Picture Perfect -- Not so Much

Every December, it's the same thing. The struggle to come up with a photo that is worthy of being sent out as the annual Smith fam. Christmas card begins. 

I take A LOT of pictures of the Smithlings throughout the year, but we rarely ever have a picture with all five of us. Why must it be so difficult to get our family together for a family portrait? And why do we never arrange to have our pictures taken professionally? (Perhaps this is a New Year's resolution.)

I truly enjoy receiving Christmas cards in the mail from friends and family, but I must admit there is oftentimes a teeny, tiny twinge of envy. I clearly have too many really creative friends and relatives. And how do the families with wee little babes find the time/energy to make it to a portrait sitting, then manage to arrive with clean clothes and smiles on their faces? Impressive! I have one teen and two young adults and can't make it happen. It takes planning, effort, and patience. Obviously, I am lacking in one or more of those areas.

Here are some of the options we considered for our seasonal greetings:

Can you tell I had a little too much fun Jib-Jabbing?!

Colorful? Yes!
Silly? Absolutely!
I think these all represent our family accurately, but I just wasn't ready to use any of these images on a card.

We settled on this:

I searched through months and months of pictures hoping to find one (just one!) picture that all five of us were in. This was one of the handful of pictures that I found that captured all five of us at once. This shot was taken in September as we celebrated a certain someone's 21st birthday. We had gone out to eat at a favorite Tex-Mex restaurant. All five of us are smiling, looking at the camera, and all eyes are open. Yay! Thanks to some editing skills, we were able to get rid of the dinner plates, drinking glasses and straws that were visible at the bottom of the image.  It all worked out.

We seem to have no trouble rallying the troops to go out to eat dinner, so perhaps we need to plan a family dinner outing, then sneak in a photo shoot for dessert. I suppose that'll work, provided nobody splatters their clothing with food. 

Next Christmas, it'll be different.
Probably not...

Fa-La-La-La-La

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Smith Haus -- outdoors and inside. Now I just need to finish checking off the items on my shopping list. 

Who has been naughty? Who has been nice? 

After at least one more shopping trip, I think we will be ready to celebrate our Savior's birth! Wait... then there's present wrapping, goodie baking, egg nog drinking, merry making, and "caroling, caroling in the snow" to squeeze in before the end of the holiday season. Why must we create such busy schedules for ourselves? Each year I try to simplify, and I'd like to think I'm getting better at doing the important stuff first.

So are decorations, Poinsettias, and holiday busyness really necessary in order to celebrate Christmas? Probably not. But it's tradition. And tradition is the glue that holds families together. At the Smith Haus, tradition dictates that we have to make Buckeyes and molasses spice cookies. And peanut butter fudge. So, maybe it's really sugar that's the glue; not tradition.

Our family attempts to keep Jesus at the center of the season, yet liberally sprinkle in the joy and cheer that colorful lights (or plain, clear ones), wreaths, the holly and the ivy, fudge, friends, family time, peace on Earth, goodwill toward men, etc... add to the festive celebration.

Wanna see how we have decked the halls?

Thanks to several jumbo packs of shatterproof ornaments from Costco, I was able to dress up the front door wreath and garland with glittery old-fashioned looking decorations.  

I wanted our front entry to look like it came off the cover of Frontgate catalog, without the Frontgate price. Mission accomplished!

Our street is aglow with Christmas lights.

To change things up, we decided to hang the stockings (with care, of course) by the outdoor fireplace. Santa doesn't even need to use the chimney.

Back in January, I stumbled upon an awesome "after Christmas" sale at a nursery/floral shop and found this lovely silk arrangement for 75% off retail. Score! Although it doesn't show up very clearly, there is a lot of iridescent shimmer going on. This arrangement may have to stay out on display for a few weeks after the boxes of Christmas decor are hauled back up to the attic. It looks wintery, right?

Unpacking this ornament each year always makes me smile. Our beloved California neighbor, Larry, painted this for us the year we got Bartholomew and Jemima, a.k.a. the Sandy Claws duo. (Groan.) 

