Christmas Eve.
Time to make the annual Christmas Coffee Cake. I’m off to buy the ingredients this morning. My plan was to buy it all yesterday, but we had workmen here most of the day because we finally have a new hot water heater! And a whole-house water filter! And…..drum roll….heat in the bathroom!
Since we live in the country, we have well water – well water that tastes great, I might add. But sediment builds up and the over 15-year old heater that was already here when we moved in has been working less than efficiently for about three years now. It had been on our list of things to do, we just had to set the money aside to do it. The water filter will help keep a lot of that sediment out of the water, which will be a blessing. And, for some reason, when this house was flipped, the baseboard heating that runs throughout the house was not put in either bathroom. The half bath upstairs wasn’t a problem. It’s tiny and heat rises, so no big deal. But the one downstairs was another story. When Gino, our plumbing and heating guy, said he could actually run some pipes and put in baseboard heat in the bathroom, I whooped with joy.
And the shower head was replaced so we have normal water pressure again. You won’t believe what we’d been putting up with. We could have replaced it ourselves, we just didn’t think the problem was with the shower head. Neither did Gino. But it turned out to be the culprit.
I can take a bath! It won’t be too cold in there to enjoy it. There will be enough hot water to fill the tub. (We’ve been taking very quick showers for a while now.)
It’s basic, but it’s a big deal here! Merry Christmas to us!
The coffee cake recipe is here, by the way. Best coffee cake I’ve ever had.
I’ll be back tomorrow with Christmas wishes. For now, enjoy your day and stop and take some time for yourself, if you can.
Happy Wednesday.
Good morning Claudia, as we get older we appreciate the good things in life! Merry Christmas Claudia and a Blessed new year. Doris
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Doris!
Hooray for endless hot water! During the week at our house it’s quick showers and instant coffee before racing off to work. Fridays nights are for relaxing in a hot bath until I’ve read the New Yorker from cover to cover.
I had a long and difficult day at work yesterday, so I was most agreeably surprised to come home to find my daughter had taken care of all the housework and shopping. She is so sweet – this morning she presented me with birthday cake and a copy of “Ice Station Zero”. Not really my kind of movie, but I’ve always wanted to see it as my late father always swore he had a bit part in it. Perhaps he played one of the scientists or had a walk-on part as a glacier..
I am most definitely going to take your advice and enjoy the day – hope you do too.
Is it your birthday today, Barbara? Happy, Happy Birthday, my friend. Enjoy your day. Your daughter is a sweetie!
Thank you so much!
Oops, it’s actually “Ice Station Zebra”. Hardly my father’s break-through role if I can’t even read the title properly!
I thought it might be Ice Station Zebra. That’s the phrase I use when we’re in the midst of a very hard winter! (stolen from the movie.)
Claudia I would say heat and hot water are great Christmas gifts! I’m dreaming of some coffee cake soon! Traveling home today and then tomorrow with the family. Wishing you a lovely Christmas Eve!
hugs,
Linda
Have a wonderful Christmas Eve, Linda. Safe travels.
I needed some work done on my [apartment] plumbing this past Fall too. New faucet for an endlessly-dripping bathroom sink. Also asked the plumber to turn up the temp a bit on the water heater, goose the water pressure as well. It was really surprising to find out how happy these changes made me – what a pleasure they were. Little things really do mean a lot. Enjoy your Christmas Eve day… and the smell of coffee cake in the air!
I just took a shower for the first time since the changeover – oh my goodness! Heaven!
I remember well when our water heater stopped working efficiently and we finally got a new one, it felt wonderful to have all the hot water we could use. Here in Central Florida we are expecting rain today. We are traveling about 40 miles this evening for Christmas Eve with my family and I dread the traffic and the road being wet. But it’s a tradition I love. Yesterday I baked mini muffins and filled bags with them so Carl and I were off early this morning making deliveries to relatives, another tradition I love. Hope to take a break around noon and try for a short nap before our long evening. Hope you have a lovely day!
It’s raining here, too. Yesterday, all day today…gray and dreary out there. But we won’t let it get us down!
Enjoy baking your coffee cake today, Claudia. I made one similar to yours a few weeks ago and it was delicious!
Merry Christmas!
S
xo
This coffee cake is to die for! And Don would not be a happy camper if I didn’t make it.
Merry Christmas to you and Don !!
Merry Christmas to you, Missy! Have a wonderful holiday!
Merry Christmas Eve, Claudia! It really IS the seemingly “small stuff” that makes us the happiest.
