A very imperfect Christmas

[tayana]

I wish the lights would show up in the picture.  M picked out the ornaments.  He had to have the "turquoise" ornaments.

[axa]

T,

What a perfect house and wonderful tree............ so happy you and M are going to have YOUR FAMILY Christmas


axa

[Leah]

Dear Tay,

Just wanted to say thank you for allowing me to share with your warm home comforts

The Christmas Tree is sweet and speaks clearly of love and fun - the best kind.

As for the Gingerbread House - it is beautiful, pure and lovely, a craft of love and fun.

All seems happily perfect to me.

Thanks again.

Love to You and your dear M

Leah


PS.  Not forgetting hammy and dunken  

[lighter]

He's going to look back at this Christmas with wonder and amazement.....

there's no stronger magic than involving a child in happy Holiday festivities.  

Reminds me of a story... I;ll abbreviate.

Man goes through trunk in attic... finds his grown son's journal from when he was 10yo.

He also finds his own calendar/journal from that same period.

He looks up a day... there was a fishing trip.  His cryptic notes indicate they didn't catch much, the trip wasn't a good one.

He then looks up the same day in his son's journal and finds this entry....

"dad and I went fishing... it was the best day of my life."

Sweet and I really do think there's magic involved in mindful attention to the moments we spend with our wee ones.  

Glad to see you;ve found the Holiday spirit, Tay.  

I put all my Halloween decorations away too

[tayana]

Lighter, I loved that story.  M has some stories like that.  One of his best days was the day I took him to the lake where he'd been to camp.  He had a blast.  I'm afraid I sat and watched and took pictures.

The finished product.  I added a little more decoration around the roof.  That's my contribution, besides the icing holding the thing together, gotta love Pilsbury.

http://tayana.blogspot.com/2007/12/finished-product.html

Thanks Axa and Leah.  It really has been sort of fun, even if I don't like icing and I got it all over me putting the house together.

[finding peace]

Hey Tay,

Looks like a great imperfect christmas to me.  Loved the picture of M in the mud - reminds me of when I take my kids to the creek for some crawfish hunting!!

Peace

PS - Lighter, I am disappointed to hear that you put your Halloween decorations away.  I was so hoping Santa had been strung up in a spider web and left to dangle from the chandelier in the entryway.     (course might scare the wee ones). 

[lighter]

Well, Peace..... lol.

It just sort'a worked out that way.

Christmas spirit landed and Halloween Santa in a Web had to go nighty night, lol; )

[tayana]

Lighter, I was sort of looking forward to Santa in a web with a giant spider about to eat him.  What a Christmas special that could make.

This morning I woke up to discover one side of the gingerbread house's roof had slid off.  Guess I'm going to play with the icing again tonight.  Arrrgh.

I'm calling this my imperfect Christmas because the holiday has always had to be perfect before.  Cards out at a certain time, tree up at a certain time and decorated a certain way, etc.  This year I'm going for peace, relaxation, and fun.

[finding peace]

oops - Sorry Tay (going back to edit my post). 

It looks like the best Christmas!  And I hope it is a wonderful for you and M!

(Hear ya on it had to be a perfect Christmas )

Peace

[Leah]

Dear Tay,

I'm calling this my imperfect Christmas because the holiday has always had to be perfect before.  Cards out at a certain time, tree up at a certain time and decorated a certain way, etc.  This year I'm going for peace, relaxation, and fun.

What you have said has truly resonated with me -- that used to be me, as I used to have to have everything just so, and would be worn out and frazzled on Christmas day.

Last few years have been in more of a 'chill out' mode.

This year is simple, peaceful, and sure to be relaxing.

You have inspired me to bake a small cake (was not going to bother) and have a go at icing it in a flat smooth (ish) style instead of peaked up, as I am never been any good at icing.  So that's my tomorrow afternoon sorted, baking, and have a go at flat icing during mid-week.

So love and enjoy this thread and appreciate the sharing.

Love to you and M   (and hammy and dunken too!)

Leah

[lighter]

My 5yo and I had the best time decorating little mini G houses in her class today.

I think we won for the sheer amount of stuff perched atop the little thing.... it surprised everyone by remaining in tact till were out of sight.... waving goodbye for the weekend.

About a block away..... one side of the roof began sliiiiiiiiding off but I just kept picking things up and sticking them back on, lol.

If you have any leftover sugar ice cream cones you can flip them upside down and cover them with green icing.  They look really good and the squirt icing in a can makes lovely swirl draped around. 

I feel a bit dodgey from eating handfulls of m&m's, red hots and the icing was soooo good.  The green anyway.  The white stuff was the glue and had egg whites in it so I steered clear

Have fun and hug M for me.  I'll be thinking of you two tonight when I find a place of honor for J's little G house: )

[tayana]

Apparently the icing wasn't as tough as the first can I used.  Should have bought two things of "classic white" intead of vanilla.  It was still very gummy to the touch, so I'm going to have to find some more classic white.  Going to the grocery tonight, so I can get it there.

I don't like icing, so I didn't eat any of it.    And we have green, black, and yellow squiggle, spray things . . . they've already been used.

Hmm, maybe I could just leave one side of the roof off and we could put furniture inside with the gingerbread men . . . hmmmm.

[changing]

Dear Tay-

How perfect for you to have done all of the hard work it took to create a lovely and loving home for yourself and precious M, and a perfect imperfect Christmas for your son to remember the warmth, love, acceptance and sense of family that you have fostered there. Merry Christmas Tayana and M!

Love,

Changing