Superstitious?

Each year since sometime in the 1990s I've eaten blackeyed peas on New Year's Day. In the South, they claim eating these on New Year's Day will bring good luck for the year. I think you're supposed to eat them with collard greens too.
When I started this tradition I remember the year had been a bad one, and I was open to any suggestion to make the new one better. I don't remember if it worked, but I've kept up the tradition.
I pair them with hash browns. Not sure why, it just seemed like a good thing at the time.
At the grocery store today I picked up my can of blackeyed peas and paid that outrageous amount of more than $1 for them.
Tonight we'll probably eat something easy, like spaghetti or chili and chips, and watch something on the Internet about the festivities around the world. Tomorrow I'm going to make snacky foods and we'll sit around and eat all day and play games. The meal will consist of hash browns, blackeyed peas and greens, probably some corn and green beans for Sean, and maybe some chicken. (He doesn't like blackeyed peas.)
The photo above was taken from the Allen's Web site. I can't get the Southern Style where we live. I get the regular plain blackeyed peas.
I really like them, but I just wonder why they're so expensive. Are blackeyed peas difficult to grow? Are they difficult to harvest? Maybe they're only expensive here.

Some Christmas Eve/Day highlights

Yesterday we wore our matching aprons that Aunt Bennie made for us, and whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

Sean mixed the dry ingredients, and then slowly added them to the wet mixture. He likes to operate the mixer.

We posed for a couple of pictures in front of one of our trees. This one is the Santa tree in the dining room. I thought of having a family photo with the dog, but figured the cats would freak out.

OK. Now this one has a story to it. I wanted to bake an apple pie. Then I decided that it would be fun to give little miniature pies as gifts. Oh, but how would I do it? I don't have tiny pie pans. I have a loaf pan that makes tiny loaves. I use it for banana bread. I would have made that too, but I didn't have bananas, nor the time to do all of this in one day.

Back to the apple pies.

So I remembered that I had these little foil muffin tins that are heart shaped. I got them at the dollar tree who knows when. I've been waiting for the perfect time (like Valentine's Day) to use them. But I figured they were the right size and they could work. Hearts convey love, and I love my family -- weird as we all are.

While the first batch of cookies were in the oven, I started on the dough. As I made the dough I thought of the muffin tins and how the heart shape just wasn't what I was going for. I pulled out some cookie cutters that are Christmas shapes (stockings, trees, etc.) They were too big.

It hit me. I knew that somewhere in my crafting supplies I had a stencil of Santa.

Believe me when I say I don't aspire to be a baker. I really just wanted to have something fun, a conversation piece and yummy individual treat for all of my family members.

The tins are very flimsy, so they're not really a good idea for pie dough. It was difficult to get the dough into them and then getting the top on and pinched together was even harder.

By the time I had four of these finished I was completely wiped out. I decided to use this as a test run, and maybe I'll do it for real next year.

The cookies on the other hand turned out very delicious. They're still good today, but were best last night.
Sean said they were mouth watering good.
We had a couple of them after we got back from the Christmas Eve service at church, and then tracked Santa for a while before getting to bed.

This morning at 2, Sean came into my room to inform me that Santa had left the gift he asked for, and then proceeded to excitedly tell me the features of his Star Wars Republic Gunship. I had been asleep for maybe an hour or so. I mulled it over in my mind, "Up at 2 a.m. to open gifts/play, then back to bed (doubtful), or up until time to go to his Dad's house and both of us in a horrible mood by noon, with more family events planned for the day? No."
So I made him go back to bed. I got up at 8:30 a.m. and found him in bed, but all of his ship was assembled and sitting in his bedroom floor.
Jewel found this thing and mailed it to a family member, who then handed it off to me. Places I looked it was out of stock, and online they were going for $300 + last time I checked.

This camera is making me crazy, but here it is. The Star Wars The Clone Wars Republic Gunship. And the smiling face of a boy who believes.

