A Surprise

On the second day of Christmas, I got a surprise.

After tidying up a little after Christmas day, I thought about the cookies and how I wanted to condense them into a smaller container. This year, I baked two kinds: almond and shortbread with sprinkles. I also made Yum Yum Balls,* fudge, and turtle bark (almond bark, caramels, and pecans). My daughter and her children helped by baking and sharing peanut blossoms, molasses, and snow on the mountain cookies. We had a lot of cookies! Each household went home with a filled goodie bag. The few that were left behind were stored safely tucked inside the large tote in the garage. (Some Minnesotans like to store their Christmas cookies that way. Cold garages keep cookies fresh and hidden.)

When I went to the garage and saw the container that I had securely fastened the night before, had come askew, I thought, “I hope there’s not a mouse in there.” I peeked inside, and there he was – a small little guy that scurried to and fro – from one side of the tote to the other. Silly me – I secured the top and brought the mouse and cookies inside the house. Feeling quite flustered, I yelled upstairs, “There’s a mouse in the house!” My husband came running down, while I thought about how dumb it was that I brought the large container inside. I quickly moved it back into the garage. My husband thought a mouse was running around the house. Any person would, right? I explained the situation, and Hubby went into the garage to meet the mouse.

My husband let the mouse out to greet the blustery day. The mouse zipped along the outer edge of the house and disappeared to who knows where. Most of the treats were in tins except for the peanut blossoms and molasses cookies. Upon further inspection, I saw little teeth marks on the plastic bag that held the peanut blossoms. Smart mouse went straight for the peanut butter, but it didn’t look like he got a bite. So much work, with so little reward.

Of course, the cookies in plastic bags had to go in the garbage. I couldn’t help but be angry at myself for not hiding the cookies better, but I thought they’d be safe since the Christmas celebration was over. Everyone seemed as if they got enough to eat! Slowly, I forgave the culprit who didn’t fasten the lid, but I felt bad for the mouse. So many mice are in Christmas stories! Now, the cookies are almost gone, and I wonder… Could I have left the peanut blossoms outside for the little guy?!

Life will be interesting only when there is an element of surprise in it. ~ Hamsalekha

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* Yum-Yum Balls – Our Favorite Christmas Cookie

1/2 cup butter
2 cups peanut butter
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
3-1/2 cups Rice Krispies
2 (12-ounce) packages chocolate chips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Melt butter. Blend in peanut butter. Stir in Rice Krispies. Work in enough powdered sugar to hold mixture together. Refrigerate one hour; form small balls. Melt chocolate chips and vegetable oil in double boiler. Put chocolate chips and vegetable oil in top of double boiler the same time you put cold water in bottom of double boiler. Dip balls in chocolate (use two spoons to twirl around). Put on wax paper; cool. Enjoy!

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A Treasure to See

It’s a strange phenomenon. Friends have experienced it too. When we see the leaves change to their vibrant colors and the temperatures begin to drop, we dig in our treasure chest of leftover yarn and take an inventory of our crochet hooks and knitting needles. Spending more time inside, helps us get creative.

This fall, the weather thermometers didn’t drop like they usually do. We were greeted with many sunshiny days, and my yarn closet was left unattended.

A few days before Christmas, I managed to stay tucked away in our cozy home. The temperatures stayed below zero for days. There were two more gifts that needed to be created during hibernation. Last year, I crocheted snowmen ornaments for my grandkids. I wondered if making ornaments for them would be a yearly tradition. The closet held plenty of red, white, and green yarn. I admired a reindeer ornament pattern, but the yarn closet didn’t contain those colors. A trip to a store would ruin my plans of staying in hibernation. Plenty of white yarn spilled out to greet me. I began crocheting a snowflake ornament from a pattern I found online. The next morning I woke up and thought, “What kid wants a snowflake ornament? Kids want something fun.”

Luckily, after scrolling through many patterns on Pinterest, I found a cute Santa pattern on the Crochet for You Blog. The ornaments were completed on time without having to make a trip outside to get more materials!

The grandkids’ smiles were a treasure to see, when they opened their packages to find the Santa Claus ornaments. 🙂

(This post is in response to #dailyprompt: “How are you creative?”)

