MarytheKaytheBlog

A Tale of a Dog

The other night at a fun dinner out with my parents, our 10-year-old Rebecca was going on and on telling her Nana and Pops all about how she would really love to get a puppy for her birthday, and not a big dog, but a little one who could live inside, but we have to convince our summer camp to allow inside dogs, so she could take it with us in the summer, and not be outside getting fleas and stuff, and she really loves Miss Teresa's miniature poodle cause it's so cute, it's about *this big*, and it doesn't shed, and is really friendly, even though it is 96 in dog years (the dog, not Miss Teresa), and Miss Teresa said sometimes she is old and grumpy (again, the dog, and not Miss Teresa) and doesn't like kids, but once she scratched her ears, little Nellie, who's named after Nellie Oleson of Little House on the Prairie, followed her around all evening, and even put her head on her foot during dinner...

(deep breath)

Nana:  "Rebecca, have you ever thought about becoming a vet?  You sure do love animals."

Rebecca:  "But, Nana, I'm not old enough!"

(She does have a point there)

When Life Gives You Peppermints...Make a Pie!

Come join Love the Pie with TidyMom  sponsored by Cherokee USA, Le Creuset, Wilton, Bags by Bloom and  Harvard Common Press

(Grumpy, no fun readers:  Scroll to the bottom for the no frills, condensed recipe.)

 

Well, here I go again...obsessing over peppermint! 

Just the other day I needed to make a dessert for our  Sunday school Christmas party.  My original plan was to make my Mississippi Mud Pie, because my dad requested it.  All good daughters make the pies their daddies request.  It's in the Bible. 

So, like the good daughter, I went to purchase the ingredients.  Only I couldn't find coffee ice cream anywhere.  Okay, so I only checked 3 different groceries, and right now my very dear friend is saying, "HELLO??  Cold Stone carries coffee ice cream!!!"  I know, I KNOW.  And truthfully--Cold Stone has the BEST coffee ice cream.  But, the problem is--Cold Stone does not carry bread, eggs, and potatoes.  And I needed groceries to feed my family.  (Remember?  I hadn't been to the grocery in weeks.)  Plus, I'm just lazy, and driving the four minutes across town to Cold Stone would have required effort.  So, dear friend, please forgive me for not getting the most delicious Cold Stone coffee ice cream. 

But, I do have to (timidly) say...without the coffee ice cream, a NEW CREATION (yes, I'm yelling it) was formed!!!!

BEHOLD!!  The Chocolate Peppermint pie!!!  Nice to meet ya, Charlie Brown.  Come on in and sit a spell.

Now, if you're still with me after that mind-numbing, hunger-inducing introduction, then I'll tell the three of ya'll my recipe...

I'm going to play Pioneer Woman...First, here are the ingredients you'll need:

 (Before starting, thaw your peppermint ice cream on the counter for at least 20 minutes, so it melts to a spreadable texture.)

Step 1:  Melt jar of hot fudge in microwave.  Well, not really the jar...melt the hot fudge.  And, don't be like me and let it boil over and make a mess.  Next, pour just enough into the bottom of an Oreo pie crust to cover. 

 Step 2:  Carefully spread a layer of peppermint ice cream on top of fudge. 

 

 Step 3:  Sprinkle a layer of crushed oreos on top.  (I use the very technical hand-crush method.  I pretend that the Oreos are the grumpy, pushy shoppers at Walmart.)

 

 Step 4:  Are you keeping up with me?  I am moving at lightening speed.  Next, pour on another layer of hot fudge.  I actually ran low on the hot fudge--what with all the spillage...So, your layer can be thicker than this.  Suit yourself.

Step 5:  Put sloshy, melty pies into the freezer until they harden enough to work with again.  15-20 minutes?

 Step 6:  Slather on a nice layer of Cool Whip.  Or, as we used to say in South Arkansas, "Coo Whip."

  Step 7:  Put on last layer of peppermint ice cream.  Since the ingredients are now above the pie shell, I like to mound it up in the middle.  Mound 'em up, little doggies.  Don't ya just want to lick that layer right off the top?  Well, I do...

