Even Santa Knows...

...That she is the world's most beautiful child!

This Old Lolee is looking forward to sharing the wonders of the holiday with her special girl!

The Long Road to Christmas

We enjoyed Christmas this year…the actual day that is.  But I have to say that this year the road to get there was quite long.  The season began with me having a good start on gift-buying, and I was anticipating that this early finish would give me the rest of the season to just sit back…enjoy…maybe do a little baking and other fun holiday stuff.  (As you can see, the tree made it up, and there are gifts underneath.)  But The Grinch had other plans, and this year we celebrated the fact that we were able to celebrate at all.

The main culprit was illness.  Everyone was sick!  Even my computer had a virus and was out of commission until I could get it fixed (leaving me looking for a support group for those suffering from blog withdrawal).  Paisley, Mandy and Jeromy were all very, very sick, prompting  the beautiful, real tree that they had put up this year to be removed from the premises.  They were hoping that this would help with Paisley’s asthma, and while it may have helped some, their nights were still filled with administering breathing treatments and getting no sleep, all while feeling the effects of their own illnesses.  There were little respites here and there, in between bouts of illness, and the most beautiful child in the world did get to visit Santa:

Unfortunately, by the time the Lackey ornament exchange rolled around, Jeromy attended solo while Mandy stayed home with a very sick little girl.  For those of you who don’t remember the Lackey ornament exchange, it is an absolutely beautiful custom Jeromy’s family has.  (You can read more about it here.)  It makes me want to be a Lackey!  Well, this year I bought another ornament for Paisley’s stash.  I found it on eBay and it is a Peter Rabbit ornament:

This year I was all about Peter Rabbit.  I bought her a board book and a stuffed Peter (both from Amazon), and I can’t wait until she is old enough for me to read her the little set of Beatrix Potter books that I bought for us.  I hope that one day she will see her Peter Rabbit ornament hanging on her tree and tell her children about sitting with her old Lolee, reading all about the naughty little bunny!

On an unrelated note,  I found this picture of Paisley in her mother’s stash.  Not sure what that expression was all about, but I thought it was so cute!

Meanwhile, at our house, Mom and I had gone to the VA Hospital on December 8^th for a pre-op visit.  Mom was scheduled for a hernia repair on the 12^th and they wanted to do all of the blood work, x-rays and what-not.  She had been coughing (who hadn’t), but we didn’t think that much of it.  After being there for quite some time we were informed that she would not be having surgery on the 12^th, but instead was being admitted that very day due to the fact that she had pneumonia.  Talk about a surprise!  We hadn’t even packed a bag.

For the next few days, I kept the road hot between our house and the VA.  I blew down the road listening to my Stevie Nicks CD, singing along as best I could.  However, I wasn’t feeling so hot myself and as the days wore on and I grew more ill, I began to sound more and more like Stevie.  (Note to self:  Listening to Stevie, especially “Rhiannon”, makes you drive way too aggressively.  When navigating heavy traffic, you might want to consider putting in your John Denver CD.  Just sayin’…)

Anyway, I was so sick that when Mom was released, she had to go to my sister’s house for a couple of days and Robert had to go get her and bring her home.  We thought she was getting better, but the Thursday before Christmas she informed me that she just wasn’t feeling very well, so we blew back down the road to VA (listening to talk radio this time).  Sure enough, she was still suffering from pneumonia, but was sent home with some major antibiotics and instructions to do regular breathing treatments.  Since my mother is the candy-maker-in-chief, this Christmas will forever be known as “The Christmas Without Home-Made Fudge.”  Needless to say, my stuffed gingerbread dolls and my reindeer sitting in the rocking chair didn't make it out to their honorary spots in the family room, either.

