Making Plans

 

I was getting dressed this morning and fixing my hair in the bathroom.  I went back into my room to grab my camera and this is what I found.  I think he has a guilty look on his face.  I've caught him on beds twice today.  Not sure why he is doing that...  He knows he is only allowed to be on them when he is invited.  Someone must be giving out many invitations! 

 

The title of my post today is "Making Plans."  That is what we have been doing lately.  My Mom is coming for a visit all the way from Oregon on the train.  She arrives next Thursday and will stay about 2 weeks.  She thinks she is coming for rest and relaxation.  Can a trip to NYC be relaxing?  Maybe...

I've tried to organize a little bit for our guest.  I've got a menu and activities planned.

 

Today I went and did some grocery shopping at Aldi's.  I still need to get some things I can't find there.  This next week I am going to cook some things to make preparing meals easier when Mom is here.  Like brown ground beef and freeze it.  Make a soup and freeze it.  Make a meatloaf and freeze it etc...  I will put her in #2 sons room on the little bed and bunk the boys together on the bigger bed.  She gets to sleep with Harrison Ford.  Yes... that is because we have 'Indiana Jones' posters up on the wall in that room.  I don't think she will be sad!

Some menu items~  Beef Tips and Gravy with egg noodles, Taco Salad, Clam Chowder, Smoked Turkey and Prime Rib for Thanksgiving, Fish and Chips, White Chicken Chili, Hot Turkey Sandwiches, Fried Chicken, Meatloaf and Spaghetti.

Some things we are planning to do~  NYC sight seeing one day, one day a NYC show, Antiquing along one of our favorite drives in the countryside, Window shopping and tea in a nearby town, make christmas ornaments for our tree, decorate for Christmas and a few other fun things!

This other pile of stuff on my desk is for our annual Christmas letter.  I have copies of the pictures to enclose in the letter but am very unhappy with their quality.  If I didn't 180 of them, I'd print them myself.  But my handy, dandy super mega store processed the photos of the boys and managed to cut off #2 sons head every time. (I've taken the photos in twice to be processed.) Yes, this year the quality of our pictures is terrible because we don't know how to use our new camera.  I was reading the camera manual last night.  I think I need a prescription for a memory drug to remember ALL the things it will do.  I found out last night it will take black and white photos.  (We've had the camera for a YEAR and I didn't know that!)  ~And I still need to write the letter.  I like the format we used last year, a newsletter/newspaper.  I am going to try to get that written tomorrow.  I have our address labels coming by special order.  I've taken my address book and put it on the computer recently, a major task.  Maybe everyone will receive an address label on their envelope!

Just to share a few facts with you~

This is our 13th move in 19 years.  Some of those have been to a place across town but all those homes had a different address.  This is our 10th church to be a part of in 19 years.  We make friends (At least I hope they are friends! ) at each place we have lived.  We like to keep everyone up to date on where we are and how we are, so we send an annual Christmas letter.  Last year I sent about 171 letters.  This year I am expecting to send a few more as we just left our friends at our church in Kodiak, Alaska. 

I like sending out our Christmas letters.  I do not receive 171 responses back but we do get quite a few.  I use the Christmas cards we receive to decorate a special spot in my home.

Last picture is the kitty trying to be center of attention.  Can you get much typing done when they rub on the monitor and step on the keyboard?  It is fun to have her walk on the piano!