Christmas Wrap-up and Other Observations

12.29.2006

Whew! Now that the halls are undecked and Santa's job is finished for another year, let me just say that we had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying our **week off** from work. (Not counting the 9 hours I spent at the office today).

The dryer just buzzed indicating the 67,875th load of laundry is done and I will soon start the dishwasher for the 98,545th time.

Here in the library (where I pen most of these outstanding blogs) I am surrounded by a few toys that will find their way to the kids' rooms tomorrow. But, if you're Adam, who needs toys when there are solo cups, plastic bowls, and shoe boxes to be had...


not to mention the vast entertainment possibilities inside the refrigerator.
This is my first Christmas in 39 years with an active child in the house. Active may be an understatement but what word is there to describe a little 20 pounder who goes from shoes to remote controls to telephones to basketballs to banana puffs to graham crackers in less than 20 seconds?

We loved getting notes, cards and pictures from friends and family near and far. We save those pictures all year, by the way. Adam is fascinated by all the faces and bright colors. I am sure that by this time next year he will know all by name.

In this week of togetherness, here are a few tidbits I've learned or been reminded of that I thought you'd want to know:

* My husband does laundry by water temperature, as in "I am doing a load of hots". I do laundry by color, as in "I am doing a load of whites." Either way, I'm just glad we have something clean to wear.

* A new dresser and two night stands for our bedroom were delivered a couple days before Christmas. This is the first dresser I have ever owned. Seriously. I now have more drawer space than I know what to do with. I still haven't figured out which drawer is best for my socks, let alone my sweaters and pajamas.

* Adam understands "all gone" or "all done" as it relates to most everything. When it relates to eating, he knows when his food is "all gone" a bottle will follow. The last couple days I have found a little stash of graham crackers in the corner of his high chair seat when he indicates "all done". The little stinker is trying to pull one over on Mama already.

* One power stearing module later, I may consider asking for gift cards to car repair shops next year. Who needs that expense added to the credit card bill right after Christmas? And, new tires are going on this weekend. This is not amusing.

* I took Adam to the playground in our subdivision Christmas Eve afternoon while Doug installed a new light in our kitchen. Babies and wives underfoot during that project was not a good idea. A very precocious and cute-as-a-button girl from the neighborhood was slso swinging and she was full of information. She informed me that her mom had been telling her to run a lot that day so that she would get tired and would fall asleep early so Santa could make his rounds. She also informed me that she had to go to church at 4:00. She said she sits quietly during church even though she doesn't understand much of what goes on. "In fact", she said, "I don't even know Jesus' last name."

Until next time,

Twelve Days of Christmas #1

12.25.2006


For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord!
Luke 2:11

Twelve Days of Christmas #2

12.24.2006

And while they were there, the time came for her delivery. And she gave birth to her Son, and she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room or place for them in the inn. Luke 2: 6-7

Twelve Days of Christmas #3 - From Our House to Yours...

12.23.2006

From our family to yours.... May your holidays be merry and your New Year bright.

Twelve Days of Christmas #4 - A Tip for Relieving Holiday Stress

12.22.2006

Last year I was expecting a baby right at the busiest time of the holiday season so I got all of my shopping, decorating and baking done well in advance. I knew that most of the things that were so helpful then would not stick in my memory for a whole year.... so I made a list of reminders and helpful hints in the margin of my December 2006 calendar so I could be reminded this year. This list included notes of where I'd stashed certain holiday decorations, cookies that were especially popular at our house, and even a few gift suggestions for this year that were "tossed out" in casual conversation last year. Try it this year....you'll be surprised how helpful it is in December 2007.

Twelve Days of Christmas # 5 - Refresh and Renew for the New Year

12.21.2006

So, how do you like my new look? I am jumping for joy. "Party of Five" is now "Who Could Ask for Anything More"... a much more suitable title, I think.

Thanks to Heather at Swank Web Style for the wonderful job she did creating this new blog for me.

Doug and I are both working on our goals, lists, wishes and commitments for 2007. Stay tuned for more about this in January.

Twelve Days of Christmas #6 - To Santa or Not to Santa?

12.20.2006

I'm floundering here, folks.... can you tell? Twelve days in a row....whew! So, I'm making this one a little easier on myself...

Jules over at Everyday Mommy has a great post on the Santa Issue.

Ho-Ho-Ho

Twelve Days of Christmas #7 - Traditions

12.19.2006

I recently read about these two traditions that other families use for the holidays and I thought they were really neat and that we'd try them at our house next year, since this Christmas is quickly approaching:

Chain of Kindness: On December 1, cut green and red strips from construction paper and put them in special place in your home. Beginning December 1 and continuing the whole month, when a family member does nice, or something special in your house occurs (Christmas program at church, etc.) note it on one of the strips and begin hooking them together to make a chain. You will be amazed how quickly the chain grows. String the chain in a special place.