Robert was able to go a day or so before Christmas and visit his mother and sister (and his sister’s family).  This is the way it has been for the last few years.  With all of the dogs (and now chickens) to take care of, he and I rarely go anywhere together if it is going to be for very long.  However, I really don’t mind.  His family is so nice, and he loves getting to see them whenever he can.  Here are pictures from his visit with “Grandma Lynda and the bunch”:

Robert had bought his sister this big old bear as a special gift because it reminded him of one she had as a little girl.  Apparently, ever-so-naughty young Robert used to taunt poor Susan by punching in her bear’s nose or using a make-shift noose to hang it from  the back of her door.  Luckily, he has grown up (at least a little) and this bear did not suffer any such torture:

The limpy-gimpies were able to put together a little Christmas Eve dinner (sandwiches on little rolls, etc.) and this was the night we would open our gifts to each other.  The most beautiful child in the world arrived and posed for a picture with her mother:

Jeromy was kind enough to be the one to pass out the gifts (this is normally Alan’s job, but he was working at Albertson’s until 9:00 p.m. and we thought Miss Lackey wouldn’t last that long!):

Everyone received wonderful things, but of course, our focus was on you-know-who.  Her Grandma Lynda crocheted  the cutest little cape and hat (ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!):

Dee Dee bought her a little rocking horse that sings and makes a “clip-clop” sound when you squeeze his ear.  Giddy-up!

And Grump-Pa surprised her with a big old bear, too!  Perfect for snuggling up with:

We were surprised that we were all still rolling when Alan came dragging in, but we were, and he was able to share in the evening after all:

This was the Christmas without a lot of our usual trappings.  There was neither fudge nor peanut clusters, no driving around looking at lights, no making cookies and such for neighbors and friends.  This year we were stripped to the very basics – faith and family.  Yet even Mandy remarked that this was one of her favorite Christmases of all.  She said that each gift was more thoughtful and she felt that each moment they spent with both our family and Jeromy’s family was even more special.  I felt the same way.  I remember that the very first Christmas came without fudge and cookies and plush gingerbread men decorations, too.  The road to Christmas may have been long, but in the end, it came… it came… it came just the same!  (And we loved it!)

Christmas 2010 (By Lori)

Christmas this year seemed just a little different...not necessarily better or worse, just…different. For me, one difference was that I did not do a very good job of bringing service into this holiday season. In years past there has been at least some cookie baking and delivering said cookies to friends, neighbors, and those at church whom I “visit teach”. The year that our family picked an angel off of the angel tree at the mall and went shopping together was an absolutely wonderful time. Although we did do some things to help out others this year, it just wasn’t the same effort as in Christmas past, and that left a little something lacking in the holiday for me. Hopefully next year I will be in better health and all bathroom remodeling issues will be resolved, and I can do some things that will make me really get into the Christmas spirit.

Surprisingly, music played a much more important role for me this year. As a girl whose favorite song is “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”, I don’t get overly involved in music other than enjoying my favorite song and some of the Christmas classics (“O Holy Night” is a great one!). But I happened to catch the end of a special featuring Faith Hill, and it helped me feel the Christmas spirit so very much! I knew that she sang “Where Are You Christmas”, and this song has struck a chord with me because there were some years not so very long ago when I had that sentiment and shared those feelings. However, I had never heard “A Baby Changes Everything” until this year and I did not know that she sings it until I saw her special. What a powerful song! It absolutely made my Christmas season and helped to remind me what it is all about. If you would like to hear it, click here .

The one thing that stays the same, no matter how you feel physically and no matter what shape your bathroom is in, is loved ones, and I am so grateful that we were able to spend Christmas with ours. Thanks to QVC, HSN, and the UPS guy, there were presents under the tree for everyone (although I doubt that I made all of their dreams come true this year!):


On Christmas Eve, Miss Popper arrived looking somewhat stunned by the whole affair:


However, her mother and her “Grump-Pa” were able to get her warmed up a bit:



Alan had to work Christmas Eve, but we were delighted when he showed up an hour earlier than we had expected (I guess business was slowing down). I don’t know what he and Paisley were up to, but they look a little suspicious to me:


We ate sub-sandwiches, along with cheese ball, etc., watched a video called “The Nativity”, and then opened some presents. Mandy and Jeromy always manage to look so very excited, no matter what the gift:



I loved EVERYTHING that I got, and I received some very special gifts. Alan got one of my favorite Disney movies, “Beauty and the Beast” on DVD for me – I was very glad, because it was one of those things I just have not got around to doing yet, but I certainly am happy that he did that for me. Mandy and Jeromy got me a digital picture frame, fully loaded with pictures both new and old (another wonderful thing):


And Robert got me two special things. The first gift he gave me was an old-fashioned nut cracker. It is great because I love vintage/antique things and it also says, “Squirrel Cracker” on it. To further honor Chewka Marie’s memory, he bought me this cute little figurine (also from the antique store) of a mother squirrel and two babies. It brought tears to my eyes as I thought of Chewka Marie, and I appreciate his remembering her and how much she meant to me.



