The Last Album of Last Year

2017 is behind us. Whew! Ups and downs, over and around... This afternoon (New Year's Day) I'm parked in my recliner doing not much except for updating my blog with the last of the 2017 snapshots.

from my friend BJ's blog at
http://bj-sweetnothings.blogspot.com/2017/12/merriest-christmas-to-all.html

This graphic makes me smile. Give yourself permission to rest.

organizing my photos while watching Bowl games

We're watching the Bowl games today, switching from one channel to another to keep up with them all (go UCF, OU, and BAMA!)

Chips 'n Dip on New Year's Day

I made our dinner (more about that later), and Beloved put together  an onion dip with assorted chips.

plate on the front of my Ford

Here are some snapshots that wind up the last month of 2017. For our anniversary in December, I gave Beloved two license plates. In Florida we are not required to have a plate on the front of our cars, so I ordered two from Beloved's alma mater. They're very pretty, and they help us find our cars in a busy parking lot.

The same week of our anniversary, we were blessed with a paver patio out back, as we step out of the screened in back porch. The grass was not growing well in that area, so we had a patio put in and also some extensive changes were made for drainage of water down to the forest behind the house.

While the workmen kept busy outside, I made a Christmas apron for myself, using an apron I already had for the pattern.

Christmas Dinner 

I didn't post much about our Christmas Day because we were apprehended by that coughing cold virus that's going around and other matters that zapped my energy.  However, we did manage to make the drive to Christmas Dinner beside the swimming pool and loved the memories made.

a gastronomic creation by Surfer Boy

Our son-in-law likes to spend time in the kitchen. While grilled burgers were the main attraction for Christmas Dinner, he made an unusual plate with tater tots, grilled burger patty with cheese and bacon stacked atop a burger bun half and topped with the remaining bun made like a pepperoni pizza. 

me with my 'followers'

As if it wasn't enough delight for we Colorado transplants to enjoy Christmas Dinner beside our daughter's swimming pool, when we walked to our car in the front yard, two very tall Sand Hill Cranes were waiting for us! They were looking for handouts, but alas, we were stingy and empty-handed. I asked Beloved to snap this picture so we could remember just how tall and tame these birds were.

The Crayola Experience in Orlando

We spent the next couple of hours on Christmas afternoon at The Crayola Experience. It's like a children's museum focused on the history and enjoyment of Crayola Crayons with a lot of hands-on exhibits that are fun for children and adults. We had a very good time.

our front door

The day after Christmas we busied ourselves with the removal of the outdoor Christmas decorations. Our landscaping contractor would be returning before week's end to complete the many things had put in the contract. We packed away all of the outdoor decor except for the wreath on the front door. I plan to keep that  up through the month of January.

A very tall ladder was used to trim the old fronds off the Queen Palm in our front yard; fresh mulch was added to all the shrub beds in the front and back, and four pallets of new St. Augustine sod was delivered to our driveway. They are now done and we are very pleased with the work. 

By the way, we found our contractor on Angie's List. Beloved left messages with three recommended companies. All three contractors returned his call that same day and all gave us good estimates accompanied with a winsome professionalism. Beloved used his strong analytical skills to narrow it down to the one we would choose. It has all gone very well. We recommend using Angie's List for home improvements.

With the landscaping done, I was able to spend time designing a new blog header, which is always fun. Thanks to those of you who have sent your compliments.

Dames Point Bridge

On Sunday afternoon, after church and lunch, we took a drive over the Dames Point Bridge, one of several ways to cross the St. Johns River in Jacksonville. As you can readily see, it's a thrill to get close to this architectural marvel. We love the bridges around our new home.

a Christmas gift from Beloved

This morning I had fun in the kitchen as I aimed to learn southern cooking. 

New Year's Day dinner

Menu:

pan-fried ham slice

Cornbread pg. 33

Collard* Greens pg. 89-91

Field Peas with Snaps** pg. 115

diced apples & raisins with mayonnaise

Fort Valley Peach Cobbler*** pg. 182

* I had to use turnip greens because the grocery store was out of collards

** I forgot to add the green beans

*** I also forgot to take a picture of the cobbler -- trust me, it was good!

Happy New Year!

The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make His face to shine upon you 

and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you

and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26