Christmas Crafting

Back in the day (probably starting when we were 9-10 years old), my sister and I would create a little craft station in the back room of the basement. We'd set up the crusty old card table, get out our glue guns, and get our craft on. We'd make all kinds of little things for the relatives. One year we made tons of plaster of Paris magnets, molded into little shapes and painted. Another year we made these little noodle angel ornaments. Another year doily angel ornaments. We would craft away, burning away all the feeling in our fingers with that hot glue gun and loving every minute of it (well I did anyway). I still have a couple survivors…

Every year I wish I could do all homemade Christmas gifts. But reality catches up with me instead. This year I'm not doing much homemade, so I'm remembering those days of the basement craft station fondly and missing my sister. And working on the family photo calendar, which is almost homemade... at least it takes FOREVER to put together and is most certainly a labor of love. Okay, that's homemade enough for me.

Also... if you ever want to make a legion of noodle angels, I can hook you up :)

Christmases Past

My homies and I were talking about Christmas traditions the other day, which really got me thinking. You know those traditions when you are a kid that you dream will never change. Those things that really make Christmas special, so "Christmas"? And then you get older, and traditions evolve. They have to. Life evolves and changes, the situation is different, there are different people involved (and lots of them!) ... Still I think it is cool to take a few moments to reflect on where we've come from, memories and traditions from childhood, and to remember what is important and special about Christmas now.

Ahem.

My childhood. My earliest Christmas memories as a kid are at the old, old house (we moved from there when I was 5). I remember the Christmas tree in the corner. I remember sneaking down the stairs to see it. I remember matching pajamas (the pictures do help jog that memory). And that's about it from those earliest memories. Just some random snapshot Christmas moments in that house.

As I got a little older, we always drew names among the siblings (or at least since the timesI have clear memories). We would try to keep it a secret, who had who, but someone would always squeal. And I used to find out who had who on a regular basis. Information is power. Or not, but it was always kind of a thrill to know when not everyone knew. And we would open our gifts from each other on Christmas eve. Oooh ahhh. I remember the excitement and anticipation-- gifts were simple and inexpensive, but important. We would agonize over what to get each other and enlist help, and sit barely able to wait our turn to give our gift to our beloved sibling.

I remember years of going to Mass on Christmas morning, and then loading the station wagon, the red van, the blue van, the red and gray van (so many vans) and hoofing it to Monroe for brunch and presents with my mom's family, and from there heading to Dearborn for Christmas with my dad's family. The whole day was a delightful flurry of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, car rides listening to Christmas carols, presents, candy... all around magical... for us kids anyway.

Some Christmas gifts really stand out in my memories:

I remember being quite young and participating in the Christmas pageant at my mom's family Christmas. One of the uncles was the donkey, I was Mary, Kathleen was an angel, Collin was Joseph, and my brand new Christmas doll Rachel got to play the baby Jesus. Vivid and important memories. Rachel was the first brand new doll I'd ever gotten and when you turned her over, she cried "waahh." I was thrilled. Coolest toy ever. I still have Rachel. Her hair isn't nice. The original clothes are long gone. The "waaahh" became a faint sqeak only when you punched her stomach, and eventually became complete silence. Her lips are still a faint green from the time my brother and his friends colored them green with a marker. And yet that doll still carries some important memories for me and I can't quite give her up (though I don't attempt to sleep with her anymore).

I remember the year we got our puppy on Christmas- best Christmas ever (I was 9 at the time)! Holly was a black lab mutt (this habit started young). I remember opening the big mysterious box in my grandparent's basement and how excited my dad was. A puppy!! No one had even hinted about a puppy!! Our very own puppy?!?! I remember riding from Grandma's to the other Grandma's passing the dog between the big kids and discussing names. Kathleen wanted to name her Black Beauty. I don't remember what I wanted. And then my dad suggested Holly. Perfect!! So Christmasy and yet the perfect dog name. I loved that pooch from the start and she quickly became "my dog." Oh she was everyone's dog but very much my dog at the same time. I remember my two year old brother Neil spending a lot of time torturing her and eating her food. Those early weeks of potty training, she endeared herself to my poor mom by consistently pooping under the Christmas tree. And as she got a little older, I loved training her. Teaching her to sit, to walk on a leash, to roll over, to stop jumping up. Gosh I loved that dog. She gave me a lot of purpose in life. She was one of the first real "projects" I remember truly investing in and I remember being so proud as she'd learn new tricks and pass important milestones. Holly was such a faithful dog right to the end. The gift that keeps on giving for years and years and years.

And here's a random one: my parents often gave us really useful gifts like towels, pajamas, and socks. I remember the year Kathleen and I got large brand new bath towels. They were light blue striped and matched the wall paper in our room (which had light blue stripes on it). I know it's ridiculous, but I remember those towels vividly and remember hoarding them proudly, keeping them hanging in our bedroom away from the little boys who would use whatever towel was closest when they ran naked out of the tub. Our very own towels!!

Okay, I'll let it go there for now... thanks for walking down memory lane with me. What are some of your favorite Christmas memories?

Just because you can...

Using the ipad as a camera in a wedding. There you are, third row from the front, wanting to capture those beautiful moments of the bride and groom promising their lives to one another. So you lift your 8x10 inch electronic device high over your head, so everyone behind you can no longer see the actual moment, just your attempt to capture it. Or maybe you just wander through the reception, ipad in hand, pausing every few minutes to ask someone to pose while you again lift your large and awesome electronic device that can not only snap pictures, but record your health history, keep track of your groceries, and probably clean your house too.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should...

