Recipe For An Enjoyable Day

1 Teenager skiing

2 Middle children, occupy them with friends

1 Toddler, combine with Thomas the Tank Engine Trains

50 birthday cookies baked for a friend

A dash of Dickens

4 hours housecleaning (optional)

4 hours of time spent with cousins (Nicky, husband Shawn and twins Mari and Ryker)

Whip all ingredients together for an enjoyable treat.

And To All A Good Night......

Tell left some cookies for Santa. Atira wrote a Santa note for Tell. The presents are wrapped. The eggnog is made. The stockings lay on the end of the beds and the last banana bread is cooling on the stove. A soft bed and cool pillow await me. Merry Christmas, and to all a good night.

Just Men

This morning Atira and I made a quick shopping trip up to Cook's Corner. Two things were on her list, one Christmas gift for Jim and one for my dad. (I can't mention what they are on the odd chance that Jim may actually read my blog.) The men in her life apparently rate a bit higher than the women right now. What can I say? She's a daddy's girl.

A random quote from Atira yesterday:

"I miss 2005. That was a great year, wasn't it?" (She was born in late 2001.)

I'd really love to know what goes on inside that girl's brain sometimes.

Conservative Goes Progressive

OK.....I haven't completely changed my political views. Our house was the last stop of the youth group's progressive dinner tonight. It was a great night despite my flopped pavlova attempt.

When Life Hands You Lemons......

Or, more precisely, when the cashier hands you lemons after you've purchased them........you make lemonade, of course! Nolan, my resident chef, has been asking to make homemade lemonade lately, so yesterday we gave it a shot. In order to begin, we needed to find an easy recipe. When I said this to Tell, he asked, "Are you gonna fine it on the puter?" I answered in the affirmative, to which Tell responded, "Maybe you should try lemalade makin' dot com." Well, I didn't find one at that address, but Allrecipes.com had one that looked good. We don't have a juicer, so I soaked the lemons in hot water for ten minutes to soften them before squeezing. Jubal was proud to employ his teen muscles for the job and between all five of us, ten lemons were squeezed in ten minutes. Nolan dissolved the sugar in boiling water and when that was chilled we added all ingredients together and enjoyed some excellent lemonade!

Where Do They Go?

What is missing from this photo? No, not Jim's hair, although a case could be made for that. I am referring to the three hanging stockings on the fireplace. When I unpacked the Christmas decorations I found the two stockings on the left, Atira and Nolan's. The train stocking I just bought for Tell last week. That means there are three stockings for six people. Sadly, I know the fate of mine. At this time last winter, I found several Christmas decorations that had been gnawed by mice, including my red, plaid stocking from childhood. That leaves two missing stockings which have simply disappeared. Now, as most of you know, the loss of items in our house would not normally warrant a mention on the blog. You are aware of my belief in the invisible wandering vortex that randomly picks up items from my home and deposits them in other rooms, homes or even the odd parallel universe. It's a daily occurence. The difference is that my Christmas items actually get put away and live in a box for eleven months of the year. So, where did Jim and Jubal's stockings run away to? I am forced to conclude that, as relatives of my socks, these two have joined their smaller cousins, who have escaped the dryer and are now adventuring in the great unknown .......only the vortex knows.

Atira's Duet

Atira has been anticipating this evening's Christmas program at our church for several days. Ever since she volunteered to sing a duet with Stephanie Jones, she has been diligently practicing during the waking hours, and each night falling asleep to the CD. When performance time arrived, she didn't look or sound nervous but did admit afterward to some shaky legs and a racing heart. I'm very proud of her hard work and the resulting beautiful song.

