Christmas In A Nutshell

We do gingerbread houses every year...it's a tradition.

Usually I bake the gingerbread, whip the royal frosting and separate the candy in  little bowls for easy access.

I'm ashamed to say that this year we did store-bought!!

I think Addi's tired, almost bedraggled look sums up our gingerbread experience this year.

Perhaps we'll have more energy and motivation next year.

On Christmas Eve we had our stolen Jerusalem Dinner Tradition.

Here are the kids:

There were 3 Mary's, 2 shepherds, 1 wise girl, and 1 Donkey

 Loving Ryan, Rhi, and Maeva's outfits.

 Here's everyone, that lone chair in the front is not for Elijah, it's for Maeva who liked her Mom's arms better...go figure.

 Kid's Table

 We ate delicious middle-eastern fare on the ground lounging on cushions.

 Not Pictured:  Nativity re-enactment with 3 Mary's

Cousin gift exchange

Sibling THEMED gift exchange (I was worried that people wouldn't get into their themes but I was pleasantly proven dead wrong!)

"Santa"

(She knows, yes by choice)

Left a Teddy Bear, Sewing Machine and Notions.

 Christmas morning stitching.

 First 2 projects:

Skirt (she wore it to church the next day)

And a pillow for her Dad.

Before & After

My mom wanted a small table and chair set for her upstairs play room.  

The one from IKEA is $90 total.

I went to one of my favorite stores, The House of DI 

(D.I. to the lay person)

And for $20 and a few trips to different locations I got this rag-tag bunch.

 Add 2 cans of spray paint a little foam and scrap fabric and this is what I cam up with:

I liked it.

Some Enchanted Evening

Addi and I went with my sister to the Tabernacle Choir Concert with David Archuleta.

We got tickets from my Mother's cousin who is in the choir and wanted to make our acquaintance.

The concert was really great. Addi loved every second of it.

We were to meet him (Mother's cousin) and his brothers with their spouses after the concert.

And so as we were clapping at the end of the concert, after David's last number Addi said, "Are we going to meet him?" (thinking David Archuleta) and I said, "Yes." (thinking Mother's Cousin)

She got so excited and exclaimed she couldn't wait to meet David Archilada.

I had to dash her hopes a little there, but she was excited to go to a restaurant and get a hot chocolate at 10:00pm!!!

We had a great time getting to know our extended (very extended) family and didn't leave until around 11:00pm.

We walked back to our parking garage and what do you know, the door was locked for the night.

So we tried to get in through another door...not the right garage.

At this point my calm and trusting daughter (not) begins to panic.

We decide that we'd just walk up the ramp where we drove in.

We got half-way up the ramp and the big steel doors slammed shut.

At this point Addi deteriorates into hysterics and starts screaming:

"EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! SOMEBODY HELP US! EMERGENCY!"

I try to calm her, I use my most soothing words in my most soothing voice and nothing.

We finally go back to the original door and get buzzed in by the night guard.

It is then that we realize that we don't remember which level we parked on.

So we just pushed every button in the elevator and I would hold the door while Ashley would run out and look for our car.

Finally on the fourth level Ashley waved us on and Addi bolted out of the elevator expostulating with relief and exhaustion.

As we got in the car she cried, said she never wanted to go to Salt Lake City again and fell asleep.

Ashley and I couldn't stop laughing the whole way home.

Straying From the Pattern

I was lying in bed this morning "pondering"... Randall would call it "still sleeping." I was thinking about what I was going to wear to church and I decided on an outfit and 3" heels.

Now as many of you know I am 6' tall and of course if you add the 3 extra inches I'll be 6'3".

Every time I wear high heels I get comments about my height and I'm not sure how to respond.

Thank You?

I know?

Sorry?

As I was thinking about this I was wondering why I should feel like I should not wear what I want because of my body type.   I thought of shorter girls that wear heels to be taller and tall girls who only wear flats (and sometimes even slouch!!) to appear shorter.  Everyone trying to meet in the middle at some "perfect" point.

Then I thought, there is no such point.

I strapped on my high heels, threw my shoulders back and marched to church.

Not slouching once while standing and singing with the choir at least a head taller than everyone else.

And to those pesky height commenters out there I say:

"I can't help how short you are."

It takes courage to stray from norms and patterns and I'll give you another example.

My dear friend wanted some aprons for Christmas gifts.

She told me that she liked some of the aprons from Anthropologie...

This apron from Anthropologie:

 

Now I am usually a stick to the pattern type gal.

If you just stick to the pattern it will all turn out OK in the end.

Well Anthropologie doesn't give out their patterns...if you can believe it.

So I decided to try and make it up as I went along and...

 Now please ignore the terrible lighting and bulky pajamas.

I think they're going to look great on the skinny-mini's that are receiving them.

I am always quite critical of my work and I could have spent days on these making every stitch perfect but I think they turned out well, and I hope the receivers like them.

