story does not have a 24th story so this is how I always wrote the ending of my calendar for many years... (so you can understand the cadence of it:

    1993- So Japan with all its' wonder
    rings in this Christmas Day,
    and Galen with his smiling face
    you're loved in every way.

    1998-2004 (I was lazy for a couple of years)
    With life in Vallejo, so exciting and new,
    we ring in this Christmas Day.
    Galen, Patrick and Owain,
    a new baby, all buddies, in a caring
    and loving way.
    So, if I were to wish for something to have,
    it's something we've already got.
    It's laughter with love,
    and luck in life.
    Things that can't ever
    be bought.

    2008- Christmas arrives late this year
    The reason is quite crystal clear.
    Galen get leave, on the 29th you see,
    and this family is happy as can be!
    This year took us to many places.
    To Oregon, Laguna Del Sol, such friendly faces.
    But now we're just having fun.
    Being together with the eldest son.
    All the boys have grown up in 2007
    and Galen we hope will have leave past January 11th!!

    2009- Christmas comes right on time this "yearly",
    Galens' home HORRAY! we have missed him dearly.
    Getting his sea legs on the Big Blue,
    Landing helos, doing what he's trained to do.
    We live on Edwin Drive you see.
    Our family is content as they can be.
    Mom's getting slimmer by the day.
    She's doing it the Jenny Craig way.
    Lee has a scooter, it gives him a rush.
    A "chick magnet", he calls it, women seem to blush.
    He gives them a smile, a nice little wink,
    as they drive by, their cheeks turning pink.
    Patrick is blowing up bottles on the grass,
    using dry ice, and Sobe' glass.
    The reason is cuz it's so much fun,
    until Nadine, or neighbor yells, then it's done.
    He uses his bike for school transportation,
    but having Tim around, makes it seem like vacation.
    Owain's always reading, head in a book.
    He's doing it now, see have a look.
    His brain seems to gravitate towards histories,
    learning facts, unraveling mysteries.
    His friends notice he's somewhat unique,
    but such a good pal, week after week.
    So as we await summer to tan our *kitten*,
    we toast to our life, and lift our glasses.
    We realize just how lucky we are,
    even though we don't really own a car..... :-)

    2014- Many Christmas's have come and gone,
    we moved from Cali to Oregon.
    The reason was because Lee needed a liver.
    And on May of this year, an unknown angel became a giver.
    So it was a year of healing, of taking it slow.
    of appreciating our blessings, letting love flow.
    To say what I mean
    and mean what I say.
    To live in the moment,
    day to day.
    To not take for granted life's simply treasures,
    but to laugh and smile...
    and appreciate the pleasures.

    Nothing has really changed since writing that last year so I will use it for this year..
    So now the challenge is to write a poem that embodies the spirit of this group. The struggles, the joys, the commitment.... Have fun with it! Submit the poem to me via a message and I will pick one blindly from a jar!

    Becca