Read-Aloud Calendar: We all know that kids love to count down the days to Christmas. One fun way to help them is to wrap a certain number of books....some may choose 24, 12, 10, etc. Beginning that many days before Christmas, let you child(ren) choose a book, and then unwrap and read it together. I suggest using Christmas books, or books about the season or winter, but you could also use favorite books on any subject.

Have fun!

Twelve Days of Christmas #8 - Christmas Memories

12.18.2006

One of the things that is very high on my husband's and my list for our family is making memories and building traditions.

One of my favorite memories of Christmas as a child was putting up the Christmas tree. We had an artificial tree, with color coding on the end of each branch that corresponded to a color on the tree "trunk". My brother, Jon, and I were usually in charge of doing the tree and we both really enjoyed it. I, for one, was really taken with all of the ornaments Mom had acquired through the years. They were so delicate and beautiful to me, and I feared breaking one (which I am sure happened by mistake). There were, of course, the homemade ornaments from Sunday School and elementary school. I vividly remember the royal blue bulb with a red ribbon and "Jill" in gold glitter that I made in Sunday School in 3rd grade.

Christmas Eve was the big time for my family growing up because it was my oldest brother's birthday. We would have dinner, then Brian would open his birthday presents and then we would open Christmas presents. Y'all..... those days and weeks of seeing the presents under the tree was torture to me. My mom tells the story of me getting sick (upset stomach, usually) right before any big event, including Christmas and my birthday. I was so, so, so excited that I would get "all worked up". I only remember opening one gift on the sly. My mom was gone somewhere and I just could not stand it any longer and I grabbed a small package (thinking it would be easier to re-wrap than if it were large) and it was a little weather vane house that my Grandmother bought in Germany.

I remember making oodles of cookies and candy.......Mom teaching me the secrets of rolling out the dough for cut-out sugar cookies....and oh....is her recipe for these good.

I got a pair of snow boots every year for Christmas. My all time favorite Christmas gift was a kitchen. It was avocado green (this was the mid-70's dont 'cha know). I always referred to it as my "stove, sink and refrigerator". I was usually in the basement, which was also our playroom, but Mom would move it to the garage in the summer. I played with that thing for years.

I am looking forward to building memories and traditions with my own family. I'd love to hear some of your favorite memories.

Until next time,
Jill

Twelve Days of Christmas #9 - The Spirit of Giving

12.17.2006


In the spirit of giving this season, consider adopting a soldier. There are many men and women serving our country and protecting our freedom that have no support system back here in the States. Wouldn't it be wonderful to give something back to someone who is giving so much for us?


Until next time,
Jill

Twelve Days of Christmas #10 - Holiday Poll

12.16.2006

Someone tagged me for this holiday meme:

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? hot chocolate with marshmallows on top.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? He's done both, but usually he wraps.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White. Not that colors lights are not pretty, but Doug and I both prefer the serenity of white.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? There's enough kissin' in this house without it!

5. When do you put your decorations up? We try to start a day to two after Thanksgiving and finish by the first of December. Christmas decor is my favorite and I want to be able to enjoy it for as long as possible.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I love any and all casseroles.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: Coming downstairs Christmas morning to see what Santa had left in our stockings. A dear family friend made stockings for us that we used every year.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I'm not quite sure. I think I just outgrew it.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No. But, for the record, growing up my family opened all gifts on Christmas Eve because it was also my oldest brother's birthday.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Our tree is pre-lit, which is very helpful. Most of our ornaments were given to us by my mother.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Now that I live in Georgia and see snow once per year for a day or so, I love it. Growing up in Iowa I didn't necessarily hate it, but after three months of it, I didn't love it either.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes! I learned to ice skate when I was a child. They would flood an area of the public park each winter especially for ice skating. It was done mostly to discourage people from skating on the river that ran through the center of our little town.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I consider my son, born last year on Dec. 16, an early Christmas gift. Other than that, I really don't have a favorite. I love every gift I've been given. That's why it is called a GIFT.

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Being together with my family. And, honestly, a full week or so off work. I think of Christmas as the "finish line" of a year-long work race.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I don't have just one favorite, but anything chocolate + mint would top my list.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Baking cookies.

17. What tops your tree? A gold star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? It's always better to give than receive.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? It's a tie between Silent Night and The Little Drummer Boy.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?? Yum! I especially like the little tiny ones.

