It's been a busy, but fun, holiday break. First, Christmas. Had a lot of fun with the family! It was hard without dad. More than I had imagined. But he ended up being with the family in an unexpected way. We celebrate at my brother's house, and he redecorated his basement/game room with things that belonged to my dad. So on Christmas Eve, when we went downstairs to play pool and put together a puzzle, there was dad. In his traps, his fishing gear, his old coats, and snowshoes. The things he treasured are all proudly on display. And it meant the world to me.
More random memories
- The puzzle from HELL. Every piece was exactly the same shape. I've never seen that before! The puzzle group needed some prozac to tackle it.
- Em "Martha'd up" jello shots, making them festive. Only my girl.
- Jenna got an American Girl doll (Rebecca), and the horse. Big hugs to Grammy and Aunt Beth for both.
- Mags liked her boot slippers. She looked ADORABLE!!!
Here are some of my favorite pics of the evening, with one of Kevin and Jenna thrown in that I missed before. She loves him, for sure.
Christmas day was fun with Bill's family. It was a small group, but we had fun together. As soon as the last guest left, I started taking down Christmas stuff. I know, it sounds like I'm a major Scrooge (and there may a twinge of truth to that statement), but I like the rest of my vacation to be "to-do-list" free. I don't want to constantly be reminded for the rest of vaca that big work lies ahead in the Christmas Removal department. By noon on Saturday it was all gone.
So off Jenna, Em and I went to her apartment in preparation for the big train trip to Evanston/Chicago to meet Kevin's mom. We were on the train early Sunday a.m., and from the moment I met Lauren I knew why the kids wanted us to meet. She is the coolest. We had so much fun! Eating, shopping, hanging out and laughing. It was the perfect addition to what had been up to that point a rather sad Christmas for me. Thanks Lauren, Kevin, and Elise for being amazing hosts and amazing people. It was appreciated more than I can say. Here is a link to the Chicago album. Hit play and you can see the pics. Also if you hit the icon on the lower right corner it will make the pics full screen.
In scrapbooking news, I have a project up on the Fancy Pants blog. It's a frame I made using the Vintage Valentine's line. I gave it to Kevin's mom as a present. Hope you like it!
