2017.20 Day Drinking & Crafting Day 2

As I mentioned, I am struggling with the video editing. And no, it is not because I am drinking while I edit.  Although, now that I mention it…

But so here is my second day drinking and crafting broken down in video clips that I hope show up easier on your phones.

So first of all we have this great before shot of the glass jar we used in the project.

Then the Intro where I try and be clever (and took like 3 attempts to take, hence the laughter)

Followed by the shots and the beginning of me being sick of hearing myself say “in any case”, listen for it, like a terrible verbal tic.

And Crafting commences!

Followed by more crafting, and the sneaking suspicion that I might not be doing it right…

Now we wait for paint to dry!

At last the embellishments! Go snowflake stickers! Also I say the word Fancy, just for Autumn Bond! And discuss the War on Christmas.

And TA-DAH! Winter Lantern and what to do if it is terrible.

The finished product.

***I really am making an effort to get caught up on my days, plus post all these fun videos!

edited version here

2017.19 Merry Merry

Sometimes the best laid plans…

What did you have planned for Christmas eve and Christmas day?  I am willing to bet it was not waiting on apartment maintenance to come out and fix the sewage that was backing up into the bathtubs in both bathrooms. We got home at 10:30pm from our usual red and green enchilada dinner with my in-laws. Both boys were exhausted and went to bed, and that is when Kat discovered the problem. 

I give big props to the maintenance  guy who showed up within half an hour.  He stayed until 2pm before throwing in the towel and asking us to call in again first thing in the morning.  So, while other families were wrapping presents for Santa, Kat and I dozed on and off on the couches.  I’d like to say we were watching Christmas movies, but to be honest I was mostly dozing so I don’t know what we were watching.

First thing this morning the maintenance was back at it, and his co-worker who was too drunk to show up and help last night was here.  They were hard at work, but it was still backed up.  The boys slept in, and slept and slept.  I did put on a hallmark Christmas movie this morning, something about cookies, so I thought it would appeal to Kat.  The acting was so bad, she had me turn it off 15 minutes in.  Then I put it on the great British bake off Christmas master class with Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry.  Somehow I managed to sleep through that one twice.

Paul had to be at work today at 2pm.  Just when we were at the point where he was going to need to get ready at his grandparents, maintenance saved the day. So yeah! For maintenance, and boo to my neighbor who flushed a diaper.   So Paul went to work and not a single present was wrapped, or unwrapped.  When Matthew finally got himself up he could not be persuaded to wrap presents for me, so we just chilled and waited for Kat to come home.  Again, I want to say we watched Christmas movies, but mostly it was Doctor Who, since we are woefully behind and Matthew wanted to get caught up in time for the Christmas special.  We discussed going to see a movie but elected to pass, not wanting to pay for a movie, and having already seen anything we could use a pass for.

When Kat went to get Paul, Matthew got the presents organized, opting once again for the ‘everything in a bag and we just take turns pulling stuff from the bag and guessing who it is for’ option.  Then we had a brief conversation about which holiday movie best set the appropriate festive mood for present opening.  After thoughtful deliberation Matthew chose Love Actually.  Then at last when Kat and Paul got home, finally we opened presents and watched the movie.  While not a “traditional” Christmas by any means, it was our Christmas. 

I hope yours was enjoyable. 

2017.18 Merry Christmas

Bit of a hiccup and here it is the 25th and I am only on day 18. I do have a plan, but not for today.

Today's blog is brought to you by Najah Hylton.  I have known Najah since she was a sassy little girl and somehow when I wasn't looking she grew up to be a sassy young woman and now this wonderful person I still think of as teenager is also a mama. She is also a teacher, and a writer and a poet. 

I’m a performer and poet and I don’t have a Christmas poem that I would perform onstage. I wrote this and I’m happy with it, even if I don’t get the chance to say it on a stage. 

I’ve been experimenting with this shorter, punchier style over the last couple of years. It relies on wordplay to create layered meaning. It’s not my fortè but I like stretching myself. 

It’s also a bit of a prayer. 

Merry and Jolly and Bright

Merry and jolly and bright:

Mary gave más 

When she gave Christ light.

She sacrificed her body and her pride 

in hope that her baby that would grow up

to make all wrongs right.

She would have been the talk of Nazareth,

if Joseph hadn’t kept his faith tight.

They probably still got a lot of shade

when he made a pregnant girl his wife.

Merry and jolly and bright:

Everyone’s hope is in high gear

at Christmastime.

Just lights and decorative sweaters

make neglected neighborhoods 

and stressful jobs seem better.

Communities agree 

to bring peace to the world. 

People who year-long ignore you, Lord,

submit to their need for your joy,

admit that they hope for more,

wish their lives could be whole and restored,

put a smile on their faces 

and pretend that snow and tinsel 

are what they were waiting for.

Merry and jolly and bright:

Your spirit flows free,

responding to humanity’s

willingness to do the right things.

Inviting each of us, every one 

to accept what you offer all year long,

to RSVP and then show up 

for love.

We’re watching out.

We don’t cry or pout

because Santa Claus is coming to town.

I think deep down, we all know 

you’ve been here the whole time -

knowing when we’ve been good or bad,

seeing us when we’re sleeping and awake,

showing us forgiveness through your son

for the kingdom’s sake.

For once I didn’t put up a tree.

