Wow, this is the only photo I took all week! It has been chilly and poor Linus was cold. I bathed him and Sally earlier in the week when temperatures were unseasonable warm - before the mercury plummeted to the twenties last night. This Thursday, we will have 60 degrees again!
Beckie came over on Monday and we spent ALL day making goodies: savory almonds, candied walnuts, turtles, fudge, peanut butter balls, almond coconut balls, toffee, cream cheese mints, dipped nut clusters. She stayed for dinner and then we watched Muppet Family Christmas. Sam Carpintero came over Thursday morning and she helped me frost the sugar cookies that Larkin and baked last week. I also baked two batches of cherry nut cookies on Friday (one gluten-free and one gluten-full). And, with all the goodies finished, Steve and spent yesterday driving around town and walking up and down our street delivering plates of the goodies to church friends and neighbors. And we still have some goodies left!
Other events of the week were going to the temple Tuesday morning, helping Fred wrap his presents that evening, Steve mailing our outgoing packages at the post office on Wednesday morning and taking Fred to mail his packages on Friday morning. He reports that it was a smooth, quick process both times. Amazing. Steve was back a the temple Wednesday evening for a ward youth baptism trip. I stayed home and watched two episodes of Hawkeye (2 and 3). Thursday evening I caught episode 4. I understand I am in for a big surprise with episode 5. Can't wait to watch it as well as the final one after this Wednesday. Steve and I watched two additional Christmas movies - Midnight Clear and the original Miracle on 34th Street. And we are listening to Christmas music non-stop. We have SO MANY Christmas CD's that there is no way we will listen to them all by this Saturday. Kind of a nice problem, don't you think?
We had two social events this past week. Friday night we were invited to have dinner with Ed and Mona, the couple who own the house just east of us. They are slowly remodeling it so no one lives in it at the moment. Remember the homeless woman who was squatting there back in the late summer? I noticed her in the driveway one morning and saw that the front door was wide open so I texted Mona who immediately called the police and drove over herself. The woman was long gone by then but that was the impetus for her and Ed to make remodeling the place a top priority. Ed and Mona are vegetarian as we learned when we had them over for dinner about a month ago. Dinner with them on Friday was tasty but there is no way I plan to go vegetarian in the near future. They live in a gorgeous home that is over a hundred years old and is located in the exclusive Compton Heights neighborhood of Saint Louis. That home they also remodeled and they are pretty competent with a hammer and saw. Our second social event was Saturday evening. We, the four missionaries, and a few families in the ward met at the church with pots of soup and plates of goodies. After dinner, we loaded up four goodie containers, split into two groups with a set of missionaries and a guitar player assigned to each set, and we caroled and delivered a goodie container to two people that the missionaries are currently teaching. We then all returned to the church for hot chocolate and the rest of the goodies. Aside from the gaggle of children running-all-over-the-place and shrieking-at-the-top-of-their-lungs, it was very enjoyable. Wow, I had forgotten how kids could be when completely uncontrolled by parents.
I helped a woman in our church relocate her two half-grown kitties Thursday afternoon. She is currently living in a women's shelter (abusive relationship) and she had to put her cats in an animal shelter. She gets to move into a new apartment on January 1st and so we got "her boys" and took them to stay with friends for the next two weeks. Both are very handsome tuxedo cats. Almost makes me want another cat...(then I remember all the hair they generate)
Steve and I walked to our dentist Friday morning for routine cleanings. And, I was informed that I will need two crowns! I had experienced two tooth break-offs in the past four months so I was not really surprised. Happily (?) they can fit me in for one crown this coming Tuesday and we will save the second one for 2022 when insurance will again cover 50% of the bill (if I had both in 2021, insurance would not be able to cover #2 at 50%). I sure hope this crown experience is better than the last one I had back in 2020 and where I swore never again. Stay tuned...
Speaking of being in tune, the Frontenac Strings performed this morning and did beautifully. And now I am DONE driving all over town every Sunday morning. And, I accompanied Steve and the bishopric in our own sacrament meeting as they sang a lovely arrangement of "The First Noel".
So, all in all, last week was pretty laid back and the upcoming one is looking the same. Gifts are bought, wrapped, and mailed. Goodies are all delivered. Musical performances are over. Bring on Sarah from Utah on Tuesday, Saint Charles on Wednesday, and Christmas this weekend!
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