Caroling

The other night, the local Girl Scout troupe came down our street caroling.

(I had been forewarned that they would be coming - the leader is a friend of mine. And I asked if I could hand out hot apple cider to the singers, and was told that would be a very nice touch.)

So after supper, while Ken took Skip out to a "performance Kung Fu seminar" (think David Carradine meets Steven Segal, and then imagine a room full of kids having a HOOT doing prat-falls, and pretending to kick the lights out of each other), Kelly and I buzzed around making the place look more "Christmassy".

I lit a candle by the front door...

Oh, it smelled GREAT! My new favourite scent. It's something called "winter", and was a gift from Nate's teacher (she also gave me soap and lotion in the same scent! Magnificent!) And it reflected so wonderfully in my fave snow-globe.

*edit* Ooh! I just checked on the maker of the "Winter" scented candle and soap/lotion, and it's Bath and Body Works! Whee! I hope they discontinue it right after Christmas so I can pick up a TON of the stuff on clearance. That is such a great scent!

And then, while I was aimlessly cleaning up the place, I came across several strings of outdoor lights that I'd not gotten around to hanging, so I went outside, and made the front porch just a little more glow-in-the-dark.

Psychedelic, even. Especially when seen through the (sorry, my northern friends) palm fronds...

And then I heard the commotion in the street, and the hordes arrived. They'd collected an entourage, sort of like a living holiday Katamari Ball. What started off as a dozen Brownies, had morphed into nearly 40 people. Don't stalk these people, I'm really posting this photo so you can see my fun chili pepper Christmas lights in the olive tree.

(missing from this photo are the 3 boys in the front row who didn't know it was a GIRL scout event, and had followed along, singing lustily, with an eye for what free goodies they might get at each house)

Fortunately, I'd filled the crock pot by the front door to OVERFLOWING with cider that had been simmering since school was out, and there was enough for everyone. Even the parents went away with full mugs of cider (hooray for my earlier "Hmm... maybe I *should* get the jumbo pack of insulated cups, and not just the stack of 12" moment at Safeway.)

The next morning, Nate had his turn at the "Performance Kung Fu" seminar. I really am KICKING myself for not taking video of his fight scene. He was paired with this giant Black Belt adult who coached him, and man, that guy could ACT! I thought Nate really hit him a couple of times. And Nate LOVED it! He was SO getting into it, and my photos are all kind of blurry as a result.

But here you can see him doing a flying side kick that brought Goliath down like a stone. And all the kids in the audience cheered.

Yikes. Look at how high he is off the ground! Both boys are wondering when they can do that again. And next time, I *WILL* use the camera in 'video mode'.

Christmas Tea

I ran into an old friend earlier this week, and she happened to have an extra ticket to this evening Christmas Tea, and invited me along.

I am so glad that Skip is old enough to babysit (at the drop of a hat, even), and I can just leave the house and know that the kids are safe. Ken had a meeting, so I asked Skip to make sure the kids were in bed at a reasonable hour, and hoped that he'd study, maybe just a little bit himself.

And then I got all dolled up, and headed out to a swank hotel for an evening of Holiday Fun.

It was a Dessert Social. And it was catered.

You know that game Six Degrees of Separation. At my table? It was TWO degrees. I knew two of the 10 ladies going in. One, my old friend who invited me, the other a woman who hosts one of the local Moms In Touch groups, and who I've known for five or so years. And then I met the woman sitting beside me.

Me: You look sort of familiar. Have we met before?

Her: I don't know. Do you go to church?

Me: Yes, over at *my church*

Her: Hmm. No, we're over at *other church*

Me: Oh! Is Alex (friend of mine) the music director there?

She: Yes! My husband knows him, too. He plays drums for Alex.

Me: Oh man! Is your husband the drummer for *cool hip Jazz Combo*? I sang with them last year!

She: Oh! I watched you perform!

Another conversation, once the subject changed to hobbies (which is always does when you get ten women at a table yacking)

She: Do you quilt?

Me: Yes, but not for several years. But my daughter wants to start, so I've been taking her to *local quilting shop*

She: That's my store! No wonder you looked familiar.

And another woman looks across the table...

"Hey, do you have a son doing Kung Fu over at *our academy*?"

Yup. I'd met her at Kung Fu last year.

And then I look across the room, and there, at another table? One of the girls I chaperoned on the Disneyland band trip two years ago.

It's a small world, after all.

