I can safely say that Christmas 2015 was unlike ANY Christmas I have ever celebrated, and that's saying a lot. I have lived through Christmases where everyone was sick; where my brother couldn't come home and it was just me and the parents; where I didn't have time to bake or decorate or buy gifts or do anything [2004, my daughter's first Christmas in America]. I have seen Christmases when it was freezing cold and we had no electricity. I have seen Christmases when I had to work every day except the 25th [last year]. In summary, I've see a lot of unusual Christmases, but this one?
This one gets a 10 on my Weirdness meter.
It started Christmas Eve. I woke up Thursday morning to booming thunderstorms. It had been raining for 24 hours already. My yard was a sea of mud. I went about my usual routine, except I didn't take Lola to walk. By 11 a.m. my backyard was a LAKE. I took photos but I won't post them because they are really blurry. The water got up about 6 feet from the edge of my patio. I was trying not to freak out. Praying constantly.
The image below explains why we have to pay flood insurance every year. We had the yard graded and french drains put in right after we moved here, but we still get flooding when the conditions are bad.
The image below was my backyard after the waters started receding.
My brother left Columbia to come over to our house around 1:30. Normally it takes him a little over 3 hours. He called me at 5 and said he was sitting in traffic near Covington. He finally made it in at 7:30.
Michael had to work yesterday, from 12 - 5. So Mom and I asked him when he wanted to open presents, Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. He opted for Christmas Eve.
Above, a shirt I found for him that represents Kazakhstan, his birth country. He had to do a presentation for his Public Speaking class last fall, and for the first time he really started researching and studying about his birth country, learning about it from the perspective of an adult, not a child. That's a very good thing. I want him to be proud of where he's from, proud of his Russian and Kazakh heritage. Among other things, I also got him An Illustrated History of Kazakhstan, which he opened towards the end and immediately started reading, much to my delight.
I have to interject a Proud Mama Announcement here. Michael made A's in both his classes he took in Fall 2015. He also worked a lot. So he had a lot going on this fall. He had a car accident right before finals, too. VERY proud of him!
He got a 4 man tent from Uncle Bruce, among other things.
Lola got a toy from Santa and Bruce helped her get it out of the package. She seemed to know it was hers.
I don't need clothes, or very much at all, but I do love to read and I got several books for Christmas.
I was trying to think of something Bruce and Michael could get for me, so I sent them both an email and said I want 4 birdhouses. A neighbor recently tossed out two tall plant holders and I wanted to hang birdhouses instead of plants. I love watching the birds in the yard. We can't do feeders because rats come up from the creek and eat all the food.
Bruce and Michael were supposed to coordinate with each other about the birdhouses. I figured Bruce would get two, and Mike would get two.
They didn't coordinate. Typical guys.
So Bruce got me 4 lovely cedar houses.
Michael went to Michael's Crafts last week and got me 3 birdhouses, and decided to decorate them.
The first one is below. It's quite a work of art, and he says he isn't finished yet. I only got it photographed because he and Bruce went to Home Depot this morning. I left the image big so you can see some of the incredible detail. He was awake all last Wednesday night working on it. I told him he is welcome to decorate them ALL. The birds will be thrilled.
Christmas Day, yesterday, was just weird. It was 75 degrees here! I wore shorts and a tee shirt most of the day. Michael worked from 12 - 5, and Bruce and I visited. Mother didn't feel so great so we didn't have anyone else over.
I spent a good bit of time in the afternoon working on the novel I am writing, which to me is fun.
At Mom's request, Bruce and I cooked a scallop mousse for dinner. It's Alton Brown's recipe. We didn't have the pastry shells so we just put it in a casserole. We used lime juice instead of zest, and spinach leaves instead of parsley but it was still incredibly yummy. We also had mashed Yukon gold potatoes and fresh sauteed spinach. Nobody could hold dessert, but I had made homemade chocolate chip and pecan cookies.
Miracle of miracles - Michael cleaned up the kitchen without being asked. He even hand-washed a dish that had been soaking in the sink and wouldn't fit in the dishwasher.
The fact he has only one hand doesn't stop him from doing anything in the kitchen. He likes to cook. Last week he made 2 batches of sugared pecans and did a terrific job, with no help from me on the second batch except showing him how to beat egg whites.
It didn't rain all day yesterday, thank the Lord.
I hope all y'all had an excellent Christmas [or Hannukah] and you got to eat wonderful food and spend time with family. That's really what it's all about.
Recent Comments