The old "Shiny Brite" ornaments in this basket are fragile, but I simply must display them every year. These vintage beauties likely date back to the 1940s and 1950s. A few of the decorations are from Mr. Smith's side of the family -- his grandma's and/or mom's ornaments. The majority of the oldies, but goodies, are treasures we acquired from cleaning out our first home. The original owner of our Spokane bungalow was a ninety-something-year-old gentleman, Mr. White. When Mr. W. passed away, his daughter quickly put the house on the market. Mr. White had lived there since the 1920s. The daughter didn't care to thoroughly clean things out. When we took ownership, we ended up with several pieces of furniture, an antique mirror, a few boxes of "Shiny Brite" ornaments, as well as a lot of junkyard worthy items.

One of the most unique ornaments is shaped like a tea pot -- short and stout. (You can see it in the lower left corner of the basket. While it is not my favorite, it is interesting looking.) As I was surfing the Web, I found an antique ornament just like it, selling for $10. 

Each ornament on our Christmas tree has a memory or significant event tied to it. It is such an enjoyable walk down memory lane each year as we decorate. Each one of the Smith kids has a box that contains their ornaments. We have added at least one or two ornaments to their individual stashes each Christmas. It'll be a sad day when they each move out and take their decorations with them -- a happy kind of sad. My tree will likely look bare.

Last, but not least, this decoration is truly a treasure. When #2 Smithling was in 1st grade, the students made handsome wreaths as gifts. It's hard to believe that was thirteen years ago! Yes, I hang this masterpiece up on the wall every Christmas season. 

Its value? Priceless!

The Texas Tundra

Icemageddon or Icepocalypse? Whatever you choose to call the big ice storm that hit DFW this past week, one thing's for sure; it's been brrrrr cold! 

This graphic from the Wednesday, December 4th weather forecast certainly did not look promising. The temps were in the 80s on Wednesday, so it was hard to imagine such a dramatic shift. No. Wait. This is north Texas and just about anything weather-wise is possible. Oftentimes, the local weathermen don't get it quite right.
This time, however, they nailed it!

Thankfully, we five Smiths all get along, because due to impassable roads and school closures, we have been stuck indoors sharing a goodly amount of family bonding time. 

Mr. Smith grew up in Oklahoma, I grew up in Indiana, and we have lived in places like Spokane and Ft. Collins that see a lot of snow, so we are no strangers to winter weather; however, this was not your average, run-of-the-mill winter snowstorm. The freezing rain/sleet/ice started falling on Thursday afternoon. It may look like snow, but this white stuff is rock hard. Several inches of ice accumulated overnight. Thankfully, we did not lose our electricity.

The DFW metro area pretty much came to a grinding halt -- or maybe it was a sliding stop? There was no school or work on Friday.

On Saturday, the road conditions had not changed one bit, as temperatures on Friday did not get above freezing.

In the afternoon on Saturday, we all decided to venture out to Kroger, which is three miles away from our neighborhood. It took about 45 minutes to get to the store. There were no eggs or milk (dairy) to be found. I guess it's a good thing we use soy and/or almond milk, as there were no shortages of this kind of milk.

The parking lot at Kroger was truly an ice rink. One customer was seen skating from the store with bags of groceries in hand. No, he did not do a triple toe loop, but this guy certainly had the right idea.

We opted to take an alternate route home; however, the condition of the roads on the more heavily traveled route was no better than the city streets we were trying to avoid. Cars were stopped/stuck in the middle of the three lane highway. Renegade drivers took to the median to get traction in the grass. Those vehicles to our left are off road. There is no paved lane there. 

The median route was also a more convenient way to get around the stopped vehicles. We stayed off of the median. We were stuck in the icy ruts, creeping along at 20-25 mph. Slowly, but surely, we made it home.

I found this photo of I-35 north of DFW that tells the tale of big rigs stopped quite literally in their tracks -- for days. 

This pretty much describes the situation. Schools were also closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Day 6: We are finally out of the deep freeze. Ahhh! Things are starting to thaw out, and the schools have all reopened. I guess this is one for the books, or for the blog. 

Even though it is not even officially winter yet, I am quite ready for spring. Thankfully, temperatures are forecasted to be back in the 70s next week. I'll believe it when I see it.

I Get the Message

I love my son.

That is all.

Giving Thanks

We have so much to be THANKFUL for. Here are only a few of the countless things I am giving thanks for this holiday season. There is no specific order.

First of all, I'm THANKFUL that I am not a turkey. They really are unattractive animals. No matter how you dress 'em, they are just not pretty.

