Pine Cones and Boxes

I like auctions, I like bidding.  I should have been a picker…no not a nose picker a person that picks stuff out for antique shops. 

Recently I was on a quest.  Shiny Brites made a pine cone ornament way back when…probably before WWII.  I didn’t have one. 

I bid on a group of six pine cones online …then I bid again and yet again. and maybe a few more times…I kinda lost track…then I left the house so I wouldn’t bid anymore.  Came back a few hours later and low and behold I was the winning bid.

The blue ones and the red ones are Shiny Brites.  The other two multi colored cones were made in West Germany.  They arrived in the mail this week…I was so excited…Merry Christmas to me!  I am not certain how many color pinecones Shiny Brite made… red, blue and gold for sure.

I needed wanted hoard boxes.  Of course for the new ornaments…and the boxes only come in groups of three…and they jumped right off the shelf into my cart at Wallyworld.

 

Kinda makes you smile doesn’t it?  It is all glittery and everything…and the hat matches up no matter which way you put the lid on…idiot proof!

The Cousin’s Christmas Party was Tuesday night, I took pumpkin bread out of the freezer and bought some cookies for the potluck.  It was a nice turn out. Aunt Grace is in the hospital so she couldn’t attend, everyone else was there my Dad, Aunt Anna, Aunt Lila and Aunt Sharon are the surviving remnant.   Far Guy didn’t attend…too many perfumed women.

I am no further with decorating, but I did get the living room cleaned really good so I might be able to put a few things up sometime soon. I still have time.

Gathering

My girl cousins and I host a Christmas dinner honoring the remnant on my Fathers side of the family.   I made the vegetable soup on Thursday, Aunt Anna came to help chop vegetables.  It turned out great.   Standing overnight in the fridge helps to marry all the flavors!   I took a crock pot with 15 cups of soup, my cousin Diana made Chili. Of course we had some hors d’oeuvres first and cookies and Kathy’s famous fudge and a pumpkin something for dessert.  There were many gluten free foods as several in the group have Celiac Sprue.  It was a good gathering of 18 relatives…better than a funeral where we usually all meet up.  There was about one cup of soup left…so I guess I made the right amount!  No one walked away hungry…and if they did..oh well…then they can just wither away.

The cousins bring gifts and then roll dice (IF they remember them) to try to roll doubles to steal another persons package.  Hot items this year were a bag of fruit, some kind of a digital thermometer, and a deer towel hanger.  Far Guy and I got a food chopper and a set of scented candles(not exactly a great gift for us…I gave it to another cousin!)

Trying to get and keep my cousin’s on track is like herding cats.  I was the only one with a list…no one else wrote anything down.  I am not sure how they can remember it all…but of course they can’t so they call me with questions. 

I cannot organize the entire free world…or my cousins..it is impossible.

Cold Days and Parties

We have had some sub zero days.  It was –13 F or -25 C yesterday morning.  The winds will cause dangerous windchill factors of –20 to –40 F or –28 to –40 C all day Monday.

Two Christmas Parties went on as planned over the weekend.

My Cousins met at the Nursing Home and brought homemade soups…I brought bread and cheese and a few cookies from the freezer…nothing has been baked yet around here.  Aunt Lila, Aunt Grace, Aunt Sharon, Aunt Anna and my parents were the special guests from the oldest generation.  They are the remnant.

The Historical Society’s Christmas party was held at a Pizza Shop in town.  Not a great turnout…just the regulars.  Not exactly a partying bunch…were were home by 9PM.

We are working on the Christmas letter it will be mailed soon.  We ran out of pretty paper for the letters and stamps.  The homemade ornaments will all be in the mail except for two that will be hand delivered.  We ordered a bunch of gifts online…delivery will start in a few days. I am still working on some homemade gifts.  I discovered I have very little wrapping paper..so I couldn’t very well wrap the one gift I have hidden.

A long, long time ago I was gifted this wreath by old North Dakota neighbors Harvey and Joyce…it now has a bow. I hung it next to the outside door.  It is old and has seen better days..but will be enjoyed one last Christmas.

Working on the Christmas Card list was an eye opener.   I didn’t realize so many friends and relatives had died until I updated the list.  What a sad time of year it must be for their loved ones.  I wrote notes on most of their letters.

Looking at that photo the bow might be a tad wonky.  It was way too cold to mess around with it outside in the dark.  I was happy to have used an entire spool of ribbon with no leftovers.

Gift count: two bought and nine ordered.  Gifts wrapped: none.  Cookies made: none. Christmas letters written: in progress.  Home made ornaments: Complete!  Homemade gifts: in progress.  Decorations…none except the snow outside and a pine cone wreath.  16 days and counting.

Christmas Parties

I am not a big fan of Christmas parties. I am all partied out.  The two parties I was expected at are over..I can breathe a sigh of relief. Goodies were purchased..gifts were exchanged.  All is well in Christmas party land.

