Tag: holidays

One of the Best Christmases ever

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, Holidays, italian, quest for the best, tweens
Our tree!

I originally thought that this would be one of the worst Christmases ever.  It had three strikes against it before it even started:

  1. I had to work late and wouldn’t get home until 8:20PM Christmas Eve.
  2. My husband had to work early Christmas Day, leaving at 5:10 AM, and would be gone the entire day and night.
  3. My son had to work Christmas Day as well. He was home in the morning, which was nice, but then couldn’t come with us to have dinner with relatives.

We tried to make the best of it. The kids each opened a couple of gifts with Dad on Christmas Eve while I listened in from work over the phone. My husband and I had a little time to exchange our gifts Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning, after Bill went to work, I stayed up and baked some bread and then put our traditional Christmas morning breakfast (cinnamon buns) into the oven. We opened up the gifts, then got ready for our (mostly separate) day.

We stopped to see Grammy and Papa before heading to my brother’s house for Christmas dinner…which may well have been one of the Best Christmas Dinners of all time. We played Wii games between dinner and dessert, rationalizing that we’d have more room for tiramisu (was that wrong?).

Then we brought some dinner to my son and his girlfriend Lauren at work. Unfortunately, we didn’t get there until 6:30PM…oh well. The food was worth the wait! My sister-in-law Andrea is an excellent cook!

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Gratitude

by Karen, posted in family, good grief, Holidays, Midlife Crisis
Simple Abundance Journal

I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal this year. A long time ago, I read Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach and decided to give the “keeping the journal all year” thing a shot. 

It was an easy enough premise: write down at least three things that you are grateful for each day. That’s it. It starts off fairly easily, but as the days, weeks, and months go on, it can get more difficult. I did it though, and completed the journal on December 31, 1998.

A few years ago, I found another one of these hardcover Simple Abundance Gratitude Journals at a yard sale for a buck; I bought it.  It had one or two entries in it, but I figured that I’d just wite them out and write over them. I brought it home, put the journal away, then promptly forgot all about it.

Fast forward to December 2010: I found both that journal, and the one I kept in 1998. I decided to start the journal January 1, 2010, and I have kept it up all year. Periodically, if things were especially happy (or alternately, tough) for me in 2010, I would look back to 1998 to see how I was doing on that day twelve years ago. There were lots of ups and downs in 1998: I was expecting my second child, and my father died from cancer that year. It was difficult to read some of the entries. Turns out that the emotions may be different, but feel every bit as strong all these years later as they did back then when it happened.

Today, I was thinking that things hadn’t been going that well for the past few days, and it was looking like 2010 was not going to end on a high note. After I finished my journal entry, I decided to look back to see what I had written on this day last year. One line stood right out: “I am grateful for my life.”

It’s as true today as it was twelve years ago when I wrote it. Thank you, past self, for reminding me of this tonight, when I needed it so much.

My Top 10 Alternative Christmas Playlist

by Karen, posted in Uncategorized
  1. The Waitresses:  Christmas Wrapping
  2. The Killers: Don’t Shoot Me Santa
  3. Adam Sandler: The Hanukkah Song
  4. Sarah Silverman: Give the Jew Girl Toys
  5. Bob Rivers: The 12 Pains of Christmas
  6. Bob and Doug: The 12 Days of Christmas
  7. Blink 182: Won’t be Home for Christmas
  8. Ramones: Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)
  9. The Kinks: Father Christmas
  10. John Mellencamp: I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Why this list? Because sometimes, you just can’t stand even one more Mariah Carey song.

Full disclosure: my husband was a strong influence in the compilation of this list. 🙂

The best yoga class ever!

