Holiday Traditions

Hello!

One friend asked about our holiday traditions, and I thought I'd post a blog about it.

CHRISTMAS CARDS. Each year we send out a Christmas card to friends and family out-of-state. Since we are the only ones living in Massachusetts, that would include ALL of our family, and since we have moved 8 times in our 18 married years together, we send a lot of cards to friends in different states. I think our total was 125 or 130 cards this year. At any rate, we usually send a card, a family photo, and a Christmas letter. We try to be at least a little creative, and some years I have made the cards with the kids.

ADVENT CALENDAR. We put up an Advent Calendar each December 1st, and the kids rotate turns on choosing an ornament out of the numbered pockets. This tree-with-elves design was the one I grew up with. My sister Kathi made one for Kim and I (sorry Kris--I think you were still young and disinterested that year), one year for Christmas. So now I still use the same advent calendar that I used as a child when my sisters and I would take turns.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE. Each year we see one of these yummy-looking houses on sale at the grocery store or craft store, and we pick one up. This year Kara and Teresa decorated the gingerbread house. The icing was a little runny but the roof stayed in place, and the windows weren't too bad.

ZUCCHINI BREAD. We also make little mini-loaves of zucchini bread, to take to the neighbors and give out to teachers at school. This year, Teresa and Kara had their own lists of people they wanted to give to. I bought the ingredients for their bread, but they made the bread! They were willing to work for the gifts they would give. It was very nice for me!

STORY-A-DAY-UNTIL-CHRISTMAS. We read an inspirational Christmas story each night of December. Some of them are religious, some of them are just nice stories. They make you thankful and make you want to be a better person. We also read a scripture a night along with the story.

NATIVITY SCENES. We collect nativities, often looking for "different" ones from different countries. We don't put them all out every year. Here are some we put out this year.

CHRISTMAS TREE. Frank grew up with a real tree. I grew up with an artificial tree. In Michigan, we had room for 2 trees, so we had both. Most often, we only have space for one, and it ends up being the artificial one. I like them: they are symmetrical and clean, and you don't cut down a tree every year to use 2 weeks and then throw away. Many have arguments for a real tree: the wonderful smell, nothing like going out and picking/cutting down your own tree as a family. To each his own on this matter! We normally decorate our tree with ornaments with some meaning or memory; here is one we got the year Frank and I were married.

Here is what David looked like at 4 yrs old, in the year 2000.

(One tradition I am trying to change is staying up too late on Christmas Eve. I get tired and grumpy.)

Merry Christmas! Kari

'Tis the Season

Well! Hard to believe it's the 20th of December. To say this month has flown by, is quite an understatement.

Here are some highlights of the month thus far (you can double-click on photos to enlarge them):

KARI VISITS GRANDMA. My Grandma turned 100 years old this month! Yes! So much has happened in the last 100 years. And that's just in this country. I went to Arizona for a few days, to catch up a little and wish Grandma a Happy Birthday.

HOLIDAY CONCERTS. We've gone to Kara's chorus concert, and her band concert in the last week or so. She's been playing the saxophone for this school year, and is doing a really good job. There is also a "5th grade chorus" that meets weekly before school to practice. They did great with their holiday songs.

Teresa also had a chorus concert, at the middle school. As an 8th grader, she is in the "7th and 8th grade chorus", and also "Select Chorus," for which she auditioned.

WINTER GALA. Parexel had its holiday party, which is certainly not a "given" every year (last year they didn't have one), but this year they did. Lots of good food, and it gives me a chance to rub shoulders with some of Frank's coworkers. Dinner and dancing, and this one had a casino theme so we all got some "chips" to play with. We mostly stayed at the Roulette table, and Blackjack 21 (?? is that the name of it? You get two cards, and try to get as close to 21 as you can. Ask for one more card, or stick with your two. Add them up, and if you are closer to 21 than the dealer is, you win.).

A NIGHT IN BETHLEHEM. Our family got to take part in the Christmas Story, as our church Christmas party was called "A Night in Bethlehem." We followed the scriptures as Luke told of the shepherds (Teresa was one of them), and the Wise Men (Frank). David was a centurion guarding King Herod, and Kara was one of the angels singing! It was a nice evening, with good food, good company, and a really nice production of the Christmas story.

