Flaming June's Love

Jack mentioned that he wanted a guinea pig about a month or two ago.  He never mentioned it again...until Christmas eve day.  Allie and I were chatting with him to double check his list and then he said it... #1 Guinea pig.. WHAT?  When did you say that Jack?  I told Santa.  hmm #2  Sally. ok what is sally?  Sally is the guinea pigs name Mom, I want a guinea pig from Santa. Keyristmas...  I am totally out of Christmas money and the PIG is about 150 bucks after all is said and done for all the extras. We went to Nanas for Christmas eve lunch and low and behold after Jack talking about Sally to his Aunt and Uncle..  The sally fund was made and  wholaa/.. Sally was right at the bottom of the steps on Christmas morning, and before he came down to see what he got from the Jolly Old St. Nick, he sat at the top and said to Allie in his whispery voice of morning. "I really hope there is a Guinea pig down there.." Thank you all for the c...

I asked my girls to be ready last Friday afternoon at 2;30 for our annual Christmas card picture taking spectacular.  They appeased me.  I arrived home with Jack from school and we went to the garden center and took about 25 pictures.  A great improvement from last year when we took over 100 and had maybe 5 with Jack looking at the camera.  This year was not a difficult choice of my favorite. See the light. This is 3 oclock light in NEPA in December. The light in Allies hair the smile and clear blue eyes of Missi.  The bounce of sunshine of my little mans blonde halo. The three of them are looking into my eyes in this picture.  They are smiling because they Love me.   They must if they still take a Christmas card photo at 22 and 20 years old.  Jack's smile is a little forced but his eyes say more than anything else.  Missi chose her outfit and hat with braids in order to look "herself" as did Allie.  I was leaving to pick up J...

Had a lovely day today.  Finally feeling better since I've been dealing with Bronchitis for a week.  We had our cards party this past weekend here at our house.  My first attempt at hosting and it was a success.  My cousins came and we talked, laughed, reminisced, talked of future events.  Weddings, babies, grandparents, Christmas, Thanksgiving. We spent the night with three generations of women playing a an old card game called Pottstown Rummy. Its a game we have recordings of our women playing thirty years ago. As I think of the occasion of us getting together to play, I am eased into thoughts of my childhood watching my Nana, Aunts, and family friends playing cards, howling and cackling with laughter.  I invision days out the mountain under the shelter with swirls of smoke rising from the table as these women chatted and "May I'd" their afternoons away.  I would sit sometimes and watch the bags of candy my Aunt Ruth would bring be passed around....