Day Twenty

Merry Christmas! 

Yes I am behind. Yes I intend to get caught up. Maybe by new year, but for sure by 3 Kings. 

Tonight’s post was written by my beloved Kathleen. She is a blessing. You think you know, but more than that, I swear. 


A few weeks ago I saw an ad on Facebook that moved me. I don't usually think much of the ads, but this one was unique. It was an ad to shop blind with the Two Blind Brothers clothing company. Shopping blind means selecting a price from several options, putting in your address and payment info and trusting the company to send something worthwhile. There were no images, no descriptions. The company was created by 2 brothers who are blind. They talked about trusting strangers to help with their own clothing shopping--with prices, colors, sizes, appearances. How humbling and daunting it must be to know you've put your faith in someone who could be kind or not. So, their ad hooked me. The proceeds from my order and many other orders go toward finding a cure for blindness. The experience opened my heart up in a new way, to appreciate further the struggles and differences we all live with. We opened our box tonight as a family. We were not disappointed. There was something for everyone in the box, and we all loved the idea behind shopping blind. 
Do us a favor? Consider what it's like to trust someone blindly, completely. Consider what that faith must be like.

Oh, and here's a link to their website

https://twoblindbrothers.com/


And no, we aren’t saying what was in the box, but everyone was pleased. 

Day Nineteen

I know I’m already 2 days behind. I don’t have an excuse other than I’ve been busy with party prep. And while we are discussing party prep... it’s Party Day!

Day Eighteen

Day drinking and crafting.

With all the ornament exchanging going on, you might wonder why I haven’t posted any day drinking and crafting videos. It’s a valid question. I had plans and good intentions. I even scheduled time with Matthew to video it. However, there is that old chestnut about the best laid plans...

In any case, (see I even revived that verbal tic from the Day Drinking & Crafting videos), I did do do day drinking and a little crafting, it just didn’t get recorded. These are the gnomes I made for party decor.  Sidebar: my sister Jenni asked me when/how I knew gnomes were going to be the hot Christmas decorations this year. I picked for my decor theme this summer on the way to Dallas for the DFWCON. I can only assume my Instagram hashtag #whereisericsgnome is the reason it caught on. 

As far as the instructions for the gnomes, they are pretty easy. They are all over YouTube and Pinterest. It requires socks, preferably clean, a beard, (I used yarn I had left over from last year, but some people use fur), a wooden bead for a nose, embellishments, something to stuff them with... Oh, and something to weigh them down.  When I was planning on taping the process I mentioned to Matthew that it would funny if I used rice or beans and pretended I took them from the pantry and he said Mama wouldn’t be happy, then at the end of the video I’d have Kat do a voice over asking where her rice was.  However since we didn’t tape it I just did my own thing.

Two of the gnomes are water bottles, but they kept falling over, so I put a couple of handfuls of adzuki beans from the pantry. I even texted Kat that I was going to use them. The rest of the gnomes are stuffed with plastic grocery sacks and some navy beans to weigh them down.  

I was just about done with all 5 of them when Kat got home from work.  She thinks they are super cute.  She asked me what beans I had used from the pantry and I showed her. Apparently adzuki beans are more expensive than the kidney beans I should have used.  Oops! 

Do me a favor? Get permission first? Less to apologize for that way. Hahaha!

Day Seventeen

Things I needed to do today

1. Finish the party decor.
2. Clean the craft supplies that are cluttering the dining room.
3. Wash dishes.
4. Do laundry.
5. Write two blog entries so I’ll have a buffer.
6. Finalize the party menu with Kat.
7. Plan and organize the patter platters for the party.
8. Locate serving utensils for the party.
9. Bake cookies for the party.
10. Find the Tupperware thing I need to make ice rings for the punch.
11. Research how to keep fresh fruit from turning brown so I can prep platters early.
12. Do some online shopping so I have something to wear to the party.
13. Find the other punch ladle. 
14. Ponder the location of the silver punch bowl.
15. Go to my in-laws to check on them and see how Nolen’s ablation went. 

