Hi, I'm Gwen

Welcome to my site 👋 focused on my home – Mesquite, NV

Posts

They're Growing Up Fast

I tell you I really don’t know where the time goes sometimes. For background: I am a bit of a late bloomer. So it took some time for us to start a family. Not that we didn’t want to, but things were prioritized differently in those years. Sure, I could have great-grandchildren right now, but do I need them? The answer is no. But I do have a great-niece, she is the most precious thing, she celebrated her birthday earlier this month.

That Time of Year Again, Spring

Alright, meteorological Spring that is, which officially started on 1 March and continues until 31 May. Soon we will be having our Summer, and there are those that adore the months of hot weather. My website is called Mesquite Christmas for a reason though, and unless you have experienced it yourself, Winter here is breathtaking. You may imagine, I hate the Summer months, though that is not true. I do enjoy them, in fact all of them have their charm, but it is Winter here, especially Christmas that provides me with so much joy.

Tuesday People

We’ve all met somebody, usually somebody from work that says something along the lines of: “I am not a Monday person.” We all know what is meant when they say this. I usually translate it to: “The weekend was, too short.” But does that mean that we have Tuesday people? What would such a person look like? Would that suggest that they take their work home with them on Friday? Maybe.

In Mesquite

Life in Mesquite keeps us busy. How is everbody doing?

Passing of Time

Time. Smarter people than I have tried to make sense of it, some even surely think that they have gotten it figured out, but time is strange. I can recall it like it was yesterday, doing my homework (don’t ask me how long ago that was), getting married, changing my children’s diapers, or any of those other life moments that we experience a hundred different ways, or only a single time.

Something for the Soul

It has been colder in the last couple of days. Spring is coming, but the start feels slower this year. I am not in any way, shape, or form complaining. You know me, I live for the Winter months. But they do come with those longings, for warmth, comfort, and closeness. That was the thought behind last night’s supper. It was just the two of us. So the need to get complicated was not there.

Something for the Soul

This morning I realized I really didn’t want to eat anything normal. Not today at least. I felt like something soothing, a dish that just makes you feel good. One that is fun to eat and leaves you hungry for more. Soul food. Food has always held an important part in our family life and it was something that has always brought joy into our kitchen. So it was strange that I needed something more out of it than what we already get.

Words of Warning

We have so many words for different aspects of our lives: Soothing words, of regret, those of warning, and the list goes on. The reason that I have come to this post is because I needed some words of sympathy. Condolences really, as a co-worker lost someone close to them, and I am not very close to that co-worker. He is nice enough to me, but he can be a real bear if you get in his way.

Well It's Been One Ride

I dare say that this could just as easily be filed under Politics as we have so much going on in Washington. Then we have Corona. The lockdown is still in place, vaccinations are rolling along smoother than I had anticipated. My husband and I are still waiting on ours though. 🤷 But we will get it sooner or later. Until then one can only continue to practice good hygiene and pray for the best.

Dear Kathy Smith

Dear Kathy Smith, Over the last thirty years you have helped me stay fit. Your programs have been helpful in encouraging me to stay active and maintain a healthy muscle to body weight ratio. As I age I see my peers grow sedentary and the loss of muscle mass and increase in body fat has already begun to take its toll on some. I began using your advice after the birth of our first toward the end of the eighties.

Is It That Time of the Year Again?

What time? New Years. Seriously, the holiday season went way to fast this year. My kids have all gone back home with their families, the house is still, and it will become even quieter when my husband goes ice fishing with his best friend next week (they have have known one another since they were children and the yearly ice fishing trip has been part of the program for close to fifty years, corona won’t change their plans).

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everybody! Just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas (especially those of you I haven’t seen yet) and I will go ahead and wish you a Happy New Year as well. The family is all warm in their beds and I thought I would take the time for a big mug of tea and enjoy the peace and stillness in the house. Not the stillness of an empty house, that is sometimes too muh to bare, but the peace that comes from being around your loved ones.

T Minus

I am practically counting the minutes now. Our daughter and her family will be driving in this evening and we be staying with us over Christmas until next week and our youngest son is also coming with his children on the 25th. It will be the first time the all three of our kids and grand kids will have been together here this year. It really has been a shame with corna, how much the family has been separated this past year, how many celebrations have gone un-celebrated.

The Weather Outside

… Is Delightful! Actually, the weather is getting closer to what I expect for my Christmas winter wonderland. Just a few flakes so far this morning, but if it lives up to the forecast we will have some snow over the next few days. I would really like that. Last year we had a little bit of old patchy snow on the lawn. Better than nothing, true, but I am hoping for a little more this year.

Time to Live Up to My Name

Christmas is just around the corner. The house is full of the scent of baking cookies, which I might add are being gobbled up before they even have a chance to cool, and I am really just in Christmas fever (or is that joy?). As for the cookies, maybe I should bake more frequently? I am sure if my grandkids has a chance to vote they’d say yes. :) Really, this is my favorite time of the year, the weather is cozy, the family is close, and everybody just seems to be happy.

Happy Third Advent

Happy Third Advent (Gaudete Sunday)! For folks who don’t know, the second and third Advent Sunday is when we read the Gospel recalling the preachings of John the Baptist. The second reading (last Sunday) revolves around Jesus’ birth in the manger, Bethlehem, or of the Prophets. Enjoy your Sunday.

Well It Is Finally Over

I think that the title really says all that needs to be said. The fiasco that we have watched unfold for the last four years is finally (knock on wood) over. The ending? Well, it ended and that is the important part, I wouldn’t call it spectacular, nor would I say that it was heralded in by an outcry for a restoration of democracy but the lunatic that we put in there four years ago is now on his way out.

New in Mesquite!

How is everyone doing? It’s that time of year again where Fall slowly drifts into Winter here in Mesquite–my favorite time of the year, actually I’m blessed because it is actually the whole last quarter of the year–and my website is coming along nicely.