My husband, daughter and I all “officially” have the flu. Type A, I guess. The one the flu shot (which we all had) doesn’t work against. So, we are all on Tamiflu. We are getting a lot of rest, because there really isn’t an option when just walking to the bathroom then requires a nap!! My hubs, being the church organist and choir director, has been practicing this morning because he has to get through the service tonight. This is wicked stuff, that is for sure! Thankfully we had planned our family Christmas on the 29th, so we do have some time. That was fortuitous, I guess.
Have fun making that coffee cake ~ and then enjoying it!! Along with the hot water and heat!
Oh drat! Having the flu is NOT supposed to be what happens at Christmas! I’m so sorry! I hope your husband is conserving his energy for tonight! Thinking of you all, sending healing wishes your way. xo
Hot running water is one of the great joys of life, so often taken for granted. What a wonderful present to give yourselves.
The shower today? I think I let out more than a few happy sounds. It was heavenly!
Hot water sounds good to me…as does a warm bathroom! That’s a gift that keeps on giving! We just finished wrapping the last present, now for a quick vacuum, shower, and we’re off to O’Hare to pick up our son and DIL …I am so excited! Hope you and Don and Scout have a wonderful Christmas! Sounds like you are off to a fantastic start! Merry Christmas!! ;)
So happy you’ll spend the holidays with your son and daughter-in-law, Donnamae! Have a wonderful, wonderful holiday!
Congratulations on your plumbing upgrades ~ It sounds like they’ve enormously improved your quality of life! Have yourselves a jolly Christmas!
They have, indeed, Ellie! I’m very grateful. Have a wonderful Christmas!
Sounds like wonderful Christmas gifts to me! Merry Christmas to you three!
Judy
Merry Christmas to you, dearest Judy. Hug those babies tight and know that you are in my thoughts. I’ll call you after Christmas!
Feliz Nochebuena para tí y toda tu familia y amigos ! Que seas muy feliz esta noche .
Besos .
Adelina
Feliz Nochebuena, Adelina! xoxo
Holiday greetings to you, Don, and Scout. I’ve so enjoyed reading about your life this past year! I’m always struck by how much overlap we have in our day-to-day existence, and wouldn’t you know it, my water heater has taken on a life of its own. Sometimes my showers are scalding, other times chilly. I know you will have a reflective Christmas this year. You will be in my thoughts.
Oh, those darned water heaters! I was so used to my heater’s inferior performance that I almost scalded myself when I got in the shower! Oh wonderful hot water and lots of it!
I’m thinking of my mom, of course, and all those dear to me who are no longer here. It will be bittersweet. But we’ll make it a lovely day. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Kaye!
I can remember when living in my old cottage that one of the elderly neighbours used to draw his water from the well. He never wanted water on tap! Have a wonderful Christmas xx
I totally understand! I really love the taste of our well water. I remember my grandmother and grandfather had well water at one of their houses, and it tasted really mineral-y.
So, I know we’re lucky! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!
Well Merry Christmas dear Claudia. I know what you mean about the things we put up with….because most times we are not sure where to turn. I am so happy for you to have heat in the bath. I am wishing you and Don a joyous Christmas. xoxo,Susie
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas, Suzie! xo
When I bought this place it had one of those very small water heaters..never enough for three people and showers, laundry, dishes and such..just last year we got a larger size heater and it was such an improvement..Enjoy your wonderful hot water..and heat in the bathroom..And also enjoy your Christmas Eve together..Hugs to all..PS..must try that coffee cake..will check thrift shops for a spring form pan..
You will love that coffee cake, Nancy! Merry Christmas!
Exciting!! We have heat in our bathroom, but not enough, so I had a heat blower put in and I just love it. Warm toasty baths! Merry Christmas to you, Don and Miss Scout!
Nothing like a warm, toasty bath, Liz! Merry Christmas!
Claudia we’re a day ahead of you here in OZ. Had our Christmas Eve celebration with family and friends last night. Wishing you, Don and the darling Miss Scout a wonderful Xmas and New Year. There is just something so special about that girl. It’s like she wears her heart and her soul on her sleeve. Makes my heart sing just looking at her!!!!!!!
Oh, thank you, Ruta! I love her. We’ve always called her a “Magic Dog.” There’s just something special about her.
Much love to you and yours. Merry Christmas!
Whoa! Getting a plumber out on Dec 23… ?!?! Sounds expensive. Glad you were able to get all that work done and heaters installed! Our only bath isn’t heated… We use an electric wall bigger: heater— and I think it would benefit us to switch it out.
I don’t take hot baths for the same readon— insufficient heat!
Enjoy bath time … Have a soak!
Not at all. We had scheduled the appointment and the work several weeks ago. Just a routine day for Gino. We’ve known that we wanted to do this for a long time now.