Year in Review

Look at the perfect ornament that Cheryl (my sister) tied on one of my presents! It is still 'tis the season...now it is in wind-down mode! We had a great time on the 24th as a family. It was a fun day filled with lots of talk and laughter...and eating! The Proctor's left mid afternoon as Erin wasn't feeling well. The two Dorrell families went to the Christmas Eve Candlelight service. Yesterday, Christmas, was a quiet day. Woody and I both taught our Sunday School classes and after went to church. Nathan and the children joined us for lunch to eat up some of the leftovers from our family Christmas feast. Kathy left yesterday morning to go be with her mom and dad in Georgia. Kathy's dad is in the hospital in Augusta quite ill, though on the mend. Yesterday I didn't do very much...though did start sorting my pictures...always my goal to have the entire year sorted before January 1. I have been bad this year and haven't kept up very well with the sorting...so...I have quite a few months to go through (March thru December!). I got March and April done yesterday and have finished with May and started June today. Sorting pictures is how I got the title for tonight's blog because it is giving me a review of a lot of what we have done during 2016...it's been a fairly busy year...lots of baseball games, lots of visits to Vanderbilt, lots of children to photograph, etc. I couldn't believe how much the children have seemed to have grown since the first of the year! Woody did his usual Monday "doings." He went to Life Care to have Bible study with Jeff and visit with another friend. Woody took a gift for Jeff today. Last week Woody had asked him what he would like for a Christmas gift. Woody had been trying to figure out just what to get for a quadriplegic so decided to ask him what he would like. Jeff's answer was a Bible. Today when Woody took the Bible to him, he asked where he would like Woody to put it and Jeff told him to put it on his lap. We hope that it gives him comfort. This afternoon Woody walked four miles. Not long after he got back from his walk, he went next door to sit with the six of the children while Nathan and Esther went hunting. Abigail was their cook of the day and tried several recipes in the cookbook that we gave her. She made supper while Woody was over there and invited us to eat with them. When we were finishing up, Nathan and Esther came in and announced that they had gotten a buck. After they ate, everyone turned to to do what needed to be done to the deer...Grammy and Goosey slipped away...not wanting to witness any of said preparations or actual doings to the deer! (Grammy and Goosey aren't much into hunting or anything to do with it!) All has grown quiet outside...so most must have been done! They were trying to get done before the rains move in. Nathan is happy to have gotten a deer before the end of the season. I have been straightening up the house today when I wasn't sorting. I have cleaned up wrapping paper, tissue paper, gift bags, etc., etc. I also cleaned up what I call "wrapping central," the guest room. That is where all the gift bags, wrapping paper, etc. gets put while we are getting ready for Christmas...by the time Christmas gets here it looks like an explosion has gone off in the room. I wanted to get it cleaned up so Graham can put together Joy and Esther's Christmas present, a sewing machine table. We are sewing on a school desk at the moment and some of us can't get our legs under the desk. I think that this table that is made for sewing will be a big help to them. Well, back to reviewing the year aka sorting pictures! 'Tis the season!