Wednesday, December 31, 2008

A NEW New Year's List

Carl and the girls dismantled our Christmas tree, dragged it outside and set it aflame. Nothing burns faster than a dried-out pine tree. Our Christmas decorations are scattered in varied states of put-away: some still sit in the same dust they've been collecting over the past thirty days, some are in boxes strewn throughout the house and some wait patiently by the attic ladder steps. What a mess.

For us Catholics the Christmas season doesn't officially end until January 6, which is the twelfth day of Christmas, also known as Epiphany. For this Catholic, Christmas will officially end on January 1 when my side of the family gathers to celebrate. By that time I will have made countless lists, wrapped a ridiculous number of presents, and purchased at least four last-minute gifts in spite of my lists. I don't think I could last another day, let alone the five that remain between January 1 and January 6. Nobody will receive, seven swans a-swimming, eight maids a-milking, nine ladies dancing, ten drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, or twelve lords a-leaping from the Solomon family. Sorry.

A large percentage of us are making a different kind of list and checking it twice: The New Year's Resolutions. I've decided to make two lists this year: First, I will make a list of the things I did right in 2008. Rather than focus, as I so-often do, on my deteriorating body, weak sense of discipline, inferior relationship skills or mediocre financial management, I'm going to list my 2008 triumphs. After I've made that list and basked in its meager glow, I'll return to the much-simpler task of delineating my faults in the form of a record of resolutions to change them.

So, here it goes, in no particular order (because, really, I should be completing the overwhelming number of tasks required to get on the road to Wichita today for my family's Christmas celebration tomorrow):

In 2008 I...

1. decided NOT to medicate Hannah, and she appears to be "growing out of" her spaciness at school.

2. We completed the French door room and nearly completed the downstairs bathroom of the building project.

3. I, with Mom's help (or should I say Mom, with my help), put new landscaping in my front yard, including spring bulbs that I'm anxiously awaiting.

4. finally paid to have gutters installed to protect number 3.

5. finally met my Internet friend, Laurie. (Hi Laurie!)

6. completed our taxes on time AND got a refund.

7. started the Antibiotic Protocol

8. started going to the YMCA for arthritis aquacize classes

9. rekindled my friendship with Bob

10. entered a Guideposts writing contest

11. repaired my relationship with my mother-in-law

12. started hormone therapy, to which I credit my wonderful lack of seasonal depressions this winter (yippee!)

OK...I admit to re-reading my own blog to come up with some of these and I've made it as far as June. However, I need to get busy, so I'm stopping here. These are the high points.

Hey, 2008 was pretty great. I've already asked this once, but it bears repeating:

What did you do right this past year? Give yourself a pat on the back.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Refrigerator-ator

When Katie opened the quart of ice cream Friday evening, she found it the consistency of a milkshake rather than a nice frozen box of yum. Other items in the freezer seemed soft, but the ice hadn't yet melted. Carl turned up the knob in the refrigerator section and we hoped for the best. By Saturday morning we knew we had a problem.

Carl pulled the refrigerator away from the wall and spent nearly two hours trying to determine why it wasn't kicking on. He unscrewed the back panel and swept away the gunk, he vacuumed the coils underneath, he dialed the knob to maximum cold in the refrigerator section. Nothing.

In our refrigerator unit the refrigerator is on top while the freezer is on bottom. My sister has the same fridge, so Carl finally agreed to call her family. They didn't answer, so he left a message that went something like this: "Hey, Ed. What do you know about refrigerators? Ours isn't doin' NOTHIN'." Click. Excellent grammar. Very descriptive. Why, I think Carl should consider writing for a living.

A few minutes later Ashley returned our call. They had recently replaced their thermostat--officially known as the cold control I learned--which was located in the freezer section. As she explained this and told me that the numbered knob found in the refrigerator was merely a damper of sorts, I shouted the info to Carl from the comfort of my couch.

Yeah, yeah. He got that.

"Did you try unplugging it for a couple of minutes?" Ashley asked. Yes, it had been unplugged, the light was working, we had power.

