A post from Steve’s FB page:
Here’s living proof that a Miata owner can haul recyclables to the recycling center. I think a few heads turned my way as I drove around. It was fun because I don’t get out much. Sigh.
(Note: we don’t normally buy large canisters of water because of excess plastic usage but our built-in filter was on the fritz.)
Every year we try to make one improvement to the house to increase its resale value. This year it was replacing the dishwasher. Our old one had three problems: 1.) It was louder than a fighter jet 2) it didn’t clean the dishes 3) it left all sorts of marks all over our dishes
Steve saved us a couple of hundred dollars by installing it himself which was not a job for the faint of heart. But he is famous for saying, “How hard can it be?”
To my eyes? Completely impossible.
To his eyes? No biggie. He even installed a new electrical outlet under the sink to replace the hard wiring that was there.
There was only one minor catastrophe when some water that was supposed to have been turned off wasn’t.
But no worries. The floor needed to be washed anyway.
As usual, we were a bit tardy in getting our tree up; we finally accomplished it last Tuesday.
I’m smiling in this picture . . .
but during other times of the evening, I was a little sniffly, knowing that the seasons are changing.
But even though I was teary, these guys were cheery. So we made a good team.
We fired up Home for Christmas by Amy Grant; it has been our tree decorating music for almost twenty years.
After eating our traditional breakfast for dinner meal–pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon–we had some eggnog to finish off the evening.
Precious memories.
Do you see this plate?
We have used this set of dishes for over 20 years. I can’t even imagine the number of meals I have served on them; some meals a roaring success and others destined for culinary infamy.
The funny thing about these dishes is that I found an additional large set of them for $25 last year at a thrift store. I bought them because I was planning on selling them at the Replacements store. But, alas, they are still up in our attic because my good intentions did not come to fruition. (Kind of a play on words there, since there is fruit on the dishes.)
Happily though, Sarah has decided she would like to take the dishes whenever she moves out, and now she’ll be able to replace the stained ones with our own private collection from the attic.
A few months ago, I started thinking that two decades was long enough to use one set of dishes and that it would be nice to replace them. However, I couldn’t do it because of the dishwasher’s propensity for leaving marks.
But now? With the dishwasher replaced? We have new dishes!
We like them because they match our kitchen better and they also have slight imperfections in the shape to make them look a little more hand-created.
Have you ever had trouble with ants getting in your honey?
That had happened to us for several years no matter what we did. And there are few things less appetizing than the thought of deceased ants floating on my toast. (Steve, as a former boy scout who ate dirt on camping trips, was not as bothered.)
I finally found a solution that works perfectly. Put the honey in a dish surrounded by water. A honey moat!
It appears that ants have not received their swimming badges and are therefore not able to swim the moat to get to the honey.
I love simple solutions.
Although my husband is generally a kind and affirming man, he put this note up on the door of our laundry room last night. Sort of rude-ish, right?
Turns out something Christmas gift-related had to be hidden there for a few hours while something on it dried. Mysteries abound.
Yesterday was our Christmas program which was a lot of fun. Here is Steve rehearsing with a couple of our teens. (A teen guy was supposed to play drums but couldn’t make it so Steve filled in.)
The special joy of this particular performance was that the bass player and the piano player had never played in a service before. (Steve has been teaching the bass and guitar players and I have been teaching the piano player.) We got so much joy out of seeing our students step up and do such an amazing job. Music is a wonderful gift to pass on.
Steve did another song as well, which I’m sure you can tell he had a lot of fun with. (Note: they only knew how to play it one key so the notes got a little high.)
Three of the girls are sisters whom you have seen on this blog before; the older one has been singing in church since we arrived 11 years ago and the younger ones have since joined her. They are so much fun to work with and it’s great adding a bass player to the mix.
I did a song, as well, although singing is not as fun as it used to be.
I spend half of my time thinking through lines to come and where I can catch extra breaths. And the lack of lung volume makes it a little harder to control my voice as far as pitch.
