Gaylord Opryland Resort

Today my parents took us to visit the Gaylord Opryland Hotel as part of our Christmas present.  Jim wasn’t able to go because he was working, but Ryan and I were able to and really enjoyed it.

I took about 80 pictures and wanted to share so many of the, so I squeezed some of them into collages so you would get a taste of the place.  If you have been there, you realize that pictures just don’t do justice to the size and grandness of the place.  (My husband was saying “You’re driving 2 1/2 hours to visit a MOTEL?”)

There is a river that flows through the motel and Ryan and my mother went on the riverboat tour.  While they did that, Dad and I were reading some of the plaques alongside the river.  It said that water was collected from 1700 sites around the world and blended into the river.  They listed all of the bodies of water it was taken from, categorized by state and country.  Very cool!

I think one of my favorite parts of the place were the old buildings throughout.  They looked like something out of Savannah and here they were INSIDE the motel and under the huge glass ceiling.  That it was a beautiful sunny day outside just added to the experience – I wouldn’t think it would be so pleasant if it was cloudy and rainy outside!

After we left the place my parents treated us to supper at the Olive Garden.  Mmm!  I’m still full!

Christmas on Earth

I say "Christmas on earth" because I’m thinking a lot of my friends who have gone to Heaven this year and celebrating it there.  I’m also listening to Janet Parshall’s radio program on Heaven right now.  (“The best is yet to come!”)

But we had a very enjoyable Christmas here in our earthly home yesterday.

My parents arrived for Christmas Brunch.  We had

Christmas Casserole

Fresh Fruit Salad

Coffee Cake

Orange Juice

After that Jim read the Christmas Story.

Then we opened Christmas gifts.

Here are some pictures from our day.

Look at the mess we made in the middle of the floor!  We always rearrange the furniture so we have a big open space in the middle of the floor and bring a boom box in for Christmas music.

Every year there are some presents that are difficult to open.  My dad is always right there, whipping out his handy pocket knife for us.  So this year I just had to get a picture of him doing the honors!

You can see the two fingers that were cut off by a table saw many years ago.

After opening gifts I got the ham in the oven.

Our dinner was

Spiral Ham w/ Pineapple Sauce

Potato Casserole

Baked Corn Casserole

Steamed Broccoli

Cherry Coke Salad

Olives and Pickles

Crescent Rolls

Sparkling Grape Juice

2 Homemade Cheesecakes

(Plain and Chocolate)

I’m very thankful that we live near my parents now and are able to spend holidays together with them.  Before we were 11 hours away and many holidays we couldn’t get away and spent by ourselves.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day!  Next time I have some computer time (Ryan is a computer hog!) I plan to visit your blogs and find out about your Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all!  Everyone liked this picture so much, I thought I would share it again.

Don’t forget to pray for those who are going through Christmas for the first time with a loved one missing.  Especially those who have lost someone just recently.

AND DON’T FORGET JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!

A peek at what I won

 

You didn't think I'd really show you more of me in a robe, do you? I tried getting Ryan to model it for me - lol - he wasn't even touching that one! So I tried using the self-timer but all of the shots of my face and my 10 chins was just hideous. Thank God for cropping.

This is the beautiful spa robe that I won through the 5 Minutes for Mom GiveAway. They were giving them away at the Academy Awards to celebrities and it is soooo plush! I love it! Makes me feel special. Even if I look big as a hippopatamus in it! lol

Sorry I haven't blogged much. I always say that, don't I? We had a scare here on Sunday and I wanted to write about it, but was asked to keep it from my sister so I didn't want her reading it on my blog. Her son and his family is visiting her for the coming week so I doubt she will take time for visiting here...

So, Sunday morning the phone woke me up. It was my mom. She had woke with her arm and hand numb and swollen and couldn't get feeling back in them. When she got up she found my dad in the bathroom in a semi-conscious state. Not sleepy. Actually, semi-conscious. His body was rigid and he was staring ahead and was all gray. She yelled his name over and over and he didn't respond for a while. He said later that he could hear her, but couldn't respond. Eventually she got him up and got him to the bed, instructing each step. He was still very stiff and his color was bad. She took his bp and it was very low. We thought he'd had a mini-stroke. Dad didn't want her calling an ambulance. I got Ryan up and we went rushing up to their place. It's about 50 min. away but I made it in better time than that!

