Chatting Family Style with Gingerbread

 We've had such a lovely long autumn season for the most part, but I think winter arrived yesterday. Our area got a few inches of snow through the day overnight. Greg had to work early this morning, so the grandkids got snow scooping duty.

Since late last spring we've done "family chat" virtually with several relatives. We started with once a week all through the summer, then when school started, we went to once a month. We started gathering using Facebook video, but now we use Zoom. Our activities for family chat vary with the season. We've cooked together, all making the same recipe at the same time, or each family making a different recipe to share with the group. We've played games, had a scavenger hunt, and done crafts. We're spread across the country in Nebraska, Iowa, Texas, and Florida. Today we had other family join us from Colorado, Arkansas, and Virginia. It was so wonderful to see all of these people!

Today was family chat day and the activity was to decorate gingerbread houses. Some of us had purchased kits, others built their own from graham crackers. I usually buy the kits after Christmas when the holiday goods are half price or less, then store them with the Christmas decorations. These kits are not always awesome, and this year was no exception. Last week I opened the boxes to check the condition of the contents, and found cracks in all, as well as some significant breakage in one. I'm glad I opened them early, so I knew I needed to make repairs in advance. I got out the hot glue gun this morning and got started. It wasn't pretty, but that broken house was solidly repaired. The next house I knew had a roof crack. It was tiny, so I anticipated just leaving it to be covered with icing. I carefully cut off the plastic wrap and viola! The entire house fell to pieces. My daughter was there when it happened and neither of us had any words. I fixed it as best I could, piecing it together like a puzzle. It looked pretty wonky, and I hoped whichever child got that one would have a good attitude about it. In hindsight I should have used a piece of cardboard under the worst part of the roof, but it all worked out okay in the end. 

Here's the set-up with everything glued together. There was a lot more candy on the kitchen counter behind the table. A LOT more.

I basically chatted with everyone while the kids and Jess worked on their houses, helping when I was asked. All I had to do was set up, then vacuum the rug under the table after. J

And here they are, all finished. They worked around the repaired parts and really enjoyed themselves. I think they did a fine job. 

It was a very fun afternoon - one I hope is a good memory for all the kids and their grown-ups. I'm already planning for next year. Not sure I'll use those kits again, though. Also, too, we're hoping to maybe have several of us actually together in the same room next time. That would be so wonderful! 

Now tomorrow I'm really going to finish decorating. 

Lit Up

 The past couple of days I've been in a bit of a funk, so not much got done beyond dragging Christmas totes around and starting to sort through what I want to put out this year. Greg brought the tree in on Sunday, and I put it together yesterday. The kittens, of course, are very curious, and all over it. They were quite "helpful"...

Today I got the lights on, a process that takes me a few hours. I weave the lights up and down each side of each branch, so the tree is lit up inside and out. I learned this many years ago from my sister's sister-in-law who is a professional decorator, and have done it that way since. 

Late this afternoon Jess and Layla came over and I gave the girl the box of unbreakable ornaments to put on the tree. My plan is to keep the tree kitten-safe. That's where the decorating stands at the moment. Tomorrow I will get it finished so I can put away these totes and move on to more Christmas fun. We have a big afternoon on Saturday with our monthly "family chat" and we're all looking forward to it. 

It's been one of those days today when many things have gone askew. The last was when I was making supper. We had beef stew in the Instant Pot, and right before serving I was adding frozen peas. The bag was more open than I anticipated and several peas fell on the floor. I told Layla I pea'd the floor and she was horrified until she came in the kitchen. "No, Grammy, there are PEAS on the floor, you didn't PEE on the floor." 

And that's where I'll leave things for tonight. Tomorrow, we decorate. 

Bedecked with boughs

 I missed posting yesterday, but by the time I realized, I'm not sure I'd have been able to type a coherent sentence. It was a busy day. The weather was gorgeous once again. Greg and I got the outside lights up finally. I wore a t-shirt, capris, and flip flops while we worked outside. So awesome!

Thought I'd show you a little of what I did with the greenery my neighbor and I gathered the other day. It's really simple, but adds that wintry holiday touch to the porch decor.

