The time I spent at my Mom and Dad's for Christmas went by far too quickly. It's hard to believe it's over already. Even though I was there for five days, it seemed a much shorter period of time. There was baking to be done and babies to hold, Christmas letters to address and get in the mail, shopping with my Dad for Mom's gifts and wrapping them once they were purchased.
My Mom has a Christmas Eve birthday, so we always celebrate our family Christmas that day. We eat lunch together and then the chaos ensues and we open gifts. Usually we wait until Santa has visited us, but this year he was too busy to come in person so he left the bag o' sacks with my Dad so he could distribute them. Without further adieu...
Here's a picture of me and Zach, he showed up in festive attire and together we looked very Christmas-y.
Zach wasn't the only baby in the house, though. This is me with Caden. He must be teething, can you tell?
My Mom with her great-grandson, Caden. Notice the antlers she's wearing.
Caden with his Aunt Katie and Uncle Christopher.
Zach's getting to be such a big boy already. Such a serious face, such a cute outfit. He even had on red socks!
Here's Zach and his Mommy (Terri) checking out a book Santa brought him.
Caden's getting pretty good at sitting up without help. But that's his Mommy (Rachel) behind him making sure he doesn't topple over. And yes, he is even smiling!
Daddy (Andrew) and Caden with his sack of goodies from Santa. As you can see, he's way more interested in chewing on the sack than he is about what's in it.
My sister Jenny and her son, Kyle. Kyle was the baby of the family until Zach and Caden came along. He'll be 13 in March.
My brother-in-law Kenny, sister Teresa, Lynette (John's girlfriend), Zach and brother John as the present frenzy was beginning.
Nephews and nieces: Christopher, Anissa, Jessica and Frank (Katie's boyfriend).
Christopher posing for me with the "Push! I Neigh!" sticker on his shirt. It came on the barn toys my Mom got for both babies. I pushed the button and he really did neigh! Delightful.
I didn't take pictures of them, but I got a very cool bread machine (which my Mom got for a huge bargain at Kohls.com), a nifty soup pot and a new crock pot! I also got an outdoor planter, a gift certificate for a pedicure and some lotion that Lynette actually made. No complaints from me, now I just need to get cooking and making some bread.
This past Saturday Great Bend's classic rock station, 104.3 The Point, gave away a Harley Davidson V-Rod motorcycle in their Harley Jolly Christmas contest. My brother John signed up at Knop Auto Parts in Ellinwood and was thrilled to be among the 100 finalists. You had to be present to win, so Saturday morning he braved the blizzard that was raging and went to the drawing in Great Bend with his girlfriend Lynette and his oldest daughter Jessica.They had each person's name assigned to a number and his number was 89. They had the numbers printed on balls (think Bingo). After all the balls were in the machine, they started pulling balls out one at a time. If your ball was pulled, you were disqualified. And so it went. He was in the final 10 and had to go up on stage at that point as they continued to draw out balls and dismiss the non-winners. It got down to the final two: John and one other guy. His ball was a white ball with the number 89 on it, so when he saw a yellow ball come up next, he knew that was the other guy's number and he was the last guy standing. That meant he won a motorcycle!He said afterward that if he was ever going to have a heart attack, that would have been the moment it would have happened. Here's a picture of him on a comparable bike, but he has to come Alefs here in Wichita and pay the taxes before they'll let him take it home. 
His youngest daughter Victoria is a finalist for a Mini Cooper that she registered for at the Fair in September. I think she'll find out Monday if she's won that. It could be a very happy 2008 at their house!
I'm going to try and get you caught up on my life as it happened over the weekend prior to Christmas. On Saturday I baked a batch of sugar cookies. I had forgotten my signature holly leaf and Christmas tree cookie cutters and the recipe at home. Argh! I went to my sister's house because she had given me the recipe many years ago and looked for it in her cookbook cabinet. I found four recipes for sugar cookies and knew that none of them was the one I use. I went on to plan B and called my friend Joyce who I had given the recipe to several years ago. Luckily, she was home. Instead of holly leaves and trees, I improvised with a cup and just made round cookies. Ornaments, we'll call them. I also baked some English muffin bread that turned out quite yummy. I got the recipe out of our Wichita Eagle holiday cookbook. My family (especially Dad) loved it.
