We are starting the new year with some more wonderful snow falling today, the winds are going to pick up later with gusts in the 40 to 50 mph range. Right now it's coming gently straight down and looks very peaceful. We have some Sub-Zero temperatures coming up in the next few days as well. Winter is here.
We are not going anywhere; remaining snug and cozy and warm in the house. So I thought I'd take the time to write about our New Year's weekend with our Family Christmas Celebration. It sure was busy --- go go go. Now I'm finally catching up and enjoying all of the memories dancing through my head.
It started on Friday night (New Years Eve) with babysitting some of the grandkids while our grown daughters and spouses went to a wedding in Green Bay. It was a wedding on the other side of the family and it was nice to be able to take the grandkids so the adults could enjoy themselves. The kids enjoyed making their own pizzas for supper and afterwards I took the two littlest girls over to the sewing machine. They were each going to sew a pillow and stuff it. What a perfect thing to have for a sleepover, a pillow made by themselves. They are only 5 and 6 years old and unable to reach the foot control and feed the fabric through the machine at the same time. I carefully do the actual sewing while they help feed the fabric and pull out the pins as each one gets close to the needle. They carefully watch all of the stitching on each of their pillows so they really feel like they had a part in making it. They get to snip with the ends of the threads with my tiny scissors that is shaped liked a bird.
Once the pillows were sewn around on all three sides it was time to get out the stuffing to stuff them full. Grandpa had a little fun when he grabbed a hunk of the stuffing and started up some Ho Ho Ho mischief of his own.
Both girls were sure surprised and hopped on his lap and told him what they want for Christmas next year! And also pointed out what a silly Grandpa he was....
Bit by bit they each stuffed their pillows. It's much better to stuff them with little clumps than throw in one big hunk at a time. They used up that entire bag of stuffing!
We carefully pinned them closed and top-stitched shut the open end. Here are the girls posing with their finished pillows. What a bunch of silly little things --- all full of giggles and laughter and joyous bursts of exuberance.
Jameson hung out and watched a movie with Grandpa while we gals were doing the sewing. Jameson is 13 and really isn't into sewing pillows. But he was enjoying the one-on-one time with Grandpa while I kept the girls out of his hair. Later he got all cozy and set up on the living room couch to sleep with little Binney. She likes all the attention she gets from him when it's calm and quiet.
As New Year's Eve wore on, surprisingly, Jameson was the first one to fall asleep! Those two giggly girls fell asleep at 9 but woke back up again. They were still giggling and wiggling around in the grandkid's new playroom at 11 p.m.! I finally had to put my foot down and tell them that was enough that they needed to go back asleep. None of us really made it till midnight. Such partiers, hey?
The next morning, the girls were so eager and ready to help do things for our upcoming Christmas celebration later on that day. We put away all the sleepover stuff and made the beds. The house was in ship shape.
Now for pumpkin pies!!! They helped with the pie crust and crimped and pinched the edges around the pans and they helped measure out all the ingredients into the mixer for making pumpkin pie. They sure like measuring and counting and scooping in the right amounts.
In 45 minutes the house smelled great
with the aroma of
freshly baked pumpkin pies.
The girls were pretty proud of their accomplishment,
and ask me to take their pic with the pies!
Later on in the morning two more grandchildren joined us. The plan was for each one to help make a different dish for our meal that evening. That way I could spread myself out throughout the day and give each one some special one-on-one time (and not wear me out in the process).
Here is Chelsea who is making her Great Grandma Muriel's fruit salad recipe. After draining the juice from two cans of pineapple and two cans of mandarin oranges into a pan, we stir in two small boxes or one large box of Jell-O "Cook" type vanilla pudding, not instant. No milk. The pudding mix and the juice thickens into a really wonderful sweet sauce.
Then Chelsea carefully poured the sauce over the pineapple chunks, mandarin orange pieces, sliced bananas, and maraschino cherries. We set it in the refrigerator to chill for a couple hours and thicken. Her dish contribution to the meal was now done.
Early in the afternoon, it was Jameson's turn to help out. We had purchased two large spiral hams and he needed to get them out of the packages and set into the big Nesco roaster. Using a big kitchen scissors is the easiest way to get them out of the thick plastic wrapping.
