Merry Christmas!

The 25 Questions of Christmas

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. With a bow. My dad was a real santa-nazi (yeah, I said it) about making sure every present has a bow! when I was growing up. I admit it does make the gifts look nicer under the tree. No thanks to his kind of bow... he totally uses (and reuses) those ghetto 200-for-$1 bows that might or might not match the present's paper, and definitely aren't sticky anymore. Love you, Dad.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real. Duh.

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually right after Thanksgiving, avoiding Mark's work schedule and birthday (which, contrary to what he used to think, is not always on Thanksgiving).
4. When do you take the tree down? When Mark finally convinces me it's time. We try to last until Epiphany if it's not dying by that point.

5. Do you like eggnog? If you don't like eggnog, you are a scrooge. There, I said it. This question shouldn't be do you like it, but how you you like it best? Put some in my starbucks latte, please. :)

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Becky. My first baby. (Yes, even before Nathan. And Bowden.) She and her cousin Ginny has some rockin' awesome days with their rockin' awesome moms in the late 80s. Good times, good times.

7. Hardest person to buy for? my grandpas. seriously, what do they need? or want? no, really -- your help/ideas are appreciated.

8. Easiest person to buy for? mom

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Do I own one? No. But I claim the variety of options in my church's sanctuary windowsills as mine during the advent season. I don't want one in the house since toddler Nathan choking on a wise man would totally kill the Christmas spirit, am I right?

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, usually. I email some people. And I'll post it on this blog for people I don't know in 'real life' (cause don't you know if I don't know you in real life, you're sort of an imaginary person to me, like a tv character? ) who I still want to share good tidings of great joy with.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't think of anything worse than this right now: I found out this morning that my sister got an (unwrapped) cactus candle from her boyfriend's grandmother. Don't tell me that wasn't regifted. For today at least, nothing will beat the cactus candle.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I can't choose! Elf, Love Actually, and Rudolph are the ones I sort of need to watch every year to feel Christmasy.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? All year, but in earnest on Black Friday.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes. Just last night I gave my sitter a bottle of her favorite wine, which Mark and I don't like at all. A gift that someone else will like is still a great gift, even if it's free or has been re-gifted. (Note to grandmas everywhere: no one likes cactus candles. Do not regift cactus candles.)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? whatever chocolate comes out of my stocking.

16. Lights on the tree? We have white this year, but when Nathan is old enough to choose, I'm gunning for colored!

17. Favorite Christmas song? Mary Did You Know, Feliz Navidad, and all the verses of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (yes, I have to include the exclamation point). And So This is Christmas. And more. Man do I love Christmas music.

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? At home for Christmas Eve and morning, but we'll visit with family this weekend.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yes, can't you? (Scrooge.) Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen. Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen. And Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star. It's beautiful. Made of (fake) wood branches, with lights.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We'll do one each on Christmas Eve, then the rest tomorrow.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Scrooges who complain about eggnog. Seriously, you're killing my Christmas high.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? The non-theme. Who wants a tree that looks like it goes in a store? I love that all our ornaments mean something, and that we get to relive great memories while we go through them.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Growing up, my family usually did a big breakfast, which was nice. This year we're having lobster ravioli. (Don't be impressed, it came frozen from BJ's.) The only must-have is sparkling grape juice. Goes with anything.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I know this sounds clichéed, but I just want my family to be healthy and happy. And no more hives. And my new stroller to be put together without any arguing. And the raincoat I ask for every year and never get. And a new toaster that won't beat up my poptarts. Oh! And peace on earth.

I tag anyone reading this, since that's the Christmas spirit! (Thanks to Jill for this idea.)

More Fun with Strollers

So speaking of Christmawesome, my mom has decided to get Nathan (and by Nathan I mean me, since he doesn't really care about having convenient baby stuff.... sorry mom) some great shoes and a new stroller for Christmas. And by decided, I mean responded to an emailed idea list that said she'd like to give these things to Nathan and for me to order it and put it on her card. Which I have on file because I also make all her travel arrangements. Don't you love it when your parents have so much confidence in their own parenting skills that they trust they've raised competent enough kids to just make things happen for them so they don't have to worry about it? I do. (However, we can't remember to bring their paper tickets to the airport for them... ahem... mom. She did make it to St Croix today safely, despite the forgotten ticket, for the record. But even the best of parents who raise the most competent of kids can't do every step.)