Just before Saturday evening Mass my sister, Jenny, and her family arrived in Ellinwood. We all went to church and then back to Mom and Dad's for potato soup. It had snowed a bit during the morning and the soup sounded good for a cold, snowy night.
After we ate, I decided to go to my Uncle Ed's house and see him and my cousins (his four boys are more like my long-lost brothers than my cousins). I ventured out with my nephew Jeffrey (he's 14 and very talkative) into the night. It's important at this point of the story to tell you that Ellinwood got about a foot of snow the previous weekend. So there was still about 8 inches of snow on the ground in some places.
Jeffrey and I headed south toward Stafford County and turned off the highway to go east toward Ed's house. Silly me. I had forgotten that this particular road drifts terribly and my poor little Honda was no match for the piles of snow that were waiting for us there. I got about a 1/4 of a mile down the dirt road when I got high-centered and had no hope of getting unstuck on my own. I reached for my cell phone, but couldn't reach it because it was back at my parents' house. Crap! Jeffrey gets out and tries to push me. Nothing budged. Neither one of us are really dressed for snow. He has on some thin pajama things and Crocs (at least he had socks on, too) and I had on a thin jacket over my t-shirt and pants. But at least I was wearing tennis shoes and socks. So I decided that I'd walk to the nearest house which meant back to the highway and about a 1/4 mile north. I hoped they were home. Jeffrey loaned me his coat, which was much heavier than the one I was wearing. I started walking and was disgusted to find that I was walking directly into the wind -- holy cow it was cold! Once I got to the highway I was sheltered a bit from the wind. I kept thinking that at least there was a full moon and I could see where I was going. Once I got on the highway and headed north I was able to make a little better time. But I hadn't gotten far when I heard a car approaching from the south and I tried to decide whether I would flag them down or not. I said a prayer for them to not run me over and for them to not be a crazed serial killer. My prayers were answered on both counts. Some nice woman (I had no clue who she was) stopped and let me use her cell phone to call my uncle's house. Once I had told my cousin Dan where I was stuck, I thanked the woman profusely and turned down her offer to sit and warm up in her car. I explained that my nephew was waiting at my car and I needed to get back over there. I walked back and it wasn't nearly as bone-chilling on the return trip with the wind at my back. Shortly after I returned to the car, my cousins Scott, Dan and Jason showed up to rescue us. They pulled us out and I got turned around so I was going back toward the highway. I got stuck again following Jason out but I was able to get going again. Then I got stuck a third time and I couldn't budge the car this time. They pulled me out and just kept on pulling me until there was no more snow. When they stopped to remove the tow chain, I handed them the Christmas letters for their families that I was planning to hand-deliver and told them it was nice to see them and thanks so much for rescuing me, but I wasn't going to be able to go any further. It was almost 9 o'clock by this time and I was exhausted.
In retrospect there are so many things about this incident that are just ridiculous. But Jeffrey loved it that we had an adventure together, even though he kept complaining about having a frost-bitten toe. As far as I know it hasn't turned black yet, so I think he'll be all right.
Today I traded in work and spent the day with Zach instead. First thing this morning we played with blocks. He's very smart and was able to spell out his name. Well, maybe he had a little help.
He's working on figuring out how to crawl. He gets into position, but can't make the legs work like they need to yet. So he does a pretty cool belly crawl to get where he needs to be. Late in the morning, his cousins (my nieces) Jessica and Victoria showed up and they put my springy Santa hat on him. I think he liked it.
Aside from the fact that he didn't take a nap that was longer than 45 minutes, it was a wonderful day. I didn't get anything accomplished (Christmas letters? who needs 'em!), but I sure had fun snuggling with the baby. It's hard to believe he'll be 8 months old next week. I'm gonna take those snuggles when I can get them!
I know, I know. How can it be that I'd never seen this Christmas staple? I've never even watched it on television. Believe it, because it's the truth. Since a friend's daughter was in "The Nutcracker" at Friends University, I thought I'd go. Hannah starred as "a mouse who dies" in this year's show. She did an outstanding job. And I loved it. The costumes were fantastic and the dancing was fab, too. The Friends students were better than I expected. And the professionals from New York City who danced as the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Prince? Well, they were awesome. The mice and the ginger cookies were so cute. I may just have to start going every year and make it a holiday tradition.
