We are celebrating our Swiss Christmas TONIGHT! And the girls are dying of anticipation. Why, as parents, do we slide into the roll of present controller – taunting our kids with the hour when they can finally open their presents. Maybe it’s because we recall that anticipation and the suffering and we want to inflict it upon our littles. To make it worse I’ve adopted my mom’s tradition of labeling the presents with a secret code. So there is a pile of presents under the tree but they don’t know which ones belong to which sister. Mom used to label with triangles and circles – I usually print out drawings of two animals.
What else could make her act this way… CHRISTMAS!!!
The girls and I made our gingerbread men last night. They each made one for their best friends and we’ll deliver them tonight. I love how Claire places her gingerbread men’s eyes so close to the top of their head. She gets very involved – each cookie had a story or a concept. Like the one that had a shirt covered in gingerbread man sprinkles and he had gingerbread man crumbs around his mouth. Bea is a little more free and relaxed but they turn out no less elaborate. And they smell so good!
Brian has been gone to London and Paris and somewhere else (?) all week. He’ll be home tonight – I’m looking forward to spending a cozy Christmasy weekend with him.
We’ve been busy checking off all the Christmas activities on our list. The traditions make this time of year so reassuring and special don’t they.
Decorate the tree – check.
Make a new ornament for the tree – a Christmas Hen – check
Go to the Wonderland Express display at the Chicago Botanic Garden – check
Make gingerbread houses – check
This year I made the houses instead of purchasing them. Claire helped make the dough and I made one for myself so I didn’t have to share with the girls. I think decorating gingerbread houses is my new favorite hobby.
Enjoy Christmas lights – check. Including the Lincoln Park Zoo Christmas Lights.
Drinking lots and lots of hot chocolate – Check. I like to get out the mugs that we’ve collected from Christmas markets over the years. We’ve been putting Christmas Peeps that Aunt Sandy sent in our hot chocolate – mmmmmmm.
There are lots more traditions to look forward to – we must fit them all in.
I haven’t had much to say on my blog lately. Life rolls on and nothing big happens, but there are lots of small things to enjoy. Things like saying goodbye to Fall and hello Winter.
Here are are some other little things that I’ve been doing:
Making: The house feel festive.
Cooking: Sometimes when I feel a little scattered and I don’t know what to do with myself the best solution is to bake. I always find good recipes on Smitten Kitchen – I made her Caramel Cake the other night – delicious! I also made Sticky Gingerbread Cake and Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies from a beautiful Nigella Lawson book. For the Sticky Gingerbread Cake you have to cook the spices and butter on the stove – it makes the house smell so so good! Also, a salad that turned out yummy: Nancy’s Chopped Salad.
Looking: At the fat squirrels outside my window.
Reading: Jane Smiley books – I enjoyed the farm family story of Some Luck and now I’ve started Private Life.
Wanting: A set of six of these chairs that I saw in Charles d Gaulle Airport. We sat in them for a long time while we were delayed this summer and I can’t get them out of my mind. Sadly when things are sold at a store and it’s called an atelier I think that’s a sign that they are beyond my budget. Oh well – I love to dream about furniture.
Enjoying: My anticipation and Bea’s anticipation of snow.
Waiting: For the leaves to fall ofF one of our maple trees – they just keep holdin’ on this year.
Liking: Lighting candles whenever I can. When it starts getting dark at 4:30 – a flickering candle on the table feels cozy and happy
Wondering: If I can finish painting my bathroom before Christmas. That’s my goal. I’ve almost got the awful wallpaper paste washed off the walls.
Loving: Putting sheets away in my linen closet. I confessed to Brian that seeing and smelling stacks of sheets neatly folded in my linen closet is one of my best pleasures in life – really. Also loving the flannel sheets that Brian and the girls gave me for my birthday.
Listening: Christmas music of course. My favorite Christmas album is – Croon & Swoon
We got out the Monopoly game over Thanksgiving and the girls loved it. First we played at Grandma C’s – Claire was so funny. Whenever she collected money she acted the opposite of humble. She jumped around and gave an evil laugh. Bea started out being the banker and then Claire wanted to be the banker so she paid Bea $500. It was great for getting the girls to practice making change. We had to stop the game when it was bedtime – Claire was the railroad baron raking in all our money so we called her the winner. Then we played at Grandma J’s. It turned out to be an epic game. Grandma kept rolling doubles and somehow four of us ended up in jail at once. Bea was really bad at watching the board and calling it out when someone landed on her property. We got laughing so hard when we made faces at her to try to get her to notice. The game dragged out and Jennifer ended up taking all our money – we actually finished the game! And money-bags Claire ended up being the last one to go bankrupt. So many laughs – so much fun!
We did a few other things too. Like cooking up a storm and eating yummy turkey.
Bea got to play with beloved Baxter and Tucker
We got to see Great Grandma and she wore her “whole world” locket.
We sat around and colored and watched football.
We went for a walk in the woods – it was a beautiful sunny day.
We decorated Grandma J’s tree – Claire was so into it – she was adding more more more long after the big girls gave up.
And we also went to the old Temple Theater in Saginaw to watch White Christmas. I love that new tradition!
Last week I finished sewing the cushions for my kitchen banquette benches so I’m calling my kitchen officially done now.
What a big long process it was! Overall I am really really pleased with how it turned out and I feel so lucky to have a refreshed space that I got to plan exactly as I wanted. I am so happy that it functions better too. It feels less cramped and busy. The lighting and range fan work better. There is more counter space and more storage (and fewer washers and dryers). The table doesn’t wobble and squeak. The floors actually feel clean after I clean them. The cupboards and drawers all close without having to give them a push with your hip. The countertops are easier to clean. Our back door no longer sticks and the banquette bench storage opens and closes properly.
Brian is smiling because we moved our old fridge to the basement and it’s now his personal beer and cheese fridge.
So here are some not-professional photos. Isn’t it pretty.
Here are some before and after photos – I love seeing the changes.
So thank you for going on this epic dramatic remodel journey with me.
Laowai 