We Waited Patiently

Mom and Me

Around the time I was nine years old, my mom decided she no longer wanted to deal with a real tree. It was also the time when, a few days before Christmas, Dad placed a huge, beautifully wrapped box topped with a large red bow next to the artificial tree. My mom, two brothers and I were shocked and couldn’t wait to see what was inside. We never recalled a time when Dad got such a large gift for Mom.

Mom had a little spring in her step, after the box appeared. It seemed as if daily chores didn’t seem as tedious, now that she had such a marvelous present sitting by the tree.

Finally, Christmas Day arrived. Even though the present waited by the tree, we continued to follow our custom of eating dinner first, then opening presents. Mom made a turkey with all the fixings. We enjoyed her cooking and stuffed ourselves until we could hardly move. We all felt like we couldn’t take another bite, but we found room to choose a treat from a silver-colored platter that Mom presented to us. It contained Mom’s homemade assortment of cookies, fudge, fruit cake, peanut brittle, and Swiss croffin,* which was a family favorite.

We all wandered to the living room and found our usual spots after the presents were arranged. Mom’s gifts were piled high on top of the big box. We begged her to open it to see what was inside. After she set the smaller packages aside, Mom stood up and ripped the paper off as fast as she could and tossed it aside. As she pulled at the tape that sealed the box, we waited patiently. She peaked inside, looked up at the chandelier with wide eyes, and loudly said, “A vacuum cleaner?” She repeated that phrase over and over again for days, months and even years. The rest of us couldn’t help but laugh. (Sorry, Mom.)

My father was a soft-hearted, yet practical man. He also liked to tease people, so I’m not sure if the present was supposed to be a joke. Joke or not, Dad seemed to learn something from that experience. The rest of the gifts he gave Mom came in much smaller packages! It’s the thought that counts, right? 🙂

Do you have a memory of when someone you know received a shocking gift that continues to bring a smile to your face?

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, filled with presents in smaller packages!

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* Swiss croffin, or Swiss kuchli, is the size of a small donut and is a pear-filled pastry. It contains anise seed, dried pears, walnuts, and sugar. The mixture is simmered for two hours. After cooking, the water is drained. The mixture is mashed and placed in a pie crust that is separated with a cookie cutter. Each pastry is sealed and fried in a deep fryer until lightly brown. The last step is to cover it all with powdered sugar. I’ve never made this recipe, because of my fear of deep fryers! Plus, it’s a lot of work.

Helping Us Celebrate Christmas

It was only a short ride, and after we got out of the car, Dad pulled the sled along. When we got to the edge of the hill, the hill going down looked huge to me.  There was a lot of snow, and many people were sliding down the hill while others were walking up the side to go back down again.  Everyone looked like they were having fun.  Dad sat on the Flexible Flyer, and I sat in front of him.  I wasn’t scared because Dad was holding on to me very tightly.

“Are you ready?” he asked. I must have nodded my head which was covered in my little white cap.  The cap was as fluffy as a lamb and had a little doll’s head sewn to one side.  I wore my red boots that were wide opened at the top so my snow pants could fit inside.  Dad pushed the ground with his hands and we slowly went over the top of the hill. Suddenly we were flying down the snowy path.  Dad still hung onto me while steering with his feet by using the wooden bar in front. Little flecks of snow hit me in the face, and the ride gave me a feeling I didn’t like and never felt before.  It seemed like something was fluttering around in my stomach.  Those butterflies were trying to catch up – they bounced up and down with each bump in the hill, and I wished they would disappear.  I held my breath and decided to just look at my boots until we got to the bottom. I thought if I focused on something, I wouldn’t get even more dizzy.

“Wasn’t that fun?” Dad asked me after we got off the sled. He bent down to look into my eyes.  “Do you want to go again?”

“No,” I said. I didn’t cry, and I know I didn’t think it was fun, and I told Dad.  He was disappointed I didn’t want to go again.  Scary rides or feelings of butterflies in my stomach were not for me at the age of four.  As I followed Dad back up the hill while he pulled the sled along, I was so glad we weren’t going to use the sled again. Now, when I think back, it’s a wonder we flew down the hill as fast as we did. Those old Flexible Flyers are made from solid wood and steel and probably weigh at least thirty pounds. Those sleds are antiques now.