Over the Top

A long time ago, we 'adopted' (or were adopted by, more like) a wonderful old grandmother-type who had lost her children in their youth. She doted on Skip, and we tried to make sure that she felt well taken care of by us.

In her neighbourhood was this street that was the talk of the town every Christmas. When we first moved to California, she would talk about it, and make sure that we came by to her house, and then onwards to the Well Lit Street.

This year, I made sure to take time out to take Nate and Kelly down the street, too. I think later this week, while grandma is here, we'll all go as a family and walk the two blocks of wonder.

These ornaments? As long as my arm.

Making the tree look proportionate, even though it's two stories tall.

The local high school chorale was strolling down the street, stopping to sing in front of every house. They were pretty darned good. I think it might inspire Kelly to try to take one of the chorus electives at middle school next year.

One of the houses had this vintage window-display Santa from a bygone era. Every kid stops to sit in Santa's lap.

(except Nate. He's chicken-livered. Just like his mother)

It was a (warm) winter wonderland.

It still looks odd to me to have Christmas lights in a lemon tree, though.

Nate saves the seals

Yesterday was Nate's classroom party. Heaven forbid you call it a Christmas Party, or use red and green decorations. Sheesh.

So there were snowmen, and blue and white balloons, and build-your-own-pitas, and chocolate fondue.

OK, so it's not exactly a hard knocks life...

And the kids made these adorable little snowman ornaments.

And then I realized that Skip was FINISHED with finals (did I mention that his English final consisted of reciting 14 lines from Romeo and Juliet? And THAT WAS IT?) so I raced off and grabbed him, and brought him back to Nate's class.

Where he was a total hit!

(rats, I should have taken more photos of the other kids with Skip. They really thought he was All That And A Bag Of Chips. One little girl followed him around. Which thrilled Nate, because usually she follows HIM around... and has NO sense of personal space bubbles.

See?

I could not make this stuff up. But Skip just rolled with it, possibly because he has a little sister, and they're ALL alike in his view.

Towards the end of the day, the kids were starting to get antsy (honestly, they'd been AMAZINGLY well-behaved right up until the very end), and then someone said "Let's release the balloons!" and suddenly, there was this surge of kids heading outside with their balloons.

And whoosh! They all released them together.

I was a little leery of the whole thing. You know, balloons go up, balloons come down, fish and turtles eat them and die. But I was outnumbered, I think. And I'm a big old chicken-liver, and didn't speak up. It certainly was pretty, though... if perhaps a wee bit sperm-like.

And then suddenly, I heard one of the other mothers say "The next person who bothers Nate is going to get HOMEWORK over the winter break!" and I looked over, and some boys were trying to wrestle Nate's balloon out of his hands. Fortunately, he had a good grip on it, and Skip was running interference, too.

Nate did NOT want to release his balloon. I don't think it was quite for the altruistic reasons that I would have had, but I congratulated him (quietly) for saving the seals.

And he grinned, with his balloon tied securely to his wrist.

An old cardboard box

I was home for a very brief time yesterday.

It was a fortuitous break in my day, let me tell you. I was in between tutoring, and working in the library, and dropping off cards, and getting groceries, and picking up Skip after his final final, and helping out at Nate's school party, when I dropped back in at the house (forgot the card I needed to drop off at a friend's house).

Bing-Bong...

Oh look! It's the postman, and he's got a parcel that I have to sign for.

Hmm. This is a big box. It's kind of heavy. And egads! Look at the extreme postage. Someone better be working overtime to pay for that!

All the way from Canada...

Let's take a peek...

Ah, this is a box that's been around the block a few times. Sturdy. Good to guard the fragile contents...

(ok, I admit, this is AFTER I emptied all the great chocolate out of the corners where the bars and bags of candy were wedged...)

I will spare you the image of my schmeared mascara as I read the letter that was folded on top of this pile of bubble-wrap. Such a beautiful sentiment, and I still get a little choked up thinking about it.

You see, this parcel? It was my birthday present. And it was brought back from Bolivia by my very best friend.

And look what was inside it:

Yes, people, that is an honest-to-goodness HAND MADE Andean drop spindle. And it's attached to a pound or two of real honest-to-goodness high mountain hand-sheared wool. Hand dyed, too, and look at the FANTASTIC color!

Here, let's get that in some better light...