Once he had them all into place and the packaging discarded, then he poured our secret ingredient over them. Sprite soda. Yes, Sprite soda. That was a secret I learned a couple years ago from our oldest daughter Erin. Then he patted dark brown sugar all over the tops of the hams. Every 15 to 20 minutes he would come back with the turkey baster and suck up the juice on the bottom and redistribute it over the top of the hams. Because they are spiral sliced, the flavoring soaked right into the meat. He also learned how to use a meat thermometer to tell when they were close to getting done, so we could turn the roaster down to warm.
Now it was Clayton's turn to work on a dish. He likes the green bean casserole. We used the long skinny frozen frozen green beans from Aldi and cans of cream of celery soup, which are lighter in flavor than the heavier cream of mushroom soup. He added the layers of the French's onions and some spices over the top.
Now it's ready for a layer of tinfoil and then it will go in the oven along with the pan of stuffing that his mom was bringing over in a little bit. It was his first time ripping off tin foil from a roll, and he did great!
Steve then peeled up a whole big bag of potatoes and cooked them up and made a pan full of mashed potatoes. The day before I did a crock pot full of my Calico beans. This way everybody brought something or helped to make something to go with the meal.
Each child got some one-on-one time with Grandma in the kitchen. The parents came at about 4 p.m. to enjoy our Christmas family celebration.
The kids helped set the table and light the candles. Everything looked festive and pretty in the dining room, perfect for our gathering.
Desserts were laid out on the buffet
as well as some trays of cookies
and we had Tom and Jerry drinks.
The kids all ate at the kitchen table, (a.k.a the kids table), while the grown-ups filled their plates and had a relaxing adult evening meal in the dining room.
Afterwards everybody helped clean up and we had a wonderful evening of family celebration, opening presents, and playing cards. A few of the kids fell asleep and spent the night. That's par for the course. So they had a chance to sleep over opposite the other ones were there the night before. Claire was lucky, she got to sleep over both nights!
One of the special gifts we had given the children was that each child got a card. Inside the card was a printed message:
Our Christmas Present
to the WHOLE Family
this year will be our….
EPIC BOWLING
PARTY!
Yes, tomorrow, Sunday, January 2nd,
We will all gather at 1 p.m.
THE GOOD PLACE
BOWLING ALLEY
For an afternoon of all the bowling you want to do,
play games, ping pong, bean bag toss
We will have
PIZZA, APPETIZERS, & PITCHERS OF SODA
Beverages of Choice for the parents.
Bring you best attitude
to have fun for the day
with Grandma and Grandpa Pfun !!!
Lasts until 5 or 6 p.m. or when we all get tired.
Afterwards we can all go to watch the Packer Game at our house.
Boy oh boy, were those kids ever excited! What a way to wind up the busy Holiday Vacation, by spending the final day of Christmas vacation together with Grandma and Grandpa. At 1 p.m. on Sunday we all gathered at the bowling alley.
We ordered up pizzas and pitchers of lemonade, the adults had a few other beverages and the kids had appetizers, while we were waiting for the pizzas to cook. We started bowling and sure had a lot of fun.
Littlest Claire, the bowling diva in her little bowling headband sewn by her sister Chelsea on her own sewing machine, decided to roll up her sleeves and her leggings to add a new stylish flare to her bowling costume.
We were given lanes 1 and 2 down on the end and our own area with some tables that we could put our pizzas on and the kids could eat in between bowling frames.
I haven't bowled in about 20 years, but it sure was fun. We didn't get high scores but we sure got a lot of laughs. I think we bowled four sets of games throughout the afternoon. Here is a compilation video clip of all of the fun we were having. It even includes me getting a strike!
Here's a picture of our little group at the bowling alley. I think this is the first annual family epic bowling day, I think we will repeat doing this every year. It sure was a lot of fun.
I think everyone had a good time. We were pretty tired by the time we were done and headed on home. From there we watched the Packer game, which they won, and we flopped into bed, totally worn out.
What a delightful weekend we had with all of our kids and grandkids!
