Christmas Meltdown

Can I be honest? I don't really like Christmas. Oh, I like the idea of Christmas, and I have some wonderful Christmas memories, but Christmas has become characterized by insane rushing about, trying to meet everyone's expectations of what they want Christmas to be. And it all leaves me exhausted and discouraged. And this year add sick to the list. I have a heck of a cold, and I just want to crawl in bed and sleep until the New Year.

But Hannah (and others) look forward to the one day each year when I actually make cookies the real way...by pulling out the flour and sugar and butter and the humongous Kitchen Aid mixer. So we started the cookies tonight. So far they are a disappointment. The Giradelli cookie mix I bought (OK, so I cheated a little) created little piles of crumbs that, while they taste good, won't hold together for anything. The spritz cookie press yielded misshapen trees and stars, all with red sprinkles for consistency (I honestly thought I put one each of the green and red sprinkles in my grocery cart!) So with flour and red sprinkles covering every surface of our kitchen, and with no supper for the kids served yet (does cookie dough count for supper?) I've called it a night. Hannah still wants to make cut out, frosted cookies tomorrow. I just don't know if I have it in me.

Tomorrow is our annual seafood dinner - a tradition that started when Mom first served breaded shrimp on Christmas Eve when I was a kid. This year David has requested lobster tail. Dream on. Christmas presents are opened after church - not one is wrapped yet. Tonight I see lines of cars inching slowly through our neighborhood, looking at the Christmas lights. Are their cookies all done? Are their gifts all wrapped? I'm jealous that I don't have time to enjoy such simple luxuries.

So I'm feeling a bit Scroogish right now. I'm sure a good night sleep will help. A Carribean cruise would cure it for sure. I can definitely understand those who skip town and let someone else do the work for them in some Swiss chalet or on a Hawaiian beach. But somehow the thought of Christmas anywhere other than in snow-covered Iowa doesn't seem right. Even with all the craziness and stress.

Jesus said, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28. Here's to finding some Christ in your Christmas.

Christmas Count Down

Every year it seems to get worse. December careens by like a runaway train down a mountain. And here we are...three days before Christmas (because everyone knows that Christmas Eve is really the big day.) I'm so sick of everyone asking, in that polite "I don't really care" voice, "So, are you ready for Christmas?"! The answer is always "No, but it will come whether I'm ready or not." And I'm definitely NOT ready!

I have been attempting to slow down just a bit. It's hard. But I've found that forcing myself to take one photo per day - no matter now mundane the topic - has allowed me to stop for just a second, or a minute, and enjoy something. I'm planning to put them all together in a scrapbook that will be titled, simply, "31 Days." Here are a few highlights.













This weekend was our annual Schmitt family Christmas gathering, so that is one big hurdle jumped. We missed Warren because of blizzard conditions in northwest Iowa, but otherwise it was a wonderful time. As always, those cousins provided enough entertainment for all. Merry Christmas!

The wrestling season has begun!

I know it's hard to tell, but that is David's purple butt in this photo. The Des Moines Register's caption under the photo reads "At 140 lbs. North/Hoover's Juwan Parrish got the victory over Johnston's David Miedema." Now, is it just me, or does anyone else have an overwhelming urge to twist young Juwan's thumb right off? I mean, isn't there some rule about excessive celebration? This may sound a bit like maternal sour grapes, but I get pretty passionate about sportsmanship. And from my vantage point, this doesn't look like great sportsmanship.

David may have lost on Thursday, but he won 1 of 3 matches on Saturday. Not the strongest start to the season, but hey, he's only a sophomore, and there's a lot of season left. Go Miedema!

December Sky

We were treated to a rare and beautiful sight tonight as a sliver of the moon joined Venus and Jupiter in the southwest sky. Serving as the backdrop for our increasingly festive neighborhood, the view was awe-inspiring. This conjunction apparently will not happen again for 50 years, at which time, as Hannah reminded me, I will be “only 99 years old.” I’m looking forward to it!

Thanks. Given.

This is the view we woke up to this morning. Why does the first snow always catch me off guard? I mean, it's not like this is somehow a random, freak event that has never before occured at the end of November in the midwest. But somehow I'm never ready. The Christmas lights aren't up yet, for Pete's sake!

But before we jump into that frenzied season that I find myself dreading more and more each year, I'd like to stop and relive the past few days. Not everyone was here this year, but those who were did it right, I think. Here's a recap of just a few of the things that thanks was given for:

Lucy, Mom, Dad, brothers, house, food, cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents - Hannah
Friends, food, cool games, awesome cousins, etc. - Rachel
My family - Rebecca
My DS - Carli


That during these economically poor times, our family is not struggling - Sheila


Both Dan & I being gainfully employed; healthy and beautiful girls; wonderful report cards from school - Sharon.


A home, a job, and my family - Al
My family's health - Dan


The memory of Mama Nell, and the realization of how much she prepared me for this time in my life - Papa


The incredible work that God is doing changing lives in downtown Des Moines, and my incredible family - Darrin.

