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One year I decided to cover all the dust with decorative items and clean everything up in January. Ordinary housework isn't as much fun as decorating!

This morning on FB I read an emotional post from a younger person who thinks she is devastated for life because her Christmas tree isn't 'perfect' in her eyes! Shoot, I must have got it all wrong - who knew a tree was supposed to be 'perfect'. When my kids were the ages of her kids, they decorated the tree and we parents loved it however it looked!
 
Grandson and I hung ornaments on his family tree yesterday. When I sat back and looked at it, I realized that most of the ornaments were at his eye level on his side of the tree. It's beautiful. And Granddaughter and her mother will hang the rest of the ornaments and maybe fix it up just a little after he's gone to bed. But if he wants a special ornament to be just where he put it, so be it.
 
KayTheCurler said:
This morning on FB I read an emotional post from a younger person who thinks she is devastated for life because her Christmas tree isn't 'perfect' in her eyes! Shoot, I must have got it all wrong - who knew a tree was supposed to be 'perfect'. When my kids were the ages of her kids, they decorated the tree and we parents loved it however it looked!
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Has she recently moved away from her parents or something? The apartment didn't feel like Christmas and we didn't even bother putting out our tree some years, we felt like we just didn't have the space. Plus, we tended to go to Calgary for a much longer period than we do now.

I was hoping to have more done by this point. I would have liked the tree decorated. I have a massage, and then I think I will come home and prepare the space for our tree. I'm hoping it will fit! We're using a borrowed one - my sister and her husband had a huge living room in their last rented place, but it won't fit in their house. Apparently they will want it back one day - maybe if they move or finish their basement. It was great last year in our empty living room, this year it will go upstairs. I think between a few decorations on the mantle of the fireplace, the cards and the stockings should keep a Christmasy feeling down there.

I'll also have Chemguy get the lights set up outside, we haven't put out the extension cords yet. I had told him I would have liked the lights on for advent, but I guess we'll settle for Dec 1 :) At least they are up this year!
 
I was going to do my tree this weekend but got caught up in another project. We have several DVDs of material that I copied from our old VHS-C camcorder (i.e. old style videotape) and I have been planning to "rip" them to digital files for easier viewing and just keep the DVDs as backups. So, I got all but one ripped (the last set of videos before the camcorder gave up the ghost and we just started using the video recording capabilities of our digicam). Inevitably, we ended up watching some. Little M was quite enthralled by the videos from his first month or two. He's never really seen a baby up close save for brief visits with baby siblings of friends (he's the youngest of Dad's grandchildren). We watched some of the later stuff, too, up to his first birthday. Needless to say, some footage of Dad playing with him during the Christmas we had at the cottage (mentioned in another thread though I forgot there that it was Little M's first Christmas) had me tearing up.
 
Mendalla said:
I was going to do my tree this weekend but got caught up in another project. We have several DVDs of material that I copied from our old VHS-C camcorder (i.e. old style videotape) and I have been planning to "rip" them to digital files for easier viewing and just keep the DVDs as backups. So, I got all but one ripped (the last set of videos before the camcorder gave up the ghost and we just started using the video recording capabilities of our digicam). Inevitably, we ended up watching some. Little M was quite enthralled by the videos from his first month or two. He's never really seen a baby up close save for brief visits with baby siblings of friends (he's the youngest of Dad's grandchildren). We watched some of the later stuff, too, up to his first birthday. Needless to say, some footage of Dad playing with him during the Christmas we had at the cottage (mentioned in another thread though I forgot there that it was Little M's first Christmas) had me tearing up.
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I love watching those old family videos! Unfortunately, we didn't have one, so it's the special occasions when a relative or close family friend pulls one out. I did record a bunch of stuff for my grandma one year and the cassette tapes were mailed out. She pulled those out for me on one of her recent visits.
 
Chemgal - no - the woman I mentioned she hasn't recently left home. She has been living in a different community since High School, owns a home there, has children between about 8 and 14. I have noticed from other posts that she seems to want things to 'go her way' most of the time. This time it appears the lights on the tree aren't the ones she almost bought that were more expensive. I figure she's lucky she can afford lights for the tree - and several gifts for each kid! I suppose it IS hard to view things that way if you haven't had to go without anything thus far in life.

What a treasure trove you found to watch Mendalla! I bet there will be lots of moments that had dropped out of your memory over the years. Enjoy watching the rest.
 
Mendalla: again, good tears. Memories of a life now ended, but with stories to pass down for generations.

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Found a notice sent to a friend in June 2012 that I had dropped off a cheque to underwrite the church school budget (they hadn't received any funding) and dropped off my key.
Found another email that stated that keys had been handed in and was addressed to the new church secretary.
Sent an email advising that I would appreciate that my name be removed from any church list referencing me having a key. Advised that if there was a concern with doing so that they advise me now so that we can address it through review of notifications back then or contacting the old secreatry or minister or some other resolution.. Finally, noted that I do not expect to be approached by anyone on this topic again at a church event.

I am tired of foolishness.
 
Ahhh Pinga don't read too much into their comments. It does sound a bit like busybodies as it wasn't an official request by an official person. More like-you used to be one of us........
 
