Friday, December 19, 2025

Fly On The Wall During The Holiday Hoopla

Welcome to another edition of Fly On The Wall group blog postings hosted by Karen of Baking In A Tornado. Today, three of us are welcoming you into our homes to see what a fly night see---or overhear!


The fly at my house is dizzy from all of the holiday hoopla. It started with Thanksgiving, a fun, loving day with my adult kids and grandkids. However, one son was very sick and didn't want to expose us to the flu bug he was fighting, while the other son was out of state with his in-laws. Of course, this did not stop me from making waaaaay too much food for the rest of us. I just can't help myself!! We sipped mimosas while watching the Macy's Day Parade and then started playing a family game called TALES, which was a blast! The laughing and finger-pointing that ensued during the game were hilarious, and I highly recommend buying it online!


I had barely put away the Thanksgiving decorations when it was time to dress the house for Christmas. Then the parties started, and it has been non-stop (I'm not complaining; just TIRED already). We've been to a boat parade party, a historical downtown party, a neighbor's big bash, visited several light displays, and then went out on another friend's boat to see more lights along the waterways. Nothing says holiday cheer to me more than Christmas lights strung around a palm tree and Santa Claus sitting on the beach with a margarita (that's REAL Florida life)!

This month, we also got to visit our daughter's new side hustle--she creates her own jewelry at Soul Bloom and has been doing festivals every weekend. So proud of her! I already stocked up on my Christmas gifts! Here is her website if you care to order anything: https://soulbloomfl.weebly.com/#/


Right now, we are in the midst of a baking marathon while we put together a gazillion batches of holiday cookies and breads to give to friends and neighbors as a big THANK YOU, and I APPRECIATE YOU. It has been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember, and I truly enjoy carrying it out all these years later. 


Thankfully, this year we actually bought nice Christmasy attire for our gatherings (Okay, so no weird costumes like lobsters or squirrels!!) and it was the best decision I could have made — no more second-guessing what to wear at Christmas. We wear the same stuff to every event we attend (but yeah, people are starting to wonder if these are the only outfits we own....I swear we wash them after each party because nobody wants to reek of wine). 


Rather than drone on and on about all the reasons I cherish this time of year, it would be easier to show you with a holiday photo dump. If you sing all the lyrics to "White Christmas," I promise it will go faster.....
















Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and a Happy New Year, from our house to yours! #JesusIsMyReasonForTheSeason 


****WANT MORE MENO MAMA? If you're looking for hit beverage recipes to get you through the winter, check out my latest for AARP/The Ethel here: https://www.aarpethel.com/lifestyle/recipes/our-5-fave-homemade-hot-drinks-for-winter/or if you're more interested in my recipes for easy crockpot holiday side dishes, The Ethel also shared that info here: https://www.aarpethel.com/lifestyle/recipes/slow-cooker-sides-to-simplify-holiday-meal-prep/I also have 4 super easy app recioe fro gameday featured n The girlfriend this imth if yiud kike ti check it out here: https://www.thegirlfriend.com/lifestyle/recipes/4-super-easy-and-yummy-apps-with-5-ingredients-or-less/  At AARP/Members Only, I have a fun, researched article titled, "Grandma Wars: The Battle For Family Favorite" that you can read here: https://www.aarp.org/family-relationships/ethels-tell-all-competing-grandmas/   (if that link doesn't work you will need to log in at AARP Members Only and use the search bar to find the article. (Sorry about that---I don't know why they make it so difficult!)

Hop on over to Karen and Diane's house to see what the nosy fly has been up to over there!


Baking In A Tornado                                https://www.BakingInATornado.com

                               

On the Border                                         https://dlt-lifeontheranch.blogspot.com/







Posted by at 12 comments:

Friday, November 21, 2025

Fly On The Wall With A Trash Bin Brain

Welcome to another edition of Fly On The Wall group blog postings hosted by Karen of Baking In A Tornado. Today, three of us are welcoming you into our homes to see what a fly might see (or overhear). 


