Deck the Halls... and Windows

This year, the Smith kids pretty much get all of the credit for getting the "halls" decked. Mr. Smith and I assisted, too, but it was mainly Millie Girl who was crackin' the whip in order to get the Christmas decorating chore checked off of the to-do list. I probably shouldn't refer to decorating as a chore, but I think you know what I mean -- right? The project took nearly a week to complete, and the end results are holly, jolly indeed.

The indoor Christmas decorating was compounded by the fact that we are in the midst of a home improvement project. (Thanks, Markkkk and Mr. Smith!) We decked the windows in the family room and kitchen with wood trim, a total of eleven windows, so the sawdust has been flying.

I am growing quite weary of filling nail holes, sanding, caulking, priming, and sanding some more. There is a fine layer of dust EVERYWHERE! Even the dust is getting dusty. And my index finger is calloused from smoothing the bead of caulk, but we are almost ready for paint. This is fussy work at its finest. And it cannot be rushed. The prep work is the most important step in the process, but it has taken what seems like forever to complete.

Aside from all of this decorating and home improving, we also had a weekend of Nutcracker thrown in there for good measure. It's been busy 'round these parts.

Men at work...

Although the project is not yet completed, I figure that I can give you a sneak peek of the progress.

Back to the CHRISTmas decorations:

What a delightful daughter!

Although you cannot see 'em, there are two big, brown Maine Coons sacked out under our tree. Our feline friends are responsible for decorating the tree skirt with globs of fur, so they are helpers, too. I am not sure what it is about Christmas trees, whether they are real of artificial, but cats seems to love to hide beneath the branches. At least B&J don't climb the tree or knock ornaments off -- well, they haven't done that yet. There's still time.

Festive festoons

We've been told by someone that the lighted swags look like a capital letter "M".  Hmmmm... if so, I guess it stands for Merry Christmas. Or sMith? Or Mele Kalikimaka? Or it'll take Much Money to pay the electric bill?

Thanks to Millie Girl for taking this photo with her phone -- good work!

The backyard even has a jolly feel to it.

 The stocking are hung... with care, of course.

Up on the rooftop -- LEDs glow!

We have lost count how many years we have been outfitting the family car with festive lights. I believe the first year was when we were living in Tulsa, in 1995. That was w-a-y back when there were only TWO lil' Smithlings.

I managed to find this old photo of the Explorer sleigh. Despite the road grime, the '92 Black Beauty was definitely stylin' with lights and red bows.

We started out using battery operated lights, but learned that the batteries died very quickly in the bitterly cold temperatures. The drive up I-44 from OK to IN was a lot merrier in a decked out rig, and the wee passengers in the vehicle seemed happier with the lights on. (On long road trips, happy is good, no matter what the cost.) We would stock up on more than enough D cells to make the round trip. We should have bought stock in the Energizer Bunny while we were at it. 

We then we advanced to 12V strands that plugged into the car's auxiliary power outlet. Those worked well, but one by one the bulbs burnt out and we couldn't find replacements. This year, we are using good ol' regular Christmas lights made in China that plug into a 12V DC to 110V AC power inverter. We get lots of smiles and waves from those we meet on the roads. Don't mind us, we're just out spreading holiday cheer as we roll merrily along. ;-)

The decorating may be completed, but there remains that little detail of shopping to attend to. And there are final exams for our student population, but it'll soon be time for FUN!

Let the reindeer games begin...

N-cracker 2011

We survived yet another season of the Nutcracker and lived to tell about it. We are indeed still breathing. Well, I haven't told you anything just yet, but I will.

This year, our dancer girl was in the following roles:
1. Party Scene (Liesey was a party mom in two shows and Clara's mother in two shows)
2. Snow Princess
3. Arabian Trio
4. Waltz of the Flowers (Corps)

Liesey also was responsible for working with five little cherubs, ages four and five. She spent several weeks at rehearsal teaching them their choreography. The "teacher" soon learned it was good to bribe her young pupils with candy, specifically Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, to get them to pay attention. If the kids worked hard, they were rewarded with a treat at the end of the rehearsal. This plan was most effective! Dangled chocolate is much tastier than a dangled carrot. ;-)

The performances were held at the Will Rogers Auditorium in Ft. Worth. It is a lovely old art deco style theatre that was built in the 1930s. The auditorium holds 3,000. Only one performance was sold out, but we still figure that 8,000-ish patrons saw the Nutcracker over the four-day run.

It was a lovely show, from start to finish. We are oh, so proud of our daughter, and all of her dancing friends. All of their hard work resulted in a fantastic show!

 Let it snow...

 I'm thinkin' these lil' cherubs are looking forward to that Reese's candy for a job well done.

 Arabian Coffee

A Starbuck's "extra hot split quad shot (two shots decaf, two shots regular) latte with whip" ain't got nothin' over these beauties.

"Flowers"

Sorry, there are no action photos. I simply sat back and enjoyed watching this piece. I couldn't help but smile... Waltz of the Flowers was both of Liesey's grandmothers' favorite part of the ballet, so I wanted to watch it to honor them. I know they were smiling, too.

