Ella , the dog, comes to visit.

Ella is our friends, Beth and Mike S., 5 month old golden retriever, poodle. She came to visit for eight days as they go to their ski house in CO. We are used to a small dog so this is an adjustment. And she has an odor and is not hypo- allergic. Loves to eat your fingers and jump on you. But she is a puppy. We have been getting up one to two times a night to take her outside to do her business, pee. She is very bright. She comes and paws you that she wants to go outside. Not one accident in the house. Until the next to the last night. She peed on the oriental rug. The carpet cleaner came two times and he got the stain out. She does not chew too much. If it was Murray or even Friday the dog at this age, they would have eaten my shoes, underwear, glasses and anything else. She has only eaten two corners of our dining room RUG. Not good. I put the little girl statue over it so she can not continue working on it. We also watch her all the time. All doors to rooms are closed.












Your can see the one corner of the rug that is chewed.





Snow has arrived in the north. School closings and delays. The VH family had a large Xmas party planned with the VH extended family. It was cancelled because the snow was coming. Ellen had a brisket in the slow cooker. They will get to eat it all themselves now.
Eve is baking during those days. Does Adley think the marble island is the floor? By the way, she is in big girl pants. My last grandchild is toilet trained. And out of the crib. They are growing up!





Same nightgown but different days and desserts.





The K kids are playing their guitars. Abe has taken lessons for about four years. He is playing nicely. Nathan just started lessons this Sept. And Mollie is not leaning to play yet.

We now have HHI grandchildren. My cleaning lady's , Ganka, children. Names are Gabby 5 yrs, and Deni 8 yrs. we are having them over on Thursdays. Deni loves to fish and Gabby and I go to the farm and playground. They are big and good eaters. Nice and fun kids with the biggest smiles. They are home schooled. There is a 12 yr sister, Vicky, and she is in regular school for the first year. She says she likes homeschooling better, as she has more time in the day. She goes to Savannah three times a week for gymnastics. Making chocolate chip cookies









Lunch





At the gardens





This week the guys caught seven fish. Deni took a large fish home for his dad to cook.

















The dog Friday went to the VET and was in perfect health. Love Holden's coat.





Pictures of Mollie at school this week.






Mollie must be warm this day.





All the kid were using a calculator.











Our friends, the Schreibmans had a photo taken. Mike, Jack's friend for 42 years, is in poor health. They wanted to get a good picture while he is still able. Philip, Renee, Mike, Sarah, Asher 4, Meyer 1. They live in Charlotte, NC. We visited him in the nursing home in Oct. And he does not know us anymore.
Parkinson's and dementia. Probably the cause was Agent Orange for when he was in Vietnam serving for our country. The family finally got the government to admit responsibility for his health problems over the last 20 years.





Abe went to his first middle school dance. They were supposed to wear neon colors.





The new Beach Club is being built. This is the steel structure.





We celebrated Bernie and Kathy P. 44 th anniversary. The picture was taken two years ago.





We went to the restaurant 843 for dinner. The restaurant is namedfor the area code in HHI. An expensive restaurant where you can get large and small Plates of food. I had a salmon dish. Jack had a thick piece of swordfish. We had the waitress bring a piece of cake for dessert and a little singing to celebrate the day. Then to continue the evening, we went to the brand new Kroger supermarket. And walked around. I told the owners of the bakery area to make challahs on Friday. They said they make a bread with that dough. But I told them, that the Jewish people are going to want it to look like a challah. I hope my advice was good for them. I also told them to phone the temple about making challahs for the Shabbat service.
Jack proceeded to get ill that night and stayed sick for the next six days. He had a terrible cough and flu like aches and pains. He went to a doctor and got medicine including the pill that looks like a pearl. Great for the cough. I went to socials alone all week. Every night I went to a different Xmas party or dinner like a single woman.
Saturday we drove back back to Pittsburgh. We have the house rented for Xmas so we needed to clean it and put all our belonging away. We got back in 11 1/2 hours.
Two happy souls. Adley and Friday. They are a team and love each other.





I have these pillows that I needle pointed many years ago. I finally finished the last one and need to get it made into a pillow. The first two, that are made into pillows, have many different stitches in them. And are quite interesting.











This one is all the same stitch.





I have one more needle point that I am working on. It is an canvas with smaller holes. I have problems seeing it and wonder if I will ever be able to finish it.

Trip to Charleston, SC

The Sea Pines women's group had a day trip Charleston. We had a high tea at the Charleston Place Hotel and went shopping. It was a great day.





















It is Xmas. The hotel was decorated beautifully.









Joan and Bob D celebrated their 50th anniversary.
All six kids, DIL, and 13 grandchildren were in HHI for a party.
This is the Christmas card that they send this year.





Each family is color coded. Great idea.





We sat the movies 12 years a slave, the Book Thief, Frozen and Philomena.
Each one was sad and thought provoken. They took a lot of strength to sit through each one. There were parents dying, adoption, slavery, the dead of Jews in WWII and blood and gore.
The building of the new Beach Club is progressing.








Mollie at school.





Baby Eva wearing a princess crown.





We had a four day Thanksgiving rental. Family have a dad living in Sea Pines. He is in hospice care. He died the Weds after the holiday. We had fourteen rentals this summer and not one problem. BUT this one is a big problem. First they had a problem with the oven. Said they could not turn off the oven. So they turned the circuit off. Meanwhile the knob is turned upside down. We fixed it. But what did they do?






