Yes! I like Santas!

Yesterday Tina, our daughter , came up and she invited us to go out to lunch with her!
We went to Road House Grill. It was very yummy- especially since I had skipped breakfast!

Before we left home she made this pic of the
'Old Folks!' :)

Yah- I DO like those bearded guys! ;)




( more proof here!)

~~~~

I got this meme from 'Hootin' Anni's place.' It looked kinda fun to do, so here goes. If anyone wants to do it Anni welcomes all to use her button header. Also, it would be nice to link back to her blog - and let her know you did the meme, too.

If anyone wants to do this please let us know so all may go to your site to read what you have to say!


Here are my answers!


1. Christmas is Magic . [fill in the blank with ONE WORD]

2. In memories, what was the best part of your Christmases past?

In my childhood the best part was getting up early on Christmas morning to see what Santa had left for me.

3. Was Santa ever good to you? [describe how and what]

I always thought so! Every Christmas I would get a doll...lol- until I was about 12 years old!

4. Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or both?

We have a big family thing on Christmas Eve and we all exchange gifts...When my kids were little and then later with the grandkids- there would also be the Santa Thing on Christmas morning! We have been so well blessed in being able to have ALL our kids at our home almost every Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

5. Is there something you make each and every year? [craft or recipe]

'Magic Cookie Bars'

6. What is your favorite five[5] Christmas songs/hymns?

Oh, Holy Night,
Noel,
What Child is This,
Oh Come All Ye Faithful,
Silent Night
( but I love all Christmas songs)

7. Is there a new tradition for Christmas since your childhood days?

My Santa collecting is new for me in the past several years.

8. Describe one of your Christmas trips. [whether it's across town or across country]

Have never gone away at Christmas time.

9. Do you have a special Christmas outfit to wear for the day?

Not really-Tho I do like to get new Christmas tops every season.

10. Have YOU or any of your family members sat on Santa's lap?

All my kids and grands liked to visit Santa and sit on his lap - I never did, though. :)

11. What is/or will be on your Christmas tree this year?

I use ornaments I have collected since Charles and I married- over 46 years ago- and add to them every year!

12. Do you/or have you decorated your yard for Christmas?

We usually have some lights around the front of the house...and for a few years put lights on a cedar tree we have in front- until it got too huge!


....SOOO- how about you?



Love,
Junie

Sarah McLachlan (River)

This is so beautiful!

Love,
Junie

I'm on his list!

Look who I spotted yesterday!
And I was lucky enough to snap a picture of his long list!
You can plainly see my name at the very top of his list!
(enlarge the picture for proof!)

What's even better, he was among my CDs and DVDs...
as if he's checking to see just what I might need to round out my collection! ;)

Can't wait!

Junie Rose

Early Christmas Memories ~ continued...

More memories...

( to read in order- see stories #1 & #2 in previous post )


~~~

#3

Mama's Christmas Tree

Never did we have a 'bought' Christmas tree, but one chopped down from some surrounding wooded area by my brother or Daddy. ( I hope with permission! :) )

Our earliest Christmas trees, naturally, had no electric lights. Still, they were elaborately decorated with colorful ornaments! These were of glass, celluloid, paper and sometimes balls of tinfoil, collected and made from juicy fruit gum wrappers by my older sisters!

* This is our whole family -very early days ~1945*

In later Christmases we had electric bubble lights on our tree! Mama loved those lights, and, so, did we all! Mama always wanted foil icicles hanging from the very tips of each branch, and as a finishing touch, Angel Hair covering the whole tree! What a beautiful glow that made! Another of Mama's favorites were the paper honey- comb type bells to hang at the windows and doors! These were in the deepest reds and greens - so festive!


Like this one!







Mama always managed to have brightly wrapped gifts for everyone, under the tree. Sometimes it might be five and dime finds...little toys, puzzles, paper dolls, coloring books! Often there were handmade gifts of clothing, warm mittens, scarves, house slippers - all made with Mama's love! And always there would be a doll for my sister and me on Christmas morning!