But I digress.
The shoes are rockin' awesome and he will be able to wear them outside. Remember my good fortune with Bobux? Yeah we're going that route again (third pair in his life). At their prices he will get exactly one pair, so I picked these that can pass as dress shoes or athletic shoes. And if we don't like this style as much as we've liked our other Bobux shoes, I have no shame in returning them in favor of some very acceptable second-choices I scouted out.

The stroller... not so simple. Remember how I lost my umbrella stroller back in the fall? Well I need to replace it with something small, but with several conveniences that umbrella strollers don't have (like being tall enough for Daddy to push comfortably, having at least a little cargo space, and maybe even a cupholder for me). I did a bunch of research, found the one I wanted, did even more research, found who had it for cheapest, and then realized no one has them in stock. At all. They're all completely backordered. Until who knows when. Nothing like a bunch of research done in vain, right? Because I have time for that. [shakes head]

So we went all over town, doing more (yes! more!) lightweight stroller research. Wal-mart, Babies-R-Us (oh how I cringe to type that), Target, and eventually Burlington Coat Factory. After much back-and-forthing and indecision (I involved Mark), and after Nathan had crawled all over the nasty floors of all these stores (yeah he's totally sick now, by the way), we finally decided on one. And guess what? It's half the price of the one I originally wanted, and I think I like it better.

The whole process exhausted us so much that it's still in its box, in Mark's car, and we might or might not assemble it for Christmas. But in the end, mom's dollars combined with my bargain/value-hunting ended up with a pretty good solution. I hope.

Everyone say a prayer that I won't leave this one in a farmer's market parking lot.

I'm in Love with a PE

I am not ashamed to admit that I have always been drawn to people whom others might consider slightly, um... dorky.  Those lanky glasses-wearing boys, with brains for days, have always had my attention. I don't know why, but that's who I am. Give me Clark Kent's brains and wit (and tie and glasses!) any day over Superman's brawn and bravery (and tights... ick).

Some of the nerds I have crushed on through the years:

1.) Clark Kent, as I mentioned above. Probably my first nerd love. Don't make me pick my favorite actor who's played him... I love them all.

2.) Doogie Howser, MD. How could you not have loved Neil Patrick Harris in this role when you were a kid? Smarter than his parents, has his own money, and cute! Oh and he can sing, too.  Mmmm NPH, why can't I quit you?

3.) Harry Potter. Dark, handsome, again with the glasses. I'm drunk with his power. And Daniel Radcliffe is just as hott as I pictured Harry in the books.

4.) The ultimate nerd... Henry Grubstick. I do not know what it is about this geek that makes my heart race, but something does. Maybe that he always does the right thing. Maybe that he's smart. Maybe that he loves an imperfect woman. Christopher Gorham is not geeky at all in real life, which is unfortunate... I find him infinitely hotter playing the role of nerdy Henry.
5.) And of course... my own Mark.  I'm sure the rest of you just see a handsome successful man taking care of his family, but I want to let you in on a little secret: he has kind of a dorky past.  (Not judging, I do too.  And as we've established, it totally works for me.) Amazing brain, chess club, senior math award, band geek, multiple degrees in engineering... my man has all the geek potential but twice the hotness of all these others. He's really grown into his hotness over the years, don't you think?

His 'amazing brain' factor just got upped this week when he got news that he has passed the PE Exam, making him officially a Professional Engineer. I mean, he was already employed in his profession as an engineer, but now he has this title to go with it. It means that not only can he be an engineer for his company, he can take legal responsibility for other engineering work, if he signs off on it. (Which sounds only moderately useful, actually.)

But I am crazy proud of him, since the exam he sat for (in October) took like nine hours, and years of preparation. (He actually passed the first half of the certification, Fundamentals of Engineering or something, back in 2003... it was equally as hard, apparently.) This is kind of like the engineering equivalent of an attorney passing the bar exam, or a doctor passing board certification.

