Merry Christmas

Each year it amazes me how much work it takes to pull off a holiday season.  Don't get me wrong, much of that work is really enjoyable work, meaningful, valuable, sentimental....  Even amidst promises to keep it simple, there are things that remain very important to me to mark the holiday.

We kicked off our festivities with our annual Christmas Eve gathering at our house.  John (with a small assist from me) makes the most wonderful array of appetizers.  We munch on tasty food and enjoy a casual evening together after candlelight services at church. 

The glass aftermath.... There was some wine and some bourbon consumed...

Perhaps the best Christmas gift given this year was a new cell phone to Ava.  Yes, she is only 9 years old....  We got her a very basic cell phone with only texting and phone capabilities.  (No internet, no smart phone etc....)  We don't have a home phone and more and more often there are occasions that it would have been nice/helpful for her to have a phone.  There are rules, of course, but she is be.side.her.self. to have a phone.  In a One Direction case no less.  Here she models her new outfit, new phone with her jealous little sister.... (also in a new outfit - thanks Grandma Marilyn!)

We also had a visit from Betsy, Mack AND BABY ALIVIA!!!!  She is such a sweet little girl and it was so nice to have the time with them and soak up all the babyness!  The A girls on Christmas day....

A 5am wake up, two Christmas celebrations, all the excitement and energy was too much for Amelia who crashed hard on the couch.  While I was catching up with Betsy at my folks house, John texted me this picture saying Amelia was down for the count.....

Another Christmas morning tradition are cinnamon rolls.  Not just any cinnamon rolls, but Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls. I went on ahead and made the big batch freezing the rest to make the trip to Brian and Hilary's later this week.  They too love a good cinnamon roll and there's practically nothing I like better than to cook for people I love....

Christmas card photo - 2012....  Maybe my favorite one yet.

Cinnamon Roll Caution

Orbit is a pretty clever pup and he has figured out that if he stands guard in the kitchen while we are cooking there is a pretty decent chance he will get a little taste of something.  Either intentionally or unintentionally.  His favorites are definitely eggs, cheese and any kind of meat.  I was prepping cinnamon rolls for breakfast Christmas morning and Orbit had taken his post near my feet.  As I was stirring I accidentally spilled some dough over the side of the pan, plop, right onto Orbit.  He didn't even seem to notice as he licked up the dough that missed him and landed on the rug....

Snow Day(s)

Until this week Central Iowa had experienced the record for longest number of consecutive days without an accumulation of snow. A slow moving, but highly predictable storm made its way into our great state overnight Wednesday.  Because the storm was slow moving and highly predictable we were all pretty sure Thursday would be a snow day.  I packed up work to do from home and did not plan to wake the girls up Thursday morning.

It was one of those times where I didn't realize how much we wanted/needed a good, shut down everything snowstorm.  Ava and Amelia painted nails.... Although this quickly devolved into some bickering about how neatly Ava was painting nails....

They played outside for hours in 20 degree temps and strong winds....

I made White Chocolate Raspberry Almond Bars for the girls to take to their teachers (along with a little gift from Eden) the next day....

Nobody loves a good home day more than the pooches....

As it turns out we got a jump on our holiday break when they cancelled school again on Friday.  (Apparently a number of schools had power outages due to the storm).  The girls spent the day with Grandma Jo (on her birthday!) while John and I finished up work projects. And, bonus!  We have a whole pan of White Chocolate Raspberry Almond Bars!

Highlight Reel

I read a phrase recently that has stayed with me.... It said something like, "don't compare your behind the scenes footage with someone else's highlight reel."  There have certainly been times I've blogged about our behind the scenes footage.  Like laundry. And sparkler night.  But I guess the very nature of keeping a family blog, a record for the kids, is that we pretty much capture the things worth capturing. And really, for the most part, our behind the scenes footage is pretty good. 

Yesterday John had to spend the day traveling for work. I planned a fun, pretty easy day for me and the girls.  Somehow this Fall we have begun a tradition of pancake Saturday.  Sometime after the Women Rock marathon when I was no longer waking up at 5am to run forever I started waking up and making pancakes.  (A good trade!) I make a big batch and freeze them for breakfasts for the week.  Ava likes plain buttermilk pancakes (this is the best recipe I've found) and Amelia likes them sprinkled with chocolate chips.  Fortunately this pancake recipe is very forgiving.  I accidentally added an extra egg to the batter and they were still great!

Then it was time for dance.... Amelia's up first and she was all riled up that John wasn't here because he's the only one who knows how to fix her tights the right way.  You see, when Lane was a little boy he was very particular about his socks.  This trait appears to have continued on through to the littlest member of our family because it takes John's special touch to make sure the tights are her feet the right way.  Amelia also wanted two little buns, which I attempted with mixed success.... Oh, and her tap shoes are too small now. Being told this 5 minutes before class is very helpful.

