Baby, It's COLD outside !

What a weinee I've become if I think THIS is cold !   This is just normal December temps....finally.  Atleast we didn't get the big snow that they predicted for the east coast and throughout Mississippi, Alabama, and even the state of TEXAS.   How delighted those kids must have been !


But, braving what felt pretty cold to me yesterday,  I dressed in a Christmas red sweater, red boots, and my Minnie Mouse boggin, 

and headed off to our church's annual Christmas outing for the widows' group.   I usually don't attend their outings because they always take place on my workdays, but I dressed for work, popped on a red sweater that could be removed later, and went and had myself a good time. 

I ordered a meal with blackened Tilapia, not knowing that it would have some HEAT to it.   But, thankfully, the sweet tea kept it under control.  We started the dirty Santa exchange of gifts just before I had to go, so I was blessed to get to keep the wonderful "Bless This Home" doormat that I picked when it was my turn.

Then it was a short night at work, one of my 2-9 p.m. shifts, that just flew by ( I love it when that happens !)

By the way, on Friday, I brought up my desire to work fewer hours, and the person who arranges the schedules wants me to come in on Monday and let her know what I want, and we'll see what she can arrange, starting with the New Year's first week's schedule.  I'm told by one of the other workers that they always start giving fewer hours in the first couple of months of the year, but this way, she'll know to keep me on that kind of schedule unless I say differently.

So.........my widow's benefits started with the first of this month, and hopefully things will go along well at work to allow me a little more time to enjoy life.

Christmas shopping is underway too, but the kids won't get to come here.   I surely had hoped that I would atleast get a few hours with my baby girl and her crew as they stopped over for a night while on their way back to his folks' place in Oklahoma.   But plans changed.  It's possible that they'll be relocating to a base only 2 hours away sometime next summer, so I look forward to that with great hope and anticipation.

My brother, John, and his wife, Deb, took me out to dinner on the Friday after my 60th birthday, to celebrate.  We had a delicious fish dinner at a little cafe near the Tennessee river.  It was a good night !
Then, on Thursday of last week, I went out to put my lunchbox in my jeep after dinner, only to realize that I had no KEY !   When I had gone to clip them onto my beltloop that afternoon after arriving at work, I had missed the loop and they fell between my legs onto the seat.   I always hit the lock button when I get out, so I locked it without realizing my mistake.  Thankfully, when I couldn't reach the brother that lives right here in town, John graciously agreed to drive in from 5 or so miles out in the country to my house to find my hidden spare set of keys.   I wasn't even sure that there was a jeep key included in that set.  I thought that I might have only added a house and storage shed key.  But I was blessed to find that there WAS one on there, thanked THE LORD, and John, and then, on my evening break,  had more keys made.  Now I have one in my jacket pocket and one in my wallet, too !

So, that's how my last couple of weeks have gone.   I hope you're enjoying a merry holiday time.  I'm quilting one small older project, and just finished piecing a new small one, hoping to gift them to the great grandkids of a friend/neighbor up the street.   They fill my need for little ones in my life and I want them to know that they are loved in return.    Hope I get time to FINISH these quilts !