The yarn was being plied onto the spindle when my BFF bought the whole works out from under the watchful eye of the spinner. As Jenn said "I'm sure she thought "Crazy gringa!", who wants the spindle, too?" But I just can't get over, as I keep stopping to pet this wooly bundle, that this was being spun by hand... in the Andes... and Jenn watched it, and thought of me, and carted this whole pile back with her.

I am so excited to think of what I should be making with this yarn! I could continue to 2-ply it, and then make something heavier-weight... or I could stop 2-plying it, and make something lighter and airier with the 1-ply. I keep envisioning a giant lacy triangular shawl... I've never made a shawl, but it would be SO beautiful in this colour.

For now, though, it's on display. I want everyone that walks in my house to see it, to pet it, and to learn the story of this incredible gift.

Thankyou, Quechuan mountain woman, for your yarny skills.

And thankyou, Jenn, for EVERYTHING.

Because I can be counted on to say the wrong thing.

Ken's mom arrived on Saturday, and spent two days with us before heading off about an hour south of us to spend the rest of this week with her adopted Chinese grandchildren.

I drove mom down to the Wong's house, and it wasn't a big deal (or it wouldn't have been if Nate's teacher hadn't called me halfway to my destination to say that Nate really was starting to look sick... whoopsie) But anyways, not a big deal.

I get to Wong's house, and his wife comes out and thanks Mom for coming, and I'm trapped in amongst all the hugs and kisses and "oh how your children have grown since I was here last", and I'm thinking "gotta get back to school - 35 miles away - before Nate vomits in class!", Jennie Wong turns to me and says "And thank you for letting us take her from you for the week", and me, not being on the ball (I swear, I have this disability that makes me say ALL THE WRONG THINGS if I am not paying complete and UTTER attention), I can't think of what to say in response. I know that I am EXPECTED to say something in response, in the same way that when someone says "How do you do?" you say ".... something..." back at them. But what was I supposed to say?

My mind drew a blank in the nanosecond that I was deer-in-the-headlights realizing that I needed to say something, so I opened my mouth without thinking...

"Oh no... Thank YOU! Thank YOU for taking her"

Did I just say that?

Did I just THANK SOMEONE IN FRONT OF MY MOTHER IN LAW for TAKING HER OFF OUR HANDS?????

Don't you want to be Just Like Me?

I knew you did.

Christmas Light Bokeh

I've been muffing around with the Christmas lights in the front yard. And after last week's "cold snap" (can I even call it that if it barely hits the freezing mark?), I'm happy that I still have flowers in the garden.

So today's photo is in honor of those folks suffering through the cold snap up north. Minus Fifty SIX? Say it isn't so!

The Holiday Machinery churns endlessly onward. This past weekend saw the arrival of Grandma (her flight was late, due to the MASSIVE HAIL STORM that we had here Saturday afternoon), and the completion of this season's concert series. I think I've got a photo of that event, too. Two concerts done, and DONE.

Also took the kids to one of the local Assisted Living places, where they sang Christmas Carols to the folks in the memory-impaired wing. I was expecting a whole lot of blank faces, but more than half of the older folks actually lit up and sang with gusto, before settling back into their slack-faced cocoons. We should do that more often. And, a little milestone, perhaps, Skip actually sang... out loud. Maybe he knew he wouldn't get a cookie if he didn't participate.

We had the high school group over last night for supper. Those kids sure can eat. Ken and the kids made lemon tarts in shortbread crusts (from scratch!), and the kids managed to devour almost all 48 of the little tasty things.

Skip is still being thwarted in his attempts to practice with the pole vault team. Today when we went up to the college athletic field to meet the team and coach, the place was deserted. Hello? Coach? Anyone there?

:crickets:

Skip hung around on the field for 20 minutes while I waited in the van, and then he gave up and we went home. Probably a good thing, as I'd had to pick Nate up at 11 because he was feeling sick at school, and I'd pulled Kelly from school a half hour early so that she could take care of him at home while I took Skip to Pole Vault (un)practice.

Nate was a real trooper after I got him from school this morning, though. I went and ran errands, and he just sat in the van and read his novel. I found some great cuddle fleece (the same fabric that Kelly made her "cow pants" out of last year) in a lovely turquoise and brown funky heart-print, and at 50% off, it was quite the right price. Kelly needs a new bathrobe, and I think I can cobble a good one together for her out of a pattern I snagged and some ideas I'm tossing around in my brain. Good thing she's got a birthday next month. I think one more sewing project would put me right under.

