Intestinal Sink and Lovely Christmas Eve, Maybe

It's raining again soft and sweet. Christmas Eve was absolutely beautiful with big puffy clouds and the fields everywhere are so green. It only takes a couple months from late July through the end of September that all of this area looks a bit like a desert.

We see pictures of lush green Utah, Colorado, Arkansas, and and so many other places family and friends live, during the summer...  and think can California be uglier? It seems we forget this renewal that comes with just a little rain. Our mountains look like the "Emerald City" in 3-D even in late December. The rain has been already been a special Christmas present.

Our family trekked over to my daughter's house in Fillmore for Christmas Eve dinner and celebration.

Her lovely and lively home has been an early present for their family. I never, ever thought one of my family would be living in Fillmore and uptown on Blaine, near "Pole Creek."

We put lights on our FJ but in Daylight They're pretty Dim

Fillmore Has a Beautiful Pink Moment, too. This is My Daughter's Yard

It was wonderful to see her beautiful decorating style and feel so cozy there. It's one of those houses that as anyone that walks-in, you can feel this home has been a happy place.

 There were only three other families that lived there and my daughter knows all about the first ones that built it in 1910 with all the boys, and personally knows the other two families. The best part of living in small Southern California town.

Is There Something Odd About This Nativity?

My daughter didn't want to leave her people out of the gathering at the stable. If you guessed she's Norwegian, that's from her dad and her sense of humor from her Grandpa Doug or Grandpa Gene.

We changed tradition on our usual Christmas menu of tamales and candies, and pie and had a small informal Italian meal with a sweet sugar cookie. The kids were busy playing quietly in the open room next to the large "great" room that all of us hung-out. No sweets were a great idea for children. The kids all played together without a whimper or one argument No one talked of presents and there weren't many under the tree. My Kiely's presents, the crocheted hats for all the children, were "The Hit!"

Close-up of The Owl Hat Below

The time spent visiting with each other and our two missing kids in other states was our best part of Christmas Eve. We used our phones via Tango and our other two kids talked to each other facing the phones to each other. Does that makes sense? Honest, I know this isn't new, but I'm still amazed.  I love this part of the new technology. The visit and pictures were great!

My Son is Missing, He's On Duty At The Fire Station

I know all of this may sound completely boring compared to my usual posts here on "Danger Ranch." Well, of course there was drama! Our son's very secret girlfriend came to my daughter's house for Christmas Eve. My son was on-duty at the station. She was so brave, and my son was probably freaking-out. She's so sweet and darling all of us were nervous. What if we acted even a bit normal, it would scare her off? I dressed-up in "church clothes" and thought if I should wear a thick rubber-band on my wrist so if I was even tempted to talk at all I would snap it hard without anyone noticing. That simple hard snap could prevent me to say something weird. I forgot to do that just as we got on the road and on our way. Uht-oh.

I was nervous, and my stomach started to hurt and for some crazy reason, I started getting sick. I told my husband and thought it was the gluten in the wheat bread. (Does gluten get blamed for every ill-effect?) Anyway, my whole mind was focused on my system. Except, it didn't stop me.

Honestly, what prompts this conversation?  I asked my son's super secret girlfriend, possibly the "love of his life" about her new house having a sink that unfortunately looks like a pile of intestines. Oh my gosh, I could've slapped myself. The picture of her new house and this particular sink is, I think, misleading, like a optical illusion. It's a sink in the kitchen that has the shape of grapes. I can only guess that maybe because of the granite or textured counter the sink has a real different color, like guts.

Intestinal Sink

Why did I mention that? It's a brand new house on the beach, on the water, and magnificent! I ask about her funny sink. Here's other pictures just so I don't give this wonderful house something to take away from it's absolute awesomeness.

It's Got Even a Huge Master Bedroom Fireplace!

Very Wonderful Place, House, and Yes! And, Her Dock For Her Big Boat

I had to add the pictures of her house because it is so nice!

I quit talking real fast because everyone wanted to know about the sink. She had to take-out pictures.

I was getting more nervous about being sick and we left at a normal time, but I was completely not myself. I didn't even thank my daughter and her husband for her wonderful dinner and having us all there. My husband, my daughter and son-in-law wanted to see the Christmas lights and we lasted only about 15 minutes until I was begging to get home. I had to go home, now.

I didn't have a gluten problem I was getting the flu. My husband has had it and was just getting over the flu, but I had "the flu shot."  How? It's Christmas Eve and I have a headache so bad, I can't be sick!

My Steve completely understood and gave me the sympathy I needed and I tried to have a normal Christmas morning I made my family  "eggie pancakes" and bacon, but in just a little while, I was back in bed. I slept through Christmas. My kids here couldn't understand and wanted me to get-up Christmas evening to go to the fire station to see my Steve. We all love Christmas at the fire station.

The station was full of tamales and lots of food and that included frozen yogurt and even better ... great friends and family were down there. No amount of bribing and guilt was going to move me. Steve even wanted me to come down, he said that all the firemen and family are getting over the flu, so it was all okay. One thing, I wasn't getting over was the flu. I, full-on had it.

I did see all the pictures of my grandchildren and their wonderful Christmas pictures. I'll have to post some tomorrow or the next day. We're going to watch the movie "Brave". This grand kid in Laramie, got a beard made by Kiely for Christmas. Jax loves it and he looks like he belongs on "Brave."

So my family let me sleep more and had a great time and after leaving the fire station, they ended-up at the movies.

I know they had a great time. I'm so glad I stayed in bed because I feel better today.  I do still have a headache and hurting shoulders but Tylenol has now fixed it.

Time for me today to just enjoy the season and my family here. I WILL go to the fire station today. Could it be some don't rest and the flu takes longer to get over?

I know I'll hear about the now famous sink debacle. (I've never written that particular word, but it fits)  I will be hoping and praying that I personally didn't damage my son's secret girlfriend's feelings and relationship.

Our visits with her probably will be limited for awhile. Maybe for a long while, like forever. No wonder, she's secret. My son has to know if she knows me, she'll really understand why my son is, who he is. He wanted to show me pictures of her new house but he showed me picture of  "the intestinal sink" first! And, he said, "Look at this cool sink, it looks like a pile of intestines." Only my son.