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Finding the Funny

This is NOT a Christmas Tree Decorating Tutorial

Friday, December 21, 2012 By Sherra

While I have control issues over some many things, decorating for Christmas is not one of them.

For years I let Roger Leroy be in charge of holiday decor. She loved to go into the attic and bring all the boxes down. She was a master at assembling the artificial tree we had for at least a decade. The Grunter and Wizzy might hang an ornament or two but they quickly lost interest. Roger Leroy went above and beyond what I would have done.

She conned her dad into multiple trips to the store for more lights and would string lights on the front porch and in her room and anywhere she could think of. I was grateful for all her help and truly appreciated all her hard work.

Then she got older and left for college.

Our decorating elf had abandoned us.

PhilBillPaul and I do not work well together in tasks like decorating.

Thankfully, we got 2 out of 4 kids who find joy in decorating.

Scary Baby has become our new decorating elf!

Dad and Granny picked up a gorgeous tree at Costco on Thanksgiving weekend and Scary Baby couldn’t wait to get all the boxes down and start trimming the tree.

She really did a beautiful job.

2012 Christmas tree

Every day I came downstairs and said things like “This year’s tree just makes me happy!” and “I think this is the best live tree yet!”

PhilBillPaul asked her to water it every day. And every night he checked the tree and watered it because she forgot. It was the least we could do since she did all the hard work.

Now cut to two weekends later and it’s our annual baking frenzy. To be documented next week.

It is Sunday afternoon. I’m baking in the kitchen. PhilBillPaul is watching football and folding clothes in the family room. We both hear a very loud noise.

Me: “What was that?”

PBP: “Well I’ll be ________! Come in here”

tree toppled 5

A fallen tree with ornaments and lights creates an enormous mess.

tree toppled 2

Tree and stand had toppled over. Water everywhere. Ornaments. Strands of lights. Tree needles.

Roger Leroy was home that Sunday. She had taken Scary Baby to the mall when said tree fell over.

Roger Leroy had also arrived with a tiny dog she was “dog sitting” for her darling twin sister. To be documented next week.

zoey 1

Since she left the dog with us, PhilBillPaul thought it would be funny if I sent her a text with photo showing our mess…

tree toppled 5

Me: “Need help here”

RL: “Um how did that happen”

Me: “Damn dog. Please hurry up”

RL:”That 3 lb dog knocked over an entire tree?”

ME: “She’s very naughty and no longer welcomed here”

RL: “Whatever I don’t believe you”

Luckily for us, The Grunter was home and helped PhilBillPaul get the tree upright and swept up the needles and wiped up the water all with a joyful Christmas spirit. Not.

I was thankful that Scary Baby had decided not to put all the kids’ special ornaments on the tree this year. So many would have broken.

On Monday morning, I could only laugh when I turned on my computer to read my good friend Leigh Anne’s blog as she shared her Christmas tree decorating tutorial.

how-to-decorate-a-christmas-tree-2

Photo used with permission

That is her actual tree in her house. Not a store display.

Are you kidding me? One person is not suppose to be good at everything.

Another example of polar opposites being friends. One tree puts me over the edge and she decorates up to FIVE. And has themed vignettes throughout her house on every open surface.

I shared her blog post with Scary Baby. She was less than impressed with any tips.

The joy of decorating the Christmas tree comes but once a year…

Not twice as evidenced by my cranky decorating elf who was less than thrilled with my request that she re-trim the tree.

Alas, the tree is now re-trimmed.

Not because our precious decorating elves worked together. They were elves with bad attitudes. Roger Leroy did the lights and left. It took Scary Baby a week but she finally put all the ornaments back on. There may have been a few threats.

Keepsake Decorations

We also found some extra special decorations while doing some attic cleaning.

I believe I made this lovely candle holder in the 2nd grade. When my mom downsized and moved to a condo, she kindly gave us some of our beautiful keepsakes. It’s hard to believe that she didn’t want to hang on to this and proudly display it in her living room. Thanks mom.

candle craft 1

Perhaps the attic was not the best place to store this gem. Or at least the green candle? that is now melted and stuck in the hair spray lid.

candle craft 2

Fond memories of that candle holder that sits in a gold foil wrapped peanut butter lid. I clearly remember the excitement of making it in elementary school. I think you can see I was bitten by the crafting bug very early.

What’s your favorite Christmas decoration? How many trees do you have?

Please say one…

Filed Under: Finding the Funny, Teens, Twenties

My Darling Twins

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 By Sherra

We hardly ever see them together these days.

Imagine the thrill when I received this photo on Sunday via cell phone while they were at drill together.

PhilBillPaul gets total credit for it appearing here on the blog.