When my brothers cleaned out my parents’ garage, neither one of them wanted the Flexible Flyers. I took them mostly because I couldn’t see us getting rid of them for sentimental reasons.  Luckily, a friend of mine told me how she decorates her old sled and sets it out on her stoop as a Christmas decoration.  After I found a picture of a decorated sled on Pinterest, I went to the craft store and bought some fake foliage, ribbon, and bells.  I used a bunch of floral wire to keep the decorations in place.  When I finished the project, I was pleased how it turned out, but I couldn’t figure out where to put it without having to rearrange the entire house!  Eventually, the sled ended up sitting in our entryway.  Now that big old sled decorates a corner of our home helping us celebrate Christmas while bringing back some fun memories.

Next year, I might decorate the other one with gold ribbons and bells. I’ll just have to figure out where to display it!

Merry Christmas!

 

They Think I Dressed Them Weird

It seemed like such an easy plan, but the process completely wiped me out. The idea was to take a trip to the mall to get the girls’ pictures taken. The baby was only a month old, and I didn’t think it would be a big deal to get both children ready all by myself. The pictures had to be taken in time to be given as Christmas presents and sent out as Christmas cards. Well before that day arrived, I decided the outfits should match and that Laura would wear a dress. Since we didn’t know the gender of our baby before she was born, I made Katie’s outfit using one of my favorite patterns – a one-piece ensemble. I used a red, stretchy cotton fabric for the bodice and cuffs and booties to match. The rest of the outfit was red, blue, and white plaid.  Laura’s dress was the same plaid material with lace added to the hem and with a frilly collar sewn to the top.

After the girls were in their outfits with their shoes and baby booties in place, winter coats, hats, and mittens all where they belonged, I remembered the red bows. One bow was attached to a barrette for Laura’s hair and the other was a ribbon to get stuck on top of Katie’s fuzzy head.  I attached the bow to Katie’s hair with some sort of gooey stuff that was invented for just that purpose!

By the time we got to the mall, I was feeling less stressed and happy to be among the crowds of people. We hung out there for a long while on our first of many shopping trips together.  Luckily the bows and everything else stayed on for the adorable pictures.

Sometimes when our three kids look at old photo albums together now, they tell me that they think I dressed them weird. Doesn’t every older kid say that? Isn’t it because the fashions change? Probably it was because I didn’t dress them most of the time. I let them wear what they wanted . . . (Just saying!)

Anyway, luckily Laura and Katie think this picture is a cute one!  Looking at it brings back a lot of great memories, and I’m especially thankful I remembered the bows!

What Are Some of Your Favorite Christmas Decorations?

I used to dread going through what I thought was the chore of putting up all the Christmas decorations.  Now, each time I open a cardboard box, it feels like I am visiting old friends.  Each box holds a treasure.  
 

I have known this beautiful angel most of my life.  My Mom created her.  I used to love looking up at her when she was on the Christmas tree when I was a kid!  We are so lucky to have her on our Christmas tree.

I remember making these pine cones decorated with glitter when I was in school.  I was thrilled when Laura brought one home for our Christmas tree when she was in first grade.

When Katie and Matt were in kindergarten, they made Santa faces that were in the shape of their hands.  Now I can look at the Santa, and it reminds me how small their hands were then.

Katie’s Brownie Troop made these fancy pieces of candy when she was in third grade.  I remember that it was a bit of a chore because there were sequins all over the place, and since we used glue to stick the sequins on to the styrofoam balls, those sequins stuck to our hands and lots of other things! 

My Mom gave this shelf to me many years ago.  It used to be in our dining room when I was very little, and I remember my Mom holding me as I pointed at all of the knick knacks.  Most of the knick knacks on here were given to us by friends over the years.

One Christmas I enjoyed crocheting these angels to give as presents.

It is also nice to receive handcrafted items.  I treasure this counted cross-stitch Santa that Mike’s Aunt Colette gave to us one Christmas.

Mike’s Mom gave us a beautiful set of dishes that she used for many Christmas celebrations!  The dishes bring back memories of the times we shared together at Mike’s Mom and Dad’s house.