One Glorious Year

Our little guy is turning one today and my heart is filled with so much love I can hardly stand it. Though I can't put into words all of the wonderful memories, stories, sagas, tears, laughter and joy that has filled my life since his birth, I will offer this:


Dear Adam,

Your life is an immense gift. Your little fingers and toes and nose are a miracle. The first thing I noticed when you were born were your long, curly eyelashes. You were perfect in every way. You were born already an old soul. Who knew that we would first name you "Donkey Boy" for your silly cry when you were teeny-tiny and getting your diaper changed? And then that we would call you "Boo", but can't remember how that nickname really came to pass. Who knew that you would be so comforted with a blankie snuggled against your face. Who knew that your little chin would look just like Daddy's and that your eyes would be so blue? Who knew that your blonde hair would part to the right?


Who knew that you would crawl at 6 months and walk at 10, and that you would be able to "hike" the stairs with such skill? Who knew that your first word, Da-DEEEEEEE, would be used at exactly the moment Daddy walked through the door, but also when you saw a phone? Who knew that you would be such a pickey eater, but would be such a lover of bananas? Who knew that your first REALLY grown-up food would be cheese pizza?


God knew. He formed everything about you. He knew that we needed you and we are thankful that He sent you to us. So often I think how lucky I am. You are healthy and strong and so cute. So often I wonder what I ever did without you.

I can still cradle you in my arms, but I know not for long. Soon my lap will grow too small, and then you will grow taller than me, and all the while God will know it all.


Happy birthday, son. I couldn't possibly love you more.....except for tomorrow.


Love, Mommy



Twelve Days of Christmas #11 - Christmas Tour of Homes

12.15.2006

BooMama is hosting a Christmas Tour of Homes and I decided to join in. Check out her blog for a long list of Tour participants. It's lots of fun to see how others decorate and celebrate.

We'll welcome you to the Norwood Home with a picture of our tree and our little elf Adam. Doug had this tree when I met him nearly four years ago. We call it the kids' tree because it's prelit, and just their size to decorate. OK, there's usually some bickering involved in the decorating that sometimes involves separating them and letting one hang some ornaments, and then the other. Not every single thing about Christmas at our house is merry and bright. And I'm not afraid to admit it. We've always put up a big tree, but this year, considering the one-year old, we decided to tuck the little tree into the corner of the library and call it done.



Next is my beloved snowman collection. My sweet sister-in-law in Iowa has had a snowman collection for years and years...I think even before she met my brother 17 years ago. She used to take hers down in the "non-winter" months, but now she has so many she leaves them up year-round. I only display mine in winter, which is much shorter in Georgia than in Iowa. I'm up to 67 snowmen. I've purchased a few, but the majority were given to me as gifts. Each one has a special story and I treasure this collection so much.



Our family room.


My small Santa collection adorns the mantle.



I work at a very cool art gallery and high-end custom framing studio. We're talking a studio with some very talented artists. We make hundreds of hand-made frames, starting with the raw wood, every month. We paint, embellish, and gild...and everything in between. Every year since Doug and I have been together, I've designed a special frame for our Christmas card photo. This year's is on the left. Last year's is on the right. Last year's photo was very special, taken when Adam was a mere 5 days old and Kendra and Bayley came to our house to meet him for the very first time. My mom made the Santa hat for Adam. We used our Christmas card as the birth announcement. It said, "Look what we found under our tree!"


Frames and photos from 2003 (left) and 2004 (right).


This ornamental ironwork hangs in our kitchen year-round, but during Christmas it becomes the card and photo display. When Christmas is over, I hang the photos on a wall near the basement door so we can enjoy our family & friends as we leave in the morning and come home at night.



One of our kitchen windows. We have a bank of three overlooking our backyard. I leave these wreaths up year-round.


I took this photo of our foyer because Rudolph is very special to our family. It belonged to Doug's mom who passed away two years ago. The framed heron by P. Buckley Moss was given to me by my mom. It's also framed in a special hand-made frame from the studio.

That's it. The Norwoods wish you a wonderful Holiday Season and all the best for 2007. Please stop by any time.


Until next time (so thankful for our home),
Jill

The Twelve Days of Christmas #12 - Simplify & Appreciate

12.13.2006

Today's the first day of my Twelve Days of Christmas blog marathon. This is big folks. I've never posted twelve days in a row. Quite frankly, I was inspired to do this mostly for purely selfish reasons. Because, you see, this year I have found myself a bit overwhelmed by all of the Christmas brew-ha-ha that really has nothing to do with the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and at the same time a bit unimpressed by things that are supposed to invoke the spirit of the season. That leads me to...

