it was cold and wet, but we're still smiling.
Have a safe New Year's Eve!
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Riverside's little treasure
Yesterday, a friend and I took some time to go play with our cameras. She got a cool new lens for Christmas and couldn't wait to use it. We chose the Mission Inn in Riverside. The mission goes all out for the holidays....thousands of lights, figurines, a skating rink in the mall, street vendors selling fantastic kettle corn and funnel cake. It's a great place to take the family.
the end is near
no no NO! not that kind of end! bad brain....bad!
sorry....sometimes things just pop into my brain and i have to go there.
this morning i'm sitting on the couch, enjoying an incredible cup of coffee and taking a breather before starting tax prep. my mind is reviewing the last few days and my eyes are teary. once again, God has reassured me that we did an okay job raising our kids and for this I am truly grateful.
boy1 flying home was exactly what I needed for Christmas to be perfect. getting to see the interaction between the three kids made me smile. they really love each other....not because they have to, but because they truly care.
as i sit here pondering the year ahead, i'm excited for the changes that are coming and sad at the same time. boy1 is back in Nashville. girl1 is getting married in June. boy2 is moving to Alaska in less than a month. They are five years apart in age and yet, in a span of 10 months, they will all leave the nest.
Christmas 2009 will always be a special one for me. I think they all felt that it was the last one with all our traditions intact. we'll be adding family members and adjusting things to accomodate inlaws and their traditions and it will all be wonderful, but 2009 was "ours" and it was good.
and to 2009 I bid a fond farewell and to 2010, I say "bring it on!".....
May you all have an incredibly blessed 2010!
girl1 decorated the cookies again....
2009 Christmas
a cute little girl read the Christmas story at church
we went to Ookas with my family (that's boy1 in the black shirt...sneaky sneaky kid)
boy2 and hubby1 installed the holiday lights (that's a Grinch inflatable at the top of our tree)
a flock of Christmas flamingos invaded our yard
girl1 decorated the cookies again and....
stripper cookies were sighted in several gift baskets
and silly paper crowns were worn
and some really really REALLY horrible pictures were taken of the kids
and then posted here....that'll teach them to snoop around on my blog...heeheehee
Christmas surprises
So much fun tonight!!! Boy2 had to run off before our traditional Christmas Eve dinner with my brothers to "pick up one last gift" and said he would meet us there.
Here's the gift he picked up:
Yep! Boy1 flew in to spend Christmas with us!
We had NO idea that they were planning this!!!!
Best gift EVER!
holiday memories
for my newer readers...one of my favorite holiday memories:
In case you haven't notice, Christmas is my favorite (except for the whole crazy crowds and excess part). I love, love, LOVE the baking, the decorating, the family-time, the reason, the traditions, and the memories.
I think many of my favorite memories involve our nativity.
It's not the most beautiful nativity in the world and we're frequently asked why we don't buy a new one. We don't buy a new one, because this is OUR nativity. In October of 1993, our home burned to the ground in one of the infamous Southern California wildfires. We lost everything.
Words cannot describe the "punched in the gut" feeling you get when you turn the corner and your home has disappeared. Or when you stand in the "living room" and realize that everything you owned is now 4" of ash. Or the thrill of finding something (anything) that survived.
OUR nativity survived. All the pieces. Not a scratch on any of them. Sure, they lost their beautiful blue glaze and are now carrying the color of the fires, but they survived. This was the only familiar thing we had that Christmas and it was strangely comforting.
Our nativity plays a big part in our holidays. Each year the kids claim a wiseman. The wisemen start at the eastern most part of the house and every morning are moved a little bit closer to baby Jesus. The kids decide where they move. One year, our "wisemen" just couldn't agree on anything. Hubby1 would come home and there would be a wiseman on the coffee table, another by the lamp, and another in the office. He'd laugh and, with a wise smile, ask me how my day had gone. They eventually ended up at baby Jesus and everything was right with the world, but the journey was interesting that year.
I didn't think much about what the set meant to the kids until my daughter claimed it this year. "just so ya'll know -- when you and dad kick it, i get the nativity set." don't you just feel the love?