Now that the weather is cooler, the fly is recovering after last month's crazy events in the October FOW post (birthdays and flappers and campers, oh my!) No flies means I can eat outdoors again without the pesky insects. However, I couldn't let October slip by without mentioning the hilarious Halloween party we went to. As promised in my last blog post, I have pictures of hubs in his lobster outfit, and guess what? He won 1st place for the funniest costume! He got up during the contest and danced to the B-52's "Rock Lobster" song while tossing empty butter cartons out to the audience. Classic Mac!!


We were fortunate enough to have 300+ trick-or-treaters this year at our house — we went through 14 bags of candy (well, I probably consumed an entire bag of miniature Reese's myself). It does my heart good to see the wee ones all dressed up! Adorable kids this year, and they were all super polite!



We just came back from our 17th RV camping trip. We stayed at a KOA campground, and it was NICE! We had a lake view with stunning sunsets. They also had a "heated" pool on the grounds, but the water was 75 degrees---that is NOT heated enough for this Florida girl!  BRRRRR! But we did warm up every night around the campsite fire pit and had some funny conversations... 



"Man, you and the dog were snoring like crazy last night in bed."
"Yes, we've been practicing synchronized snoring."
"I'd say you nailed it."



"Thanks for helping me chop the onions--I know they're a bit strong! I'm going to throw them in a pan with some butter now to saute them. It's called 'caramelizing' them."
"Well, chopping them has caramelized my eyes."



"That linebaker is.....fat."
"Yeah, they have to bulk up like that for their position. That's why they're linebackers."
"Then I missed my calling because I could have applied for that job with the way I eat!"


"I can't get this annoying song out of my head. Let me sing it for you so that we can share the earworm."
"No thanks----I don't have any space left in my brain. It's already too cluttered. You know how you delete spam from your computer, and it goes into the trash bin? My brain is that trash bin full of unwanted junk emails." 



"I know what you can do with my ashes after I'm cremated."
"Can't wait to hear this...what am I doing with your ashes?"
"Hold my funeral at a catholic church, then have the cardinal carry my ashes smoking in the thurible with the incense----that way, when he walks down the aisle waving it to sanctify the congregation, a little bit of me will pass over every guest."
"Your brain really is a trash bin of useless information, isn't it?"

"Trimming your nose hairs again, I see. About time!"
"Yeah, but it's like going through a dense forest with a chainsaw."



"Honey, you don't have to spoil me with fancy jewelry, five-star restaurants, or luxury travel. I like the simple things in life."
"Obviously, because you married me."



"I hate having to use all of these different reader glasses. Even my doctor said my eyesight is bad."
"This also explains why you married me...."



"Why is the toilet paper so low in the bathroom? Don't you ever refill it?"
"Hey, I never signed on for the role of the toilet paper changer for your poop throne."



I'd better stop blogging now, since Hubs reads this stuff — and, as you know, he has a trash bin brain that cannot handle any more nonsense. Hopefully my blog post won't end up in YOUR trash bin!


***WANT MORE MENO MAMA? I wrote an emotional essay for AARP recently about unpacking my past through a pile of forgotten diaries. It was an eye-opening life review, and it seems I owe a few apologies. ***UPDATE: For some reason, I cannot post the link to the essay. Go to AARP/Members Only and then add the essay title My High School Journals Helped Me Unpack My Past---into the search bar. Sorry about that! https://www.aarp.org/family-relationships/ethels-tell-all-childhood-diary/ I have another article on AARP/The Girlfriend about the one thing that can quickly kill a friendship, which you can read HERE  And then another on easy skillet meals you can read HERE

Hop on over to Karen and Diane's house to see what the nosy fly has been up to over there!


Baking In A Tornado                                https://www.BakingInATornado.com

                               

On the Border                                         https://dlt-lifeontheranch.blogspot.com/








Posted by at 11 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)

Shareaholic

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...