Your Last Laugh For The Year

My father,

God rest his soul,

was a humorist.

Noooooo..

you're saying...

Not YOUR Dad.

Well, he was!

One of the things he absolutely

LOVED

was poetry.

He read a lot of poetry to

me when I was a child.

Most of it way beyond

my understanding.

One of the ones that I

remember most vividly is

the one below.

It is short..

and I guarantee it will

put a smile on your face...

especially if you are thinking

about going out and having

ONE TOO MANY

this

New Year's Eve.

It is called

JUDGED BY THE COMPANY ONE KEEPS

One night in late December,

When I was far from sober,

Returning with my load of manly pride,

My feet began to stutter,

So I lay down in the gutter,

And a pig came near and lay down by my side;

A lady passing by was heard to say:

"You can tell a man who boozes,

By the company he chooses,"

And the pig got up and slowly walked away.

                              Unknown author

Happy New Year's Eve-

Pick your companions well~

Feed Em Funnies For New Year's Kids

We don't really have

fussy eaters in this

family.

They will eat just about

anything put in

front of them.

However, it is

ALWAYS

fun to do a little

SOMETHING SPECIAL

for them for the

Holidays.

The "tradition",

according to the

Bible of Lulu

(the 9 year old),

is that every

New Year's Eve they

come to our house to

EAT and then they

get to spend the night,

while Mom and Dad

go out to celebrate.

What?

How did THIS get started?

Am I now

TOO OLD

to go out to celebrate?

sigh...

Anyway,

Best to be prepared for the

LITTLE DARLINGS

with some special snacks.

How about a

Snowman Cheese Ball

to start the night off?

Betty Crocker recipe is here.

Hmmmm..what else can I do?

Leave those

kids alone with me and I

will serve them

SHOTS!

Shots like everyone else has

on New Years!

That'll teach them.

Okay-

Maybe we CAN tone it down

a bit.

How about

THIS kind of shot?

I call it

Tomato Soup Shooters!

You find the instructions at Rachel Hollis's site.

And, of course, we must have a few

Ants on a log

(raisins on cream cheese filled celery)

They will love these, too.

Apples cored, sliced sideways,

and topped with peanut butter,

or nutella,

and sprinkled with granola.

So..a few snacks,

a few laughs,

a few games,

and a shot of Tequilla

and those kids will have a

GREAT

New Year's Eve....

okay...just kidding about

the Tequilla.

sigh...

Maybe one for me?

Is it bedtime yet?

So Much For A Quiet Day ALONE

Remember yesterday

when I was waxing eloquently

about how nice it was to

have a moment of peace

and quiet after
the hectic Holiday?

Yeah?

Remember that?

Soon after that posted,

the phone rang.

I picked it up with trembling

fingers because we are waiting

on a call from the

car dealership.

Hello?

Hi Nannnny--

(always exaggerated and drawn out

from Nana to Nannnny when

SOMEONE wants SOMETHING)

Hi, SweetCheeks!

Whut arhe yohu doing?

Hmmm..

I'm just ready to break into

song and dance and

go visit

Santa Claus.

Seerhiously, Nana!

Whut ARHE yohu doing?

Hmmmm..

Why?

Well, Ih wuz thinkhing.

Uh-oh...

Ih wuz thinkhing Ih couhld

come ovah and spehnd the night

cuz my sistah's are all doing sumthing

and Ih dohn't haff enything to do.

Really?

Really, Nana!

So cahn Ih?  Cahn Ih come ovah?

Hmmmm..

Okay-here's my choice..

A visit from SweetCheeks

or a poke in the eye with a stick.

I'll be there in a little while,

SweetCheeks.

When?  When will yohu be hehre?

(She must be taking courses in

HOW TO CLOSE THE DEAL

in SALES)

Soon...pretty soon.

Less than an hour later,

we have haunted

Starbucks,

arrived at my house,

and found that good old

SANTA

left a little something in

the stockings here

at Nana's house!

