Friday, December 30, 2005

Lady Jan says my Christmas was a bust!

I'm sick with a cold and no one wants to come near me!

WAAAAA!!!

I was sick for my anniversary, and then I was sick for Christmas too!

My sister mailed my Christmas present to me (a basket full of goodies), so I mailed her present to her too.

My parents came by and honked, because the wouldn't come in because they were afraid they'd catch it too. Which made me feel like a leper. So my husband and my daughter loaded up their car with the present we had for them, plus our present for my step-brother and his family plus a rum cake. And my mom gave us money, which endearing as that it made me feel like a little kid as well as a leper.

Then my Uncle who we were going to go see right after Christmas canceled on us because of my cold too. Then me came by my mom's unannounced and dropped off our gifts, so I had to mail his gifts to him yesterday.

My husband gave me a gold chain necklace, and my daughter gave me a costume jewelry pin. We bought our daughter the computer game Madagastgar, and she already has the movie and the music cd. And the Pink Panther cartoon too. My husband bought his own gift like he does every year, because he the only one that can please himself! And he got himself a laser blade leveler/bevel guide for his circler saw. Which to tell you the truth I'd never have thought to give him that.

The only thing that made it seem like Christmas, was the old movie with Bing Crosby, and Danny Kay 'White Christmas' was on TV. Watching that movie then I was happy.

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas!

Lady Jan's anniversary

My 26th anniversary was last week on December 21.

And I was sick! Darn it!

So I couldn't go out to dinner to celebrate, so my husband got take-out. He brought home Dicicco's calazoni which I just love and hadn't had for a while, so we at least had a special treat on our day.

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My Wedding story

In 1979 the year we got married, I was deperately looking for some place to get married.

I had always assumed that I would have my own church to get married in, but was astonished that we were having to meet in a BASKETBALL COURT???

You see our church had sold our old church building, in attempt to gather enough money to build the new church building. They where attempting to building on land in a better area, that someone had donated for that use.

The couple that bought our old building and were going to use it as a day care center, immediantly separated and started divorce proceedings.

Which stopped the building project, because it stopped the money flow. And we couldn't get our building back, because of the divorce proceeding froze all the assets!

Which greatly inconvenienced me!

My dad suggested we get married in the same place we were meeting for church. And I said, "But dad! I can't get married in a BASKETBALL COURT!"

I kept picturing the wedding party all lined up on the goal lines, and I would be stand under the hoop in my white dress and veil. Then at the end of the ceremony, when I kiss my new husband the buzzer would sound and a point would be given to the home teem. Then I'd move forward and toss the bouquet through the hoop, and the girls would all dive for it.

Um, no.

Then my Aunt Regina suggested we get married at the recreation room / club house where she was manager and my Uncle Arnold was asstant manager.

And we did and it was really nice too.

But it rained that day really hard, at least it held off till I toss my bouquet over my car to the waiting girls on the other side. Then a crash and doom of thunder and it started to pour.


How's that for timing?

Then a gust of wind took the bouquet out of the reach of the girls, and it landed splat! In the road. And my maid of honor (Sarah Pittman) who was on the other side, ran around behind all the girls and grabbed it up before anyone could react.

I'm not sure but I think she might still have it.

Friday, December 23, 2005

A sad Christmas tale--by lady Jan

A fifteen years or so ago, Mr and Mrs Smith (not their real names) found time weighed heavily on them around the holidays. Especially since their children were long time grown and had started family's of their own, and now even the grandchildren weren't so little anymore. And they missed the kids being small.

Then Mr Smith grew a beard, and people started saying how much he looked like Santa. That gave them an idea, a marvels, wonderful idea. Mrs. Smith went right to work, she was a wonder with a needle and thread. She sewed two costumes; a Mr Claus one for her husband complete with Santa hat with bells down one side, and a darling Mrs Claus one for herself complete with a red and white muffin cap that echoed Mr Claus hat.

They started by visiting the kids in the neighborhood, then they touring the stores and shops. They got invited to Christmas party's, and kids flocked to them where ever they went. They were a huge success, and they loved it. They became a staple of Christmas in Madera every Holiday season. People wanted to know where the Claus's would be, so they could take their kids to see them.

I remember taking my nephew to visit them at Wal-mart, and Mrs Claus gave him a candy cane after he was too scared to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. I told them how darling they looked in their costumes, and they told me how much they loved doing this every year. My own daughter got to met them too, but she doesn't remember them now, as she was very young.