More punishment

It sure didn't take Maggie long... without the bathroom garbage to eat and no more prescription drugs within reach...

Thursday night, Geno, Lucy and Jane came for the evening. Just before leaving they changed into PJs and loaded their clothes into the same bag and then forgot the bag on the way out the door. Oops. Thinking I'd just leave it there in the hall lest their mother decide to pick it up while I wasn't home, I unwittingly provided the next phase of the punishment: Eating children's toothbrushes and an unopened box of mac and cheese.

My roommate Leslie was the one to find the growling Maggie, standing over the empty mac and cheese box (no sign of noodles or any trace of a cheese packet) and some chewed up toothbrushes. Apparently Maggie doesn't like the toothpaste though, because after a good chomp, she decided to leave the rest. We wouldn't want to destroy things AND have good breath.

And the punishment goes on...

Homecoming

No homecoming is complete without Maggie punishing me for being gone. Mind you, she barely notices that I was gone. Her BFF Leslie was around and taking care of her all week, but my homecoming did inspire a stand up hug when I first arrived (it usually takes me being gone for at least 3 days to merit a Maggie hug). Suzie was close to wetting herself with excitement but we managed to make it outside just in time. She is beside herself happy to see me and have me home. She’s shadowing my every move and licking me every chance she gets (lovely).

I should mention that the housemates much prefer dealing with Maggie, especially in my absence. Suzie is the world’s neediest critter and as much as she loves everyone, she is most certainly MY dog and she is a mess when I am gone. Maggie, on the other hand, is her usual stand-off-ish, only-wants-a-moment-of-your-time bitch. Easy. 

Anyway, we got through my first evening home without a hitch. I tasked around the house a bit, fell asleep on the couch in spite of the licking, and I was lulled into a false sense of security.  The next morning I came downstairs to find this:

That’s right, Maggie stole Leslie’s prescription drugs out of her purse, chewed the bottle to pieces, and left them on the front rug for me to find – Thanks Mag, I get it, you don’t appreciate me leaving.

That very evening, in an attempt to curb Maggie’s other current punishment trends, I stopped at Target and bought a trash can with a secure lid for the downstairs bathroom. I decided it simply wasn’t worth fighting that fight, or finding more half eaten trash. So. Not. Worth. It.

And now, for exactly $13, I have peace of mind that Maggie is done with the disgusting bathroom trash eating disgusting habit and will now have to spend her energy thinking up new and unpleasant punishments for me… Welcome home Reenie.

Food for the soul

Warning:  This post is abnormally long and contains a lot of aunt mush. and lots of pictures. and more aunt mush. don’t say you weren’t warned.  

I got to spend Thanksgiving week with my sister and her family in Richland, WA. I flew out late Monday night, and, because my life is such an adventure, I decided to meet up with my friend Angelique during my layover in Minneapolis. So she paid for me to catch a cab to another friend, Mark’s birthday party where I got to visit with Mark and Betsy and their cute munchkins and Angelique for an hour before heading back to the airport. So awesome. Of course we ran into traffic at the airport at 9 pm so I almost missed my next flight, running through the airport to the furthest possible gate and boarding just before they closed the doors. Whew.

I arrived at the Veens to find the kids had decorated for me. Awww.

We did some photos … seriously, are they cute or what?

I got the family to myself Tuesday and Wednesday before the rest of the company arrived for the weekend. Kathleen and I did a lot of cooking and baking to prep for a house full for the rest of the weekend. Not to mention reading stories, playing in the leaves (68 degrees and sunny!!), and snuggling the new girlie. Eeeeee. She is smiling and just starting to coo. Did I mention how darling she is???

Lisa and Glen and their four girlies arrived early on Thursday morning coming all the way from Montana. So much fun!! And Mark & Lisa’s parents, Fred and Anne arrived around noon on Thursday. Thursday was a busy day (8 kids, ages 7 and under always makes for a busy day). So much fun. We all made it to Mass in the morning and then on for a day of kid fun, diaper changing, nap rotating, food prep, and eating. When Kathleen and I were planning the menu for everything, I did note we had more dishes planned for Thanksgiving than people at the table. It was quite a spread!! Lisa brought her largest turkey raised in their yard. Everything was delicious and the company was spectacular.  So great to spend time with family and extended family. 

Saturday was Mary Grace’s baptism. Another great addition to God’s family!! Mark’s sister Paula and her family came down for the baptism and party – it was great to visit with them and fun for all the cousins to be together. 

 

(Cool fact: Mary Grace wore the same dress my mom made and Kathleen, Fiona, and I were all baptized in. Aawww)

Can you tell that Grandpa Fred is a favorite? (Okay I totally love him too).

It was a weekend of a whole lot of cute…

Lisa and Glen and their family headed back to Montana and Paula and Eric and their family headed back to northern Washington on Saturday night.  Fred and Anne stayed for brunch and a card game Sunday and headed out. So Sunday afternoon and Monday were back to just the little family.

I flew out at the buttcrack of dawn on Tuesday. It was a long uncomfortable flight back since I’d managed to throw my back out again at some point over the weekend, but great to finally arrive home, in spite of the 36 degrees and rain. Oh Michigan. I miss my WA family already, but it’s still great to be home.

I am so thankful I could go meet Mary Grace and spend time with my sister and her darling family. I’m thankful I got to see Lisa and her family too. And it was delightful to be away from the office for a few days. I am so blessed!!

So there you have it – Thanksgiving adventures and Auntie mush.  Don’t say you weren’t warned.