My cousin was all decorated for Christmas..her tree was up and everything.  I think hosting the Cousins Christmas Party may have something to do with that. Most of my cousins had some kind of old lady Christmas shirt on..some had ornaments..some had glittery poinsettias..some had snowmen.  I wore my thermal hot pink top..you know the kind..it looks like long underwear and is toasty warm…and being thermal if I have a hot flash or two it absorbs all the beads of sweat.    I do not have the inclination to muck up my wardrobe with some fancy smancy glittery thing that I will only wear once or twice a year. How in the world do you wash some of those 3D sweaters and vests anyway?  Goodness sakes..I suppose they go to the dry cleaners.  I have been there..I take my feather pillows there every five years or so to get cleaned and re-ticked.

At cousins the food was all potluck..I took a pork roast and some Chocolate Covered Cherries and some Turtles..my kind of baking..straight out of the package!

At the Historical Societies Party..it was order off the menu at a local restaurant..but with restrictions since we were a group of 18 we could not order anything but baked potato or French fries..and could not order their specialty a “Sizzler”..which is a decent steak served in a cast iron skillet.  We thought we were being nice by making a reservation..instead it just gave them the opportunity to restrict us.  I asked “Don’t you have enough cast iron skillets?..next year we can bring our own.”   The service was fine..but the food was not that great..the salad bar had no herring and no sunflower seeds. Plus that..it smelled like grease in the place.  I absolutely hate it when I am out for dinner and my hair comes home smelling of fried grease..it is still quite obvious that their fans in the kitchen have not improved. That was one of the reasons we stopped going out for dinner there years ago. We most likely will not return for a very long time.  I would not have left a tip..but my husband overlooks poor food and  feels sorry for the struggling wait staff. 

 

Gifts purchased 2.  Shopping days left..19.  Decorations brought out 0.  Trees decorated 0.  The Hand Carved Christmas Ornaments will be all finished tomorrow morning..and Far Guy and I have discussed the tree:)

Christmas Party Advice

Well if you have not guessed by now, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are NOT my favorite time of year. I do not get it, never have, will I ever? I am attempting to work through this aversion. I am attempting through this blog to put things into their proper perspective. I believe I have some severe form of Holiday Ho Hums. Today we will venture into (insert danger music here) THE PARTY ZONE!

Never ever serve traveling guests Deviled Eggs and Egg Nog at 6 AM. I was served this once, yes we were to arrive at this Iowa get together at 9PM..unfortunately we were caught in an Ice Storm and our arrival was delayed by nine hours. I ate some of those fancy eggs and slurped some of that not so great nog..I still shudder at the thought.

Never ever count the number of Christmas trees in the entire house..it is impolite and tacky. You should only count the real trees..zero. It is also impolite to rearrange the decorations on those trees. You should not count the number of chaffing dishes on the buffet table, or exclaim "Love your Christmas China, everything is so matchy matchy."

If you are at a party and there is a hot pink and silver tree in the bathroom, and you start giggling and cannot stop. Other guests will stare at you. They will stare at you like you have two heads, one of which may be spinning around. I knew they would stare, I tried really hard, I stayed in there with that tree that must have been the spawn of Mary Kay Cosmetics until I thought my giggles were under control. As soon as I exited that bathroom, my giggles returned. The harder I tried to act normal the more I giggled. Far Guy said "Could you try to get a hold of yourself?" I tried, I really did. What did he want me to do..go outside and stick my head in a snowbank?

Oh the stress of those parties, and wanting to fit in. To look perfect, to say just the right thing at the right time.

Far Guys best friend Gary was in charge of me one year. Gary had a plan to keep me from being so nervous. Well the name of his little plan was Operation: Black Russian. It was only supposed to relax me a little, just enough to keep me from giggling. It was a nice try on his part, but apparently Gary misjudged my alcohol tolerance. I remember very little..the part I do remember involved sitting on the floor in the kitchen talking to the Generals dog while maids in cute little black uniforms with white aprons scurried about. I do recall Far Guy telling Gary " I told you she doesn't drink." Far Guy said "Why in the world did you feel compelled to converse with the dog?" Well duh..the dog was the most interesting person there.

Then there was always the big question of what to wear. Well if it is thirty below zero I am going to wear something warm. If I have spent all day in town Christmas Shopping freezing my butt off going from store to store while the North Dakota wind is blowing fifty miles an hour, the last thing on my mind is high fashion. I am thinking only of warmth. By the time I am delivered appropriated dressed in a non snow pants type outfit, and without a bit of alcohol to relax me. I am a bit tense, and their house is freezing cold, but they have a perfectly good wood burning fireplace with no wood to burn. I should have kept my blue lips shut and not said "I knew it was BYOB but I did not realize that it was BYOW..Bring Your Own Wood."

Well that about wraps up my party advice..one more thing..it's OK if you scatch me off of your Christmas party list:)

The photo today, is one cool party cat Chaucer, he belongs to our daughter Jen!