Hmmm...

So much for a peaceful,

quiet day.

Lord knows what's best for me.

I think He thinks laughter

is the best medicine.

And I needed a

BIG DOSE!

Oh- wait...look...

It's MY favorite show, too!

And..she brought her own

pajamas this time.

See any connections going on here?

And, Lord love a duck..

her favorite bedtime treat?

Keebler ELF cookies!

She says she likes a little

Elhf in her stummic to keehp her comphany!

Alrighty then!

I hope your day is as blessed

as mine is...cuz this really IS

a blessing....a child that loves

to spend time with you and thinks

you are just about the most

wonderful person alive.

What more could anyone ask for?

Well....

maybe a MOMENT of peace and quiet.

WHAT? WHO Stayed Over?

A full day has passed.

Christmas 2011

 is becoming a

Sweet Memory.

After opening gifts

we spent part of the

afternoon  eating

AND playing games.

We played

Bunco.

My son was the scorekeeper.

He cheats-although he

claims he doesn't.

Then we played

Life with the kids.

My son was banker.

He cheats-although he claims he

doesn't.

At the end of the dsy

everyone went home.

This monkey headed for home.

He took the new little

Chunky Monkey Charlie

with him.

The girls are home

playing with their new toys.

Lulu with her keyboard

and headphones.

Julia with her Cinderealla doll.

Sweet little Ria  with

her sore little mouth.

Her favorite gift was her

Spy Kids kit.

All is quiet now.

My Hero and I

 came home to a

tree with no presents under it.

A sign that the

Gifts of Love

have all been presented.

I grab my cup of coffee

and sit down to watch the news.

MyHero is off to work.

It is quiet here-no one chattering,

or crying,

or whining.

Suddenly I hear it..

OOH-OOH- AAH-AAH!

Huh?

What?

Well.....

I see ONE of the grandkids

got left behind.

Well, at least I can stick

THIS ONE in a box....

and enjoy my coffee in peace!

How about you?

Any monkeys left at

YOUR house?

Poke Me! Okay- DON'T

Yes...yes....I know...

I'm a little late getting

here this morning.

I'd show you a picture

of how tired I look but

I don't want you to think you

are looking at

Halloween pictures!

So, mask in place,

I truthfully admit

that

 it was SUCH a busy

day yesterday that I didn't

get hardly any pictures.

WHAT????

What kind of blogger am I?

Well....I'm the blogger

that forgets she's blogging

and plays games with

the kids and bakes a cake.

Okay- I DID make the cake

the day befoe.

It's a POKE CAKE..and

I saw it out here in Blogland

and remembered how many of

these I had made for my own kids.

I thought it would be fun to

make one for the grands this year.

It's simple..

1 white cake mix

1 small box red Jello (any flavor)

1  snall box green Jello (if you say you find

anything except lime I'll think you're lying)

Pretend whipped cream

(called Cool Whip by some)

Bake the cakes in round pans.

Poke some holes in them with

the handle of a wooden spoon.

Pour Jello into holes

(it will disappear)

Frost with Cool Whip

Make sumthin' purty on top.

(or not)

Refrigerate for up to two days.

Cut and enjoy.

Too late for Christmas, you say?

Quit your whining....

Bake one for

New Year's Day

using

Blueberry Jello.

It'll make your mouth do this....

Looks like a Viagra ad, doesn't it?

Just sayin' ~

And, if you're lucky like me

while everyone else is eating

cake you can be

studying the newest member of

the family, Baby Charles.

Please ignore the PINK blanket

you know how it is in a houseful

of girl cousins.

He was so good we hardly heard

a peep out of him all day.

He smiled in his sleep several times,

making us all smile in return.

AND

My husband is smiling this morning

because he got something

extra special from the kids.

Something that you won't understand

if you don't live in

Green Bay...something that

will make NO SENSE

unless you understand how

important the

Green Bay Packers

are to this family.