What sweet memories - our Christmases of the past! ~~~

*Christmas in South Florida in 1950.
Notice - my sis and I have our new Christmas dolls...and look at our bare feet!! :) *










~~~

#4

Another Christmas Eve… ( Immokalee, Fl )

Another Christmas Eve

This Christmas Eve, Mama and Daddy both had to work late.
We wait in the car, my sister and I, for their work to end; getting
increasingly more antsy as time drags by!
We want to get home … get to bed - to sleep - so Santa can come!

Their work ends, at last!

As every child on Christmas Eve must eventually do,
we managed to subdue our excitement enough to,
finally, sleep!

We had left a snack of nuts and fruit for Santa,
as was our custom.
In Santa’s haste to get out quickly and quietly,
after dispersing his gifts,
he dropped a small bunch of the grapes on the back stoop!
I know this to be a fact ...because Daddy said so!
He found the grapes! :)

My Christmas doll of that year not only talked,
but recited the Lord’s Prayer,
word for word!
I was amazed!

~~~

Santa's lost grapes!







Remembering…(on this date)Nov ‘03

~~~

#5

Christmas-Perrine (Perrine, Fl)

The Christmas I was twelve, my sister got a beautiful walking doll with shiny blond hair!

I got a red silky and ruffled party dress. Mom gave me my gift early. I needed it for a very special event at school. It was for a school-boy/girl type social event...a Christmas Sock-Hop!

We all danced in our elaborately decorated socks in the school gym!
(something new and exciting for me!)

So I had one less gift to open on Christmas morning. I did, however, get my first camera that Christmas! :)
(and have been happily snapping away all these years!)

This was my first Christmas of not getting a doll and probably my sister's last Christmas doll!


SO...a page turned...

I felt such sadness in leaving my childhood behind...


Some might argue that I *still * haven't done that!

:)

What do you think? ;)



Just remembering ( on this date)...Dec. 2003



Love,
Junie

Early Christmas Memories

*As this season comes around again I find myself remembering Christmases of the past...I mean-of my way-far back past!
(how about more than 60 years??)
These posts are recycled from my Memories of Mom blog which can be found on my side bar if anyone is interested.
( posted in January, 2006)

These little snippets from my past Christmas memories serve to illustrate that LOVE is the main ingredient that goes into a happy Christmas!*


NOTE:
I will number the stories in the order to be read.


~~~


#1


This memory is a favorite Christmas memory of mine! It was probably 1946 or 47...not sure!
(I wish I could ask Mom!)



Christmas Eve


Christmas Eve!
Heavy Alabama snow fall!
Night-the whitest white!
Too cold to venture out-
but we must -one last time before bed,
to the outhouse.

We then get snug and Mama tells us stories
of the Baby Jesus, of his mother, Mary - of
Joseph, the Shepherds, the Wise Men,
the Angels. We sing “Silent Night,"
“Away In a Manger” and feel,
through Mama’s words, the wonder of
HIS birth!


Being little girls, too, we feel the excitement
–the anticipation- of Santa’s visit and
wonder what he’ll bring us! We have no doubt
he will come, as we search the skies
through the frosty window; hoping for a glimpse of him.
As usually happens with children and Santa,
sleep came to us before Santa did!

The morning proved our faith well placed,
as this was the year we found our
Betsy Wetsy baby dolls under the tree, along with
puzzles, a spinning top and books!

...A book about Santa...
and a book about the real Christmas, the birth of Baby Jesus.



Remembering Mom…

~~~

#2

Another Alabama Christmas season

One Christmas season, as we anxiously counted down the days,
Santa appeared at a window, late one night!

As the story goes, Santa routinely checks up on children,
keeping tabs on who's naughty and who's nice!!
We, my baby sister and I, were in awe at having that brief glimpse of Santa at our window!
...And we hoped we had been nice enough all year!

Much later, that next year, I came across a fake beard in a dresser drawer!
That puzzled me for awhile - but I put it out of my mind before
the next Christmas season came around!

Some things are just too precious to give up before it's time! :)

...wondering...

...was it my brother or Daddy?



Remembering - June 1, 2005

~~~

Junie

Christmas gathering!