We set aside a day other than Christmas Day so we can all get together, leaving the kids to spend the actual day with their own little ones... and not dragging them out and about to our celebration. It works out best that way.
This year it was decided that Saturday and Sunday between Christmas and New Years would work out for everyone's schedule.
Some of the years, we have driven up the motorhome to park at our oldest daughter Erin and Waylen's home in Oconto. Other years we bunked out in their play room on an air mattress. But last year we decided to rent a motel room nearby (about 6 blocks away) with a pool and hot tub. It worked out well, so we decided to do that again. A king sized bed on the main floor was only $85 a night, not too bad. The hotel doesn't allow dogs, so Finney and Binney would be sleeping at Erin's house in their doggie crate. They had canine buddies Biscuit, Ewok, Radar and Leia to keep them company.
We packed up the car and the dogs and their doggie crate and headed on up on Saturday morning. They live 70 miles, and although our temps were below zero, with wind chills much much lower. We got up to their house and unloaded all the gifts and food... and stole 2 of their kids to head over to the motel. After a quick stop at McDonalds for a special treat lunch (for the kids... ick.. not for us!) We checked into the motel. Nice enough room, but a chair was broken and we wanted to be sure they knew it wasn't us! Got it replaced right away and we were all set. We had permission to have our grandkids there to swim, under our own supervision with us in the pool with them, of course. Here are the first two, Chelsea and Clayton. The pool was REALLY warm!
Soon the other grandkids joined in... their parents dropped off Allegra and Mason on their way through town heading to Erin and Waylen's house. They changed into their swim suits toot sweet, and joined us in the pool.
Then Heather brought Jameson and Whitney, but she stayed to help wrangle them and soak in the hot tub with us. I took a few more pics and then set down the camera to get back in the water.
Lots of screeching and laughter and fun fun fun....
Of course Steve and I were in the pool with the kids and then afterwards in the hot tub.... the kiddos only put their feet in the hot tub, as it was pretty hot and warning signs prevented them from being submerged like us grownups could do.
After all of our little fishy kids were waterlogged and soaked to the gills, we waddled them all back to our hotel room down the hall. After getting all six of them changed out of wet swimsuits, and hopefully back into their own dry clothes, it was time for a snack. (last year we think the boys switched underwear by accident)
Then.... we let them do something we always let our own kids do at hotels:
LOL LOL LOL
They "softened up the bed" for us!
When the kids were all done doing what they do best (goofing off) we herded them into their jackets and boots and hats and mittens. We got them out the door and into Heather's Jeep and our car. That is another reason for having another adult there at the hotel, because we needed another vehicle to transport 6 kids back over to Erin's house.
The adult children had all the food ready to feed the crew, hot chili with all the fixens on a very very cold icy day. How great was that? We had go-withs like veggies, dips, chips, salsa, salads and desserts. The kids were hungry and ate well, but they were also keyed up to start opening presents.
Before we started on the presents, I decided to give each grandchild a keepsake I created the night before. Years ago, I already made myself a Christmas Village of about 30 houses and commercial buildings. I had recently gotten another 50-60 unpainted buildings that matched my set. I decided that I would paint up one for each grandkid and have enough to gift them for the next 5-6 years! I decided to do this at the last minute and sat up until midnight the night before--- painting seven little buildings.
First, I sat all of the grandkids down and gave each kid a battery operated flicker LED candle light. They had NO idea what was coming next. It was like "oh cool, Grandma gave us little flicker candles...."
Each got their very own personalized Christmas Village Building. Even little one year old Claire. I wrote on the bottom of each building the year and who got which... I started this year with commercial buildings, so each could get excited about what one was theirs. It is a tradition I hope to continue for years and years.
Next, all of our kids had a HUGE surprise for me! All the kids gathered around while I sat on the floor to open their gift to me. They had struggled the last month to NOT tell me what the big secret gift was. Each one wriggled like a puppy because they KNEW and they didn't TELL!
I think they are enjoying the anticipation as much as I was....
What on earth was this?