Friday evening when it was snowing and looking a lot more like Christmas should (I love snow), I went over to my friend Jennifer's house for dinner and a gift exchange. I don't think I'll have time to see her, Steve and Bella before I leave town for the Christmas holiday, so this was our only chance. Here's a picture of the girls in front of their tree (thanks to photographer and our evening DJ, Steve, for taking this picture):
Bella was already in the process of opening my gift in the picture. She just couldn't wait. That's pretty exciting considering she ran out of steam last year before opening all of her presents!
The cookie jar shaped like an ornament was for the entire family, but I think Bella wants to keep it in her bedroom.
I don't have a photo of it, but they gave me the cutest Noah's Ark ornament that is now hanging in a special place on my tree.
I love to decorate my house with all my Christmas stuff. I love to turn off all the lights and sit and ponder life by the light of the Christmas tree alone (clear lights only, please). I have some really special, cool ornaments and decorations. Let me take you on a tour...
This is a Farmer Santa that a friend gave me one year. Too bad she's no longer my friend, but I do love him anyway:
This was a new addition last year and has to be one of my favorite things currently. It's Santa's clothesline, which hangs on the TV stand (Mrs. Claus came by to hang the laundry herself):
My tree-trimming items are as varied and unique as my friends and family. They all have special meaning, but these are among my favorites and they go on the tree first every year, toward the top:
On the top left is what I believe is my oldest ornament. I made that wise man from a cork, some felt and cotton and a pipe cleaner in Sunday school when I was probably about four years old. My Aunt Ruthie was the teacher and it might be one of my earliest memories. I was so proud to hang it on the tree. It is one of only two ornaments my Mom has ever given me from their ornament stash. The next one over is a Beefeater ornament I bought on my first trip to England. The one when I met my friend, Lucy, about 14 years ago. The sparkly ball ornament on the top right is one of many ornaments Lucy's sent me over the years (she's very crafty). The spider ornament on the bottom left was made by my cousin, Renee. She gave it to me when I was on a business trip and got to stay with her family when they lived down in Florida. It came with a typed paper that tells of the legend of the Christmas spider (it's a German legend, I think). The bottom middle stocking was made by my nephew, Andrew, in Sunday school class when he was but a young boy. This Christmas his son, Caden, will celebrate his first Christmas. The last ornament was made by my Grandma (maternal) and it's the other ornament that my Mom gave me out of her box. It's made from some sort of tree pod that's been lined with velvety fabric and embellished with an angel figurine. I remember when Grandma made those and it's one I will cherish forever.
There are so many, but I must mention a few more. I've got S'morenaments (yes, they look like S'mores) that were given to me by my friend Melanie. An angel from Jill. Joyce once gave me a bell ornament that she made. A snowman on a sled, my largest ornament, was given to me by my friend Linda. There's the ornament I got at a Christmas party thrown by Andrea when I caught the cheese ball with the toe of my shoe (hey, I was a hero because it didn't go on the carpet). And the ornament my sister Teresa painted for me last year.
All of my ornaments and decorations are special because of the memories they symbolize. Thank you, blog readers, for letting me wax on about this. I've needed this trip down memory lane to inspire me and help me get geared up for the final push toward Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa to all!
I'm not a big fan of beer. Most people who know me have known me long enough to know that this has not always been the case. I loved beer in college. Then as I got older it just seemed to stuff up my head and cause my allergies to flare. So I don't drink it often.
But at Granite City (it's a restaurant and a brewery), I love their Two Pull beer. It's a mixture of their Northern Light Lager and Brother Benedict's Bock. And it's just right.
Last night I met my friends Joyce and Laurie at Granite City for a belated birthday dinner for Laurie. This was taken after they'd had at least two beers each (OK, so had I, but I'm not in the picture):
Good food, good beer, good friends. Not much else is needed for a great evening.
I have a couple of crazy sisters. The oldest, Teresa, has been crazy the longest. She once stood in her kitchen one cold, wintry weekend morning and did a pretend cooking show. All by herself. One of her kids found her describing what she was doing and then cut to a pretend commercial break. When her kids were little, they didn't want to help clean the house, so she told them that the people from "House Beautiful" magazine were coming and everything needed to be spotless. They got right to their chores. I think that only worked once. So you see what I'm dealing with here. Certifiable.
