Dec 25, 2013
MIA because of the move to the 80’s house, I wanted to at least check-in to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! The move complete just under the wire, (my fabulous contractor showed up to install trim in the foyer the morning of the eve), I even found time to put up a tree. Still lots to finish (the master bath is still closed for renovations and I have a few boxes left to unpack), but it’s starting to at least feel a bit more like home. I know how tired I FEEL, but had no idea how tired I LOOK until I pulled the photos from the camera from last night’s festivities. Good thing I have a week to recuperate! Holy cow!
Coco was so much fun this year, but we still struggled to get all the packages opened. Each new item immediately captured her attention and simply had to be more amazing than anything left in those wrapped ones.
And I have to wonder… were these two texting each other?
At our house Ben plays Santa but the couch line-up is always identical…
…with Perry making sure he’s not locked-in to any seating because he’s the poor guy that must fetch drinks for Colette, find batteries and locate scissors for difficult present openings.
And that’s everyone! Except Buster. He went to the wrong house. 🙁
Merry Christmas, you guys!
Dec 10, 2013
This morning I’m reminded of that AT&T commercial where the cute kids are talking about how “more is better.” Why? Because we got MORE!
Indiana people are funny when it comes to snowfall. At first prediction, bread disappears from shelves. Milk, eggs and toilet paper are loaded into cars like being stranded for two weeks is a sure thing. The snow finally arrives! But give it a day (for some less than that) and we are digging out and driving around like idiots — and if more snow comes after we’re already used to that first wintery blast, it could be 3 feet deep and we’ll find a way to get out and go wherever our bad selves feel like it.
I remember the blizzard of 1978. While I don’t remember where the rest of my family was, I DO remember that Carl’s 4×4 (our primary transportation if snowed in) was buried under a drift on the other side of the county. Mom and I were stranded alone. I had a new car at the time; a Nissan 200 SX that was in the driveway but was so covered there’s no way you could even distinguish it from the other humps of snow out there. You must note that I was NEVER allowed to drive if it snowed. EVER!
I’m not sure how many days Mom and I endured the hardship of being stranded together, but it felt like an eternity. And then… I dug for hours to expose my car, put my trusty shovel in the back and slid on ice and crunched through drifts all the way to town on the mere one-lane of tire tracks on US 31. I made it to my cousin Jerilyn’s house just in time — otherwise, only one woman would’ve made it out of that house alive — and I’m not too sure it would’ve been me.
Dec 7, 2013
Several years ago, Jerilyn (my favorite cousin) and I had a business in Crothersville called ‘Country Cousins.’ It was in the building where CJ’s garage was for many years before that. We were the ‘crafty crafters’ making tons of country items — big at Christmastime. We sold items in bulk through Cracker Barrel and to corporations for employee gifts as well as to walk-in customers at the shop. And then… we went to this big Christmas show in Indy…
To be a part of this expo you had to be ‘jurored-in’ — basically, it required sending a product to be reviewed by a panel of this magazine/event promotor, and if it was good enough you could buy booth space. (I wish I could remember the name of the magazine because at the time, it was a really big deal.) People paid for admittance to the expo at the Indy Fairgrounds just to buy stuff. OUR stuff. Jerilyn and I worked around the clock making holiday items and the MasterSbilt crew loaded it all into trailers and helped us set-up. We made these dried flower swags that we displayed near the front of our booth and women FOUGHT over these things!! We were totally sold out of swags before the end of the first day. Our night in the hotel was spent surrounded by spanish moss and dried flowers with hot glue melted in an electric skillet.
I will never forget this particular holiday season for two reasons. The obvious is that Jerilyn and I did something as a team that we’d never done before and it was a successful venture. But the main reason I remember it so vividly is because of what happened AFTER the Christmas Expo. We took the decorated tree we used in the show to a family who didn’t have one. I’ll never forget delivering it… lights, ornaments and all…
Parts of the linoleum flooring in the home was gone exposing the earth. Neatly swept and clean inside, it was almost as cold in their living room as it was outside. I can remember daylight filtering in from holes in the exterior of the house. The two children living there were over-the-moon from the second they saw what we had! I remember Jerilyn and I getting back in the truck wiping tears we kept hidden while inside. With little conversation, we drove straight to K-Mart (long gone from Scottsburg but was the shopping outlet back then) and spent our expo profit buying toys and food for the family.
While I may not remember the gifts I received or even gave last year… the above is one holiday memory I will never forget.
Snow is Gracie’s Christmas gift this year. The deeper the better…
Dec 4, 2013
I admit, I’m a little bummed out when I browse Facebook and see everyone posting photos of their Christmas decorations because I don’t have a single light to enjoy yet this year. I know I’m blessed and I’m so very grateful… but I want to be in the Christmas spirit and it’s hard when I don’t have a place to decorate. Moving begins in 6 days and we’re finally thinking about packing. I have GOT to paint, and buy a stove and dishwasher — when I’d rather be buying toys and baking cookies. (I’m such a whiner!!)
So as I’m browsing photos from last year’s holiday to make whatifitdid a bit festive for this season, I found a a ton of photos taken on Christmas Day. Looking more closely at one in particular, I notice a Wanwan photo bomb!
Libby knows Coco isn’t supposed to step outside and is blocking her path, and right between her back legs is Wanwan peeking inside the warm house. What a reminder of how small my granddaughter was a year ago, and also that we had snow on Christmas Day. Oh, and I’m also reminded that last year I had a Chihuahua pooping on my bedroom floor. Every. Single. Night.
I feel better already!
