A Very Snowy Gingerbread Party

I wasn't sure the Gingerbread Party would happen this year.  We've had some unusually early winter weather. Friday evening conditions warranted a declaration of an emergency state.  I wasn't out. I was home making piles of icing and tiny houses, wondering if I'd have to deliver them during the next thaw.
Well, it turned out that most everyone made it.
Outside looked like a winter wonderland with ice coated trees, bushes and plants, with a snowy topping.

Some finish their house quickly.

Some go slower and end up with far more candy in their tummy than on their house.

Some come decked out for the festive occasion with the perfect hair adornment-crack up!

 Some wonder what in the world is the point in decorating at all when the house is perfectly edible.

One new Westerly Wind wondered what all the fuss was about.

 Aunt Tish is overseeing the Special Sugars she kindly contributes, much to the delight of the wee princesses, including her own, Missy Bree.

Oops, missed one decorator, who is of course using blue icing.

 Bree wanted to play with the Ann and Andy, then got distracted and left them with Grandpa Joe. Who had crept to  this corner, trying to stay out of the way of the littles.

You know, there aren't anymore of us than usual, it is just that they are getting so big. There is hardly a spot that doesn't have a kidlet on it.  It doesn't help that in addition to their winter clothes, they have on every piece of dress-up attire I have.

 

 Giddy-up has a tradition he wasn't willing to abandon for the sake of a party.  He likes me to help him look in a particular cabinet, the frig and the pantry to see what he can see.  He spied the mixer, which he calls a concrete mixer, and wanted to play.  I told him he could play, but on party day we wouldn't be getting out the flour, rice,etc. and he would just have to pretend.  So I cleared a spot and passed him off to Pappy.  As it goes with children, it soon attracted a crowd and he shared with his "Fwiends" very nicely.

Aunt SuZQ, Uncle Tim, and Aunt Tish are kind of neat-niks and I believe are a bit overwhelmed at the Gramerly craziness, but I think that they like bringing their own littles to join in the fray and always are such a great help with contributions and clean-up.  Probably the reasons are two fold. One, their littles have a great time and two, they get to go home.

I'm thankful to the Lord that everyone got there and got home safely.

I had time for a short nap before my first Polar Express adventure.  

Sweetest Ever

Ah, traditions.  After the turkey carcass has been picked clean, the next expected food item is turkey salad.  Rae-rae and family came to partake.  I had the most fun with Giddy-up.

That bug game I played with Missy Bugg the day before would be an excellent starter game I thought. Instead of any attempt to play by the rules with a two year old, I just asked him to roll the dice, pick a part, then I would roll and pick a part.  He did a great job taking turns and loved making his bug.

 I hate having my picture taken and can't believe I'm posting all these pictures with me in it, but here you go.  I'm an ugly crier and an equally ugly laugher, but this was one of those memories I want to etch in my mind for future reference and this seems the best at capturing the moment.
This boy misses nothing and forgets nothing and now it takes hours to get through all the things he does with Gramerly. Actually, they can't even be accomplished in an afternoon, but he tries.  We have to play a game, feed the chickens, check on the bees, swing in the swing, get out the corn seed for the concrete mixer, play in the tree fort, stand in the refrigerator and point until something looks interesting. Today it was grape jelly, followed by making a PBJ cut into the shape of a dog, which he inhaled after appropriately bow-wowing. That just names a few things. On Thanksgiving we used beads to make a necklace, so now that's added to the queue.
I told him the beads were upstairs, so up he went and within 3 minutes, with no help from me, found every place a bead was stuck.  So I hauled the beading containers downstairs and proceeded to  make a new necklace with him.
I can't remember how it came up,after the necklace was made, but I showed him a little ring pop that was a penguin-picked for him due to his love of the little Pingu cartoon.  I took it out of the package and he was incredulous.  How could it be a ring, a penguin, candy, and look like his beloved paci (pacifier)?
Of course when he said, "This is like my paci,"  I said, "Thats a good example of a simile Giddy-up, comparing two things using like or as."  I don't know what it was, but this cracked him up.  He would laugh heartily, repeat "This is like my paci," crack up again and lean in for a hug, then stick the ring pop in his mouth and do it again.  Both of us were nearly hysterical and I'd never had so many lovies in such a short time.

I wish I could bottle that joy, but I'm happy to know through word and pictures I can revisit that place.

