Under Quarantine!

I never thought the winter of 1997 would repeat itself--but it is! Went to visit my sister and family up near Syracuse this past weekend--My whole family was together--had a nice second Christmas gathering.

Kids went sledding and DS1 drove a snowmobile for the first time! He is hooked. Stayed an extra day to take advantage of my sister's gift--Lift tickets to a local ski area.

Mom was supposed to go back to Virginia on Monday morning with my other sister and her family. At 5:30 am we received a phone call that would change the next three days! My 2 nieces and BIL were all horribly sick. Mom was stuck in NY for at least another day.

My sister, my 3 young nephews and my kids went off skiing anyway on Monday. My kids had a great time--My nephews had mixed experiences--One remembered everything he learned from last season, his twin took 40 minutes to come down the beginner hill--that was after falling from the chair lift when he and my oldest were loading and then forgetting to get off at the top. I came along to help and let the anxious teen go off and explore the mountain. I took over to help this twin from a small tree he slid into and wrapped himself around. He kept refusing to to try and after one run he was done! My sister was struggling with the 3 yr old who had never been on skis before. She chastised me for not being more help.

She thought I had experience with young skiers! Well yes and no. My 2 have been on skis since they were 3--but in ski school with one instructor for every 2 kids for kids ages 3-4. We would ski with them, but we let the instructors do all the work. We only went solo with them when they mastered lifts and the lower trails at Jay. Now they like the woods and we stay on the groomed trails. Our whole family still goes to ski school when we get away for a week at Jay Peak.

My kids had fun for the day and realized they were spoiled by learning to ski at Jay Peak. We love the powder and the conditons. It has been rare in the winters since 1989 for there to be poor conditions at our favorite mountain,

Anyway back on the small ski hill in NY, my sister was beginning to not feel well--she left with the boys and we stayed until the lifts closed and knew when we got back to the house we were grabbing our things and leaving to go home. We were not sticking around to get sick.

By the time we got back to my sister's -- my mom was sick and so was one the twins as well. Whatever this is was moving like lightening. I prayed the whole 6 hrs home that we would be OK. At 11 we arrived home and at 3 we had our first casualty with another to follow at 5:30 am.

So long New Year's Eve party-- The phone calls and the text messages went out to declare our home a Quarantine zone. There's always next yr.

It'll be quiet here and now we are freezing in a house where I opened all the windows to kill the germs. We're also hoping that DH doesn't get what we all had. His 36 hrs has expired and now we'll just wait and see.

Gotta go make some soup--HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Oopps!

Don't know what I hit but I published the post before I finished!

Back to the survey--

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE: "An American Christmas Carol" with Henry Winkler. Yearly tradition and hard to find but worth every minute.

WHAT DO YOU LEAVE OUT FOR SANTA? Cookies and milk and a classic note.

WHAT DO I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS? Haven't been asked yet, but I have posted my Amazon.com wish list with a favorite childhood book called the "Little Witch" on it. It is currently out of print and I couldn't remember the title until a friend of mine was telling me what she was reading to her daughter around Halloween--It sparked many good memories and a remember reading it over and over--Time to find it again.

Actually, what I really want is to know that our 2 nephews are safe in the army as Rangers or Green Berets and 2 dear young men who I watched grow up at church and were my favorite teens in VBS are safe in the marines. One recently married and both were home and it was a great day to see them together and how they have grown into fine young men.

I also just need to know that my life will be filled with peace and blessings. I have that now in my family and thank God each and every day for these blessings.

To those in my Facebook world--this is an up close shot of Andrew singing with the Concert Choir. Check out http://www.youtube.com/janthony37 for recent performance video.

Blessing to all and have a great afternoon---

Are You Ready?

Not by a long shot--but here is a little time to myself--

I'll bite on the Christmas Survey--so here it goes--

DO YOU USE WRAPPING PAPER OR GIFT BAGS?

Wrapping paper with ribbon and bows on every package. (Recycle bows, not paper, my sister, bless her heart saves hers, wraps it in a big box and gives it to my mother every Christmas!) For me--not worth the time-- and lets get to the present--boys change that patience thing.

REAL TREE or ARTIFICIAL? STAR OR ANGEL? Real and cut on the farm--they always look too small on the farm--Need to fill an 11 foot space or I am not happy. Definitely a star on top--afew years ago we hunted for a new bright star--its the first thing on the tree when we bring it into the house.

EGGNOG-- Yes or no? YECH!!!! NOWAY!!!

HARDEST TO BUY FOR-- 2 sisters who swear we are only gifting to the kids.

DO YOU HAVE A NATIVITY? Yes--Several, A white ceramic one made by my sister in law--up on the China closet away from the cats, the ancient one from DH's family under the tree and the mini one I had in my 1st apartment.

Finally home!

It's been a crazy morning--8 AM swim with DS2, but before that there were brownies to bake and a tree to finish! Squirtle the cat had other ideas--She loves the 8 ft ladder--hard to garland the tree from the top (it's 11 ft and the heaviest tree we have ever had) and juggle a cat who likes to play trapeze artist and add glittering garland -- well I got 1/3 done.

DS1 recently recovered from strep was even up and out with us to get ice of all things (couldn't the choir use snow!) for the Concert Choir Winter Wonderland fundraiser.

After swim--off to pageant rehearsal--DS2 is the narrator and we lost the script in my pit of a van. Haven't cleaned it out in several weeks--the layers are piling up.

Drop at rehearsal and off to pick up chicken to take home and cook and bring to the Choir fundraiser by 11! DS1 told me last night we needed to cook chicken--It was snowy and icy and I was not going anywhere last night! The Boy Scout Court of Honor was even postponed.

Pick up DS2 drop at home, pack up chicken and return to the HS. Contribution welcomed and I got to check out our basketball team--Not bad--I am a sucker for watching a good basketball game. Got the rest of the family into too--thanks to the Davidson College NCAA tournament run. My Dad and Davidson's coach were good friends. Couldn't help but think Davidson had an angel on the sideline last season--Brings me comfort and now they are on a roll again!

Finally home and need to bake cookies for our Winter Solstice celebration tomorrow--We are suckers to carry on a tradition we learned from "Little Bear." It was DS1's favorite childhood cartoon--Believe it or not I have all the episodes on tape! Tomorrow we light up our lone tree in front of the house and hang cookies for the night creatures on the longest night of the year. I know sappy, but we look forward to it every year.