frosty

This past Saturday Santa Claus paid an unexpected (wink, wink) visit to the Marine House (that’s the place where the detachment of US marines that are assigned to the US Embassy live, in case you were wondering) and surprised all the kids with early gifts and candy. The party was planned by the Community Liaison Office at the Embassy and it was a wonderful afternoon.

Here’s Abbey and Owen with Santa. Neither one was scared though Abbey became quite shy when it was her turn to talk to Santa. When he asked her what she wanted for Christmas she just shrugged her shoulders and said “I don’t know.” When I ask her the same question I get a list a mile long. Owen on the other hand wasn’t in the talking mood and only nodded his head when Santa asked him if he had been a good boy.

Of course when told that I had to either bring a sweet or treat to share I jumped at the chance to try my hand at a new cake creation. Some people will say that I’ve become a bit obsessed with my new found ability but I’m just having fun.

I think this one turned out quite well. We left before the party ended but I’ve been told that there wasn’t even a single crumb left at the end.

I’m not even sure how you go into business making cakes but everyone keeps suggesting that I look into it. With everything that is going on right now I don’t think it’s in the cards, but maybe someday. Until then I guess I’ll just keep trying new designs, new recipes and new techniques. And I’ll share them with you all.

For those of you celebrating Christmas, here’s wishing you a very merry day tomorrow.

lights

As A works late for the 3rd time this week I’m left staring at an artificial Christmas tree in need of some lights, a lot of lights.  

I’m felling a bit insecure about putting on the lights.  But if I don’t do it tonight then it will delay the whole tree trimming process even further.  And that would cause two very excited children to be sad and blue and I really don’t want to be the cause of that.  Would you? 

See, my mother-in-law arrives tomorrow morning and we are under strict orders not to decorate the tree until she gets here.  We can prepare the tree and get the lights all set up but no ornaments are to grace the branches until she is present.  And I don’t blame her for wanting to be here when we decorate, it’s great fun to watch the kids hang up ornaments and get all excited about Christmas. 

BUT, about the whole light issue.  I’ve never put lights on a tree before.  Never. Ever. 

Growing up it was traditional for my father and I to go out and buy a tree a few days before Christmas and then with my brothers help he’d get the always too big tree into the house and situated on the base while my mother watched and made sure that a) nothing in the house was broken or scratched and b) the tree was straight.  And then, we’d all wait as my father put all the lights on the tree.  He’d put what he thought was enough lights and let my mother know that he was done and she would then go and inspect the tree and inform him of all the places that were missing lights and instructed him to add some more.  This process would go on until mom was satisfied with how the tree was lit. It was at this point we all would gather together and put the ornaments on the tree – small ornaments on top, medium sized ornaments in the middle and large ornaments at the bottom, it’s how mom liked it.  It was how things were done most years.  But no matter what, my father put on the lights.

Until I was living in my own house I spent Christmas with my parents so I never put up my own tree.  And when A and I had bought a house and put up our first Christmas tree he put up the lights.  It wasn’t even really a question, it was just how it was done.  He doesn’t like putting on the lights, but for some reason he feels that it is his job.  So he’s always done it.  And I’ve never questioned it. 

But as I’ve already mentioned, he’s working late and I’m stuck with about 15 sets of lights and a rather large tree that is in need of some illumination.  It’s either do it myself or wait for him to do it tomorrow, which then means telling the kids that they have to wait one more day to put on the ornaments.  And I did promise to them that when Gramma K gets here that it would be time to trim the tree.  And I really don’t like to go back on my promises. 

So I guess I’m going to be putting some lights up.  It just seems so wrong.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.  At least I don’t have my mom around to point out all the holes. 

wish me luck.

updated to add:  so I’ve now officially hung 3 sets of lights, or maybe it’s 4, i lost count, and I can honestly say that now i know that i wasn’t missing out on anything and that i now understand why my mother always had my father hang the lights – it’s a sucky job.  a very sucky job.  but someone has gotta do it. right? I’m contemplating stopping at 3 (or is it 4?) sets and letting A do the rest.  ‘Cause I’m nice like that.  Don’t want him to feel left out.