In case you haven't notice, Christmas is my favorite (except for the whole crazy crowds and excess part). I love, love, LOVE the baking, the decorating, the family-time, the reason, the traditions, and the memories.
I think many of my favorite memories involve our nativity.
It's not the most beautiful nativity in the world and we're frequently asked why we don't buy a new one. We don't buy a new one, because this is OUR nativity. In October of 1993, our home burned to the ground in one of the infamous Southern California wildfires. We lost everything.
OUR nativity survived. All the pieces. Not a scratch on any of them. Sure, they lost their beautiful blue glaze and are now carrying the color of the fires, but they survived. This was the only familiar thing we had that Christmas and it was strangely comforting.
Our nativity plays a big part in our holidays. Each year the kids claim a wiseman. The wisemen start at the eastern most part of the house and every morning are moved a little bit closer to baby Jesus. The kids decide where they move. One year, our "wisemen" just couldn't agree on anything. Hubby1 would come home and there would be a wiseman on the coffee table, another by the lamp, and another in the office. He'd laugh and, with a wise smile, ask me how my day had gone. They eventually ended up at baby Jesus and everything was right with the world, but the journey was interesting that year.
I didn't think much about what the set meant to the kids until my daughter claimed it this year. "just so ya'll know -- when you and dad kick it, i get the nativity set." don't you just feel the love?
a new holiday tradition
It's just not a party without a pinata.
How about this one for your next "happy birthday, Jesus" party?
How about this one for your next "happy birthday, Jesus" party?
ho ho ho
Received a phone call Friday night from a dear friend asking me to be a back-up photographer on Saturday. She was scheduled to take pictures at a homeless shelter's Christmas party and just wanted to make sure that all the children got pictures taken.
It was a crazy, hectic night that included a camera that refused to focus, horrible lighting conditions, my camera overheating (didn't know that was possible), kids on sugar highs, and lots of gifts. We tried to get a pic of each kid with Santa and then took some family portraits.
So glad she invited me. It was awesome to spend time with the kids and their families. We get to go back on Thursday to deliver the pictures and help with dinner.
merry christmas to me
As you probably know, boy1 is a music lover and one of the musicians that he listens to regularly is David Phelps. Boy1 has been trying to see him in concert for several years and it just never works out. This year, David Phelps and the Gaither Vocal Band performed in Nashville.
Boy1 and David Phelps on December 4
Boy1 called and raved about the concert and told me that David Phelps would be in So Cal on December 6 and that I should NOT miss the concert. So I called a friend and off we went to see if we could score some tickets at the door.
When I went to see if tickets were still available, the lady handed me two and said "Merry Christmas." I guess someone wanted to spread some Christmas joy and had purchaed extra tickets to be given away. I can't really explain how stinkin' excited I was!!!! and......
here's where we sat:
2nd row!!! center section!!!
how awesome is that?!?!
I told boy1 that I would take a pic to match his.
It was almost like seeing the concert together. lol
focus focus focus....
my brain is all over the place this morning, so hold on tight.
1. I'm not really sure why I'm having my car washed this morning but at least it will look nice for a few hours before the rain arrives.
2. Hubby1 got up early and brought all the Christmas boxes to the front room for me.
3. I'm thankful that I inherited my mom's packing skills. If I hadn't, we'd have to build a new room for all the Christmas boxes.
4. I don't really want to go to a wedding this afternoon. I'm in the mood to deep clean the house and start decorating.
5. So excited that it's supposed to be cool and rainy for the next few days. I love baking when it's cold outside, so there will be lots of goodies coming out of the oven this week.
6. Possibly going to Disneyland on Monday....in the rain....we call them poncho days....and they are sooooo much fun!
7. Anyone want a piano?
8. Boy2 went to Disneyland yesterday with friends....I was jealous.
9. My toes are FREEZING.
10. Pumpkin pie and coffee is possibly the best breakfast .....even better than cold pizza and dr. pepper.
11. Is it any wonder that I have to workout so much?
12. Pretty sure the Steelers aren't going to be playing football in February this year. sadness
13. Why do I feel the need to number these lists? I could use letters or even dots or stars.
14. Firewood sales should be awesome this week....wooohoo! Vacation money!!
15. 51 days til the cruise!!!!