Anyway he's amazing, actually far less nerdy than I pretend he is (I need to believe I'm the cooler half of the marriage), and I love him more than I ever thought I could.

Way to go Mark!!

Now That's Tired

When I came home from church tonight, I found the tv (tuned to espn, of course) blaring to no one, the dogs sprawled on various pieces of furniture, and Mark totally knocked out on the couch himself, his legs propped up on one of the couch's arms... wearing only one shoe. I'll say that again: wearing only one shoe.

Have you ever been so (soberly) tired that you took one shoe off and were asleep before you could do the second one? Yeah me neither.

Mark said he thinks it was something about kicking one of them off in his sleep due to an itchy foot, but I don't buy it. Because that doesn't explain how there was also one (not homemade, but home-baked) cookie left uneaten on the table next to him. Who leaves one warm cookie, chocolate chips melting in the center, uneaten? It's just unnatural. Unless you're half-asleep that is, and tired enough to nod off in the middle of taking off your shoes.

Which is why I'm pretty sure he really was that tired.

All I Want for Christmas is Lights on the House

I've mentioned before how Mark dreads putting the lights on the outside of our house. He hates the ladder, the fact that there are always some burned out, the clips to hook them to the shingles, etc., etc.

But as much as he hates putting them up, that's how much I love having them. Times two. So I win. And the lights are now up!


No, I have not set our lights to Wizards in Winter like this guy from a few years back. (If you want to see an even better video of that song, revisit my Raleigh Ringers post from last year.) Because apparently All I Want for Christmas is You is the new Wizards in Winter, as evidenced by this video (and a thousand others like it on youtube).

Our lights are normal and still. And it makes our little house look pretty even without special effects, don't you think?

First Steps!

So, it turns out our hunch was right, 2008 is indeed (after all) The Year of the Walk! Nathan took his first steps tonight, at 16 1/2 months old. Yaaaaay Nathan!

My friend Sally from church mentioned that her grandson had a particular push toy that he loved when he was learning to walk, and suggested Nathan give it a try. I thought, why not? Can't hurt, and if it already has a real toddler's (as opposed to a catalog's) seal of approval, then Nathan might like it too. And like it he did. It lights up and has a play phone on it (who doesn't need a phone in a push toy?) and playes Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in bell tones far more often than any parent should ever need to hear it in one day.

This afternoon was the first time we gave it to him to play with, and he pushed and pushed and pushed for almost an hour. An hour. That's like, a lifetime in toddler years. When he got to a wall and couldn't turn around, he would just stand there and sey "help please" (hep-eez) until we'd come and get him... typical Nathan), and seemed very pleased with himself.

So then tonight we brought dinner (African chicken peanut soup, since you asked) to some friends from church who had a baby on Monday. And then Nathan totally stole the show from new baby Sam and big brother Gordie by taking his first steps. Thankfully the new parents (being new parents and all) were right on hand with their camcorder. So... congrats to Neil and Betsy, and THANKS for the video footage!!

[Ed note: I just got the video today, 12/16, and he has not really done any walking since then. So maybe this will be the year of the step instead!]

How to Text Like a Seventh Grader

Have you ever noticed how fast middle schoolers can text? Seriously. They can text faster than I can type. (And considering I went to college in the prime years of AIM, I can type pretty quickly.)

Well, my sister changed my texting life a few weeks ago, and since it's her birthday today, I thought I would honor her by sharing this with all of you.

I will preface this by saying you probably all knew about this already, and I'm a terrible old fogey, and you will enjoy a good laugh at my out-of-touchness. Y'all, even my dad texts this way. Yes, my dad can text like a seventh grader. Which just makes me all the more grateful for Ashley being 13 months younger (and a whole generation closer to today's adolescents) than I am, so she can teach me these things.

So there's this thing called T9. It apparently means text on 9 keys. Basically, when you choose this option in your cell phone (I promise, your cell phone has it) instead of the normal ABC or abc or Abc that old fogeys use, you can type each number only once per letter (instead of scrolling through each number to find the right character) and your phone will recognize what you're trying to type. Apparently there are only so many logical words that can come out of typing each number combination. And if it gets it wrong (don't will always come out foot the first time, as Ashley proved), just hit zero ("next") until it suggests the word you want.