After we removed the fowl from the grill, we found that we had overlooked a feather. Ooops! I laughed when I saw this, as it reminded me of a feather adornment on a gentleman's jaunty bowler or fedora. I guess that means that our turkey was well dressed for the occasion. 

I am THANKFUL for turkey veggie platters -- and the hands that created the masterpiece!

 I guess I'm THANKFUL that it's okay to play with your food.

Thanksgiving Day was spent cooking lots o' food, laughing, visiting with loved ones, giving thanks, and probably eating too much caloric-dense food. Hey, it's a once-a-year chow-a-thon, so overeating is permitted. Now it's back to normal-sized portions. I am THANKFUL this is a once-a-year, "limited time only" event. 

This is one of the two Thanksgiving tables set for our party of eleven. I am THANKFUL that we inherited Aunt Milly's beautiful (early 1900s) dining room set. 

In June 1958, Mr. Smith's aunt and uncle purchased this buffet, table, and six chairs at a furniture store that sold both new and used furniture. Someone had traded this "old" stuff in for something new. Aunt Milly said that she spied the set in the furniture store window and had to go inside to take a closer look. They ended up putting the set on layaway.

Yes, the price was $60 for all eight pieces. I'm THANKFUL that Aunt Milly saved this receipt.

I am soooo THANKFUL that I was able to find four complete place settings of our china. My frugal eBay purchases arrived a full week before Thanksgiving.

Mr. Smith and I started out with eight 5-piece place settings and miscellaneous serving bowls when we were first married, but never added to our set. The pattern was discontinued in 1992, so I couldn't buy any more dishes. After nearly 26 years of only using the "good stuff" once or twice a year, only when there were eight or less gathered around the table, we finally have service for twelve. I decree that we shall use the china and crystal weekly!

My china cabinet is now well stocked with Dansk "Statement" china -- a very simple, yet timeless pattern.

I am THANKFUL for these two noodle artistes. 

Millie Girl and her auntie got things rolling by making homemade noodles. Our family's tradition is to serve the noodles and broth over mashed potatoes. That is my "mostest favorite" part of a Thanksgiving dinner -- hands down. Forget the bird and other trimmings, bring on the starch! The mashers/noodle combo is comfort food at its finest.

I'm THANKFUL that my mom taught us how to prepare this family recipe, and grateful that we can pretty much recreate Mom's noodles. 

My mom used to make and roll out the noodle dough the night before the big feast. The dough has to be "just so" to be able to cut into; not too doughy or not too crumbly. As kids, my siblings and I would try to accelerate the noodle curing process by using a hair dryer set on the lowest setting. If the hairdryer would have been set on high, the sheets of dough would have likely blown off the counter. We never did try testing the tolerances for this. Well... if we did experiment, no one is talking about it.

Mom would cut very thin strips of dough by using her favorite small paring knife and end up with consistently uniform noodles. Despite trying to cut noodles by hand, just like Mom, I never quite mastered her technique.

One year, Mom ended up with a sore elbow and shoulder after cutting so many noodles. She dubbed her condition noodlitis. The healing process for this painful affliction began shortly after my mom received a Marcato Altas 150. No more sore joints after noodle making. We, too, now own an Atlas 150 -- Fantastico!

My three Smithlings all learned how to make Grandma Betty's noodles, under her careful tutelage. Traditions MUST be passed down. Especially when they involve food. :-)

I am THANKFUL for pie! Pie baking is another skill that both my mother and mother-in-law perfected. My seester and I attempt to carry on the tradition. It's all in the crust.

 I am THANKFUL for this trio o' hairy guys.

We all were THANKFUL for quality family time...

Everyone was THANKFUL for a sunny, glorious day! While the sun was shining and the temperature was still reasonably warmish, we headed outdoors for a little activity. Some of us opted for a walk, while others biked.

The 1969 Schwinn DeLuxe Twinn was eager to burn up the streets.

We recently had the old blue tandem tuned up at our favorite bike shop, so it not only looks as good as new, but it is now a smooth running machine.

Let me backpedal a bit and fill you in on the history of the bicycle built for two.