Speaking of... Skip's new cloak isn't going to sew itself. I should get busy while he's studying for his History final. He's not worried about it, says that it's multiple choice, and the teacher isn't the kind of guy to write 'trick questions'. He's also got his Algebra II-Trig exam tomorrow. How well does he need to do on the exam?

He says he NEEDS to get 28% on it to keep his A grade.

TWENTY-EIGHT PERCENT!!!!!!

I told him I'd be disappointed if he got anything less than 26%.

He said he'd be disappointed if he got anything less than 80.

So I guess tomorrow isn't going to be a problem...

NOW! I must start sewing! Oh, and knitting!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I have 48 hours until my mother in law arrives.

My sister in law left at 5:45 this morning. (She'd been staying with us while going to a conference in a nearby city). I escorted her to the gas station and Starbucks on her way to the airport.

What I *SHOULD* have done was then come home and start cleaning immediately.

What I *did* do was come home and play "just one" game of Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook. Good grief, I think I need an intervention. The next thing I knew, the kids were late for school.

(but I did get 3 loads of laundry done)

This evening, while Ken has his board game group over, I'm alternating between finishing up mom's first sock ... (SO close! I'm decreasing the toe!)

(photo taken earlier this afternoon. I'd barely finished the heel turn!)

...and taking photos of the Christmas decorations.

I'm also fooling around with the settings on my camera. For nearly a year, I've been too afraid to just meddle with the settings. Like hello? 1's and 0's are FREE! I can take as many photos as I want and toss them all in the bin if I want to.

Are we detecting a pattern? A fully caffeinated pattern?

Here... break the pattern!

This is the railing going upstairs. I love the lit garland.

Donuts with Dad

Donuts with Dad.

Nate's class had this wonderful event the other day called "Donuts with Dad'. The kids all wrote letters to their dads (or other significant male influence in their lives), inviting them for a breakfast in the classroom right after the first bell.

One of the other mothers was in charge of the "donuts". I took it upon myself to ensure that the dads had some high-test in a red paper cup. Starbucks!

I was amazed at the turn-out, considering that it's a work day, this is Silicon Valley, and it's fast approaching the holidays.

Nate was pretty pleased to show his dad off.

And once Ken had consumed his first cup of coffee, the teacher put him to work (as the tallest dad in the class) tacking the Arctic Circle back up onto the ceiling.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to start putting kids to bed early. Skip is in the doghouse, as he started his "big Project" last night... this would be the one that was due today.

He was up until after midnight.

He owes me THREE HOURS OF SLEEP. Not like you can actually 'bank' sleep, but I'm sending him to bed two hours early for the next three nights. Just to piss him off.

Grey hair

Grey Hair.

I don't wonder why I have grey hair any more.

In the last big storm, the wind was strong enough to rip one end of our gutter right off the upstairs roof. The end that came loose would then, with its flashing flapping about like a tail, flap against the roof edge that was right outside our bedroom wall. Flap, flap, flap. Clatter, clatter, clatter SMASH!

Yeah. Restful sleep.

So yesterday afternoon, Ken decided to fix it. Really, we need to get someone in to replace the gutters, but this is not the most flush time bank-account-wise for that kind of surgery, so we'll wait until the new year.

Out through Nate's window, and he's on the roof of the downstairs part of the house.

Oh, honey, please don't run on the roof.

And you can see how the gutter is all pulled away from the roof. And you can see the flashing, just dangling down there like a big sharp metal tail. Oh look! Last year's Christmas lights. They'd blown into the gutter, so, until the gutter came loose it actually looked like I'd remembered to take the lights down after last Christmas.

Good job so far, sweetie!

But as he looked at the job that needed to be done, he realized that he could only really fix the gutter until about 12 feet from the edge of the house, because the downstairs roof pitches down sharply at that edge, and he couldn't reach the end.

That required that someone go up on the TOP roof. And he couldn't figure out how to get up there without hanging on the gutter, which, as you can see, isn't really all about holding his weight...

So he called for Skip.

Skip is not afraid of heights.

And he was channeling his inner Ninja, apparently, after just coming home from Kung Fu....

At this point I had to stop looking...

Because good grief, he really is a long way up.

Breathe in...

Breathe out...

But hey! The gutter is fixed, and doesn't flap against the house any more.

That's a win!

Adventures in portraits...

Christmas Portrait. Take One.

Kids! Come here. I need you to stop what you're doing right now, and come downstairs. Oh, and Skip and Nate, I need you to change your shirts. Here is a new shirt. Please put it on and take the tag off.