After a wonderful evening, Miss Popper and her parents went back to their home, but returned the next day to celebrate Christmas Day with us. Miss Popper was certainly decked out in her Christmas finery, complete with little silver shoes:


Mom and I took a short-cut to Christmas dinner this year. We had picked up barbeque and potato salad from Riscky’s Barbeque the afternoon before, so all we had to do was heat the meat and whip out a couple of side dishes. It was actually very good, and a nice change. I was excited that I got to use my new ceramic bake ware/serving ware with the polka dots (I love silly little things.)


I certainly hope that everyone had as much of a wonderful holiday as we had, and may the new year bring forth God’s blessings upon you!

An Ornament for Paisley

My daughter and her husband have started a wonderful tradition for my grand-daughter (in fact, I wish I had thought of this for my kids!). Each year they attend an ornament exchange with Jeromy’s family, and this year they actually included Miss Popper in the exchange, so she went home with her very own ornament. Mandy is going to save them in a box for her and then add an ornament from Miss Popper’s mom and dad so that she will have a little box of ornaments of her very own to take with her when she leaves home. I thought this was so sweet that I wanted Miss Popper’s Grump-Pa and her Lolee (me) to get in on this deal, so I started with an ornament for Paisley on her very first Christmas.

At first I was tempted to get her an owl ornament. Her parents love all things “owl” and have even done Miss Popper’s nursery in an owl theme. In a cute twist of fate, one of Miss Popper’s first “tricks” has been to hoot like a little owlet; if you would like to watch a video of Paisley saying, “Whooo….”, then click here . But then I stumbled across an ornament that has a lot of meaning for me, and I decided to pass this along to my girl for her first Christmas.

Anyone who actually knows me knows that I had a pet squirrel who lived in my house with me for four years. Most people don’t understand just how much she meant to me. Even though she required a lot of care and drove me crazy at times, life with her was a very unique experience and the love that I gave to her and received from her was beyond description. She brought home the fact that there is nobility in even the smallest and simplest of God’s creatures. I had hoped that Miss Popper and Chewka Marie would have the chance to meet one day, but as fate would have it, Chewka Marie left this world just as Paisley Grace was about to enter it. Chewka died the afternoon before Paisley was born; in fact we had not yet buried her when we got the call that Mandy was being admitted to the hospital with preeclampsia. So I said a hurried good-bye to my dearest little friend before heading to the hospital to check on my daughter.

I have never been the type to believe that one being can take another being’s place; to me, to say this would be an insult to them both. Each loved one in my life holds a unique place in my heart, filed away in one of the little drawers that I keep there. But I am so grateful that Miss Popper arrived safely and soundly, and she has brought me more joy than I had ever dreamed. Her arrival helped me through a tough time and she is one of God’s tender mercies, not just for her parents, but for her Lolee as well. I had made a scrapbook of Chewka Marie a couple of years ago (in story book format), and when Paisley gets old enough I will read it to her. I will show her the squirrel ornament that her parents bought for me because they know that I love all things “squirrel”. I want to give her a little squirrel for her tree to help her remember that as a window shuts, a door is opened, and we can be comforted during our dark times, even if it is in ways which are unexpected.

