Can you hear me squealing!?!

 

L squeals with delight when she is happy.  Actually,it can be a little painful for the listener,but we’ll take it over mad any day.  This sweet jumper is a gift from one of L’s favorite people in the whole world.  Miss Karla loves L and L thinks she hung the moon.  L has a sign and a word for Kar- Kar.  In other words Karla is important.  L carried this gift from school clutched in her hand, determined not to fling or release it as so often happens.  Thanks Miss Karla for all you do!  We love you!

Cousins, Dogs, and More Cousins

 

I am not sure I have seen cousin L NOT in a tutu in the last year.  Of course they always match her shirt and hair bow and usually have sparkly shoes to complete the ensemble.

J dealt with the post Christmas let down by snuggling with Lily.

As the theme for this winter seems to be “Let it Snow”, we spent an afternoon sledding.  Yes, that is an elf giving sledders a start.

Mama gets some last minute instructions on how to sled with no direction controls and hold L.

And sure enough, we had turned completely around by the bottom.  Laughing all the way!

Christmas Day 2010

 

We really think this was one of the prettiest trees we have ever had.  Brian picks the tree and I don’t even go.  He always does a wonderful job and I never second guess myself!

The teenage years have begun.  A Coach wristlet was the delight of the morning.

H loves Legos!  And to be truthful, so does Mama.  Two years ago the girls got a Hogwarts Castle and J destroyed it in the middle of the night.  This is the newest one and J was immediately threatened with his life.  Maybe Santa should send an extra just in case.

L loves Toy Story.

I’m always amazed at the mess that takes over our living room.  It was so nice to have time to play with gifts.

Christmas Eve 2010

 

The big Celsor event finally got moved off Christmas morning making the overall holiday more manageable.  The kids are all growing up.I find it interesting that we started with all girls and seem to be finishing with all boys.

I think L and Pappy were imitating Sing a ma jigs.

L completely got the present opening thing this year.  She opened as long as she could get to a package- hers or others.

Lots of boy toys this year.  Aircraft carrier, space shuttle, Batman…..

Christmas Eve,the kids (and adults) were delighted to welcome huge magical snowflakes.  We ran out to be a part of the fun.  The flakes were as big as quarters.  J and L couldn’t resist tasting a few!

Daddy and J sprinkled reindeer feed in the backyard so Santa would be sure to find our house.

Brown Paper Bags

I'm sure my childhood Christmases were wilder than I remember.  There were parties, and strep throat, and cookies to bake.  I remember variety in events from year to year.  Caroling some,but not all.  Lots of people and just a few depending on who had leave. A year with so much snow the church youth went sledding every weekend for a month.  Great presents.  Not so great presents.  Fun relatives and well... you get the idea.  But what I remember most are brown paper bags.
My best friend's church was just down the road from us.  A beautiful German styled brick and stone building with stained glass windows that actually raised to let in fresh spring and summer air.  I have never forgotten the Sunday we worshipped as a thunder storm rolled in across the tobacco field outside.  It's a small building with a little sanctuary and a basement for Sunday school.  Every year, St.Paul held a Christmas eve service.  It would be dark and cold outside while the inside of the little building was bulging at the seams with parishioners and visitors like myself, all dressed in their holiday best.  This wasn't a night for doctrinal differences- just the coming together of a community to welcome the Savior.  The program was the same every year.  The youth read by candlelight, the children acted the parts of the nativity,and the congregation sang every traditional hymn you can imagine.  Loud booming voices of hardworking farmers mixed with warbly sopranos from little old ladies in dresses and snow boots.  I never remember a song leader,but to my little mind,the program seemed to have a life of its own.  ( I always wanted to be in this program as the parts were assigned on a rotational basis guaranteeing every girl eventually played Mary etc- a fairness for which I had great respect.)  At the front of the church stood what I was sure was the largest tree ever.  A towering cedar tree covered in lights, crowding the first few rows and filling the area with a fresh sweet smell.  Every year the same and every year an opportunity to set aside the craziness that leads up to Christmas and for just an hour or so become fully wrapped up in the mystery and joy that is really Christmas.  I always went home and changed or added to my letter to Santa to something about peace and good will.  But not before we got one of those wonderful brown paper bags.  Better than any trick or treat bucket or Valentine treat.  A plain brown bag filled with oranges and full size candy bars.  Hershey's, Peanut butter cups,and sweet and sour suckers.  All the smells and tastes and memories of Christmas in plain wrapping.  Sweet.  Simple.  Perfect.

