On this blog

Friday, December 25, 2015

Celebrating the Small Things, Christmas Edition, 2015




Welcome to Celebrating the Small Things, one of the loveliest blog hops on the blogosphere anywhere, run by Lexa Cain and her two wonderful co-hosts L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge and Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits.


It is Christmas.  I am sitting in my bathrobe (shame on me!) without any slippers on.  The fireplace is cold, which is perfectly OK beause it is hovering around 61 degrees right now.

I finished designing the cover for the third book in a series of mine and am debating cleaning the house.  I  had meant to fill in holes in a nearly finished manuscript.


(Sibling is at Mom's; other sibling and family are down in Virginia enjoying the weather.  Third sibling is stranded in upstate New York with a broken down car and a shoe-eating Lab puppy named Mack (for the truck).  He doesn't just eat shoes, either.  

The proud owner of quite a case of puppy-wiggles, he is enthusiastic about everything but shots and baths, and hasn't met a hotdog he did not like.

Puppies are always smile-makers unless it is the middle of the night, you have been wrestling with the 'joys' of housebreaking, and you have just started to take that long, slow fall into dreamland in the middle of your warm, desperately desired bed, when you hear the prefatory yips that you just know, with a sinking feeling in your stomach, means that you will shortly be pulling on what passes for a bathrobe (I know someone who uses a quilt) and stumbling to the door to stand there while said puppy decides whether it really wants to squat to (name the function) outside, or maybe should go back to the nice, safe papers.


That, however, is not my situation.  My grand old dog, Jesse James (aptly named as far as his attitude toward food goes) has been housebroken for...let me see...fourteen years.  Labs age gracefully, but he spends a lot of time snoring.  I may rent him out to people whose significant others are traveling and are feeling lonely at night.  Some people have actually said that the sound of snoring is very soothing, and it helps them to sleep.  I can loan out Jess (his nickname) and do a good deed.  He no longer bellows in your ear when he wants to be let out, but he still stares when you are eating, and he does a wonderful job mimicking a starving puppy.

But I digress.

Today I am celebrating those book covers.  Someday I'll bore everyone by posting them, which means that I will be smitten with an urge to change them forthwith.  I am celebrating the fact that while my family is far-flung this Christmas, there are no feuds, arguments, simmering bad feelings.  We all get along, we all watch each others' welfare and we actually love each other.  Truly a cause to celebrate.

I am celebrating last night's Christmas Eve service.  Since I was holding down the fort at this end of the country, I went alone. It was a wonderful service, everyone was welcoming, the music was lovely, and my thoughts were happy ones.

Tomorrow I drive to my Uncle's house a few hours away.  He turns 90 tomorrow, and I MUST be there.  Where have the years gone?  He's a little deaf now, but still the sharp, wonderful uncle I always called my bess frend (I was very little).

Right now I am going to get up and pop a chicken in the oven.  I like to make roast chicken, and a side of rice, cranberry sauce (with candied ginger, pineapple bits and mandarin oranges) will be good.  Not sure about dessert.  Perhaps the orange-tinged fudge (homemade).  Pity I don't feel like drinking a bottle of Champagne by myself.  It'll have to be a nip of Drambuie.  I think I can take it.  

It's been a lovely couple days.  I hope it's been the same for you.

And now, just for pretty, a picture a friend sent me.  Nearly as good as being there, she said:




All the best to all - and may 2016 be a wonderful year for you!



15 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas! My house is certainly in need of cleaning right now. My wonderful little boys have their new toys strung across every room in the downstairs portion of the house right now, but they're loving every second of it!

    Congratulations on the book covers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you had a nice Christmas, LG. I can imagine the little boys were excited about Jolly St. Nick. Have a lovely New Year!

      Delete
  2. That's the most fun part of 'untidy'! A Christmas without little kids somewhere is somehow lacking!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, when our boys were little we had lots of toys everywhere and wrapping paper piled up all around. Quite untidy for sure, but part of the fun.

      Delete
    2. I remember the Christmas where two of us (kids) were old enough not to want to tear into packages, but to take our time. Mom and Dad were a little sad.

      Delete
  3. So funny about the wiggly puppy and about Jesse James's snoring. Coincidentally I'm designing covers too. I plan to do mock ups and (along with a real designer) put them on m blog and do a poll so people can choose the best. I hope you have a great time at your uncle's 90th birthday. What a milestone! I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a joyous Holiday Season! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The puppy is so adorable. Our dog, Elliott, is elderly, like Jesse. Elliott loves snoring. It's one of his specialties. Once a friend called and asked who was snoring!

      Delete
    2. Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year, and special congratulations to Diana for the new book covers!

      Delete
  4. Merry Christmas, Diana, and congratulations on those beautiful book covers. Thanks for sharing the adorable puppy and dog photos, my awww moment for the day. Happy new year to your and yours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Beth - and I hope 2016 holds a lot of joy for you, and granted wishes!

      Delete
  5. Hi Diana - hope you had a safe journey over to your Uncle's - he sounds lovely. Well done on all your book work, and then the puppies - who can resist ... a good roast chicken sounds good! Have a happy last few days ... 2016 - looms loud and clear! Cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ...And may 2016 be a year of enjoyment, strength and content for you, Hilary.

      Delete
  6. Mack is adorable! That's a really nice Paris picture.

    Happy 2016! Wishing you all the best!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I wish you the best of wishes for 2016, Diana. I loved the snowing picture and the photo of that adorable pup! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Diana, it's my end of the year post to all the bloggers I know and love!

    Thanks for your hard work, great posts, and bloggy friendship. Wishing you all the best in 2016 from "the Flipside."

    ReplyDelete