What a season

Sean and one of his friends at church were shepherds this year in the play.

It's the joy of childhood, that freedom to imagine and dream and believe. Christmas.
Sean knows we celebrate this holiday because we are Christians, and we give gifts because we are so happy that God sent Jesus for us.

I remember being quite mad about the whole Santa Claus thing as a kid, and didn't want my kids to havethat experience. But the whole of American society, as well as others, seem to live through the disappointment. That magic, the time of believing, forms some of our favorite memories of childhood.

Last year we used NoradSanta to track him as he flew closer to our house. Sean remembered that and asked early on this month if we could track him yet. The excitement has been building.

Santa called him last week. He knew that Sean had been working at the food bank, and he talked to him for a few minutes on the phone about what he wished to have under the tree on Christmas morning. This has been a HUGE thing. For a few minutes just after he hung up the phone he started to quiz me. He wondered if a family member had been behind the whole thing, or maybe I had told someone to call. In the end he decided it had to be the real deal.
Then he immediately called family members to tell them Santa had called.

Once he made his round of calls, I asked what he and Santa had talked about. He said an elf got on the phone too, and sounded "about this big" as he motioned with his hand above the table about a foot high.
As the week has progressed, he has revealed more of the conversation.

At first he only said that Santa said he was working on his toy and he could expect it under the tree. He wants a Star Wars Republic Gunship. I was interested in talking to Santa sometime soon, because those things are quite expensive, and they are "out of stock," everywhere I have looked. I now see them going for $300 + online. It seems every day Sean has said, "Santa said I could expect it under the tree. He didn't mention any problem."

Today Sean told me Santa said the reindeer only need one carrot because they can share. And he has had a problem with them eating the cookies, which are his favorite, of course.

It has been such a fun Christmas season this year. He totally enjoys Christmas music. Until this year his favorite Christmas song has been "Noel." His favorite this year is "Oh Holy Night." LOVES it, and asks me to turn up the radio when it comes on. It is also on the movie "Home Alone," and he has watched that several times -- maybe more than several.

He loves "It's a Wonderful Life," and has watched it over and over too. Tonight he said his favorite part is when George is in the cemetery. I'm not sure why, unless he thought that would freak me out.
But he asked a couple of questions about the story and when I explained that the grave stone was George's brother's, because if George had never been born, his brother would have died, Sean suddenly said, "Oh! I get it." Then he explained it back to me, and realized that he wouldn't have been there to save him when he fell through the ice.

I've been able to sit and watch some of these movies with him. We started early and ordered a lot through Netflix. We watched the Charlie Brown Christmas, which we own, and The Grinch, and we got Frosty and Rudolph. When he watches them a second time I've been off to work at my desk. Deadlines. I'm almost finished.

I hope we can make some cookies and bake at least one apple pie in the next couple of days.
Christmas Eve we will participate in the service at our church.

I think this is the most full Advent Season we've ever had. It has been filled with lots of church activities and a lot of being at home, listening to music and decorating, watching movies that we watch each year, and enjoying the time we have together.

 We haven't been shopping. I took him to see Santa at the Mall, but I don't think we even bought anything, except the pictures.

Longest Night

Karen took this picture in 2006 when she was visiting. 

I would have scanned the pic, but the scanner is on the fritz. 

Tomorrow we recognize the longest night of the year. I've seen some scientific information that reveals  it varies depending on where you live. Your longest night could've even been in November and you didn't even realize it.

I have always enjoyed the seasons, and by the time each one is approaching I'm usually ready for it. I begin to look forward to those short days when it is dark at 4:30 p.m. here and it comes as a comfort to me. I've even enjoyed the days that meld together into one long time of gray. In summer I can usually tell what time it is by looking outside, but this time of year it is difficult. What time is it? someone may ask.
My response is "Gray."