Jenny (the middle child) exhibits her craziness a little differently than Teresa. She yells at her kids (it's her favorite hobby) and she is the shopaholic of the family. Don't get me wrong. All of us (females anyway) like to shop. But Jenny tires of it less easily than the rest of us. We've been known to call her The Energizer Bunny because she keeps going and going and going. My Dad has named us (my Mom, sisters and I) the Wheel Gang because we'll go anywhere for any reason, especially bargains.
This past weekend when the weather was gearing up for a winter blast, Jenny decided she was going to drive to Wichita (almost a 4-hour trip one way) to do her Christmas shopping. None of us was really surprised. Her husband, Fred, opted to stay home with the kids. I joined her for shopping Saturday evening and a Sam's run Sunday morning, but other than that she was on her own.
The good news is that she got almost all of her shopping done and what she has left can be done easily before Christmas. The weather did get bad overnight Saturday, but by the time she left Sunday morning, the roads were fairly clear and she got home about 4 and a half hours after she left. We all breathed a sigh of relief that she was home safely. But we know she'll do this again someday.
Wednesday night I attended the holiday party of a ladies group at church. Every year we have a Naughty Santa gift exchange and it can get pretty intense. You know the kind of gift exchange where everyone draws a number and number one picks a present, then all subsequent numbers have the option of stealing something already open or picking an unopened gift. Yes, even the
c
hurch-going ladies I know steal gifts with glee. Take me for example. I drew the number 7, which isn't great considering there were 30 ladies there. Jennifer H. drew #1 and the gift she opened contained the springy hat she's wearing in the picture on the left. A couple of numbers later, Noreen took the hat from Jennifer. See how happy she is to have taken it in the picture on the right? This is supposed to be a white elephant exchange, but a lot of people (like me) bring something new. In the past I've gotten stuck with some real doozies as gifts from this dinner. So I decided on a new strategy this year: steal or end up with something I don't want. To achieve my goal, ideally, I needed to steal something already stolen once (we have a two-steal maximum). So I took the hat because I really like it and it fit the criteria. At least I look a LITTLE sheepish:
And the best part? I wore it for the rest of the night. The others tried it on for pictures, but then took it off right away. I only took it off when I got in my car to go home. Merry Christmas to all of my friends in St. Jude Altar Society! And thanks, Denice, for the cool hat.
Britney is pregnant again! I read it on a magazine at the Target checkout Saturday and discussed briefly with the checkout gal (who was also pregnant). I don't know if they've released the name of this daddy-o yet, but it isn't K-Fed. Anybody else bothered by this?
Yesterday my cousin Mike and his wife, Rachelle, came to Wichita from Russell to do some Christmas shopping for their four kids. We hit Shepler's (their kids are in 4-H and show animals), Towne East and Target. I had a great time in Brookstone, a store I don't usually frequent. Almost every store has holiday music playing over the speakers, which is something I love. I'm a big fan of the seasonal tunes. But in Von Maur at Towne East (where I had to use their above-average restrooms and check out the clearance room in shoes), there's a real live pianist tickling the ivories. They play year-round but at Christmas it seems especially festive:
After I used their facilities, I stopped in the infants section to check out the sale rack. I ended up snagging this long-sleeved onesie for Zach:
Even though I've already got presents for both Zach and Caden, I couldn't resist this cute shirt. It was a clearance item, after all. And the clearance room in shoes was a bust on this trip.
My friend, Kathleen, has been pictured on my blog multiple times. But she's always been with the girls and I just wanted everyone to know that she does have a husband and occasionally they go places together! Kathleen and Dave attended Laurie's party this past Saturday and I finally got a picture of them together (before he left to go watch the KU-Missouri game):
Saturday evening I attended the 40th birthday party of my college friend, Laurie. The party was at Eberly Farm and the sign out front proclaimed the reason for all the cars.
