How easy it is to bring a smile to my face...

I'm finished and ready to enjoy the holiday season. Everything is wrapped and posted to various countries, cards sent out [albeit late] and this morning all I needed was two hostess gifts so off to the shops I went. The path takes me by this little house which always catches my eye and the reason is real simple: I smile, even laugh out loud each time I drive bye.

The house is tiny but they have a menagerie of pets who sit staring at the front door [rain or shine] - waiting for it to magically open and let them back inside.

Normally seeing a family pet on a porch isn't much to look at but two of these dogs are huge and all 4 sit together so some portion of their bodies is on the doormat! I kid you not...nothing makes them look away from the door, even if there is no car in the driveway, they are patiently, or depending how you view it, impatiently waiting to go back inside to heaven.

You have got to smile, one of these days I'll take a picture of these pitiful faces to share with everyone...share a smile.

Enjoy and hopefully find an easy smile :-)

A fantastic life for me...

because I have a mother who cooks fabulously and mails the offerings to her youngest child who is far from home - me :-) Yup, received a box full of toffee, fudge, peanut butter balls and macaroons. Oh yes, the holidays have officially arrived and my waistline is expanding!

The holidays are upon us!

Last night I was getting ready to take my first soaker in ages - the in-laws have been here for a month and as we live in a very old house [i.e. 1 bathroom]. It was a dream but would have been rude to hide in the tub for hours on end. Anyway, the water was running, bubbles bubbling and before I could step in I heard the fire truck horn blowing.

Now, let me explain...we live in a very small town with a volunteer fire department. When there is a problem a siren sounds calling them in before the truck is sent out. Our neighbor is one so we usually hear him leave but a horn without a call is unusual. So I went to the window and what a sight I saw!

Santa arriving in town via the old original truck [gas lanterns to light the way] and a bunch of volunteer behind him! It was a fabulous site and you could hear them going up and down all the streets...can you imagine being a little kid and seeing Santa waving from the fire truck? He'll be on Main Street today, and the school will let a class at a time walk in to town [about a block and a half] to have their chance to tell him what they really want for Christmas.

Yup, sometimes living in a small town is just plain old fun!

Okay, yesterday this survey was making the rounds so I thought I'd give it an answer - give it a go yourself :-)

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate piled high with mini-marshmallows.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa wraps everything...he loves to do this, but sometimes doesn't bother with the ribbon.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Colored lights on the tree and have bought white icicles for the house but in four years we have never remembered to put them up.

4. When do you put your decorations up?
Whenever...depends where we're spending the holidays.

5. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Ham or
roast.
Don't like this questions, live for desserts! If I have to choose then it would be mashed potatos and gravy!

6. Favorite Holiday memory as a child:
Well, there are many but I would have to say it was thinking I heard Santa on the roof and my older sister telling me to go out to the living room and check. I found my dad and uncle putting together a Barbie Doll House and was so excited my sister was getting just what she wanted I went back and told her it was just Dad and Uncle Jimmy talking, no Santa. The next morning there was a note from Santa saying he couldn't finish the doll house and tricycle but our Dad would act in his stead. Hmmm, nope, I didn't catch on until a few years later.

7. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Nope, all on the day.

8. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
Lights first then the ornaments.

9. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Love it if I don't have to go anywhere...shoveling and blowing are both diabolic necessities - if we have to do it :-).

10. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
My mom' english toffee and peanut butter balls!

11. When was the last time you went sledding?
About 6 years ago.

12. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Seeing family and friends.

13. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
No question - giving!

14. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
"Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt! Love to tease the cutie with the chorus.

15. Favorite Christmas movie now?
"Holiday Inn", "White Christmas" and "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" - every year, no matter where we are in the world.

16. Favorite Christmas movie of childhood?
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman

Enjoy Everyone!

Recently...

I hosted a contest, Where in the World... asked where would the entrant want to go if time and money were not an issue. There were so many wonderful answers, and spread across the planet, even Mars! But it came to my mind that there is one thing time and money can't do and that is to make some things stay the same, not change or move on with time.

Now, if it were possible, if I could go back and see any one place, well I couldn't answer that one either. But of all the places in the world I'd like to see, there is definitely one thing that stands out in my head as one to have seen in it's original place - the Nike of Samothrace.



The original wet t-shirt look only in marble! She's stunning, huge, impressive and intimidating and used to sit high on the cliffs of Samothrace, protecting it from all invaders from the sea. What an incredible sight that would have been. Luck will have it that anyone can see her, in a museum. So, I'll go into the Louvre and hunt her out in a seldomly used stairwell, sit there and enjoy the view from a marble step...maybe some day you'll see me there.