There is a reason why we have yet to decorate our Christmas tree.
Here is reason number 1 and 2.
We do however have our Santa's village up and running and the cats are not the least interested in that. And after 11 years of collecting pieces for the now very large - and illuminated - village display, it is the only reason the kids aren't really upset about the Christmas tree trimming delay.
Of course the girls could help get the tree decorated sooner if they didn't encourage the kittens' antics and they actually tried to get them out of the tree.
The girls got plenty of wear in their Mrs. Claus capes this week.
At the Portland Ice Arena's holiday party...
... and grandpa's annual Christmas card photo.
And I'm happy to report that none of the cats were locked in the car with the keys this year. Although Toddy still remembers as he cried in the car and through most of the photos. He was rewarded with a kitty treat for his bravery and is quite content to never leave the house again (well, until he's forced to endure next year's picture).
The girls have really enjoyed the snow this week, especially with their furry neighborhood friend (he's a well-trained dog that the girls adore, unlike the crazy one we have problems with).
Alas, I must make a mention about grandpa's help snow-blowing our big driveway. Fino was having trouble with the snowblower and grandpa came to the rescue.
The girls went from target shooting with daddy earlier in the week to Sewing Club with mommy at the end of it.
We're going for well-rounded at our house.
The girls helped finish up the craft sale projects and made some ornaments to decorate the library's Christmas tree.
L. also learned how to use a Knifty Knitter with one of the sewing club's adult volunteers and has been busy making hats ... for her cats.
Sort of gives a whole new meaning to Dr. Seuss' tale for us.
I've also been sewing this week since I told the girls last year that I would make them Mrs. Claus capes for their various Christmas activities this month (with no such luck they would have forgotten that offer!).
Last year a friend let them borrow costume capes for the Portland Ice Arena's Christmas party and both girls loved the whole idea of them.
2006 photo from the skating party
But when it came time to make the capes, both girls wanted fleece and white fur instead of felt material. Felt would have been much easier to manage but I saw their point when they said the fleece capes would keep them warmer while ice skating and Christmas caroling as well as posing for our annual Christmas card picture (which will hopefully not involve locking Toddy the blind cat - and the keys - in the car again).
So I picked up some red fleece at JoAnn Fabrics $2.79/yard sale last weekend and some white fur fleece and got to work modifying a pattern I already had to make the capes.
Working with fleece fur is a real drag because it's really, really MESSY!
It sheds everywhere before even cutting it. I'm sure we'll be cleaning up the stray lint from this material for weeks to come.
But once the edges were folded over and sewn (which jammed up the machine multiple times), it stopped shedding so it does have some redeeming qualities afterall.
The girls said they thought the clean up hassle was worth it (I did have to agree their idea worked out in the end) and are ready for their various Christmas holiday activities this month.
Our Thanksgiving Day prep started with making pies. G. took charge of making the pumpkin pie and L. took charge of the apple pie. She was just in it for the apple peeling action as well as the left over bits of apple.
The apple-peeling gizmo was money well-spent a few years back. The kids love using it and I don't mind making apple pies because it's not so labor-intensive anymore.
Since we had FOUR large hams in our freezer from the pig raffle winnings, we decided the last thing we needed to do was to find the space - or spend the money - on a turkey.
The kids were a little resistent to the idea initially because they couldn't believe our family would not eat turkey on Thanksgiving. But having grown up in an Italian-American family that ate a multi-course meal that included Italian soup and lasagna BEFORE the turkey was even served, it wasn't so far off-base to me.
I made two hams for the nine people we had at our Thanksgiving dinner table and there was still plenty left-over. The only meat we've eaten since our winnings back in early October has been pork. We still have a freezer full of meat.
Every adult at the dinner table said it was a little strange that they did not feel so tired after eating the Thanksgiving meal. We all got to thinking eating ham sounded -- and felt -- a whole lot better than turkey for next year too.
Since daylight savings 'fall back' isn't until this weekend (because of that darn new law), it took an extra hour for dusk and the girls were anxious to get out on the trick-or-treating route (I would guess other mother's across the US were cursing those lawmakers Halloween night). To pass the time, they decided to play with their new kittens outside and teach them how fun the swing set was.
You can guess who was having more fun with that.