Yes, there is much to be thankful for.

The Music in.......We

I've never considered us to be a musical family. While both Al and I played in our high school bands - he played trombone and I played french horn - neither of us could probably squeak out a note today. I took 6 years of piano lessons, and retained about 6 months worth. And singers we definitely are not! Which is why it is so amazing to see half of our offspring demonstrate some real musical aptitude.

This has been a music month. It started with Hannah's very first band concert. She is playing clarinet and has progressed nicely beyond the squeaks and squeals of the first weeks of practice. I was a dutiful parent and carried my camera along to capture the event, only to find that I had left the battery at home in the charger! So, we'll just have to treasure that memory in our minds. This past week, however, I managed to actually capture her signing a solo in her fall chorus concert.



And just last night Hannah played a fun little number titled "Jukebox Boogie" at the annual Fun Fest recital. Papa came along and was so proud of his granddaughter!



And we have no idea where Darrin's talent came from! I know I'm biased, but he just keeps getting better! This past week he coordinated all of the music for Walnut Creek Community Church's annual Celebration Sunday. He was so stressed out that he got sick (either that or he got sick and it added to the stress of the whole thing.) But this morning over 800 people were inspired by music that ranged from a choir singing How Great Thou Art to a rockin' rendition of My God is an Awesome God. It was flawless, and I was incredibly proud. Again, no photos of today's event, but here's a picture taken earlier this fall at a church retreat.



Music definitely has the power to energize or calm, encourage or depress, teach, touch, and heal. Find some music to minister to your soul today.

There were no Jack-O-Lanterns at our house this year...

It was kind of sad, but it appears that we are at the cusp of letting go of Halloween traditions. Oh, Hannah still participated, but she was more interested in getting together with her friend than in the whole carving and costume thing. So we dropped her off at another neighborhood (sigh) and the rest of us went to the Urban Grill (yes, we ate at a restaurant on Beggar's Night!) to celebrate Darrin's and Chris' birthdays. Wyatt made it clear he had absolutely no interest whatsoever in trick-or-treating.

So, since I have no photos of the carved masterpieces this year, I decided to take a trip down memory lane and enjoy a few photos from years past....
Happy Halloween.

David in 2002


2003


David, Hannah and Wyatt in 2004


Pumpkin guts 2005


Hannah and Wyatt Trick-or-Treating 2005


Hannah 2006


Dorothy and the ghoul 2006


The Piratess 2007

Get Ready to Laugh!

I stumbled upon a website I've never seen before. It's called Yearbook Yourself. Here's the website: http://yearbookyourself.com/. You can select from all sorts of vintage hairdos and superimpose a photo of yourself (or even your sister!) I hope you laugh as hard as I did, because we all know that laughter is good for the soul. One could probably argue that I obviously have too much time on my hands, except you all know that isn't true. This is therapy, pure and simple. It's either this or a shrink.


Now take a deep breath....

Okay, now. All things considered, this one isn’t that bad. I like the whole Angie Dickinson effect. It looks good on Sharon. The haircut’s cute, the color’s good…

I think this one should be named Mildred, or perhaps Myrtle. She's the spinster librarian.



Oh, Lord. Please help us. This is Miss McGillicutty, and she had one too many Gimlets last night. The school board is writing her up for a standards violation. The lush.

Here we are, ready for a photo shoot at Glamour Shots. She was all set to enter the beauty pagent, until she had to have that emergency oral surgery.

Now, this one is the long lost, never before seen, senior prom picture that Sharon carefully hid. The humidity was so bad that day...It's a shame. But what a great tan!

OK, Sheila, you don't get off the hook so easily....

The really scary thing is Sheila actually looks pretty good in the vintage 1964 glasses. I mean, how photogenic can you be? It's not fair! I'd look worse then McGillicutty (sorry, Sharon!)

But the Angie Dickinson look? Not so good...

Now THIS is a look you should have tried! Karen Carpenter on steroids!

I think I've seen this one before...somewhere around 1990.

Yikes! A couple of bleached stripes and we'd have the Bride of Frankenstein!

All in good fun, my beloved sisters. Right?

They're Here!

Actually, these visitors are here around all year long, but once the field is cleared in the fall we can see them so much better. These not-so-timid creatures will feast on the leftovers of the harvest all winter long, often wandering into our back yard and nibbling on our bushes and the remnants of our garden. This past Thursday I counted 27 as I crept quietly into the field to capture a few photos. There were 4 bucks toward the back of the herd. Of course, they would tolerate only so much of me before they got skiddish and leaped back into the treeline, white tails high.

I'm Afraid It's Contagious!

This is a shameless scraplift of a page done by Jessica Sprague over at www.jessicasprague.com. Click on the picture if you want to read what it says.

