Whirlwind Party

I have survived five whole days of partying. I feel that is quite a feat. The food was fantastic, the new meal sharing quite a success, and the laughter endless.

I wanted to share some pictures of the girls (3 nieces) and others (but only the more flattering ones, I promise).

The last three days have been somewhat less packed, as one little chickie got sickie. Really, she threw up at least twice each day for the last 3 days. In between those spells, she seemed ok, although I think she may have napped quite a bit, too.

I also accomplished something I promised to my mom--I cleaned out the closet and attic in my old bedroom. 8 boxes for Goodwill, 2 full bags of trash, and 3 full boxes and 6 empty shoe boxes for recycling. Both areas are very organized now, and Maddie had a blast sifting through my treasures and questioning why I kept some things (like dry, old leaves, ugly cards and stickers, and my old finger cast from when I broke my ring finger in football in college). I was in a good place to sift through trash and actually clean out. Spring cleaning mode in December. Awesome. It felt amazing.

Anyway the pictures will follow in other posts.
Enjoy looking!
I hope your Christmases were as fantabulous as ours!

Christmas Photos

Some new TU gear.

A lovely, soft green sweater.

A Harley colored Henley!

A credit card case with Celtic designs.
Beautiful!

Hot pants! A fine pair of perfect black dress slacks.

Mas photos

Maddie with Pinky the Pig.

Katie watching the snow fall.

Katie practiced holding Jane.
She did a fantastic job.

Such a beautiful face.

She's getting so grown up!
Two teeth gone and two more on the way.

The last few

The crew on Christmas Day.

The 26th after a very snowy 2 mile walk.

Purple Sistas...

Leslie with Katie's cow...I can't remember the name.

A very tired Papa.
I think Jane forgot to sleep
the night before Christmas
because she was SO excited!

Queen of the Castle.

After our very own Christmas on the 24th.
Super fun day! Super fun weekend!

Merry Christmas to us...

The holidays are here and we're off. Well, we will be shortly. And, as in true holiday spirit, something had to go wrong before leaving for several days. It's always that way.

Monday our water heater busted. I felt an electrical surge through the floor, the lights got super bright and huge POP! sounded. My toes tingled for over thirty minutes after that weird experience. But, I couldn't see anything not working, so I went on my way. About 5pm, when I was cooking, I realized the hot water was really tepid. That's when I called in my favor.

Our water heater went out already once this year -- a coil died. Turned out, it happened again. So, we were able to get a new water heater. Our maintenance guy decided we needed it (thank goodness). The one we had was probably 25-30 years old. I swear. It looked ancient.

So, now the water is hot, but the water pressure is all jacked up (as in not pressured) because of the sediment from our lovely town's water that has clogged our pipes. When will it ever end?

At least we can shower now. And wash dishes. I actually had to shower at the gym, which was awkward, on Tuesday evening. A friend stopped by that afternoon, as well, and was welcomed by 3 days of dirty dishes (awaiting hot water to wash), a chaotic living room (because the back room where the water heater was had to be emptied), and my scrapbook stuff everywhere. It was embarrassing. Luckily, I wasn't trying to impress her. She understood.

I'm ready to leave this little abode, to be honest. Ready for the good food, the games, the playing with kids, the relaxing in a house with more than 3 rooms. *sigh. Christmas.

A Tribute

We lost a great man this week, my second cousin Mike Weller. And although the second cousin business might sound too distant for it to impact me, in this situation, that would be incorrect.

Growing up we spent a wonderful holiday evening every year with great Aunt Miriam and Uncle Dale and their kids, Cindy and Mike, who were my dad's age. We had the best farm food from scratch, the best rolls and jam (I ate SO much jam at Aunt Miriam's), and it was always warm and cozy and full of laughter.

Contrary to my typical aversion to men, I really attached to Mike at a young age. He was so gentle and funny. Everyone in that house told jokes and laughed constantly. The impression of joviality there will never leave me. I often tell people that my dad is the nicest, most generous man in the world. And if anyone could give him a run for his money on that title, I'm quite sure it was Mike. It's heart breaking to have lost him so early. Such a man is hard to come by.

When I think of Mike, I have this one specific memory from my childhood. It was one of those Christmas/Thanksgivings that we spent at his mother's, and I was probably 5 or 6 years old. I remember sitting on his lap and not wanting to get up. I was so comfortable; I felt so secure. It seemed to me that someone took a picture of us that particular night, and sure enough, a few days ago scrounging through many photo albums, I found it.

I'm holding my brand new gorilla, named Gretchen, and you can see how happy I am. You can also see, in the background, how much Emily loved being in pictures. It might have had something to do with her perm. I'm not positive. But this is Mike. And we will miss him so dearly. Beloved by his family, his friends, his church, his entire community. Known for his laugh, his music (he played the trombone for 50 years and was involved in many community bands), his Harley, and his love, he is quite unforgettable.

My hope, though, comes from the fact that I know he is finally home. He is with those who've gone before; he is with Jesus. And he is whole and will be awaiting our homecomings, as well. That is my comfort.

Happy Sunday!

Here we are. This is the third attempt to get him to produce an acceptable face.

Notice how, in the effort to get him to behave and smile like a normal person, I have seriously mussed my hair. C'est la vie!