Christmas, or, Santa Exploded

I did not go nuts this year for the girls for Christmas. They got a dollhouse, a double buggy, some markers and Playdoh, and a little cookset. Various other family members (my mother, Aunt Terry, Uncle KC, Grandma) got them outfits, a Little People car-ramp thing, some books (thank you Miss Mantha) and baby dolls. I stuck with what I thought would be successful. Right now the kids are in that "mimic" stage--they cook because I cook. They clean because I clean. Their play is experiential and experimental. They are learning how to control their world through activity. I gotta go with that.

Dinner was a non-event in that it was zero pressure. I made a roast with root vegetables, crab dip, little hot dogs, a pickle tray, some rolls for the kids to eat with hummus, and mashed potatoes. Dessert was mini eclairs for the girls and chocolate cream pie for us. Yes, I made eggnog and it was good.

The girls all wore play dresses today although Ellie preferred not to wear pants and Helen flat out refused. She is on a pants strike. Emma of course wore pants and sparkly shoes all day. Gotta be ready to meet her public.

Emma actually provided two highlights for me today. This morning, when she came downstairs and saw the double buggy, she walked over to it, looked into the tree and said "Thank you, Santa." (I got it on video). The second was when Samantha brought her kids to visit Emma took Asher's hand and said, "Come on, baby. You want to play dollhouse?" Later she went in time out for both throwing and sassing, but that doesn't diminish her otherwise excellent day.

I just wanted to stay home and love my family. What a perfect day.

Pageant, or, You Have to See It To Believe It

Here's what you need to know about the Laubacher Christmas Pageant:

1. It is not like "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," with the Herdmans, although Mike Nalepka suggested that to me and I find it funny.

2. Yes, there is a real pageant, with real acts.

3. Yes, everyone in the family tries to comply. With varying levels of success.

4. There has been an Official Pageant since 1984, which is a long time to have a thing go, and go, and go.

5. The Sellers seem to be the most prolific Pageant participators, although the KC Laubachers are always enthusiastic.

6. This year the girls were supposed to help Bill and I sing "The Friendly Snowman." Ellie bolted, Helen decided to chalk behind Aunt Terry and Emma did the motions but not everyone could see her. Oh well. There really IS always next year.

The Party, or, This House is Too Nice for Us, Redux

Hello. This beauty was in a bathroom.

Blue is for boys.

This was quite rustic and Millard Fillmore-ish. Lots of game, feathers, golds and red. Quite mannish.

This all gold baby was in the dining room.

The pink family room tree, complete with feathers, dolls, birds, and flowers.

Ode to the big guy. Oh, he's coming to this house all right.

The "Grinch" tree in BoBo's office.

The Great Room tree. I cannot even tell you how amazing it was in person.

Just happy to be here.

On Saturday we were invited to what is apparently known as "Fiesta de BoBo," which is a funny way of saying we were invited to Mike Nalepka's Aunt Bonnie's Christmas Party. It was in Kirtland, which other than the Mormon stuff holds very little interest for me culturally. I especially wanted to go because the Lowes were going to be there, and we get to see them too infrequently. I was sick as a dog but I made myself pretty, left the kid with my mother, and hit the road.

Well.

Nobody told me that the house was a palace. Nobody told me that there was a Christmas tree in the front room with 12,900 lights on it. Nobody mentioned the tree in EVERY room, and the villages, and the doo dads, and the amazing food, and the very nice champagne, which I couldn't drink because I was on meds, but boy it looked pretty. I walked around like I was a tourist. I didn't care. It was probably the most beautiful private home I have ever been in, and of course I took pictures. These are just some of the ones I snapped. Embarrassed? Heck no. I took a hostess gift and sent a thank you card. My manners are always in place.

Getting the Tree and Nela Park, or, This is how traditions get started

7 foot Frasier fir on the way.

We got our tree last Saturday, which is unusually early. Bill's birthday is December 9 and the general rule since we got married has been never to decorate for Christmas until after that date. He feels, and I agree, that a lot of December birthday kids get gypped because well-meaning, overextended, deluded parents think that combining birthday and Christmas is a good idea. It's not. But this year the 9th was also a Tuesday, which meant that we either waited until the following weekend to get a tree, which would significantly lessen our chances of getting a good one, or do it early. Obviously, we had to do the latter. We always get a Frasier fir, because I like the shape and the needle quality (my parents were Douglas fir people, and the needles were just too bendy for heavy ornaments). We also always get it from the same guy, but we've had to follow him around Lyndhurst for a few years. He was next to a funeral parlor for a while, then the Methodist church on Green. Now he's in front of the Episcopal church on Cedar, next to that perpetually-in-construction synogoge near Legacy Village. His trees are good and reasonable--we've paid $72 the last 4 years that we can remember. This year we let the girls out to help and fortunately no Ralphie "Fudge.........." incidents occurred (come on Christmas Story fans, you know what I mean). Then we zipped through the drive through at Dunkin' Donuts, got Munchkins (for them) and hot chocolate (for us) and took the kids down Green and swung back up Noble in East Cleveland past Nela Park.

http://www.gelighting.com/na/business_lighting/education_resources/conferences/institute/fun_facts.htm

The display was great this year and the girls really enjoyed it. We turned around 3 times just so they could really get a sense of how pretty everything was. Ellie is very into lights this year ("where's more Chistmas lights?" is a constant refrain) so Nela was a winner. I'm proud that Nela continues to put the effort into this display. It never fails to impress me.