Last year was a very difficult winter for me. The gray descended upon us and I couldn't tell if it was morning or evening, and the color matched my mood. It was our first year without my mother. She died just before Christmas in 2007, but as anyone who has been through grief can tell you, it's the year after the death that gets you. That first birthday, Easter, or Christmas without them is the toughest.
This year I am recovered from that grief, though I still have tearful moments when I am reminded of certain things we experienced. And I miss her every day. It so happens that the anniversary of her death is close to the longest night of the year. I'm not sure I'll make it to the Longest Night Service at church tomorrow night. Things are busy with deadlines, etc. But I know in the small moments when I take a break she will be on my mind, as will other loved ones who have died that I miss. (Grandpa Dave, Aunt Alice, Uncle Dan, Uncle Elmer, Aunt Muriel, Grandpa, Aunt Gee, Granny Myers, Aunt Beulla, Grandma Hart, Grandpa Hart, Granny and Pa)

I have many, many fond memories of Christmas time with my mom. I remember she always made Christmas fun for us. She had Alvin and the Chipmunks on the record player as Christmas approached, and I always helped her wrap what seemed like hundreds of presents. She loved Elvis, and played his Christmas album during the holidays. We helped her decorate our tree each year, and she always baked a ham on Christmas Eve. I only remember a few of the things I ever got at Christmas, but I certainly remember the time we spent together.

I am also reminded of the tough time that we went through in November and December 2007, when she was so sick. But with that are memories of some very wonderful people who helped us to keep her home and care for her here ~~Hospice nurses.

As I've gone through this experience, I can relate to my grandmother in some ways that I didn't before. I used to wonder (only a few years ago) why she would say things like, "My mother would never believe how this town has changed." I would think to myself, "Well, of course. It's been more than 40 years since your mother died."
And now I find myself saying "My mother would never believe how this town has changed."  In just two years there have been a lot of changes. We have a Costco that my mom saw being built, but didn't get the chance to walk into. We have new roads, and new buildings in the places we used to drive and shop.

And I know none of that matters. She is in a place that is beyond anything any of us can imagine, and I know Costco doesn't compare, even though she really liked Costco ;-)
I think this must be how we process the death. It is a huge landmark in our lives, a place where a part of our lives abruptly stopped. When the loved one was living we saw and experienced things, not realizing that someday those tiny moments, like a meal at a fast food restaurant, would become a favorite memory.
As new buildings go up, homes are torn down, or babies are born, it reminds us that we can't share any more moments. Not even the tiny ones.

The Revels

www.revels.org/
Couldn't take pictures, so I'm glad I didn't drag my camera to this event. There is a video at the link above that will give you a glimpse of what we saw.
Sean and I invited my aunt Bennie to come with us to see The Christmas Revels last night. It was a good show and we had fun.
Note to self: Always be sure we have had a meal and some outside play time prior to attending a sit-down-for-3-hours event.
Sean enjoyed a lot of it, but he was very hungry because we didn't get time to eat before we left. It was truly too early to eat until almost time to leave, and I planned to stop for fast food on the way. However, getting out the door is sometimes like herding cats. He needed to make a major bathroom visit prior to leaving (and for that I am very thankful) and then we were running a bit late. Picked up my aunt, got on the road and you know how you just don't want to lose the momentum? Well, I just went straight there thinking we had already eaten a few snacks, like Cuties. (Another subject for another post)
It clearly wasn't enough to hold us over.
But the show was nice, and the theatre was great. We've been there before.
This year's Revels show was "In celebration of the winter solstice with traditional dances, processionals, carols and drama."
There were The Celestial Fools, Karavana Sefaradi, The Revels Chorus, The Hobble Knobble Children, Wassail Bells, Seattle Brass Ensemble, Abbotts Bromley Horn Dance and special guest: DEATH.
Sean and I had fun trying to keep an eye on DEATH to see where he was lurking on stage. It was a guy (very skinny) in a head-to-toe costume that looked like a skeleton with a hat. He stayed in the shadows most of the show, moving from one area to another watching the festivities.
We sang several songs as a group, including "Dona Nobis Pacem," and "Star Round," a round by Mozart, and one that is being sung by Revels in 10 American cities, "Sussex Mummers Carol."
Words below, in case you would like to sing along ;-)
God bless the Master of this house with happiness be side; Where-e'er his body rides or walks, his God must be his guide, his God must be his guide.
God bless the Mistress of this house with gold chain round her breast; Where-e'er her body sleeps or wakes, Lord send her soul to rest, Lord send her soul to rest.
God bless your house, your children too, your cattle and your store; The Lord increase you day by day, and send you more and more, and send you more and more.