As I lifted the lid, I got tears in my eyes. I unfolded section by section to reveal face after beloved face. It was a huge plush throw blanket with all of my grandchildren printed on it! In the middle was our Family Christmas Photo from last year with all seven grandkids around me. What a treat! What a delightful blessing! I was flabbergasted! Look at the expression on my face:
Check this out,
all of my most favorite photos of each one!
The kids loved unveiling it and unfolded it out in the middle of the room. Clayton chirped up that we should all JUMP on it! Noooooo this wasn't the hotel room bed. LOL.
And best of all, I got to give a Group Hug of Thanks
as they all piled on to almost bowled me over!
The wee ones couldn't wait any longer... we had to let them tear into the presents! They took turns handing them out, as bedlam ensued. A few gifts got opened by the wrong kids in their fervor, but all in all, we got it straightened out. We had a lot of handmade items between us adults, which is wonderful. The kids got toys and games and books and of course jammies!
Grandma goofed up on the sizes a bit, but they didn't mind and wore them loose and comfy.
Once the kids were all set up in the playroom with their toys and fun, we adults sat and watched the Wisconsin Badgers playing Miami U and they won! After the football game was over, and all the little kiddos were put into bed, it was time for adults card playing time. We all gathered around the dining room table, It sure was fun.... Everyone had beverages of their choice, (I made Tom and Jerry's hot holiday drinks with brandy and nutmeg) Erin had snacks and treats for us as well and jello pudding shots from Heather.
Here is our crew of adult children and spouses:
Daughters Erin and Heather
Daughterinlaw Heather (Dan's wife) and daughter Erin
Son Dan and Steveio, father and son
Myself and soninlaw Jesse, Heather's husband
Soninlaw Waylen (Erin's hubby) and daughterinlaw Heather (Dan's wife)
Soninlaw Waylen (Erin's hubby who was feeling poorly and
now found out he has pneumonia!)
We played cards and laughed and teased and joked around. Nobody else was driving they were all spending the night. I cut myself off well before my limit so I could drive over to the hotel safely.
I have no words....
Steve and I made it until past midnight, but finally had to toss in our cards and leave our losing coins in the kitty. We drove on back to the hotel for a bit of peace and quiet. At least for a few hours.
At 6 am, I was rudely awoken by the people in the next room were fumbling and slamming the connecting door between our rooms! They were rattling it and banging around and their tv was blaring.all night long. I shouted to knock it off, and they stopped. I knew it was an elderly couple I had seen going in there, and I mentioned it to the desk later on our checkout. They asked if our room got entered, and I said no because the door was locked from our side. They apologized and there wasn't much they could do I guess. And THAT is why I like sleeping in my own bed in my own motorhome with a deadbolt on the door.
We headed over to Erin and Waylen's house by 7 am. Most everyone was still sleeping, but the kids heard us come in. Steve got all the dogs out to the back yard in shifts to do their things. It was bitterly cold out again and all the dogs did their things without any hesitation and zoomed right back in the house!
I started a pot of coffee, and then began the breakfast bake casseroles.... I made up three full pans, but really should have only done two. The hungover parents were not in shape for a lot of eating, for sure.
I got in some early morning sunshine snuggles with little Claire
All of the grandtots gathered around my old dining room table in Erin and Waylen's house
for breakfast together. It is so good to see them all getting along and having fun.
Steve and Heather wrangled them and poured juice and egg nog and filled plates
Here are the grandkids crew:
Allegra and Clayton
Clayton and Jameson
Chelsea and Mason
And the two most wee ones, Claire and Whitney
After a sunshiny morning in the kitchen, we had special time with each of the grandkids. All of our grown kid families now had things to do with other family members and our Christmastime was over for another year. We said our goodbyes and loaded up our gear. We did leave our dogs in their crate at the house and returned to the hotel. Steve and I had 2 more hours before checkout time. Nobody was in the pool area or the hot tub on a Sunday morning. We kicked back and relaxed for a while in the hot tub and then back to the room for a bit of shower and nap. By 11 am we were packed up and checking out. Trekking on home for 70 miles with smiles on our faces and Family Love in our hearts.
Thank you kids for making such a special celebration for us, and thank you sooooo much for the love and thoughtfulness in having that throw blanket made up for me. Perfect for nap time, wrapped up in the love of our grandchildren.
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