I wanted to have to look deep

to find you and the season’s meaning.

I reached past the glitter and glamor,

searching for one bright star

in your subtle, first Christmas manner.

In the solitude, I figured out:

all I want is you this Christmas -

no gifts, just your presence 

no shopping, just sitting 

and searching for your essence.

Merry and jolly and bright:

I’m forgiven because of this holy day, 

restored, adopted and made righteous in your sight.

Amen. So let it be.

2017.17 Worth their weight in spiced gumdrops

It is December the 23^rd and while I have completed most of my Christmas shopping (and that is a tale unto itself). I am woefully behind on my Christmas blogging.  Matthew and I taped at least 4 day drinking and crafting videos, but you have only seen one.  Why is that? Well the free software that I used to edit the thing only lets me upload one video.  So although I have edited the second one, I can’t post in anywhere, so I am looking at what my options are.  Also, as I understand it, many people couldn’t watch it on their phones, so I may need to break it apart and blog a series of clips.  So there is that.

But here and now? I am posting the party pics I got from Katie Powell.  In years past I have asked my Paul’s “best friend from his whole life” Katie Powell to take party pictures because #1 she is really good at it, and B) she accepts payment in spiced gumdrops.  This last summer when she took Paul’s senior pictures that I haven’t done anything with, I told her about this article I read where a SUPER EXTRA person hired an artist to do tiny watercolors of her wedding reception guests instead of photographs and I suggested that at some point in Katie’s artistic career we could look forward to that.  Sometimes she looks at me like she is afraid to say what she really thinks.  This was one of those times.

This year I did not ask Katie in advance to take pictures or miniature watercolors because I know, busy college student, whole life going on, maybe too cool for the party blah blah blah.  But when she mentioned that she did have her camera in the car… How could I resist that opportunity to exploit?  In any case here are some of my favorite pictures that Katie took at the party. 

Mama Kat about to go off,,,

I wonder where Mama Kat gets it? ;-)

somethings defy explanation

see? who can explain?

Baby Scott and Whitney

Najah and Ciela! So very perfect.

Yeah for the Swinneys!

I winder what Larry said to Sandy?

Kathleen and Cathy have been friends since before God invented water.

Yeah for Donna getting Bo and Larry out of the Civic Center in time for the party!

Amy and Baby Thor!

Silly Games!

2017.16 Say their names

So here it is the 22nd of December. I am on day what? 16.  So a week behind. But I am not not giving up yet.

Today is Jay Kopp’s Bday.  He would be 39 if he had not ended his life last December. I know many of his friends gathered a few weeks back on the anniversary of that day to honor and remember him.  I remember Jay all the time, but I could not bring myself to celebrate that day.

This brings us here.  Around Thanksgiving my friend Jennifer Owen Hill shared this saying on FB about three deaths, and the final death is when a person’s name is spoken for the last time.  I think about that. Often. 

When I decorated for the party last year, I put out ‘reserved’ cards for those that I had lost in the months leading up the party as a way to honor them and remember them and to say that even without their physical presence, I have not forgotten them. 

This year’s decorations included picture frames.  Initially I had planned to put pictures of the many guests and loved ones who once attended our party, (or intended to) and are no longer with us.  As I ran out of time I came up with this alternative.  I actually liked it better than I had planned. 

It hurts that there are so many people who we loved and who are gone.  It hurts that unfortunately the list can only get longer the longer we have the party.  It hurts, but I do not want to be the one who says these names for the last time, so I am saying them and I plan to continue saying them.

Jane Rogers Meeks

 Jay Kopp

Chris Young

Jan Kinkade

Mike Sutton

Stephanie Dunaway Forrest

Amanda Rohn

Ann Hankins

Geraldine Black

2017.15 45 Trees?

I may have mentioned 45 trees were a decorating issue I was struggling with pre-party? What was that about?  Well those in the know may remember 2 years ago for the silver 25^th party I went a little over the top with the decorating. Polishing all that silver, and the silver decorations, the ornament chandeliers… After that year Kat had me agree I wouldn’t spend money on the next year’s decorations.

So I reigned it in and last year I only decorated using items we already owned (raiding the boxes of Christmas decorations that are in storage here in Oklahoma).  I liked how it turned out, and got multiple compliments, including how elegant it looked.   The downside is that when the night was over I had to pack all those decorations up and then… uggghhhh… take them back to storage. So last year Kat said, no more, this year when the party was over she wanted to throw the ornaments in the trash.

I don’t believe that she thought I would remember, or that I would comply. However, I spent the better part of the year trying to figure out how to make that happen.  I think I came up with a good plan, thanks in large part to help from my unpaid interns, and despite some Saturday afternoon panic I was really happy with how they turned out, and the table decorations that did not find new homes with party guests went in the trash and did not have to come home or to storage with us. 

So here, for the first time are the party decorations, both the completed party shots, and the pictures from ‘in the process’.  Just know that even though designers said red, and Scandinavian, and rose gold were the hot trends we went with a mostly monochrome theme, despite what people may think, I am not just a slave to trends, HA!

Oh, and the table wreaths? After a craft fair in Shawnee we saw a woman toss them in the trash. I pointed it out to Kat and she said if Matthew and I had a plan for them, as long as they did not come home from the party... So we grabbed them, took some garish ribbon off and then spray painted them with a coat of white paint.  Nice!