Unique Like Everyone Else

Epiphany

Today, January 6, is the Twelfth Day of Christmas, Epiphany, the day it is said that the Three Wise Men's journey culminated in the Revelation of the  Baby Jesus--God revealed in physical form.

 

 

I was chatting online the other day with an acquaintance from England about when people take down their Christmas decorations.  She said that she generally takes them down somewhere between Jan. 3-5 because it is considered bad luck to keep them up past Epiphany.  I had to laugh (and thank my lucky stars!) because I have always used Epiphany as an arbitrary date that the Christmas decorations can come down NO SOONER THAN.   Haha!

The word "epiphany," based on this divine manifestation, can also mean

"any moment of great or sudden revelation."  (Collins English Dictionary)

On this twelfth day of Christmas, 2012, I had an epiphany.  There were presents that I had squirrelled away that I totally forgot to put under the tree on December 24th.  Whoops! 

So I put together a little festive lunch with the Christmas Crackers I'd also forgotten to bring out when my mom and dad were here (and some Cheez-Its that J-Boy has now dubbed "Epiphany Crackers" to go with the Christmas Crackers) and gave the kids their bonus gifts.

 

 Happy Epiphany, Everyone!

 

Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you!!

We had a lovely Christmas celebration joined by Nonnie and Pop-Pop this year!  It was fun being able to introduce them to and include them in some of the traditions we've developed over the years for our own little family, as well as partake in some of the time-honored ones they created for me when I was a child.

For the past few years we have been lucky enough to be invited to a delicious dinner at our good friends, The H.'s, Manicotti Madness Christmas Eve Supper.

     

They are such gracious hosts and such amazing chefs! 

 

On our way back home, stuffed and content, we drove through one of the most decorated streets in our community.  Almost every house is crazily lit up, with lights zig-zagging across the street connecting all the homes, ginormous candy canes flanking the entrance to the neighborhood, and the story of The Night Before Christmas painted on large signs to read as you slowly drive down the road.  A feast for the eyes, and a definite dose of Christmas Spirit.

 

 

We were all ready to head straight to the "nestled all snug in their beds" portion of the evening when we returned home, but one of Santa's elves had left a couple of packages under the tree while we were out. 

 

New jammies for J-Boy and J-Girl!

 

Christmas morning has taken on a much more mellow tone now that the kids are older and understand and appreciate the beauty and indulgence of sleeping in. Still, they were up ahead of us and quietly went through their stockings, and helped Edward with his.

 

We ate a leisurely breakfast, and then worked on a puzzle that J-Boy got in his stocking while we waited for Nonnie and Pop-pop to arrive back over at our place. 

 

After a round of kisses, hugs, and Christmas morning greetings, we introduced them to our new Sock Monkey that Big Daddy had scored at his office party a few days before.

 

I just love it, and it has become expected that if someone starts up the monkey, it is required that you stop whatever you are doing and come to dance, dance, dance, dance. 

 

 

Once the House Rule was explained, even Nonnie and Pop-pop were willing to play along!

 

 Many lovely gifts were given and received.  Some elicited more excitement and raw emotion than others, but all were good, appreciated, and met with the utmost gratitude.

 

Dishwasher rinse agent for Nonnie
(Yes, "Really."  And, yes, she was happy! 
She and Pop-pop are now SoCal residents
and must succumb to the harsh reality of hard water.) 

 

Coconut Soda for Pop-Pop--a delicacy and difficult to come by
unless you know where to look!

One bottle in his stocking as a tease...

 

...and a box with 8 more!  Next time I'll send the stockboy to the back with a cart
instead of just his bare hands with the instruction, "as many as you can carry."

 A new laptop for J-Girl, which J-Boy was just as excited about so
his sister wouldn't have to share with him anymore. 
In the Spirit ofof the Season, that kid...

 

A bit emotional...a few tears were shed.

 

 And a dream several years in the making finally came true for J-Boy!

 

Santa, so wise, brought a board game J-Boy had never heard of, but has been
proving to be one of his favorite gifts in the lot!

 

And he knew just what to get for his sister to make her smile.

 

Another neat thing that only Santa could know is that a doll can still make a
girl happy, even on the cusp of fifteen years of age.  How does he do it??

 

You can see that we were well looked after, truly blessed, and had a wonderful Christmas. 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope yours was lovely, too, and that the New Year brings you
nothing but the best in love, health, and happiness in 2012! 

Happy Holidays!