And G. has been trying really hard to teach Dulce how to go for a walk on a leash. I don't have the heart to tell her about the reality of training a cat ...
I put a stop to the idea of teaching the kittens about the slide. I thought the swing was more than enough for everyone.
Once dusk set in the girls were in their costumes and out the door. We live in a good neighborhood for trick-or-treating with a low-traffic, one-mile loop.
G. was a Renaissance Queen and L. was St. Lucia, which was prompted by the latest American Girl catalog (Kirsten celebrates the Swedish holiday for the saint and had a page spread with a costume like this).
The girls like going door-to-door, not just for the candy but to also visit with everyone's animals. They know nearly every dog and cat in our neighborhood, most by name. So Halloween is a time to catch up on each of their animal friends with at the door chit-chat. I usually have to remind them to wrap up and get moving again, much to the amusement of my neighbors.
Of course, the girls can never remember any of our neighbor's names but that's clearly not part of their agenda. It's all about the animals for them.
For the past couple of years the girls' 4-H club has collected donations to send Christmas stockings to soldiers serving in Iraq. My girls' contribution to the project has been to put their sewing skills to work. They make Christmas fabric bags that can be filled with items from the A Soldier's Wish List website.
The bags are 10" x 12" and the straight lines make them much easier to sew than a traditional stocking shape. They hold more too.
The kids sewed a ribbon into the seam that ties around the top to close the bag once it's filled.
The kids got a chance to see my friend Meg's serger in action with this project, which made the couple of bags sewn on it look professionally done.
The girls and their friends made a dozen gift bags in about an hour. It's an easy sewing project that everyone enjoys.
Of course, there's lots of chatter when you get a bunch of girls together to sew and you can see from the video that G. was quite impressed with the serger.
In the next couple of days the girls and I plan to get outside for some low-key exercise to help me get back in to shape -- and get back on topic about enjoying the outdoors with kids.
For several years during the Christmas season (before children) I made cut-out cookies and really enjoyed it. When the girls came along, life became too crazy to keep that tradition going.
But then I had a brainstorm when the girls were toddlers -- make cut-out cookies for Halloween and Valentine's Day when life was a little less chaotic and the social calendar wasn't so crazy. Now these two holidays rarely pass without the girls and I making a few batches of cut-outs to decorate. It's been a great family tradition for us.
And since I'm still not up to climbing mountains yet and haven't done a whole lot outdoors lately (I'm still working on getting back in shape after my surgery) I thought I'd share my 'learnings' about making cut-out cookies for those parents who want to make them for the holiday season.
Make the dough ahead of time. It can take an hour or more just to make so I prefer to do this with the girls a day or two ahead of time. Plus, rolling out *cold* dough really is easier and makes a better cookie.
Frozen cookies are easier to decorate for little hands, especially if you decide decorating (not rolling and cutting) is the way to go with your toddler/preschooler. Plus, unfrosted cookies last a month or more in the freezer if packaged well (in a freezer ziplock baggie and carefully stacked so they don't break). Just be sure cookies are completely cooled before packaging up for the freezer.
I've never been very good at decorating cookies but the girls enjoy mixing and matching various sprinkle and frosting options.
"Look mom, I'm a pumpkin head!" She's 11 and I'm amused she still thinks that's funny.
Sugar Cookies
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
Mix butter and shortening together then add sugar and baking powder. Blend until well-combined. Then add egg and vanilla and mix well. Add one cup of flour at a time. Make dough into oval shape, cover in plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for at least 3 hours (I usually keep in overnight).
Roll out dough on a floured surface (kids tend to put too much flour, a tablespoon is usually enough) and be careful the rolled-out dough is not too thin (1/4" works well for us).
Bake cookies on an un-greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees (cooler than most recipes but I've found this temp works better) for about 5-6 minutes (depending on cookie thickness).
Cookies are done when the edges start to lightly brown (which doesn't always look done but it likely is so experiment with one pan at a time at first).
Let the cookies sit in the pan for about 2 minutes after removing from the oven. This will help ensure the cookies don't break before moving them to the cooling racks. I have 6 cookie sheets to keep the cookie cutting and baking moving along for the kids.
Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla (we like orange too) extract
1 Tablespoon milk
Mix everything together until well combined. Separate into small bowls and then add food coloring.