This is the left side of the front door. The wreath around the light is faux, but the poinsettias are velvety and so pretty. The sled was purchased at a garage sale a few years ago. I spent a bit more on it, but it's authentic. It's also broken. When I picked it up, Greg looked at it and told me, "That's not going to work for sledding." I think he thought I was getting it for the grandkids. I told him I didn't need it to, and he just shook his head and walked away. These days he's more into the junky, rusty, chippy vintage, but back then he just didn't understand. I do plan to decorate the sled, and it will probably stay there all winter. The greenery is in an enamel bucket. No idea where that came from - probably a garage sale. The doormat does have our last name and the year we married, but it's been outside for a year, and is not wearing well. I recently learned that they should be sprayed with a polyacrylic sealer, then the paint on them will last. It's not in front of the door because when we built that porch, someone who was helping us didn't leave any space under the door for a mat. They put the board right up to the bottom of the doorway, so I've always had to put our welcome mat to the side. By the time I found out, most of the porch was built, so there was no changing it. When we re-do the porch (hopefully next summer), everyone who helps will know to leave me space under that door. 

This is the right side of the door. The crock is from an auction a long, long time ago, and the lantern belonged to my grandparents. My maternal grandfather worked for the railroad and while I don't know for a fact that this lantern is from that job, it reminds me of Grandpa. 

Lastly, I wired together some swags. This is at the bottom of the steps and there's one on the other side as well. The ribbon I was able to get is slippery and just didn't tie well for bows, but I like the cheery bright red with the green. All the bows look like that, so while they're not show-pieces, they are consistent. I made another swag to put on the mailbox post, and will make one more to put on my daughter's front porch. I really like real greenery for decorations, but rarely ever purchase it. Getting to go help cut and gather this was such a blessing and I really appreciate that I got to do that.

I'm planning to get the inside decorations going today, but there's a lot to do around the house before that happens. I suppose I should go work on that, shouldn't I? 

We have sunshine and no wind today, so our temp of 43° is pretty nice. This next week is much of the same, and I'm not mad about that. I hope you're also enjoying a wonderful Sunday!

It's Beginning to Look A Little Like Christmas!

The rule at our house is that Christmas decorating must wait until after Thanksgiving. Usually I get started by the first of December. Over this past weekend I gathered and packed up the Autumn decor, and got it put away. With 3½ month-old kittens in the house (two of them, argh), I opted to start the decorating outside this year. I'm anticipating they're going to make a mess of the indoor decor...

The grandkids arrived after school, had a quick snack, and we headed outside. Well, the kids headed out first, excited about putting up lights. Greg had left the ladder in the front yard for us, so the boys got it set up. Good thing Jess got out there when she did. Silas was just getting ready to climb the ladder. Oops.

We got the ladder moved to a more secure location, and Jess got the lights started, then B took a turn. He was so excited to get up there, then so nervous while he was, but he did a great job. Unfortunately we ran into a problem with the lights, so only one strand is hung. We'll work on it more tomorrow. 

Silas was in charge of opening the lights and getting them ready to hang. 

Layla was our photographer, then our model. She and Grampy are enamored with Baby Yoda, and he brought this home several weeks ago. Little Miss was so excited to finally get him blown up. Grampy has promised me that will be the only blow-up decoration. For now. 

So, this is our meager beginning for adding holiday cheer to our home. I hope to get it done by the end of the weekend at the latest.  

My friend Rhonda at If You Do Stuff is posting "Blogidays" during December and she inspired me to try to get at least a quick post up each day this month. I'll have to try to take photos of something other than kittens and grandkids, though. Happy December!

New-Old Chalkboard

In late September I picked up a couple of big-ish chalkboards at a local garage sale for $1. They’re well-used and bit beat up, but I still wanted to use one in my holiday decorating. After a quick check of Christmas chalkboard art on Pinterest, I decided to make a version of “O Holy Night” that I saw in the flea market/craft goods store awhile back. It was simple, yet expresses the meaning of the season.

