Christmas Vacation 2011

We had a wonderful holiday season this year. Christmas vacation seemed particularly long maybe because we were all sick for most of it. There was a lot of vomiting going on. Regardless, we were able to pack in quite a lot and still had time for lazy days, date nights, reading books and movie nights. Anyway, we are all on the mend now and back to our routine this morning. My alarm going off at 5am this morning was quite the rude awakening.

Here are some pictures from our Christmas vacation. Unfortunately my camera had the audacity to stop working...on Christmas Day...if you can believe it? The pictures taken at my mom's house are courtesy of Kelley.

Our holiday festivities kicked off with the Vintage Christmas sale that Sisters Creed participated in. You can read about it here. We had a great time. It really put me in the mood to decorate for Christmas...which I was NOT in the mood to do before hand. (I had finally completely unpacked us from our "non-move" about 2 days before my sale.) The last thing I wanted to do was put away stuff that I had just unpacked to unpack 10 Christmas bins. But...I did it and I am glad that I did. It was nice to forget about our hideous fall and to enjoy a little Christmas Spirit. You can read about my holiday decorating here.

This year my favorite new decoration was my ruffled tree skirt courtesy of my mother. I love Pinterest. It is full of great ideas that amazing people like my mom pin and then make. These were for sale at our Christmas sale as well as some ruffled burlap ones. Darling. My tree skirt was just so gorgeous that I didn't even want to put any presents under the tree until Christmas eve so I could enjoy it's ruffled beauty.

As previously recorded Ailey participated in her first piano recital. She and Bryn really wanted me to include this picture of them on my blog. I am happy to oblige.

All of Ailey's constant practicing of "I Saw Three Ships" lead to this little number.

Yep. Those are pull-ups on Bryn. We are in potty training hell. I forgot how much I do not enjoy potty training. And...how pull-ups are an enormous waste of money. Luckily Santa brought lots of panties for Brynnie and things are on the upswing.



In case you are wondering why our Christmas Tree went black during the video...it was connected to "the clapper" which hates our voices (particularly mine) and would constantly turn off the tree lights nearly every time I spoke...or laughed...or yelled. Delightful.

Bryn also does a rousing rendition of Dreidel Song (taught to her by Ailey) which she particularly loved to sing at the top of her lungs in Walmart and Costco. I kept waiting for someone to wish us a Happy Hanukkah. If you would like to see the same performance as above including the Dreidel song and the ABCs watch below.






We also celebrated my mom's birthday which you can read about here. If you haven't eaten at the Green Frog in Palouse, WA you are missing out. The Viking Sandwich (a grilled mushroom and Swiss) is the stuff dreams are made of.

I love this picture of my mom and Reilly.

Grandkids eagerly awaiting their food at the Green Frog.

Reilly and Stacey

Elle, Kelley and Stacey

Waiting for Santa and a hay ride

This year to try to eliminate some of the holiday frenzy and stress we decided to pare things down a bit. No sending out of Christmas cards and fewer cookie plates. We still made way too many treats...that no one in our family ate because we weren't feeling all that great...and we should have given them all away. As far as Christmas cards go, we wondered if they were really necessary in the world of Facebook and blogs. My conclusion...yes, they are. Christmas cards are THOUGHTFUL. So to all the thoughtful people who took time out of their busy lives to send us a Christmas card and to wish us a Merry Christmas, they were truly appreciated and you will get a card from us next year. :)

Christmas Eve

I am including pictures of the kids opening pajamas since they are the only "opening of presents" pictures my camera recorded before it bit the big one.

Mary and Joseph...the angel was a little hopped up on sugar and refused to stay in one place long enough for a picture.

The parents

How we really felt!!

Bryn was up until 2 am which made it a little difficult for Santa to make a stop at our house.

On Christmas Day we headed up to my mom's house. We had a fantastic time. Everyone seemed to be feeling better and was in a festive mood.

We were joined by my Uncle Steve and cousin Tania.

The kids table

We ate and laughed and stayed up way too late for the second night in a row. It was wonderful!!

The grandkids...minus three out-of-towners. My mom made silky princess jammies for the little girls with matching peignoirs. Darling. Stacey, Kelley and I would like some adult ones for next year!!