Have a fantastical weekend.
1. I'm not really sure why I'm having my car washed this morning but at least it will look nice for a few hours before the rain arrives.
2. Hubby1 got up early and brought all the Christmas boxes to the front room for me.
3. I'm thankful that I inherited my mom's packing skills. If I hadn't, we'd have to build a new room for all the Christmas boxes.
4. I don't really want to go to a wedding this afternoon. I'm in the mood to deep clean the house and start decorating.
5. So excited that it's supposed to be cool and rainy for the next few days. I love baking when it's cold outside, so there will be lots of goodies coming out of the oven this week.
6. Possibly going to Disneyland on Monday....in the rain....we call them poncho days....and they are sooooo much fun!
7. Anyone want a piano?
8. Boy2 went to Disneyland yesterday with friends....I was jealous.
9. My toes are FREEZING.
10. Pumpkin pie and coffee is possibly the best breakfast .....even better than cold pizza and dr. pepper.
11. Is it any wonder that I have to workout so much?
12. Pretty sure the Steelers aren't going to be playing football in February this year. sadness
13. Why do I feel the need to number these lists? I could use letters or even dots or stars.
14. Firewood sales should be awesome this week....wooohoo! Vacation money!!
15. 51 days til the cruise!!!!
Have a fantastical weekend.
loving the Christmas music
As I'm sitting here pretending like I'm actually working on invoices and rocking out to the Rat Pack Christmas cd, I started wondering if there are other Christmas cd's that I should have in my collection. I'd hate to miss out on great music. So, dear bloggy friends, what is your favorite, "can't wait until December to listen to it" album/cd/download?
and yet another fly-by blog....
so much to do in the next couple of days. ugh....
hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend. I'll have to read about your adventures soon.
I went to Disneyland yesterday. It was probably a bad idea considering my schedule this week, but it was too beautiful of day to stay home. The park was pretty much empty..just the way we like it.
hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend. I'll have to read about your adventures soon.
I went to Disneyland yesterday. It was probably a bad idea considering my schedule this week, but it was too beautiful of day to stay home. The park was pretty much empty..just the way we like it.
The line was short so we rode this fun little ride.
Carrie couldn't remember ever riding it before...how sad is that?!
I like the cheesy-ness of this one and the castle in the background.
Can't wait for this movie to come out!
It's just not Christmas until the castle is decorated.....
the world's best Christmas newsletter
yeah, right...
just because i feel obligated to do a 2008 recap does not mean that you should feel obligated to read it but there is going to be a really cute picture of Guido at the end so you should take the time to at least scroll down and now i feel like i'm writing sentences like the apostle Paul.
here's the short, sweet version.
2008 - another driver, some more birthdays, lots of disneyland trips, some snowboarding, some skydiving, someone went to Hawaii, new cars, white water rafting, and, of course, musicals
a little more detail:
boy2 got his license and a hot car
girl1 got a full time job and a hot car
boy1 focused on school and got a mini van (but he doesn't have to make monthy offerings to the car god)
hubby1 discovered skydiving and has his "a" license (i think it's "a"...i don't pay attention)
justme got a headache trying to keep track of everyone
still more detail:
all of the above plus a week snowboarding at Brian's Head
hubby1 and justme celebrated 24 years of weddingness with a weekend of white water rafting...they both returned......here's to 24 more years!
hubby1 went to Hawaii with his sisters and dad. it was good for them.
boy1 was in some musicals.
justme judged some musicals.
justme and girl1 took pictures of musicals.
justme sold tickets to musicals so she can afford to go see musicals.
justme, boy1 and girl1 saw some musicals.
and for the first time since 2005, no one was on tour or an extended missions trip so there was no major fundraising in 2008.
that's pretty much it..
we did make note that it's been 10 years since hubby1's car accident and 15 years since the fire...it doesn't seem possible
and my last holiday picture:
Have a great New Year's Eve!