After a horse-drawn (courtesy of Belgian horses Lance and Andy) ride around the grounds under a full moon, guests were served a buffet supper, access to an all-you-can-drink keg and soda fountain and a piece of crap cake made by some of Laurie's sisters and nieces. Don't know what crap cake looks like? Well, it's a chocolate culinary delight which they even served with a litter box pooper scooper, which I (perhaps wrongly) assumed was clean!
Here's the birthday girl in all her glory:
Laurie hired The Dance Man (Ronnie Choy) to spin tunes throughout the evening. But the dancing didn't begin in earnest until after her siblings had sung a few tunes of their own to celebrate the occasion. She's the youngest of 10 and it's a family tradition to do this at their birthday parties. Only her sister, Joy, was absent for the serenade:
When the tunes started spinning it was rare for the dance floor to NOT be packed. We did everything from the Chicken Dance on up. (Or is it down?) The most enthusiastic dancers on the floor were probably the youngest ones. Vincent and Joseph were tireless and danced with their aunt Susan, Laurie, or whoever else was around! And our friend, Joyce, (in the foreground on the ground) schooled everyone in proper "Crocodile Rock" etiquette. 
Yes, she did that dance at her wedding in her wedding dress.
It was so much fun and the time went by so quickly. Before we knew it, it was 11 o'clock and poor Libby was ready for the music to stop so she could go home.
Thanks for the party, Laurie. And for future reference, don't forget who didn't bring you cheesy 40th birthday gifts.
Here's Zach and his Mommy (Terri) checking out a book Santa brought him.
My sister Jenny and her son, Kyle. Kyle was the baby of the family until Zach and Caden came along. He'll be 13 in March.
Nephews and nieces: Christopher, Anissa, Jessica and Frank (Katie's boyfriend).
I didn't take pictures of them, but I got a very cool bread machine (which my Mom got for a huge bargain at Kohls.com), a nifty soup pot and a new crock pot! I also got an outdoor planter, a gift certificate for a pedicure and some lotion that Lynette actually made. No complaints from me, now I just need to get cooking and making some bread.
His youngest daughter Victoria is a finalist for a Mini Cooper that she registered for at the Fair in September. I think she'll find out Monday if she's won that. It could be a very happy 2008 at their house!
When we were finished with our exchange, there was still time to get back to Mom's house and take some pictures of Zach with his Nutter Butter cookie before Terri picked him up.
Notice the line of spit from chin to hand. Priceless!
Such a cutie.
He's working on figuring out how to crawl. He gets into position, but can't make the legs work like they need to yet. So he does a pretty cool belly crawl to get where he needs to be. Late in the morning, his cousins (my nieces) Jessica and Victoria showed up and they put my springy Santa hat on him. I think he liked it.
Aside from the fact that he didn't take a nap that was longer than 45 minutes, it was a wonderful day. I didn't get anything accomplished (Christmas letters? who needs 'em!), but I sure had fun snuggling with the baby. It's hard to believe he'll be 8 months old next week. I'm gonna take those snuggles when I can get them!
Lori B. looked like a flapper from the 1920s with the bow from her gift wrapped around her head. The Dirty Santa gift exchange was quite fun. Especially for me. I had the luckiest number - 18 - out of 18 guests. That's the first time that's ever happened, I swear! There were so many good books to choose from that I swiped one that Peggy and Carrie had been swapping back and forth all night called "A Wrinkle in Time" brought by Lori B. It has bonus highlights because she read it while in college and had to write a paper about it. I figure it's like the Cliff Notes, so I'm sure to get a lot out of this book!
I know, I know. How can it be that I'd never seen this Christmas staple? I've never even watched it on television. Believe it, because it's the truth. Since a friend's daughter was in "The Nutcracker" at Friends University, I thought I'd go. Hannah starred as "a mouse who dies" in this year's show. She did an outstanding job. And I loved it. The costumes were fantastic and the dancing was fab, too. The Friends students were better than I expected. And the professionals from New York City who danced as the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Prince? Well, they were awesome. The mice and the ginger cookies were so cute. I may just have to start going every year and make it a holiday tradition.
Bella was already in the process of opening my gift in the picture. She just couldn't wait. That's pretty exciting considering she ran out of steam last year before opening all of her presents!
I don't have a photo of it, but they gave me the cutest Noah's Ark ornament that is now hanging in a special place on my tree.