 

 Step 8:  Put on the last layer...the Coo Whip.  Make it pretty with little swirls and peaks.  Then sprinkle some crushed Oreos and peppermints on top.  There!  What do you think?  I sure wish you could have tasted it...  It was cool and refreshing, and just the right amount of chocolate-y goodness.  Mmm.

What a YUMMY end result--and a FUN Christmas-y dessert...when I couldn't find any coffee ice cream for my Mississippi Mud pie.

(For you sharp people, I just betcha you can surmise my Mississippi Mud Pie recipe...  But, shhh!  Don't tell anybody!)

Now, for you grumpy, too much in a hurry to look at my purty pictures and read my funny words, readers...Here is the recipe in condensed form:

Inside Oreo crust, layer these ingredients, in this order: Hot fudge, peppermint ice cream, crushed oreos, hot fudge, Cool Whip, peppermint ice cream, Cool Whip, with crushed Oreos and peppermints on top for garnish.  Freeze as necessary between layers.  When complete, freeze several hours, until firm.

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Sunday Night Madness

 We interrupt the normal blog scheduling for a special report: 

beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep, beep beep

(does anyone else remember the high pitch beeps before a special report...besides me?)

MarytheKay is temporarily (mentally and emotionally) unavailable.  She will return tomorrow, with her normal chipper, albeit somewhat dorky, self.  Please remain calm.  This is NOT an EMERGENCY.  I repeat, this is NOT an EMERGENCY.

If this WERE and emergency, the beep beeps would be followed by a high-pitch mama scream like this, "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

MarytheKay has reached full maximum input, and has exceeded her output level.  (Do ya hear that, honey?  Just a little joke there to embarrass my mom.)  MarytheKay is also speaking in 3rd person, for some strange reason.

Does anyone else get the Sunday Night Madness?  I can have such a lovely weekend, a Sunday afternoon nap, and feel like I am all ready for the week ahead--and BAM!!!--at about 9:30pm, the Madness begins.  I suddenly realize I have HOURS of stuff still to do.  Okay, so sometimes I exaggerate a teensy bit.  But, still.  I get to 9:30pm on a Sunday night, and I am emotionally d-o-n-e for the day.  But, too bad for me--cause I still have several tasks left to do staring at me with their beady little eyes.  The lunchboxes have especially beady eyes, if you must know. 

Well, before signing off, I do feel like I should end on a more positive note.  I'll leave you with a couple of pictures from our weekend.

 

I might not get a lot of things right as a parent...but, by golly, I get my kids' pictures in bed on their birthday morning, with the appropriate fingers held high!

Uhm, because I have a problem, and have not sought help, I decided to make Sara Beth's Cupcake Challenge invitations.  Do you see the cupcakes at the bottom?  Oh no, I could not just print those...I had to trace and cut out the teeny cupcake parts.  Honest to goodness truth--I cut them out sitting in my car outside dance class.  On two different days.  (I admit, I have a problem.  It's the first step.)  I did, however, at the last minute, decide not to cut out the miniature red cherries to go on top.

This year's party was a small affair.  Since we couldn't hold the party at our church, we only invited a couple of little friends.  (No big friends, only little ones.)  And, to tell the truth, all the invitations were hand-delivered the week OF the party...and...some were never actually delivered at all!  Oops!  But, it still was a sweet little party, and Sara Beth was honored.

If ya can't beat 'em...Outsmart 'em:  Because someone was being a stinker and would not hold up the appropriate number of fingers, I finally asked her to "make some horns" with 3 fingers.    Check.

Famous Dave's is the birthday dinner choice for both of our kids.  I mean--what kid wouldn't want the giant birthday sparkler??  It's really awesome--even for us old people adults!  (That's my cutie pie nephew beside Sara Beth.  If you remember, he's the one who made me a pledge!  God bless him.)

 

Okay, the end.  I am now going to decide whether or not I shall iron my children's school uniforms...or whether I shall send them to school rumpled.  And then I shall decide whether or not these clean sheets will go on our bed tonight...or if we shall sleep under a blanket! 

Let the Sunday Night Madness continue... 
 

Goodbye, Sunday Night Madness.  I am going to bed.
 
