Driving Ambition

Thankfully, our youngest daughter is not driving us CrAzY as she takes her turn in the driver's seat.

I cannot imagine what it would be like for a fifteen-year-old to have to learn to operate a motor vehicle in the DFW metro area, alongside millions of other drivers. There are days it's really difficult for us more seasoned drivers to navigate the highways of the Metroplex. Add inclement weather, detours, road construction, lots of traffic, and a few too many jerks, and there is never a dull moment.

Formal behind-the-wheel instruction has officially begun at our local driving school. I managed to snap a few pictures from the very first lesson without embarrassing the students. See?

Wait! That's not the right picture.

Here's the right one.

Our girlie looks like a natural behind the wheel. We are thankful that "Coach" is an excellent, experienced, demanding, yet patient instructor. This driving instructor brings new meaning to the term autocorrect. 

Millie and Mak automatically look good standing next to the fleet of hamstermobiles. You might even say that this duo has got Soul. Or maybe not. I'd say that. I DID say that, but bad puns tend to roll off my lips when I speak and fly off of my fingertips as I type. 

Okay, I'll stop now. 

Here are two more gals who also look good standing next to those same snazzy red Kias.

Of course, we LOVE Carroll Watkins Driving School. Our middle child has been working there for several years as a receptionist/secretary/assistant. And now she can add model employee to her résumé. Liesey got to pose for the Yellow Pages advertisement. No, she is not dressed as a hamster!

A Sunday With Extra Nuts

North Central Ballet's annual Nutcracker performances were extra nutty since all five shows were postponed until after New Year's Day. Nutcracker after Christmas? Yep! All of my Christmas decor was packed away by the time we attended the final Sunday matinee. 

Either we experienced belated visions of sugarplums or we have a really early start on festivities for Christmas 2014. 

The scheduled performances were supposed to take place in early December; the weekend that the northern part of TX got covered in a thick sheet of ice. It was not possible to secure the Will Rogers Auditorium until after the holidays. Better late than not at all?!  The show must go on, even if it's a little bit delayed, right?! Despite the change in the schedule, all five performances went really well.

Our dancer kept a lower profile in the shows this year, due to a full school and work schedule. We are so proud of our daughter! Liesey not only danced three roles, but  she also worked with several groups of the younger dancers, teaching them their roles. There were many hours of rehearsal both as a performer and a teacher. Yes, this is a "lighter" load than she has done in past years.

Role #1 was playing the part of Mrs. Silberhaus, party hostess extraordinaire. Soooo, if my 19-year-old is Clara and Fritz's mom, I suppose that makes me a grandma. YIKES! I'm much too young for that.

Number 2 Smithling's 2nd role was snow; always my favorite piece. Role #3 was Spanish.

These dancers are leaping for joy... it's the finale of the final performance.

This picture is also of the finale leaps, but it was taken from the wings. I think it provides an interesting perspective. Of course, I centered the shot on one dancer in particular. What can I say? That's my girl! 

I want to make it perfectly clear that I'm definitely not a stage mom. I like to say that I'm a "very much in the back, out the stage door" kind of mom. :-) Or maybe I'm an audience mom. I'm not really sure what my title should be. A very blessed and proud mom? That sounds good to me.

After the final final curtain, Clara gathered a few of her friends and they posed for a picture, or two.

Clara and her "Spanish" mom.

 There is always time for an autograph.

Millie, Liesey, and Mak are so photogenic.

Fan club?

I figured that this was an appropriate parting shot, as it sums up my dancer girl. (This must be the part of the story about the extra nuts.) My Spanish beauty is lovely, poised, graceful, talented, etc.; however, she is also pretty much a goofball. There is just enough of silly awkwardness to keep things interesting. It looks as if she might be channeling her inner Lucille Ball. 

See?

And I know exactly what Liesey will say when she discovers that I used the silly "fan" photo without checking with her first.

"Oh, dear!"

But then she'll laugh. 

She's a good sport -- I think. I hope!

A Traditionally Smoochy and Customarily Superstitious New Year

There certainly are some interesting traditions, superstitions, and customs that are tied to New Year's Day. 

