Random 5 Friday

 Nancy, over at A Rural Journal

is taking a vacation from blogging to enjoy the Holiday Season

but since I had my Random 5 done I thought I would post it here anyway…

One

I bought the Mister a Canon Rebel T4i for Christmas…shhhh

I am a Nikon user but 

this might be like when I was 6 years old and got my Mom a fancy skipping rope for her birthday

…so I could use it…

Two

The puppies went to the spa this week…

so they are all ready for Christmas

Three

On the continuing saga of our roadwork…
They put in the curbs last week and paved the road this week…

but sidewalks will have to wait until spring???
Something to do with it being too cold for the concrete to cure properly?
(you mean those City Planners didn't know it gets that cold here in the winter?)

So I have to live for another summer with a dug up front yard and gardens on hold... 

*pout*

Four

I am just starting to get my Christmas decorations out of storage in the basement. 

Sometimes I don't think I finish decorating until the 24th…

(or even by then but at that point I call it finished!) 

and then I take it all down as quickly as possible afterwards. 

I have simplified many other aspects of Christmas, you'd think I would be able to simplify this aspect! 

Five

Can I tell you how incredibly proud I am of my daughter?

A 'selfie' of my daughter

Years ago, I went through a few tough Christmases as a single parent, 

where all I could give my kids was a stocking with a few books and candy from Santa. 

I felt like the worst Mother on the planet those years. . . 

When I got back on my feet, I told my kids I could buy some small presents 

for the upcoming Christmas and asked them to make a list. 

My daughter, then 12 years old, asked for a foster child, 

my son, who was 16, asked for the money so he could take a homeless family out for dinner. 

In that moment I knew that the experience of a few gift-less Christmases had done them no harm 

and I told them that they deserved to be very proud of themselves.

Over the years we went back to buying regular gifts, 

though we never went as 'over the top' as my kids had been used to 

prior to those tough Christmases.

This year, when I asked my now 28 year old daughter what she wanted for Christmas, 

she asked me to donate the money that I would be spending on her gift to Sick Children's Hospital ! 

I am so incredibly proud of my little girl !!

Wrapping up my Mom's estate and getting ready for Christmas
may result in a brief hiatus myself…
so in case I don't "see" you before then,
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season with
Love in your home,
Joy in your world
Peace in your heart…

Janetxo