See how we barricaded the Christmas tree?  This is how we are protecting our precious ornaments from Lila, our curious dog!  We have only lost two ornaments so far.  I remember seeing a picture similar to this on Life with Sampson and Delilah, a blog about two labs.   

What are some of your favorite Christmas decorations?

Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

“Dad, I was wondering if you could help me get a Christmas tree,” I asked.  It was my first Christmas in the duplex.  My first Christmas in my own place, not living in my childhood home with Mom and Dad any more.

Of course, Dad said yes.

Dad came over early Saturday morning.  We were going to go downtown to the Farmer’s Market where we used to get all of our “real” trees before Mom decided that we needed to have an artificial tree.  Mom thought it was best to get an artificial tree because it was easier, it did not cost as much, and it was less hazardous.   Right about the time I got a stuffed Snoopy for Christmas was about the time we got an artificial tree.  No matter how annoying my younger self got or how much I begged, we never got a real tree in that house ever again.

Now that I had my own little rented place, I was ready to get a real tree.

Dad was all bundled up with his dogged ear cap and chopper gloves keeping him warm.  The collar of his coat stood high to block out the cold.  The newly fallen snow swirled around in the wind and was piled in drifts around the house.

After I pulled on my boots, wrapped myself up in my black pea coat, and put on my black woolen cap, off we went in Dad’s car.

It was a short trip to the Farmer’s Market.  We passed the large, old houses on Fremont Avenue.  They towered high on each side of the street and broke up the grayness of the sky.  When we arrived, we traipsed along the snowy paths, and I saw the tree that I liked almost right away.  It was just a little taller than me, and it had very sturdy branches with plenty of needles.

We told the man that we liked that tree, and Dad paid for it, which was a surprise.  I was ready to pay, but was glad to be a kid with a Dad who wanted to pay for my first Christmas tree.

Mom had sent the old tree stand over with Dad.  When we got back to the duplex, we put the tree in the corner of the dining room in front of the bay window, so that its soon-to-be lights could be seen from the street by passersby.  I made sure there was plenty of water.  As the tree started to thaw out, it let off a piney smell that emanated throughout the entire place.

Dad wished me luck, and I thanked him before he left for home.

I put up the lights, I strung popcorn, and dangled the strings on each branch.  I placed golden bulbs evenly amongst the branches.

Days went by.  I noticed that the tips of the branches were starting to turn brown, the piney smell had faded way too fast and that the tree was not drinking any water.  Whenever I walked through the dining room, some needles would fall.  The needles clinked as they fell on the golden bulbs and the lights, and made a perfect circle beneath the tree on the wooden floor.  I wondered what was wrong.

I talked to Dad and Mom about it.  They didn’t know either.  We dubbed that tree the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.  Sadly, all the needles were gone before Christmas.  I did not dare plug in the lights.  The bare branches held a wilted popcorn string.  The golden bulbs were the only thing that sparkled.  I felt like Linus without my blanket, I was so upset.

A few days after Christmas, I quickly gave up on my dream of ever having a real tree again, and I went to Frank’s and bought an artificial tree for half price.

Many years went by with time spent with that artificial Christmas tree.  I dragged that tree into the house that I lived in with my husband.  Then, the kids got to know that fake tree too.  Nobody really liked it, except my Mom.

Right about the time that our youngest child, Matthew, got a stuffed Snoopy for Christmas was about the time when Laura, our oldest child, started asking if we could get a real tree.  I thought back to my Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  I didn’t know if I had it in me to go through the anguish of another sad tree shedding its needles one by one right before my eyes and ears.

The asking and prodding multiplied among our three children.  Over and over I heard, “Can we get a real tree?”  That question brought back many memories of my young whining self – that little girl who always wanted a real Christmas tree because it makes Christmas more real.

So off we went early one Saturday morning.  We shuffled along the paths and found a beautiful tree.  We told the man what tree we liked.  I watched him saw off the bottom of the trunk.  It was so that the tree could drink water.  That is when I realized that was what we forgot to do before my dear old Dad and I left the Farmer’s Market!  It had been so long since we had gotten a real tree, that Dad and I forgot to saw off the bottom.

Good grief.  I felt like such a blockhead!