The Christmas Planner

The year that Grace was born, I made a Christmas Planner. I may have shared it but I don't remember with whom! I keep it up to date.  It is a history of gift-giving, card-sending, keepsake-saving and holiday-decorating for every year since 2007. Today, I took it from the shelf and opened it to begin the record for Christmas 2015, the last year that will fit into this volume.     * Note to self: Buy another notebook to set up for Christmas 2016.*     I opened it at breakfast this morning and am still browsing and smiling over it at 1 p.m.!!!

Take-aways:

1. Picture cards received from family and friends are amazing.  Just look at how their kids have grown!
2. The pictures with Santa from Macy's are priceless.  Should I make a special album for these cards and pictures? Maybe I should frame them and bring them out to display for the Christmas season.
3. Every year I make a Christmas budget that I ignore.  (But this year will be different.)
4. Secret Santa proposals to manage gift-giving for adults do not work in our family.
5. I send more than 100 holiday cards and mail them on the day after Thanksgiving.  I mailed them one day later in 2014.  
6. *Note to self:  You bought stamps last week for this year so don't plan to buy them again now that the planner is in play. What safe place are you using for them?*
7. Amazon wish lists are a good thing.  And, the Amazon wish list button added to my Firefox browser is wonderful.  

Because I have no pictures in this post yet, here are a couple before I sign off.

I don't miss that wallpaper, but I still use those little window wreaths and the wii game that the guys are setting up here. Thanks again guys.

Halloween 2013

Halloween was so much fun this year. :)
Judy asked for help decorating her car for Grace's school "Trunk or Treat."  Rob suggested a ghost because her car is white.  Here is the concept that I developed.  Judy and I put it together in 1/2 hour!

If you ever have to decorate a car trunk for Halloween, this ghost is EASY, simple and elegant.

1. Use binder clips to hang a white sheet from the trunk lid.
2. Place a couple of battery powered lanterns inside the trunk and turn them on.
3. From poster board, use a box cutter to carve out two oval eyes and a quirky mouth.
4. Use large safety pins (I strung two big ones together above each eye) to attach the eyes to the sheet.
5. Suspend the mouth from the eyes with fishing line. 

It was a bit like a mobile. The weight of the sheet and a gently breeze made it move.
We used ghost face plastic treat bags lined up under the bumper to hold the candy.  I found them in the grocery store.  It was unique!

Here are my favorite pictures from the day.

Grace's Sixth Birthday Party

Another photo slideshow by Smilebox

The Holidays 2013

Catching up.

The holidays were so busy and happy.  Time with family and friends created so many good moments and memories that will last. This was the first Thanksgiving for Hannah and CJ at their Nana's.









 It was also their first Christmas, Kyle's 12th. and Grace's 5th.

 I stayed over with Rob and Kathryn to see CJ on Christmas morning. Then we went to Visit Grace and Kyle on their Christmas morning.  We stayed to have breakfast with them. Grace came with us to visit Jackie, Adam and Hannah.  We had dinner together there with Adam's folks, John and Joyce and his brother Thomas. 

It was a Christmas filled with new traditions, happy kids and the warmth of family.

Donuts

Grace was here yesterday with Rob and Kathryn.  She opened the last Christmas present, a gift from Danny J. addressed to Aunt JoAnn and Grace.  I had saved it for Grace to open, but I had peeked and taken out the recipe book to prepare for Grace's visit.

It was a bright red donut maker.  And we got right to work.  Grace loves too mix things, so she was more than ready to put the ingredients into a bowl and stir, stir, stir with help from Rob. 

After the first batch was cooked, Grace went on to make sure that her "stuff" was still here after the recent renovation.  She checked it all out.  Rob, however, loved the whole donut concept even though he could not eat any of them on his weight management plan.  Rob and I had a lot of fun making batch after batch of donuts!  Grace showed up to view the results, request "glazed," and balk because the donuts looked different than those she knew.

Final verdict, these little donuts were DELICIOUS.  One bowl of batter made two dozen of them easily.  And, they are deceptively cute, leading us to think that they could not possibly wreck a weight control plan.  Thankfully, Rob and Kathryn took them home.

THANKS DANNY!  THIS WAS A LOT OF FUN AND WE WILL USE OUR DONUT MAKER MANY, MANY TIMES.

It's not about the presents, however...

...some really thoughtful gifts were under my tree this year!

 For example, look at this GREAT PHOTO ALBUM from Adam and Jackie.  A wonderful picture of Jackie and I from her wedding (I don't think I had a copy before this, hmmmm :) ) in the front of an album to be filled with pictures of our future adventures together.  LOVE THAT MOTHER/DAUGHTER TIME!  And also containing some GIFT CARDS to grease our travels!  And look at that FABULOUS PHOTO OF GRACE with her name carved into the mat, no less.  Photographer Adam gets kudos for this wonderful shot, a grandmother's gold.  And Kudos to Jackie for collaborating with Grace to give me this gift.  Now take a look at the card.  Unassuming, yet loaded with a real treat...are you ready?  TICKETS to see Whoopi Goldberg at NJPAC in February.  Seeing Whoopi in person is one more item I will be able to cross off of my list!  Wow, Bobby, you and Kathryn really topped off my day with this one.  PLUS, the "John Adams" series on DVD.  (Why did On Demand pull this series before I finished watching it?  Oh, right I thought it would stay On Demand for a very long time.  Please note that the DVDs did not make the photo because they are sitting next to my TV waiting for me to spend this snow day with coffee and JA.)