I am just getting over a weekend in bed with the flu. :( 

I'm feeling much better, but I really didn't want to go out today.  I thought it might help me over the hump if I dressed and ran an errand or two, you know, to get back in the groove of every day life.   Well, just a few blocks from home and my spirits were lifted.

 

Aw, shucks.  I wasn't able to capture it in this picture, but the route on this bus was alternating with a message of "Happy Holidays".  It made me so happy!  It was the first Season's Greeting that I've received this year! 

So, perhaps I am or am not your first this year, but I want wish you all a Happy Holiday season, and hope you will find joy and cheer in all the little things in your day! 

 

 

Sew Crafty Halloween

 Happy (belated) Halloween, Everybody! 
Say hello to Liechtenstein and Finn!

 

sources: http://hetalia.wikia.com/wiki/File:Traditional_Liechtenstein.PNG and
http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/File:Finn.PNG

 

Whew!  J-Girl and I really put our sewing machine to task this Halloween!  J-Girl made her skirt and sash from scratch, altered a black blouse from Goodwill into a corseted vest, and fabricated a black stand-up collar out of the vest scraps.  J-Boy's Finn hat and backpack were experiments all the way, sculpting, pinning, cutting, sewing, fitting (seam ripping, repinning, refitting, sewing wrong sides out, seam ripping....I think that backpack was put together and taken apart every step of the way!)  But the results made for a happy kid!

 

Whoa, J!  Watch out for that Aperture Laboratories Test Subject!  He's aiming a portal gun straight at your head!  I always thought it would be cool to get inside that mind of yours, but, hey, I didn't mean it literally! 

 

ALTS, aka "Death", aka "Dr. Jekyll", is looking quite official in his Lab gear and identification badge!

 

 ALTS was hanging out with J-Boy a few weeks ago and had this great idea that they could make portal guns with Big Daddy's help.  BD was game and took the boys to the hardware store to research and commandeer some materials. 

So creative!  I love that he bought a couple of small, white trashcans
(see in the background, there?) to cut out the molded, curved plates he needed.

J-Boy's peers and younger recognized his character right off,
but ALTS got "the nod" from all the older teens and twenty-somethings.  :)

With their backpack candy collectors, the boys quickly developed a system to deposit the treats.  At first they struggled with their own bags, then taking each other's candy and putting it into the rightful bag, and finally, just putting the candy they got into the other guy's bag.  The coolest part of this system is that they got to know what each other liked, candy-wise, and started picking the other guy's favorites to put into his bag for him.

 

J-Girl has been a big fan of the anime Hetalia for a couple of years now.  She has made various cosplays (a fan contraction of "costume role play", I think.  And I think calling the anime fans' dress up clothes "costumes" is like calling an "action figure" a "doll".  Ah, but I digress...)  Last year she was the character "Taiwan" and her friend Ray-Ray was "Hungary".  They went to the Anime Expo in LA this summer as "Liechtenstein" and "England", and this Halloween they dressed as alternative renditions of those same characters.

 

 She magically whipped up Ray's blue cape and vest after school on the 31st, and Big Daddy got to work on that little blue top hat.  Bless her heart, she was working all the way up till it was time to head out trick-or-treating.

 

I took the opportunity to snap some shots of Neighbor B. and her buddy.

The girls headed out solo for the second year in a row.  I guess it's a rite of passage of sorts.  We left with the boys before they headed out, and they were gone when we got back.  So responsible, though.  J-Girl made a note and set out our candy for the trick-or-treaters to take.

We brought the bowl in when we got home, and leave it to J-Boy to notice
that "one piece of candy is being contradictory to the sign."

Let it be known that Big Daddy and I NEVER dress up for Halloween.  I don't think it is necessarily burn out from all the themed college parties we attended way back when, so much as we've made the holiday all about the kids.  But this year, perhaps because our kids are now in junior high and high school, or because there was an expectation that Big Daddy costume up for work at the freelance gig he's got right now, but he got into the spirit and put together an awesome boxer costume for himself.  The piece de resistance was the championship title belt he crafted from cardboard and high resolution internet photos and had slung over his shoulder. 

 

Even cuter,  however, is the fact that he's since hung it on the wall in our room. 
Unless Clive Owen comes a-knockin', Big Daddy will forever be my undisputed champ. ;)

The belt hangs proudly next to the cowboy mask that J-Boy gave him for Fathers' Day this year.  Wait a minute....is this actually Big Daddy's "vision board"????  Well, I made one in 2010 with a new refrigerator and a tortoise on it.  If I'm still waiting on those, then it may be a while before these goals manifest for the man!   