I could go on and on about how much baking has happened in our kitchen, as Teresa and Kara have lists of friends and teachers to whom they want to give gifts. Also class parties, and shopping for Secret Santa gifts. The best part for me is, THEY are planning and carrying most of it out! I chauffeur, provide the ingredients and offer tips here and there, but they are doing most of the "work." They bake and wrap and think of the gifts. The kids are having a lot of fun.

We are of course looking forward to Christmas at the end of this week. This is my favorite holiday, my very favorite time of year. I read inspirational Christmas stories that make me cry. I vow to do better -- to value people over things and to-do-lists.

The Christmas program at church was full of beautiful music and scriptures and messages. We have a lot of local musical talent, including instruments and vocal musicians. There was a 15-piece orchestra including a cello and a harp, playing for the choir up on the stand.

I'm afraid I'm going to blink, and Christmas will be over! Here's wishing you a peaceful and joyful holiday. (Note to self: Slow down and smile...breathe in and meditate upon the beauty of the season.)

Kari

Hamsters, Rocks, and the Turkey Tango

Hola!

Happy Thanksgiving weekend! Lots of activity makes the clock run even faster, it seems. We have had some fun with school activities, and friends we haven't seen in a little while. Here are some highlights (oh--and a low point, too) of the past 2 weeks.

FAREWELL to a PET FRIEND. Kara has had her hamster, Karamel, since last Christmas. Usually hamsters live around 2 years. Strange as it seems, it is not UNcommon for a hamster to develop cancer. This happened to Karamel. She had a tumor under her chin, and then it only took about a week for her to slow down and stop. She passed away last Monday. Here is a farewell photo:

TURKEY TANGO. Kara was picked (literally: ALL the girls wanted to do this dance, so they drew names from a hat!) to do the Turkey Tango during the 5th grade song & dance performance on the day before Thanksgiving. Very cute! It was a song about this Turkey who learned the tango to get out of being cooked for Thanksgiving dinner. About 10 girls and 10 boys did the tango during the song.

PIE NIGHT. Fruit pies, pumpkin pies, lemon pies, chocolate pies! Our friends have an annual "Pie Night" the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, so people can eat the best stuff (pies) before they gorge themselves Thursday on the rest of the food. Then they had to cancel at the last minute, so we offered to have it at our house instead. It was fun to socialize and EAT!

MOON PHOTOS. I must draw your attention to the header picture: Frank and Teresa took the tripod out at 11;30 p.m. last night, because the moon was so beautiful. They took about 20 photos, between clouds and adjusting shutter speed and aperture, and came up with a few really neat ones.

GRANDMA. This week I get to go visit my Grandma. She is about 12 days shy of her ONE HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY! Is that so cool!!!!!!!!! They'll invite some people over on her actual birthday (December 10), but I will fly out a little early (Friday) so I can have some time to visit with her. Here is a photo of her in Belize a couple of years ago...

Have a great week! Kari

TK, Teeth, Tootsie Rolls

Hola--

Another week of November gone! We are flying through the days. Here are a few of our accomplishments for the week.

TERESA's BIRTHDAY. Yes, she's an official teenager now! "TK," as she is known at school, turned 13 on Thursday. It is Veteran's Day, and the kids got the day off of school. Teresa had our 3rd grade neighbor convinced that the school districts cancel school every year just for her birthday.


I was all ready to make a cake or pie for her dessert choice that day, and she chose...fudge! I think I have made fudge ONE time before, in my life. But I did it. Who says kids don't make you stretch?

TOOTSIE ROLL TRUTHS. Both the dentist and the orthodontist tell us regularly that chewy or hard candies are terrible for your teeth and braces. David comes home from school with a "piece" of something..."I was eating a tootsie roll at lunch," he explains, "and this got stuck in the tootsie roll.

Of course my stomach turns over, thinking it's a piece of his tooth. After a quick trip to the dentist, and another quick trip to the orthodontist, we are assured that it is a piece of bonding (glue), not a piece of tooth. Whew! I go home and immediately rifle through all the Halloween candy, and donate all but the candy bars. (Let somebody else pull out their dental work?!?)