2006-christmas

Click here to view these pictures larger

This is Sean with Santa from the FD in 2006. We'll miss this.
 Since we moved here, it has been a fun part of the holidays
 to hear the siren a few streets over and know Santa was on his way. We'd bundle up in our warmest clothes to stand outside,
 for sometimes more than 30 mins. to wait. The fire truck
was first with the lights and siren, and the loud speaker announcement, "Santa is coming." We would watch as
 the truck with Santa's sleigh rounded the corner at the
bottom of our hill, and made its way up the street over
from ours. Excitement would build and everyone would
be anxious for their turn to get on the sleigh and sit on
Santa's lap. In this photo, Sean wouldn't get on the sleigh,
so Santa came to him.

This time of year my mom would be really excited for this
event. In  2005 he didn't come to our street. We heard the
sirens the next street over, and never saw the fire truck or
the sleigh. Mom was pretty upset about the whole thing and
put in a call to the fire department to let them know a little
boy stood here in the cold for a long time waiting for a
Santa who never came. The next night he made a personal appearance on our porch with candy cane in hand and I
think he must have gone to each house on our street
wishing everyone a personal "Merry Christmas."

Christmas 2005

This was taken in our front yard in 2005.

It was one of those rare moments when there was fresh snow, and a willing participant.

We haven't seen snow yet this year.

This is the House That Sean Built

This was our day to go to the local library for a free Gingerbread House activity sponsored by Friends of the Library. So I tried to get Sean settled down and in bed at a decent hour last night, but for some reason this kid has become a night owl. He got up really well this morning, but everything seems to take longer when you have to be somewhere at a specific time. I thought we were going to be late. We were 30 minutes early--only because I thought it started at 10 a.m. and it wasn't until 10:30, and because the clock on our stove is about five minutes fast.

Sean devoured this Curious George book in the few minutes we had before "Story Time" began prior to our Gingerbread House activity.

So we looked around the library and Sean chose a few books, and then a few more, until I said, "We don't have our book bag today and we have to carry all of these." He read a book while we waited for everyone to arrive. Then the Children's Librarian read a cute book about a Gingerbread Man who became a toy pirate. When she finished reading the book, she demonstrated for the kids how to spread icing onto the bottom of a box and "glue" it to the tray, and proceed to glue on the graham crackers to make the house.

The Children's area was decorated nicely and the kids enjoyed the book.

We all filed into the room where there were long tables set up with everything we needed right in front of us. A styrofoam tray, the white box, graham crackers, a Dixie cup of white frosting with a popsicle stick for spreading, and a baggie filled with cookies, peppermint candies, candy canes, and jolly ranchers. I helped spackle a bit, but it was all Sean's design. Of course some of those candies had to be saved for a snack.

The finished product, complete with a window upstairs, front door to match, and beautiful red and white pillars at the front;-)

A side view of the Gingerbread Mansion.

 I took one picture during construction, but I'm having a lot of trouble with the camera these days and it didn't turn out. After that one picture, Sean didn't want me to take any more of him working. He carefully chose where everything would be, and I helped with the frosting.

This was a lot of fun, and we even ran into some of Sean's old schoolmates.

It was the first time I've ever made a Gingerbread House and I've always heard they are very difficult. I remember an in-law (in the late '80s) saying she watched Martha Stewart do it and she made it look easy. She tried the same thing and it was a disaster. She used an expletive to refer to Martha after that.