"Maybe try turning it off then back on again," she suggested.

I yelled that suggestion to Carl and reminded him that the knob in the upper refrigerator section would not turn it off.

"Well, where do you turn it off then?" Hadn't we already covered this?

"It's the knob in the freezer at the bottom," I reminded him.

Silence.

"Where is it?" he asked, a little annoyed.

As I asked Ashley where exactly the dial was located, Carl hollered, "OK. I see it." Pause. "It IS turned off."

It took a couple of seconds for that to sink in, then Ashley and I simultaneously started laughing. I nearly peed my pants. "Well, maybe you should turn it ON."

Problem solved. I'm pretty sure Hannah had something to do with all of this, but the world may never know.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Playing Catch-up

I've been frantically working on a Christmas gift project, which I have thoroughly enjoyed, but have hyperfocused on at the expense of writing. I would tell more about my project, but certain recipients still read this blog (at least I think they do...) and I don't want to give it away. Our last Christmas gathering takes place on New Year's Day. At that point life should return to normal.

Yesterday I spent my first Christmas at home since moving to our little town twelve years ago. What a delight! We rolled out of bed early and, while still in our jammies, opened presents with no pressure to pack and drive out of town. We enjoyed a meaningful, frugal Christmas morn.

Pop made a whirlwind trip to enjoy Christmas supper with us, followed by several games of ten point pitch. He left before dawn this morning--crazy!

The Christmas season coupled with the first real cold snap has caused a rush of remote start requests for Carl--you know, those nifty electronics that allow you to start your car from the comfort of your home. The business is a mixed blessing. Financially I'm yelling YIPPEEEEE!!! However, the extra work keeps Carl away during an already busy, family-filled season.

Lastly in this list: a pipe froze and broke in the building project the day before we left for Christmas with Carl's family. On the positive side, we were home and noticed it within thirty minutes, so the damage is minimal. The water leaked through the ceiling of the French door room and onto the bed, but we caught it so quickly that he mattress wasn't even damp. Whew! Imagine the mess if we had been traveling or even if we had been sleeping. Yikes. My Pergo floor would have been ruined, the ceiling may have collapsed rather than only showing a two-foot narrow strip of water damage, and oh so much more.

We still ranked high on the idiot scale, though. Less than twenty-four hours prior to the pipe's rupture, Carl said, "There's been a thin layer of ice in the new toilet the last couple of mornings."

I replied, "Oh no. Do you think we should run the water or something to keep the pipes from exploding?"

He said, "Ohh...I don't know." We had so much to do to prepare for his family's Christmas celebration in two days that neither of us gave it any more thought, until...

With the new year on the horizon I've been thinking back through 2008 and contemplating 2009. What did you do right this past year?

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

What I Have Done...

I ran across this meme at The Unknown Blog and thought it looked fun. I'm hoping some of you will do it, too. Cut and paste the list then bold the things you have done. The italicized words are my own little additions.

Let me know if you've participated so I can peek at the juicy stuff.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (I wish!)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (though not to the top)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (again--I wish!)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (thank God, no)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (cans from the store--much easier)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (does a 5K count?)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (OK--who hasn't???)
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (somehow I don't think they mean The Rock n Roll Booze Cruise)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (I took French in college, does that count?)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (they really have a thing about France, eh?)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (hey, it's been decades)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (threw up that night...MMmmm)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (not difficult in a small town)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (only Carl)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

What Was I Thinking???

For the first time since we moved to our small town twelve years ago, we will be spending Christmas at home with only ourselves. Carl's family is celebrating the weekend before Christmas so that we can include family members that otherwise couldn't make it. My family is celebrating on New Year's so that we can include my brother's family. His wife is a professional photographer and is booked solid through Christmas.

Over the years I have become less and less interested in decorating my home for a Christmas it wouldn't experience. Last year I didn't retrieve a single ornament or light from the attic, not even the three-foot fake tree that's been my bah-humbug backup.