My girls and some of their Juliette Girl Scout friends came together last night to do some Christmas caroling in Gorham.
I was in charge of doing a quick review of lyrics in a caroling book I had given to the girls before we went out into the neighborhood. But I got so caught up with the book (thinking it was helpful), that we ended up forgetting to sing some really popular tunes that weren't included there - like Rudolph and Frosty.
Well, there's always next year.
A silly moment when the girls forgot the words to, "Santa Claus is coming to Town." I think it was a bit of stage - I mean sidewalk - fright when some people came to hear them sing. [And yeah, it was dark so this is more audio - than video - clip.]
Or the time one of the girls decided that she couldn't sing, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" without having the corresponding page in the caroling book.
I think I'll leave the caroling book home next year...
We're in full holiday mode at our house now after making gingerbread houses and driving around looking for Christmas lights this week.
We took part in a family workshop at the Baxter Library in Gorham to make gingerbread houses. And although it looked as though our house had been through a snow storm thanks to our less than careful work with the frosting adhesive, we did include a hot rod parked next to the house. The girls were pleased to have built a hot rod "just like Grandpa's" and even included a Hershey Kiss date for him. Typical Almeida family humor...
Then last night I took the girls and a couple of their friends out to look at Christmas lights. It's a family tradition to make hot cocoa and pack a bucket of popcorn and candy for a car ride around town looking for light displays.
G. took photos from a few favorite displays. This one was in Standish.
Another favorite display in Windham
A couple of years back I made a math game out of our Christmas lights car adventure to help G. with her math skills. It was so much fun that we now make a tally sheet every year for our trip.
In the 20 miles we drove through various neighborhoods last night, here's what we found.
There was much discussion about their statistical data on the most popular light display items and which were not.
When I told G. that math really wasn't so bad she replied, "Yeah but this is fun math. Not like the other stuff I have to do."
G. had the camera's video going on the trip as well and took some video clips of a couple of the bigger light displays we saw along the way that she liked.
The girls have sent of their emails to Santa about what they're hoping for this year. Why email?
"Santa sends us a letter right back when we email him!"
I like emailing Santa too. The girls can only request three items (the email form has only three blocks to write in) and Santa emails them right back about their requests. Sort of an 'order confirmed' note, which I explain to the girls means that they can't change their minds about the gifts they want. Very helpful with kids like L. who can never make up her mind about anything.
After G. finished reading Santa's return letter she noticed a special section just for pets. Apparently Rudolph not only leads Santa's sleigh on stormy nights, he also organizes the elves to make gifts for all the special animals of the world.
G. helped Toddy at the keyboard to type in his requests and he too received a letter right back. Here's a little excerpt of it (of course the letter is hanging on the bulletin board in our kitchen as well).
It's always wonderful to get an email from you, Toddy! Öink baaa meow hiss roar squeãl!! So Toddy, have you been a good boy this year? (Of course, you won't mind if Santa and I do a little checking, will you? woof chirp? baaaa! neiiiiiighhh).
Did you have a hard time typing with your paws? Keyboards weren't really designed for us critters were they?! Tikki-tikki squawk woof!! Of course, don't forget to get your owner to email Santa too so Santa knows what they want for Christmas. Otherwise, you might have to share that kitty treats with them!! ARROOoooooo! ~sproing~ squeãl öink!!
Toddy the blind cat took a car ride to be part of Grandpa's annual Christmas card picture and ended up with an extended stay in the family vehicle. The reason: G. locked Toddy - and my keys - in the minivan.
But the trouble began when I asked G. to put our furry family member in the van so we could get a few pictures without him.
The second we were done, G. ran back to the van to check on Toddy.
I told her to leave the cat alone for a minute and come into the house to look at the photos.
She ignored me.
I called to her again but she continued to hug Toddy in the car and ignore me.
Then I yelled at her to get her butt in the house. She finally listened (Why must I be forced to yell? I honestly don't like to.) and took it upon herself to lock the car.
Apparently protecting Toddy from the evils of Grandpa's driveway - located in a nice, quite neighborhood - trumped her common sense.
The real kicker was that she opened the driver's side door to engage the automatic car locks. My keys were in plain view on the driver's seat. I left them there because I didn't have a pocket to carry them in while taking photos and didn't think we'd be staying long anyway.