Yesterday morning, I was running through my song before worship team rehearsal and was struggling so badly to the point where, halfway through the song, I said to myself, “I am never singing again.”
But then when I got done, Steve (who hadn’t heard me sing the song before) spent about two minutes generously affirming what I had just done. And I figured I’d maybe sing another time or two, at least.
Here’s a snippet–sung with all my heart and half my lungs.
All in all, it was a wonderful morning of celebrating Christ’s birth and remembering the difference He has made in our lives.
And speaking of Christmas . . .
I happen to have some extra family Christmas cards on hand; if you would like one, just email your address to smithellaneousATyahoo.com and we’ll get one out to you.
A young girl has come to my attention who has been battling cancer for seven years and just had a bone marrow transplant as her last hope. Her family of 6 is required to leave near the hospital for up to a year and finances are a challenge. Here is the link if you would like to make an investment in this family.
What about you?
Do you have any dishes (or other items) that have been in your house for a very long time? What’s the story behind them? Why are you keeping them?
What are your plans for Christmas?
Do you have any musical talents that you still use now? Or did you play an instrument or sing as a teen/young adult?
Ok. The thing about the dishwasher…all I could think about while reading was the time Steve was fixing ir replacing your bathroom sink and he had unscrewed the pipe and caught some water from it in a bowl or cup. He asked you to dump it out for him and you dumped it down the sink so it got all over him through the unhooked pipe! 🤣🤣
Lizz,
You have a good memory to remember that story. That’s actually one of the ones that will be in Chicken Soup for the Soul in April!
I belive I played bass guitar for one song at a talent contest with my sister and our good friend Lorrie!!!!!!
Tim,
Well, that makes you a little bit, sort of famous. I actually remember that night quite well, on that big stage at Sparta Senior High School.
(For those who don’t know, Tim is my oldest brother.) 🙂
It’s so handy to have your very own handyman. My Dad is that way, too. Every home we lived in growing up was a fixer so he could do his thing to it.
When I moved out on my own, my boss (at the time) gave me her Noritaki dishes. They were upgrading. I love them. I’ve added a few other prices through the years, but that is our everyday dish ware.
Krista,
Wow, how great to be gifted Noritaki dishes. Nice boss! 🙂
Wow, things moving so fast for Sarah and Gave. I guess he’s the One. Would be hard to backtrack out of this. Looking forward to a wedding announcement in near future.
We finally have one of ours engaged. Young people a lot slower committing to marriage here in North East . It’s always eye opening to see how different these social patterns are elsewhere. We used to live in Midwest and they marry and start families, larger ones too, than in our area. Our family will barely replace itself if it follows our regional trends which it has. They are choosing diverse significant others and higher education,high impact jobs seem to be a priority. My oldest and fiancée bought a beautiful home on the water with a pool—not for themselves but as an investment, which is reaping high returns this year. But no grandchildren and I’m older than you are, Becky. My middle one who had cancer around when Sarah’s second round was happening is working in the thick of vaccine distribution and hospital software. I wish he would find someone to commit to sharing lives.
We are doing well, keeping quarantined, all of us. The vaccine cannot come soon enough, though we shall continue precautions even so. No colds, flus or other ailments this year, I’m sure due to those measures.
Yes, my future DIL immediately took my wedding Noritake China ((a posthumous gift from my father) and doubled the place setting when she saw it listed for half Replacement’s prices. She now has enough for 16, and the value of the set is way up there. I never thought to sell my dish ware to Replacements. I have quite a stash here. The idea of shipping china…
I’m happy for all of you. Will definitely send Sarah a wedding gift when the time comes (soon, I think)
Cath,
We are all so happy about Sarah and Gage’s relationship and the way it is moving forward. They are so sweet to watch together, so in love and so joyful. Does this mama’s heart good.
Congratulations on your son’s engagement.Hopefully, it won’t be long until you get your own grandmother title. 🙂
People like your other son who are heavily involved in distributing the vaccine are our new heroes. We certainly appreciate his work and all that he is doing. I know you’re proud of your kids and their accomplishments.
Happiest New Year!