This year, however, I'm excited. Sure, we'll spend twice as much time on the road. But rather than a marathon of preparation and packing, we will have two more-manageable weekends between which we will spend a quiet Christmas morning at home opening presents in pajamas (we, not the presents, wearing the PJs) before we even comb our hair. I have no clue yet what we'll eat. Christmas feast? Or day-long snacking?

My excitement and anticipation have manifested as some bizarre Christmas craziness. I know from twelve years of traveling for Thanksgiving that I need recovery time after returning home--a good day or two of relaxing before I begin unpacking, before I begin laundry, before I begin even thinking about Christmas. Knowing this, what did I decide to do the Sunday after Thanksgiving?

Decorate.

Did I undertake my decorating project with any sort of plan in mind? Not really. Unless you call bringing every single Christmas doo-dad, every strand of lights, every box of imitation greenery down from the attic and into my tiny living room at one time a plan. While Carl and the girls hauled things down the attic ladder, I emptied my glass-front cupboard, creating an even larger mess. All the while I repeatedly played the only Christmas CD that hasn't been destroyed by Hannah and Carl burned some potpourri on the stove.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la...

Added to the madness: one seven-and-a-half foot, very fat Christmas tree. By 7:30 I was in bed, but the house looked festive. And messy. Very messy. I'm pleased with our Christmas tree, wound with small white lights as well as those fat, red retro lights. I love 'em. The ornaments are a hodgepodge of homemade kid projects, gifts from friends and family over the years and sentimental ones like "baby's first Christmas" and "our first Christmas." Some are a mystery--I have no clue where they came from. You can't tell all of that from this picture, but I'm posting it anyhow.




Notice I took a picture of ONLY the tree and nothing in the messy area surrounding it. The following picture is only one part of my own personal Christmas Ground Zero: my bedroom. Notice the suitcase still standing in the right of the picture. The green chair is a transplant, moved from the living room to make space for the tree.



In addition, I don't think we'll be eating at our dining room table any time soon, but I'll spare you that vision. And all of this after Liz the Whiz did her magic. (What would I do without you LtW?)

And what was I thinking?

Monday, December 1, 2008

What A Weekend

As usual, Thanksgiving proved to be a whirlwind of activity. We intended to leave our small town for the big city on Wednesday at 3:00, which is actually 5:00 Solomon Time. We departed by 3:45, so does that mean we were early or late?

We arrived at Mom's Wednesday evening, ate supper, played cards ("hearts"--I seriously dislike that game) and imbibed until much-too-late. Thanksgiving day we brunched with my side of the family, pigged out on Thanksgiving dinner with Carl's family and returned to play cards ("10 point pitch"--a much better choice, especially since the women ruled) and imbibed until much-too-late yet again.

On Black Friday morning the dads watched the kiddos while the moms shopped in the morning. In the afternoon Mom, Ashley and I helped my dad pick out flooring and paint for a major project. I felt right at home at Lowe's and enjoyed spending someone else's money for a change. Friday evening we grilled the best steaks ever, purchased from a nearby Amish community. At this point the evenings blur together. Did we play more cards? Or just imbibe?

On Saturday we celebrated Carl's and Hannah's birthdays. If you recall, Hannah was born on Carl's 40th birthday. Hannah's singing Happy Birthday to herself in the picture below.



Before, during and after the party my mom took each of the girls on their annual Christmas shopping excursion, an event that has become as beneficial for the parents as it has been enjoyable for the kids. Mom takes each of her grandchildren to the store of their choice where said kid points out her favorite items within the given price range. Mom makes a list of those items and their prices as well as several more expensive items that the parent may decide to buy. This list has been extremely helpful in years past and has created lasting memories for the kids. After shopping grandma and grandchild go to the restaurant of the child's choice for an after-shopping treat. My girls always choose Braum's ice cream.

Hannah's shopping trip was the last, just before we left Wichita. After shopping she ordered a chocolate waffle cone "to go" so we could get on the road. Grandma Janis returned Hannah, we loaded the Tahoe and left town. Before we even made it to the Wichita city limits, Hannah looked like this: