Merry Christmas from a stranger!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

i hope that You had a relaxing day today...Merry Christmas!

I know I haven't posted in such a long time but I do usually try to read the posts regularly. my art work and my lifepath groups have been taking alot of time..and Mother has been getting frailer and not eating/drinking enough...she looks like a Biafrin orphan, she is so skinny.

So I've been making homemade soup every week and taking it up to her at her nursing home and they encourage me to do so because she eats every bit of it!  We have had a number of scares and everytime I rush to the hospital, it's usually in the middle of the coldest nights...and when I go to see her at her own place in the nursing home, expecting the worst, I find her rolling down the hallways in her wheelchair so its been an emotional rollercoaster.  Tomorrow I will take her a Christmas dinner..made exactly how she likes it with my homemade stuffing and gravy and cranberry sauce too...and the turkey minced very fine...I've finally managed to convince them that she MUST have her meat minced and its helping. 

I've given Mom two Essential Oil treatments and that seems to have increased her appetite, the staff is amazed. She also still wears her amethyst necklace and she seems much more grounded and calm when she does.

Then on Monday, our 38 yr old nephew Michael died suddenly..what a shock...he was engaged to be married in June 2011.   What a crazy week...we buried Michael on Christmas Eve...apparently, it was a virus that attacked his heart and he died while asleep. The visitations were hard and the funeral moreso...there were two ministers...one from Michael's family's church and the other from his fiancee, Linda's, church so the service went for almost two full hours...then the long drive to the cemetary ...bitter cold...and then all the way back for the "fellowship" & luncheon after...many relatives from out of town so of course we were there as well.  We didnt get home til almost 6pm- had to stop and pick up the fresh turkey i'd ordered for Christmas so i didnt get around to my last minute shopping...didnt get back to Ramaker's, the Dutch store, for Dutch goodies...but we survived just fine. i always overdo it anyways. 

Thankfully i shop all year round..buying when i see or think of something very suitable.  Today, i make a Christmas Brunch - french toast casserole (Derek bought real maple syrup for that), hot dips and a veggie tray, variety of crackers & chips, five kinds of cheeses, three kinds of luncheon meats and kolbassa, toutiere (French meat pie), fruit tray, homemade truffles and almond/butter toffee, double chocolate cake loaves stuffed with raspberry, white cake stuffed with cherries and almonds, croissants so we "picked" all day and i didnt have to cook anything else but the turkey. I havent ben eating well lately so today, I hit the veggie tray sans dip, a slice of lean ham, and some cheeses and turkey kolbassa and lots of green tea and water.

Now it's 11pm and i've deboned the entire 20 pound turkey, the carcass is in the freezer for soup later, the meat separated (white and dark) SEGREGATION???, stuffing too. Cranberry sauce is made.

So Sunday, i just have to cook the veggies, make more croissants and set the table...and my Bailey's Irish Cheesecake will be delivered in the afternoon ..i ordered it from a client of mine who is a divine cheesecake maker *s*.

Then i get to sit down and enjoy my family.  Then I go to visit Mom...just cannot go today and tomorrow and im trying not to feel guilty!  my legs are particularly sore...too much standing for long periods of time on hard surfaces (ie, the church)..man oh man, that service rivalled the Roman Catholic funeral service for length of the service and for bobbing up and down. i have some small gifts from Mom (what do you get for a 91 yr old woman?) and promised to take a Christmas dinner for her too...just will MINCE the meat small....so much easier for her to eat....they will heat it for her in the dining room.

A cousin of John's, in Holland, Gert, sent this link for us ...he sings beautifully, in Dutch, of course...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUt1IJ0ZxXc

I am going to try and be here more often...I just didnt think I had anything interesting to post so I read and didnt participate....but from now on, you're stuck with me....*hugs to all*

Nancy B

Egad! I'd hoped that that particular photo had been forever lost somewhere...not one of my finest hours...LOL.

*gets out my cheque book in hopes that....*

Nancy B

Nancy,

So sorry to read about your nephew's passing. . .

Hope your Mom continues to enjoy the special nature of your loving and caring ways and you enjoy the meal you set out to cook today, as well as the dessert.

On a last note, nothing interesting to post, that is laughable, you have a rich and busy life and it makes very interesting reading. . .

Hugs, Laureen

Thank you, Laureen...it sure was a shock to all of us.

Mom continues to hang in there...I spoke to her this morning and reminded her that I made my own bread and grew my own summer savoury, onions and garlic for the stuffing that he loves...she said don't forget the cranberries! So I will go tomorrow and visit with her.  I call her daily and visit her every weekend...it's a 45 minute drive each way and in the winter, that area is particularly bad for driving so it can take me well over an hour each way then...the only thing that keeps me home is freezing rain.

Well, yes, my life is full but certainly can sound boring to many.

My LifePath groups have been completed for this past three month session and my clients do not wish to disband,...lol....they have shared such deep honesty about themselves and such bonding that they have, indeed, become, very close. Not sure when I will start the next session of three months ...I'm trying to get DH (hubby) to make up his mind when we take a month off for vacation. He hates making long term plans.

The Literacy Video Game Project continues with great expectations from the local college & university for goverment funding...then I will be busy writing more database sentences for the game and, as Art Director for the game, be creating the entire artwork elements by hand.

Add to that, I'm creating 37 more Mandala Art Therapy Books for adults to coincide with the Subliminal Positive Reinforcement/ Positive Imaging CDs created by Dr Feir Johnson.  Each book has about 25 mandalas w/ inspirational quotes, they are all completed...now Ive created about 30 COLOURED manadalas for the covers.  Then all elements need to be constructed into pages and then assembled into books and put on CDs.

So, yes, life is busy.  *hugs*

Nancy B