A gathering of Gourd Santas!

Love,
Junie

Update on cows

Update:

Today was the auction- and all the cows are gone now (of the original herd) -including the 2 young calves. They were only a couple months old. I had named them 'Fall Guy' and 'Ocala Blackie.' :( Probably the last calves I will ever name!

....Well, there are 2 cows left but not for long, I expect! 'Cloud' was too skittish to go into the corral and 'Pansy' is due to have a calf soon. Charles will probably wait to sell them (cow and calf) together!

Oh, well! That's life on the farm...and I have to say I'm not too thrilled with it these days!
In fact, I have no intention of getting close to these new cows at all! ;) All new calves will go un-named from now on! For one thing they will all look exactly alike so how could I name them anyway? This is probably a good thing for me- to distance myself from any emotional feelings for these animals.


:) Hey! I never claimed to be a real cowgirl!









Junie Rose

Santa

Santa's Coming ~

Believe!

~~~

I do!


Junie Rose

Meanwhile- back at the ranch.

Meanwhile - back at the ranch...


I had determined, sometime back, that I am not cut out to be a farmer/rancher wife!
And the events of yesterday went far in proving this...beyond a reasonable doubt, I'd say!

OK~ I am very, very saddened by the way things have turned here. I should have seen it coming. (I think I did, but I didn't yet want to face it)

The buying of the new, purebred, cows has sealed the fate of the old herd... YES! All of them...even Carmel and Jazzy! I was promised they would stay....but there has been a change of plans...and , in fact, all but 3 or 4 of the cows are now gone to the auction!

As it turned out the new cows were much too intimidating to the older, smaller cows and they (the old cows) were being deprived of their feedings of hay - and just "running scared," as Charles put it!

No one was happy!

I KNOW they are just dumb cows. I KNOW they are raised just for (or mainly for) this purpose... yes, I do !

I KNOW too, that Carmel is past breeding age so it stands to reason she would have gone - regardless of the inserting of the new cows into the herd! Poor Carmel didn't stand a chance...first in being one of the old herd...but most important - being old and not able to add anything anymore! No more babies!

.....BUT Carmel was the first little calf we had born...all those years ago! :(

( Lucky I wasn't born a COW or I would have been sent off years ago!! )


You DO know I hate changes - right?

And if you stop and think about it - every single day of our lives there are little things occurring that will, ultimately, bring about change! Some you might not notice for awhile...still, there are changes in the works! Some good, I suppose. Most not good- I'm almost sure!

Dang it! I just like things to stay the same!

I liked going down to the pasture to look at the beautiful cows and their babies. I liked naming the new calves....I was resigned to the fact that most of the babies would be sold after a few months...but I thought I'd always have most of the old cows there...to keep having new babies!


Another turned page here...
and being Junie Rose (more so-Ginga) I can't pretend I feel fine about this!
Indeed, I'm very sad!


~~~

Carmel
Jazzy
Janet Reno
May
Frances
Bloody Mary
Hershey
Lexie

Some pictures of my lost cows:

Jazzy - brown & white
Carmel - golden brown
Janet Reno - Black & White


















And some of the others...












~~~


Sooo? ...I'm silly but I'm still sad!

Junie
(Ginga)

Poem~ I Wish For You

~A new Poem~Enjoy!~



I Wish For You

I wish for you a day of warmth -
with skies the softest blue...
with puffy clouds, the whitest white -
no darkness showing through.

A day of dreams fulfilled, my love,
with all you’re wishing for
found, easily, within your reach.
All you need - and more!

I wish for you sweet memories
of special times you’ve known...
of hours spent with ones you’ve loved...
in distant days - long gone.

I wish for you a day of smiles
and laughter that abounds...
bubbling over in your day;
no heavy sighs or frowns!

And may your day have music, too,
to soothe your heart and soul.
Whatever strikes your fancy, Love,
be it mellow or loud and bold!

I wish you love and happiness.
Simple things, it’s true.
And may I always have a part
in sharing this with you.


June Kellum~Nov 2007