It's a limited edition portrait, folks,

of Vince Lombardi,

done by a local artist-

a friend of my daughter and son-in-law.

20 x 24 unframed.

hmmmm...

Wow- Where to put this in amongst

the family wall of pictures?

He's NOT related.

Doesn't matter...

it's all relative.

(get it-relative? related?-never mind)

Happy Monday!

SweetCheeks Sings The First Noel

As most of you know

SweetCheeks is

ALWAYS singing..

Here is

HER RENDITION

of

The First Noel.

Notice how nicely

she says

Merry Christmas

at the end.

Okay- gather round~

Buck up-

30 seconds and you're

out of here.

I promise~

I hope you are all having

a wonderful day

with your families.

I hope that there is joy and light

in your day and that any

sadness you feel will be

wiped away by the

deep joy that comes

from loving the

Lord and rejoicing

in the birth of

Jesus.

Christmas blessings to

all of you-

from

SweetCheeks and Company

Merry Christmas Eve-My Poem To You

 I hope your home is warm and bright,

I hope your life is full of light,

I pray that evening finds you near

to everything that you hold dear.

God Bless You All

This Christmas Eve..

And keep you safe.

for I believe..

that we have met here for a reason,

More than just the Christmas season.

Perhaps to share some stolen smiles,

Perhaps to connect us o'er the miles,

Whatever the reason,

I'm glad to see..

There's someone else

a lot like me.

So, here we are,

a fine old blend,

of Moms and Artists

and One Old Hen (me);>)

Merry, Merry Christmas

to all my wonderful

friends~

© Nana Diana 2011

Our Family Tradition- 3 Wise Men,Jesus & Santa

My daughter started a wonderful

tradition with her children.

I thought I would share it

with some of you that

might want to adopt

the idea while

your kids are

still small.

There is always the urge

for SANTA to

overspend at Christmas,

isn't there?

When is enough enough?

How many presents should

each child get?

Well, at my daughter's house,

Santa brings each child

THREE GIFTS....

just like

JESUS

got three gifts from the wise men.

On Christmas morning the girls

come down the stairs.

The are wearing their brand new
(hopefully matching)

CHRISTMAS pjs that

Papa and Nana deliver

on Christmas Eve.

It is the one  small gift
 they open that night.

As they settle down,

Mama reaches for her

special

CHRISTMAS MORNING BOOK.
It is the story of the nativity

and she reads it to them.

When she gets

to the part where the

THREE WISE MEN

bring their gifts to

JESUS

the girls all scramble over

to the tree and find the

three gifts that

SANTA has left

for each one of them.

It will always be something

they want...and could be

as simple as
 a coloring book with crayons
or a bigger gift like
a snowboard.

Whatever it is~

Each child feels as special

as can be that SANTA

has gifted them with

something special

just like
JESUS
got three gifts from the

THREE WISE MEN

Once they find their presents

they snuggle back up to Mama

who finishes the story

of Bethlehem.

And then they open their

Santa gifts.

Now, they also get a

Mom and Dad gift and

Nana and Papa gifts

and Auntie and Uncle gifts,

so there is no lack of presents-

but it does put a limit on
dear old Dad

SANTA.

We have come to love

this special tradition

and how it kind of ties

everything together

for our family.

And THIS YEAR
there will be two
more special little
ones that will listen to
their Auntie TPot
read the Christmas story.
And at least ONE of these
monkeys will be
scrambling to find his
three gifts too!

I. JUST. CAN'T. WAIT!

A Little Prayer For Our Ria Please

This is my daughter along with her hubby

and the TRIO.

This was taken a couple of weeks ago

when they went to get their tree.

Lulu is on the far left,

SweetCheeks is front and center,

and our sweet

Little Ria is on the right.

There was a little accident on

the school playground today.