What I actually did today.

Not a single thing except be a couch potato with Kathleen. 

I have no regrets. 

Do me a favor? Cross things off your to do list even if you haven’t finished them. Spend some time with someone you love.

Day Sixteen

Hello! It’s me, Judson’s sister-in-law. I’m married to Judson’s amazing little sister Juliet.  Jud asked if I wanted to write a post and I agreed. I’m not sure why I agreed.  I mean, I don’t write blogs, I haven’t written a book, once I was even asked if I could read (seriously).  The odds are against me, but Judson just sent me a not so subtle text asking me if I was still interested in writing a post and reiterated he’s really trying to get all 25 days done this year *hint* *hint*. So, here we go ...

Jud and I met at college and our first date was on a winter’s night around his birthday where he had to wade through the snow... oh wait that’s his and Kat’s first date story.  I can’t remember the first time I met Jud, but I do remember the first Christmas I spent with my future wife’s family. Juliet and I went up to Santa Fe to their dad’s house. I remember Paul was about 6 and Matthew was about 4. Paul loved to give hugs and Matthew loves charging his uncle Ben and wrestling. 

One snarky comment from Judson and we were practically besties. We spent the night making inappropriate jokes.  And this is how we continue to spend each family get together. When my sister would join the Kinkade festivities, oh man, I would give my sister the “Behave!” glare and she’d laugh. Her and Jud shared the same kind of humor, too, and without me right there to censor the thoughts to words they could say some pretty crazy things.  Just to give you a mild example of this humor, when Juliet and I talked about getting married and were deciding on how we’d join our last names (Kinkade & Black) Judson started to refer to us as the “Kinky Black’s.” We went with “Kinkade-Black” and also tossed Judson’s second suggestion “Klack.” The picture I want to paint here is, from the first time I met Jud he has embraced me as family. Kat has too, but, if I’m being honest, I thought Kat was hitting on me the first time I met her. I mean, she was super sweet, and she hugged me and kissed me on the cheek after our first meeting! Just to give some context, my aunts give me formal greetings and handshakes. 

In the last 15 years, I have been fortunate enough to become a member of this boisterous family and to be embraced wholeheartedly. The melding of my wife’s family and my family has been one of the greatest treasures. My in-laws are here for me in the happiest days and they are here to hold me in the saddest days. They share memories of my sister, they feel the void of her absence, and the warmth of her spirit.  I have seen all of our nephews and our niece grow to be capable, lovely, kindhearted people. My parents have a special place in their hearts for the kids and they enjoy teaching Jud and the boys Navajo words like “Yaz” which sounds like “Yasss.” (I believe Jud mentioned learning this specific word a few years ago.)

Through my wife and my in-laws I have gained a new appreciation for Christmas because I see the ways in which their faith shapes their lives, and especially the ways in which it shapes Christmas time. It is not only that I now voluntarily listen to Christmas music as soon as Turkey day is over, nor that I’ve even attended Christmas services.  It is in memories like the first time I heard Juliet’s aunts sing a hymn and it moved me to tears. The occasion was sad, but it was their voices and their conviction in their faith that brought me to tears. It was the way their faith brought them closer together as a family.  Though we don’t have the same religious upbringing, not the same religious beliefs, it is a beautiful thing to witness.   

I am so fortunate to have these in-laws as my outlaws. I look forward to the many, many memories to come.  Do Judson a favor and be present in the moment this holiday season. Take a mental snapshot of the joy you experience. Those memories will carry you in the darkest of times and add an extra shimmer to the joyful times. 

Day Fifteen

Let me tell you a merry little Christmas story about my beloved. Do you know Kathleen? She is an amazing woman. But don’t take my word for it, let’s examine the facts.

