O Christmas Five

Crafting, Goodwill, Trips, Friends, and

Family

We're happy and lucky to have some ornaments from Matthew's family. This Noel ball is one of my favorites.

My Mom gave us an ornament each year in our stockings, and wrote the date on them somewhere, so I have an ornament for every year, and her handwriting, which makes me happy.
Remember when Anna gave us all names from Pooh and we were only to refer to each other that way? We all have ornaments from that time. Here's me, Tigger, in 2007.

We also have lots of photo ornaments. Matthew in Kindergarten, Anna last year. Sometimes I think we're definitely going to need another tree. :)

O Christmas Four

Crafting, Goodwill, Trips,

Friends

This Hula Santa came from friends Jon and Kerri when they were stationed in Hawaii. It's funny that a Hula Santa could make anyone feel all proud and American, but he does.

This L is from one of my very favorite students ever, who gave it to Anna when she was born. Sweet Chris. :)

Katrina has given us many of the coolest ornaments on our tree, like this drum, which I took 5 pictures of, all blurry. Also a high hat on a stand that really works! Katrina's the best. :)


This football is from a "grown up" friend for our graduation from K-State. Donna and I share a great love for KSU football. This ornament reminds me of our young marrieds small group, and what a neat time that was.

O Christmas Three

Crafting, Goodwill, and

Trips!

I got this pretty one this summer at the Saturday Market in Eugene. I look at him and think about shopping with Katrina and Chelsea, and the beach, and hiking, and talking, and friends.

This little crab is from the trip we took to Baltimore when Anna was 6 months old, for the Foreign Language teachers convention. I think of the aquarium, and the Thanksgiving Parade on Anna's 6 month birthday, and Anna and Matthew exploring the town together.

I got this one on my big Southern road trip with Katrina, on a morning of trying to stay out of the sun because got such a sunburn the day before. What? Glitter sunscreen not that effective?

This one is from one of my running away trips with Anna, when we went to Dorothy's house last year. I remember parks and playing and laughing together.

Christmas ornaments are my favorite souvenirs.

O Christmas Two

So yesterday was crafting. Today...

Goodwill

There are so many wonderful and strange things to be found there.

Like this guy, who makes me laugh every year. Where did he come from? When and where was he appropriate?

Or this, my very first Flamingo ornament. Now I have lots, given to me over the years, but this first flamingo, he's special. I remember finding him and thinking. A flamingo for the Christmas Tree, found at Goodwill? What could be more perfect?

I got a whole box of these Straw ornaments from Czechoslovakia, and gave most of them away, but I kept one for myself.

And this is a Hallmark Keepsake ornament that I found brand new in the box. It has the year we moved into the house and everything (see the 2004 at the bottom of the door). I think I found it two years ago. It was very exciting.

Can you guess what's next?

O Christmas Tree

I have decided that the Christmas Tree embodies everything I like about life.

I begin my illustration today with: Handmade Things

Wheat ornament made by my Grandma Anna

Boot ornament made by my Grandma Madge (maybe my favorite ornament)

Stocking made by Linda

Pinecone made by Abby, age 4?

Ridiculously huge snowflake made by me, who cannot seem to crochet things that are not scaled for giants.

More tomorrow...

Internet meets real world

Last Friday I had one of those days that turns out entirely different than you expect. My plan was to go right home after school and get to work. I had a much better day instead.

First I had to go to town to pick up Anna, so I got to swim. I am really loving swimming every day. It's amazing that I never thought to join the YMCA before now. I swim a mile 3 times a week, and about 1000 yards the other days. If I time it right, I get done in time to change and watch the last 30 minutes of Days of Our Lives while walking on the treadmill, and then I pick up Anna from school.

Anyhoo-back to my day. Then Linda called and told me she was reading a poem at GCCC, and that I should go and meet Shauna and her family there. What a treat! I haven't seen Shauna in years, but we're connected via this wonderful Internet.

Here's Linda's poem, a delight as always.

Like Pudding by Linda Lobmeyer

It can be an instant sensation-

like pudding, like chocolate,

which tastes best from the instant,

or it can be like butterscotch,

which is much better from

the cook-n-serve (stirred

and stirred). Smooth,

spongy on top, sweet

on the tongue. It's simple

pleasure: love like pudding.

A heart reaches

for a spoon and punches

through the skin to eat mushiness.

We eat because it feels right.

We are happier than we were

without the pudding.

Then I got to chat with all of those fun people while Anna and the girls played at McDonalds, and then, tiring of that noisy place, we all gathered for dinner at my house. The girls (who never met, but have watched each other grow up on the blogs) had a wonderful time and the rest of us had some wine and conversation. What fun!

Way better than the day I had planned.

6-Man Football

Last weekend we went to Plainview TX to watch nephews Luke and Levi play in the Texas State Playoffs against Garden City, TX. It was a cold game, but fun to see. Luke plays like all of my favorite football players, with an intensity that you can feel from the stands. I'd be proud to wear number 25.

Follett didn't win, so that was Luke's last High School game. I know that feeling, of working so hard in your senior year, devoting yourself entirely to a goal, and not making it there. I know how that hurts.

We're awfully proud of you.

Gift Tags

I think there are lots of neat things you could do with these.

And probably some one else more computer savvy than me would know how to put them into a PDF or something repeating so that you could just print them out and use them.

Sorry 'bout that.But aren't they pretty and oh so cute?

And now I can use them without fretting about it.

I am definitely re-using this one. I love it.

Christmas in Kansas

Teeny Spruce

Last year we got a little teeny live Christmas Tree, and then in the Spring we planted him outside. I thought, since he's a Christmas Tree, he ought to be decorated. We used twist ties to attach everything, we'll see how long it lasts.

Thanksgiving 2009 (2)

8th Annual Alsop Thanksgiving Connect Four Tournament

Watch this video!!! (took me 3 days to get it loaded)

And a good time was had by all.

"I gave her braids!"

That girl does amazing things with tape and construction paper.

(Hopefully we'll have the rest of Thanksgiving tomorrow. I can't get my video to load!)

Thanksgiving 2009 (1)

Our Thanksgiving festivities started, as usual, with the baking of many pies. Matthew's Mom told him he had to wear a mask (strep throat) but it didn't slow us down much. We tried (again) to bake 4 pies at once and failed (again) to remember how much longer that takes. So the pumpkin pies took forever (again) and the pecan pies were runny (again), but still tasty.

Susan and Abby and Poppa Ted all came out to our house on Thursday morning.



We had the 8th Annual Connect Four Tournament (more on that tomorrow) and ate lots of yummy food.

Our fireplace isn't working at the moment, so Matthew set it up as a screen for the projector. We watched The Sound of Music (Abby had never seen it!) and played Wii.

And, of course, there was some dress up, and some taking care of babies.

Jovana's Quilt

Waaaay back in March when Chris helped us finish the basement, I told Shannon I'd trade her my quilting labor for his manly labor. I finally finished her project, just in time for her to give it away! Of course I forgot to take a picture of the whole thing, all done and quilted and bound.

Here is a shot of the quilt top.

And a couple of the quilting. I did this on the long arm machine at our local quilt shop. It was simple enough and pretty fun, and I'm pleased with how the quilting came out, especially because it was my first time ever.