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All Year Long

My Mom‘s brothers and sisters get together for a potluck every Christmas Eve complete with Christmas carols and my aunt Lola‘s famous Christmas cookies. I haven’t been able to attend for a few years but this year, I scrounged up enough money to rent a van so that I could go while in my motorized wheelchair.

Because I was seated in my motorized chair, my Mom and my brother put together my plate from the buffet. Once my brother brought my plate over, my Mom cut up my food (because chewing is an issue for me these days) and placed it in a ceramic bowl so I could eat holding the bowl. After a while of speaking with some of my aunts, uncles, some of my cousins and their spouses, my speech began to slur a bit and I got tired.

My Mom asked me what kind of pie I wanted. She told me that apple was an option and I said that I wanted that. My Mom did not make the apple pie this year but I knew that my aunt’s apple pie was just about the same thing. I later learned that my cousin, Cathy, made the pie but it tasted just as good!

As I spoke with my aunt Carmen, my Mom came over and asked me if I wanted cookies. OF COURSE I did!!! My favorite cookie that she makes that has always been my favorite cookie is Spritz cookies in the shape of a Christmas tree. I eat the Christmas tree row by row until it is all gone.

I liked that I was a part of the Christmas caroling and our family’s traditional rendition of the 12 days of Christmas but my absolute favorite is the cookies! My aunt always sends a container of cookies for our immediate family’s Christmas Day celebration.

I am not even the least bit ashamed to say that my breakfast on Christmas morning was book ended with a few Spritz trees before I ate and after I finished. It was Christmas! It’s totally okay to have sugar cookies as the first thing you eat!

I had some with my breakfast and with my lunch as well. As I eat this deliciousness, I think it’s because I am wearing my Ginger Spice chapstick that I have been thinking a lot about my Abuela.

That picture has got to be from Christmas (Note: my Abuela’s pin) and I had to have been three years old. My aunt Rita must have hosted because we were sitting in her house. I don’t even feel bad that there will still be enough cookies for my meals tomorrow and I am going to eat some more because I have waited all year long for this!

27 Days of Christmas Movies – Day 7

Day 7, Movie 7 The Polar Express

I have never seen this movie. I found it odd that I have never seen it but it was a little bit familiar. I asked Sean if we saw it at the movies and he said that we did but about halfway through it, I couldn’t remember it!

It took me a minute but then I remembered that Sean went to the IMAX with his Kindergarten class to see The Polar Express. My Mom went on the trip with him because she was one of the teachers when he was in Kindergarten.

I also remember at one Christmas Eve mass, the pastor give his normal holiday homily. He called all of the kids up to sit with him at the altar and Sean may have been in fourth or fifth grade but he wanted to go and sit with the other kids. I’d let him and father Jim talked about, “Believing” and its importance around Christmas time and all year as a Catholic. That year, he handed out bells to the little kids but they ended up running out so Sean didn’t get one because he was one of the older kids.

Now, it all makes sense! Since Sean went on the field trip with his class, I didn’t need to take him to see the movie. That was out thing back then because I could still drive and we went to the movies often. Now that I’ve seen The Polar Express everything makes sense about Fr. Jim’s homily from years ago. I actually am glad that I saw it even though I am passed the kids’ age of “Hearing the bell,” I like that I’ve finally seen it! The kids’ eyes ARE a little bit weird but I was okay with it!

Howard Stern + The Black Crowes

So, sleep has not been coming easily to me for a while now. I guess I have entered into another phase of my secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. (SPMS). I haven’t been to a concert in years but I still love live music! These videos showed up in my YouTube feed and I shared them on Facebook but I want to chronicle them here on my blog. Now, I will include four videos out of order on how I saw them but I put them in here in the order they should be Watched.

The Black Crowes just got back together and they are guests on the Howard Stern show. I apologize that Howard Stern is a potty mouth but he’s a fan just like I am! No, I have to be a fan from a distance and I no longer sing on long but I can appreciate that I feel the music in my soul!

I think it was last month’s Faves that I shared some of these Black Crowes songs, because Sean listens to my music on our Apple Music app. I think I will post about the other album he talked about this coming month. This first one is my jam!

I love this one too and it’s like I’m at an intimate concert. I really dig it! Please excuse the cussing!

I saw this one today and I was able to put the videos in order somewhat.

When I am not feeling well, I absentmindedly scroll through my YouTube feed and I really dig the random songs I find there!

Phase 4 = Completed.

Well, it’s taken nine days but my favorite phase is finally completed. I was completely OK with that because I put my tree up too early anyway! I also ordered my Hallmark ornaments for this year today. They should be here by Friday. Friday is Sean’s Ring Day.

Only two more phases to go!

Tune #43, #44, and #45 Inspired by GMFB

So, I guess because it takes me a while to wake up and get engaged with GMFB now that it’s winter, I tweeted Kay and Peter because The table’s segment regarding the power rankings with Dan Hanzus and they described teams using Canadian rock bands. It really made me laugh! They all are comparable to my age so I really get their musical references. Kay was first:

But then came Peter:

Nate rounded it off and I thought he would have a better showing with being Canadian and all but this song choice was solid:

I’m not sure why I didn’t tweet Kyle because his answers are always great! But…

Random Songs in My YouTube Feed #10

I saw this song/video this morning in my YouTube feed and I didn’t want to forget it. I shared it on Facebook. This song reminds me of when I still taught English and I got four copies of the Twilit book series for my class for Christmas. It was when I got this present for my classroom that I actually read the books. Seeing this video and hearing this song brought back all of those fond memories!