However you choose to celebrate tonight, please be safe!
a pinch of salt.....a dash of pepper
it sure has been quiet in blogland...ya'll must be out having way too much fun. =D
some day this headline will be referring to girl1:
"Police: Man shot over noise during movie
Assailant allegedly told the family to be quiet, then threw popcorn"
- except it will say that a man was stabbed over noise during movie. really, i can see it happening.
Pittsburgh WON!!!! woohoo!!!! not that the game really meant anything but a win is a win.
Christmas was great. Great Christmas Eve with my brothers and their families. Wonderful Christmas day with just the five of us. Nice and relaxing.....just the way holidays are suppose to be. =D
Boy2 got an Xbox and it came with KungFu Panda and Lego Indiana Jones. the boys were playing Indiana Jones last night. i guess they got bored so they got silly. at one point, boy2's character was doing Shamu impersonations over a crocodile. and then if someone found a shovel, they used it to kill the other character. (because they thought it was funny to watch the character's explode) they were laughing so hard, they could hardly control their lego people. good times.
my girlfriends and i are planning a cruise toward the end of January.....can't wait. just waiting for the last minute fare deal and then we're off! woohoo!
some day this headline will be referring to girl1:
"Police: Man shot over noise during movie
Assailant allegedly told the family to be quiet, then threw popcorn"
- except it will say that a man was stabbed over noise during movie. really, i can see it happening.
Pittsburgh WON!!!! woohoo!!!! not that the game really meant anything but a win is a win.
Christmas was great. Great Christmas Eve with my brothers and their families. Wonderful Christmas day with just the five of us. Nice and relaxing.....just the way holidays are suppose to be. =D
Boy2 got an Xbox and it came with KungFu Panda and Lego Indiana Jones. the boys were playing Indiana Jones last night. i guess they got bored so they got silly. at one point, boy2's character was doing Shamu impersonations over a crocodile. and then if someone found a shovel, they used it to kill the other character. (because they thought it was funny to watch the character's explode) they were laughing so hard, they could hardly control their lego people. good times.
my girlfriends and i are planning a cruise toward the end of January.....can't wait. just waiting for the last minute fare deal and then we're off! woohoo!
O Holy Night
the camera wouldn't turn on, so we missed the very beginnning, but here's boy1 doing what he does best.
I FOUND IT!
and am no longer lost.....(do you remember the "I found it!" campaign?)
but, no, I'm not talking about finding Jesus (although I have). I'm talking about my poor GPS. I guess when I got up at 4am last Saturday to take my husband to the airport (LAX - ugh) so he could spend five days in Hawaii with his family, I had a thought that I should take the GPS in case of freeway closures. I honestly don't remember that thought, but the GPS was in hubby1's truck.
Boy2 found it today when he and hubby1 were coming home from a day of snowboarding. Of course he had to call me and let me know how stupid I am. But he did it with "love," so i'm only taking one Christmas gift back. Of course, it will be the X-Box but it's still only ONE gift. lol
in other news -
the Steelers lost, but I'll get over it.
and it's the first day of winter.
and it's suppose to be really cold and wet on Christmas. and as much as I grumped about the snow in LA last week, a white Christmas would be kind of special.
and I only have about 100 more pictures to scan and I have 3 days. i think i'm going to make it. whew!
but, no, I'm not talking about finding Jesus (although I have). I'm talking about my poor GPS. I guess when I got up at 4am last Saturday to take my husband to the airport (LAX - ugh) so he could spend five days in Hawaii with his family, I had a thought that I should take the GPS in case of freeway closures. I honestly don't remember that thought, but the GPS was in hubby1's truck.
Boy2 found it today when he and hubby1 were coming home from a day of snowboarding. Of course he had to call me and let me know how stupid I am. But he did it with "love," so i'm only taking one Christmas gift back. Of course, it will be the X-Box but it's still only ONE gift. lol
in other news -
the Steelers lost, but I'll get over it.
and it's the first day of winter.
and it's suppose to be really cold and wet on Christmas. and as much as I grumped about the snow in LA last week, a white Christmas would be kind of special.
and I only have about 100 more pictures to scan and I have 3 days. i think i'm going to make it. whew!