Skip: "Can't I just wear what I'm wearing? It's nearly the same color, anyways... oh well, I'll take off my sweater that I wear Every Single Day Of The Year, and put this on. But you can't tell the difference..."

Me: "I can tell the difference with my nose. You've worn that all week. Put it in the laundry"

Skip: "You can't smell photos."

Me: "Smart kid. If you'd just put on the shirt when I asked, you could be back playing Starcraft with your friend."

Skip: "oh, right..."

Nate: "Where do I sit?"

Skip: "Here, sit on the ottoman with me"

Nate: "Are you going to be nice?"

Skip: "of course! Don't you trust me? Mwa ha ha ha ha ha"

Kelly: "Can I wear the Santa Hat? I don't have a red shirt!"

Me: "Yes, just sit down with the boys while I take a few test shots."

Kelly: "Ok! Anything else you need?"

Skip: "Are we done?"

Me: "Stay! That was a test shot. It doesn't count."

Skip: "Why not?"

Me: "You squished Nate out of the frame."

Skip: "He wasn't in the Christmas Picture 8 years ago, either. Can we be done?"

Nate: "Hey! I will whisper girl names in your ear. Are you making a girl wait on the computer?"

Kelly: "I *love* this time of year!"

Skip: "Are you done yet?"

Me: "Not quite. I just realized I had the wrong setting on the camera. Hold on. Skip, can you smile? You look kind of somber."

Skip: "I had a Dove chocolate before I sat down, and now I have brown teeth."

Me: "OK, keep your mouth shut. You have my blessing."

Skip: "I think I can suck it all off, and make them not so bad."

Me: "Hmm. I don't think I like this setting. Hold on."

Nate. "We're done?"

Me: "No. Hold on."

Kelly: "I think you have great teeth, Skip"

Skip: "..."

Nate: "Are we done?"

Me: "Not yet.. Honey, can you be less goofy? How about a nice quiet face?"

I think, all in all, I took about 40 photos.

I'm leaning towards using this one:

Or maybe this one:

The trouble with Spanx...

Ok, maybe it's the trouble with FAUX-Spanx...

For the un-initiated, Spanks is this super-bionic ultra-stretch foundation garment that sucks you in in all the places you should be sucked-in. If your trousers aren't fitting quite right? Pop on a set of Spanx under those bad-boys, and watch the sleek lines return like you're some runway model...

Tonight, I was serving at a fancy-schmancy GALA at a local college. It was in this posh old Gold-Baron's mansion from the 1800s, and it was that kind of holiday event where all the stops are pulled out. As a volunteer server, I was asked to wear 'black trousers and a white blouse'. I thought "No sweat!" seeing as I honestly thought I had that wardrobe combination covered.

But then, this morning, I realized my 'white blouse' was really a "size 'good-grief-are-you-carrying-twins?' garment" left over from my Kelly-pregnancy, and it wasn't going to cut it with all the posh old ladies in tiaras.

So I made a quick pilgrimage to Kmart, and took what I could find.

Which turned out to be a 'corset-style' blouse. I found it in the junior department. Sue me. I was probably 24 years too old for it. But beggars can't be choosers, so I bought it, and thought "hey! I've got Spanx, this will be just fine'

Tonight, when I was getting dressed, I had to shoehorn myself into those trusty old Spanx, and then my trousers just slipped on, like I'd lost weight, or something! And the corset-style stretch-cotton blouse actually didn't look too atrociously bad, considering that my Spanx went right up past my diaphragm, and cinched in my ribs, even.

But then I got to the Gala, and I realized something about what I was wearing. You see, wearing my stretch-jersey trousers and the super-bionic-stretch Spanx together had created a perfect storm of wardrobe malfunction.

There is 'nap' in stretch fabric. It's like carpet. There's a certain way that the fibres lie, so it's like petting a cat. in one direction it's perfectly smooth, and in the other, it's like little teeth.

My Spanx had little teeth that pointed down.

My trousers had little teeth that pointed up (on the inside of the pant-leg). And those little teeth worked together to ensure that if I wasn't Completely And Utterly Vigilant....

MY PANTS FELL DOWN!

But boy oh boy, did I ever look slim while I was holding onto my waistband...

The other problem with Spanx? They're so industrial strength that you can break a nail while trying to peel them off your body when it's time to say good-night.

Ouch.

No. There are no photos of the wardrobe malfunction.