The girls have many theories about Santa.  They mostly revolve around why there are so many Santas (at the mall, at restaurants, etc.) and how he couldn't possibly be in all those places at one time.  I love to listen to them discuss and analyze this.  I try not to chime in, but when I do, it is only to keep it all mysterious.  Kate has determined that one of these men is the real deal and all the others are helpers.  The problem, as she sees it, is that you don't know if you are seeing the man in charge or his delegate.  So you had better be good, she says.  I agree.

Jane isn't as worried about whether she is seeing a helper or not.  She has always loved The Polar Express and her teacher gave her a very special bell today.  She is testing everyone she sees.  She rings the bell and then says, "Do you hear something?"  "Yes, I do," I replied when asked.  Then she looked at me with a big smile and said, "You believe."  Yes. Yes, I do.  I believe.

I've spent the weekend crafting.  It's been very satisfying, but I still have a long way to go.

There is still quite a bit to do.  Like shopping.  Oh, and the Christmas cards.  I think I had better make a list.  For now, though, I am hooking up the scanner and moving on to the next project.  I can't wait to show and tell.  Really, this secrecy thing is killing me. 

Chocolate + beer = Holiday Cheer

You don't believe me?  Then you haven't had this.

It's Frederick Miller Classic Chocolate Lager.  And it is good.  Really good.  Smooth, easy drinking and chocolaty without overdoing it.  In my opinion, it makes a nice cocktail, a great after dinner drink or even dessert.  Unfortunately, it is seasonal and only available in a few Midwest markets.  Even though Fatty is a beer guy, we don't have access to this brew in our town.  What's a girl to do?  Well, in my case, beg a couple cases off my dad while in Chicago over Thanksgiving.  (Thanks Dad!)

I should really have a good picture of it in a nice mug or pint glass, but it's only 3pm and I am hanging out with three little girls.  I did think of opening it anyways, but shudder to think of pouring this stuff down the drain.  It is that good.  Plus, Fatty's company party is tonight so there will be plenty of beer in my near future.  A good beginning to a nice weekend, I hope!  Hope your is as equally festive!

I read this over on pixiegenne this morning and decided to play along with Meg.  Here goes!
 
Does Santa wrap the presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa doesn't wrap at our house, but he does set up a really nice display for each girl - normally one on the couch and the other on a chair.  He did this for both me and Fatty.  I love the wow factor of seeing all the goods out in the open.

Colored lights on tree/house or white?
White lights on the tree this year although I grew up with colored lights and really tried to have both this year.

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Poppyseed coffee cake - it's a family tradition.

Favorite Holiday memory as a child:
Decorating the gingerbread house each year and the Pepper Valley Christmas party.  Oh - and eating under the Christmas tree and looking in the windows of Marshall Field's on State Street in Chicago.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes - just one each.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Lots and lots of white lights with many mercury glass ornaments.  We have lots of other ornaments, too, but they only made a brief, five minute appearance this year.  But I am over it.  Really, I am.

Snow!  Love it or Dread it?
LOVE it!  Can't ski without it.  Wish we got more here - I have great memories of all the sledding and snowman building I did as a child.

What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Cookies - all of them baked by my mom and made just so.

What is your favorite Christmas Song?
There are so many good ones...I like the ones I know all the words to although you probably don't want to hear me sing!

Candy Canes!  Yum or Yuck?
YUM!  Especially with hot chocolate. Mmmm.

Favorite Christmas Tradition Growing Up:
Decorating the gingerbread house and trimming the tree.

Least Favorite Christmas Tradition Growing Up:
Ah - having to wait to eat the gingerbread house until after New Year's.

Breakfast or Presents First?
Snacking on coffee cake and drinking champagne while opening presents.  Brunch later.

Thanks Meg - that was a fun for me.  Now, off to make some more gifts...

Busy, busy, busy - that's me.

Today was about baking:  sugar cookies, raspberry spitzbuben, oatmeal lace cookies, brownies and (hopefully) pistachio-cranberry cookies.

I love how this pile sitting on my stairs looks so Christmas-y.  I managed to clean up move the mess leftover from all the crafting - my holiday ornaments (trials and the finished product) and the craft for Jane's Brownie meeting today.  Just tossed it into the sewing room which is in a more sorry state now.  Oh well...

This is my entry for November's Tie One On.  I made this apron (along with 9 others) for my local spring craft swap.  I loved it so much, I couldn't give it away.  So now, it's mine for keeps!

November's theme was to submit a picture of you wearing an apron and send it along with a favorite holiday recipe (check them out here).   Easy, peasy, I thought.  Well, as always, time got the best of me and I submitted on the last day.  Jane snapped this photo of me in front of one of our trees.  Not bad, huh?

The plan was to have two trees this year:  our standard one with white fairy lights and all the glass and Christopher Radko ornaments I have collected and then a second with the big, old fashioned bulbs, paper chains, popcorn strings and all the wood and handmade kid ornaments including the ones I made as a child.  Did you notice that I said plan?

Here are photos of the two trees now:

Beautiful, fancy glass ornament tree

Old-fashioned, homespun second tree

Yup - thwarted again!  The more kid-friendly version fell.  FELL.  RIGHT AFTER WE HAD PUT ALL THE ORNAMENTS ON.  I know you can picture it....toppled tree, broken glass bulbs, water everywhere, two completely stunned kids, one hysterical woman and one man totally fixated on the water and wood floor combination.  Then it was a long clean up process with lots of tears (mine).  Many of my childhood ornaments broke as did a couple of the girls'.  I am sentimental about those kinds of things hence more tears.  So I pitched it - threw the tree out into the yard and washed my hands of the whole deal.  We had a crap week (found out Friday about another friend's husband dying) and I need it to be over.  Really the black cloud that is hanging over our house needs to move on.

But I got the birthday stuff done.  And the party went well.  Jane was happy.

I still haven't finished the ornaments, though.  But I will.  Today.  In the mail today.

Tracing +

Cutting +

Sewing =

Wee yo-yo's.

I am home again and crazy busy.  Working on my ornaments for the holiday ornament exchange (supposed to be in the mail tomorrow....).  Still to do:  a birthday shirt, goody bags, presents to wrap, tie one on, finish putting up Christmas decorations, bake a cake, procure school party snack.  Not necessarily in that order.

See you when I come up for air.

Much has happened in the last day.

We came home from Chicago yesterday afternoon just so we could get our Christmas trees.  After we got home from the tree lot, our vet called to let us know that Breezer, our 13 year old black lab, had died.  Although Fatty and I knew that she was old and somewhat felt the end nearing, it was still a shock.  Fatty and I started dating two days before he got Breezer so the three of us have always been together.  It's very surreal - I keep feeling like something isn't right and then realize that, oh yeah, Breezer isn't here.  I am sad that I didn't get to say a proper good-bye and at the same time, I feel very fortunate that we didn't have to make a decision regarding her life, that she didn't die in front of the girls and that we didn't wake up one morning to find her dead on her dog bed.  She was a great dog and a wonderful pet.  I am missing her already.

Then this morning we received a call letting us know that Fatty's grandfather passed away.  He had been ill, but it still came as a surprise - I guess it always does.  We are packing up the car and going to pay our respects on Tuesday.  Ralph was a good man and, although I didn't know him well, I enjoyed spending time with him each and every time I saw him.

A couple of hours later, Fatty learned that one of his employees died suddenly this morning.  He was a 25 year old young man engaged to be married that died without warning and with no apparent cause.  Such a tragedy to lose such a young person whose life was really just at its beginning.

I am counting my blessings.  First on the list, the gift of life.