First of all, she has been married to me for 28 years. 28 years. Think about that. Some people block me on social media so they can avoid my posting about this blog in December. That’s only 25 days and people reach their limit, but Kathleen gets me 24/7 it’s basically a life sentence. Also, Kathleen was perfectly content with her very spiritual focus on the Jesus side of Christmas. I converted her to my pagan ways. We drove around looking at lights and listening to Christmas music tonight. Some of the songs were not even hymns. It’s true. 

Another thing about Kathleen is that she is kind to everyone. I’m going to be in trouble for saying this, but as we left church tonight there was a homeless man sleeping near the church, and Kathleen grabbed a blanket from the car and covered him with it. She didn’t have to do that. He had a sleeping bag and a big blanket over that, but it was cold, and Kathleen gave away a gift she’d acquired for someone else to a stranger.  This is not a big deal, because she is always doing things like this.

I wrote about my house full of boys? Kathleen feeds them. She keeps the pantry stocked with ramen, but then she’ll cook real food if there are hungry people. She’s been known to use her phone to order pizza to be delivered at the house when she isn’t even there, but when she checked in, it was reported that people were hungry at home.  A running joke among our friends is that Kathleen won’t be happy with an end to world hunger, unless she’s the one who gets to feed everyone.  It’s something she is good at, and it’s how she shows her love.

Let me tell you about her teaching Sunday School. She has been teaching 3-6 year olds since she was about 12. All through her time as a child of a missionary, even in to high school. And she’s been doing it since about 2005 or 2006 except for the break when we were in Colorado. She loves those children. She rarely gets upset by their behavior. She recognizes that children behave like children and have their own personalities, and she’s interested in learning about those personalities.   

All of these are just the tip of the iceberg. And yet... tonight... tonight after doing childcare at the church with our littles, then cleaning and organizing our Sunday school room so that when we aren’t there next week the substitutes can find things, then driving around to look at lights, when we finally get home, she drops this bombshell on me.  She asks me if she is selfish.

I mean... Kathleen asked me if SHE was selfish. I don’t even know where to start. Like... what?  I mean... Mother Theresa looks like Regina George compared to Kathleen. I don’t even know where to start on this. Like, what?!?

But then, it gets better.  While I’m still in shock from her question, she says this other thing... “I just know one of these days Pastor Sarah is going to walk by our class and here me say something and decide we have to be fired immediately.”  I almost fell out of the car.  Because let’s be real, if we ever get fired from teaching Sunday school, everyone with half a brain can figure out it will be  because of something *I* said. 

Honestly, I can’t even start to tell you the level of craziness this is. I haven’t laughed this hard in years.  I think I might have rolled a rib. 

Do me a favor? Be easy on yourself and find something to laugh about.

Day Fourteen

How to enjoy cookie day.

Pick way too many cookie recipes to try and make. Alternatively be very ambitious about your baking skills.

Prepare nothing in advance, don’t pack up any essential tools, cookie sheets, cookie presses, etc. etc. 

Over sleep, rush around trying to find the essentials you should have packed up last night, leave late, so that you will arrive late to the party.

Experience family drama not fit for sharing on social media, but ensuring someone gets left at home on purpose and everyone else leaves in a sour mood.

Stop for sodas at OnCue, somehow witness an exodus of UPS trucks, 32 and counting.

Contemplate following a UPS truck and snatching up the boxes they deliver. Chant “Life Of Crime! Life Of Crime!” Over the phone to your family in the other car.  Remember you don’t look good in orange. Abandon plan of a life of crime.

Stop at the store to buy the ingredients you didn’t prepare for.  Also, buy alcohol. *allegedly

Arrive an hour plus late to cookie day party. 

Opt out of making any of your ambitiously planned cookies. Piggy back on the extra recipes of other guests. 

Be generous and pour liberally. Imbibe. Repeat.

Realize you don’t have the recipe that you actually want to make. Harass the son you left at hone to get him to text you the recipe.

Sample cookies.