Here are the girls with all that candy that Halloween Eve night...

WALLPAPER FUN. Kara's group of girls went to help a lady in the church with her daughter's bedroom this week. The girls sprayed the walls and scraped off the nasty old wallpaper. The girls had a blast. I think it must be more fun when you are helping somebody else...? When I did our bathroom 2 years ago, I don't remember it being all that much fun.

RUBIK. David got a 4X4 Rubik's Cube for his birthday. Did you even know they made those? Well, they do.

And that's the way it is. Monday, November 15, 2010. Kari

Fall and Pumpkins

Hola--

It's November! Time for lots and lots to happen. Daily. Hourly. Halloween. Birthdays. Carpool. Well, mostly it's just me driving, because the kids have nutty, individual schedules. So I wear the chauffeur cap and watch the gas tank needle go down, down, down.

HALLOWEEN. This was an entertaining time: the church had a chili cook-off, then Trunk-or-Treating night on Saturday night. A major, major Candy Exchange! You give my kids candy, I'll give your kids candy, plus someone will buy hundreds of yummy donuts and cider because there's not enough sugar in the air already, right??! Ha! Little kids are SO cute in their tiny costumes. (My kids are not really "cute" in their costumes anymore... "Cute" ends around 5, I think. Maybe 6.)

PUMPKINS. We had a Pumpkin-Carving Family Night, the week before Halloween. Frank has always done the carving before, but this year each child wanted to carve their own. Here are photos of the masterpieces.

Now, use your imagination: Kara is 10. Her pumpkin says "BOO!" inside the mouth. Teresa's (13 this week) says "Boo" in the back, with an owl on the left and a wolf howling at the moon on the right. David's (15) is "Boo," the character in the Mario video games. And it really LOOKS like the character! Very cool.

BIRTHDAY. Anyway, then there was David's birthday last week: my little boy is 15 now! He had some friends over this weekend, to play video games, Apples to Apples, eat spaghetti and watch a movie. I think A Good Time Was Had By All. And I was relieved to have made enough spaghetti. You never know with kids.

RAKING. We are back to Raking Season, oh--I mean Autumn, here in New England! This is the price we pay for gorgeous leaves in September and October. We RAKE! For the most part, we dislike it vigorously, but occasionally they are dry leaves, and the kids can play a little.

(My minutes have disappeared again. If anyone finds them, can you send them back to me? I really meant to do more with my time!)

Have a great week, Kari

Parties, Rocks, Airplanes

Hola!
We just have one week left of October! Can you believe it!

Kara had her very well-planned-out Halloween party/sleepover last Friday. She invited 5 girls to come after school in costume, and had decorations, craft projects, snack food, dinner, and movies all planned out. Here are the girls in costume, with smileys since I didn't ask if I could post their photos...









Mini-Pumpkin faces...


and the cool Halloween tree decoration Kara made (OK, it's "supposed" to be a Christmas star tree. But why not use orange frosting for a Halloween tree?).


IN OTHER NEWS...

ROCKS. Teresa's new passion is (drumroll, please...) rocks. Her biology teacher grandmother will appreciate this. She collects, examines, and reads about all kinds of rocks. They have been spread out all over her floor for the past weeks and months. Major milestone: Today she organized them into drawers. (Can you hear that? It's her mom cheering!!) Here she is next to the drawers.

Here is a close-up of her favorite drawer: it has some geode samples.




F-15 SHOW. David got to go with the scouts on Saturday, to an Air Force Base where they got a tour and get inside the F-15 planes. Here is the link to some photos on Facebook. Frank and David are in a couple of them. They watched/listened to/FELT the RUMBLE as they took off. It was really cool.

Well, I better boogie. Have a great week! Kari

Autumn is Upon Us

Hello!

I find myself just blinking, and days and then weeks are gone. We are living (read: Kari has one hand clutching the back corner of the calendar, and it is galloping away at breakneck speed) the months of fall, and the days just fly by. Here are a few highlights:

SOCCER. Kara's team won their game yesterday! She always plays a part of the game in goal.

