Fast Forward to Christmas

The Homespun and the Homemade

It has been a week. And it’s not over yet! The delightful craziness of Thanksgiving (all the rolls were eaten!) was followed by “Yikes! We have to get this house decorated and these are the only 3 days to do it.” We did it. I don’t go completely crazy. Well, unless you consider that I put up a Christmas shower curtain in the guest bath and will not apologize for it. But the decorating process is a well-oiled machine, especially now that it doesn’t involve Steve on a very tall ladder wrapping the porch columns in greenery. That was a bit much and we quit.

On Tuesday we drove to Lafayette to be with some dear friends who were mourning the loss of mother/grandmother. One of the blessings of being in community is the fact that we are friends with multiple generations of the same family. And these friends showed up when Dad passed last year and of course we do the same for those we love and care about. (Pause to insert comment here… it matters if you show up. It absolutely does.)

Then on Wednesday, drove to Baton Rouge for a “scope” yesterday. If you are over 50, you know what this means and what this entails and we just give each other sympathetic nods of understanding. Hope you enjoyed all that ginger ale and jello and broth. But there is good news! Dr. B’s official report: “No recurrence of cancer.” I am very grateful for God’s mercy. The “C word” has definitely left its mark on this year and it’s a lot for me to process, so back to Christmas…

Because my mom never throws anything away, she found my typed notes from a talk I gave to our church women’s Christmas luncheon back in 1997! Guess what I’ll be sharing at this year’s Family Christmas Program? (It just may show up here in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned. Martha Stewart, Elvis, and pine cones…)

Today I’m cooking; tomorrow 12 friends will be here for dinner. Beef Bourguignon is about to be simmering (best made a day ahead) and a cranberry white chocolate cake is in the works. I’ll put some carols on, light the new cinnamon candle from Trader Joes, and sneak another look at Dr. B’s report. And smile.

Welcome Home!

Renée