~~~

Love,
Junie Rose

Victory Ride -11-24-07 (and other neat stuff)

Today we went for a ride- the first time in several weeks...due to the ailments we both have been dealing with lately!...But Charles says..."Since we got that sucker we should ride it once in awhile!" I agreed - tho I was not sure I could even climb on, (with the back problems I've been having!) Lol- but I did manage to get on and also - not to fall off!

Here we are about ready to go!












The weather was just perfect for riding - and the sky was that special blue that I love with white, fluffy clouds scattered about!

Here am I - in awe of it all!
:) For real!! I'm intrigued with the beauty of our world!




We stopped in to see my sister and BIL- unannounced! lol- oh, well! They were happy to see us! We had a nice little visit and cup of coffee and then were soon on our way again!

These tall pines in their front yard always capture my attention and for long moments I stand looking up at them! I just love the way they look against that blue sky and I had to get a picture of them!













One of the things I wanted to do today was find a new Christmas banner to put out front. We decided to ride to Belleview to a new Porter's Home and Garden Center store! I was sure they'd have Christmas banners there...but I was wrong! :( I guess I'll just use my little deer flag one more time!

(This was last year- :)
Same blue vest so maybe the same banner will work, too!)







On our return trip home we decided to stop for a late lunch. I suggested this place!
It was on our way home ...and it is an excellent Italian restaurant! We've been there a few times for pizza-authentic NY pizza, they claim! How would I know as I have never had NY pizza. But I can say, "It's dang good!"... Today tho, we didn't go for pizza. I ordered Chicken Parmesan w/spaghetti and C. had lasagna with meat balls and sausage! They also have their own fresh baked bread-and they serve a great little salad with the meals, too! Lol- I made a pic of the bread and salad but when our main course came- I totally forgot to get a pic! I was real hungry! (you gotta know that!) Oh my! It was good Italian food!




I'll have to remember in the future this is the place to go for Italian in our little town!



A good day!


Junie Rose

Skating Away...

YES!!

I like Jethro Tull!





~~~


Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day
(Jethro Tull)

Meanwhile back in the year one
When you belonged to no one
You didn´t stand a chance son
If your pants were undone

´Cause you were bread for humanity
And sold to society
One day you´ll wake in the present days
A million generations removed from expectation of
A being who you really want to be

Skating away
Skating away
Skating away
On the thin ice of a new day

So as you push off from the shore
Won´t you turn your head once more
And make your peace with ev´ry one
For those who choose to stay, will live just one more day
To do the things they should have done

And as you cross the wilderness
Aspinning in your emptiness you feel you have to pray
Looking for a sign that the universal mind
Has written you into the passion play

Skating away
Skating away
Skating away
On the thin ice of a new day

And as you cross the circle line
Well the ice wall creaks behind
You´re a rabbit on the run

And silver splinters fly in the corner of your eye

Shining in the setting sun

Well do you ever get the feeling
That the story´s too damn real and in the present tense
Or that ev´rybody´s on the stage
And it seems like you´re the only person sitting in the audience

Skating away
Skating away
Skating away

~~~~


Junie

Yes!! We did it!