finally friday2....except it's already Saturday
I typically have horribly busy Fridays. i don't know when that started, because Fridays used to be the day when everyone was gone and i had the house to myself and i protected my precious quiet Fridays from all outside intrusion. so yesterday was scheduled to looked like this:
1. get up early (that's before 7am - so you can all know that i'm a lazy bum)
2. shower
3. throw the clothes into the dryer so boy2 can have clean clothes
4. leave the house by 8
5. run to 2 stores to finish up the most horrible part of the Christmas season (the hunt for the perfect gift....ugh)
6. come home and wrap gifts
7. finish my brother's gifts (i've been working on these off and on for almost a year....need to get motivated now)
this is how my day actually went:
1. got up at 7
2. checked out the happenings in blog world
3. Oh CRAP! clothes are still in the washer....moved them to the dryer
4. went to take a shower.....someone is already taking a shower....who's up this morning?....no one is scheduled for work until 11......hmmmmm
5. visited some more blog friends while waiting for the shower (should have worked on gifts, but eh whatever...)
6. heard shower turn off.......waited 5 minutes for hot water....
7. went to take shower....someone else is already taking a shower....what the crap?!
8. back to blog land......repeated steps 5-7....
9. okay....now all 3 kids are up and clean......i can finally take a shower and now it's almost 10 am.
10. the stores were sold out of the items that i saw 2 days ago but couldn't buy because i was with the recipients.
11. drove to mall that is 30 minutes away on a good traffic day (yesterday was not a good traffic day - it took almost an hour)
12. bought gifts and came home
13. wrapped all the Christmas gifts except for the 2 for my brothers cuz i'm still not finished
14. ordered pizza so i could spend dinner prep time working on gifts
15. actually work on the gifts (be proud of me here, pleeeeze?)
16. went to bed
not as much fun as last friday when we ended up playing at Disneyland but it did end up being productive. no more "must find the perfect gift" shopping...i hate that pressure.
off to finish my brother's gifts and bake more cookies. good times..
1. get up early (that's before 7am - so you can all know that i'm a lazy bum)
2. shower
3. throw the clothes into the dryer so boy2 can have clean clothes
4. leave the house by 8
5. run to 2 stores to finish up the most horrible part of the Christmas season (the hunt for the perfect gift....ugh)
6. come home and wrap gifts
7. finish my brother's gifts (i've been working on these off and on for almost a year....need to get motivated now)
this is how my day actually went:
1. got up at 7
2. checked out the happenings in blog world
3. Oh CRAP! clothes are still in the washer....moved them to the dryer
4. went to take a shower.....someone is already taking a shower....who's up this morning?....no one is scheduled for work until 11......hmmmmm
5. visited some more blog friends while waiting for the shower (should have worked on gifts, but eh whatever...)
6. heard shower turn off.......waited 5 minutes for hot water....
7. went to take shower....someone else is already taking a shower....what the crap?!
8. back to blog land......repeated steps 5-7....
9. okay....now all 3 kids are up and clean......i can finally take a shower and now it's almost 10 am.
10. the stores were sold out of the items that i saw 2 days ago but couldn't buy because i was with the recipients.
11. drove to mall that is 30 minutes away on a good traffic day (yesterday was not a good traffic day - it took almost an hour)
12. bought gifts and came home
13. wrapped all the Christmas gifts except for the 2 for my brothers cuz i'm still not finished
14. ordered pizza so i could spend dinner prep time working on gifts
15. actually work on the gifts (be proud of me here, pleeeeze?)
16. went to bed
not as much fun as last friday when we ended up playing at Disneyland but it did end up being productive. no more "must find the perfect gift" shopping...i hate that pressure.
off to finish my brother's gifts and bake more cookies. good times..
another day, another mall
today boy1 and i went shopping.....just the two of us. i can't remember the last time that happened. he's 22 now and pretty much buys whatever he needs. so he doesn't feel the need to spend hours at a mall with his mom. he's going to be touring again this summer and then moving to an out of state college in September. i guess the knowledge that he won't be living close by for much longer makes me treasure moments together.
