Christmassy Things

Each year figuring out what to give Buck's hundred-plus employees is a bit of a head-scratcher, especially since we don't want to spend more Christmas budget on them than we do on our family :) Last year, we set up an assembly-line style Christmas Chex gift bag for each (and Buck had several ask if we were doing the same this year :) But, instead we ordered 11 dozen of these darling cookies from our karate instructor's daughter-in-law; I wrote about her and her Thanksgiving cookies for Caelan's Bible study group. Pretty awesome gift of design that she shares with others and makes some money for her growing family at the same time. These were also a big hit; the bakers said there was no way they were handmade, and they must have come from a machine! Buck corrected them, of course, and Gabby made the pretty sign to go with the cookies :)

This was a gift from one of Buck's coworkers, I thought it was a cute idea :)

Christmas Eve . . . it has been a week, and now I'm trying to remember. I seriously need to write this stuff down while it is happening or else it is too far gone in my memory, replaced with too many new things. Okay, well, I know Buck had to work. I know the boys made beef stew from scratch to complete their Home Ec. assignment. I know I filled Christmas stockings--I mean SANTA did--and didn't have enough, so G$ and I took a fast trip to get some more supplies for SANTA (he needs some help on Christmas Eve, we're like elves). I know the older three had worship team at church, so having hot stew at home was great after church! I know Buck raced home from work in time to catch the second service with me and G$, oh and that I got to see my friend who is nearly my age and expecting her fourth baby (surprise!). I know my friend W took lots of pictures of the kids at church, mostly the boys, I guess, just the boys, and that I didn't take a single picture of our kids together on Christmas Eve. And I know Buck and I set up the gifts around the Christmas tree--I mean SANTA did--a little earlier than usual, because we wanted to go to sleep. Taadaa . . . Christmas Eve :)

Christmas morning! The night before, we were negotiating wake up time for Christmas morning. Last year, Brennen was up at like 6 a.m. and wondering why on earth no one else was up (he couldn't go back to sleep because he was so excited :) So, I thought, well this year, we'll just plan for it to be later, so everyone gets their snoozes. "How about 10 for breakfast and gifts?" Perplexed stares and silence. "So, 9 a.m. for breakfast and gifts??" "Why so late?" asked the confused teenager who normally sleeps til noon on vacation, but oddly awakes early on Christmas itself :) So, I think it was maybe 8 or 8:30, oh, I can check the time on the photos! Yes, I'm right. 

Okay, so Buck made butterbraids and the kids unpacked their stockings. Gabby was super excited to receive pepper spray, and said she'd been wanting some. Caelan thought the pink packaging of her pepper spray was, "Super cute!" The boys got giant knives, so I guess self-defense was on our minds during shopping this year. It was funny to see Elmo Graysen with a giant knife though--Elmo likes weapons! They boys also liked their football cards, and doesn't Gabby look cute in the letter jacket the grandmas gave her for Christmas?! She still needs to put the graduation year on, so we can get some good photos. Maybe we'll do that today!

We always need to unwrap some children's books on Christmas morning! Gabby is enjoying Elephant and Piggie and Caelan is reading the Good Knight stories we discovered at the library in our last town.

Brennen got a new alligator-head capo and a sweet new guitar strap--no more blue and pink flowers for him! He really likes playing guitar :)

After stockings, the kids opened gifts from each other; they always pick out very thoughtful things! We ate breakfast, then they gave us our gifts. I got a sweet new blanket ladder, which the boys hid behind their door for a couple of weeks, so I didn't know I was getting it, although I was really hoping I was, and I did! I also got some sweet accent pillows for the new couch. Buck received a bunch of survival stuff (as usual) and some bike accoutrements for summer riding. Also, Caelan spotted the light up gloves as pictured below; he was pretty excited about those!

