Bea got it in her head on Saturday morning that we should have a Simpsons celebration. We had nothing else going on that day so why not.
She worked so hard making her Simpsons cookies! Thanks to Grandma J. for giving her the cookie cutters for Christmas. Later we played Simpsons Monopoly (another Christmas gift) while we watched The Simpsons.
That’s a whole lot of Homer!
I’ve started a new quilt. I can’t keep hauling all my precious fabric back and forth across the ocean. I need to use up my scraps! And I need a distraction from thinking about our upcoming move. Last time we moved I made my postage stamp quilt in record time. I’m going to make 36 thirteen inch log cabin blocks. I’ve been cutting all my fabric scraps into strips. It’s improvised style – no precise measuring or precise seam allowances – so it’s very relaxing. Here I go…
We went to a small ski resort called Braunwald yesterday. It was one of those super sunny days that feel so good. We did some hiking and some sledding.
I always feel like a foreigner in these scenes. Everyone is so busy getting on with their ski day. They know the lay of the land and where to go for each gondola or chairlift. And they’ve go their tickets all sorted out without confusion. It’s organized chaos. A brightly clad bustling crowd set against the white snow background. Meanwhile, we stand to the side sort of confused.
There goes Bea – zooming way ahead of us on her sled.
Brian showed, again, that he is part human, part sled dog (or maybe he just can’t say no to his daughters). He pulled them up significant portions of the path we took.
By the time we were heading back down the mountain – doing our last bit of sledding – the sun had dipped behind the mountains. What a beautiful day!
Jennifer gave me some old fabric for Christmas and I love it. It has chickens and horses and houses and funny folk people and smiling sunshines and sweet flowers. I’m making a new set of napkins so I can see the pattern all the time.
Here we are in Wilmette and my mind is on all the things I want to do at our house. Pictures I want to frame and hang in specific spots, rooms I want to paint, maintenance and renovations that I want to get on top of to keep the house happy. I’ve been spending time looking at online portfolios of interior designers and thinking about wallpaper and curtains and colors. And I’ve been cleaning out some old stuff that we don’t use. Toys that the girls left behind and now seem like baby toys have been taken to Goodwill. And at the same time I enjoy sweeping and dusting everywhere – getting rid of all the spider webs in the corners. And I cut back my hydrangea blooms so that maybe at the time when we move (yes, it’s happening) we will see some new blooms filling that whole side of the yard as they do. Ah, my beloved house.
Other than thinking about my house we’ve been seeing friends and doing fun things.
Hello Chicago.
I took Claire and her friend to the mall and we had such a good (girlie) time.
We went to the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Lightscape event and it was so fun! Thanks to our friend, Danae, for getting tickets and planning it all for us.
They had puppies at the LLBean store. They were there just to entertain people and socialize the puppies. Oh my, that little girl was like a doll – so floppy and warm.
I’m going to be a knitter someday. In the meantime I’ll tag along with a real knitter and stroke all the beautiful yarns at this wonderful yarn store. Oh my!
One more house photo. Someday I’ll paint our lovely upstairs hallway and we won’t have suitcases spilling out all over the floor.
Well we had a very merry Christmas here in Michigan. Today we say good-bye and then head to Wilmette for a few days.
Here are some photos that remind me of all the fun and smiles and traditions that make Christmas all our own.
Claire made pupcakes for Tucker – he gets lots of extra love when we visit.
Bea is smiling because the big bowl of tapioca pudding that Jennifer always makes is right in front of her.
Downtown Midland always looks so pretty. So long Santa – see you next year.
This year we got to see Kim and Dave and Phillip. A treat since I can’t even remember exactly when we saw them last.
Bea was jet lagged!
Grandma gave me this ornament that her aunt made years ago. That’s Brian!
A big tradition at the Chapman house – grandma makes gobs of delicious cookies.
We didn’t get a white Christmas but it was still pretty at Dow Gardens.
Jennifer and I also started a new tradition – a 3:30 am trip to the ER. Turns out my body made a Christmas kidney stone so Jennifer got to zip me to the hospital and see me at my best. I spent the next day uncomfortable in bed but really it was over quickly. Thanks Jennifer and let’s not really make that a new tradition!
So now we’re off to Wilmette. and I’m eager to see our house.
Look who I found at the brocki. Eeeeeek, I love him so much. He was a little beat up – on a music box with some sad broken angels. I cleaned him up and gave him a new woodland home.
The angels have taken up residence in our Christmas village.
Brian is always buying these mini stollen breads this time of year. Stollen was new to me when we first moved to Switzerland. They are really rich and tasty with nuts and dried fruit and bits of marzipan. And when you eat some you leave a trail of powdered sugar.
When I came across a recipe for homemade stollen I was really excited to try it. The recipe is great because it’s not really a bread it’s like a cookie bar. So it’s quick to make and it still has all the great stollen flavors. Yum! The recipe is from Molly Yeh – they look much prettier on her site.
Laowai 