The Super-duper Party

Tiggy, aka Christine, is one of those unfortunate people whose birthdays fall near Christmas. Every. Single. Year. And for good measure, Tiggy's comes just days after the holiday, when every person in their right mind is sick to death of parties, sweets, and festivities, and also has no more money. But this year, I found her birth date most convenient.

It is a firm tradition in our family to hold an ornament exchange party for the kids every year. We even did it our last year in California when the only people who attended were us (see encyclopedia entry for most pathetic party ever). That is our level of commitment, but this year there was simply no way for me to squeeze it in before Christmas.

See, I'm still trying to adapt to being a working mom; I finally figured out that I was plannning to accomplish just as much each day as I did when I was staying home all the time. The result is that I schedule about a full day's extra tasks each day. This does not help my party planning abilities at all!

Tiggy was kind enough to step into the breach and allow her December 29th birthday to become an ornament exchange/ birthday party. And, due to the presence of ice out back, we added a skating party into the mix. I drew the line at Tiggy's idea of having a costume party too, however....that just seemed like too much.


As befits a more mature lady, Tiggy was given a budget and instructed to buy her own party supplies. Good thing her parents are starting this now, that's all I have to say! Anyway, Tiggy discovered what all juveniles learn when they spend their own moola---things cost more than you think! As a consequence, the pinata was returned to its shelf at Walmart. No problem, we made our own out of a soda box and wrapping paper.



At last the day arrived. We were a little concerned about the ice, as the weather had been quite warm, but the kind father of some of our guests checked it out and deemed one end of the pond safe for play; the other end was guarded by the same kind parents. The kids had a great time skating and sliding on the ice. We had inner tubes for the non-skaters to use. I, myself, was unable to skate because I was in the kitchen preparing watery, tasteless soup. Not that I am still bitter about my lack of culinary success...

Tiggy looking graceful...



Tiggy looking...not graceful...





After the skating, it was time for the pinata. In the interest of NOT freezing to death our guests, I tried to have that go as quickly as possible. Everyone was wet and cold from the ice; the youngest guest, a young lady of about 5 years, kept loudly demanding to go inside because she was missing the birthday party.


After everyone had a turn blindfolded, I let each person take a whack at it without the blindfold. Some of them seemed to do better when they couldn't see! Tiggy was supposed to be the last one, who would be able to beat the pinata to death, but Caleb, not knowing his own strength, hit the pinata so hard that it burst open, spraying candy shrapnel in all directions (including up the nose of one of our guests!). Tiggy was not pleased.

Then it was inside for a meal that was warm. At least you could say that for it! Normally, I make a good pot of "chicken" noodle soup, but this time I neglected to taste it before serving. Turns out that in adding enough water for the large pot, I left flavor far, far behind. And nobody had the grace to tell me, either. And of course, I didn't eat until everyone else had been served. Not that I am still bitter. No, I am much too mature to let little, temporary things like that affect my equilibrium.




At least the cake was...intact. The fact that it resembled a bomb was in no way significant. Anyone with a particle of discernment could tell that it was an ornament.




We exchanged our ornaments, Tiggy opened her presents, and then it was time for my favorite part of the evening. After a little speech on the importance of giving at Christmas time, the kids got to help decorate a special little tree for the cats. The family felines had NOT approved of company, and they had been very sad all season because they were not allowed in the big Christmas tree. So it was fitting that they be given a little treat of their own.

We strung popcorn we'd made previously at my parents' house (I put that in because I don't want you to think that hideous yellow checked wallpaper is mine!), put up bells and catnip ornaments, and hung Tiggy's special "gingerbread" cookies. If you want the recipe, it's quite easy. Simply place ordinary sugar cookies in the oven, sneak off to play on the computer, then have your aunt take them out about 45 minutes later. Then drill a hole in each of them with the drill press, string ribbon and hang.





The cats loved their little tree, but didn't really play with it much until after the company cleared out. Once they got started though...It was their first experience with catnip, and they found it thoroughly enchanting.




Though Lazarus Boopsie turned out to be a very sleepy drunk.

Figure Skating---It Looks Different Here

This winter has been the opposite of last winter. Hardly any snow, weather in the 20's-30's most days. We even had rain last week, though nobody wants that because it makes ice EVERYWHERE! But this warm, tropical bliss has put a certain crimp in winter sports. All the gear I bought or scrounged last year---3 sets of skis, 3 snowboards, a couple sleds, and a couple saucers---languish in my shed. All except for one snowboard that sad, pathetic children use to slide down my 6 foot tall gravel pile. It really is disappointing.

But one activity shines through and gives us hope. It is one that we WEREN'T able to do at all last year, but after the flooding of spring, the prairie is littered with frozen ponds perfect for that most graceful of all winter sports---figure skating.

I happen to be quite good at it, as you can see from the photos. Almost Olympian in my skills. But somehow I just don't look like they do on TV.....Hmmmmmmmmmm.





Poetry in motion!

