Hello! Remember Me?

Hello there!  Remember me -- Melissa -- the blogger gone AWOL?  Yes, well, things have been busy -- I try not to say hectic because that isn't really accurate, just busy.  As the week progresses I feel things winding down and getting a bit calmer -- I mean, time is running out for all the manic shopping and wrapping and all that and I can feel the excitement of Christmas Day creeping in.  I am ready in all sorts of ways -- last gift bought, everything wrapped, the ham ordered and the house cleaned -- well, ok, that is a gross exaggeration -- the house is not cleaned and there is wrapping paper bits everywhere! But, a girl can dream, can't she?

This week has been really crazy -- my mother in law was hospitalized twice in the week and has now been released to a local rehab center.  She was transported by a transport service that didn't get her to the new facility until 11 p.m.  She isn't particularly happy and my husband and I are exhausted.  The original plan was for her to just go home to her apartment but after talking with her she was concerned about being too weak to do for herself and so the decision to go home was re-visited and it was decided she would go to rehab to try to get her back on her feet.  Hubs will check on her this morning and I hope she has a more positive view of the situation than she did last night.  It would help if they can find her a private room.  She isn't the roomie sort. So, yeah, hopefully that will work out better as we go along.

I purchased my last gift yesterday.  It is for a very special little girl named Emily.  This is Lisa, a Ragtales doll that I found at a local, indie book store -- Monkey and Dog -- owned by a friend of mine, Shelley Lowe. 

Lily

I actually went for Odette -- a Jellycat ostrich but Odette had found her forever home.  I decided that Lisa would be a better choice as she doesn't have feathers and even though I loved Odette, I decided that Lisa would be very loved in her new forever home.

Odette

So, that was the last of the shopping -- Hubs and I have each bought one another a couple of things but the fact of the matter is that we are so blessed that there is really nothing we need or especially want -- we have enough -- we have each other, we are reasonably healthy, we have wonderful kids and grandkids, we have a roof over our heads and food in our tummies, some really good friends a wonderful, warm church  and what more could we ask for.

So, as I try to recoup from my long night at the rehab I am going to share this beautiful picture from Christmas past -- about four years ago.  It makes me smile.

Beanie