I'm always looking for new ways to use color, especially when it comes to Christmas. I'm not a fan of the typical red and green, which is impossible to avoid in some cases (NOT going to have a white Christmas tree). You can imagine my excitement when I got the latest catalog from Niki Jones and the featured colors were black and white! I'm thinking about doing some black and white with pops of color to add some variety. Would you use black and white to decorate for Christmas or are you too traditional for that?
We have been loving our Spring weather! The grass here is so green - almost like what Jen and I saw in Ireland - because of how wet our winters are. Flowers are blooming, birds have finally decided that it's ok to move back to their homes, and I found a bee in our bedroom (!). All good signs that spring has {finally!} hit Moscow. Yesterday was the most beautiful day we've had yet. It was sunny and clear, and in the high 60s all day. Today is supposed to be even nicer, going up into the 70s!
Bran and I have been ready for it to be spring since we were knee-deep in snow this March. Isn't it wonderful how God gives us the seasons too keep us from getting bored with them? I mean, I could deal with spring-like weather year-round, but as soon as you get bored with the hot summer, it changes to fall, and right when fall is getting old, we get snow and cold for winter, and just as we think we will never see sunlight again, God resurrects the earth with spring.
I don't know much about why holidays fall when they do, but I don't think it's ironic that we celebrate Christ's resurrection in Spring. Because our winter was so harsh here, the physical comparison of the dead winter with a living spring was such a cool reminder of what life is for us because of the resurrection. It's the contrast between sin and grace, and it is beautiful!
I don't usually write this flowery(?).. i think it is partly that it's early, partly that it's spring, and partly that I've been dying to post and finally found the time to. :)
Bran and I will be having Christmas by ourselves in Moscow, then we're flying to Maryland on the 28th to see our families. Because we're having our first Christmas with just the two of us, Mom and I have been talking about family traditions and how much fun it is to make your own.
Well, today we had something happen which makes me pray that we don't have a National Lampoon's Christmas.
It all started yesterday afternoon when Jen, Rachel and I came home from Bucers. We walked in the front door, and Tyler immediately says "Don't freak out. There is a squirrel in the fire place, but I've got it under control." So, being the adventurous girls that we are, we all went over to look at the squirrel. So Ty moved the magazine rack (he had put it in front of the fireplace to make sure the squirrel didn't get out - part of his "under control" scheme), and there was nothing there! Ty immediately assured the girls that the squirrel must have climbed back out the chimney (which isn't possible, I'm pretty sure). As soon as the girls were downstairs, he looked at me with a flash of fear in his eyes and said "It must be in the house. Oh crap." And then he went and got a plate with peanut butter on it and put it on the floor. I'm not sure what that was supposed to do.
The night went on, I went to work and came home, and no one had seen any signs of the squirrel, so, I thought, maybe it did somehow get out.
Then, this morning, we all left at 4am to take Ty, Kenny, and some other folks to the airport. When we got home, I was the first one to go inside, and as soon as I opened the door, I saw something shoot across the living room floor and behind the couch. "Good thing Ty had the squirrel under control" I thought. It was about 8:30 and Bran had to work at 9, so we spent the next half hour trying to corner it and force it out the front door, get it with the broom and throw it out the front door, etc., until it finally decided that it liked our artificial christmas tree and refused to be shaken from its branches. At this point Bran was really needing to be leaving for work, and I was tired from the early morning, so he got his BB gun and proceeded to shoot it several times without getting it out. This is amazing, since it was at point-blank range, and Bran is an amazing shot from super far away (as in, he was the best when we all went to the mountain in Oregon and shot clay pigeons with shotguns). So he decided it was time to bring out the big guns. I'm not sure what the other gun was, but he pumped it a lot, which made me concerned for our walls, and then shot the squirrel a bunch more until it fell out of the tree onto my cute silver tree skirt.
A little blood got on the skirt, so Bran threw it in the washer for me. He reassured me, saying "if it doesn't come out clean, we're still keeping it - this will make a great conversation starter."
The confrontation with the squirrel was much like this:
*caution - there's some language.
Once a week our house has what we call "House Dinner". We each take turns cooking, which we divide by floor. (I cook, then Jen and Rachel, and then Tyler. Bran and I count as one, so he gets out of it.) Friday night it was Tyler's turn, so I told him that I would make desert for him, because I've been dying to make Pumpkin Pie. Those pumpkin cupcakes just made me want more! I've also been wanting Bran and I to introduce ourselves to our neighbors across the street, and though that bringing them a pie would be a good way to do so. I also just got a new Taste of Home magazine that had a recipe for Spiced Apple Cider that I had to try, and everyone in our house had also been dying to carve some pumpkins, so we decided to turn house dinner into our "Fall Party" night. We invited Kelly Rhine (he was one of Bran's groomsmen) and Kenny Trovato (went to school with Jen) over, and had a total blast. Ty made some awesome chicken sandwiches and French Onion Soup. After dinner, the girls and Ty decided to practice Face Painting to prepare for the carnival they helped out with on Saturday night. They were awesome! Take note especially of Kenny's "Eyes" done by Tyler. The pies turned out great - I just used the recipe on the canned pumpkin, and then decided to do them in pre-made graham cracker crumb crusts. They were really good, and the cider turned out great! The only thing better than the pie and cider were our pumpkins - enjoy!
First, Rachel drew an elephant rear end on tyler's forehead, in exchange for him getting to help them paint at the carnival.
Then Tyler drew Eyes on top of Kenny's real Eyes.
Our Pumpkins! From the top step down: Kelly's little tiny music notes, Bran's demon (complete with horns! how Martha Stewart of him...), and Kenny's duck. Second step down is Jen's Bear holding a Shark, and mine, which had one angry face, one smiling face, and one face that is puking pumpkin guts. Then on the last step is Tyler's rabbit, and Rachel's awesome city-scape.
After a long night of fun and friends, Bran and I enjoyed the warmth of a fire in our living room.
Mom - I'll post pictures of the pies when I download them!