Kelley, Tania, Stacey and Kristin

We had a wonderful New Years full of fun and games, and food and family. We were definitely happy to ring in the New Year.

We hope that 2012 is a wonderful year full of love , joy, health and happiness for everyone!!

Love,

Ailey's First Piano Recital

Last night we had the pleasure of attending Ailey's first piano recital. She did fantastic with her piece "I Saw Three Ships". Ailey tends to be on the shy side so Tyler and I were a little concerned about how she would do. We had no cause to worry. She rose admirably to the occasion.

Good Job Ailey!! We love you!!

Be merry all, be merry all,
With holly dress the festive hall;
Prepare the song, the feast, the ball,
To welcome merry Christmas.
~William Robert Spencer

The funny thing about the Christmas Spirit is that no matter your state of mind or busyness it quietly slips in when you least expect it and illuminates your heart and soul with joy. It is impossible to deny the peaceful majesty of the Christmas Season.

This year I was not in a holiday mood. I had FINALLY unpacked the last box we were unpacking (there are many still packed in the garage) and found places for everything. We repainted Kameron's room and repainted the family room aka teen lounge (Reilly's temporary new digs) and I was exhausted. The last thing I wanted to do was take down things that had just been unpacked to set up for Christmas. More boxes...ugh. But something funny happened. I caught the Christmas spirit and voila we are now decked out for Christmas.

The Christmas spirit hit me full force at the Vintage Christmas Sale that we participated in last weekend. Wow. Vintage Christmas decorations get me every time. Beautiful booths, creative and festive vendors, excited happy people, Christmas music...wham! The Christmas spirit!!

Now two trees are up, lights are up, the house decorated, Christmas music playing, eggnog is being enjoyed, crafts are being done, baking is under way, friends are coming over, Christmas parties have begun, Christmas books are being read, cozy family time is happening. I love it!!

Thanks Christmas Spirit!! You were just what I needed.

Thanksgiving 2011



We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We had Thanksgiving at the lake and then spent the weekend at my Mom's house in Sandpoint...with a foray into Spokane for some shopping on Saturday. It was a lot of fun. It got off to a bit of a rocky start though. When we returned home from Stacey's house last weekend Ailey woke up in the night with hives. Thinking that she was allergic to something she ate we gave her some Benedryl but it had no effect and she got worse. We ran her into the doctor who diagnosed her with Erythema Multiforme which means she had an allergic reaction to a virus. Weird. I had no idea that was even possible. Anyway it is nasty stuff. The poor kid missed 3 days of school prior to Thanksgiving break. She had hives EVERYWHERE. Her lips and eyes were so swollen she could barely talk, smile, or see. She was miserable. With this particular illness you get horrible joint pain...some days she couldn't walk...other days it was in her hands and she looked like a little arthritis patient. I felt so bad for her!!

This was a good day...you d0 not want to see a picture of one of her "bad" days. Wow.

When we got out to the lake on Thanksgiving day the weather wasn't too bad. I was thrilled that there wasn't much snow and that the lake hadn't frozen over yet. It was beautiful.

We hiked up on my grandma's property to cut down Christmas trees for Stacey and Kelley. I am a *bit* too particular about my tree!! (We planned to go farther north the next day to cut down a big Christmas tree...we had permits from the forest service...but we never ended up going.) Poor Ailey couldn't walk earlier that day and got to ride in Elle's stroller and then got packed into the woods on her daddy's back.

Ailey in the stroller and a cat that took a shine to her on our walk. Yep...she likes cats about as much as I do.

It was beautiful in the woods. I was packing Bryn on my back in the areas where it was hard for her to walk and she whispered to me "I in the deep dark wood."

Stacey and Ken. I wish I could have gotten a picture of Stacey's husband, John, in his fetching chapeau. I think it might have been a hat my great-grandpa wore...or maybe more like my great-grandma. :)

This year it was just our McClellan family (Kirk and Jordin and their families couldn't come) and granny of course. It was delightful. Not that we don't enjoy seeing all the extended aunts, uncles and cousins...it just wasn't such a MADHOUSE. No eating in shifts...there were places to sit etc. It was a really nice, fun and relaxing holiday. We fired up the wood stove...my mom was actually using it to heat up food...it was cozy and fun.