 

My Life Has Not Been the Same Since

My life has not been the same since our little baby girl entered the world 6 years ago.  Sweet Sara Beth has blessed our family from that very first moment.  That moment I had prayed for, for so many years--for our older daughter Rebecca to have a sister.

I will never forget seeing our daughters together in that first moment.  Sisters, one of the dearest words of my heart.  And my girls, were now sisters. The look in your big sister's eyes was pure joy, absolute contentment. 

Bringing you home just felt right.  We knew our family was now complete. 

Through the years, you have kept us on our toes.  Mostly, you have made us laugh until tears were rolling down our cheeks.  We never know what funny thing you will think of next.  There have also been times--especially beginning when you were 6 months old, when I would hold you, rocking and pat-patting your back, tears silently rolling down my cheeks, while you would scream and scream and scream.  I would pray to the rhythm of the rocking and the patting, desperate for answers, "Please God, please God, please God."

But, like everything else, we figured a few things out, and you grew up a little. 

 

 You bring laughter to our days, and snuggles to our nights.  (That's a nice way of saying...When will you ever sleep a whole night in your own bed?)  I must admit, though, that you are the stillest little snuggler ever!  Why would I send you back to your own bed--when you don't even wake us up anymore!!

I sure hope you'll still snuggle your Mama and Daddy when you're a teenager.

I also hope that when you're a teenager, you'll still have the ability to laugh at yourself.  Who cares what the others think?!!  Be your wonderful self, your silly, goofy contagiously funny self.

 

One of our favorite joys these past 6 years, has been watching your relationship with your big sister develop into an endearing friendship.  I hope you'll always remember that you'll never have a closer friend or bosom buddy, than your sister.

Happy birthday, sweet girl!  My little pun'kin pie...our baby girl...your daddy's baby bean...your big sister's Sissy.  We love you with all our hearts!!! 

 

(Dave Ramsey's Totally Going to Copy) My Money Saving Tips for Christmas

Everyone needs extra money at Christmas, right?  Today, I thought I'd share a few tips our family has used to help us save thousands and thousands of dollars every December.

What?  You don't believe me???  Rude.

Okay, so maybe not thousands and thousands of dollars.  But, if I were the kind of girl  that could add and subtract in her head, well then I could TOTALLY tell you how much money we're saving.  But, since my pretty little head cannot be bothered with stuff like numbers, I'll just tell you that SURELY we're saving some money using these strategies.  Surely.

Cause, if we are not saving money...What the HECK is going on????  I mean, I know Starbucks Peppermint Mochas are not free...But, a girl does need to feel festive now and then, doesn't she?  And with all the running around--especially during Happy Hour--a girl needs something to quench her thirst now and then at the Sonic...

Oh, but WAIT.  I am going to tell you about SAVING money, right?  Okay, here goes.

 

1.  Stop going to the grocery.  Heck, I can't get out of Walmart without spending at least $150 on groceries.  If I stop going, that's at least $300 a month I can save right away!  PLUS, you get the added benefit of using creativity to feed people.  AND your kids get to practice gratefulness.  Do they complain that the "(Mesquite) turkey tasted funny, so I didn't eat my sandwich today"??  Well, tomorrow, send a BUTTER sandwich.  Double win--cause Mama ate the last of the turkey.

(Oh, and guess what?  Sara Beth ate her butter sandwich today, oh yes, she did!  Score 1 for Mama, saver of money extraordinaire.)

Here's a shot of my fridge after about 2 weeks of no groceries:

 
I double dog dare ya to try to make a meal out of this fridge!  Like I said--creativity!!!

2.  Go super spiritual / or super let's-save-the-world philanthropic.  Use the old, "I feel like we all have everything we need.  Let's not exchange gifts this year, and send that money to our favorite charity."  Oh, you KNOW I am talking to YOU.  I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people use this excuse to stop exchanging gifts.  But, we know the truth, don't we?  If I don't give you a gift, that's $30, and $30 for your husband...that's $60 mad money I can squander at Hobby Lobby AND on those irresistible peppermint shakes at Chick-Fil-A!!!  Hobby Lobby--Christian company.  Chick-Fil-A--Christian company.  That's TWO CHARITIES, people.  Count 'em.