This one was pretty simple, and I think this would make a wonderful activity for a winter birthday party, or a children's Christmas party.

A Special Nativity

This Nativity set is one that was given to me in about 1990 or 1991. David and Jewel were small, probably 5 and 6.
It was given to me by Mrs. Isaac, the mother of an old boyfriend.
I have brought it out each Advent season, and it is very special to me, I think because it is so child friendly. It is hand-made of wood and the people and animals are painted.  I have always put it out where it could be touched and allowed the kids to "play" with it as long as it was put back.
Mrs. Isaac said a man made it and gave it to their family. I was touched that she would give it to us.
Each year I bring it out I think of the man who made it. I never met him, but I imagine he must have put a lot of work into it, crafting it with care and love. It is perfect for little hands, and a great way for children to explore the story of Jesus.
Sean has also enjoyed this set, and this year we have it on the china cabinet.
It came with a little lamb, but when Sean pulled it out of the box he set it on the coffee table. We have two new kittens who like to bat things around and carry them off. I hope we find the lamb sometime soon.
I have another set, or maybe two more. This house is small, so I haven't displayed the others this year. Last year I set one outside on our porch inside a "barn" scene that I found at a thrift store for almost nothing (maybe 50 cents.) Seems like one or all of the pieces was tipped over each time we went in or out the door, so I abandoned that idea this year.
One minister at a Presbyterian church in Asheville said she had her Nativity set "travel" through her home during Advent season, and she moved the pieces closer to the manger each day. Finally on Christmas the pieces were all together at the manger.
I think that is a neat idea. We've never done that, but I think it would be a nice way to focus each day of the season on the coming of Christ.

Long Journey

King Herod addresses us, and his guard is not happy with us. 

Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph - and some guy with a guitar.

Our tickets. We were in group 37. 

Last night Sean and I took a long journey. We drove to Auburn, which is quite a ways from where we live. I ordered tickets (or reserved our spot) for Journey to Bethlehem last week. It was the only such Christmas drama I could find. There are some drive-through and walk-through manger scenes, etc., but this one was different.

I didn't know what to expect, but I figured it was on the scale of an outdoor drama of the crucifixion I played Mary Magdelin in when I was in high school. The ticket confirmation suggested warm clothing and be ready to walk for about 30 minutes. Our reservations were for 8:30 p.m. That's a little late to be out walking around for us, but I thought it would be a nice way to prepare for Christmas.

So I drove, and Sean fell asleep on the way. I wondered if it was going to be a mistake to go, because sometimes he wakes up grumpy and if he falls asleep that early I worry he's getting sick. (It was only about 7 p.m.) It was really cold. We wore our flannel-lined jeans and heavy coats, etc.

Sean woke up before we got there. We were stuck in traffic for a while because of an accident on I-5. I started to worry we might be late because I had never been to this place.

It was a campus. I thought it was a church, but it was a church/campus at Auburn Academy Church. It was a Seventh Day Adventist Church.

When we finally found where we were supposed to be, and got our tickets, we had to walk across to the campus to wait inside the church for our number to be called. We were put into groups, and our group was 37. I didn't expect that, I thought we would just get our tickets and walk through.

Our number was flashed on the screen, and once we all made it out the door, we were taken into a different world. We were part of the family from Capernaum, commanded by King Herod to search for the new Messiah.

This was way more than I expected. The costumes were great, and the actors were too. Sean was offered fish in the market place; we were invited to be part of a wedding celebration; we met Zacharias and Elizabeth who told us about their baby John, and how Zacharias couldn't speak for nine months. We kept searching for the Messiah, and along the way we met the Magi. They showed us the gifts they were taking to the baby, and told us about the star they had seen and that we should also follow it. There were lots of real animals, donkeys and camels, etc. It was really a good time. I didn't mind the cold until the last part.

