The Adventures of Garrett Squared: December 2013

Monday, December 9, 2013

O Christmas Tree 2013...

Hey everyone! I put up the Christmas decorations last week and wanted to share the 2013 goodies with you!

Each year we purchase an ornament that celebrates the current year in some way.

You can read about previous years here.

This year we chose...

Drumroll please.....

TEXAS!!!!

I found this at Ricochet Rounds where it was for sale as a necklace but at 3 inches high it just seemed like the perfect size for our Christmas tree. It has bullet primers and swarovski crystals that bling it out. I can't get a really good shot of it because the glitter of the crystals in the light just don't come through, but let me just say--it is BLING!!!! Courtney even included a red ribbon when I told her that we would be using it as an ornament. How nice was that????

Last year we didn't get the tree up because my mom had a stroke and we were busy but we did get the ornament. And here is the ornament for 2012:

We purchased our Dodge Ram pickup with a Hemi engine in 2012 to pull our larger "small" camper (Rocky) which you can see here--in case you missed him...

We also have a small RV Park at the base of our tree. This year we found the cutest old fashioned canned ham camper pulled by a vintage woody and I just had to have it! We found it at the USI RV Park in Wichita where we were staying while visiting our son. It joins our little Missouri Airstream.

Now for a little tour of our decor this year:

It was hard to get a good shot of the whole slide but this year I used my Silhouette to cut out Merry Christmas and use Elmer's reposition glue stick to adhere it to the wall. It's fun and easy to peel off after Christmas and is flat! Easy to put away! Very important in a 5th wheel where space is at a premium!

Now for the Tree:

You may have noticed that this year we have TWO trees...

Check out the little one that is on top of the window box:

I found it in Bastrop at the Veterans celebration where there were many booths with crafts and this little guy just spoke to me. Can you tell what it is made of?

It is a bedspring on an outside faucet handle! Is that too cute or what?????

So, I hope you enjoyed the indoor decorations. Later this week I will be showing you some of the lights around the park. Decorating your camper and space are okay and indeed encouraged and there are some GREAT sites! I decorated, but mine are pretty basic compared to some of the campers! It is just great to go around and enjoy the lights. I LOVE driving through the park to just enjoy the lights! :)

So, I hope you and yours are having a lovely holiday season and I will leave you with this little saying that I saw recently:
X belongs in TeXas and Christ belongs in Christmas.

Merry Chirstmas!

The Mockingjay

It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to the characters of this Trilogy.

This 3rd and last book in The Hunger Games Trilogy was not remotely what I thought it would be. While the first two books were books about horrific competition and massive loss it was also about the indomitable will to live and thrive of the human spirit.

I thought that this book would be much as the other two. Our heros are tested and then survive to live happily ever after.

But, this book is much deeper and probably much more realistic than that. The thin skinned President Snowden in his extreme anger makes it clear that Katniss, her family and even her village are not going to be allowed to live in the peace that we anticipated after the first two books. To the end that President Snowden wants to see Katniss and everyone who follows her and her courage destroyed, we are drawn deeply into a story of battle both internal and external, love and loss and the dramatic results of a long lived, hard fought war while unsure of who is friend and who is foe.

The end of this book was a loss in many respects. The loss of a group of people to whom I was drawn and the loss of a way of life for those characters. While the war was won, the battles took their toll on all of the characters that we have come to know and love and their lives are forever changed by the end of this book and trilogy.

Catching Fire

This 2nd book in The Hunger Games Trilogy was even better than number one!

I read it in about a day and a half.

I simply could NOT put it down!

The main thrust of this book is the Quell games. Every 25 years the districts must take part in not one but two games to celebrate the domination of the Capitol.

If I go further than that with explanation, I will probably ruin #1 for you, so let's just say that the Mockingjay has a part in this and that the families of Peeta and Katniss as well as Gale are well represented.

The ending leaves us hungry for more at the edge of an abiss...

Now, on to book 3.

PS--Don't start this series without purchasing all three books because you will surely kick yourself if you can't go right to the next book!

The Hunger Games

Book 1 of the Trilogy:
GREAT READ! This was recommended to me by my hair stylist while I was in Missouri. I purchased it for my Kindle, but subsequently passed it up for other reads. My mistake! What an engaging book! Following Katniss and Peeta as well as the other characters in a richly written narrative of the Hunger Games which are a fight to the death each year of children chosen from each of the 12 poor downtrodden districts of the country of Penam for the enjoyment of the spoiled, protected class of people in the "Capital". Gripping and twisting right to the end! I liked it so much that the second I finished I felt like I couldn't let go of the characters and zipped right on to the second volume of the trilogy! RECOMMEND HIGHLY!

Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin Roll by Josi S. Kilpack~~This book was recommended by another blogger who made it sound so good that I I just had to check t out. I purchased my copy for Kindle and really enjoyed it! The author writes a very fine mystery without using vulgarity or objectionable content which is refreshing. This book was a fun one for the autumn season when our thoughts turn to pumpkins, spices and a nip in the air.

The neighbor is rumored to be a witch and with several other colorful characters of dubious nature, we have a fun Halloween culinary novel.

The nice twist at the end of the story gives an interesting wrap-up to make this book a good light read.

In addition, the recipes sounded so good that I had to copy some of them down and try them--including the Pumpkin Roll of the book title. A good read and good recipes! What's better than that?

Pages

Monday, December 9, 2013

O Christmas Tree 2013...

Merry Chirstmas!