We set a table using foraged items and some of my grandma's special Thanksgiving decorations. We ate by candlelight. It was gorgeous.


My mom made turkey, mashed potatoes, her amazing gravy, sausage stuffing, and pumpkin pies. I made two pecan pies, two cherry pies and sweet potatoes...and brought the fixings for Shirley Temples our favorite drink of choice when we were little. Stacey brought rolls, a brussel sprout gratin, chipotle cranberry sauce and jello squares. Kelley made the most delicious green beans and a relish tray. The food was DIVINE!!

The lake clearly has some magical healing properties. Later that afternoon, Ailey's joint pain eased up and her hives went away. Hallelujah. The doctor said that she could be sick for up to 14 days. She is still hive-free as of today (Tuesday). It was so nice for the cousins to have some "cousin time". We had music from the 1940's playing, lots of laughs, and family time. It was a great day to reflect on our blessings and to be thankful for one another. I can't even tell you how many times I have fallen asleep on the old blue couch to the sound of laughter coming from that kitchen and the conversations of my grandparents, parents, and aunts and uncles. It is one of the best sounds I know. I am so glad that my children get to experience that as well.

River, Bryn and Ailey

Dane and Kam

Elle Rockin' Out

How cute is my sweet Brynnie? She particularly loved the Shirley Temples, mashed potatoes and jello squares.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

(Hope It Was Great.)

Tim Tam Slams and River's Birthday

We had a fun weekend. Even though we are still unpacking and recovering from what I now like to call "our disappointment" (sounds very Jane Austen doesn't it?) we managed to hit two parties, tackle a big project, and have a Tim Tam Slam Fest. Not too bad for a dreary snowy weekend.

Friday night we went to a friends surprise 40th Birthday Party and had a great time...and got started painting Kameron's room. Saturday we painted and painted and in order to get a sugar buzz going to keep us on task late at night, Tyler and I, did a quite a few Tim Tam Slams which are perhaps my new favorite dessert.

Ever heard of the Tim Tam Slam? How about a Tim Tam? I never had but apparently it is Australia's favorite cookie. America has been missing out. Any how I saw this on a blog and then randomly saw the ol' Tim Tam's at Albertsons this weekend.

They are delicious right out of the package. I managed to scarf down a few while running around on Saturday and boy did I regret eating them cold and not in a "slam". A slam is done by biting off opposite corners of the Tim Tam cookie. You then dip one end in a hot beverage either hot chocolate or coffee.

Like so...this is not my hand...I got this from the Internet. This was not documented because believe me people you DID NOT want to see me and Tyler slamming and sucking like greedy little pigs.

Okay, so after you have bitten your cookie and submerged one end into hot chocolate you suck the other bitten off end. Once you feel hot chocolate moving up through the cookie...the cookie cools it off so don't worry about burning your mouth...you slam that whole cookie into your mouth where it collapses into liquid fudge. Sweet Mother!! It is seriously one of the best things I have ever eaten. If you could have seen the look of ecstasy on Tyler's face (because I made him try it first) you would be RUNNING to the grocery store right now. (Tim Tam's are also sold at Target.) We got a package thinking it would be fun to do for FHE with the kids. We ate the whole thing ourselves. Sorry kiddies!! They were too darn delicious. Who knew that Tim Tam Slams were so popular. There are YouTube videos on how to properly slam them and even a song about Tim Tam Slams. Those crazy Australians!!

****Edit: DO NOT buy the caramel Tim Tams. While you can slam them...they are not nearly as good as the chocolate creme ones!!****

We also managed to squeeze in a fun trip down to Stacey's house to celebrate our niece River's 4th Birthday.

The Birthday Girl and her parents

River had her party at the gymnastics place in Moscow and it was a hit!!

These two were old enough to participate this year and they had a blast.

Cousins...before the guests arrived

Stacey making the magic happen. We don't do friend birthday parties anymore. Hallelujah. And guess what? No one cares... as long as we do something fun. Lucky for River, her mom is a much nicer mom than Aunt Kristin. :)

Happy Birthday Rivvy!! We love you.