This was a new addition last year and has to be one of my favorite things currently. It's Santa's clothesline, which hangs on the TV stand (Mrs. Claus came by to hang the laundry herself):
My tree-trimming items are as varied and unique as my friends and family. They all have special meaning, but these are among my favorites and they go on the tree first every year, toward the top:
On the top left is what I believe is my oldest ornament. I made that wise man from a cork, some felt and cotton and a pipe cleaner in Sunday school when I was probably about four years old. My Aunt Ruthie was the teacher and it might be one of my earliest memories. I was so proud to hang it on the tree. It is one of only two ornaments my Mom has ever given me from their ornament stash. The next one over is a Beefeater ornament I bought on my first trip to England. The one when I met my friend, Lucy, about 14 years ago. The sparkly ball ornament on the top right is one of many ornaments Lucy's sent me over the years (she's very crafty). The spider ornament on the bottom left was made by my cousin, Renee. She gave it to me when I was on a business trip and got to stay with her family when they lived down in Florida. It came with a typed paper that tells of the legend of the Christmas spider (it's a German legend, I think). The bottom middle stocking was made by my nephew, Andrew, in Sunday school class when he was but a young boy. This Christmas his son, Caden, will celebrate his first Christmas. The last ornament was made by my Grandma (maternal) and it's the other ornament that my Mom gave me out of her box. It's made from some sort of tree pod that's been lined with velvety fabric and embellished with an angel figurine. I remember when Grandma made those and it's one I will cherish forever.
Good food, good beer, good friends. Not much else is needed for a great evening.
c
hurch-going ladies I know steal gifts with glee. Take me for example. I drew the number 7, which isn't great considering there were 30 ladies there. Jennifer H. drew #1 and the gift she opened contained the springy hat she's wearing in the picture on the left. A couple of numbers later, Noreen took the hat from Jennifer. See how happy she is to have taken it in the picture on the right? This is supposed to be a white elephant exchange, but a lot of people (like me) bring something new. In the past I've gotten stuck with some real doozies as gifts from this dinner. So I decided on a new strategy this year: steal or end up with something I don't want. To achieve my goal, ideally, I needed to steal something already stolen once (we have a two-steal maximum). So I took the hat because I really like it and it fit the criteria. At least I look a LITTLE sheepish:
And the best part? I wore it for the rest of the night. The others tried it on for pictures, but then took it off right away. I only took it off when I got in my car to go home. Merry Christmas to all of my friends in St. Jude Altar Society! And thanks, Denice, for the cool hat.
After I used their facilities, I stopped in the infants section to check out the sale rack. I ended up snagging this long-sleeved onesie for Zach:
Even though I've already got presents for both Zach and Caden, I couldn't resist this cute shirt. It was a clearance item, after all. And the clearance room in shoes was a bust on this trip.
After that I sewed each row together and then sewed rows to rows. I decided to tie this quilt together with blue cotton instead of quilting it with the machine. I sewed the binding on between 10 and 11 o'clock one night. Not a good idea. I ended up taking out a big part of one side and re-doing it. Twice. But I finally got it right and was able to do the hand-stitch finishing work in one sitting. This is what the finished product looks like:
The final flourish:
Saturday evening I attended the 40th birthday party of my college friend, Laurie. The party was at Eberly Farm and the sign out front proclaimed the reason for all the cars.
Laurie hired The Dance Man (Ronnie Choy) to spin tunes throughout the evening. But the dancing didn't begin in earnest until after her siblings had sung a few tunes of their own to celebrate the occasion. She's the youngest of 10 and it's a family tradition to do this at their birthday parties. Only her sister, Joy, was absent for the serenade:
When the tunes started spinning it was rare for the dance floor to NOT be packed. We did everything from the Chicken Dance on up. (Or is it down?) The most enthusiastic dancers on the floor were probably the youngest ones. Vincent and Joseph were tireless and danced with their aunt Susan, Laurie, or whoever else was around! And our friend, Joyce, (in the foreground on the ground) schooled everyone in proper "Crocodile Rock" etiquette. 
Yes, she did that dance at her wedding in her wedding dress.
Thanks for the party, Laurie. And for future reference, don't forget who didn't bring you cheesy 40th birthday gifts.