We'll take the kids Christmas light sight-seeing a couple more times this year because they are old enough to enjoy it. I love when I hear Emma squeal, "OOOOOOOOOOOOOH" from her back seat. That makes the whole thing worth it.

FIESTA, or, What's life wiithout new plates?

Showing off our finds. The persimmon cup is a replacement for Sarah Smith, who will be sad to find out her color is retired.

You'll be glad you have a library card--check me out.

Victory is ours.

Bill dutifully hauls plates and considers servingware.

Happiness.

I have a plate problem. I love dishware. I don't know what my thing is about it--meaning, is it the way it looks so organized in the cupboard? Is it the way it makes my food look? Is it the way it looks on the table? I just love new plates, coordinated, neat. I have several sets of dishes: the official Christmas set, Royal Holiday (Pfaltzgraff), Longaberger mix and match plates (only in sage, paprika, or butternut), daytime "winter" plates (also Longaberger), plain ivory china with a beading pattern (I think it was called Manhattan), and Farmer's Market (also Pfaltzgraff, but discontinued). I'm not saying I always aspired to Fiesta, although I love it and admire it at other people's houses. SSS has it in persimmon, my mother has it in shamrock and tangerine, and Pat G. has it in scarlet, tangerine, shamrock and cobalt. Oh, sunshine, too. Well, count me in. We braved the fierce wilderness of East Liverpool and traversed the mighty Ohio to get into Newell, West Virginia, to the Homer Laughlin factory and second-hand room. Holy God. Yes, you have to rummage. Yes, you start to think you need every single piece you see. Yes, you wish you had brought your own hand truck and another warm body to carry stuff. Such a fun trip, and so much fun with fun people. Same time, next year.

Just Helen at Presti's, or, COOKIES.

It's very rare that just one child gets to go with me anywhere and even rarer that it's Helen. So constant and easy, which makes it hard to remember that she is just in need of individual attention. I took her to Presti's to get bread and pastries and treated her to her own cookie and chocolate milk, no sharing with sisters. She dutifully ate half the cookie, took a few sips of milk, and then stood in awe in front of the pastry case. This kid knows a good thing when she sees it.

The Randy Kaplan Show, or, This House is Too Nice For Us

Ellie appropriately attired for the rock and roll crowd.

Yes, those chairs are leather. Yes, Emma is smearing frosting on them.

Emma is not that tall. Yes, she is jumping on that couch. With Tanqueray glimmering in the background.

Relaxing in front of the bajillion dollar TV.

Is this a living room or an atrium? Oh wait. Both.

My dear friend Samantha invited us to a children's show at her friend Steve's place in Pepper Pike. The artist is Randy Kaplan, who is increasingly well-known in the hipster kid's music crowd (sort of like our own Justy Justin, Justin Roberts, or Brady Rymer, or Farmer Jason, or the ubiquitous Laurie Berkner). Anyway, Steve has a nice house--really, really nice--and his kids are older and apparently able to keep the house in pristine condition. The girls lasted just over an hour before Emma started with, I need yogurt! I need hummus! And we had to bolt. However, there was spontaneous dancing, and quite a bit of interest in Randy's guitar. What a terrific morning.

This is a real person, not a "troop."

This is my brother in law Matt, who is clearly not where he should be, which is in his house with his wife and dogs. He is also Ellie's godfather. He could be wherever he is for half a year or more.

I don't know how George Bush sleeps at night.

Halloween, or, Look at that get-up

Helen is really, really into crowns. That's what she's looking at here--my borrowed Cinderella crown. My next post will explain why. Nothing can explain my blue, blue eyeshadow.

By this time, at Smiths, Ellie was a little Halloweened out.

But she was still rocking the Liberace costume.

Here, Helen has just realized that people are Giving. Us. Candy. OH MY GOSH.

Emma here has just heard the word "cupcake."

The kids went as Liberace (Ellie), Swedish Chef (Helen), Beaker (Emma). Their candy is currently hidden. I think they had fun--they asked to go trick or treating the next night. Why is it only once a year? Well, it wouldn't be so darn spectacular if it were common.

Pumpkins, Pie, Perfect

Pie. HELLO.

Emma rocking the froggie wellies and the bink.

I have a death grip on her because she just wanted to climb the straw house, a la Three Little Pigs.

So pretty.

Dadd and Ellie get ready for a great adventure.

We decided to try the ever-popular and heavily touted Patterson's Fruit Farm for our Sunday jaunt. www.pattersonfarm.com They have a "Family Fun Fest" with hayrides and other attractions at their location on Mulberry, but we decided to just do the real farm, buy some pumpkins, and let the girls run. What a great idea! There was a terrific hay house that they enjoyed climbing, I bought a pecan pie, and we got two great pumpkins to carve during It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on Tuesday night. It was a little windy. I regretted not packing hats. But the kids loved it and I would do it again in other seasons too, just to give them a chance to be outside. Tired, air-freshed kids are happy kids.

My Eileen Fisher Jacket, or, What I Wore to the Election

The most important little black circle I may ever fill in. Go, Obama, go.

The jacket, the twins, and a good day at the BOE.


A throwaway scarecrow for Sarah Starr. The head looks handmade. Bravo, crafty people.

Is it hot in here, or......

I'm just a schoolgirl at heart.

Oh, Helen.

Rocking the Sleeping Beauty diaper. On her head. at 7:30 a.m. What could be better.