 

3.  Getting to say "NO" to every single request for every single everything from your kids.  I know I should train my kids better not to ask for every little bauble at Walmart and Target, but maybe they're like their mama...  "Hey, girls--look at this precious scarf, ohmywouldyoucheckoutthispurse!!!!!  Oh I love that necklace, but wouldn't these shoes be perfect???"  So, okay, I admit.  My girls appreciate a shopping experience.  Especially as they envision how PERFECT each new toy would look in their rooms, and mama, I just HAVE to have the newest Littlest Petshop/Silly Bandz/glittery whatever/retiring American Girl Doll...  Oh, I exaggerate just a tad.  But, during the month--nah, TWO MONTHS before Christmas, Mama gets to answer EVERY. SINGLE. QUESTION. for more stuff with the very appropriate, and in my favorite Mama singsong voice, "Oh, but you have to wait for Christmas!!"  And you can totally answer that way, even if you never plan to purchase that stupid little plastic pink glitter hair brush.  Cause in the Mom Code Book it clearly states that "It is completely acceptable to offer lots of ambiguous answers during the month of December."

 

Well, there ya have it.  You're welcome.  May I make one teeny tiny request?  When you start saving those thousands of dollars from my totally awesome money saving tips, would you send some $20 bills my way?  I figure it's the least you can do. 

 

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My 8 Favorite Peppermint Products

 

 

If you've been around me lately, you have probably heard me say, "Man, I am really craving peppermint!  I must have a peppermint deficiency...My body is telling me to Eat. More. Peppermint!!!" 

No, no, no, and a really big NOOOO.  I am not pregnant.  Goodness gracious, people.  I am just in the Christmas-y spirit in my craving of peppermint.

Or some strange mineral deficiency that can only be cured by eating peppermint...

I thought it would be fun to share with you my 8 Favorite Peppermint Products!  Why 8?  Well, because those are my favorites.  You wouldn't want me to be dishonest, just so I could have a nice, even 10?  Well...I thought about it...but I really couldn't think of 2 more things.  So, there.

8, it is!

Here they are, in no certain order... 

 

 

 1)   Bob's Sweet Stripes.  Mmm, the soft peppermints that Bob makes are melt-in-your-mouth good!  My parents keep these out in a little bowl all December long.  Boy, do I love visiting that bowl!

 

 

 
 
2)  Need I say more?  Blue Bell Peppermint Ice Cream.  Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 3)  Yes, this is SOAP.  Burt's Bees Peppermint Shower Soap, to be exact.  Please do not eat it.  Even though it smells delicious!  I have a bar of this in my shower right now.  I love the way the peppermint smell wakes me up in the morning.  Delightful!

 

 

 

 

4)   My Uncle Bob first told me about Dr. Scholl's Foot Lotion.  Let me make something clear, though.  Uncle Bob did NOT recommend the girly "For Her" lotion.  He just recommended the regular guy Dr. Scholl's, which also smells like peppermint.  Either way, I keep this lotion in my nightstand, and put some on before bed.  My feet give it 2 big toes up!

 

 

 

5)  Let's have a moment of silence for peppermint bark, shall we?  Yummy.  I found this picture on Allrecipes.com, and plan to make the recipe sometime this month! 

 

 

 

 
6)   Nothing reminds me of childhood restaurant experiences with my family more than York Peppermint Patties.   So many times I can remember watching my dad pay the check (at The Union Station!!), and grinning as he purchased 5 of the little foil-packaged mints...1 for each of us!  Those were such treats.  I would nibble mine in little bitty bites, making it last as long as possible.  Thanks, Dad!

 

 

 

7)  Mmm, I don't know if these Mint Truffle Hershey Kisses are new, or if I just discovered them this year in my season of peppermint deficiency...  They are creamy, yummy, little bites of chocolate-peppermint delicious!

 

 

  8)  And, everybody's favorite--the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha.  Why else would you just FEEL GOOD about plopping $5 down on the counter for a hot chocolate?  But, something about the combination of the cheery red cup, the chocolate chip-dotted whipped cream, and that warm pepperminty first sip... That $5 is long-forgotten...