Becky, I thought your singing was absolutely beautiful. I’m so glad Steve convinced you to sing.
We are a musical family too – not so professional as yours! but we have three violinists, a french horn, a euphonium, three pianists, two ukuleles and a guitar. That’s of four people! My two daughters were taught ‘properly’ and one went to music college (though she changed career and is now a Nurse) but my husband and i are self-taught. I love playing the piano and the ukulele more than anything else I do, even though I’m VERY amateur. Here’s me playing a Christmassy Jingle Bells with daughter Juliet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFSV6KhhkkQ – you can see how amateur I am – I didn’t even start quite in time! but I think you can also see how much fun we have with it!
Much love to you and your family. I feel we are friends, as I have followed you for so long… and I keenly want better health for you in 2021, and happiness, and love (I know there will be love! your family is brimful of love) xxxxx merry
Teresa,
What a sweet line to start my morning with, “I feel we are friends.” Thank you!
That is one big goal of this blog is to draw people together as friends from all different places, backgrounds, and walks of life; thank you for letting me know that I am reaching the goal with making sweet new friends like you.
LOVED the video; so fun to see one song played by two people. And those were a lot of complex chords in there! I never would have noticed you starting late; I thought it was part of the arrangement.
How cool to read the list of instruments played by four people in your family. Music is such a gift; it brings people together, it entertains and inspires the listener and it is something you can do well into the older years of life.
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy all the music you make.
Merry Christmas to all the Smiths
And since I showed you the picture of my eggnog some of the days I had eggnog twice. It has for sure become my Christmas holiday drink!
Katrina,
So glad you have discovered the joy of eggnog! And you’ve done something I haven’t which is to have some made from scratch. What a treat!
My plans for Christmas are having lunch with my dad. My mom has been moved to a swing bed at their local hospital. (Sort of like a skilled nursing facility bed within a hospital). She can have one visitor. Same visitor can go every day. I talked to her doctor late morning and he thought she was much better today, almost like a switch had been turned. She was able to walk about 100 feet. She will still need another 10 days of rehab at least. A dear friend from my Sunday School class is making a 3.5 – 4 hour round trip to deliver a Christmas meal to us tomorrow morning. My church family and neighbors have been so good to me in 2020 – first my foot surgery in June and now this.
I took piano lessons as a young girl but don’t play any longer. Not sure I can even read music now. My niece is very musically talented as well as my brother and sister-in-law. To hear a snippet of her talent, go to Concordia University String Ensemble on Facebook. They posted an arrangement of Silent Night. She is on the front row, blonde hair, striped shirt, jeans and a green cardigan.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
Phyllis,
So happy to hear your mom is doing so much better. I know that’s the best Christmas gift you could ever ask for.
And it sounds like you blessed with an amazing church that helps you out in the tough times of life. So good to hear!
You have SUCH a talented family. Music is one of God’s best gifts!
I had a family member who had that set of corelle dishes 🙂 I need new dishes, My corelle plates are down to only a few, and I’ve had this set at least 28 years. Yikes. But I love them and I can’t find any more like them.
Loved your song. You did fantastic with it despite your lung problems. It has to be so touching to see the kids you teach music to, playing in church for the program.
It also took me a bit to figure out that was a mirror that was showing the tree 🙂 Nice to get a new dishwasher. I have never had one and I am almost 62. I have done daycare for 32 years, wonder how many plates, cups and silverware I have washed over the years. Glad I don’t know Haha!
Merry Christmas! Wendy
Wendy,
Glad to hear there are other people out there eating from our same dishes! You really do get sort of attached to certain dishes–28 years is a long time! I found myself feeling a little nostalgic for our old dishes eating dinner tonight. I guess change doesn’t come easy. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the song; I was happy to be able to share it.
That’s so funny that more than one person noticed the mirror/picture/curtain thing. I never, ever would have seen it if you guys hadn’t mentioned it.
Whew! Thirty-two years of dishwashing? I’m sure you have washed thousands of items in those years. My dishwasher has me very spoiled; I’d miss it a bunch if I didn’t have it.
