Category: About us

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Christmas Magic and Snoopy Kids

As I’ve mentioned before–magic is a big deal to me. Remember the fairy post? Each time I see the Nutcracker–I’m pretty sure I truly belong in that Sugar Plum place. No, I mean it. Sometime, maybe I’ll tell you how I feel about pixies and Santa and toys coming to life. At some level of sleep deprivation I could probably even give you a pretty convincing speech in defense of the Keebler Elves.

As I’ve said, magic works for me.

Now, of course, I don’t mean the–eye of newt, ‘piece of thine own tongue,’ chicken knuckles, creepy stuff. I’m talking about the–sparkly tinsel, Deck the Halls, new doll plastic smell on Christmas morning –magic. You know…MA-GIC. The whispery, tip-toey kind. The candy cane hot chocolate kind.

The very best kind.


When my kids were tiny, I worked hard to pass that same sense of wonder, that shivery, strangeness on to them–as a personal favor. One reason is because we already have enough grim-reaper moments on this earth, and I personally refuse to give them any more space. But the biggest reason is that it’s just more fun if I’m not the only one in the house bursting into song every time someone rattles a jingle bell.

Way better if we’re all nuts.

Another advantage to having 5 kids who have passed “Magic and Wonder Appreciation- 101” is that while other moms were trying desperately each year, to hide the Christmas presents in a new place (or new  country) that their snoopy children hadn’t discovered yet– I could stack 5 feet of gift boxes in my sewing room with a blanket over them and say, “Don’t peek–you’ll spoil the magic!” Oh, of course they could look if they wanted to, but the feeling was, “Why would you wreck your own Christmas? Magic is better.” My kids swear to this day that it worked…even the boys.

That said, it’s been hard not to post the projects that I’ve been working on this season, but I couldn’t, unless I wanted to spoil my own family’s Christmas. So I’ve come up with a solution. I’ll put them on another page and hang the “Andersonians Beware” sign on the door. Once it’s up–you can peek if you like. But I bet you a million bucks…they won’t.

Because for us…Christmas magic is just better.

PS–So watch for it…a new “door” that will be opening in the next few days.

Look carefully…You’ll see…

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The Great Stuffing Fest

I know that Thanksgiving is over and we are all moving merrily onward to Christmas and all that shiny, sparkly stuff that we can’t get enough of. But in the interest of true disclosure, I want to share a few photos from last week. I think it’s is only fair to show you who you are really dealing with here.

I might be sorry…

We’ll see.

To say that our family loves stuffing–would be like saying, “a two thousand pound canary is a pretty big bird.” Yeah. We are certifiably stuffing psychos. We dry bread for daaays–7 loaves worth. And that’s just for our family. When my sister’s bunch and mine had Thanksgiving together, it was more like 12. So don’t look for counter space ANYwhere at our place, because we are using it.

WE’RE DRYING BREAD. Pans and pans and pans of it.

Are you frightened yet?

Perhaps you should be.

We have this big bowl. My sister and I share it because there can’t possibly be two bowls like this on earth. Oh, it’s a big bowl alright (remember the canary?). It’s so big that we have to store it out in my dad’s bake shop, hanging on the wall, because there is no cupboard big enough to hold it–it’s too big. It holds 12 loaves of dried bread without even whining. That’s big.

Have I said big too many times?

It’s for dramatic effect.

So then, it’s a given that someone will need to be willing to sacrifice their life in the service of their fellow family, by cutting up the hoards of onions that a batch like this requires. Jillian selflessly volunteered–and we nearly lost her–

but in the end…

she pulled through.

She is also personally offended that I said we nearly lost her.  Again, for dramatic effect.

Next, we boil the buttery, sagey, oniony broth until it is absolutely perfect. I’m not sure when that is exactly…it’s something that only a true stuffing genius knows.

We’re born with it.


The secret, magical, perfect broth is then poured over the unsuspecting dried bread…mushed around until all the spices are mixed evenly. I don’t have a picture of that because I was busy doing the mushing.

It is then toasted in the oven and fed to the awaiting crowd.

Ok…all that white meat was a big hit too.

They say turkey puts people to sleep…

but we know the truth.

Stuffing’s the culprit.

It’s a knock out…

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The Real Secret…

“The secret of true happiness consists not of having…

but of being…

Not of possessing…

but of enjoying.

It is a warm glow of the heart at peace with itself.

 

Man is the creator of his own happiness.”

~David O. McKay

Have a good weekend…

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Homemade Holidays

Here’s the list…

Don’t be afraid. It’s not a nasty old “to do” list. Well, wait…maybe it is. But not the nasty part. It’s the fun kind. The sitting-in-front-of-a-good-movie-with-a-project-on-my-lap-kind. These are some of the things I’m taking on for Christmas. A few are actually in the works and some are still just on paper. And I admit, a couple will likely never see the light of day. But I’m gonna make a valiant attempt. Because I think, homemade stuff is just…better.

When I was a kid, every few years my mom would say, “Let’s make presents for each other this Christmas.” At the time, I’m sure I thought, “Not a chance,” so the projects would never even get started. Ultimately, we’d end up buying something for each other at Woolworth’s, a few days after the school break. It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I realized that those words were mom’s attempt to rein us back in from all the craziness that holiday commercials can suck a kid into. That, and to keep us from spending every penny we had when we had so few. Sadly, we didn’t cooperate too well with her good intentions–if I remember right.

It’s different at our house now.

“Handmade,” to me is such a sweet word–beautiful even. My children have given me so many gifts over the years.  Surprisingly, most of the home crafted ones are still around. Probably, because the gifts made by the hands we love, are sheltered, and guarded and kept safely treasured—held carefully close–just like the sweet things that created them.

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5 Things I’m Thankful For…

right this minute.

1) Roadside assistance…don’t ask. I’ll just say there was a lot of smoke and green fluid everywhere…sigh…

2) Eggnog Milkshakes. Around here you can only get them at holiday time. Yum! Just thinking of them gets me feeling all Christmasy. A good eggnog shake makes sitting in a dead car, waiting to be rescued almost…pleasant.

3) Our sweet babies Lily and Beckham. They are nearly 10 months old now and we can’t remember life before they came.

4) My brown slippers. I wear them all the time. I even went to the store in them once, by accident. They are just so comfortable. It’s easy to be happy when your feet are warm.

5) The low clouds around the mountains. It reminds me of the movie Brigadoon. It is so beautiful here. Every time I look out our front window I’m grateful to be right where I am.

 

 

What 5 things are you grateful for right this minute?