What a precious gift- gramerlings.

Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Ceece and the Cpt. decided to go see Jimmy Buffett, so the Bean and Bugg came over to spend the night.  Handy Man already had the tree up and so we decorated together.  I don't know how I managed to take such a lousy picture, but Bugg's expression when she pulled this faceless angel out of the ornament box was hysterical.  I was able to tell her the story about her Daddy pulling it off the tree and biting her littlest angel face.  He wasn't even a year old and was accustomed to pulling off a tiny candy cane or chocolate ornament.  It left two tiniest teeth prints in her wee forehead. I guess he transferred some sticky goodness to her face, because a wee mouse found her and removed all of her features.  The little teeth prints are still there, so on the tree each year she goes.

 They did a great job and it was fun to tell them where different ornaments came from.

 Lands, the only thing this child likes better than building something, or fishing, is playing with fire.  He gets that from me, so I indulge him. He lights every candle in the house.

 Do you remember this game?  Wasn't it called "Cooties" back in the day?  Bugg is the game playingst child in the midwest.  She never tires of games.  I, on the other hand, would rather play in the candles.

 First thing after getting up Bean lit the first Sunday in Advent candle before they headed to church for the Hanging of the Greens.

Bugg finally grew into those pajamas.  Look how tall that Bean is. They are growing at warp speed.

Continued prayers for their Oma as she continues to recover and is still in the hospital. Also for Rae-rae and family as it appears we are moving ever closer to a new little lovey expected in late January.  Also for a mama having to make a very tough decision.

Worried? We Can Fix That

One morning last week, early, I got a phone call at school.  The caller ID said it was Ol' Mother Hubbard.  However when I answered, a tiniest voice greeted me.  It was Antebellie asking me if I knew about "worry dolls."  I told her that I did know about them.  Apparently, Missy Antebellie has experienced a nightmare or two, and felt worry dolls might help.  I asked if she wanted to know where to get them, wanted me to make them, or did she want to help make them.  I ask some ridiculous questions sometimes.  Of course she wanted us to make them.  Hmm, thus begin my quest to figure out how to make them before I saw her again.
I have owned "worry dolls" in the past, so I knew how tiny they were.  First I googled "how to make worry dolls" and got nowhere. I already knew how to make a yarn doll, and a peg doll, etc., that wasn't what I wanted. Worry dolls are tiny.
 Finally I googled, "How are authentic  Guatemalan worry dolls made?"  I found a You Tube of a Guatemalan man making a worry doll.  Handy Man and I thought, from looking at pictures, that they were made from sticks covered with brown paper.  That is in fact how they're made, but some have material and stuffed heads, while other are paper heads.
Handy Man fetched me a stick and I started with the one like the authentic guy made and realized that was a bit too complicated for my little missy. He made it in eleven minutes. It took me 45, but then I haven't been making them for 30 years.
 Next, since I was out of sticks, I grabbed a pipe cleaner- a real white skinny one that is for cleaning pipes and covered it with paper.  It was hard to say which I liked the best.  I liked that little stuffed head, but I liked how small I could make the paper head one.
I had called Ol' Mother Hubbard, as the change in Thanksgiving venue meant I wouldn't see her as we've been accustomed to each year.  Every year, the kids won't eat because they are so excited to play with their cousins. Then, when it's time to go home, they declare they are near to fainting from hunger.  What do they eat of our Thanksgiving feast?  Ham, grapes, homemade bread by the loaf, chips and maybe pumpkin pie.  Anywhoo, I called Ol' Mother Hubbard and invited them out for the above mentioned feast.
I was ready with the worry dolls when they came.

First you form the body

Next you make the clothes

A happy, worry free girl

The one on the right is the stick/stuffed head doll

 

 Antebellie loved them all including the one she made and then she needed a box, then more material for blankets and pillows and an hour of quietly entertaining herself with them.


Miss Linee needed a worry doll too, so we made one more.

So tiny

It was a very productive evening.

Over the River

We indeed headed over the river to our new family Thanksgiving destination.  

Rae did a good job on her first turkey.

It was a tasty time.  It did feel a bit strange and sad I suppose. I've hosted Thanksgiving for so many years I can't even remember.   

Even longer than I've hosted, I've made this pie.

Never having cared for pumpkin pie, well that's putting how I feel about it mildly, I've always fixed my favorite.  I believe this  card was from some kind of recipe club, where maybe every month you received a set of cards.  I'm guessing the big check meant it was keeper recipe.  Interestingly, this is the only card that survived.

