Wednesday, January 8, 2014

If I HAD Been Posting....



I don't know what the protocol is, or if there even is one, for returning from a blog break. Since my fantasy of coming up with all sorts of clever blog topics while I wasn't posting didn't exactly materialize I am just going with what I probably would have posted if I HAD been posting......lots of (now out of date) pictures of family activities during the holiday season.

One of my favorite family traditions during the Christmas season is my grandchildren all coming over to decorate my Christmas tree. With 7 kids on the job it is an exercise in chaos and speed decorating. Though not perfect in design it is a tree filled with fun, love and memories and I leave (most) of the ornaments exactly where the kids hang them.

I think I have said this for the last couple of years, but it is good that some of the kids are now tall enough that ornaments get hung on more than just the bottom half of the tree.

The traditional picture of the kids in front of the tree after they are done with the decorating is never perfect but always a fun one to  have. (This year's tree decorating coincided with a big game for the Broncos so everyone was dressed to  cheer them to victory.)

Baking Day comes a day or two before Christmas. My daughters do all the baking for our Christmas Eve open house and the cookie decorating is the kid's job.

EJ and Anna (both 5 when this pic was taken) in their new pajamas on Christmas morning.

Another tradition.....black-eyed peas and more football on New Years Day.
My kids, Rob, Jill and Joanna....they always seem to line up from oldest to youngest, left to right when they sit on my couch.

Just a fun pic of my daughter, Joanna, and her family on Christmas Eve.
The look on Hope's face (upper left) gives you a clue to what all the giggles were about.

And finally, my middle granddaughter, EJ, turned 6 on January 3rd. She is a spunky, ornery and full of fun little girl and I couldn't miss wishing her a happy birthday.

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A couple of other things I might have written about.....

I no longer love wrapping gifts. There was a time in my life when I did, but those days are gone. (Ok, that would probably have been a very short post.)

The Saturday morning a week or so before Christmas when a neighbor knocked on our door to tell us that when they were coming home late the night before they saw a family of 8 skunks hanging out on our front sidewalk and porch. I hope they were just passing through (the skunks, not the neighbors) and that this doesn't turn in to a big, smelly post somewhere in the future. 

The 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang.....I would have told the story of my 1964 1/2 Mustang. It is kind of a sad story, but I might still write about it sometime soon.

Blogger: Why do posts from blogs I follow sometimes not show up until 8 or 10 hours after they were posted? Has any one else had this issue?

Wishing everyone a late but sincere Happy New Year.


Thanks to those who let me know that comments were turned off on this post....it took me a while (don't laugh) but I think I finally figured it out and now comments are back on.



18 comments:

  1. Great that you are back on your blog. I missed you.
    Your family is so photogenic, and I love your family traditions during the holidays.
    Happy New Year!
    Aloha from Hawaii.

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  2. Hi, Jeanie! I couldn't find the comment box earlier but luckily I kept checking back until it showed up. These are great pictures of your family taken during the holidays. They are genuine Kodak moments and it looks like a wonderful time was had by all. You and your fellow citizens of Colorado faced a year of tremendous hardship and tragedy in 2013 and I hope 2014 will be much kinder and gentler. Hello to Dodger and happy birthday to cute little EJ!

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  3. I love your opening. Perhaps I love it so much because I can relate. So, when I post my Christmas pictures, I will be even later than you in doing so. I love the photos of the kids and of the tree and of the family being together. You are fortunate to have your grandchildren so nearby. Have a great new year!

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  4. Yaaa, so glad I reminded you to allow comments again. Lovely to see your Christmas photos.
    You have so seriously GORGEOUS kids in your life Chick. And they all look so happy, what a joy they must be to you.

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  5. So glad to see a post from you Jeanie! Loved all the family pictures; I think it is such a neat tradition for the grands to come and decorate the tree and then to have a picture of them from year to year. I'm sure you can see how much they have grown from year to year and the memories you have of it all.

    Oh my gosh with the skunks! I bet you'll be super careful every time you walk out the front door! I've seen a few skunks here but always from the safety of our car.

    Sound be an interesting football game come Sunday!

    betty

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  6. Your family is so photogenic, and I love your traditions. I'm hoping you don't have a skunk tale (tail) to tell us about. Glad to see you back. Happy 2014!

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  7. It looks like a great time was had by all. Now tell us, do you still have the 50 year old Mustang?

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  8. Well...you did it! You came back!! I am afraid I may never do it. I should... but I can't seem to do it!! Loved your pictures and stories of good times! Now that I am done with that awful medicine... maybe I will start feeling better. Maybe it will warm up and I will want to get out (o: We are going to KC for Grandpas 90th BD in a few weeks. Just a short trip. I am sure we will both have lots to share by then (o:

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  9. Welcome back. Fun photos of lovely kids and grandkids! Funny, I also used to love wrapping gifts, and now I really keep it simple. Happy New Year!

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  10. I love your holiday/birthday recap. With all those lovely kids to love on, I don't blame you for taking a Blogging break!

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  11. You have some great Christmas traditions. The natural fun kind that the kids will remember as they get older and maybe pass on to their kids.

    I'm glad your back!!

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  12. Great looking family. Welcome back to the blogosphere and Happy New Year to one and all.

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  13. Welcome back!

    What a beautiful family you have! It looks like you had a grand time, and it's wonderful that you were able to spend the holidays together. Our daughter and her hubby, and my hubby and I went to our son's place in Alabama, so we were with four of our grandchildren. (Heaven!) But our other son and his family (his BIG family) stayed in Florida. Maybe next year they can come up...

    Um, let's hope that skunk family was just passing through. It'd really stink if they decided to stay.

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  14. These are such wonderful, happy, beautiful photos, Jeanie. I remember a couple of summers when a family of skunks took up residence under our deck. Those were stinky summers. I'd like to wish you and your family a very happy and healthy 2014.

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  15. Hi Jeanie, Welcome back. You know I LOVE your family pics so this post was a real treat. It looks like a fab holiday was had by one and all.

    Skunks! I yiyi. You do not want a family of them in your neighborhood and definitely not living near (or worse at!) your house. We've had them at family houses in Ohio and well, yuck.

    I'm getting worse and worse wrapping gifts too. Many landed in bags this year. I used to enjoy wrapping but I guess that ship has sailed.

    I've been away too so I'm not sure if Blogger is behaving badly or not yet. Hope your problem is solved.

    Happy New Year, xo jj

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  16. I enjoyed all the photos you have a beautiful family Happy New Year

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  17. Happy New Year, Jeanie!

    Pearl

    Regarding the skunks, that reminds me of an old Ole and Lena joke.

    Turns out Ole and Lena had a group of skunks move in under their porch. A neighbor tells them, "Oh, ya, what yer gonna wanna do dere is set in a plate of lutefisk. Dat'll get dem skunks outta dere."

    Two weeks later, the neighbor runs into Ole at the grocery store.

    "Ole! Dem skunks leave yer property yet?"

    "Oh, ja," says Ole. "But now we got a family of Norvegians under dere!"

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  18. Yikes! I hope the family of skunks are long gone! What a beautiful family you have, and I enjoyed seeing your pictures. When I was a teenager I wanted a Mustang so bad! I never had one but I remember a photo in Teen Magazine showing Sonny & Cher's matching mustangs. Boy that was a lifetime ago.

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