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, fitness, friends, quest for the best, yoga
Kathy, Alexis, Kristen (our teacher!), Janna, Me, Jeannie
Last night was a special yoga class at Windsong Yoga Studio in South Berwick. My friend Kristen (right in the center) is the instructor, and she teaches nice blend of many different styles of yoga. She has studied with some of the top teachers in the United States,  including Doug Keller, Desiree Rumbaugh, Sianna Sherman, and Judith Lasater, to name just a few. A bonus: she teaches women (no men allowed!). 🙂
She planned a special class to celebrate the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year).
After this excellent class, we were treated to an excellent meal, prepared for us by Kristen. A Tempeh Wreath was the main course, accompanied by a side salad of mixed greens, lightly dressed. Dessert was partially by way of Whole Foods  (and may I just say, OMG! Especially the chocolate covered figs? Unbelievable!). There were also some delicious Christmas cookies made for us by Janna, because, after all, what is Christmas without the cut outs? I ask  you.
Now, if you are someone who practices yoga, and midway through most classes you start thinking about pizza and/or assorted baked goods, this was like a class made in heaven. Thank you, Kristen! Put that Tempeh Wreath recipe in your cookbook!
What holiday celebrations are you participating in this year?

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Hello, last minute!

by Karen, posted in tweens

Okay, you (and you know who you all are)…it’s time to get serious! There is less than a week left before Christmas, so it’s time to get your butt in gear. Still need to get a few presents, but the thought of dodging all of those crazy people at the mall makes you feel faint? Well, here’s an idea: Don’t go there! Stay away! Go elsewhere!

Maybe you think that you have to go to the mall because you need that gift card to Abercrombie and Fitch, or Justice, or Kohl’s…think Shaw’s in Sanford. Need a bookstore gift card? They have that. An Amazon gift card? Check.  Old Navy? Check. About the only thing they didn’t have last Tuesday morning at 8AM was a crowd. No crowd equals no line at the register.

Here’s another idea: go to the new Tractor Supply Store, which just recently opened in Sanford (right next to Wal-Mart). They have some cute things in the front of the store that are kind of unique.

Where NOT to go: Portsmouth AT&T. We bought a phone there and added a line and when we went to activate it, it WOULDN’T ACTIVATE. Now, there was no problem with the phone itself (cute, blue, the one my daughter wanted); it worked fine. The problem (which took about and hour and a half of my life on the phone with AT&T customer service to figure out) was that even though they said you could activate the line at a later date (you know, so you weren’t paying  $30 plus taxes and fees for the new rate plan, the line itself, text messaging while the phone sat in its box under the tree, unused)…wait for it….wait for it…you really CAN’T do that! It has to be activated by them at the Portsmouth store! Fifty three miles from where you are now! Surprise! Fooled ya!

The only thing worse than being a “Last minuter” is finding yourself scrambling at the last minute through not fault of your own (this transaction happened 11/22/10!)

So there you are: three shopping(and full working) days before Christmas, and S.O.L., as my grandmother used to say.

Hello, Radio Shack. They’ll be open until 9pm tonight. 🙂

Give yourself a break

by Karen, posted in family, friends, local fun, no fear

Is your birthday coming? Are you wondering what to get yourself for Christmas? Have a really good friend that  you want to appreciate?

Stacey Brooks from Mainely You Massage in North Berwick

Stacey at Mainely You Massage  is there to help you. Never had a massage? Don’t be scared. It will be both the fastest and the slowest hour you’ve ever experienced. You can just lie back (and you won’t even need to think of England!) and relax for the duration, with no demands made on you (except, you know, to turn over). Short on time? You can book a half an hour session instead of an hour; do what works for you.

Like a meditation the way it should be (but often isn’t because of the monkey thoughts that are ravaging your mind, increasing exponentially the more you try to quell them), you will probably notice that your thoughts are taking a very nice rest. One or two might meander to the surface of your consciousness, but they will most likely take the form of a non-urgent question to ask Stacey, nothing too distressing.

Of course, sometimes some unpleasant emotions can and should be released. If you feel the tears a-wellin’, just let ’em come. You will feel so much better after you let them go.

Massage might help you if:

  1. You are a cube-dweller by day, sitting for hours hunched over your keyboard, on your way to carpal tunnel syndrome and sciatica.
  2. You are an athlete of some sort (runner, gym person who overdoes it, yoga practitioner or teacher with a misbehaving muscle or two) with some annoying aches and pains.
  3. You are on overload, too busy doing things that you should/must/have to do, most often for others (e.g. not for yourself).
  4. You suddenly realize that there are only 7 more shopping days until Christmas (How did this happen?)!      HINT: Mainely You Massage Gift Certificates are available now! Call Stacey!