TURKEYS. I always see this group of 6 or 8 wild turkeys as I drive around, but of course I never have my camera. One morning they were just across the street from our house, so I could take a picture of them.

CROSS COUNTRY. Both David and Teresa are running this year for their respective schools: the high school and the middle school.

They are building a new high school, however, and with all the construction mess, they will not be hosting any home meets this season! (Hence, no photo ops of David running...) At any rate, you can believe that he runs, and he's also pretty good at it. Here is Teresa at one of her home meets.

WOMEN's RETREAT. Our women's group at church (Relief Society) got to spend a night at the awesome camp the church owns in New Hampshire. It is just beautiful, with cabins by a lake and a great dining hall facility. And I must say, we have some talented cooks in our group! Ribs for dinner, then homemade jellies and syrups on the pancakes the next morning. The girls go there for Young Women's Camp each year. Now I know where Teresa has had all her great activities for camp the last 2 summers!

It is such a scramble to get everyone situated at home, before Mom leaves for 24 hours. But well, well worth it. It poured on us for the first few hours, then Saturday it cleared and was beautiful for us to take our hike around the lake.

(My allotted 20 minutes for this is up.)

Have a great week! Love, Kari

Hamster with a Soccer Ball

Sunday again! If I blink just one more time, September may disappear.

SOCCER. Yesterday was filled with soccer and more soccer. Here is a Kara photo.

XC MEETS. Last week, Teresa and David both had cross-country meets, but they were "away" and I did not go to take pictures. Maybe next time will be "home."

DO-IT-YOURSELF. And of course, let's not forget house projects. Mowing, raking, painting a patch downstairs. Frank and Teresa removed the rest of the stump in the backyard, our poor tree taken over by carpenter ants and beetles.

RODENT ANTICS. Kara's hamster is the most tame creature I have ever seen. She lets any of Kara's friends hold her, and doesn't nip or complain about anything. Kara builds scenarios for her to participate in, then takes pictures of her. She takes her out all the time, lets her run in the ball around the house, and even puts doll clothes on her. Here is our soccer-playing hamster:

And the hamster on her way to getting married. (Thanks, Grammie D--this is actually the dress you made for Mia, her American Girl doll! Modified slightly, it can also be used to have a hamster get married.)

Here we go, jumping into the next week! Here's hoping you can find ways to enjoy yours to the fullest--:)

Kari

P.S. Just experimenting: here's my nephew Craig with his Homecoming date!

Autumn Arrives

Hola!

Another week gone by...all I have to do is blink, and the days keep zooming!

FOND FAREWELL. This is partly a "farewell" blog to one of my favorite pairs of shoes. Funny how if you wear shoes every day for a few seasons, they...wear out. I would have kept wearing them anyway, but then I noticed a crack in the bottom of the sole of one. In this wet region, that would spell out w-e-t-f-e-e-t-f-o-r-m-e a few times a week, I'm afraid. :(

So I skeptically went shopping and I tried the brand my mom swears by: Naturalizer. I always wonder just a little when she says it's the "only kind I buy," plus they are a tad more expensive. But I tried these on, and ----- my feet gave a very relieved and satisfied, "Aaaahhh!" They fit wonderfully and are SO comfortable. I can walk the halls at school all day on the 3 days a week I tutor at the elementary school, and my feet will be happy.

BIGGER IN TEXAS. I also tried a new grocery store this week, and my neighbor talked about "Texas donuts" from this store, only during the month of September.

So HERE are photos of a "Texas Donut!" (One will feed your whole family.) We got a good chuckle out of them.

I left out Teresa in the last blog since she was still deciding on a sport at school, and other activities. She settled on cross-country, so those practices started this week. (I don't know where my kids get that running gene; Frank and I are very much NOT runners!) In the music area, she is doing chorus this year instead of band. She also wants to audition next week for 'Select Chorus.' That's a special chorus that practices separately from regular chorus.

CLEAN STOVE. Now, the last piece of amazing news is that I cleaned the stove on Saturday...I mean, I really cleaned the outside, scrubbing those dumb burner covers, etc. for about 2 hours (Kara helped). Go ahead, "Ooohh" and "Aaahh," it won't be done again for months!

Have a fabulous week! Kari