Sadly, Tabitha, it is a well respected member of he board, not someone who would get that type of a description. Having witnessed the odd control related iems, I am fairly sure that it is not intended to be malicious or petty, rather it is just a control point (and lack of control) point.
 
So, I'm curious. who else has videos of their family (or before tha, reel o reel movies.

Our family did not have them, though we have a few of when the boys were young at Christmas.
 
*sigh* No Christmas tree today. I forgot about the stupid IV and I'm just worn out. Good thing I had a massage, the minute she lightly pressed down I realized just how stiff everything was. I have a few sore spots from the massage though just because of how tight everything was.

Does anyone know if veins roll more in the winter? I dunno what's going on, Chemguy has been doing most of them for me lately. I thought I was good, had a great spot, I was centered on the vein, moving quickly for me and then the vein moved over really far. The spot I was in started burning really bad too, so I took over holding the vein in place and let Chemguy took over and I was overcome by dizziness really fast, didn't slowly build up like I usually get. I went from being way too cold, warming up by a space heater to bring up the veins to drenched in sweat. lol Once we were done Chemguy made multiple comments like gross ewwwww from all my sweat marks followed by you're really pretty and I love you.

I'm just going to relax until bed now.
 
No family movies here. Dad had slides-and not the carosel type. One slide in and out and then the next-well actually the next was put in as the last came out.
For their 50th anniversary I took slides and put them in a powerpoint and gave a dvd to them and my sisters, and some cousins. Took about 40 hours of work. We added music and played it at their open house.
 
Just still pictures (black and white) from our childhoods - and not many of those. Film and developing were expensive back then, I got my first when I was fourteen. Two rolls of film (8 pictures a role on my mother's old camera - 12 I think on the cartridge that dropped into my 'modern' camera). Pictures taken once (or twice) a year. And I doubt if Seelerman's family even had a camera.
Coloured pictures of my children - and more. Cartridges took more pictures; developing was coming down in price (or inflation catching up).
Videos of my grandchildren - I had my first video camera. We took tons of pictures - a baby lying on her back reaching for a rattle, rolling over, sitting in her highchair. Fewer of Grandson - much of the novelty had worn off in the seven years between them and, despite best intentions, parents and grandparents aren't quite as fascinated with the second child.
We still have those VHS tapes in a box in a closet. Seelerman tells me that we have a VHS projector in the basement. I'd love to get it hooked up and watch those old tapes (Granddaughter borrowed them last year and enjoyed them at her house.) I'd love to understand the technology well enough to copy and edit them.

(I understand that sometimes tapes of a baby or young child can be used for diagnostic purposes if they run into learning or personality problems later - and they may be more reliable than memory. -- 'Yes, I'm telling you that this child who is now mute was talking in sentences at 18 months. Then by three years old he just stopped talking.')
 
Seeler said:
We still have those VHS tapes in a box in a closet. Seelerman tells me that we have a VHS projector in the basement. I'd love to get it hooked up and watch those old tapes (Granddaughter borrowed them last year and enjoyed them at her house.) I'd love to understand the technology well enough to copy and edit them.
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I know around here there's places that will do the DVD transfer (for a fee). Once you have them on DVD, there's fairly easy-to-use software (I'm sure a child or grandchild could figure it out and teach you) for doing the rips to a digital file. I used Handbrake, which is (IIRC) open source and hence free, but there are other options. Some media player software can even do it.
 
Hoping folks have a good day today.

Those who know me know that I am a nighthawk, not a morning person. You can imagine my Dad's dread when he phoned me to tell me that he had to be at the hospital at 6am for a procedure he Is having, lol, and it is at least 30min away. Aah well, it will be an early morning but it does mean he won' have time to fret before it though it has been weighing on him. I am glad that it will be done, and an early morning will be good for me.
 
ps. I am pretty lucky. I am one year away to having the points required for retirement with full pension in a defined contribution plan. That means that i will get 70% of my salary for not working. I recognize that I am one of the last in this position as few people work at an org for as long as I do, and defined benefit plans are no longer provided even where I work.. I was thankful that my oldest son has started his RRSP savings.
So, I don't plan on quitting working, and I dont' plan on retiring right on the day for a few reasons but, nice to be in the countdown.
 
Trying to catch up and read some of the posts the last week, but there are so many . . . I skimmed a few of them.

Saw posts of Christmas activities and concerts, saw posts of pictures and movie reels and dvds of Christmases of past, saw posts of aging parents and others with personal health battles, saw posts of church hurts and other life and relationship challenges, saw posts of families getting together and making new family Christmas memories, and much, much more.

It reminds me that this place is made up of a community of persons who have much in common and also have things that are not common to all. I am thankful for each one who shares their life stories and memories and events, and is supportive and caring and encouraging in mine.

I went last night to our UCW Christmas pot-luck supper at our church - there were 25 ladies present, I would say 12 of us were guests, not UCW ladies. It was a nice supper and evening out. Sadly, a reminder that our UCW ladies are aging and their numbers are diminishing . . . and yet they keep going and doing for our church and community.
 
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