And two bedrooms had major dirt on the floors. I suspect a dog was in the house. I know the one woman has a dog. As she is now staying at the dead dad's house. And a friend saw her walking a medium sized dog. We will deal with the renters. I want an explanation of what happened and some money for the cost of cleaning the carpet. I just hope it cleans up.














Looks like a dog spray of pee.





Some recent pictures of myself and the " Dear Heart".








Nathan reading at school.

Nathan reading

A group project at school about Noah's ark. So proud of Nathan.

Holden had a band concert at school. He is a new player of the clarinet. Here he is dressed up for it. Standing behind the Chanukah bush. It is decorated with objected that are family, sports and Jewish in nature. This is the second year the G family has had the tree. So there are not many things on the tree yet. That will grow each year.




We arrived in HHI after 11 hours. The oven is broken or something. And one of the phones does not work. It is searching for the network. The internet was out in the house. There are large stains in the rugs in two bedrooms. We are thinking there could have been a DOG in the house. I may phone the renter and question her. We are a little mad.
We then went to visit the Soby family. And agreed to dog sit their golden retriever / poodle that is four months old for a week, Dec. 10. We may have lost our minds, but Ella is cute and good. I just hope she does not teeth on our house.

Thanksgiving 2013

Mollie was in a program at CDS school. The kindergarten and the fifth grade did a program together. They sang many songs. Very cute. Mollie is in the second row left on the end.

Stuart loves to wear his hat.


Front row, second from left. The classroom.


The K kids army. Mollie has a pink gun.


Nathan had a group project on Noah's ark. He read an explanation of his project. I am so proud of him, as reading is hard for him.

Nathan








Thanksgiving
I always cut the fat, skin off the turkey. Fry it into the Jewish word, sehmultz . Then it goes into the bread stuffing. Not healthy but only done one time a year.



This is the " gribbinies". The fried turkey skin. My grandmother would salt and pepper it and eat until sick. I once ate too much and got sick.


Not cooked onions, celery, fat ready to cook.


Cooked.


The turkey was from Pound's turkey farm in Freeport, PA. Weight was 25.50
$2.79 per pound. Over seventy dollars. I use the pot that my father bought for my mother years ago. It is blue, heavy and only used one time a year. It could be 60-70 years old. I always tie up the turkey with string. This holds it together. And if all goes well, can be lifted out of the pot.


Cook it at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to crisp the skin. Then turn the over temperature down to 350 degrees until done.


Jack and Joyce are the turkey carvers. They also taste test the turkey while they are carving. I always cook it with beer or wine. Whatever is leftover in the house. The stuffing was made with Pino Grizio wine . I put beer in the bottom of the pan for the gravey. One whole garlic. Salt, pepper, oregano, basil , bay leaf.


Paul and Tim


Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables, challah, cranberry sauce , cranberry jello


Ellen was in charge of the appitizers. Cheese and crackers, vegetable tray, cream cheese with a pepper jam sauce on it, hot salami I cooked in bareque sauce.


Jack , Ruth, Nathan, Emma, Mollie, Sadie, Abe.


It was thangsgivikah . Chanukah and turkey day all at once. It will not happen for 70,000 more years. So we celebrated both holidays.
Opening gifts.


Anna W. 12 years.


Lighting the candles. Laura and Stuart are in charge of this.

Sadie the a biter of nails. I was also.


All the GKids lined up eating dessert. There was pumpkin and apple pie. Carmel custard, fruit. But the kids all took the chocolate cake that Ellen bought at Wegman's .



Joyce and baby Eva. She is four months now and is stopping all the crying.


The next night we had a Chanukah party. We had friends of laura and their parents. Also nancy, Joel and Elizabeth W.
Dinner. Salmon, brisket, potato pancakes, leftover sweet potato, and turkey, and a large salad.


Watching the candles being lit.


Candle lighting for both holidays.


Dessert. Brownies, chocolate coffee cake, melon


Julian, Mateo, Nicolas Rovera, Abe, Nathan Mollie


Saturday we had a Mollie sleep over. First we went to visit the Bernsteins. They had 20 month VIVI visiting.



I brought Dansk silver wear and she had the best time feeding a stuffed animal.





Then we went to visit the Sills. They had their nine month old twins Liam, and Scarlett visiting. Daddy Mitch and Liam





Mollie and Liam.


Julie and Scarlett





Mollie all dressed up in glitter boots and skirt. She is a girly girl. Loves to dress up in fancy clothes. She recently asked me why I never wear dresses, skirts. Well in winter I like to be warm. And I do not like the shape of my legs.


Making rainbow loop bracelets. It is big craze this year. Every little kids has one and every good grandparent is wearing one.


Emma and Sadie playing with the Tomas trains.


Elizabeth, Joyce and Eva sleeping on a leg.


Mollie all dressed up.



We got home after all the visits. Mollie went to the bedroom to unpack and I was making the dinner. She ran down the steps too quickly and fell. It appeared that she hurt her right foot. We ate dinner with ice on the foot. It still hurt and looked funny. So, off to Children's Hospital ER. Two hours later it was only sprained and we said good bye to Laura and went home to continue the sleepover. We got to bed at 11:30 and were so tired that we all slept until 9:00. Mollie is so much fun. The entire time at the hospital she was laughing and having the best time.


Monday AM at 6:15 we were in the car and driving back to HHI for three more weeks .