Christmas Snow

When it's December in Minnesota, we expect the weather forcast to include some snow. We actually got the first snowfall in October, but it didn't last long. Warmer November temps helped us feel comfortable, and hopeful as we decorated the house with lights for the coming end of year holidays.
Now, it's Christmas week, and we've shoveled the drive about 3-4 times with significant (over an inch) snowfall.
There's a new couple of storms brewing for the week, and the news is forcasting travel and shopping hassels with hazardous driving and traveling condiitons. I'm still not done with my shopping - as part of it is that we just don't have a lot of money to spend, and the other is that I've been looking for just the right gift for each of my nephews and neice.
You see, I'm trying to be an Advent Consipiritor - see www.adventconspiracy.com for ideas. Not that you can't buy gifts for people, but that you make them meaningful...not just out of obligation. My idea for a great gift for my daughter is a bucket of paint and a brush and time to paint her room the color she's always wanted. That gift may happen for her birthday in March instead, as we found a couple of CD boomboxes for the kids rooms on SALE! Having time with my kids at bedtime with soft relaxing music is what I'm hoping will happen...but I know the loud Black Eyed Peas will be shaking the house, too. And, that'll be plenty of fun. Now to put the finishing touches on the gift wrapping.
I'm looking forward to spending time with family - heading to mom's house for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the in-laws. That is...as long as the 8-14 inches of snow that is predicted lets up enough so we can still drive in it. I hope the city plows are just as prepared as the rest of us.
The kids will love getting out and playing in the white stuff as it falls from the sky...even watching their breath steam up scarves and making icicles on their noses. The joy of the snow is quite interesting. How is it that as adults we have much less wonder about the icy wet snow as these innocent hearts? My son is sure to reach out without gloves or mittens and touch the cold wet crisp as it melts in his bare hands. The pain of the cold will cause a grimace, but there's an internal joy that can't be contained. It's contagious, and reminds me to seek wonder in the world around me.
I'm so grateful for the snow - the wonder of the season - the magic in the air - the quiet hush that comes over the house in the early morning when there are no cars on the road.
Travel safely, my friends. Get out and do a little exercise in the fun of the winter. Shovel a little snow if you have it. Or just breathe in the winter air...and just think, once the New Year hits...we're just that much closer to springtime and buds bursting forth from the ground. :)

Christmas Tree memories

The Christmas Tree is up. It's the same artificial tree I've had since I was a kid. A beautiful 7.5 ft tree with a good shape. It's not prelit...I have to string the lights on it by hand each year. One string of white adjustable speed sparking ones, one solid green string and one solid blue strand. I have put other solid white lights on it in the past, but I'm going simple this year. I would love a real tree in our home, the smell of a fresh evergreen in amazing...but as a working mom, one more thing for me to take care of would not be good for my efforts to simplify. And, purchasing a new tree would not be frugal.
Ornaments are from our history together - and apart. Some are from childhood, some bring back memories of when we were first married, when our children were born or went to school. Some are hand made, some are very fragile. Some are earthy, wooden, made from pinecones. Some are delicate and lacey, and yet others are crystaline, shiny and breakable. Most are gold, silver, blue, purple, green...but some are red, and many have angels, Santas, little Irish images, some military and toy soldier references, cuddly teddy bears, and a few characters from tv when the kids were little. Heck, my kids are still little, but those days when they were in diapers feel so long ago.
In fact, we also have a ton of collectible Star Trek ornaments from Hallmark. They would bring in a good return on our investment if we chose to sell them, but we'll hang onto them for sentimental reasons. Some I gave to my husband when we were first married. Some came as gifts from other family. Funny...I banned them from the tree decor a couple of years ago as they basically took over the whole thing. Well, our son has found them to be quite interesting. Like putting toys on the tree. But, I found another way around it. We strung lights in his room, and attached the Star Trek ships - from Enterprise 1501A to a Romulan WarBird to Voyager, to a Klingon Bird of Prey. They light up in a dim glow in his room, and lull him to relax and dream. Of course, it wouldn't be fair to put up lights in his room and not in his big sister's room. So...I proceeded to find another string with working lights, and set them around the recessed ceiling in her room. What a fun time we're having this season.

Last year we didn't put up the tree, because we were packing up our apartment in hopes of closing on this house shortly after Christmas. I set up a simple nativity scene on a side table and we set our gifts under the nativity - like setting gifts before the feet of the King.
This is the first Christmas in our home, and it's so sweet. The kids are enjoying their home, and so are we. Making this house a home and remembering where we'Ive been and how far we've come has been humbling.
In so many instances, I don't ever feel like we deserve the imense goodness that has been poured out on us. Gratitude bubbles over.
Memories of the years gone by, of the life we've lived together, of the love we share now, all bring tears to my eyes. What a joyous gift this Christmas season - to be able to remember and be grateful.

Entertaining every day

I love Christmastime. I love entertaining, but don't have much time to have people over in the winter, as I'm usually exhausted by the time I'm home from work and have helped my daughter with homework and gotten my son to put his toys back into his room for the 15th time today. But, here's a little something I can enjoy this season, that I've never been able to do so before.

When we lived in our apartment, there was really no room for storage, but what we did have stored away...made no sense to drag out because it would take so much to get it put away again. My kids were little and breakable stuff was tucked away so there were no temptations to get into heartache.

Each Christmas since we've been married, my mother-in-law started giving us one place setting per year of a lovely Pfatzgraff stoneware with a Christmas Tree and toy train on it. What a lovely gift that this practical gal could cherish...but really couldn't even try to use. I love practical gifts, stuff I need and will use. These sat dormant for the past 14 years, perhaps only to be used once or twice in that entire time.

You guessed it, now that we are enjoying our first Christmas in our new home, I pulled out the entire set (10 place settings so far) and several serving dishes, tiered, oblong, deep bowl, tree shaped, and even a Cookies for Santa plate. There's even a cute little tea pot and cup that nests beneath it that is so darling. I just love it. Why wait for company to come over to enjoy it?

I feel like I'm entertaining guests when my family sits down to left-overs together. These festive dishes make all the difference. Good thing I have a whole month to enjoy them until they go back down into our much-easier-to-store-away storage area.

Quick, give me a call and come over to have dinner with us, so I can say I actually did entertain with the set this year. We'd love to have you.

I really need a new camera

I know it's bad when there are 3 posts sitting in my draft folder just waiting for photos to be uploaded. YUCK! I have a simple Coolpix point and shoot, and it was fine when we were just taking casual shots around town. But, with a blog and the desire to print some really good photos - I'm hugely desiring a new Digital SLR camera. I have several friends who are professional photographers, and because they get paid for portrait sessions - I have a very hard time asking any of them to take photos for me for free. I mean, I'd most likely trade them for something they feel is valuable...but when your craft/art is your business, too...how can I ask that? 
If you get paid, you get paid. So, I really have to get my own camera so I can take better shots of my lovely kids and beautiful gardens.
I'll go ahead and put up a few posts now, without photos - or poorly created photos that are either blurry or have too much or too little flash washing out the images.
I'm going to keep practicing with my point and shoot, try to use more natural light - and hope my subjects stay put for a little while so I can get several shots and find at least one that will work.
[sigh]