My squirrel ornament:


Miss Popper’s squirrel ornament:

Waiting for Christmas

Each Christmas season for the past two or three years I have been lucky enough to get an early start on the season. I had the tree up and the decorations out within a couple of days after Thanksgiving. By this point, my Christmas shopping was all but complete. I loved this because it allowed me to just relax and enjoy the spirit of giving service, the joy, and the time with family that Christmas is supposed to be. However, this year the only things decking our halls are boxes of tile and building supplies for the bathroom. Having the bathroom “poop out” on us just before Thanksgiving was not conducive to holiday decorating! Robert is working on it with every spare minute that he has, but remodeling a whole bathroom is just a major project, no matter how you look at it or how hard you work. So this year I am “waiting for Christmas” in more ways than one. I am just trying to enjoy the things that ARE available to me.

We had a family Christmas party at church. It was not only fun, but it certainly fulfilled the idea of giving service at Christmas. I will soon be posting more on the story of the actual party on my new blog, “Womanly Decadence” (I think I may need to join a 12-step program for compulsive bloggers). Anyway, at the party they had set up a cute little “forest” of trees and I noticed that many families were having their pictures made in front of them, so I persuaded Alan to let me take his picture. Can you see the boyish glee on his face at being around all the little kids running around? (Me neither! But, I’m glad he was a good sport and went with me.)


Meanwhile, at Miss Popper’s house, Christmas is up and running! Her mother and father have put up not one, but multiple trees. She also had a great time the other night when her parents took her to her first official ornament exchange with Jeromy’s family. This is a tradition of his extended family, and I really like it. Since there are so many members in his extended family, the annual ornament exchange is the one opportunity for the whole clan to get together at the holidays. Each participant brings an ornament; I’m still not clear if it is like a “white elephant” game or what, but at the end of the evening each participant goes home with a different ornament. Mandy is starting a box for Miss Popper’s ornaments from the annual party, and Mandy and I plan on each adding an ornament, too. The idea is that when Miss Popper leaves home someday she will have a good start on a tree of her own with decorations that have a history and meaning.

Here are Mandy and Miss Popper, ready to go:


At the ornament exchange Miss Popper was passed from relative to relative, and seems to be having a great time:



I had bought the little outfit that she was wearing and was so tickled to see that Mandy took this shot. What a cute little bum!


Hope you are enjoying the Christmas season!

Even More Christmas! (The Great Outdoors!)

Robert is in charge of the outdoor decorations, and even though he didn't have time to do a LOT of outdoor decorating this year, he did make sure that he put out the family favorites.

Ever since they went to Wyoming, Lori has been absolutely enthralled with all things moose! Imagine her delight last year when Robert surprised her with this big guy:



It quickly became one of Lori's all-time favorite outdoor decorations, and she can't help but smile (plus pet him a little) each time she sees him.

Dee Dee loves the "fireball" lights, so Robert surprised her a couple of years ago with those. Even if nothing else goes up, he makes sure they are hanging out front!



Last, but not least, Dee Dee made her own contribution to the outdoor display when she came home with the candy cane lights. We love those, and they are the perfect item to round out the outdoor menagerie that is Christmas at the Woodbury house!

A Little More Christmas!

Alan has been attending the Single Adults' Ward here on a very regular basis lately, and he seems to be enjoying himself quite a bit. He MUST be enjoying it, because he doesn't miss going to church or the activities for anything! For their recent Monday night activity they made gingerbread houses and he brought home this cute little house. He and his friend, Alex (girl, not guy), made the house and even put a little scene on the inside. (Just a little peek inside the window...)

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas! (By Lori)

We finished decorating for Christmas a couple of days ago, and I must say that I am starting to get excited about Christmas already. As I look at our skinny little Christmas tree, I can't help but smile. We used to have a big, beautiful tree with white lights, but it was given to Mandy. You see, the only place that we have in our house to put a big tree is in the front window in Robert's office. Cookie loves to run to the window whenever she hears a car to see if Robert is home yet -- whether or not there is a tree in the way. So about three years ago I got tired of broken ornaments and having the tree laying on its side half of the time, and I went to Dollar General. I bought a little fiber-optic tree that will fit on our hearth (safely out of reach) and lots of cheap, plastic, made-in-China-and-probably-toxic ornaments.