 Finally, because we had been invited to a Halloween party, I had to come up with a costume, too.  Goodwill glasses and dress, a borrowed wig from J-Girl, and I am ready to go-go!

We sure had a good time!  The best was running into someone I met at the party a couple days later and them not recognizing me because then I was a blonde!  Ha-ha!  I don't know that blondes have more fun, but I could see having some fun in a disguise!  Hey, J-Girl, I'm gonna keep that wig for a little longer, 'kay?  Yes, a happy Halloween, indeed!

 

Even cuter,  however, is the fact that he's since hung it on the wall in our room.  Unless Clive Owen comes a-knockin', he'll forever be my undisputed champ.)

Who's Your Santa?

I was folding laundry yesterday.  Christmas was a solid eight months ago, today being Sept. 2, right? 

 

 

Wait a minute -- I think these pajama pants are actually from the 2009 holiday season.  So that is a good year-and-a-half-plus that these babies have been making their way through the Flaherty Fluff 'n' Fold.

 

 

This is not a post about wearing Christmas clothes off season.  No, I really couldn't care less about what is worn when or with what.  White pants after Labor Day?  Go for it.  Flannel PJ's with a Santa motif in summer?  Knock yourself out. 

 

 

No,  this post is about unknowingly, yet perhaps, subliminally encouraging your now twelve (then ten!) year old kid not only to drink beer, but to "heart" beer and to share beer, and to drink beer in large quantities. 

 

        

 

Eighteen months have passed, and yet, I never noticed that the new jammies the Christmas Elf delivered to J-Boy one joyous Chistmas Eve had anything other than cute polar bears with eco-friendly messages mixed with rockin' guitars,  skulls in Santa hats, and the smarmy "Who's Your Santa?" designs.  I guess I...I mean, that Elf needs to be a more careful shopper now that my baby has outgrown the mainstays of the kids' department.  These PJ's are an Adult XS.

 

Hey, J-Boy!!  Be a good lad and go crack Mama open a cold one, will ya'?  Atta Boy!

 

Ha!  If you could only feel the discomfort he is emitting while indulging me with this pose!
I sure do love that kid! 

Now, seriously, give me that beer...

 

Sweet Revenge?

Boy, we thought our rabbit, Edward, was a bit territorial and intolerant of dogs coming to visit our house.  Who knew he would have such a visceral reaction to a guest, invited or not, of his own species!

 

 

Can one be "eaten in effigy"?

 

With all the other available candy in these baskets, unwrapped jeweled jellybeans, morsels of decadently wrapped chocolate that could be taken in entirety....

 

....he only attacked the large, rabbit-shaped items.  Clearly, a mob-like message sent to Don Easter Bunny. 

 

Notice a resemblance??

 

Well, Edward, what do you have to say for yourself??

"I made him the offer, and he refused it, so badaBOOM."

A Time to Wean

This isn't a post about New Year's Resolutions; that post would be titled "A Time to Purge."  No, I realized this morning that I really need to back off on the coffee.

But I LOOOVVVVEEE coffee!  The thing is, I amped up from my 2 cups a day to, well, I stopped keeping track.  All in a month's time.  Because we had company, then more company, and I need the boost to stay up and get blah, blah, blah done, and I'm so tired from staying up late, and I didn't sleep well (hmm), and, and, and.  And this morning, now that  all the hubbub of the Holidays is over and it is back to me being the sole coffee drinker in the house (Big Daddy likes 'em cold and decaffinated, and he's on his own for that) I found myself reaching for The Big Pot.  In which I make 8 to 10 cups, in the morning, in the afternoon, and possibly the evening depending on what's for dessert and who is joining us. 

I stopped myself and realized it was time to get back to routines, that The Big Pot needs to go back into storage.  The house is quieter.  The Christmas decorations are all put away.  There is an emptiness.  But putting away The Big Pot is the act of finality that signifies the Holiday season has come to an end. 

 

Sooooo, I guess what I'm really saying is:  Anyone wanna go to Starbucks?

Watch Out for Yellow Sn...Snow!!!

A few days ago I had started to blog about this:

 

 

But then THIS happened:

  

J-Girl's phone blurted with buzzes as the teen text squad spread the word, "It's snowing!" and J-Boy exclaimed, "It's a miracle!"  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Totally!

Happy New Year!
May 2011 be filled with miracles!




 

Banner Late Than Never

Spoiler Alert, Sis!  This is a gift coming your way...