Merry Christmas to you, too!
I love your signing- I’m sorry that it’s so hard for you. We’re celebrating Christmas Day with my in-laws and then the next day celebrating my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary.
I love the new dishes! They are lovely.
Merry Christmas to your whole family!
Heather
Heather,
Congrats to your parents on fifty years. What a great cause for celebrating–and mixed in with Christmas makes it extra special.
Glad you enjoyed the singing. Merry, merry Christmas to you!
Becky, you sounded beautiful to my ears! Having heard you often in the past, I noticed your struggle, but it had no bearing on your singing touching my soul.
I’m making homemade sauce and meatballs for Christmas dinner. It’s not difficult and sure makes the house smell great! Add a salad and garlic bread and you’re good to go.
Guerrina,
Thank you; you are so sweet.
I love the idea of doing nontraditional food on Christmas and yours sounds fabulous. Enjoy!
Hooray for a Thing Post! I always enjoy them.
I loved hearing you sing! Very nice rendition of that song. I hate that singing has become so challenging for you– very glad for Steve’s encouragement for you to continue. Your singing is even more of a gift because we have an idea of what it costs you to do it. Thank you. ❤️
Sending our love!
Deb
Deb,
Glad you like All the Things! 🙂
Yes, it truly does cost me a little bit every time I get up to sing now–the struggle for air, the planning ahead for breaths. But as the song says, “With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God!”
I spent way too much time trying to figure out what you did with the ‘picture’ on the left in the 6th photo of you and steve doing the tree. Did you put folded fabric on it to make it look festive? Did it come that way? I pondered and pondered until I finally realized it was a mirror, which was reflecting your curtains. LOL.
I love your singing, even if it doesnt have the power it once it did, still just beautiful. I’m so happy that you had steve to bouy you up for a few more performances.
I was wondering why you are a bit sad this season, is it because next year Sarah might be living somewhere else next year? Or maybe you arent able to see the grandbabies this year? There are so many hard things this year, I find myself a little off as well. Hugs to you Becky.
My Sarah and I will be home alone this Christmas. Christmas gifts were dropped off and picked up with no contact and will sit till the big day in order to decontaminate 🙂 We will zoom with family members as we open each others gifts. I think Christmas Eve will be the hardest for me, we usually all get together here at my place and eat chinese food. Waaahhhh. It will be lonely but I know its necessary.
I cant believe how organized you guys are with replacing one thing a year for resale value of your home. I am very impressed! Where are you going? LOL
Lesley,
That is too funny with you thinking the mirror was a picture. I went back and looked at it and it really does like that way. Glad you figured it out and could go on to more productive things in your day. 🙂
Yeah, most of my melancholy was due to the fact that Sarah having a (very) serious boyfriend means that the seasons are changing and next Christmas will probably look different. Which I am THRILLED about. I just had a little mama moment.
I guess I should rephrase the thing about our annual upgrades. I guess it’s not entirely for resale value (which it doesn’t hurt) but just changes to make our living in the house more enjoyable. We’re not planning on going anywhere any time soon!
Christmas hugs to you and sweet Sarah as you bask in each others’ company and give thanks for all the love that is making its way into your apartment from all over the place! Including Manteo.
Glad nothing fell out of your car. That’s probably something I would do to. Ah, yes, Jack of all Trades. I have one of those. Sooo handy and saves money! Your old plate, have seen that many times in the thrift store. Now I can say, I know someone who has or had that pattern. My dinnerware is from a bank give-away about 30 years ago. If you would deposit $50.00 you got a set of dishes. Have a set of 8, but had a friend who didn’t want hers so it helped getting those 8 sets. That Stay Out sign does look a little suspicious. Enjoyed Steve’s little video. When I saw your first picture, I thought isn’t she going to record her song, and then paged down to your next picture. It was sooo good to hear you sing again. Beautiful.