After nine years (or so) the saddest thing happened, Mr Smith had a stoke and didn't make it.

I heard they were looking around for someone to play Mr Claus with Mrs Smith. But poor Mrs Smith said that she didn't want to do it anymore, because there were too many sad memories.

And sadly so passed a sweet tradition in my home town.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Seasons Greetings from Lady Jan



photo & card by Janice


And suddenly there was the angel,

a multitude of the heavenly host,

praising God and saying:

"Glory to God in the highest."
Luke 2:13

Peace, good will
and happiness for you at
Christmas and always.

Lady Jan's brand new avitar from Yahoo!

This is a fun new thing from yahoo, I tried to get her to look like me, but they don't have an over wieght avitar.

Yahoo! Avatars

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Lady Jan rants on about foggy day sequels and school buses

I don't get it!

Yesterday was the worst foggy day this year, and they canceled all the morning buses for Madera. Then Fresno cancels school for the day because of the pea soup fog.

Then today it's the same fogginess, 24th of a mile and no foggy day sequel, no bus cancellation. Nothing! Just get on the bus and forget it's foggy kids, just ignore all that gray fluffy stuff outside the bus windows-It's not there!

I don't know why I even care, as I drive my Daughter to school. I just have a beef with the buses in general, and we have bad blood between us.

I mean real bad blood. I think the bus shack is run by a bunch of idiots, and they think I'm a bitch!

It all started with my daughter getting spat on, on the bus. And not by one boy either! By all of them! Well exempt two who tried to protect her from the boys, by covering her head with their coats. I thought that should be the bus drivers job, and they thought "boys will be boys." Huh? I took her off the bus for a while, "after the spitting incident".

Next time I put her on the bus, it was when I thought that my daughter shouldn't be on the bus for three hours coming home from school. My goodness we are all of five minutes down the road from the school. Apparently the bus drive went and started dropping off kids in the opposite direction, and she had to sit there in the bus seat for that long as that, because she was dropped off last. And that was fine? How is that fine?

Couple years later I was gonna put her back on the bus again, and they thought that at eight years old she could walk a quarter of a mile at six in the morning, and cross a busy country road where everyone drives 100 miles an hour. And there is no side walk! Just broken pavement, and great big clumps of dirt. And did I mention the semi trucks that fly by dragging dirt and rock in their wake?

I tried to get them to pick up my daughter at our mail box where she use to be picked-up, and I was told that never happened! Then the woman yelled at me and slammed a receiver in my ear! Gees! I was talking in a normal voice, and all I just wanted to know was why? Can't she stand to be questioned?

My husband called the bus shack to complain about how I was treated, and the director apologized. And someone was going to call us later and we'd work something out. Guess what? Nobody called!

So anyway I drive my daughter to school, foggy days or no.

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Lady Jan finally got her Christmas decorations up!

Santa by my baby's picture, she's 14 years old now!

photo by Janice

Lady Jan got more of her Christmas decorations up!

My garlands on my window

photo by Janice
You can see the smoke damage on my wall from our old propane heater circa 1930 I think.

Lady Jan finally got her Christmas tree up!

I finally got my Christmas tree up!

photo by Janice
You can see my messy desk, right behind my dinning room table that our Christmas tree is perch on.
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Around the base of our tree you can just make out all of the charectors from Rudolf, the Red Nose Rain Deer, (my husband bought them for me at a after Christmas clearence sale.) My all time favorite Christmas show. I don't know why but tears come to my eyes everytime I watch it.
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Just in front of my tree you'll see a crystal Hersey's kiss decanter another gift from my husband. It's 'my Christmas kiss' I always get my 'Christmas kiss' early, when I bring it out for the Holidays.

Lady Jan lights a candle

We lost our power and lit a candle, then my daught and I took turns taking pictures of it. This one my daughter took. I have a small collection of candle holders. I just love candles.

photo by Sarah

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Lady Jan on we had our first frost of the season


Our California seasons don't always match other states, while the east cost was hit by hurricane after hurricane, we were having one of most mild falls on record. All day every day 70 degrees. Forget sending your child to school in a jacket, put them in shorts instead!

Then finally it happened!

The temps dropped and it became. . . Fall!

Last Sunday night early Monday morning we finally got it!

Our first frost!

hence the picture.

After I dropped my husband off at work I ran around the out side of my house with my camera, to take this shot. Then later after getting my daughter up, I had to convince her it was actually cold enough for a coat to school!