 

UPDATE ALERT!!!  Frozen Chocolate Peppermint Pie???  Oh, yesssss.  I do love a dessert that gives me fresh breath!

 

Now, PLEASE HELP ME in my peppermint deficiency!!! 

Please tell me what YOUR favorite peppermint products are!  Maybe I am missing out on something wonderful...  Who knows?  Maybe it will be JUST the thing to get my body out of this peppermint crisis.

Help me, Obi-Wan.  You're my only hope.

Easy Christmas Gift Idea -- The Photo Plate

I don't know what it is with me and creating photo gifts this year.  Maybe turning 40 has made me extra-sentimental.  Or, perhaps, it has something to do with losing all my Christmas baby ornaments.  (*wiping tear*)  If you haven't already checked out my earlier Easy Christmas Gift Idea using photos--the Photo Placemats--you should! 

Okay, okay, and I'll be honest.  I didn't actually create this project.  My sister did.  She made a Photo Plate of all the grandkids for my parents about 6 years ago.  My mom proudly displays the plate on her kitchen counter on a little stand.  The grandkids love teasing each other about how "little" they were back then!  (Aren't they pray-shus?)

 
To start this easy-breezy project, all you need are these things:

An inexpensive clear glass plate (I found mine at Walmart)  My parents' plate is larger--more platter-size

Modge Podge (God Bless the inventor of Modge Podge!!!)

Sponge paint brush

Pencil

Fabric  (Anyone remember this cutie-pie yellow polka dot fabric?)

Pictures

Scissors

(I have no idea why I felt the need to list the items in the picture.  I promise that I don't think you're simple...  I just needed to list them.  You OCD people will know exactly what I mean!)

Step 1:  Pour yourself a steaming cup of peppermint hot cocoa.  Enjoy.

Step 2:  Lay out the fabric face-down, and draw outline of plate.  Because the plate is contoured, you will need to cut the fabric just outside the line you've drawn, so that the fabric reaches the edges when glued down.  Now, using your very best Kindergarten skills, cut circle.  Remember--cutting slightly wider than the line you've drawn!

 
 Step 3:  Trim photos.  For this project, I think you just need faces, and not any background.  I haven't trimmed these photos properly--I was just wanting you to this step...oh, and maybe I was wanting to show my now teenage nephews. (top left) They were so wittle hewe... Step 4:  Paint Modge Podge all over plate, and adhere photos.  (Don't worry--Modge Podge dries clear.)  If overlapping photos, paint some more Modge Podge on dry parts.  Check front side to make sure there are no bubbles between photo and plate.  If there are, just keep pressing and smoothing out to the edge of the photo, painting on more Modge Podge, as needed.
 

Step 5:  Once photos are securely "pasted down," paint some more Modge Podge on top of the photos, and more around rest of plate (if needed).  Adhere fabric, starting from the middle.  Starting in middle smooth out fabric, being careful to push out any air bubbles that form.  You will do lots of smoothing out until fabric is completely adhered.  Don't worry--the Modge Podge is very friendly and forgiving.  (However, if the Modge Podge strikes up a conversation with you, lay off the Schnapps in your peppermint cocoa, would ya!)

You will want to paint on top of fabric at least a couple of times, so that the fabric is soaked with Modge Podge, smoothed and secured to plate without any air bubbles.

 It will dry stiff and shiny, like this: This is the back of the plate my sister made.  Notice that she actually used a couple of pieces of fabric.  

Leave plate wet fabric-side up until completely dry.  I have no idea how long this step takes... So, just consider this part a surprise adventure!!  I am guessing at least a couple of hours.  So, grab your keys and head to the movie theatre in the meantime.  Please, somebody go to the movies for me.  I have been dying to go for a couple of weeks, but silly things like prior commitments keep getting in the way.

NOTE:  You cannot wash these plates! You can only wipe down the front glass side.  Water and/or soap will damage the Modge Podge side. 

Well, there you have it!   That's all I have to teach you about making a beautiful Photo Plate.  If yours does not turn out beautifully, well, I am sorry.  But like my mama used to say, mistakes build character.  Which is why I am just full-up of character.  Just ask her.  She'll be happy to tell ya!