Unwrap 36 Hershey kisses to “use in your recipe”. Eat a handful.

Sample more cookies.

Wash some dishes.

Be generous and pour liberally. Imbibe. Repeat.

Eat lunch.

Wash lunch dishes.

Sample cookies.

Be generous and pour liberally. Imbibe. Repeat.

Decide to go ahead and make thumbprint cookies. Ask Kathleen the most basic questions about following the recipe so that she starts to doubt any baking skills she might have believed you posses.

After making dough decide to “let it rest” until all the other cookies are out of the oven and/or decorated.

Be generous and pour liberally. Imbibe. Repeat.

Bake the cookies, filling the thumbprints with orange marmalade because when you were a kid that sounded so exotic. Also, Paddington likes it.

Get reminded about the Hershey kisses you unwrapped. Eat a few more.

Make one dozen off the thumbprint cookies with Hershey kisses.

Eat the rest of the unwrapped ones so that none go to waste.

Be pathetic so that Kathleen has to check and tell you when they are done because you can’t tell when they are finished, and Paul’s method of testing when cookies are done is, ‘when I can poke it with a hot pad.’ 

Pack up your share of all the cookies. 

Decide that you didn’t get enough cookies so pack up some extras of the ones you like.

Announce that since the hosts are skinny people you don’t want to temp them with too many cookies. Pack up a separate bag of these cookies you are saving them from. 

Eat cookies from this martyr bag of cookies on your way home. 

Collapse in a cookie coma on the couch once you get home. 

Wake up and eat a healthy dinner of a salad.

No seriously, I had a salad for dinner.

Really I did.

And a few slices of pizza, but only after I finished the salad.

Truly.

***any reports I was clutching a bag of cookies to my chest and smacking away Paul’s attempts to take them while screaming “Mine! Mine! Mine!” Are vicious rumors, and patently untrue. #FakeNews

Do me a favor? Eat a cookie? Just not one of mine! 

Lucky Thirteen

In direct conflict with my desire to ease into Christmas this year, about a month ago I approached as many of my friends as were interested to see if they wanted to participate in an ornament/decoration exchange.  Despite the doubters suspecting I was going to sell their creations on Etsy, or that I was organizing an underground Christmas sweatshop, or possibly a madoff style Ponzi scheme but with tinsel, I had 15 people agree to join in. Yes 5 of them live in my house, and my sister Jenni also participated, but that’s still 9 people I’m not related to who were willing to participate.

I gave everyone 2 options. The first was sort of a one on one exchange where I gave them the name of another participant and their likes and dislikes, then they created 6 ornaments for their ‘partner’. Of course I ended up with an odd number of people who picked this option, so it was more a round robin than a one on one exchange. Option two was an all in, where instead of one person, they got 6 people and did 2 ornaments or so for everyone.  

It has turned out better than I expected. I went a little overboard because I opted to send something to everyone, even the one on one folks. So, typically, I haven’t finished everyone yet. But I’ll get there. 

There are wayyyyyyy too many ornaments to put the pictures up all at once. So I’ll space them out over several days.  Before I get to the pictures though, I want to say how very impressed I was by the skills, generosity, and taste of my friends. Like truly.  I thought the struggle would be in actually making 6 ornaments, but no, the difficulty is in JUST doing 6. 

These first batch include the ornaments made for my sister Jennifer, Donna, Lisa, and Autumn.

And then there are these. Matthew decided to embrace?, pursue? Promote? The German tradition of the pickle. Whoever finds the pickle on the tree Christmas morning gets a special present and a year of good luck.  So he styled a pickle for his partners and then gave them a second ornament that was 2 bells joined by a ribbon, or 2 pine cones, or 2 ornaments, I think you get the idea.  I mean... they aren’t terrible, but, well clearly his sense of humor comes from his mother.
  

Do me a favor? Look at, or think about your favorite holiday decorations. Smile if they are homemade, and or slightly ghastly or off color.