The weather here has been gray and gloomy with more rain coming for the next week.  I guess it's better then the snow that is hammering the Midwest and the bitter cold that is freezing the oranges off their trees in the Southern parts of our wonderful Nation.

This past week has been a busy one.  With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas right around the corner.  My older daughter came for a visit and brought Christmas presents!   As we unwrapped the gifts I was shocked to find a Digital Photo Frame.  Wow, I've been wanting one of those for a long time.  Now I can load all my pictures and not have to worry about not having enough "wall space" and Paul and I can enjoy looking at our family and friends all day long. She included a digital key-chain so that I can carry my most precious pictures with me and share them with others.  Who would have thought that a "Grandma's Brag Book" could be converted to a key-chain!  Wow, we have come so far in our technology that it's scary.   I also received the most beautiful traveling mug to take along on our journeys and this really neat Olive Oil jar that stores and measures your cooking oil.  I had spotted hers last year and made the comment that I thought it was one of the greatest inventions since sliced bread!  I use a lot of Olive Oil for cooking, so it was the perfect additionn for my kitchen.

We spent a couple of days with my youngest daughter nearer the coast.  The weather there was a bit better with the sun popping it's beautiful warmth through the clouds.  Made her dinner and spent some time sewing.  It was a wonderful feeling to spend the time doing something that I also enjoyed doing with my Mom.  In our family, there is a love for creating!  Whether it's baking cakes and decorating them for a special celebration, making unique clothing for holidays, finding just the right material to decorate our homes, crocheting for family and friends,  creating our own recipes as we dabble in our kitchens, sewing baby clothes and my Mom's favorite, creating Christening gowns for many generations that became known in the family as "Ann's Angels". This past week I was blessed to help my youngest daughter create lined drapes out of a piece of fabric that was perfect for her guest bedroom and start a duvet cover for her new bed ensemble. 

Paul hung, or I should say, rehung the Christmas lights on her front windows.  She had hung the small white lights on her three windows, only to have the center strand of lights not work.  After an hour of trying to find the problem, Paul decided to start from scratch and rehang the lights in a different configuration!  Just in time for her to have a few friends over for a holiday get together.

While driving down to the Bay area, passing through the city of Freemont, California, Paul spotted what he thought was a long lost relative of the French General and Statesman, Charles de Gaulle.
What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by and sharing a small piece of our journey.

Jo

"I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians." Charles de Gaulle