Now, go ye forth and make plates in all nations, giving them in the name of Modge and Podge and MarytheKay!
 
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Waiting for Christmas

 
 I am really going to be up-front about this...  I am plagiarizing the following words from our pastor's sermon today.  I think there is an exception to the plagiarizing rules if you pull something from a sermon.  I think you actually get double Christian points for this.  Triple, if you give the pastor credit.  Quadruple if you follow up with the plan of salvation.  Quintuple of you use the a Campus Crusade Bridge tract.  Sextuple if you take the person to Chick-Fil-A after.

Enough tuplings and ruplings?  Okay. 

Anyway, back to the plagiarizing triple Christian points.

Here is what our pastor said...roughly (and adding many of my own words to his thoughts.)

Christmas is about the fact that we'll never be good enough.  (Think about it.)  Never, no matter how hard we try,

or how clean our house is

or how often we bite our tongues when we really want to say the snarky thing

or how often we go to church

or even if we are Sunday School teachers

AND Awana leaders

or how heavenly our chocolate cake is

or how often we read our Bible

or how much we say "Amen" and "hallelujah"

or how sweet our kids are...

Christmas is about the fact that we'll never be good enough.

(That would be really depressing, except...)

That's why we're still waiting...Waiting on Christmas.

 Because we'll never be good enough, we wait.  We wait for the little baby Jesus on Christmas morning, to enter the world humbly and quietly, hidden away in a barn with his unassuming parents.  The angels woke the shepherds and sang His praises.  As He grew, people around him started noticing He was something special.  Even the church leaders were amazed by the stories He told, the miracles He performed.  People followed Him everywhere, hanging on to every word He spoke, positioning themselves nearby for personal miracles.  And like every civilization before and since, the leaders decided to take him out when their power was threatened.  They killed him, and silenced His influence.  Well...for 3 days they did.  Because, just like He told them, He arose from the dead.  He came back to Earth to fulfill the prophecies, to show Himself to his disciples, to charge them to go out and tell others His Good News.  And then He went back to Heaven to watch, and wait.

The next time Jesus comes, it will not be quiet, and it will not be humble.  It will not be hidden away in a barn in Bethlehem.

It will be with a SHOUT!  A shout the entire world will hear.  And the call of a trumpet, summoning all of the saints who believe.

So, here we wait.  In our human weakness and inadequacies.  We may forget we are weak and inadequate.  We may even think we are powerful and more intelligent than anyone we know.  We may even act arrogant or distracted for a time.

But, in the end, when the shout comes, those whose hearts are believing--are waiting--for Christmas will once and for all--meet Christmas.  Meet Him in the air.

And right there in the air, all arrogance will melt, all weakness and inadequacy will slip off, all thoughts of knowledge and power will vanish.  Christmas will be the only thought, the praises singing out of our lips. 

So, this year, as you're waiting (or racing around like a crazy person...like me) for Christmas...as we sing the beautiful old Christmas carols in church...as we drop coins into red buckets...as we watch our children perform in Christmas programs at church, and (rolling my eyes) holiday programs at school...and as we wish the cashiers at Walmart and even Target a "Merry Christmas"...

May we remember that Christmas isn't a season.  Christmas is a person!  And He came, and will come again, because we will never be good enough.

We interrupt this blog post for some good old fashioned watching of the television in pajamas

Was I smoking dope when I said I'd post lesson plans from my Christmas in Poland class today?  Oh wait, I forgot--I don't smoke dope.  Darn, cause that was a really good excuse.

But, did I really think that I would be up for writing a long and detailed post...after having 16 kids over all day?  I should add that they were 16 very delightful kids.  And we had really GREAT time learning about Christmas traditions in Poland.  And, yes, my kitchen was a disaster when they left.  But, it was totally worth it...because, yes ma'am we did, we made the pierogies!  Yum--they were delicious little pockets of mashed potato deliciousness.

I really really love you, dearest blog readers.  But, tonight, I may love my bed just a teensy bit more.  Please don't take it personally.  But, my husband and I also are going to watch Survivor together.  And I just love that Jane from North Carolina.  Plus, Chase the race car pit blah blah blah guy (I don't watch Nascar, God bless me, so I sure don't remember what his job is called) from North Carolina.  Those North Carolinans are just good people.  And I really mean that from the bottom of my little Arkansas girl heart.

