Fateful Journey

We arrived home yesterday afternoon. We did have a great time at Sue's for Christmas, but met with a bad mishap on the way up. We were almost half way there when Dick started for the convenience store to fill up my drink jug. He didn't see the curb so fell right on his face in front of the store. I had decided to get out too and stretch my legs, so I didn't see him actually fall, but I saw him sprawled out on his stomach and ran over to him as fast as I could. A nice man was trying to help him up and he asked him if he was hurt. Dick replied, "I don't know." That's when I knew it could be bad. I helped him back to the car and tried to clean up his wound. He had an egg sized abrasion on his forehead that was way swollen. It was bleeding a bit, so I got the antibiotic ointment out and spread it around and he seemed to feel that he could drive. The truth was that he didn't trust me to drive his car. I have only driven it a few times and really don't feel comfortable driving it, but I was willing to give it a try. I had called Dave to tell him what happened and he told me to watch Dick carefully and if he seemed at all sleepy or I thought he couldn't make it to call him and he would come and get us. I kept folding Kleenex into a small square and had him blot his wound when it would start to drip blood and fluid. He was compaining about his neck and shoulders and his hands were hurting too because he fell on them too. All of his weight went on his arms and face.

We did manage to make it to Sue's and when she saw him she took him to the E.R. They were there for about three hours. They took a CTscan and found that nothing was broken. The doctor told him that all the blood in his swollen forehead would go down to his face the next day and to be prepared for black eyes. Honestly, I wish I knew where the picture of Dick, that he took himself about the third day, is so that I could post it, but as you know, I never can find any pictures on this computer. I know it is here, because he e-mailed it to our kids. Of course he is at his meeting tonight, but maybe when he comes home, I can talk him into letting me post it. Maybe he won't though, because it really looks awful and it was a bit better the day that he took it. His left eye was swollen shut and he only had a slit he could barely see out of in his right eye. His left eye looked like a pair of black closed lips. Poor guy. I honestly think I prayed our way to Sue's because he could at least see, but at one point, he had to really put on the brakes when we were in heavy traffic and he got a whip lash on his neck that was already hurting badly. Kathy, he needs your sweet husband. I think next week he will go to his new chiropractor, who bought his old chiropractor's practice when he moved.

We are now trying to get things ready for our New York New Years Eve. Our stake is putting on a New Years Eve party and dance so we have a bit of competition, except that it really isn't because everyone is coming to ours. We have been having them yearly at our house long before the Stake decided to have an affair New Years Eve.

I only have a little bit of baking to do this year. I have to make my chocolate cake and also a pie for our party. Then I doubt that I will bake anything for a very long time. We still have cookies in our freezer.

Dick is not going to be happy that this post was all about him, but believe me, that is what has been on my mind these past few days so, as you know, that is what I write about.

I do hope that you all had a great Christmas with lots of family and that your New Year will be a Happy and successful one.

Love

Respectfully published with reluctant permission.

Five Days Before Christmas

See, I told you that my hairdo hadn't changed at all. I am still the same old me, with my hair pretty regular. I had Dick take this picture a couple of days ago, and I really don't like it, but there is nothing I can do about my dark red circles around my eyes. That is just me, and I have gotten pretty used to it by now as they started doing that when I was about 60 and that is a good 24 years ago. It is a family trait, I'm afraid.

This is going to be pretty short tonight. I have been going a bit crazy trying to get ready to leave early Thursday morning, and I do mean early. We will probably get away from here between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. If Dick should happen to wake up earlier than that, we will leave then. We have been known to leave around 4:30! If we do leave that early we will stop for a long lunch or breakfast as I don't want to arrive at Sue's before 1:00 p.m. I am so ready to be done with all this baking and be out of here. Tomorrow I have to make the dough for the six Danish tea rings that Dick will be making and then all I have to do is bake four loaves of oatmeal bread and two pumpkin pies!! When I get there, I will immediately put the oatmeal bread in the freezer and the pumpkin pies in the garage refrigerator where they will stay until eaten. I don't think we will wait until Christmas to eat the pies though.

I also have to tell you that I won't be reading or writing in anyone's blog until next Tuesday as when we get home we will be working like crazy to get the house ready for our New York New Year's Eve Party. On Tuesday night it will all be over and I can relax.

I talked to Sue earlier, and she still sounds awful. I am so sorry that she won't be feeling well before we all start to descend upon her. It is hard enough to host 19 people plus yourselves when you feel normal, but getting sick leaves one weak at best, and I am going to try to help her all I can. So until next Tuesday, a Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Christmas 2011

It's time again to wish you all

a Merry Christmas day.

We also hope that this New Year

brings happiness your way.

We Robbinses are going to try

to keep you all abreast

of what's been happening in our lives

from snug within our nest.