One of my favorite customs is kissing at midnight to celebrate the special occasion. For those with a more superstitious nature, that "good luck" stroke-of-midnight smooch also ensures that the love and affection between the kisser and kissee will continue throughout the next twelve months. Pucker up! 

Some believe that the custom of making a lot of noise (yelling, banging pots and pans, and setting off fireworks) to usher in the new year not only serves to celebrate the happy event, but also is done to scare away evil spirits. Hmmmm... If all this noise is supposed to also occur at midnight, there is a conflict with the kissing thing. Tell me how it's possible to smooch and make a lot of noise at the same time -- without annoying the one you are kissing?

I've also heard about people who pay off all bills before January 1st, as it is not wise to start the new year in debt. (That is wise counsel any day of the year, right?!) However, you are not supposed to pay back loans or lend money or other precious items on New Year's Day. To do so is to guarantee you'll be paying out all year.

Another custom that is supposed to ensure prosperity for the upcoming year is to make sure everything in your household is stocked up -- a full pantry and a fat wallet.  

Some folks look to the weather as the new year begins. "If the wind blows from the south, there will be fine weather and prosperous times in the year ahead. If it comes from the north, it will be a year of bad weather. The wind blowing from the east brings famine and calamities. Strangest of all, if the wind blows from the west, the year will witness plentiful supplies of milk and fish but will also see the death of a very important person. If there's no wind at all, a joyful and prosperous year may be expected by all." (Thank you, Snopes, for verifying this superstition.)

When it comes to food, there are plenty of customs, traditions, and even superstitions that are tied to the start of a new year.

As I was growing up, our neighbor, Helen, always prepared cooked cabbage on January 1st. It made her house smell bad, but it surely was tasty! The greens had to be eaten cooked, not raw, to guarantee a good (root-tootin') start to the new year. Why cabbage? It is believed that the green leaves look like folded money and are symbolic of economic prosperity. Why cooked? Who knows. If all the noise-making and revelry at midnight didn't do the trick of chasing off evil spirits, the added aroma of cabbage cooking just might finish the job. 

Although Helen was a God-fearing woman, she was somewhat superstitious. I do know that she held more tightly to her Christian faith than "irrational beliefs" about the unknown. 

Helen and her husband never had children of their own, so she shared stories and beliefs with me and my siblings. She liked to have a lot of fun, and I think that she told us about various superstitious beliefs and notions just to carry on her family's traditions. She provided us with a great source of entertainment -- and good eats! I do wish I would've taken notes.

We always make a pot of cabbage stew at the start of a new year to honor Helen's memory. Lucky or not, it simply tastes delicious. She got that part right.

I don't open up umbrellas in the house or walk under ladders, just in case she was correct about those things, too. 

Our cats are brown. :-P

Now that we live in Texas, we have been instructed by our southern neighbors that cabbage alone just doesn't cut it. The word on New Year's Day is legumes -- specifically black-eyed peas. (And I don't mean the singing variety.) 

Legend says that during the Civil War, the town of Vicksburg ran out of food and supplies while under attack. The hungry residents discovered that the fodder for cattle known as "cow peas" could be made into a tasty dish for human consumption. The Vicksburgians felt fortunate to have this source of food, so that is why "luck" is associated with these legumes. After the war, a local PR firm felt that "rebranding" was in order, so the name was changed from cow pea to black-eyed pea, and the rest is history. Or something like that. I may have a few facts mixed up. Or I may have made up a detail, or two.

And let's not forget yet another food associated with New Year's Day; the tamale. I really do not care for tamales, so don't ask me to make them from scratch. I will buy them for the Smithlings. 

When we lived in California, one of our neighbors would prepare massive amounts of tamales and generously share them with friends and family. Mr. Smith and the kids always enjoyed being on the receiving end of that deal! I do make sure there are tamales in the house to honor our Cali connections, but don't expect me to actually eat one.

I just realized how much of an impact our neighbors have had on us. All three food items that we had on our January 1st menu were influenced by people we have lived next door to, at some time, somewhere in our lives. Interesting... We have had awesome neighbors no matter where we call home. And good eats usually are somewhere in the mix.

