More Advent time

OMG, my blogging again had come to a screeching hold. Ha-ha, I had managed to write the title and add one photo. Now I need to decide ... do it catch up or skip some things? I do this for my memory and enjoyment, so ... here it is!

Well, December is always a busy month. The wreath workshop at the church last Saturday, the Christmon workshop the next Saturday December 4. Anyone who wants to learn how to make this year's Chrismon is welcome to come, even non-members. Years of experience have taught me that the little ornaments are difficult for some to learn on so we each make the church tree size one and when we are finished we go into the sanctuary and add them to the tree. Ha-ha, it is getting full. And for their effort they each take a private tree size one home. 

Every day James and I take turns turning the lace Chrismons on our Advent calendar.

German tradition. Stollen. We love it for breakfast. James with butter.

I like it without. We also always burn the Advent candle (gift from my sister Ute all the way from Germany - thank you!) to the next day. Isn't it pretty?

Saturday December 11: our Christmas gift to the three local grandsons. Instead big toys we give fun time. We bought tickets for a Christmas Show at the Glen Allen Cultural Arts Center. Theater! We picked them up after lunch, went to the theater, played games and assembled and decorated a gingerbread house. 

When it was time for us to bring them home (kind of late but after all it was a weekend) the question was "what to do with the gingerbread house"? I was sure their parents had already enough sweets at their house. The uninimous decision of the three was to gift it to Ms. Julie. I thought I could give it to her at the lobby but they were so disappointed and wanted to give it to her themselves. We were allowed a short visit because they are fully vaccinated. The boys and Ms. Julie were happy. Do you see the gingerbread house in the background?

Oh dear, Wednesday December 15. We had researched and thought about it ... the carpet in the loft and even more on the steps was not nice any more. We had decided and ordered. And now new carpet was going to be installed. You know what that means. All had to be emptied. My goal was to sort out. Less is more. I made good progress with my files. A lot of paper went into the recycling. James had major say about all the books we had. Not easy to part with a lot of things but it is done.

Before!

After! Very happy with the new stairs especially. 

For a long timehad I had wanted to rearrange the furniture and took advantage of this. James likes the new set-up a lot. We do have to sort more out though and hang more pictures etc. etc. 

The book case from the guestroom made it into the loft too. So much nicer ... for both places.

December brought many days were we could enjoy sitting outside (playing a card game) in short sleeves. No complains about that. 

Being 3x jabbed (fully vaccinated) and know our friends are too, we like to join our Friday evening group for a meal in a restaurant. This server had a funny t-shirt on. Our question about the undefeated since 1951 university football team was that it was the last year they had had a team.

Sunday afternoon the Church women had a Christmas party. We had nibbles and punch, sang carols, played the gift exchange story game (no taking away) and just had a fun relaxing time with friends.

The Chrismon wreath in the Parish Hall. All 14 ornaments since James and I started the tradition when we had moved here in 2008. 

Yes, busy, busy. On the 20th anouther appointment. Tony came to our house, courtesy of our Electric Company. He exchanged every light bulb in our house with one of the energy efficient ones he had brought. Totally free of charge. 

Now we ask ourselves 2 weeks later: what to do with the 69 old bulbs he had taken out? They are not broken. 

There has to be time for our dear friend Julie in her new home. I brought her one of my "over-the-door card display sets". Ha-ha, I didn't know that it came with putting the cards up which had already arrived for her. She was very happy about them. 

I also helped her find all of her Chrismons she wanted for her little tree one of her sons had brought to her. Merry Christmas!

I did not get around to writing a long Christmas letter as I used to for many years. I did not manage to do many things. But I did managed to do a lot of things. And altogether we enjoyed the pre-Christmas Advent time very much as we love to do. 

Christmas is coming. Helen and William are coming from Nashville! It will be fun.