Yes!! We did it ! ;) And had a very nice and fun day -with everyone here except our SIL, Marc. (Tina's husband)











~~~~ He was missed! ;( ~~~~



Here's some proof of our success! ;)

The people...
My (mostly!) grown-up grandkids :
Dan, Brian, Zach, and Alli


















...And the REAL grown-ups:

My girls - Tammy (and SIL, Terry) and Tina and my son, Christopher














Charlie and me and our dinner!































I hope all of you had a great day too!


Love,
Junie

A Hard Day's Night...

OK- I know I stole that line from The Beatles....but it IS the night of a long, hard day for me! So maybe no one will mind if I use their words.

I think I have things pretty much under control now so maybe I can afford to relax and catch my breath...

If my house is lacking in some of it's former charm and spruced appearance of the past...well- it's not from my laziness but rather my 66 years catching up with me! :( ...
However - I did manage to put out some fall color for my guests...some... but not near all! The floors, vacuumed and moped , and furniture dusted! Even the poodle bathed! ( a REAL plus! That poor little girl!)

But the goodies to eat are still as abundant as ever ! :) And I guess that's what matters most with my folks!

The cakes and pies are made....the turkey is thawing nicely...the cornbread will be ready for making the stuffing early tomorrow... The beans will be snapped and ready to go! The Yams just waiting for the marshmallow topping...The banana pudding is on the plan...
everything right on schedule!

~~~

This was my poem to the family last year ~ and it still holds true!

~~~~

Our Thanksgiving


May we always be together on this special holiday.
May our turkey always be so big and lush and
stuffed with cornbread dressing (Oh! The smell!)
with lots of sage to add the crowning touch!

All the mingling smells are so enticing!
And in my eyes there’s nothing that is better
than having all my loved ones close beside me,
as we work to bring it all together.

The routine, through the years, becomes an art.
Each turkey dinner seems to top the last!
And in our minds, this time, it all is perfect!
(Oh! But we said that, also, in the past! )

As the turkey roasts, there’s time, aplenty,
to do Banana Pudding, and the rest.
The Harvest Loaf is tempting and a challenge -
to resist, (until it’s time) a test!

As we pause with one more cup of coffee…
and we marvel at our great success…
we look around at all our loved one’s faces,
and realize how very well we’re blessed.

The table’s set with all our finest pieces.
The buffet table waiting – decorated!
Last minute dishes finalized -perfected!
The turkey’s done - well worth the time we’ve waited!

June Kellum
2006

PIE!

( Click to enlarge )



OK- Here's the Cherry-O Cheese Pie recipe I have used for ...oh - 35 years or more! LOL- The pages are spattered with many past holiday pie ingredients as you will notice in the pictures. Yes! I could have just typed it but I wanted to do it this way! :)

This is a favorite with my family!


Junie

Get On With It....

...Today another trip to Wal- Mart ... my final trip -I swear- before this holiday ! I ended up spending another $200.00 bucks . I go in with a short list of a dozen items... end up getting 3 times the amount that's on the essential list! ( I'm hopeless when it comes to holiday shopping and planning!)

Oh, well- that's just the way it must be- it's ME!

I found this cute little Santa .

He seems to be saying, (posed by that pumpkin/gourd) "Get On With It!...I want to have my time...I wanna talk about me!!"






Soon enough- your time will come, Santa!


~~~


Tonight I am making a cherry-cheese pie... It's pretty quick and easy to make.

Then it's off to bed for me- I have been very tired the past few days. I Never get rested.

Things are not as I wished they'd be by this point in my travels toward the holidays... but I just have to go with what I got here to deal with. What's left undone will just have to be accepted. (BY ME - I mean! I am the one who sets these standards and goals for myself...and it's not easy getting to the point when you start to realize things are much harder than they once were!)

LOL- but - you just watch! We'll pull it off- Together- Charles and I! (AKA-Ginga & Gabbo)

Now I have to go make a pie!


Junie Rose

Limericks for Thanksgiving

I have read in a few blogs about some writings of Limericks going around...now- I'm not sure whose idea it was and it's too late for me to go searching! :) Anyway, this is what I came up with tonight. Hope some of you find this and read it and get some smiles out of it!

Junie



Limericks for Thanksgiving


The turkey is stuffed and is browning!

The pies, with whip cream, get their crowning!

The potatoes are whipped

with the parsley fresh snipped...

