Willow's First Chrsitmas

Willow is my first great-niece. My first great, actually. By this time next year, our family will have another member. Maybe even my first great nephew. Whether Jess and Adrian have a girl or boy, we'll have fun spoiling the baby!!! Babies add so much to the family.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this picture of Wizzle Banizzle under her first Christmas tree.

Christmas Traditions Around the House

I have this thing for collecting vintage Christmas stuff. Don't

ask me why! I think maybe it has to do with reliving past Christmases. My brother, sister, and I were very lucky children. I have Christmas memories that still make my eyes shine. My brother, Paul, and I were just talking about how anxious we always were on Christmas Eve. Of course, we were supposed to be in bed, but who could sleep on a night like that? Unfortunately for us, our parents bedroom was at the bottom of the stairs...and my Mom was/is a very light sleeper. I told Paul that Sam says if he wakes up at midnight we're opening presents! I'm thinking 5:30 A.M. is plenty early enough. But as Paul and I continued our conversation it started coming back to me. There aren't many things that keep me up because I am so excited about the possibilities of the morning ahead. In fact, I can't think of any. Evidently that feeling has gone by the wayside, due to age. But I have been doing a lot of thinking about what this season means for my son and all children. To have that level of anticipation for Christmas morning is a precious treasure every child deserves. And the next best feeling is having Mom yell up the stairs "SNOW DAY!!!" Thanks Mom and Dad for the wonderful Christmas memories I hold dear to my heart.

See the Christmas kitties? My sister made those for me when we were in college. I'm now 51, so you do the real math. I'll just say it has been some time ago. They are actually ornaments, but I've always seemed to like them arranged in a basket. Some are missing ribbons, some bells due to jealousy on my real cats part. It doesn't matter. It just isn't Christmas if Shelli's kitties aren't displayed somewhere. I like simple traditions the best!!! Don't you?

I'd like to introduce you to Eve. She's a child mannequin I've had for quite a few years. She's just recently been brought out of the closet, not because she's gay, but because my son has always been afraid of her. Now it's the beagle. When she was dressed for Halloween, I thought the beagle was going to have a heart attack. He cowered and barked for 2 days (and nights)! Eve is looking lovely in her Santa's hat, don't you think? Or maybe she's cold. Maybe I'd better find her a dress...and some arms. Another thing I like to do at Christmas is put out the picture Christmas cards Mom and Dad sent out when Paul, Shelli, and I were kids. The pictures are hard to see but the card on the right is just me (cuz I'm the oldest)! Then there is one of just Paul and I and then finally several with all three of us once Shelli arrived. There is also one of Grandma and Grandpa Ferguson and all ten of us grand kids. I had this photo copied and mailed one to all the cousins a couple of Christmases ago. It was definitely worth the effort! The spouses had fun trying to figure out which one of us was which. I'm missing one card. It's the infamous staircase photo. I'm fuming in it because I DIDN'T WANT MY PICTURE TAKEN!!! If you look in the back of the photo, you'll see a Western Union telegram dated Dec.17th, 1962. It's addressed to my brother, sister, and I, sent from the North Pole via St. Louis (where my aunt lived). It reads: From the land of snow and ice with a pack of presents nice my trusty deer are bringing me down. Your house will be my first stop in town. Santa Claus

I bought myself a little present when I was out today. I went to the local Hallmark store and picked up Sheryl Crow's Home for Christmas CD that's only available with Hallmark. It was $7.95 and I had a $4.00 coupon so it only cost me $4.58. I've been listening to it while I've been blogging and I like it. Well worth the $4.58! Bossy will be proud of me! And so will my sister!

I'll be back soon with more of my Christmas junk. I drug it out and everybody is going to see it, dammit!!!

Paul Smith's Santas

I have known Paul Smith all my life. He and his family lived in the same little town that I grew up in. Paul was a mason by trade. When he chose to slow down a little, he took up the art of woodcarving. I'm not sure when I first saw his Santa carvings, but after that, every year when Mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I would say, "One of Paul's Santas." And so for several years I received one of Paul's creations. I've been looking on the bottoms of them. Not all are dated, but one is dated 1990 and another one says 1997.

One year Mom gave Paul some wooden thread spools that had belonged to her mother, Aileen Ferguson. Paul carved Santa faces in them. What a special use of Grandma's spools that probably would have ended up in the trash.

Paul's wife, Gertrude, played her own part in the making of the Santas. Gertrude was in charge of painting them.

Eventually, Paul's interest in carving gave way to other things. But it doesn't stop me from asking him when I run into him if he has anymore Santas! And I don't think I'll ever stop asking him! Paul's Santas are some of my most prized possessions. I'm not sure what attracts me to them so, but I treasure them and always will!

The dark red Santa on the right was not done by Paul. I bought it at a craft show here in Maryville several years ago. It is signed "Main" and I think the man was from around Corning, Iowa.

Sorry the pictures aren't any better. My camera doesn't do well on close-up shots.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like She Forgot She Has A Blog...I mean't Christmas!!!!

It's finally starting to look like Christmas around my house. I started in early and burned out quickly. Not good when you have a nine year old!

Here's my Christmas List of Accomplishments:
1. Observe 1st anniversary of my Dad's death to lung cancer hiding under covers
in bed all day.
2. Mom in Emergency Room-Acute bronchitis
3. Me in Emergency Room-Migraine (May I digress just one
moment here-Attention All Nurses!!! Please DO NOT wear perfume!!! My sense
of smell is heightened and so is my nausea!!!)
4. Mom still not well.
5. Computer has an STD. Must wait several days for Deryk, my computer
expert/John Deere farmer repairman. Hey, they don't call the area rural for
no reason!
6. Get phone call at work that a pipe has broken at home and water is
spewing everywhere.
7. Sam gets up in the middle of the night and pukes all over the bathroom floor
before finding the toilet.
8. I get Sam's flu bug. Only I'm 10 times worse than he ever thought about
being.
9. Mom is still sick.
10.My brother, Paul, who is a guest of the Federal Corrections System, is being
moved to Louisiana. Now tell me...how can that be good? Thank goodness they
like to keep them close to their families. It's only a 14 hour drive!!!

Okay, that behind me, I'll stop whining. I know that I truly do have a lot to be thankful for-my son Sam, my family, my friends, my job (even though I hate it!) the roof over our heads, the stars shining in the sky...my faith. So now I'm going to go watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas with my son and all will be right in the world!