(Please don't ask me how to type zero in T9. I haven't figured that out yet. If you know, leave me a comment and I will be forever grateful.)

It's a little annoying at first, but it's so much faster once you get used to it. I feel like I can officially welcome myself to the year 2005 now that I have figured this out. Since Mark just got us a bigger text plan for our phones (250/month, not unlimited like I originally thought... oops), I plan to make much use of my T9 option.

Happy Birthday Ashley!! Your bloggity present is this fabulous bag (electronic, of course, since that's how our family does it) of extra crispy (remember?) tater tots. Enjoy!

N&B's Crab Au Gratin

Remember how Barbara made an awesome dinner for us on Mark's birthday? Well I have the recipe now and it's definitely worth sharing. This was so good. You could eat it as an entree, or make half (or a third) of the recipe and serve it with bread as a crab dip appetizer. I'm definitely going to try to make it sometime before the year is out.

Nick and Barbara's Crab Au Gratin
1 stalk celery chopped fine
1 cup onion chopped fine
1 stick butter
2-3 tbsp flour
1 and 3/4 cup half and half
2 egg yolks
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lb crab (doesn't have to be fancy jumbo lump, but not imitation either)
1/2 lb grated cheese (pick your favorite kind, I think Barbara used cheddar)

Saute onions and celery in butter until wilted. Blend flour in well. Pour in half and half gradually on low heat, stirring constantly. Add egg yolks, salt, red and black pepper. Cook for five minutes.

Rinse crabmeat and press out excess water. Put crabmeat in to a lightly greased casserole. Pour sauce over the crabmeat and add half the cheese and blend well. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the mixture. Bake at 375 for 15 min. or until light brown.

(Apparently you can add green onions somewhere in there if that sounds good to you, but Barbara didn't do it that way for us.)

Happy crabbing!

Don't Touch the Tree!

Does anyone else find it absolutely impossible to pick out and decorate a tree without having O Christmas Tree running through your head? (Only up to the second line, of course, since the lyrics after that part are one of life's great unsolved mysteries.) ...no? Just me then? ...ok.

So we picked out our tree today, a good sturdy NC-grown tree from the farmer's market. Nathan wore one of two (two!) designer coats (from Marshall's) that my mom picked out last summer on super-clearance. This is his Timberland coat, and while it's incredibly warm (albeit slightly too big) and incredibly well made, Nathan does have some trouble seeing around the hood. Which makes it hard for him to see every "big truck" that goes by. Which means when he wears it, there is a significant reduction in the amount of times I hear the phrase "big truck." In short, I love this coat.

It was supposed to be a relaxing day with just our little family, as recovery from our crazy weekend. But of course it's never quite as relaxing as we intend it to be. We made a huge mess in the den during the decorating process (Nathan scattering toys all over the house doesn't help). Boxes of Christmas stuff, tree twine, branches, ladders... well you can see. With two pups and a toddler in the middle of it. Although this is exactly the kind of chaos I can handle. It makes me happy, even. Especially with Christmas music in the background. Christmas music of the Chipmunk variety. (Just kidding dad, put down the noose.)


Overall it was a very pleasant afternoon, made even easier by the fact that our outside icicle lights are burned out so we need to replace them... which means Mark didn't have to hang them today after all (that makes him happy, he hates hanging those things as much as I love having them there). Somehow not hanging the lights was still exhausting for him, as you can see (Simon too).

When all was said and done, we have a very nice-looking tree (although I lost the colored-lights argument again), and we've relived lots of memories by exploring through our ornaments, and we drank some really good apple cider (the farmer's market did us up right today) and actually relaxed, which was the goal.

And although the tree has been up for a very short period of time, I have already perfected what is apparently the oldest saying in the grand tradition of toddlers at Christmastime: Don't touch the tree! Think he'll have it down pat by the end of 31 days? Somehow I doubt it.

Seriously, don't touch the tree.