And, of course, what Christmas would be complete without a good gadget?  My sister, Debbie, came up with this one, a soap dispenser with an electric eye!  It dispenses liquid soap when it "sees" your hand under the nozzle!!!!!  Love it!  And it made its way to our bathroom vanity in record time as you can see.

Presents...always nice.

Grace Weekend

Grace was visiting this weekend.  Yesterday, she went with Rob, Kat and the Quinones family to a pumpkin farm.  They had a great time and brought home a nice big pumpkin.

Grace is a big car singer. On the way home from the diner after breakfast, she ran through her repetoire of geometry songs including "Cindy Circle," "Susie Square," and "Trixie Triangle" then surprised us with a verse of "Hey Soul Sister."

And, she had mail here this weekend.  Her first issue of High Five magazine arrived.  She was good at finding items hidden in pictures, loved the poem about Mr. Turtle's birthday (he is 92), and cooked the "Mac & Cheese Muffins" with her Dad.

The missing muffins were eaten by the cooks!

Van Riper House Benefit Street Fair

Yesterday the street fair to benefit the Van Riper House was held on Franklin Avenue between Harrison and Centre Streets. Jeanne Van Steen and I set up the League of Women Voters table and the tent (a tricky project) with help from the Spencer Savings Bank crew ( a neighboring table). It was breezy, cool and clear, a beautiful day for the event.

Rob, Kyle and Grace met me on the Avenue.  After pizza and soda at Belle Paese's sidewalk concession, the kids had a great time playing on the inflatable attractions.

Later, I met Rob, Kathryn and Jackie at the Salt Creek Grill in Rumson for Rob's birthday dinner.  Seated next to the Navasink River, we chatted and enjoyed the restaurant.  It was a good day.

Sesame Place

How big are Ernie's hands?

After the shoe shopping described below, we headed off to spend the afternoon and evening at Sesame Place, in Langhorne, PA.  It was a beautiful day. There was a huge crowd. The park was colorful, nostalgic and chaotic with happy little kids. The many water slides and pools were popular attractions.  And, we were EXHAUSTED driving home, except for Grace who chattered, asked questions about our front seat conversations (she doesn't miss anything) and watched "Toy Story" without falling asleep.

The Count's Splash Castle was a riot.  It dumped a huge pail of water on the crowd below in the pool every few minutes.

School Shoes

A tradition continues. Shopping for school shoes is a tradition I hope to continue with my granddaughter Grace, pictured here in one pair of the new shoes. That's her dad, Rob, carrying the bag.

Christine Donato at the library once described how her mother still took her to shop for school shoes after she reached adulthood. Chris was a school librarian before she retired and came to work with us. Her father continued that tradition after her mother passed away. I loved that story, especially since my daughter is a school librarian.  After hearing the story, I began taking her to shop for school shoes.  We had not done that since she was a student.

Yesterday, Rob, Grace and I visited two shoe stores, the Little Shoe Box and Nordstrom. It was a successful trip.  Grace is wearing the pair she picked in the photo.  Black patent leather MaryJanes, requested by her mom, are in the bag.

NJ State Fair

What's a visit to the State Fair without a pony ride? Rob, Kat, Grace and I spent the Saturday, August 14th. in Sparta for the event.

I learned about oxen.  I was never too sure exactly what kind of cattle they were. However, there were three pairs at the fair and some very knowledgeable people who set me straight.

The livestock displays included this little guy who was very camera and child friendly.  Grace was a little hesitant at first.

Rides? Grace loved them!

Little Outfits

Last week I completed the pink series of coordinated outfits for Grace from Butterick pattern number B5017. Here are some pictures of Grace's new outfits...the coordinated Disney World travel collection.

I was really pleased with the result. I gave them to her last night. She spotted the Mickey Mouse appliqued to the top and dress right away. I will probably applique that Mickey on everything I make for her...even when she is in her teens ;-).

It was so cute to watch her as we all said "pretty, how pretty" and she smiled very big. She loved the hangars that were included in the bag with the outfits!

Now I have my own label? I created labels for this and future projects that say "Nana," the letters embroidered by machine on 1/4" wide white grosgrain ribbon. They are helpful in marking which is the back of pants.

The 18 months size of this pattern will also fit the Annie doll that I made 27 years ago for Jackie. She asked to have it recently and I was so pleased. I think she was too young for it at 2 years old. She had no interest in it then. Annie had been sitting on my bed and I would mend and wash her as needed and provide new outfits. Jackie has been learning to sew. She can appreciate Annie now for the time and attention to detail that it took to make her. She wrote about her in "The Orange Room," her blog.

Well, I am off to shampoo the rugs now. Can't wait to see them brightened up.