I was compelled to do a tiny bit of photo editing because it is what I thought the moment I saw the photo.

Since they did post the unedited version on facebook, I’m sure they won’t mind that I’m posting my version here.

Love my babies soldiers.

Filed Under: Finding the Funny, Twenties

Creative Mailbox Ideas

Thursday, October 11, 2012 By Sherra

On the road again…

This time we’re in Florida and we’re shopping for a new mailbox.

Which one do you think we should pick?

Scary Baby liked the “walrus” one so we had a teachable moment about manatees.

Think we’ll start a trend in our Georgia neighborhood when we get back. It’s a long way to drive to shop for the perfect mailbox.

Okay, really we’re on vacation and the mailboxes made me laugh. Of course, I had to have PhilBillPaul stop so I could snap pictures of these winners.

We’re visiting a new place and enjoying perfect weather! More trip details and photos to come. I’m making it a personal goal to write about this vacation before January.

Filed Under: Finding the Funny

Midwest Trip Highlights

Monday, October 1, 2012 By Sherra

Way back in August when I wrote this sentence…

“Later this week, I’ll show you what else we did on our trip…”

I should have said

“In six weeks…“

Because that’s how long it has taken me to gather myself and beg Scary Baby to create the photo collages of our Midwest trip. I told you last week I’ve been a little crazy busy.

Seems reasonable to me since she was adding to my blog pressure by asking repeatedly when I was going to blog about the rest of our trip.

Without further ado, here is a baker’s dozen of photo collages created by Scary Baby to prove we did more than just eat our way through the Midwest. 😉

Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry

We’ll always remember how Scary Baby got a turn at the periscope in the submarine exhibit. Our middle school teacher friend handled that for us. Thank you Mrs. Bowman. We were so glad she drove from the Quad Cities to spend the day and one night with us in Chicago.

All the exhibits we saw were interesting but the whispering gallery was Scary Baby’s highlight.

Scary Baby’s bird’s eye view of downtown Chicago from our hotel room on Michigan Avenue.

Navy Pier

At night it looks very cool…

Lake Koshkonong

We spent one night in Wisconsin at my high school friend Terry’s lake cottage. She owns an antique shop and added all her special decorating touches throughout the cottage.

Scary Baby was excited to learn how to kayak on the calm lake.

Windmills of Indiana

Driving home, I was glad Scary Baby got to see the windmills in the day light. We saw them at night on the way down and we agreed that their red lights blinking in the pitch black dark night is scary! Either way, they still feel like a science fiction movie as you drive towards them. She took these awesome pictures in the moving car.

Lynn’s Paradise Cafe

Finally, on our last morning before heading home, our experience in this Louisville, Kentucky restaurant was a highlight. Even though she did not want to participate in all the funky photo ops, she enjoyed the eclectic restaurant and gift shop as much as I did.

The ugly lamp contest is ingenious marketing. Our personal fav – the toilet lamp on wheels.

Did you go anywhere fun for a summer vacation? I know today is October 1st. Don’t judge.

Filed Under: Finding the Funny, Friends, Moments, Teens

Crazy Mom and Missing Photos

Monday, September 24, 2012 By Sherra

Speaking of crazy…

It has been so long since I wrote a blog post, I can now feature myself on Typo Tuesday…

On Monday.

Because I published the post before I put the photos in.

So if you subscribe by email or by RSS feed, you received an awesome blog post from me that says “INSERT PHOTO COLLAGE” with ZERO photos at 7:00 am.

Now, you should receive this 2nd blog post you are now reading around 9:00 am with this link to the crazy post so you can see the actual photo collage!

Unless feedburner’s delivery system is broken which is not my fault but doesn’t necessarily make me less crazy.

Please don’t miss all the lovely Humpfreeze photo collages I made as well as the fully edited blog post. Just click the title below:

Crazy Things I’ve Been Busy Doing

The blog post is so much better with my blurry, grainy, dark photos. Really, it is.

Thanks. I’ll try to get back in the swing of things.

Now back to my regularly scheduled crazy mother routine…

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Filed Under: Finding the Funny

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Recent Posts

  • Typo Tuesday ~ Writer {Desperately} Needed
  • Living with One Teenager vs. Three
  • Mother-Daughter Boot Haul
  • The Power of Laughter, a Baby and Dog Poo
  • Happy 2013!
  • This is NOT a Christmas Tree Decorating Tutorial
  • Blog Neglect and a Tribute
  • My Darling Twins
  • Creative Mailbox Ideas
  • Midwest Trip Highlights
  • Crazy Mom and Missing Photos
  • Crazy Things I’ve Been Busy Doing
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  • Food Trip Across the Midwest
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