Christmas Is Not For Introverts

"If I had my way- and I shan't- my Christmas day eating and drinking would consist of an omelet, cold ham and a nice bottle of wine at lunchtime, and a smoked salmon sandwich with a glass of champagne on a tray in the evening.  This lovely,selfish,anti gorging, un- Christmas dream of hospitality either given or taken, must be shared by thousands of women who know it's all Lombard Street to a China orange that they'll spend both Christmas Eve and Christmas morning peeling,chopping,mixing, boiling,roasting and steaming.  They will eat and drink too much, that someone will say the turkey isn't quite as good as last year, or discover the rum for the pudding has been forgotten.  .........We are so many fathoms deep in custom, tradition and sentiment over Christmas; we have got so far with our obsessive present buying and frenzied cooking, from
the spirit of a simple Christian festival, that only the most determined of scrooges can actually turn their faces to the wall and ignore the whole thing when the time comes.  All the same, there must be quite a few small families, couples without children, and people living alone, who like to celebrate Christmas in a reasonably modest and civilized way: inviting a friend or two who might otherwise be alone (well, maybe like you and me, they'd rather BE alone, but this is an eccentricity not accepted at Christmas time.)
Elizabeth David
Elizebeth David's Christmas

Such is the first chapter of a lovely book written by a contemporary of Julia Child.  Each  year, somewhere between Halloween and Thanksgiving, I look at our rapidly filling calendar and I begin our annual conversation on required events.
Me- "Promise me if we found out I was dying, I would get one last Christmas my way." 
Brian- "I promise, absolutely, we'll make it happen."
 Me- "Even though it will make other people mad?"
Brian- "Even then."
Me- "Isn't it sad I have to die to get this?"
Brian- "Then make it happen this year."

And while we both know it won't happen, I love him for saying it will.  Christmas just isn't an event for introverts.  For those of us whom the real meaning of the season is found in sitting in quiet reflection beneath the tree.  A friend and I once spent a wonderful afternoon lying under the tree just staring through the lights and tinsel. Or who dream of years with homemade ornaments, the smell of baking bread that will be secretly left on door steps- No huge announcement please, and time to play with the few carefully chosen gifts.  Time for advent calendars and solemn, candle lit, worshipful church services to welcome the King.  Everyone else demands the actual day,why can't He.  This is the point each year that I become officially fried.  Be patient with me, I am trying.

CPC Dinners 2010 or What to do with 30lbs of Cream Cheese

 

Most years, I do the desserts for the employee Christmas dinner.  It is always a challenge to cook for so many.  It is also fun in a stressful,self abusing kind of way.  I do large scale cooking just enough to know I never want a job in this area.  There is always some new twist such as J throwing a cake down the basement stairs, or complete icing disasters. This was the first year weather caused problems and made what is usually 2 days of chaos into 4 plus unplanned “elves” home from school.  I thought this year I would try to put in pictures what 30 lbs of cream cheese, 6 dozen eggs, a few gallons of whipping cream and 15 pounds of sugar can do to your kitchen.

Big cooking needs big bowls.

We did 16 cheesecakes.  Brian and Had both helped.

 

And then we killed the kitchen aid mixer.  That is oil dripping from the motor.  My 15 year old Sunbeam that gets used at least 3 x per week kept right on going.

 

Of course paying attention to food means L was on her own.  She used her time to go through the recycling.  As B says to L, “You cardboard shredder, you!”

Space Camp

Through these doors enter America’s future Astronauts, Scientists and Engineers

B and I had the opportunity to spend a weekend at Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. We lived in the space habitat and tried out all kinds of simulators.  We also learned about space history, designed rockets, and flew a space mission.  B was the commander of the mission.  She did very well.  Her mother was a basket case!






Having run of the museum at night was really exciting.





Performing experiments in the International Space station.


Walking on the moon.