Along the way I called my sister in IL to tell her what was going on. My brother-in-law answered her cell phone and said she was in the hospital. WHAT?!? I asked when he was planning on telling us. She had been in pain all the previous day and taken to the ER Sat. night and admitted. They thought it was bowel obstruction. He told me he didn't want her knowing about my parents because she was already very stressed and it was counter-productive to her getting better. Kathi went home from the hospital late Monday. The surgeon and the admitting dr. didn't agree on what was wrong or the treatment, so they sent her home! We're just hoping it doesn't act up again. Two of her grown kids are visiting, along with her daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

Ryan helped with lifting my dad and helping him walk on Sunday. He has swallowing problems and I fixed him an egg omelet for breakfast for some strength. Mom couldn't do much because she couldn't use her one hand. She has a pinched nerve and it's really getting bad.

My dad had started a new medicine on Saturday evening and we think it made his bp bottom out. This happened once before, the week after his 2nd bypass surgery. Needless to say, he's not taking that medicine anymore. Scared us all to death, especially my mom.

Yesterday I took Ryan to the zoo for Orientation and he will be starting his volunteer job there January 2nd, working about 10 hours a week. If his schooling doesn't suffer we'll increase the hours. He's very excited!

So, other than the typical Christmas activities, that's what's been happening in our house.

Chocolate Cheesecake recipe

I lost this recipe many years ago and have looked for it every since because we had loved it so much.

The other day my sister called and said "I have a question for you about your Chocolate Cheesecake recipe" and I said "I wish I could help, but I lost it." She told me that I had emailed the recipe to her back around 2001, so she had it!!!! I am soooo excited!



Here is the recipe. I know you all will love it and would love to hear from you after you've made it. It is SOO yummy!



CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

1 c. crushed chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
(If you can't find chocolate "vanilla wafers", use chocolate graham crackers.)
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. margarine, melted

Filling:

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz. bag)
2- 8oz. pckgs. cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto bottom of 9" springform pan. Set aside. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate chips until smooth. Set aside.

In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add flour and beaten eggs, beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla and melted chocolate until just blended. Pour over crust. This will be very thick, like frosting.

Bake at 350degrees for 40-45 minutes until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Carefully run knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool 1 hour longer. Chill 8 hours or overnight. Remove sides of pan.

Unless we are serving it right away, I like to cut it right away and put it into a freezer container so I can remove how many slices we want about 1 hr. before we are wanting them.

CF Clinic outcome

Well, yesterday I drove my 3 hours to Nashville to visit the CF clinic. I took them a large gift bag with several smaller bags inside. Two bags of caramel corn, 2 bags of biscotti and 2 of Fudgy Christmas Shapes!

I am now known as "The Popcorn Lady." Everyone was asking "Are you The Popcorn Lady?" and saying how it was the best they ever had and they couldn't believe I MADE it. I told my mom it made me feel POWERFUL to know I could create something that caused such a STIR! lol

As for my visit, itself, my PFT was good. For me. It was 44%, which is about my baseline. My 02 sats was 95%, which should have been higher considering I was on 2% 02 when they checked it, but the dr. said maybe it was from the walk from the waiting room to the patient room.

The only change will be increasing my enzymes. I didn't used to be pancreatic insufficient (PI), but it's been going downhill as I age and I've been taking 4 enzymes with meals & snacks and because of symptoms I've been having they said I need at least 6. I'm to play around with them a little.

On the way home I stopped at Olive Garden for supper. I took my book in and enjoyed a solitary, quiet and delicious supper of Chicken Gnocchi Soup and Saladm. Mmmm!

This afternoon I'm going to make my husband's favorite Christmas cookie - Butternut Snowballs. I'm also going to make a Chocolate Cheesecake to put in the freezer for Christmas Day. I'm making a plain cheesecake for that day, too, at my mom's request, and I only have one springform pan so that's why I'm making one ahead of time.

Sorry, no pictures. I need to get with it and start taking more pictures to I can post some. Hmmm, I did take this one of my silly son the other day. Well, I'd better not post it. He threatened me with all kinds of things if I would ever post it. I'll leave it up to your imagination!

Clinic tomorrow

This morning I had my final crown put on at the dentist and this afternoon I made my 4th batch of caramel corn and a 2nd batch of Orange Almond Biscotti. I need to finish dishes and get supper going.

I bushed! I think I'll nap in the recliner this evening.

Tomorrow I go to the CF clinic at Nashville, so a big day.