It will just be me and my husband on Christmas Day. Daughter and family plus my niece (mother is in memory care home) will be here for Christmas eve. We play some games and eat. Everyone is bringing an appetizer, I am making a vegetable pizza.and since I am part Scandanavian – buying some pickled herring. Hmmm, makes my mouth water just thinking of it. Couple of the family will eat it, but husband won’t touch it. Granddaughter’s husband makes lefse so think he might bring some of that too.
May you, Steve, and Sarah have a blessed Christmas. Praying that 2021 will be a much better year. He is our Hope!
Sharyn,
Hmmmm. I think I would have to pass on the pickled herring. But the veggie pizza sounds very doable! 🙂
How fun that you’ve been using the same bank dishes for thirty years! I love that story, especially how your friend gave you her dishes. What a wonderful way for her to be “with you” through the past thirty years.
I hope you and your family have the merriest of days.
I’m no help in the recipe department, but I hope you get some great suggestions. Yay for new dishes!! They are very pretty. And double yay for a new dishwasher AND and handy hubby to install it! Thank you for sharing your song with us, to me you still sound amazing! Your tree is lovely and what a fun tradition of breakfast & eggnog. Have a wonderful week. Merry Christmas!!
Sue Ellen,
Handy hubbies definitely come in handy! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the song; music truly makes the holidays.
Merry Christmas!
We are planning to have our kids and grand kids here for Christmas. However, our son has been tested for COVID and if he is positive there will be 3 empty chairs at the dinner table ~ his and two of my grand-treasures. Hoping and praying……
I took guitar lessons as a child, learned to play the accordion and also play the piano. I rarely play anymore though. It seems there is just never enough time. When I retire in 14 months, piano playing is going to be on my to-do list!
Your Christmas program looks beautiful and I really enjoyed the song. You sing beautifully Becky. Our Christmas eve service this year has been taped and will be on our church’s Facebook page. Different segments were taped last week throughout the day on Saturday and I and my fellow choir members got to participate. It was so awesome (and emotional too) to be back in the church singing again after almost 10 months! I cannot wait to watch it!
Have a very blessed and merry Christmas!!
Lee Anne,
Guitar, accordion and piano! Sounds like a fun lineup. I actually have played accordion once or twice; in fact, I got a child-sized accordion when I was about 8 and loved it so much!
You don’t meet many accordion players these days so kudos to you!
What a creative way for your church to put together a Christmas service. And the fact that it was taped means you can enjoy it over and over. Blessings!
Becky…I can beat you on the aging dishes…lol. Hubby and I are still using the set of Corelle plates I have had since I started out alone at age 18…I’m now 61!!! Yes, I have bought other dishes over the years, and use those as well, but we mix and match between it all. And….our silverware? The very same cheap set i bought the same time as the Corelle, at Treasure Island (a store that is no longer around, but it was similar to K-Mart). Used consistently on my table since 1977!!!! Never felt the need to change, as they are still fine….and have all those years of memories attached to them now!
Tricia,
Forty-three years of using the same dishes? Think about all the memories in those plates. (AND the 1977 era silverware.) I love that!
Thanks for sharing that story.
Becky, I enjoyed blog so much! Even without the interesting blog and the beautiful photos (including Pastor Steve showing off some of his many talents) the music would have been sufficient to make this one of your all-time best. I am amazed at how many instruments Pastor Steve can play! As Lucy and I listened to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” I told her I hope you never stop singing! Your sound is soooo professional (even with 1/2 lung-power!) Merry Christmas! 🙂
Fred,
Yes, Steve has dabbled in a few instruments in his day–even plays a little piano. Music is definitely the gift that keeps on giving.
And thank you so much for your words of encouragement about my singing; coming from a fellow musician, that means a lot.
Many Christmas hugs to you and Lucy!
very nice to get new dishes… definitely time for such a thing to come about.
Looks so pretty with that color of tablecloth underneath. Happy dining!
Ruth,
Yes, it is fun to get new dishes and kind of spruce things up a tad. I love the fact that Sarah is taking the old ones whenever she leaves; that way I can still “visit” them from time to time.
But it’s looking Christmas-y up there. Enjoy!