Scenes from My Back Yard

This is a rare sight in most metropolitan areas. But one of the things I love most about where I live is the ability to look just beyond my back yard and see an active Iowa farm. Some years this field grows corn, but this year soybeans were the crop sown. Each spring we look on as the farmer plants the crop and watch eagerly as the tiny plants emerge to see whether it will be corn or beans (we like corn the best only because it provides a tall, green fence along our back yard.) Then we monitor the growth of the crop all summer, hoping the farmer avoids our garden as he sprays for weeds. We are entranced by the fireflies that hover above the field on hot summer days, and watch as green turns to yellow and brown as the days shorten. Then one day we come home from school or work or church to find the field barren - the harvest completed. This year we were fortunate to see the harvest in progress. With a combine of this size, it takes about four hours to clear the field. I think back to the combine my father used to harvest oats on our farm. It was much smaller; and it took much longer to complete the work. He rode in open air and scorching sun rather than a climate controlled cab. And what you can't see in this picture is that the driver of this monstrous machine is a woman - something nearly unheard of when I was growing up on a farm.
We're definitely living in a different time, but the connection with the land remains strong in Iowa - even in the biggest city in the state. I don't expect that this will always be the view from my back yard. Someday soon this field will probably be replaced by office buildings or restaurants or stores. So until then I will make it a point to treasure it. I'll relish the connections this makes for me between old and new, between childhood and adulthood, between rural and urban, and between two homes - one present and one left behind.

Football Friday Night

It was a gorgeous night for football! David was finally freed from his "academic ineligibility" and started at free safety, a position that is new for him. (His 140 lb. frame is no long D Line material.) He did a great job, getting several tackles that necessitated a conversation with the announcer to correct the pronunciation of our last name (thanks, Cyndi Winterbottom!) Papa, Chris and Darrin all joined us. The sophomores lost their game, but the varsity team soundly spanked their Southeast Polk opponents. The Johnston Dragons now remain as the only undefeated team in our conference! Go Dragons!





And just because every now and then I surprise myself by taking a photo that is actually pretty good, I'm including this silly picture of Lucy, who recently cleaned out a yogurt carton with her tongue. Her fur is matted and sticking straight out, and she looks so ridiculous (in a cute way!) I couldn't resist taking a few photos of this silly girl!

Hair

If you haven't seen Darrin in awhile, he's sporting a new hairstyle. Or perhaps more accurately, he's neglected his hair altogether! (In case you didn't know, you can click on any of these images to look at them more closely.) We've decided he looks very much like this famous person - is anyone old enough to remember who this is?Hey, hey, it's a Monkee! Peter Tork to be exact. I should know, 'cuz I had a big crush on him when I was, oh 9 or 10 years old. Don't you think there's a striking resemblence? All we need is some sideburns and a few strands of those beads....

Urban Farm Boy

This is, without a doubt, the fundamental difference between men and women. Al willingly, no eagerly, posed for this photo. He looks hot and he knows it. (The definition of the word hot is left to the reader.) These are his official "farming" duds. No overalls for this stud farmer! No, he wears athletic shorts, tennis shoes, and leather gloves. A shirt is an unnecessary hindrance. Sunscreen? Ha! He laughs in the face of UV rays!

Had the camera been pointed at me (and most women I know) I would have run so fast I'd be in the next county by now.

Here are the prize pumpkins that our studly farmer has just harvested. We have a bumper crop (at least 15) this year! The fruits of the summer's labors - watering, hoeing, and carefully turning each pumpkin over regularly so that the sun hits all sides - are finally paying off. And with the price of a pumpkin at $3.99 at HyVee, it looks like this farmer may have finished in the black this year!

First Date

Here are the promised Homecoming photos. David's first date. From the looks of things, I'm guessing that this was the first date for several of these boys. This photo is deceptive. Believe me, these boys were not as polished and composed as they look here. The girls were another story altogether. Their plans were perfectly coordinated, their outfits, shoes and makeup expertly applied (though I must admit some surprise at how "mature" some of them looked.)

Here's a photo of David with his date, Lexi. They are adorable, no? Isn't it amazing how their outfits coordinate perfectly? No coincidence. Lexi took total control, instructing David what to wear, what the corsage should look like, what time to be where. Maybe it's a good thing...David would probably have worn khaki shorts otherwise. I hear they had fun. David said the steak at Cuci Cucina was great, but "real expensive" (thanks to 80 bucks provided by mom.) He tells me he actually danced. But I'm guessing the best part was flopping with his guy friends all night over at the Bruckshaw's.

Lest we lose perspective on this entire event by focusing on the dresses, dancing, flowers and food, take a look at the photos above, taken not quite two years apart. Holy crap!! Look what a mere two years does to a kid! I nearly had to beat him to wear a tie borrowed from dad for his fall band concert two years ago; this year he wants the most expensive tie he can find! Two years ago girls were totally gross; this year, well....

He's obviously got a little more growing up to do, but if these last two years are any indication it may come fast. And I can't wait....maybe....