Our Christmas tree is beautiful.

Our Santas are in place.

In fact, all 43 of them

use up far too much space!

Still I couldn't spare a single one.

In fact, I must admit...

Each year, I buy a new one and

Dick doesn't mind a bit.

We're in the midst of baking still,

the same old things each year.

The cookies and the Danish seem

to bring a lot of cheer.

And so the Robbins Bakery

will do its best to stay

in business just as long as we

enjoy good health each day.

There's just one thing that's new with me;

I had my hair cut short.

No more perms or rollers for me.

I'm looking quite the sport.

I love my hair, 'cause all I do

is wash and brush it out.

I even have some natural curl

that this haircut brought about.

With Dick, let's see; what's new with him?

He bought a new iPhone

to keep up with technology.

These skills he now can hone.

He loves that almost every day

he finds out something new.

That tiny little instrument

shows him what it can do.

I've rambled on quite long enough.

It's time for us to say:

May your Christmas and your New Year

be great in every way.

And please, let's all remember

that very first Christmas morn,

for on that day in Bethlehem

the dear Christ Child was born.

With love,

Darlene & Dick

A Bit of Chat and a Recipe

I had hoped to have pictures of my Christmas decorated living room to show you. I really do love the way it looks, but we have been so darned busy this last week that I didn't get Dick to take pictures. We were also gone Sunday and Sunday night and things have just been too hectic. I am hoping I will have them to show you next week.

I am still working on the baking for all of our children. I only have to send two boxes out this year as we went to our oldest, Nancy's this last weekend and took hers with us. We are having Christmas with Sue and Nikki so won't have to mail theirs.

Nancy's son, Chris, is getting married and all of his fiance's attendants gave her the most incredible wedding shower I have ever been to. The brides mother lives in a complex that has an extremely comfortable club house and that is where they had it. It was decorated so beautifully and I just can't believe all the wonderful presents she got. There were about 50 young women there and I must say, it was very successful. They served the food on the nicest square white plastic plates that I have ever seen. They looked so much like china. I just had to ask where they got them and was told it was at a place called "Party Place." Afterward, they just threw them all away, which made for a very easy cleanup but a very frustrated Grandma. I would have loved to go dumpster digging and gotten them all out to take home and wash. They were just so much nicer than eating on paper plates, no matter how substantial the paper plates are. This old Grandma just can't stand to waste anything (my generation, I think) and I kept thinking how nice they would be for our NYNY party. We have about 28 people over every New Years Eve to what we call our New York New Years Eve party. This is about out 9th year and the same ones come each year. The invitation is for life or until someone moves away, which hasn't happened yet. We barely have room in our living room for a sit down dinner. This year we are going to have to take our coffee table out so we can set up another card table, unless someone can't come for some reason. It is a pot luck, and every year we all bring the very same thing, so our menu doesn't change from year to year, but everything is just so good that we wouldn't want it to be any different. It is so much fun. It starts at 6:00 p.m. and lasts until 9:00 p.m. when we turn the TV on and watch the ball come down in Times Square, hence the name, NYNY Eve. Everyone goes home at 9:00. None of our gang wants to be up until midnight, so this is great for us.

We just had a new couple move into our ward, and they are such fun people. Their names are Jim and Sue Pike. Jim was the one that started the group "The Lettermen". I always loved listening to them and have most of their old albums. After the years spent on the road in the 60's and 70's, Jim suddenly lost his voice, so he sold the name to one of the guys in the group. After about ten years, his voice came back, so he started another group and called it "The Reunion." Sue teaches one of our Relief Society lessons and last week at the end of her lesson, she gave us all one of the Reunions CD's. This one is called "I Believe" and starts with that song. It is so neat and I have been playing it all week. We even took it with us to play on the way to Huntington Beach and Irvine. This music has been going around in my head ever since. They are all sort of religious type songs. They sit with us on our bench at church so we have become pretty well acquainted. They are doing a concert in Escondido in February at at the Performing Arts Center there and I think maybe we will go. They are doing one at the big Hotels here next month, but I doubt we will be attending because it is for a big benefit and Sue said it is really pricey.

I've pretty much run down but of course now you have to have another of my prize cookie recipes. This cookie is such a good one too and is quite different but very easy to make.

Darlene's Cereal Cookies:

1 cup margarine
1 cup oil
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup corn flakes
1 cup rice crispies

Mix in order given. Cream margarine and oil with sugars until fluffy, add egg and vanilla and mix well. Add salt and flour and mix. Crush by hand the corn flakes and rice crispies and add along with the oatmeal. Stir well and add 1 cup of nuts if you like. Mix and make into balls. Press with fork and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

And that, my friends is it for tonight.