Which, come to think of it, has absolutely nothing at all to do with what I was originally talking about.  That right there illustrates the point that I should go put on my jammies, and snuggle up with my husband to watch Survivor.

Jes?  (Name that movie character from that ONE word.)

Okay, I am really signing out now.  Because I am making no sense at all.  You people really ARE going to wonder if I'm smoking something over here.  But, I promise, the only thing smoking over here is my toaster.  And my husband.  AAAAHHHHHH, somebody better make me stop typing right this very minute, before I say anything else embarrassing.  My mama reads this blog, and I am already going to get in trouble for the whole smoking weed bit.  Oh look--I said it again!  If I keep it up, my name will be plastered all over the world wide web connected to the words "dope," "weed," and "smoking."

Seriously, somebody stage an intervention.

Okay, goodnight good people.

Happy weekend and all that.  Don't forget yer bon bons!  Bon bons make the world a happier, brighter place.

Heartsick

This afternoon, when I leaned down to pick up our Christmas ornament box from beneath the basement stairs, I got a sick feeling in my stomach.

Mildew.

As I carried the box up the stairs, I thought about all the Thanksgiving weekends I have brought this box out of its basement hibernation.  I knew that the ornaments inside were carefully wrapped in tissue paper, all snug and secure...But, I didn't know if the nasty mildew had made its way through the box and onto our treasured ornaments.

Now, we don't have one of those stylish store window trees.  You know, the kind with glittery branches exploding out the top, or with the latest red and green mesh ribbon poofing and twisting around the branches.  I think those kind of trees are breath-taking, and magical.

But, our tree has a different kind of magic.  Our tree is filled with childhood ornaments.  Mine, my husband's, and now our 2 daughters'.  Our ornaments may not be as sparkly anymore, and they certainly don't follow any special color scheme, but, every one of them has a memory.  And many of them have different memories for each member of our family.

So, when I set down the box, and opened it up, my heart dropped a little.

Ugh.  The mildew made its way into our box of ornaments.  This summer, when our air conditioner broke while we were away at summer camp, I never even thought about the ornament box.  I knew some things in the basement had mildewed--I had wiped mildew off suitcases and plastic hand-me-down bins.  I'd washed sleeping bags, and many of the hand-me-down clothes.  But, the Christmas boxes tucked neatly under the stairs never occurred to me.

I was afraid to pick up the mildew-stained tissue paper.  I almost didn't want to know which ornaments were inside.  How could they not be special ones?  They're all special.  And meaningful.

But, what I found inside was even worse than I had imagined.  It took me a minute to realize that tears were rolling down my cheeks.

My babies.  My dearest ornaments, that I always hang together on the right side of my tree.  The sweet little wreaths that our church nursery Sunday School teachers fill with that year's chubby-cheeked babies--who are usually not smiling, and whose red or green hairbows are usually askew.   But, oh, I treasured those pictures.  Those are my babies, my Christmas babies, whose chubby cheeks I smile at every year on the tree.

And the horrible mildew ruined them.  

 

Even in their horrible destruction, I remember every little detail of these pictures.  I remember the contour of those chubby cheeks, the feathery, fuzzy blond hair, the grey blue eyes looking at the camera in a blank stare, mouth open.   Those stubby little ponytails we waited so long to be able to pull up.

I know I don't need these pictures to remember my babies.  My babies are right in front of me, making new and wonderful memories every single day.  I know my tree has years of pictures left to fill, years of glittery masterpieces to hang on the branches.  I know I can dig out other Christmas baby pictures, and replace these ruined ones.

And, you know what?  Nobody got hurt, our daughters are healthy, and we are tucked in our warm house tonight, as a family.  All of that is what matters.

Pictures are just memories on pieces of paper.  The memories are forever in my heart.

But, tonight...as I finish decorating our tree, hanging each familiar ornament in its regular spot, I have to be honest.  The right side of my tree is a little bare, and so is my heart.

I miss my little Christmas babies. 

 

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