Since the board sat in the garage for a few months, it got a good scrub to clean up, then “seasoned”, so that what we write and draw on it will erase. This is done by covering the chalkboard in chalk, then wiping it clean with a dry eraser or cloth.

I printed out the text using the Pristina font and set the size to 400. Rub chalk on the back of the paper, then put it where you want it on the board and trace the lettering on the front side of the paper. It leaves you a very light outline to trace and fill in. Jess thought it looked tedious, and it kind of is, but I got the neat, straight text I wanted. I did the same with an outline drawing of the nativity. Silas wanted to help, and I was almost finished, so he only got to fill in one letter, the “t”. He did a great job!

Here’s the final result. As I sit and stare at it, I see lots of things to do differently, but I’m not touching it. My first reaction was that I really liked it, so I’m sticking with that.

I did use a level to hang it up, and it’s still about ¼” off, but I was done fussing.

 

I like having that big blank space filled up.

The other board is the same size, just with a blue frame. Jess and I have plans to refurbish both of them, then I think I may keep one up all the time.

 

Weekend Fun and Not-so-fun

This past weekend was busy and chaotic and included a couple of injuries tucked in for fun. We started early Saturday morning with homemade blueberry muffins for breakfast before heading off to visit with Santa. Both boys were a bit giddy at the prospect of seeing the old guy in person. Silas seemed especially nervous and excited. Of course, they had their entourage go along to watch – Mama and Daddy, me, Grampy, and Papa Bob, all not wanting to miss this fleeting childhood moment. (I was remembering many years past when my mom would take all five of us kids downtown to the courthouse to stand in line in the cold to see Santa. I’d be sick to my stomach with excitement for that quick moment on his lap and a tiny candy cane treat to take home. I’m not a candy can fan as far as eating them goes, so I’d hang it on the Christmas tree when I got home. Oh, and that old courthouse was such a beautiful building. I was so sad when they tore it down and built something more “modern”. Ugh. Yes, probably full of lead paint and asbestos, but it was also full of character and history.) This “Santa” was very kind and soft-spoken, chatting a bit with each child before posing for a photo. Brad said Santa asked him what his wish was. I’m not sure Brad understood that was the moment to tell the big guy about Star Wars Legos. He seemed pretty star struck sitting there.

We did a little grocery shopping after the visit, then headed home to decorate the Christmas tree. My brother brought his kids over to join in the fun and they had that tree decorated in 10 minutes or so. My nephews and niece are getting so big – look at how tall Wyatt is, reaching to the top layers of tree branches. We had a quick lunch, then made some cookies and did a little craft. They’re fun kids and always so polite and ready to help. Wyatt vacuumed the living room, Grace helped fold some laundry, and Garett entertained the little guys outside for a long time.

On Sunday there was more decorating. I sorted through the rest of my decoration totes, trying to decide what to use, what to put away, and what to get rid of. Jess and the boys set up a small tree in their bedroom. We picked it up at Goodwill a couple of weeks ago for a few dollars. They love it. I won’t be surprised if Brad refuses to let it be put away after the holiday season. Silas insisted on a star for the top, so I dug out a rustic twig star ornament I’ve had for tens of years. He was disappointed it didn’t sparkle. Maybe Santa can bring one of those for him… They added a few more things after this pic was taken, and their tree is really quite charming.

I mentioned injuries in the beginning of this post. Everyone looks pretty much unscathed here, don’t they? Earlier in the day before the boys got here, Silas slipped on the kitchen floor and got a fat lip and bloody nose. Then while we were sorting out decorations, Brad tripped on stuff on the floor and hit his eye on the edge of a chair. Instant bruising and a small cut, but some ice and a band-aid made it all better. He wore his Batman mask to the dinner table so we wouldn’t be able to see his owie. At that time, he planned to wear it to school today as well. I’m kind of hoping he forgets that plan. LOL. This morning he has a bruise on his eyelid, and won’t let us take the band-aid off to check the cut, but was happy to get a pic of his first black eye. 