Then sweet Ava goes to dance. She puts on her leotard and it is way too small. Like she can barely stand up in it.  When did this happen?  So we had to improvise an outfit for dance.  Her jazz shorts and a shirt until I can go buy some new dance gear....

While Ava was at dance I made some of this fudge.  It is seriously about the best fudge I've ever had.  I don't usually like fudge with mix-ins, but this is so delish.  Oh, but our grocery store didn't have hazelnuts, so I subbed slivered almonds.  While I stirred fudge and switched laundry Orbit laid in his sunny spot playing with his new lion.  A gift from Grandma Jo.

My mom was kind enough to take the girls to see a movie in the afternoon and I headed out for a very nice run. I showered up and met my mom, the girls and my dad for an early dinner at Zombie Burger. And here's where the behind the scenes footage is a bit more realistic than the highlight reel.  Amelia just didn't have a good night and it kind of took over everything.  She was whiney, clingy.... she hit her sister during our 30 minute wait for a table.  She lost privileges, was taken to the side to be reprimanded.  Despite being asked a couple of times if she needed to go to the bathroom she waited until our food was set on the table to announce she needed to go.  She didn't touch her food. Everyone else tried to work around her, but she was a 500 lb. Zombie in our evening....

Here Ava proves it by trying to eat her head!

Once we got home, got showered up, into jammies and settled she had calmed down quite a bit.  Before bed she curled up to me and said, "I'm sorry I made bad choices at the restaurant mom. I will have a better day tomorrow."  And really, that's all I could ask for....

Extra

Whew - what a weekend! It seems like every so often we have one of those weekends where all kinds of things get scheduled.  Fun things, things we look forward to, but lots to keep track of and so much to enjoy.  I am a sentimental person, to be sure, but this was one of those weekends where the volume on everything was turned up - I felt things more deeply, both the good and the sad.

To kick off my Saturday I participated in the 5K Jingle Bell run hosted by my gym.  It was an unbelievable day for early December with temps in the 50's.  It was a little misty and overcast.  In short, perfect running weather.  This year I am participating in the Runner's World Holiday Streak.  Each day between Thanksgiving and the New Year I am running at least one mile.  So far it has been very fun and my legs are holding up well, but I am mindful I have a lot of days still in front of me.  My goal for the race was to run at a pace that was slightly faster than my comfort zone, but not to push it too hard.

I finished the 5K (actually 3.2 by my watch, but who's counting) in 28:01.  It was a small race, about 60 runners, but I still managed to be the third woman across the finish line and the first woman over 40 to finish.  What a nice ego boost for me, even with a finishing time that is almost two minutes slower than my 5K PR!

Here's me and Jeanie (who is 10 years older than me) posing for our age group awards...

Saturday night was John's law firm holiday party.  John and I served as hosts this year and it was a lovely event.  I found a great dress at a local consignment store and will now be looking for more dressy opportunities to wear it!  The party was some work, but it was nice to get dressed up and spend an evening out with John. 

Here we are all spiffed up just before the guests began to arrive..... 

I've mentioned before, Amelia is quite a helper. She loves to be given little jobs and responsibilities.  One of the jobs John has given her this year is checking to see if our Christmas tree needs water.  It cracks me up to watch her because she has to go diving in under the tree to get her hand in the tree stand.  Here she is, checking on the water before church on Sunday....

Sunday afternoon we were invited to our dear friend Bill and Annie's to have Paella cooked outside in their lovely wooded backyard over a fire pit.  I happen to know that one of Bill's favorite cookies are these peanut butter cookies, so I decided to make a batch to bring to them.

In the Christmas of 2008 my Grandma Jane gave her family some keepsake items from her home for Christmas.  The item she shared with me was a bowl that belonged to her mother.  In the note that accompanied the bowl she said that grocers in the Depression era often gave dishes like these to customers.  I was very touched by the gift and stored it away in a safe place so nothing would happen to it.  This year when I was getting out our Christmas decorations I found the bowl and the note, still in its Christmas box, wrapped up and tucked away.  Very safe.  Not being used.  And it just felt so silly to me.  This bowl has survived in kitchens for how many decades?  And I have it tucked away for sentimental reasons?

While I was making the peanut butter cookies I used this bowl to hold the sugar for rolling the cookie dough.  While I was doing that the smell of the cookies and rolling the balls of dough around in the sugar I was struck with missing my Grandmother so much - it was so overwhelming I started to cry before I really understood why. I remember making peanut butter blossom cookies with her so many Christmases.... 

With peanut butter cookies in hand we were off to Bill and Annie's for our Paella adventure.  Amelia had the most difficult time finding her proper temperature.  Here she is bundled in a sweater that belongs to Annie and a blanket, but still enjoying a nice cold beverage!