Ria fell and her front teeth

went through her chin

just below her lip and

she needed eight stitches to

close the gap.

Bad enough~ but she

also broke her two front teeth

on a diagonal.

They are her permanet teeth, too. 

They thought at first she had

injured her jaw and might need

to have her jaw wired shut

but, after a full assessment,

it appears that her jaw is okay.

I know there are many big

tragedies going on around the world.

I realize that there are people that

need prayer for very serious

illnesses so I kind of

hate to ask....but...

if you have a moment please

send up a prayer for our

Little Ria.

She is just the sweetest,

most loving little girl you will

ever meet....and it is almost

Christmas and she will be in pain

for a few days.

The dentist has promised her

some caps when her mouth

has healed a bit.

I've been looking online and

I think I found the perfect

set.

Whaddaya think, Ria?

How do you like those?

I know some of you are thinking..

What kind of Nana would be posting

something like THIS concerning

something serious?

Well.....

Only THIS Nana would

be trying to get a laugh

out of her to cheer her up.

She's used to me and my

off-beat humor.

I am the best

"teaser" in the world.

I love you , Little Ria,

and I am so sorry this happened

to you~I'll see you in a couple

of days!

Thanks to all of you that take

the time to offer up a little prayer

for our little girl.

Gifts Galore- Wins And Suprises

I cannot tell you how

delighted I am with

what has been going

on here.

SOOO many wonderful

gifts

have found their way to me.

The first, amd most precious,

gift was a healthy

new grandson.

Our darling little

Charles-In-Charge.

Upon arriving at my own home

with new Mama, new baby,

and BigBoyE

I found things waiting

to be opened.

I won a wonderful

GLASSYBABY

from

Lynne over at

Dreams on 34th St.

If you don't know her,

please pop by her blog.

She is a delightfully,

sweet, talented girl.

I chose the one called
Hide & Seek
because it already
looks like it is glowing.

This is one of the most

beautiful pieces of

glasswork I have ever

held in my hands.

With a votive burning

inside it is spectacular.

It sits behind my kitchen sink

in the window for the

Holiday season...

and it may stay there year round.

Isn't she a beauty?

I also received a beautiful

necklace and tag

handmade by

Cindy Adkins

Cindy Adkins Whimiscal Musings

 The "dangler" is a domino

and when you turn it over it

has this sweet graphic on it.

Did you notice that it is held in

place by a mini-clip that attaches

to the chain?

I am sorry to say that the picture

of the tag is so blurry I can't use it...

but, trust me, it is beautiful!

If you haven't met Cindy yet

pop by her blog-

she is uber talented

and you will be blessed to

get to know her.

And then...

Laurie over at

Heaven's Walk

blessed me with this beauty.

I wear a lot of black so this

is perfect for the Holidays.

Stop by and visit her

very

ShabbyChic,Romantic,

Cottage Style,

Jeanne deArc blog.

So...as if that wasn't enough...

As if I wasn't blessed enough already,

I get an email from

Tina @ What We Keep

She has another wonderful blog.

If you aren't a follower already

you will be soon.

She is REAL, folks!

She even says a naughty word

now and then

(or so I heard).

Anyway.....

I won one of her wonderful

aprons.  And I DO MEAN

wonderful.

Here's the apron I won-

I was thrilled to get the one

on the right.

When she told me I won

I was expecting an apron-

this is a close up of the front.

but there was so much more

in that package.

2 potholders, candy cane sticks,

an ornament,

and some "babies" for

MY BABIES.

Little treasures for the

"hidey holes" under the steps.

And what package that looks like this...

Is really complete without

Pearl The Amazing

Balancing Pig?

Well, I hope I didn't forget

anything.  If I did y'all will

forgive me, won't you?

Cuz...remember...I am old..

and tired....

and-what's that?

Oh, yeah...I am forgetful...!;>)

Thank you to everyone!

Fellow bloggers are some

of the best people

I have never met!