   

Speaking of the dinner table, Grampy made us a most-delicious pork loin roast in the infrared “fryer”. This fryer roasts meat all the way around, making a crispy crust on the outside, and juicy succulent meat on the inside. He cooked our Thanksgiving turkey the same way and it was probably the best turkey we’ve had. Bird went in the basket, the basket went into the fryer, Greg came back into the house to help with the rest of the meal. No babysitting the oil, making sure the garage doesn’t burn down.

After bath, the boys snuggled into clean jammies and settled in for some Grinch on TV. It wasn’t long before that idyllic scene was ruined when poor Silas started whining and squirming and then got sick all over himself and Jessica. Oh, that was nasty. I donned the vinyl gloves before peeling his jams off and trying to clean him up while Jess was getting herself taken care of. Ugh. He promptly fell asleep, but was up a couple more times through the night. This morning he’s perky and chatty, but doesn’t want to eat. No preschool and some quiet activities today should have him back to himself. Fingers crossed that is the end of it, but I fear for the rest of us.

So, that’s what’s happening in my prairie corner right now. Today we’ll do some more decorating and get the totes put away, then perhaps we’ll bake a treat to tuck away for our family celebrations later this month. We’ll see where the day takes us…

 

Fun Christmas Pillows

Many times in the afternoon while 2 year-old Silas is napping, 4 year-old Bradley and I take on a "project". These projects often allow him to practice life skills or reinforce what he's learning in preschool, but mostly they're just fun.
Today's project was to make Christmas pillows using a Santa hat, a couple of empty Christmas stockings, and some fluffly stuffing. I showed Brad how to stuff it clear to the tippy-toes of the stockings, and fill it to the seam of the cuff of the stocking. Same with the hat - stuffed clear from the pointy tip to the cuff seam. Then we pinned the seam closed and sewed it up. He wanted to "needle" the pillows, meaning he wanted to put the pins in, so I let him try. I only got poked a little. LOL.

Once the seam is sewn closed, you just fold the cuff back over and ta da!, you have a fun holiday pillow.
We had enough stuffing for two stockings and one Santa hat. Brad has distributed them throughout the house - one in the bed where Silas naps, one in the playroom, and one on the living room couch.
The few days following Christmas, when all of the holiday decorations and supplies are at deep discount, is a good time to grab a few Santa hats and some stockings for next year. That is where these came from - all at 80% or 90% off. I plan to pick up a few more so we can have a pillow collection for the playroom next year. They're fast, easy, and lots of fun!

Keeping Kids Busy

We all know that toddlers/preschoolers and teenagers have much in common, not the least of which is that if you don’t keep them busy doing something constructive, they’re going to find something to do, and it may not always be the best choice. I have evidence of this in the playroom right now – yesterday when I was busy with my little nephew (almost 7 months old), the grandboys and my 3 year-old niece were in the playroom having what sounded like a wonderful time. The laughter should have been a warning to me. That much fun means trouble… Oh, and I’m sure it was lots of fun to color on the walls, the mirror, and the carpet! Argh.

The boys weren’t here today, but I still have the niece to keep busy, so we made cardboard “gingerbread” houses. The original blog post about these and the template can be found here. I keep most of the cardboard from food boxes to recycle, and while we don’t eat much cold cereal, I did have two boxes in the recycling stash, as well as one from granola bars that was a good size.

 

After printing and cutting out the template, I traced it onto the inside of the boxes and cut it out. It was easier to fold on the fold-lines when I scored them, so I got out the scoring board. Gotta say, that was a good use of my birthday gift card, I use it all the time.

I folded the lines, then hot glued the whole thing together. The template does not include a roof, but the side panel of the cereal box is the right width for that. I gave mine a bit of an overhang, and also added gingerbread trim by cutting a strip with decorative scissors and gluing on the front at the roofline.

By now the niece was getting pretty excited to decorate this little house. We finished construction, added the scratchy side of Velcro to strategic spots on the house, then sorted through my box of felt pieces to cut some decorations. She was especially enamored with the idea of using pompoms, and I happened to have a few, so we got those out as well.

While she played with decorating, I cut out and glued together three more houses. She’ll take hers and another for her sister, and I’ll have two here for the grandboys. I think they’ll enjoy playing with them, especially since the crayons will be “grounded” for awhile…