Back in June of 1972, I was eagerly anticipating my 10th birthday. One day, my sis and I passed by Fern McHenry's house where I spied my dream bicycle -- a Schwinn Twinn was parked on Fern's front lawn. It was blue; my favorite color. Best of all, it had a "For Sale" sign on it! I now knew exactly what I wanted for my 10th b-day.

Fern and her sister shared a modest, yet very tidy, brick home a few blocks away from my house. I was somewhat acquainted with these women from tagging along on my brother's newspaper route. 

This duo seemed ancient. In reality, these two women were probably not all that old; however, they were older than my parents, so that automatically made them REALLY old! Remember, I was nine, almost ten. Anyone over 40 was old.

These two ladies had created a stir in the neighborhood when they bought matching mopeds, used them for a short amount of time, then sold them. They did the same with the tandem. To say the tandem was "gently used" was an understatement.

Look at how much fun these people are having. I wanted in on this, too! Two?

I eagerly rang the doorbell to inquire about the bike. The sisters told me that they had owned the bike for a couple of years and were asking $110. This was the top of the line tandem, and they had added a speedometer/odometer -- Schwinn brand, of course. 

They graciously offered to let us take it on a test drive. We took them up on the offer -- no hesitation at all. We were only gone for a short time, but the two elderly women were shocked and very surprised that upon our return, the odometer now had 10 miles registered on it. Over the two years they had owned the blue bike, they had ridden it a mere 8 miles. My sister and I easily racked up 2 miles in no time at all. We then shared with them that we had ridden the bike at speeds of 15 mph. Utter disbelief was their reaction.

I hurried home and breathlessly explained to my parents that the PERFECT birthday present was just a few blocks away. I'm sure I tried all kinds of persuasive techniques. Mom and Dad listened to my proposal. I was asked to allow them time to discuss my request. After what seemed an eternity, my parents gently explained that this was just too much money to spend on a birthday gift. With six kids in the family, money allotted for gift giving was kept at a minimum. 

I had figured it was a "no" before I even asked the question, but I had to try.

Although I was disappointed, I next came up with a plan to get the McHenry sisters to reconsider their asking price. Unbeknownst to my mom and dad, I ventured back to the McHenry house on my own and inquired if they would be willing to accept an offer of $100. I cannot believe that I was that bold. I was a very timid child, so I must've been emboldened by the strong desire to possess that bike. I also cannot believe that I actually thought that my parents would let me have the bike if it cost ten dollars less.

The sisters smiled politely at my inquiry and kindly answered, "No. Our asking price stands." I headed back home.

I'm certain there were tears at this point.

FYI, $110 in 1972 would be worth about $615 in 2013 terms. I certainly do not spend that much money on individual birthday gifts for the three Smith kids. The $10 discount I was seeking would be valued at $55 in today's dollars. It was pretty gutsy for a lil' snot-nosed kid to try to negotiate that kind of a deal, huh? I REALLY wanted that bike, so I was willing to do just about anything to get it.

You have already seen the picture of the tandem, so you know how the story ends. I got the bike.

Did I throw such a fit that my parents gave in and used that month's grocery money to buy me what I wanted?

Did Fern soften and reduce her asking price?

Did I take the bike on another test drive and never return?

None of these options are correct.

My dear, sweet sister negotiated a deal with Mom and Dad.

Earlier that summer, my sis had started a job at the drugstore in downtown Shelburn. She worked at the soda fountain making the best cherry Cokes and vanilla phosphates in the entire world... but that's another story for another time. :-) Although she had only worked at the drugstore for a couple of months, she had managed to save a whopping $40 (According to the inflation calculator, that is $223 in 2013 values). My big sister offered her entire savings toward the purchase of a bicycle for me, if Mom and Dad would pay the remaining $70 (worth $391 today). They reached an accord, and the bike was purchased.

I could barely contain my joy! I promised to take my sister to work, whenever she wanted. And I did. I routinely heard townspeople comment, "Hey! I think you lost your passenger!" as I rode solo back home from the drugstore. Oh, if I had a dime for every time I heard that one. Well, I probably could have easily paid my sister back her $40.

I also promised to take good care of that bicycle. And I did.

It's a long story, but I shared it because I am THANKFUL that I have a generous, kind, loving, and caring sister -- then and now! And I am THANKFUL for wise parents.