 

Then for a little surprise I sent my friend some of these camera lens pets.  

She is an amazing photographer, and I thought she might be able to use them when she shoots children.

(with her camera of course) 

I nicked the idea from someone's etsy shop.

Octopus

Monster

Frog

More Homelessness

I didn't want to post these pictures earlier, because I didn't want to spoil the Christmas card. 

But I think most people have received them so here is some more homelessness.

 This dumpster was beautifully un-staged, and it just happened to have a dead Christmas Tree hanging out of it.

A Christmas Miracle...possibly.

I might be driven to the drink

Great-Great Grandmother Sanders

Addi's Great-great Grandmother just moved from Southern to Northern Utah.

We are happy that we are going to be able to visit more often.

This was Addi's first time meeting her double great Grandmother.

Third Place Goes To...

So the story goes like this:  

Addi was minding her own business in Kindergarten Friday.

When the Principal got on the intercom and started to announce the Reflections Contest winners.

All of a sudden out of the clear blue sky, Addi heard her name, she jumped out of her chair and started asking,

"What do I do? Where do I go? They just said my name. What do I do?"

At the end of the Principal's announcement she said that the prizes would be delivered to the winners' classrooms.

And was this little third place winner of the K-2nd grade Literature division ever thrilled.

In the car on the way home from school she said,

"When I found out that I won, I felt like I could cry, happy cry.  But I didn't.  I still feel like I could cry right now.  But I won't because I don't want to."

Then later that day:

"Can somebody calm me down, I need somebody to calm me down, I'm just so excited, can somebody please calm me down."

Her Prize

Two certificates 

(one participation, one third place)

Ribbon

Free Happy Meal from McDonalds

1 free pass to Clark Planetarium

Third Place Winning Story

(Theme: Together We Can)

My Friends Help

By Adelaide Wood

Today when I was at school I was climbing up the play car and I fell down.  And my friends gathered around me cause I skinned my knee and my friend Abby in my class helped me go to the teacher's room.  My Mom didn't know where the bandaids are because it was her work day at school.  She stuffs envelopes for the children.  My teacher wasn't back cause she went somewhere in the school.  But then when I cam in from recess I asked my teacher if she had any band-aids.  And she said, "yes." And my owie was feeling better. By Addi.

(incidentally this is a true story)

Banned Art

As you may or may not be aware we are living with Randall's parents while we look for a job.
 This is the same home that he grew up in.

One day we were having a conversation in the laundry room (when it's not your house you have to hide to have a private conversation).  

During our discussion Randall was playing with some cupboard doors when he had a flash-back.  He said he used to love to draw on the insides of the cupboard doors and sure enough...

A Randall Wood original circa 1981.

She asked for...

a Teddy Bear.

Tis the Season

We're gearing up for the holidays.

Addi and I are both practicing Christmas carols with our piano lessons.

Truth be told, she's doing much better than me.

 Then we hauled the pre-lit, pre-frosted tree from the shed to decorate.

She put up every ornament single-handedly whilst whistling Christmas songs.

S to the N-O-W!!

Addi was deprived of snow last year in Seattle and she's eating it up...literally, this year!

Luckily we've had a few big storms to accommodate her needs.

 It tastes just like marshmallows!

If you like that sweet cap you're not alone, Addi loves it.

  Grandpa Wood coached track at Kearns High School in the 60's

The caps came with the sweat pants.

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to December

November was a blur...

We celebrated my parents' birthday on the 16th.

They were born on the same day...5 years apart.

Growing up I thought I had to find someone with my birthday to marry.

"Excuse me sir, were you born on December 11th?"

My Dad is also a twin, he's never had his own birthday.

 I helped out at the Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast.

Each child chose an American Indian name to represent them.

Addi was "Whistling Bird"

There was much leaf clean-up to be done, even in the garage.

 

Next was Thanksgiving.

But before I could enjoy it I had to make 15 aprons.

They were a special order from a customer at a consignment shop I work with.

I was up many a wee hour to finish those things.

Unfortunately I did not get a picture, it was quite an impressive stack, but I think I was so done looking at them I was just happy to get them off my hands....and the check in my pocket!

 Me, Addi and my sweet Grandmother who tells it like it is.

Then the day after Thanksgiving my brother got married!

(and since you're wondering, no, he never makes a normal face in pictures)

 So on top of all of those aprons I also made me and my sisters these ravishing skirts.

 And all of the "little girls" these skirts and hair clips.

The same night we had a small Arlington Ward get together with some of our friends.  It was so nice to see them again and just hang out like it was in the good old days.  I don't have any pictures of that either but I'm hoping to swipe a few from EP.

UPDATE:
EP came through!!!

 Here she is with us, no, that is not our red-headed stepchild.

 Julie, Ellen, Angi...just looking good!

 Arlington Girls