i feel blessed that we have a great relationship and it wasn't weird at all for us to be hanging out. he wanted a sports coat and a couple of nice shirts but isn't much of a shopper. he asked me to help him find nice, affordable stuff. (translation: he trusts me to not dress him like a geek -- that's pretty cool)
we really had a nice time....talked about college and his hopes and dreams. no distractions from siblings. just me and him. good times.
i feel blessed that we have a great relationship and it wasn't weird at all for us to be hanging out. he wanted a sports coat and a couple of nice shirts but isn't much of a shopper. he asked me to help him find nice, affordable stuff. (translation: he trusts me to not dress him like a geek -- that's pretty cool)
we really had a nice time....talked about college and his hopes and dreams. no distractions from siblings. just me and him. good times.
more holiday hijinx
so....girl1 is very proud of the fact that ya'll liked her cookies. she has promised that all future gingerbread cookies will be decorated in the same manner. thanks for encouraging her - i appreciate it.
here's a picture of her in her fun holiday hat -- she's really into the season this year:
that's Main St USA reflected on a gigantic ornament on the Disney tree. here's the tree:
here's a picture of her in her fun holiday hat -- she's really into the season this year:
we went to Disneyland Tuesday - just to watch the holiday parade and fireworks. we sat for over an hour in a carefully chosen location for the fireworks. just before they were starting, some lady squeezed through the crowd and stood in front of girl1 (who will tell you that she had the "shittiest" day ever at work). the following exchange made a security guard come stand by our little group to make sure there wasn't a brawl.
girl1: "excuse me, i can't see over you" (amazingly polite, considering her day)
lady: "uhhhhh"
girl1: "you need to move" (lady...girl1 carries a knife....you should move)
lady sits down on top of girl1's feet
girl1: "HELL NO! I've been here freezing my butt cheeks off for over an hour. you need to find some place else to sit" (lady....you need to move....for your own safety and because bloody knife fights kind of ruin the holiday spirit)
lady: no response....continues to sit on girl1's feet. (i'm getting a little concerned for the small children who are going to witness something very ugly at the happiest place on earth)
girl1: "YOU NEED TO GO AWAY NOW!!!!!"
lady finally gets up and relocates to back of crowd.
crowd around girl1 erupts in applause cuz we're all tired of the stupid people thinking they can just push their way into a group and we'll make room for them.
that's Main St USA reflected on a gigantic ornament on the Disney tree. here's the tree:today girl1 and I were going to finish up our Christmas shopping and (here's where my eastern friends are given permission to laugh at us wimpy southern californians) it was COLD - in DECEMBER - what the crap?! it actually snowed on us. we have pictures.........ready?........this is HIGHLY unusual........drum roll, please................
that sign says "Los Angeles".......there should NEVER be snow on a Los Angeles sign...NEVER.
we drive to the mountains if we want to play in the snow and then we drive a couple of hours the other way and go to the beach to watch the sunset......and then we stop by Disneyland to watch the fireworks......really, that's how SoCal folks spend their days..... =D
put the frosting down and step away from the cookies...
I made sugar cookies today. that's not really news - I bake cookies every Christmas. We used to get together with a couple of other families and the moms baked and the kids decorated. It was messy, loud and incredibly fun. But, alas, the children have grown and that usually leaves me to bake AND decorate.
So imagine my delight this morning when girl1 volunteered to decorate the cookies....and then imagine my "horror" when she started decorating them like this:
YEP! those are tassels on the gingerbread girl's bikini......and the green and white one is her idea of a male stripper.....God save me from sleep-deprived children.
here are some more of her creations. All the stars have "personalities" and one of them says "Merry Christmas" in Cambodian.
I do not understand the way her brain works, but she had fun and made us all laugh AND the cookies are decorated. good times......
So imagine my delight this morning when girl1 volunteered to decorate the cookies....and then imagine my "horror" when she started decorating them like this:
YEP! those are tassels on the gingerbread girl's bikini......and the green and white one is her idea of a male stripper.....God save me from sleep-deprived children.here are some more of her creations. All the stars have "personalities" and one of them says "Merry Christmas" in Cambodian.
I do not understand the way her brain works, but she had fun and made us all laugh AND the cookies are decorated. good times......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)