But really, it's a mystery as complex as the building of the pyramids if you asked G. why she didn't see those keys, let alone what possessed her to lock the doors in the first place.
Then the realization hit me that my spare key to the van was in my wallet, which was in the backpack that was also now locked in the van.
After a short rant about putting on our "thinking caps" that I directed at G. (I am hardly a paragon of motherhood), I went inside the house to resume downloading the photos I had taken earlier to cool off.
And don't think I escaped comments for my role in this debacle. Several times Grandpa reminded me on the importance of a hide-a-key and leaving a window cracked open.
Thanks for the timely advice Dad.
But in the spirit of trying to help the girls, Grandpa took them back out to the driveway to try to jimmy the lock.
It didn't work.
I called Fino at work to explain the situation and after some snickering on both our parts, he agreed with me that it wasn't a dire emergency and that Toddy would be OK to wait a couple of hours until he could get to Grandpa's with his set of keys (it wasn't overly hot or cold out so at least that was running in our favor).
Because really, how was I going to explain to someone at AAA that my blind cat was locked in the family minivan at Grandpa's house?
I went outside a little while later to check on the crew trying to rescue Toddy and found Grandpa trying to stick a wire through the window, G. in tears and L. writing in the layer of dust on the van.
Everyone has their own special way of dealing with a crisis.
We left the van a while later to return home with the promise from Grandpa to check periodically on Toddy.
Fino arrived a couple of hours later in Grandpa's driveway to find Toddy curled up on the van's driver seat. He unlocked the door and drove Toddy home.
Toddy received a heart-felt homecoming from the girls who went running into the driveway as soon as Fino pulled into it.
I lectured G. that she was banned from ever locking the car door again. Afterward she reminded me that it wasn't nice that I laughed about Toddy's situation. Now that things were resolved I calmly reminded her that she was darn lucky her mom had a good sense of humor.
Every year deciding on a Halloween costume is painful at our house. Usually L. can not make a decision about one - and stick with it - for more than a day or so. One year she wore three different costumes, one to each party she went to and one for Halloween night, simply because it was too hard for her to pick a single one.
Of course I am not one to criticize my child's decision-making skills. I still have an LL Bean gift card from last Christmas that I have yet to redeem because I can't decide what to buy with it.
Compared to L. though, I look decisive.
At the beginning of October she decided she was going to be, "Anne of Green Gables." A little tricky since it's not something people would necessarily recognize, even with the orange yarn wig and book she planned to carry to explain the costume.
And I admit that I shared a few giggles with friends over her choice but was pleased she had made her decision early and seemed to be sticking with it. But then yesterday at dinner she announced "Anne" wasn't a good costume and she needed another one.
Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays but I'm re-thinking things now. My progeny is making me crazy. Of course we could skip Trick-or-Treating but then I wouldn't have any fun or get any candy either.
This is what an 8-year-old does when her sister is in class and she has some time on her hands during the month of October.
Meet the pumpkins starting clockwise from bottom left: Poodle, Mummy, Vampire, "Save" (reserved for her sister to decorate), Chiquita Banana Girl, Ghost, The Lady (love the Life cereal eyes).
I'm an after-holiday bargain shopper. I keep a particular eye out for socks because the kids love the various holiday designs and I can usually pick them up for less than a dollar on sale. And it doesn't matter the holiday - Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter - the kids like them all.
I share this tidbit only to explain the reason G. has so many kinds of socks. She really likes them and in the past few months, she's developed her own special style in wearing them.
Now I may have perpetuated G.'s new fashion statement because I don't match socks from the laundry. Clean socks go in a basket for the kids to rummage through to match themselves. I think G. got tired of looking for a matched pair one day and it went from there.
She may have also gotten the notion from her genetic makeup. I went through quite a few years in junior high (and maybe even high school), wearing different socks, which my mother reminded me about recently after seeing G.'s feet.
There have been a couple of disadvantages with these socks though. Like the time she had an imprint of a Christmas tree on her leg from her downhill ski boots.
But that hasn't stopped her from wearing them with other sport equipment, like this past week when we went ice skating.
"My skates fit better with thin socks Mom. Plus, they do really match today. They both have snowmen."
Subscribe
Questions/Comments