Spoiled By Scott

This evening I attempted to watch a musical version of A Christmas Carol with no luck. I didn't even manage to get a full half-hour in before turning it off. I'm sorry but you cannot watch Kelsey Grammer muddle through the role after you have seen it splendidly portrayed by George C. Scott. It would be an insult to compare the two! Last Friday we had our annual pre-Christmas screening of the Scott version with Mom, Dad and Beth. We began the tradition when I lived in Eastport and it was broadcast on one of the four stations that you could pick up Downeast. Back then we watched it on the cabinet encased floor model given to us by Francena, and adjusted the rabbit ears for minimum snow effect. Though the visual enjoyment has increased greatly with technology, the story has remained timeless with no need for improvements. Each family member has their favorite scenes and lines that are recited right along with the actors and each year we laugh at the same places, though we've seen them a hundred times. My favorite scene is when Marley's ghost takes off his headwrap. I couldn't tell you why but that has always cracked me up. For me, Scrooge will always look like George C. Scott.

Crash

I would have preferred to post a lovely blog describing a festive evening filled with laughter, joyful sounds of a family decorating the Christmas tree and the music of the season resounding throughout the house. Instead, Jim and I were in the midst of an argument and the kids got bored halfway through the decorating process and resorted to wrestling on the couch. The music portion of the evening began well with A Charlie Brown Christmas but when it was time to change the CD, Nolan was insistent on Manheim Steamroller but I had already decided on Bryan Duncan. Frustration set in, fueled by the lack of traditional eggnog. In the end, at least the tree was set up and decorated....or so I thought. In the peaceful quiet hours of the late night, as everyone was sleeping, I sat on the couch to enjoy the twinkling lights of the tree.....until it came crashing down, smashing several bulbs, including a Hawaiian one from Anth and Laura. Indeed, it was a fitting end to the evening.

Village People

I began setting up my Christmas village on Saturday and completed it this evening. I'm satisfied with the end result although there are a few changes I'll make for next year. My starry night fabric backdrop has gone missing and the black plastic tablecloth I picked up to replace it is not the look I wanted. Also, the harbor cliff I made will need more stryofoam added next year. I haven't added any houses for a few years. I like the size of the village at the moment. A Fire Station is the only other building that I would like to acquire for next year. Enjoy the photos.

Scented Pine

The scent of Christmas is now in the air since I have arrived back home following one of my favorite events of the season, our church's wreath-making night. Is there any aroma more comfortable than the scent of pine in December? With my handmade wreath now hanging over the fireplace, my Christmas village only lacking a few details, and the crunch of snow beneath my boots, I'm ready to enjoy this season of my Saviour's birth.

Build-A-Birthday

Atira turned 8 yesterday. I wasn't planning a big party this year so I wanted to do something special for her. I invited her friend Cara to join us in the morning and we headed down to the Build-A-Bear store in the Maine Mall. After surveying all the options, Atira decided on a pink, (is there any other color in her universe?), bear and used money from her Gramma and PopPop to buy the bear a fancy pink satin dress, sequined purse and, of course, matching pink shoes. This bear is ready for a night out on the town. Unfortunately it had to settle for lunch at Arby's. After dropping Cara home, Atira and I made strawberry cupcakes. The smell of them cooling attracted Jubal who was quite disappointed when he discovered it was cake he was smelling and not strawberry milk. Ever the artist, Atira decorated each cupcake individually, assigning one for each person attending her party. I think the effect was quite nice and they were a delicious end to a lovely birthday.

'Tis the Season

Well, it's that most wonderful time of the year again, time to decorate the house and tree for the Christmas season. I'll add some Nutcrackers to the decor this year, once the kids have finished painting them. I spotted them while shopping at Christmas Tree Shop with Heather and thought they would be a good idea for a Christmas art project. I was pleasantly surprised to see that even art-challenged Jubal was enjoying the painting this afternoon, although I was forbidden from posting any photos of the event that included him. Atira decided not to clothe her soldier in pink, opting for a more manly purple, while Nolan coordinated his in basic primary colors. For Tell's creation, we rewrote a well-known Christmas hymn.
"We blue kings of Orient are"
"painted by Tell, we look quite bizarre."