I have always admired the genuine love and thoughtfulness that my sister showers upon her loved ones every day, but especially on their birthdays.  She has a way of making you feel so amazing and special and loved and cherished.  Yeah, I'll bake my kids a cake and wrap them a few gifts, but I'll only put up decorations if there is a party and "others" are coming over.  And doing that for Big Daddy?  Fahgettaboudit.  He's lucky if I get him a card. I know, I know--you don't need to tell me how much I suck. 

So, I had this idea when my Sis's birthday came and went in September, and started working on this belated birthday gift that she could use over and over again to celebrate everyone else's birthday.  Am I thoughtful, or what?  I suppose her kids could put it up for her next year. 

 

I tried to get it done for my Dear Niece's birthday in October, but with not dusting my light fixture and ALL that decorating I needed to do for Halloween, the project just didn't get finished in time.  Again with the sucking comments?  Really?  I KNOW!!!  I KNOW!!!  It's just the way I roll.  The way I slowly, achingly slowly, roll...

 

This Happy Birthday banner came out just as I'd imagined it!  I think I will have to make one for our house, too!  And maybe a Merry Christmas one, too!  Fun! 

 

 

I "freehand" single-crocheted the first triangle without a pattern, then went back and counted out stitches and rows to see what I did so I could create the rest of them.  I added contrasting edges by single-crocheting around, then embroidered the letters with chain stitch and attached each panel with a very long crocheted chain.  Easy peasy!  It would be even cuter embellished with some buttons or other crocheted doo-dads.  Give it a try!  Let me know if you'd like the pattern and I'd be happy to pass it along!

 

Halloween: version 2010

We had a low-key Halloween this year. I put up very minimal decorations (a "Happy Halloween" sign on the front door and a little plastic pumpkin on our very narrow fireplace mantle) but stuck to my annual get-in-the-spirit-of-spookiness tradition of NOT dusting the diningroom light fixture between September 1st and October 31st. 

It kind of loses its effect when I don't hang the little bats and spiders on it like I usually do.  Oh, well. 

 

I didn't even remember to use "my October voice," as J-Boy calls it:  A ghoulish, spooky, howling-wind type of thing where I draaaaag oooOOOOOOUUUuuuutttt sYYYLLLablesssss with a ghhoooOOOOOOssstly, VAMMMMpiiiirishhhh caaaAAAAAAdddannnccee.  J-Boy hates it and only allows it in October.   

J-Boy knew early on that he would be dressing up as Harry Potter this year.  He started reading the series of books late in the summer and is already almost done with number 7!  He had a funny experience during the summer where we picked up a friend of his from Summer Day Camp and the kids there were all-a-ruckus with shouts and finger-pointing, "Harry Potter!  It's Harry Potter!" because of his longish hair and glasses.  He loved it!

 

I knew we'd be going store bought or borrowed for his costume.  But, for Mrs. Do-er, the news of this costume choice was like some sort of astral-planetary-cosmic collision of good fortune:  three of her favorite loves had aligned--J-Boy, Harry Potter, and knitting!  Look at this beautiful handknit Gryffindor scarf!!!

 

J-Girl was given the go ahead to trick-or-treat without the parents this year.  With that, she and Neighbor B came up with their own schedule for meeting and heading out. I helped J-Girl with making her costume this year, and got it done so under the wire, that it wasn't until later I realized I never took a solo picture of her in it.  She is dressed as a character named Taiwan from a favorite anime series, Hetalia.  (The link here will take you to Episode 1.)

 

I dragged out the photo session with J-Boy and his friend, Death, while J-Girl got dressed and did her hair. 

 

  

 It was like holding back a couple of hornery bulls! 

The boys were rearing to go, and trying to get a couple of shots of the girls before they headed into the darkness-- without us--was, well, a very weird thing.

 
 

J-Boy came across a couple of his wizarding classmates as we made our way around the neighborhood.

And Death was able to find a nice collection of his work to show off. 

  

As is typical, J-Boy got his fill of trick-or-treating sooner rather than later.  Mrs. H. and Death were heading to a gathering a few blocks away, and we decided we would crash tag-along with them.  Knowing the hosting family, we knew they would embrace us for just "showing up."  But Big Daddy thought it best to bring a gift, and also to costume up for the occassion.

He's "The Most Interesting Man in the World!"

 

  Which was perfect cover for crashing a party...

 

 We enjoyed the relaxing conversation and compay, and their cozy fire pit and comforting chili. 

 
 

 

But, alas, even though Hogwarts was closed for instruction the following day, Harry was unable to conjure up the "second wind" spell.  We headed home and found the girls already back from their rampage, too.  I don't think it was even 9pm yet!