Simplify and Appreciate the Little Things


Doug and I were reminiscing this weekend, as The Family Channel played Christmas show after Christmas show all weekend long. We were talking about how the Christmas Seasons of our childhoods were filled with so much anticipation. Topping that list, of course, were all those gifts under the tree and just sat there, day after day, torturing us...taunting us. Our wish lists were simple; mine came almost exclusively from hours of pouring over the Sears catalog, which was another anticipated event. Do any of you remember your excitement the day the Sears Christmas Catalog (not "Holiday Catalog") arrived in your mailbox?

There were a few holiday events to anticipate: the school Christmas (not "Holiday) chorus and band programs, the church Christmas program, maybe a neighborhood party or a family get-together. And this was a time to catch up on days or months of news. We certainly didn't have email to keep in contact daily (not that email is a bad thing) nor did we have the luxury of free long-distance phone calls. We didn't scurry from one party to the next every weekend in December, eating luke warm hors d'ourves while enduring yet another two hours with people we see every day at work.

We anticipated the one time a Christmas cartoon/show would come on TV, never imagining our children would have a choice of many different versions of Rudolph on 520 different channels beginning in October.

We spent all day Christmas Day and many days after actually playing with the toys we received. We knew who had given us the gifts and we wrote thank you notes.

So, after all the reminiscing, my husband and I decided the lesson in all of this was that we need to try to recapture a little bit of the simplicity. It shouldn't be about how many parties we're invited to, how many gifts we give the kids or how many other activities we can squeeze into the month. Maybe we could count how many dozen cookies we bake together (and eat!), or how many times Adam snatches that tiny little red bulb off the tree. Maybe we can count all of the family members and friends that are part of our life all year long, instead of just in a form letter once a year. And, quite possibly, many years from now, we will be counting our Christmas memories....almost too many to list.....none of which involve The Family Channel's cartoon line-up.

Until next time,

Jill


Thursday Thirteen #5

12.07.2006


On this, the 65th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, I offer these sobering facts about that fateful day:


1. It was a Sunday morning.

2. At 7:02am Opana Radar Station on Oahu, privates manning the radar (the only one turned on at that time of the day) noticed a large number of approaching aircraft. A squadron from California was expected, so no one was alarmed.

3. 53 minutes later, at 7:55am, the Japanese attacked with deadly force. The first wave of 183 attacked almost defenseless American ships in Pearl Harbor and planes at three nearby airfields.

4. One hour later, at 8:59am, another wave of 167 Japanese planes followed.

5. A fleet of small submaries was also part of the attack.

6. When the attack was finished, 21 of 96 ships at anchor had been sunk. Of the 394 planes at nearby airfields, 188 (almost half) were destroyed and 59 were damaged.

7. The death toll was 2,403 Americans, including 68 civilians.

8. Total wounded was 1, 178 Americans.

9. The largest number of casualties was suffed on the USS Arizona. This massive battleship, nearly 6 football fields in length, was sunk in 9 minutes, killing 1,177 aboard.

10. the USS Oklahoma rolled onto her side. Of the 1,301 on board, 429 died.

11. Though American battleships suffered great damage, no aircraft carriers were in port, so they escaped the attack. And, of the 21 battleships that were sunk (noted above in #6) all but three were eventually refit and sailed again under the American flag during WWII.

12. Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto, who planned the Japanese attack, had studied at Harvard and warned the Japanese government of the temperament and capabilites of the American people. He stressed that for the Pearl Harbor attack to succeed, it must be a crushing blow.

13. The attack, though devastating, was not a crushing blow. In fact, it gave American soldiers a rallying cry that carried them through to the end of the war: "Remember Pearl Harbor."

Until next time,
Jill

Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night...1960's Style

12.02.2006


Like all parents of babies, Doug and I have had our share of sleepless nights or nights when we've gotten very little sleep. And I'm the first to admit that I am a softie when it comes to letting Adam cry himself to sleep...I'm just not gonna do it. I'm away from him all day, so I don't want the little time that I do have with him in the evening taken up by pitiful crying upstairs. Added to the mix is the fact that Adam is currently teething, so he sleeps even less well. We're on (I think) our 4th round of teeth-cutting and at one point during the 2nd round, when Doug blogged about it, my mom sent him an email explaining that I wasn't a very good sleeper when I was a baby either. One time when Mom had taken me to an appointment with Dr. Sarter, the pediatrican-that-hung-the moon, she said something like, "I haven't gotten any sleep since that baby was born." Where upon he promptly wrote her a prescription for a few Valium. She slept through the night, and I guess whatever problem I was having was cured, because once the Valium Rx ran out, Baby Jilly was sleeping through the night, too.


Until next time,

Jill

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