Not one of our faces are frowning!



The cranberry sauce we did open...

this long held tradition - unbroken.

Our plates we hold ready!

The aroma is heady!

Our thanks for this feast have been spoken.



June Kellum

Nov, 2007


OH!
Here is where it all started! :)

(thanks to you, Peter ~ for your help)

WWGD?

Today Charles had the follow-up appointment with the ear-nose and throat specialist.

The good news is there are no growths in the throat causing the soreness and pain he was having. The problem is acid reflux and the hiatal hernia - to be treated with meds and some diet changes.

The bad news is he has a very bad sinus problem that must be taken care of. It's a chronic problem with the air passages ...and infection requiring antibiotics for the next 10 days. Surgery will be necessary to fix this problem but first the infection must be taken care of. He's had this condition for a good long while now...this narrowing of the nasal passages.

...These are problems that , hopefully, can be taken care of pretty easily.

So I am thankful . Things could have been a lot worse .

~~~

To illustrate how much the family all look to my husband for advice and help in any situation, I 'd like to relate this little tidbit that occurred over the weekend!

I had talked to my daughter, Tammy, and she was telling me she thought they had the problem of mold under their house again, because there was this horrible smell! They have bought an old house in Orlando and it had , had some plumbing problems in the past - thus the mold incident last year!...Terry (son-in-law)
had taken care of it with some sort of spray treatment. Well, they seemed to have the problem
again!

Terry, naturally, had to go under the house to investigate. What he found was not a moldy condition...but... a Dead Cat! At least he thought it to be a cat...was hard to be sure at the point of decomposition it was in! And right under Zach's bedroom! :(

At this point Terry felt the need to call Charles for advice. He called, saying, "'This is one of those WWGD type calls!" Now- in case you're confused about this -to the family this means, "What Would Gabbo Do!" :) Gabbo has all the answers.

Charles told him what he would do is crawl under the house with a garbage can lid with a rope attached and get the dead animal loaded up and then pull the lid out. There was not enough room to dig a deep hole to bury it there! (Besides- that would be creepy- right under my grandson's room!)

Yikes! What an unpleasant task! I didn't get back with Terry to see how it went but I'm sure he managed it ok!


(This is a recent picture of Tammy, Terry and Zach.)



~~~

This Thanksgiving we have much to be thankful for.



(Thanksgiving 2006)


Love,
Junie Rose

Light up Ocala-one more time!!!

We went down for our annual 'Light up Ocala' event.

Here we are - ready to leave our home .



Every year the crowds get bigger. This year, there were more people than we've ever had... It was like trying to make your way through Disney World! ;) But very festive and pretty and a lot of smiling faces. The weather was perfect, just cool enough for light jackets or sweaters!

We met up with Tina and Alli and 2 of Alli's friends. Of course I got a few pics of everyone!

Alli has tall friends! :)



























...Turns out ~ I found me some tall friends too!

;)














Hey~I've been telling you folks I'm a very short lady... ;)


As we were walking around I heard this terrific Beatles music being played by a band performing at the Gazebo in the square. They were singing 'I Saw Her Standing There,' and doing a great job of it! I couldn't even get close enough to the action to get a picture-or even catch the name of the band. They went on to do a couple more Beatles' songs - then a Bob Seger- and then some jazzy stuff I didn't know. They were good and I enjoyed that half hour or so of listening...just standing alone, there.
Charles had gone to find a place to sit - as he was not feeling well (has a cold)_ and the girls and their friends had gone on their way.

Finally, it was the appointed time for all the lights to be turned on-all at once! (300,000 mini-lites, according to the Ocala Star Banner)

Last year, I remember, the downtown square was decorated in all white lights ~ very festive and beautiful!

This year, when the lights were turned on, we see it is done in strings of RED-WHITE & BLUE! It was spectacular!!























We left soon after but I want to go back another night - without the crowds- and see it all again!

A good day here ~ hope yours was too!

Love,
Junie