A few Christmases ago, I word processed, saved, copied and  made all our children recipe boxes with my tried and true recipes.  I can go to that recipe easily on my computer, but I love the trip down memory lane when I touch and see, not only my recipe, but recipes others have written.

I'm amazed I still have it, as my recipe book is a little plastic book, that had plastic card holders and recipe cards.  No way would it hold enough recipes, so recipes just got stuck in there.  It was probably a half inch deep when it was new.  Now it's four inches deep, with no rhyme or reason. Every time I need a recipe, I go through the entire stack until this road weary, tattered card surfaces.

Still, it remains my favorite pecan pie. Yummo. One of the first dessertish type items I've wanted since the sickness.

 The James Gang joined us at Rae's.  I think I've only ever missed Thanksgiving with Jakester once in his life, when he had the audacity to go to New York or somewhere over Thanksgiving.  Perhaps Jame-0 has spent some part of every Thanksgiving with us, I'm not positive.

 I brought some little ceramic figures for the gramerlings to paint after play and food and play.

 This Giddy-up was deliriously happy with all his Fwiends coming to his house.  He loved painting and  was very good at putting these small beads on a tiny wire to make a necklace.

Tim continued the picking and grinning tradition of old.

I'm thankful for so many things.  How blessed we are to have so much family, so much food and a warm place to lay our heads.  I hope your day was sweet.

Some Normal is Nice

At last, the day I begin to doubt was ever coming-Wednesday marked my first fever free day in 25 days.  Yipee! Thank God!  So that meant Playdate was on for Thursday.  Uncle Tim graciously provided pizza and Aunt SuZQ supplied the carb coma.

Mostly, they wanted to play, but we did break for a little Thanksgiving crafting of Gobblers.

 Bean  tied knots in the thick cotton string that hangs down in the cup. So wonderful that he's getting old enough to be my helper. Pappy helped too.

 Miss Bugg followed feather cutting directions to a "T." Then for the fun of wetting and pulling the string to make this bird "Gobble." You have to love that face.

 Even brides need a turkey.

 Last time Bean was here he rubbed the kernels off the Indian corn we didn't use for decoration.
He found another little tiny one and when I told him it was actually a popcorn corn, he wanted to try and pop the whole tablespoon full he got off that tiny cob.   Having taught Indiana history for years, I know a thing or two about popcorn from teaching my students about two Indiana popcorn icons, Orville and Cousin Willie.  We've studied all about how it has to be grown and picked at the exact right time for the moisture to perfect, then stored to maintain that moisture.  I told Bean since we followed no scientific protocol for this corn at all, I had no idea if it would pop.
As is usual, I put in some coconut oil and two kernels, it got hotter and hotter, but nothing happened, and by this time Bean and SuZQ about had their heads in the pot, when low and behold, they popped, and nearly scared them both to death. We put in the rest, and every kernel popped.  Cousin Willie would be proud.

 Bean ate all but this handful.  Teeny tiny popcorn.

It was so nice to have them gathered round the table.  I was worn out when they left, but my heart was full and content.

First Tea Party

A little sprite and his Mama and Papa braved the rather nutso weather we're having to pay a little visit this afternoon.  I was so very happy to see that Giddy-up. It had been a very, very long five weeks and I was sorely missing him.
Since outside play was out of the question, we had a tea party, a first for him.

He said, "What's this?" a lot.

As is usual, the thrill is the pouring and pouring, and pouring.  

If you are younger than 3 or have had no tea party experience, then the tablecloth

 is always a thick towel and the rug underneath the same.
I practice the mantra, "Stop when you get to the top," over and over. While they learn it quickly and say it as they pour, they don't stop.  Finally, I just gave him multiple cups to pour to his heart's content.

Of course, we had to do all the other usual things. Play cars, play Legos, watch the Helicopter video whilst clutching a helicopter, visit the bunny boys, go on the back porch for a popsicle,  and watch slide shows of him on the computer to the tune of "Can you Canoe?"
Hereafter, another tea party will likely be added to his line-up. Wonder how many tea parties I've had?

I've felt more like myself this weekend than any other day this past four weeks.  While, unfortunately I still have some lingering issues, I was actually able to spend most of yesterday and today up and busy.
Thank you Lord.