Do we really believe that eating these specific foods bring health, wealth, wisdom, and good fortune in the new year? Nope. It just tastes good, and brings fond memories to mind. Besides, we do not need luck. We are already blessed!

Happy 2014!

Jolly

Our house was filled with much laughter and good cheer on CHRISTmas morning.

It truly is better to give than receive, but the receiving part is fun, too!

The youngest Smithling decided to have some fun with her gift giving. Millie Girl used her hard-earned money wisely, and managed to purchase everyone a thoughtful gift. Our daughter's true creativity was shown by how she wrapped each of those gifts. 

Each family member was assigned a band member from her favorite group, One Direction. Yep, we were temporarily transformed into Niall, Harry, Zayn, and Liam. Millie was Louis, naturally. Her gift tags had only the image of the band member that we were representing, if that makes sense. Our real names were not on the gifts at all. Part of the fun was guessing who we were. I was Harry, which means that I am loved! (Harry is a close second to Louis...)

Yikes! I guess my daughter is turning into me. Ever since the Smithlings were wee ones, I have never put names on their Christmas packages. I never wanted to encourage the kids to compare the size of boxes under the tree to see who had the biggest gift. Nor did I want them trying to figure out what gift they were receiving in advance of Christmas Day.

I used to come up with elaborate alpha/numeric codes for each Smith kid. The code is simply written on the bottom corner of the package. 

There were a few times that I made an error in deciphering the code, but mistakes got resolved before the gift landed in the wrong recipient's hands. Whew!

This year, I decided to number each gift with the numbers 1 to 3, where 1=Oldest and 3=Youngest. Obviously 2=Middlest! It seemed too obvious, but no one even noticed.

So, what's with the Justin Beiber posters? Along with our real gift, each of us were given a poster of the Beibs. Justin Beiber has never been one of Millie's favs. She didn't want to waste her supply of One D. posters on us, so we got the rejects. We all thought it was pretty funny. 

No, there aren't any Beliebers in this household, so no one has hung a Bieber poster on any walls. 

Kindling?

 The purrfect gift?

 Much happiness! I guess she got what she wanted.

My youngest has a fashion sense that is...well...ummm...unique? She has an awesome sense of humor, too! I would have never thought of wearing riding boots with Victoria's Secret jammies AND running shorts. I'm sure this look would turn some heads. Louis appears to be impressed.

On the 26th, we loaded the sleigh and headed to Indiana for more family fun.

Oh, dear! I shot G-pa and his (rein)deer grandkids. You see the family resemblance, right?

 Obviously, we all got the memo about the "color of the day."

Oh, the games people play!
Quelf is a very silly game. And these people are pretty silly, too.

The Christmas "undecorating" at my Dad's house got underway, as we were blessed with a warmish afternoon. This unseasonably warm weather proved to be the calm before the next winter storm.

One of the most thoughtful gifts I received this year was a family cookbook that my sister compiled, edited, and published. Each family member had to submit at least one recipe along with a story about their submission. This book not only has lots of good recipes, but it also has lots of family history.

So, what's with all the cookies? To honor my Aunt Eileen, I made "her" peanut butter cookies topped with Brach's Chocolate Stars. I have fond memories of finding these cookies in my aunt's cookie jar. I love peanut butter and chocolate together, especially in the form of a soft, delicious cookie.  I was always amazed that my cousins actually had cookies around long enough to place in a cookie jar. At our house, cookies were pretty much devoured as soon as they came out of the oven. As you can see, the chocolate stars are smaller than Hershey's Kisses. They add just the right amount of chocolate to the mix. My seester even made a special trip to Walgreen's to purchase these not-so-easy-to-find candies, just so I could have a tasty walk down memory lane. SWEET!

Can you tell that I like snowflake ornaments? 

On New Year's Day, the slow, painful process of taking down the tree began. Sigh. 

Everything is all packed away until November 2014. I'll be ready and waiting. And, of course, as I'm decorating the house, I'll be devising my next secret "gift giving" code.