7 Quick Takes

---1---

This:

Pay no attention to the wrapping paper on the floor, or the  sewing stuff in the corner!

 This picture of a gorgeous new duvet, that makes me very {happy} was supposed to be my {happy} photo from yesterday.  But I forgot because I hardly ever go into my room during the day.  Every time I do, though, I'm thrilled anew with my bed.  Love, love, love it.  Got it on clearance from Lands End plus an extra 40% off that!  It was still a bit of a splurge, even before we found out we needed a new transmission, so, I guess it's a Christmas present!  Eventually, I'll have to update those pillows to go with the new look.

---2---

It looks like the new transmission for my Honda Odyssey is our big Christmas present.  Such a bummer, and definitely an extra stress that we didn't need.  It makes me miss my Swagger Wagon.  :-(  Remember what happened to that?

---3---

I'm so excited for the Dog Whisperer  Trainer to come to our house tomorrow to help us with the dog from hell  Gus.  Okay, maybe he's not that bad.  I've probably said, he's a great dog when he's good; I just hope the trainer can train us to be good pack leaders because it's like living with Jekyll, Jekyll, Hyde! (You have to watch that if you haven't seen it before, or even if you have!)

---4---

Went to Mass last night for the Immaculate Conception.  We went to our own parish.  Originally, we planned that because I was asked to sing the Psalm, but that changed and we went anyway because it's the best place to meet on dh's way home from work.  Well, I don't know who was singing, but I was appalled.  He was reverent enough, but with his strong southern accent he sounded like a country singer.  Even though most of the songs were okay (there are better ones he could have chosen for the day!), he didn't follow the rhythm as they were written, so it was very hard to sing along.  He also threw in some dramatic pauses and "yeahs" here and there for effect.  It was like a country lounge singer.  Give the me the other guy with the guitar any day.


I think he's from our parish, but he didn't sing the new Mass that we've learned with the new translation, even though that was the directive from the pastor:  that all Masses would use the same setting.  He used the Mass of Creation (with the exception of the Holy, Holy) which we don't know with the new words.  That's one of the old Masses that was simply rewritten to accommodate the new translations, but we haven't learned how they fit in, so that was a bit awkward.

---5---

OTOH, I was thrilled to see one of our old parochial vicars as the celebrant.  I don't think I fully appreciated him when he was assigned to our parish, but maybe he's matured now that he's a pastor.  He celebrated a beautiful, reverent Mass, and even sang most of it.  He also gave an excellent homily.  Don't you find it jarring when what the priest is doing is so different from the musician(s)?

---6---

Meg made these cupcakes yesterday for dessert.  They were really yummy from what I heard.  I only tasted a little of the frosting.  I'm not a fan of marshmallows, and I'll only eat s'mores on occasion, not even at every campout, but if they tasted this good, I might eat them all the time.  Except that then I would be sick, so maybe not.  

---7---

I'm looking forward to finishing the Christmas decorating this Sunday.  I will enjoy leaving it up through most of January, too!  I especially love turning on the tree lights and the lights on the banister on those dark, January mornings.  They remind me that Christmas continues well past December 25th, and make me happy.

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