The End.
Roll credits...

 Thanks, Jack and Judy, for coming to the show!

 Lovely Thomson and Smith girlies

 The Huffmans

 The ballet bun is down!

A Grandpa hug is always welcomed. ;-)

Here we are posing with a long, lost TX relative. Notice any family resemblance? He is tall...
Christmas card pose? Maybe...

Nuts on Parade

Oh, the weather outside was frightful, as it was 39º F with light drizzle and a breeze on Saturday morning. Brrrr! The chilly, damp weather didn't stop a group of beautiful ballerinas from parading down the streets of Big D. Are these dancers nuts? No, but they are part of the cast of Nutcracker! There is a nut in there somewhere, I am sure.

North Central Ballet had the opportunity to "march" in the annual Children's Medical Center Holiday Parade in downtown Dallas alongside a young ballerina, Rachel Herrera, who was of the Grand Marshals of the parade.

In November 2010, Herrera had a stroke while at ballet class. She is still recovering, and is not able to resume dancing at this time. (See her story here: Herrera) Rachel, who is now 14, had danced in a production of the Nutcracker every Christmas season since she was a small child. This year she was given the role of Clara for the parade. Of course, being Clara is a dream role for every young ballerina. And being a Grand Marshal for a big time parade is pretty cool, too! To top it off, Clara got to roll along the route in a vintage Rolls Royce -- even cooler, especially since it was a convertible.

"Our" ballerina girls did not know Rachel until they were asked to participate in this annual event. They were blessed by getting to know this remarkable young lady.

Nutcracker was the biggest balloon in the parade, measuring in at 45' tall. It took a team of twenty-five people to handle the big guy.

Grand Marshal "Clara" and the Sugar Plum Fairy

We learned that this Christmas parade is a pretty big deal.  A couple hundred thousand spectators line the parade route. Through national syndication at varying times in December, the parade will be broadcast to more than one hundred million homes across the country in markets that include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston and Atlanta. (Broadcast Schedule)


We opted to stay at home and watch the parade from the comfort of our family room to catch a glimpse of our favorite Arabian smiling and waving. I think the smiles were frozen on the girls' faces.

Love the shoes!

After a brief photo shoot with Ian Kinsler, second baseman for the Texas Rangers, and a quick meet & greet with Miss Texas (What a social calendar!), these dancers were off to the Will Rogers Auditorium in Ft. Worth for their third performance of N-cracker.  

Hang tight, dear INOKWACA followers, there will definitely be a blog entry with show pictures coming up just as fast as I can type in all of the details. ;-)

ThankFULL

Thanksgiving was a very FULL and fun day. We counted our many blessings and probably should have counted calories a little more carefully.

Although the headcount 'round our table reached fifteen, no one went hungry. We were well-stocked with plenty of provisions to feed the masses. It was a two turkey kind of day -- gobble, gobble!  One turkey was smoked on the grill, while the second one was baked in the oven in a more traditional manner. Both birds were moist and yummy, thanks to several hours of brining, but the grilled turkey was the unanimous favorite.

Gobble is a clear, succinct, one-word description of the day's events. I really tried to not overeat, but aside from the fowl fare, there were way too many of my favorite things: sweet potato casserole, mashed spuds, homemade noodles, fresh green beans, good ol' canned green bean casserole, orange-cranberry relish, yeast rolls, and two kinds of dressing. And then there was dessert on top of that! I was a wee bit beyond "politely full," but not quite to the "miserable" stage.

Dad, my three brothers and their wives, two of my nephews, and my mostest favorite sister all made the trek to Keller to join us in giving thanks. What a blessing it was to have most of our family at our home. Of course, we missed  having Mom, Florence, and other family members here with us.

Here are the photos from Turkey Day. There are ALWAYS photos, you know!

 I am thankful that I have a daughter who can fold dinner napkins.

We all were thankful for two tables and plenty o' chairs so we didn't have to crowd around one table.

 I am thankful for my beautiful, kind, helpful, generous, loving, etc. sister!

 Oh, so thankful for tasty carbs...

We joined in a big circle for prayer, but I only had enough time to snap off one photo before the praying began, so the other nine family members didn't get shot. They were thankful for that!

 I'm VERY thankful for my daddy. 'Nuf said!

 Uncle Todd is thankful for such a fine nephew.

  "The Birds" are thankful for one year of wedded bliss!

We are all thankful to have Robin as a relatively new addition to our family. ;-)

 I was thankful to have so many wonderful AND photogenic helpers in the kitchen. 

I am thankful for a turkey-carving pro bro. He is such a cutup... 

These three were thankful that I only made them endure three shots with my Canon before getting the right photo.

We were all thankful for the opportunity to get a group photo. (Thank you, Thomsons, for shooting the Thompsons!) The only thing that might have been better is a group hug, or perhaps a photo of this group group hugging.

We are thankful that our driveway could accommodate five cars, while the garages held three vehicles. Nobody had to park on the street. We are thankful, too, that all of our guests had safe travels both coming and going.

 Yep, "ThankFULL" pretty much sums the day up.