keljonma's Front Porch - Settling in and adjusting

[keljonma]

We have been busy - getting some stuff done around the house. TR replaced a portion of a ceiling that was falling down due to a roof leak. The roof has been replaced, and we have had enough rain to determine that it is no longer leaking. So he cut away the bad portion and replaced it with drywall. We just have to tape/mud it and then we can get that room painted and something done with it.

I have been working on projects and doing some Christmas baking. I need to get busy on the denium braided rug, which is still sitting in its bag.

Last Sunday was 2nd Sunday lunch and TR and I were responsible for getting it set up in time. TR took the lasagne out of the oven and dropped it and kicked it across the church kitchen floor (most of it stayed in the pan, thankfully! And no one saw him do it but me ). So now he talks about drop-kick lasagne as his new dinner creation!

One early morning last week, TR woke me about 4 am to say there was a wild dingo in the bedroom. He keeps a small keychain flashlight on the table next to his side of the bed. He was flashing that thing all around the room, but I couldn't see anything.

The night before last, we were sitting in bed reading. I looked up to see a wild dingo come from under the closet door into the bedroom. It looked up and saw me and then ran back inside. A moment later, two wild dingos ran partially into the room, ran about a bit like they couldn't find the closet door, and then ran back to the safety of the hole in the wall in the closet. So I got up and searched the spare bedroom for a piece of hardware cloth. I couldn't find it, so I pushed a mini-blind slat in front of the hole and held the slat up with a pair of my shoes. Yesterday TR put out some wild dingo poison in the closet and around the upstairs and in the basement. These are places Titan doesn't go, so we should be safe using the poison. I don't know where the "wild dingo" name came from in TR's head..... but it sure sounds nicer than a mouse in the house.

We are looking forward to 3 services on Christmas Eve - 6:30pm, 9pm and 11pm. The early service is the children's Christmas pagent, 9pm will be the Cantata choir and 11pm is candlelight service. This will be our third year of attending all 3 services.

TR has to work Christmas Day, but we are hoping he will be able to leave at 11am, so we can get to my sister C's house for Christmas Day dinner.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

[Farmfresh]

FF thanks for the advice. I have written it down. It appears that the lath is still intact and in good shape. Just the plaster has crumbled. We are going to wait for a while to get this repair done - there are some floor issues that need addressed on the main floor of the house, and the buckled/cracked wall is upstairs (no one sees it but us)

Sounds like you might even have some foundation problems or at least some settling on that side of the house. Lots of old houses have the settling problem.

 

[keljonma]

Up to my elbows in Christmas baking. TR is working 1/2 day Christmas Day and has Saturday and Sunday off. It will feel almost like a mini-vacation for him, I'm sure.

I should be at home baking Christmas nut kifli, which is a cookie recipe my grandmother brought with her from Europe in the late 1800's. It is a yeast dough, and is sitting in the fridge waiting for me to roll out, cut, stuff, roll and bake.

I have to make one more Merk's cake because my sis-in-law and nephew from NY came for a visit today. She had her pre-surgical tests done on Monday and is doing some visiting before surgery on Jan 5. Anyway, I made them breakfast fritata and they needed something to eat before breakfast was ready. So I gave them cake.

I heard from Laurie that Brad is not doing well. He is still in ICU with H1N1. He is 50 years old, been in the hospital since November. He has already had limbs amputated. We are still keeping him and his family in our prayers. I think they will have a tough year end and start to 2010.

TR and I are looking forward to 3 Christmas Eve services. Hope everyone has a blessed day!

Merry Christmas to all!

kjm & TR

 

[keljonma]

We got snow and it melted before Christmas. Christmas day we got cold rain. For the past two days, we have been getting NON-STOP SNOW ! We've had about half a foot fall since yesterday. Our high today might reach 20!

TR and I went to all 3 Christmas Eve services. We did not get home until almost 1 am Friday morning! TR had to work Christmas morning, so he was pretty tired. We didn't open presents until he got home at noon. TR was really surprised to see a violin, as I had convinced him it just wasn't going to happen this year.

I got a beautiful new nativity (TR bought it during last year's after-Christmas sales when we went to Chagrin Falls). I also got a beautiful Blessing plaque for the house.

If you have a place to live, that's Home
If you have people to love, that's Family
If you have both, that's Blessings

We had a wonderful dinner at my sister's C's place. I took the nut kifli, Russian Teacakes, Poorman's Fruit Cake, and Merk's coffee cake. We had turkey for dinner and a lot of wonderful side dishes. I brought home the turkey leftovers and carcass, and will make a Turkey & Dumplings meal for 2nd Sunday Luncheon at church in January. Meanwhile, the bird is in the freezer. QA - do you see the irony in this?

The family hasn't made plans yet for New Year's Day. We will probably go to my sister L's place. New Year's Eve we usually have a quite fancy meal at home. We might go to the Christian Fellowship Couples NYE dinner - but we haven't decided yet.


We wish all a very happy and healthy 2010 filled with God's blessings!

KJM & TR

 

[Dace]

If you have a place to live, that's Home
If you have people to love, that's Family
If you have both, that's Blessings

I love that!

It sounds like you had a very nice holiday. I can't believe it is the end of another year! Where does the time go?

 

[punkin]

Hey, Kel.

We don't make big plans for New Year's either. When Andy was younger, we usually had snackies about 10 pm and waited for the ball to drop. I'm sure, now that he's 19, he will have plans of his own.

New Year's Day, I'll probably have a few people over for a good old fashioned dinner.

 

[keljonma]

Hey, Kel.

We don't make big plans for New Year's either. When Andy was younger, we usually had snackies about 10 pm and waited for the ball to drop. I'm sure, now that he's 19, he will have plans of his own.

New Year's Day, I'll probably have a few people over for a good old fashioned dinner.

Hey, punkin!

TR wants to get or make Chinese food, as that has been our tradition for the past 30+ years. Then we usually go to the theatre and see a movie.

We used to do snacks, shrimps, and Chinese at home when the kids were growing up - they would each invite a friend over. We would rent movies and watch them on the vcr. Lots of fond memories.

Hope your holidays are great regardless of what you do.

 

[keljonma]

TR is working today and tomorrow. He gets Friday off. We will spend part of Friday at my sister L's for dinner.

We have been stripping more wallpaper in one of the upstairs bedrooms. I hope to get it painted this week-end. TR doesn't know this....yet. I am hoping he will paint the ceiling.

Doesn't that sound like a fun holiday?!

 

[Farmfresh]

Be sure that the roller is screwed on well when painting it.

Several years back I was painting the ceiling with one of those shielded rollers. It was working so great at keeping those little splatters under control. Until...it came loose off of the stick!

The whole roller top went flying into my living room and slid across the un-protected floor! What a mess! That is the kind of home improvement only I could accomplish!

 

[keljonma]

Be sure that the roller is screwed on well when painting it.

Several years back I was painting the ceiling with one of those shielded rollers. It was working so great at keeping those little splatters under control. Until...it came loose off of the stick!

The whole roller top went flying into my living room and slid across the un-protected floor! What a mess! That is the kind of home improvement only I could accomplish!

Well, that hardly sounds like fun ---- although reading it did kind of remind me of those paintings of the 60's and 70's - cover your body in paint and roll on the canvas....