 

Graysen's *favorite* gift of Christmas--his first shaving kit!! Lol ;)

Okay, maybe treehouse money was pretty high on the list :)

While we were opening gifts, the dogs were incredibly annoying as usual. They think all the gifts are for them or at least for them to smell, possibly lick, and maybe chew a couple times. We finally got tired of them and decided to put them outside. It was a nice day, and although Chauncey would want back in nearly immediately, we thought they could use a brief timeout. Well, as we're merrily unwrapping our boxes, a thunderous crash begins on the back deck. It was like a gust of wind with tornadic force pushing our deck furniture around, crashing into railings, and coming dangerously close to grill (smoking turkey) and glass sliding door. Alarmed, we rushed to see what was happening . . . and that's when we realized Chauncey, perhaps in pursuit of turkey drippings, had stuck his head through a deck chair. He has a big head, the deck chairs have small openings, so he got his head stuck. The ensuing tornadic activity was him trying to get his head unstuck from the deck chair. We were laughing so hard, and trying to help him, but it was just so ridiculous! :) Poor, dumb dog! Anything for food, even getting trapped in lawn furniture.

Does this gift sing *Caelan* or what?! Rose gold, sparkle, karaoke :)

Christmas dinner: smoked turkey, sweet potatoes, roasted broccoli, pistachio salad, scalloped potatoes (I was going to make them from scratch, but Buck found some premade, so I bailed for convenience :) Also, I write about food a lot. I think it is from reading Laura Ingalls Wilder books. She always included elaborate descriptions of the food they prepared and ate, and it always sounded so good--completed the picture, if you will.

What else did we do on Christmas . . . ummm, I know we made a mess, we enjoyed our gifts, we watched football? hmmm, already forgot, but I know we had a good dinner and then ate pie for dessert (provided by our NGFs' youth group fundraiser :) It was a quiet, peaceful, relaxing, pleasant Christmas--one of the calmest and most easy-going we've had ever. Super thankful for Jesus and for the special time we shared this year as a family! (even if I can't remember every minute of it a week later . . . but that's why I blog, so next year or ten years from now I'll be like, "Oh, right! That was a good one!" :)

Christmas with family! This year, my mom and my sister's family (minus the big three who were with their other grandparents enjoying sunshine and horses) joined us and my brother's family for church and after-Christmas dinner at my brother and his bride's beautiful new abode. Graysen helped Uncle C set some live traps for whatever is digging up their yard. We enjoyed chili and noodles, lots of Christmas treats and snacks, and conversation. While it was a short time all together, especially since our oldest three were still at church helping with worship team (G$ went to the Acres to help unload the go-kart after first service), the younger cousins enjoyed playing together, which was fun to see! They were also nearly desperate to open gifts, birthday for two and Christmas for Mr. M. 

I wish I could have captured the look on M's face when he opened my sister's gift. Historically, we've given the little kids homemade gifts with room for creativity and imagination to help the fun along. Well, Mr. M missed out on that tradition until my sister tried to bring it back. She gave him crumpled aluminum "snow balls." He made the most perfect look of utter confusion, contemplated her with one eyebrow raised, and asked, "Trash? You gave me trash?" I nearly fell off the couch laughing. The kid got a four-wheeler for Christmas, like a real four-wheeler as a four-year-old--playing with kitchen foil was beyond his scope of imagination :) It was a highlight moment, even if it wasn't intended to be. Loved it!

While the kids shot pool, my brother rearranged furniture, fixed broken things with his ever-whirring drill, and basically did what any incredibly busy family does when they've just moved into a new house--keep unpacking, keep settling in, because if you let life or company stop you, you never will finish the task. Our kids had fun shooting pool, playing ping pong, and visiting. It's fun having family in town!

Other than that, our tree is still up, our Christmas lights are still on (because it finally snowed and we have to have at least a couple of days of Christmas lights in the snow!), and our stockings are still hung by the fireplace with care--maybe Santa will stop by for a second round of treats ;) We need a new battery for Buck's truck, a new handle for the kids' shower (because they are currently using a wrench), new track lights for the kitchen (because when I washed them today pieces started falling off and continued to do so while I was making dinner, lol, and a self-serve watering system for the chickens when temperatures are sub-zero--surely they've got that figured out at the North Pole by now! ;) Merry Christmas season to all, and Happy New Year, too!

Winter Birthday Girl

Even if it didn't feel much like winter :) We ran through lots of ideas for celebrating Caelan's birthday, and finally Buck landed on the plan of the outlet mall. At first it seemed like an odd choice for December, but Caelan's special day warmed to the 50s and it was great weather for shopping! 