As we walked to our car one of the men directing traffic said the numbers were around 960 for that night. I didn't realize the scope of this event until I read the program while we waited inside the church. The program says more than 8,000 people are expected this year. Last year there were 5,000.

It is a free event, and donations benefit the Auburn Food Bank. Last year the event raised $5,000 for the food bank.

My only complaint, and I hate to even complain because it was such a nice ministry for the community, is that we were rushed through. I think the event has gotten so big that they have to do it that way.

I didn't say anything about that to Sean, I asked him what he thought of it and he said he didn't like being rushed. He also was a little afraid, I think. Everything looked very real. (Even the fish were real.) The Roman guards were really mean and had swords. Sean said they were real swords.

The first year there were 100 actors, this year there were 325, with 175 supporting roles behind the scenes, and more than 250 musicians who share music during the wait time.
As I said, it was more than I expected.

Good Ole St. Nick

Yesterday we decided it was a good day to visit Santa. I think there has only been one year that Sean would not sit on Santa's lap.

Last year we had  Santa sightings at several places, including our bank. He was putting something in the trunk of his 1970s model Cadillac. It was an impromptu meeting because I didn't know Santa was at the bank, but of course we had to say hello. Luckily he was headed back inside and Sean got to sit on his lap. Unfortunately I had only my cell phone, and that pic wasn't great. He was a great Santa, real beard, nice outfit. Sean decided he was the real guy. But he wasn't sure why he was driving a Cadillac and what he had done with the Reindeer.

Other than that, we didn't go anywhere to see Santa and just waited for him to come by our house. Our local fire department has had Santa visits to all the neighborhoods in our community for as long as we've lived here.  It is very cute, and such a great community service. The truck stops so the kids can get on the sleigh and have time with Santa and Mrs. Claus, they get a candy cane and we can take pictures.  I'm not sure they will do it this year. Money is tight, and the schedule doesn't have neighborhoods listed, only major centers in each area.

I wanted to have a nice picture this year. Sean is 7, and I started thinking this could be our last year for that true Santa experience.

In the past he has been excited to see Santa, but this year was over the top. He has asked several times how we can tell if it's the real one. As we stood in line - a short line YAY! Sean was inspecting him, craning his neck around people and surveying the lay of the land. He was asking if the trees around the set up were real. Some were, some weren't.

When it was his turn, he willingly sat right on his lap and told Santa what he wanted. He smiled for pictures, which I paid way too much for.  I did get to take some with my camera, but the sign said only if you were buying.

After the visit we went to eat at the food court. That is where Sean told me he thought it might have been the real Santa. Real beard, and seemed like the real thing.

FISH for those in need

I don't have a picture to go with this post, though I did have my camera. Space was tight and opportunities for photos were low.
Sean and I spent the morning at our local food bank helping stock the shelves. We are fortunate to have a food bank here, because the assumption is that there are no poor people living here. Some people from our church started the F.I.S.H. Food Bank in our town some years ago. We saw today that it is filled to the brim with donations, and is serving the people in need.
There was a bit of drama at the place, and for that I am sorry. I was saddened by an exchange that I overheard there between two workers. I plan to talk to some people at church about it, in hopes that something can be done to help with the problem. I think there are some people from our church who are still involved with the food bank, but I don't think the director goes to our church.
Anyway, one of the newspapers I freelance for was helping out today, so we signed up.
I saw that they can definitely use some help, and if it works out, maybe Sean and I will start going there on Fridays to help out. (If the atmosphere is better next time we go)
Sean helped put a few things on shelves, but mostly talked with one of the older gentlemen there about Star Wars while I put things away. The man asked if we were coming back next week, and he would have something specifically for Sean to do. He wasn't one of the people in an argument, but definitely seemed concerned about the episode.
I was surprised to see all sorts of things on the shelves, from soap and cat litter to pet food and clothing, draperies and dish detergent.
Sean understood why we were there. I think this is something we will just put on our calendar and make it a weekly activity.