I wasn’t expecting to get up early, but apparently my body remembers previous Christmas mornings, lol… although it was 6:47 am when I woke up, for many years it was often around 4… and I would eventually start banging pots in the kitchen to encourage all of the sleepers to wake up…
around 7:30 I got up, made breakfast and then read for a while in the living room enjoying the tree lights…
there were matching pyjamas, calls, texts, visits and naps throughout the day… the naps may have had something to do with the 6:47 wake-up, lol…
spaced amongst all of that were relaxing dinner preparations… beautiful mashed potatoes, delicious stuffing and tasty gravy went perfectly with chicken, turnip, ham, and previously homemade cranberry sauce…
I was absolutely spoiled with a myriad of wonderful gifts…
I received a box of individually wrapped pieces of chocolate in the mail to fill my Advent calendar…
was very happy and quick to pop one into each of the twenty four squares in the box… and there are two on the last day so that I can enjoy one on Christmas Day;-)…
now to wait for tomorrow, when I get to open the first one;-)…
Sunday, now that the two coats of primer were on, the actual paint went onto the shelves and the doors… and because it was going to rain, we had to do the doors inside, rather than on the deck, lol…
then we got to relax as we waited for it to dry…
we checked out a few other projects and I put back the banner that had come down in the hall…
looks so much better now that the holes have been repaired…
today, for my seventy-first birthday, I’ve been treated to phone calls, texts, and messages on social media…
I’ve also received a gift of a flower bouquet subscription, an actual bouquet of flowers, and chocolates… these people know me well, lol…
my buddies also came by and sang to me on the sidewalk…
our birthday bag has travelled many a mile from one house to the next and has been repaired a number of times… it has even gone missing for a year or two, but always turns back up…
just before they surprised me, I had been listening to music released in 1951… much of it seems very old, lol…
first thing this morning, I went out and shovelled the steps and sidewalk after more snow over the last few days… it was a treat to have blue sky, sunshine, and weather warm enough to wear a spring jacket… and the snow on the trees was pretty…
I also did some yoga, had a nap, took flower photos, got some reading done in the sunshine, attended a Zoom meeting and possibly ate a bonbon or two with some tea…
it has been two and a half years since I last saw this girl in person…
and something like four years since she’s been home…
I am delighted and look forward to making the most of these next few days…
so far, we’ve eaten chocolate and macarons and I got the cutest tray from Paris with Monet’s NYMPHEAS (water lilies)… it was a lovely reminder of a wonderful visit the two of us had to a museum in New York…
more lazy days, tons of conversation, favourite foods, and walks outside are on the agenda;-)…
I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day… from getting flowers from my beloved, to making heart shaped sugar cookies for the girls’ classrooms for years, to taking roses to my colleagues…
in later years, once the girls had flown the nest, we would have a special dinner… often steak and lobster…
this year I ordered a charcuterie board from Oak Hammock Marsh, one of our local not-for-profits, for my dinner tonight…
it was delivered to my door and looked festive…
there were cheeses, olives, crackers, cold cuts, fruit, nuts, herbs, even a bit of chocolate… and it came on a nice wooden board…
tonight I enjoyed half of it, and will finish it either tomorrow or Monday…
was thinking of my beloved as I enjoyed this treat…
I’ve been thinking about generosity quite a bit lately…
recently a friend treated me to dinner and another one to lunch… such a gift;-)…
when I think of generosity, I think of generosity of spirit, kindness, and sharing the wealth as much as possible…
I think of my dad, who taught me to be kind and treat people nicely… he would have given anyone the shirt off his back…
I remember whenever he or my mom were sick and in hospital, it would be my job to fetch nuts and chocolates from Morden’s to share with the staff… that was something we did to thank individuals and groups for their help…
many years ago a colleague suggested that I did nice things for others to get attention and compliments… they were not able to understand that this generosity habit was part of who I am…
thanking those around me just seems to be ingrained in me…
for many years I would treat colleagues to flowers, chocolate and/or nuts, or something else I made, to celebrate special events… often my anniversaries or birthday… it was always great to see their enjoyment of whatever the treat happened to be…
it also brings much happiness and always reminds me of my dad…
nowadays, I am working toward sharing with others in as many ways as I can…