Hi Y'all!!

 My boss, county judge, went to Cuba on vacation. She brought me back a bottle of Havana Club Rum and asked for a rum cake. (Each Christmas I give her coupons for desserts that she can cash in throughout the year. They DO have an expiration date, but as judge she has marked out the expired date, written in the current date, initialed the change and submitted the coupon. ;-) Good thing I love her!)

Sam made the beef stew. I made the cornbread. We make a good team. 

I was gifted with money for two tickets to see:

 As soon as tickets to Texas Music City in Linden Texas became available to non-sponsors, I was online ordering tickets. Only FOUR seats were left!!! Sam and I couldn't even sit side by side. We were lucky to be only a couple of rows apart.

 Thoroughly enjoyable evening!!

 From this:                                                                               To this:

On our drive to Mena Arkansas--

 Sam found a Schlitz mug in Mena. He's the one and only person I know who ever liked Schlitz.

 While he just held the Schlitz mug for me to take a picture of it, I actually bought fudge to bring home! We had a cabin here for the night and they just so happened to operate a fudge shop. Pure coincidence that I picked a cabin at this location. Just chance. No advance planning or anything like that. I promise. Ouch..my fingers are cramping I've crossed them so hard.

 The story behind the photo: I was at a job related meeting in McKinney which is a short distance from both Denton and Sherman. I had time to drop in on one of the kids. Instead of tossing a coin, I considered the roads. Hwy 380 between McKinney and Denton is a dirty word to travel at 5:15 p.m. So I headed north on I-75. Drove up to John and Erin's only to find Erin home all alone while the boys ran errands with their dad and were going to eat supper. Erin and I visited a few minutes then I headed to the restaurant. Mum's the word... the look on John's face as I slid into the booth beside Colt was priceless!

My Confederate Rose the night before a heavy frost. I took cuttings and have them in a bucket of water. They have little baby roots on them! I have about 15 cuttings and most are promised to others.

 You know, it's a wonder my fantastic daughter-in-law lets me around her children much less lets them spend time alone with me.

Just a pot of pinto beans cooked with a ham bone and spooned over homemade cornbread. YUM!

 My oldest grandchild turned EIGHT!!

We spent Thanksgiving in Denton with Brook and her family. I cut strips of old t-shirts and cotton knit night gowns to make "yarn." Isabel took up crocheting like a pro! 

 I told her that she was doing better than I did when I first learned how to crochet and I was SEVENTEEN years old!

 She made a dog blanket for Jake.

 Our after Thanksgiving meal with Jonathan because he couldn't be in Denton.

 Homemade yeast skillet bread with sliced garlic stuffed olives. OH MY GREATNESS!!!

Sam celebrated his 83rd birthday in December. He had plenty of help blowing out the candles on the plain pound cake that he requested.  

 Who would've though that funny glasses would have been such a hit?!!

Isabel gave her PawPaw a pin that she and her mom got for him in Scotland this past summer. It's the McRae family crest.

 Look what I found in the bottom of a dresser drawer!! Memories of my teenage bedroom. I've often thought that I wish I hadn't thrown this away. I DIDN'T!  I'm going to get a poster frame and hang it up in my adulting bedroom.

 Nostalgia - Jonathan's favorite childhood book. I pretty much still have it memorized.

Tenth annual Breakfast with Rudolph at the Daingerfield Public Library sponsored by the Friends group!