What a crazy holiday season this is!

What a crazy holiday season this is!  Not only does Thanksgiving and Christmas happen but in my family there are at least 5 major birthday's to celebrate,  including mine.  I can't complain too much as I contributed to this log jam of late-in-the-year birthdays.  But I do get tired!!!!   Here's a picture of my ideal cake. It is what I'm shooting for next year....So that gives me a year to find the stars, crown and learn how to make the yummy fondant icing   I found this picture at

www.wilton.com/ideas/browse.cfm?cat=Cakes&cel=Birthday.  I have a Wilton book from years ago and they have always given the best information and ideas for celebrations! 

Being tired this year,  my cake didn't exactly look the greatest.  In fact it was a yellow sheet cake with a white cream cheese frosting and dark chocolate sprinkles that I stuck Happy Birthday picks into. The funny story of the day is that I had to make my own the cake. I had to decorate it ,and I even put the candles on it and lit them.  (Three candles only .. one each for Health Wealth and Wisdom)  Then I gave it to my boys for them to present to me.

Oh the dulcet deep tones of Happy Birthday! 

It's a big rule in my house that Thanksgiving has to be cleaned....

It's a big rule in my house that Thanksgiving has to be cleaned away before the Christmas holiday celebration can begin.  Today was a major clean up.  It's taken hours and the house smells like pine sol, but it's basically clean and the Christmas tree is up.

 

Do you have boxes and boxes of handcrafted oraments that your children have created for you over the years?  I do.  And  I love them.  Every year when the sky is grey and the snow is beginning to fall, I pull out the ornaments and they delight me.  I can honestly say I don't remember the names of all my children's teachers that spearheaded creating them, but I appreciate the effort they made on my behalf each year.

This year, I left all my children's handcrafted ornaments in the box...Before I did, I picked each up and  ooed and aahed over them and even shed a tear at the memories, but I left them in the box and just put lights and decorative balls on the tree.  I don't know why.  But suddenly, I felt like a grownup again...alone with just today and the future in front of me. Interesting to be this age and redefining what each day means to me. 

Wow! I just read what I wrote and it sounded really grown up, but the fact is, the ornaments that I chose to put on the tree were total memory lane.  I made the one on the right when the children were little and the one on the left was from our original tree, when we were so poor all we could afford was one box of $2.50 ornaments and a string of lights. Those were tough days, financially... Today, life is still financially tough but I have great memories that I enjoy.

So, along with creating great memories and getting the tree decorated, I want you to have a house that smells wonderful. 

Here is a recipe for a great Star Christmas Tree Cookie!  Enjoy the cookies and have fun with your tree decorating!

Thanksgiving Holiday Begins

Thanksgiving holiday has officially started at my house.  The children flew in from the Bay Area with my grandson.

After getting everyone's heavy suitcases packed into the correct spots, and I have to say spots because this is our retirement home and it is small, we found places for everyone. Air mattresses were pumped up and couches were put into use. Thankfully we had plenty of blankets and children who enjoy being together.  But I have to tell you,  people, toys, and bedding littered the house.














What is amazing is how one small grandson can entertain so many adult people.  He has spent his time, so far, whirling in papa's chair, eating a few Cheerios and pushing cars around the house just for starters. It would be an understatement to say that this house has been alive with activity.
Later we will explore the snow. A California boy and his first experience with snow.  I can hardly wait.

A Warm Jacket

I am so excited!  My perfect grandson, Quinn, his mother (my daughter, Kelly), his father, Eric and his Auntie (my other daughter, Christy), are all coming for Thanksgiving.  They will all be here for 5 days!  Hooray! I’m so excited!  But I’m a bit worried also.  These kids live in the Bay Area.  Yes, it can get cold there, but it’s a different kind of cold….one that does not involve snow.

The last time my daughter visited for the holidays she flew into the Spokane airport. As we were walking out the doors toward the car, the cold air hit her. She stopped, said “Somebody PLEASE turn on the heater!“, turned and walked back inside the airport.  It took an hour to get her though those doors again.  Dad had to warm the car up, park it outside the door, and then lend her his radiant hot jacket before that could happen. 

   

So this week, I went to the Harding Center and got this jacket for the grandson.  Isn’t it adorable?  I figured I could always re-donate it after the holidays. The Harding Center were out of coats in her size when I was there, but they did receive a huge new supply from Sonia’s Cleaners just as I was leaving.  What an amazing service these two organization provide to our community!  I’m sure they have plenty of adult coats now.  However when I talked to Kelly about the fact that snow is predicted for tomorrow she didn’t sound happy but she did promise to bring coats.

I probably won’t need this coat but I’d rather be safe than sorry…After all there is nothing more miserable than a sick child during the holidays.