Bill, Annie and John work to get the fire just right, the rack positioned correctly...

Papa and Grandma!

Me and Amelia, having a little snuggle in front of the fire.....

Our wonderful chefs.....

Bill, as photographed by Amelia!

Papa and Bill, grateful for each other....

Sweet Ava, who had the most delightful evening....

Giving the Paella a final stir before we gathered around the table to eat....

The Paella was fantastic, the company to be cherished.  It was one of the most memorable evenings I've had - I know I will never forget it.

A Dozen

Today John and I celebrate 12 years of being married to each other.  We had a date night last night (courtesy of Papa and Grandma) where we indulged in cheeseburgers, beers and a great movie (Argo!).  Hardly any better way to celebrate an anniversary, right? But oh, the uninterrupted conversation!  The chance to reflect on 12 packed years.  

Today the girls and I took in a play at the Des Moines Playhouse - Little House on the Prairie on the Banks of the Plum creek.  Ava and Amelia...

Plus Jessica!  Last year we went to see the Nutcracker with Jessica and her mother. This year a matinee play.  A nice holiday tradition unfolding before us, to be sure.

Since today is actually our anniversary I came home from the play to beautiful flowers from my loving husband...

Our Thanksgiving weekend has been generally pretty low key.  We've really enjoyed having so many days at home, without many obligations - a chance to catch up, unwind.  We put up the Christmas decorations and tonight Amelia helped John finish up the lights on the house....

This is, of course, after John prepped a wonderful Thanksgiving leftover dinner.  Homemade turkey stuffed tortellini in turkey stock.  So delicious, so clean. Amelia was a CHAMPION tortellini roller....

Ava, not so bad herself....

If you're coming to our house for dinner, you better be prepared to be put to work.  Nevermind that Papa and Grandma made our first date night in months a reality.  Let's roll some tortellini! 

Seasons Greetings

How fast has the holiday season come up on us?  Is it just me? A few weeks ago I thought I was being so clever, scheduling our family photos which got cancelled, rescheduled, post-poned and finally happened yesterday now that it is very cold and blustery to try to take outside pictures.  All of the sudden it is Thanksgiving, which was lovely and low key this year.  Our anniversary, which we celebrate with a date night tonight thanks to Papa Ray and Grandma Jo.  But most importantly (for the short ones among us) we got our Christmas tree.

Yesterday afternoon after family pictures we headed out to Howell's to choose the 2012 Christmas tree.  Here's John and the little girls trying to decide which tree belongs in our living room....

Then I hopped in....

Santa was there, but neither of the girls seemed especially interested in sitting on his lap.  Seems like good boundaries to me!

Remember the farm cat the girls adopted last time we visited Howell's?  The one they named Sunshine?  She was there yesterday and her real name is Jane. This meant for sure the girls wanted to take her home.

Once we were home we prepared to feast on the traditional Christmas-tree-setting-up fare.  Yes.  Chicken in a Biscuit crackers, squeeze cheese, chips and dip, Peanut M & Ms, grapes, egg nog....  Help me Rhonda this was actually dinner last night!

The tree, she's a rag tag beauty.  We are really enjoying this long holiday weekend to restore some order on the home front, stay pretty close to home, celebrate milestones and prepare ourselves for the busy holiday season.

November Golf

Another completely chance encounter with a beautiful November day today led John and Ava out to the golf course.  Amelia and I went to the walk in pedicure place where she got her toes painted purple with some pretty flower decorations while I apologized to the poor woman who tried to give me my first pedicure since the marathon. Yeah, my toe nails are still pretty much a mess.  But at least now they are painted a lovely dark red!

The golf carts are put away for the season, so golf today meant walking. Here's sweet Ava, future LPGA tour member....

But this picture tells the whole story.... check out the caddie.

Reset

Last night was one of THOSE nights.  You know, those nights where the house seems very small, the girls were bickering, we were tired and I just couldn't wait for bed time.  One of those nights that reminds me of this post, the genius "Don't Carpe the Diem," in what can be the hard work of parenting.

I went to our mud room/pantry/catchall tiny closet of a room that holds way too much stuff and desperately needs to be cleaned out - to get some napkins for dinner and saw on the top shelf of the closet some sparklers left over from the 4th of July.  To try to break up the mood of the evening I sent the girls outside (gorgeous weather yesterday) to do sparklers.

They were thrilled....

Disco pose...

Playing with that box of sparklers kind of reset the whole evening.  For them.  For me. After dinner the girls got out the yoga mat and their box of yoga cards and practiced.  Amelia - up dog!

Trying to get to double boat...

And their favorite - double dog.  Remember?

Don't get me wrong, bed time still couldn't come fast enough.  The girls were still bickering some.  We were still tired.  But it was a good reminder to me to look for the small things to reset the tone, rather than just endure.

Kairos.