Call to book your massage (or buy your last-minute gift certificates)!

Mainely You Massage

73 Elm Street, South Berwick, ME

Phone Number: 207.676.2263
Cell Phone Number 207.651.6277

Grieving my dead relatives, Thanksgiving edition

by Karen, posted in good grief, Midlife Crisis

While driving home from work last night, I was thinking about something

Mom and Dad, way back when

from my past and wondering if I should share it with my kids. Now that my parents are gone, I realize that there are lots of times when I have a question about their lives and am sad because there’s just no one to ask.

Every so often when I was growing up, they would tell me something about their own growing up years, and more often than not, I would roll my eyes and wonder, “Why are they telling me this? Who cares?”

Well, now, having had the same impulse last night, I get it. They just wanted me to know them better, to know them (even a little bit) as real people, instead of just mom and dad.

I wonder if this lightbulb moment I’m having is a function of being in the midlife crisis stage of life. It’s nice to have the insight, but it makes me wish that I had cared a little more about , and had shown a little more interest in, what they had to say when they were here.

Making a list

by Karen, posted in family, tweens
Back in 2007, when there was still one believer in the family

I’ve been working on my Christmas gift list recently, and I’ve warned the children that Christmas will be, um, leaner this year than in the past, so they should be prepared. I guess I kind of went a little overboard last year, and am trying not to repeat that this year, especially since the big guy in the red suit won’t be putting in an appearance. This year, we know.

I don’t know what kind of a reaction that I expected from them, but as so often happens, my kids surprised me.

“Oh, okay, Mom.” That was it, from both kids. I guess I expected some questions, at least, but no, they were fine with it. Moved right on.

I guess it’s just me then, feeling bad. This is our first personal “Year Without a Santa Claus”. Last year, right after the holiday my daughter approached me and uttered those words that every mother dreads (but every father welcomes):  “Mom, you and dad are Santa Claus, right?”

Sigh.

After I told her to go play and I’d get back to her, I furtively placed a call to my husband at work, relayed the devastating question, asking, “What do you think? She’s only ten! Should I tell her the truth?” and he said, “Of course! She’s ten! We should have told her years ago!”.

And right there, folks, is the difference between fathers and mothers (if I may be so bold as to apply our parental reactions to that of all parents).

I told her the truth.

She took it well. At the end, she said, “But the Easter Bunny, she’s real, right?”

🙂

happy easter

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, good grief, tweens

one of my favorite holidays growing up was easter. my father loved easter, and always went out of his way to make it fun for us. we had the requisite easter baskets, usually one of the prepackaged, pre-filled ones from the closest department store (we were a family of 4 kids born in 6 years, after all), but i always loved mine. the best part of the day was the easter egg hunt. dad would fill the plastic easter eggs with small change and “hide” them around the house (my father was disabled and not-so-agile, so most of the eggs were at about waist level, in plain sight). we would race around until we had found them all.

this year is the first that neither of my kids believe in the easter bunny anymore. here’s the funny thing about that though: they both still expect baskets and booty from the fictional bunny. as a mother, i certainly don’t want to disappoint them, but this year i wanted to focus on “less is more” and so i scaled things back some. instead of large, overstuffed baskets, i made them easter bunny bags to hold their candy (http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/holiday-ideas/easter-table-decorations), an idea i got from Good Housekeeping Magazine. they were easy to make, and more importantly, they were quick, since it was 10pm on easter eve before i got to actually assemble said bunnies. the other good thing about these little bunnies is that they form an enclosed space within which the contents must conform; no candy or toys spilling out over the tops and the sides…another reminder for me not to go “over the top” with filling them.  i did, of course, fill the plastic eggs with small change for the egg hunt. even though the morning will be rushed, with us getting ready to drive an hour and a half to have dinner with family out-of-state, and the older child getting ready to go to work, we will have our traditional egg hunt.

i would not want to miss that opportunity to honor my dad. 🙂

what easter rituals does your family have? are they carried over from your childhood?