I was hoping that it would just be a temporary thing and that I would somehow be able to find a way to have my big, beautiful tree with the hand-blown glass ornaments again. Then a magical thing happened: somewhere along the way, I came to love my little, cheap, cheesy tree. I now put it up, not just for the sake of space, but because it has helped me to appreciate this special season even more! It goes up quickly and is not much work at all; no more hours and hours of trying to fill in a big tree. It comes down quickly after the season is over, thus alleviating that dread of having to put a ton of things away. All of this prompts me to decorate early in the season; therefore, I am free to move on to other things!

The ornaments themselves bring me joy, too. When I was a little girl, "Grandmother Carrie's" house was a special place. She was actually my father's grandmother, and she lived just down the street from his parents. If you were lucky enough to wrangle an invitation to spend the night with her, you were in for a treat. During this one-on-one time with her, she would make you feel so very special, making your favorite breakfast and pretty much doing whatever you wanted her to do. For me, that was playing the piano. I had always wanted to learn to play, but I didn't know any more than what I could teach myself, but SHE knew how to play, and would play any song that I wanted to hear. My favorite was the Christmas song, "Silver Bells", and I was so tickled to find a cheap strand of garland for my little tree that actually has little silver bells on it! I think of Grandma Carrie every time I see them.

My little tree brings back memories of my mother's mother, "Ma". Ma was the kindest, sweetest woman you would ever want to meet. She was of very limited means and didn't have a whole lot, but she would always share whatever she had with anyone and everyone. There were many times that my mother, my sister, and I would go to live with her (like when my father was in Vietnam). She was a frail woman, in bad health, and she died when I was around ten or so, but she was so important to me that I will always remember the feeling that I had when I was at her house, too. My little tree has some ornaments that are shaped like ribboned-candy, and I think of Ma whenever I see them hanging there. She always had the hard, old-fashioned ribboned-candy at Christmas time, and to the child that I was then, it tasted even better than chocolate does to this old lady now!

There are other "memories of years gone by" at my house. During the time that I was a little girl, the Santa Claus pitcher and Mr. and Mrs. Claus salt-and-pepper shakers were all the rage. Everyone had them: my mother, both grandmothers, and even my great-grandmother! At some point through the years, I was lucky enough to get a pitcher and some shakers for myself. Even though the red paint on the Santa pitcher flakes off (you wouldn't dare actually want to USE it for fear of lead poisioning), I put my Santa stuff out each year. Each time that I look at it I am transported back to those years as a very young child, when I believed that the world was a safe, wonderful place, and that all was right with it. For just a brief moment, that hope washes over me once again whenever I see Santa's smile.

There are new favorites, too. When my mother moved in with us, she brought many of the Christmas decorations that HER grandchildren looked forward to seeing each year. She divided her belongings according to who-wanted-what, and I was lucky enough to get her nativity set. It sits prominently on our mantle as a reminder of what the season is all about. It is so special to me to know that the special tradition that lived in her house now lives in ours! I also have a porcelain doll that is "The Little Match Girl", a thought-provoking story, to be sure! Seeing her reminds me of the need for giving to others!

Another addition that makes me laugh out loud is my moose that sits in a rocking chair. Not only do I love him because I absolutely LOVE moose, but when you squeeze his hand he rocks back and forth and sings another of my favorite Christmas songs, "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer". What can I say? I'm just a little bit twisted. He was joined by a singing squirrel holding an acorn and singing, "I'm Getting Nuttin' for Christmas" (a gift from my son). They both were joined this year by a "Grandma Moose" that Mom bought for me. Once again, at our house, the animals rule.

My decorations are not the only thing that I have simplified in my attempts to enjoy Christmas more. In addition to finishing my decorating early, I have made an effort to start shopping early, too. It originally started as an attempt to spread out the financial aspect of Christmas gifts over time, but now it's more than that. By having most of my Christmas shopping done by this point, it allows me to enjoy the rest of the season. From this point on, I only have to worry about the things that I choose to do, leaving me time to spend with friends and family and to commit random acts of kindness. More importantly, I have time to ponder the gift that God gave to each of us when He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour on that very first Christmas, so long ago.

I am giddy with excitement! Let the Christmas season begin!