The guys at the local bike shop really like my old bike, and they enjoyed tuning it up. They also admitted that they had a great time riding it.  Of course, I had to tell them the story of how I even ended up with the blue beauty. Don't worry, I gave them a much abbreviated version.

I'm THANKFUL for an 89-year-old daddy who still enjoys taking silly pictures with his daughter.

I'm THANKFUL for each one of these smiling faces. After such an awesome meal, everyone was too full to even mention a food item, so no one said, "Cheese!" for the camera.

I'm THANKFUL that you actually made it to the end of this rather lengthy post. Aren't you thankful, too?!

The Wrong Side of the Bed

Googling things in the middle of a "wakeful night's sleep" often results in interesting (yet somewhat useless) information. One dark and sleepless night, I read that slumbering on the left-hand side of the bed is the key to a happier, less stressful life. 

Oh, no! 

I'm in trouble. 

I'm a righty.

An interesting tidbit from this research was that "people who favour the left of the bed also have more confidence and are more likely to be in permanent employment than those who prefer the other side."  The study also revealed that "while right-hand siders tend to earn more than their opposite numbers, those who sleep on the left are happiest at work." 

So, left is right, and right is wrong? There really is a wrong side of the bed? Am I right?

I sleep on the right side of the mattress. I get up on the right side, and start my day on the right foot. 

I've always slept on the right side of the bed. Even when I was a little girl and shared a full-sized canopy bed with my big sis, I slept on the right side. The reason I got the right side was simple. Our bed had an extra tall frame, so the mattress was pretty high. We pushed the bed against the wall on the right side, so there was no fear of little four-year-old "me" falling out of such a high bed. Also, our room was very small, so the only logical configuration was to have the bed against the wall to allow more floor space; our bedroom was quite literally a BED room.

As I understand it, I was a bed hog during my childhood years. And I kicked like a mule while sleeping. I even managed to boot my sister out of bed on one occasion. I frequently stole all the sheets and blankets. According to my sister, she was always on the right side because there was nothing left. (It's a joke. She didn't REALLY say that. Besides, she slept on the left.)

Now that I'm already several paragraphs in to this left/right side of the bed discussion, how does one even determine what the right side or left side of the bed is?! What point of reference does one use? Is it when you are sitting up/lying in bed on your back? Lying on your stomach? Or is this determined by standing at the foot of the bed, looking at the bed. Hmmmm. Another consultation with Google shows that there is even debate on how to answer that question. Really?!!! 

I'm taking the stance that the right and left side of the bed are similar to the right and left side of a car. When sitting in an automobile, the driver is on the left side, and the passenger is on the right. Imagine sitting in your bed, sans the steering wheel. Wait! The aforementioned sleep study was done in the UK, and their driver's seat is on the right... Now I'm really confused.

Soooo, my left sleeping husband is supposedly more cheerful than I? I don't know about that. For the past several weeks, I've been giving him the cold shoulder every single night. 

Do you remember that I broke my shoulder at the beginning of this year? Yes, that's the same injury that I thought was all better, after months of PT. It's been acting up again. The achy shoulder/rotator cuff could be the reason I'm not sleeping for eight straight hours and then find myself surfing the Web in the wee hours. 

Any way, I am back at physical therapy. I have instructions to do additional exercises at home, and I'm supposed to ice my shoulder a few times a day. I find that it feels nice to ice just before catching some zzz's. It's my left shoulder, so if I lie on my back, Mr. Smith is to my left, on the left side of the bed. Just how cheerful can a guy be who gets a very chilly reception every time he comes in close for a good night kiss and snuggle?! Perhaps he is feeling left out.

Our 26th wedding anniversary is next month. Do you think we will make it?

Hey! There is hope. I just read online that some new study done by someone somewhere suggests couples get health benefits from snoozing together -- no sides were taken as to whether L or R is the better side of the bed to be on. "Together" is the operative word. The article goes on to explain that this might be a major reason why people with close relationships tend to be in better health and live longer. 

As long as Mr. Smith and I can deal with an occasional ice pack, frigid feet, stolen blankets, and the aches and pains of growing older together, we should be just fine. 

I must admit that I am still a wee bit bugged by those research findings that indicate that right side o' the bed sleepers often awake with a bad mood and are not as happy as the lefties. Hurumph! Oh, if only there were a little more room on the left side of the bed...