Progress: It Happens Occasionally

Thanksgiving weekend marked the one year anniversary of being in my new home. I had intended a photo essay chronicling the improvements I'd made in the intervening year, but alas, it was not to be. It took a couple more weeks to get things to the place I could actually allow photos of my house to be published. It helps that my Christmas decorations are up; Christmas makes anything look better!

But first, a reminder of what it used to be.....

My old room...My new room had the same wood paneling, but was in worse condition.


The kitchen.


The entryway.


The living room after I first painted it.



I am sooooooooooo happy with my new bedroom now that I've moved in. After staying for over a year in a dark brown wood-paneled room, I am glad to settle into my own space with my own furniture, in my own bed! Technically, I'm not in my own bed yet, because I don't have the board to support the mattress. I'm more under my own bed, but it still has a nice feel to it.

The kitchen:





The entryway:



The living room:





Laura's room:



My room:










Any rooms not shown are not fit for public consumption. One thing at a time, people!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree.....

Your branches are in danger....

We have always tried to put our Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving, mostly because I can't wait another day to have Christmas in the house. But this year we didn't get it quite done on Friday, so Saturday night found Caleb and me working on assembling the little tree I bought last season.

Little did we know what a complete waste of time it would turn out to be! It's been years since I had kittens at Christmas. Poppy, our family cat, has long since become too, er, robust to even think about hoisting herself into a tree. Our ornaments have hung unmolested for years. Until now.


Actually, I didn't even bother to put the ornaments on. After a few days, I didn't even bother to put the branches back on. Clearly I would have to try a different approach. Phase one was to buy a tiny tree from the thrift store, one with branches already attached to the "trunk". That became our living room tree, one that will be decorated minutes before my annual ornament exchange party, then consigned to its fate after the event.

Phase two was to move up a room switch planned for after the holidays. Once I was in my (bigger) new room, I'd be able to put the family tree up and shut the door. Little by little, I got the room painted and ready; I was able to pick up a very nice used tree for $20 , and this weekend, I finally got it finished--not without repeated assaults by felines delighted at this evidence of belated wisdom on my part.

Why had their human never thought to provide them an indoor tree before? Hobbes especially thought it the cat's meow, because he doesn't much like the outdoors. Too much.....NATURE! But nice tame indoor trees? He approves. So much so, that as I sit in my room, gazing at my tree, the door safely shut, I often see a little cream-tipped paw raking underneath, trying to claw its way in.

Not that he's the only tree hugger in the group. Lazarus Boopsie likes to play king of the mountain, and Tinkerbell launches constant surprise assaults on the ornaments. None of them have been allowed in since the whole tree got decorated, but Hobbes did sneak in once. He managed to knock several pieces off before we snagged his indignant body from the tree and carried him out complaining like an Occupy Wall Street protester.


Occupy the Christmas tree!

For Your Viewing Pleasure

The unseasonably warm temperatures have been doing interesting things to the ice around here. The snow on the ice melts into puddles on the ice, and during the day these puddles look dark and forbidding. But if you add a killer sunset, these pools are transformed into beautiful swatches of reflected sky.

My son, who is not normally a poetical person, described it as resembling a painter's pallet. Each pool is a different color, just like daubs of paint waiting to be transferred to the canvas.

I took a number of shots, but I just can't decide on my favorite, so I uploaded them all. Deal with it.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was very interesting this year. For one thing, we are in the middle of a heat wave. Temperatures have been up in the 40's almost every day. I'd been planning for a couple of weeks to have a skating party in the afternoon since all the kids would be out of school. I even went to the thrift store and bought a bunch of ice skates.

But alas, it was not to be. Thanksgiving found me wearing a tank top and airing out my house with both doors open. There was still ice, but with a healthy bit of water over the top of it. Not ice that you want to do your first test skate of the season on. A far cry from the highs 5 days before when I was swaddled up to my gills in order to keep warm!

We were planning to have the dinner out at my house, but the morning of my grandpa was too weak to travel. I still had my teeth set on cleaning my house, even if the company wasn't coming, so that's what I did all morning. Along about 3:00 we started to have conversations like, "So, what do you think we should have for dinner?"

The dinner was still good, though it wasn't planned in the military fashion my grandma would have approached it with, back in the day. We all enjoyed each others' company, and isn't that the most important part? Plus, the food was delicious, even if it was a little late to the party.

The dogs certainly didn't mind. They got their own Thanksgiving plates, courtesy of my mom, and their typical character traits were in full array. Jackie hurled herself at her plate and gulped down the food while Finley was still sniffing delicately around for the best first nibble. Jackie does not believe in savoring.

Get ready, set, GO!


Five seconds later. Literally.

So what am I thankful for this Thanksgiving day? There are truly too many things to count, but to list just a few of them, I am thankful for friends and family that love each other, for a chance to spend time with them, and for a God that guides me every step of the way (at least the steps that I listen to Him!). I am grateful for a life filled with blessings, even the disguised blessings of trials that help me to grow into the child of God I'm meant to be.

And I'm thankful for purring kittens on my shoulders as I write this. It just doesn't get any better.