We started the day with butterbraids (all our festive foods lately came from fundraisers friends' kids were doing--cookies, pastries, pies, oh my!) To gather warm and cozy drinks for our road trip, we waited the long line at Starbucks; the kids texted Buck their orders so he could just read them off. It's like speaking another language at the ordering window, "I'd like one tall caramel macchiato, low ice, double shot of espresso, almond cream latte with a splash of cinnamon," (that's not a real drink order, I just made it up and it would probably be gross, lol!) But to our surprise, when we reached the window expecting a $50 Starbuck's bill, the barista said, "The car in front of you took care of your order and said to wish you Merry Christmas." What?! Whoa! That was a big order to cover; I told the kids to quick look behind us at how many people were in that car, so we could pass along the favor. Lol, just kidding! Well, I did tell them to look, but we had already shared the Christmas kindness. That was a pretty special way to start out our day!

At the outlets, the boys split off to look at shoes and manly things, and we girls hit all the favorite shops. I told the girls they should check out America Eagle, since I really liked shopping there in high school, but haven't shopped there since. Umm . . . they were selling the same clothes from the last time I was there, lol! Seriously. I walked out 25 years ago and walked back in in 2021 and it was the SAME stuff. I even remember who wore the clothes they had on the racks. It was so weird. Like a time warp straight to middle school and freshman year in high school. But, Caelan found some cute things and we got G$ a sweater for Christmas--he thought it might be the Aaron Rogers sweater from Kohls but it was not, but it is very similar and he likes it!

After a couple hours of scouring the stores, seeing lots of dogs, and enduring a few who just can't give up the smokes, we headed to lunch. Originally, we wanted to take Caelan to a fancy Italian restaurant that Buck and I have eaten at once or maybe twice, but it didn't open til three and Brennen had to work at four. So, we picked another restaurant--a grill with a giant, cozy fireplace--and everyone enjoyed their meal. Our waitress was a like an auntie whose house we'd come to for dinner. She learned our names and offered to take our picture, and she brought Caelan a very fancy, very delicate-tasting cheesecake as a birthday surprise.

We arrived home just in time for Caelan to take Brennen to work (she wanted to do some last-minute shopping for Gabby's Christmas gift). When she returned, we started a Christmas movie marathon 1. the original Miracle on 34th Street 2. when Brennen arrived home the Disney Hawkeye series conclusion 3. Klaus on Netflix.

Because we were still full from our late lunch, we decided to skip dinner, and just eat cake--Gabby made Caelan's requested white cake with Oreo frosting, decorated with chocolate covered cherries--and our family's version of charcuterie (which probably has slightly more sugary things on it than a typical charcuterie board :) We probably could have squeezed in more movies, but Caelan wanted to open her gifts, of course!

Caelan had to give her new coat from Grandma J a little twirl, which looks funny with her chosen attire of athletic shorts underneath :) She wanted a coat that was *more casual,* that she could *just throw on to wear around campus* . . . and this was what she picked to meet that purpose. Caelan is fancy. Heehee :)

Gabby spent HOURS customizing these shoes for Caelan with dainty flowers. Any time Caelan left for school or work or Bible study (which was like all the time) Gabby would get out her markers and paints and work on the design. So pretty!

Graysen gave Caelan a very nice wrap ring that has a sparkly cross on it, Brennen gave her a pretty blue/floral notebook and sparkly writing pens, Buck and I gave her heatless hair curlers and a gift certificate to get her hair done again at our friend's salon. And that was her day!

It's crazy to look back at my 19 (I'd already traveled internationally by myself) and my sister's 19 (she got married!). I'm glad God has a good plan for each of our 19th years, and beyond. I think Caelan has a lot to look forward to and will be wowed when she finds out what she's working for and waiting for, but I'm glad she's not just treading water waiting; she's keeping busy and serving and making plans for what's next--academically and beyond. Even better, she's enjoying her *now* (well, maybe working three jobs to pay for school isn't totally enjoyable, but she likes the school part!) Oh, and all the monetary birthday gifts that have arrived in the mail covered her outlet shopping spree; just another example of how God provides good things in His timing :)

Of All the Things . . .

Of all the things we have to worry about as parents . . . apparently dehydration is not one of them :)