Toadfrogs and Elephants

I have put away the Christmas decorations and run my errands for the week. It is time to return to painting the small guest room. As I was looking at my painting supplies I realized you paint too much when:

1.) You have over 8 “good” brushes, 3 small rollers, 2 large rollers, etc.
2.) Your husband gives you an entire corner of the shop for painting supplies.
3.) You have three pairs of paint shoes – two pairs of flip-flops and a closed toe pair.
4.) You have multiple sets of clothes for every season – shorts, jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, socks, etc.

While Melissa was in town over Christmas we had a little fun with the camera. She was wishing my baby bump was bigger.

From the front and then the side:

Due to some odd circumstances (which made a not too happy Holly) my Christmas cards didn’t arrive until the evening of December 23rd. That means nobody got one before Christmas. I did manage to send most of them, but they were all late. Here is a preview:

I think Wade and I are destined to always have grand ideas for Christmas cards, but it never quite works out.

We finished up our Christmas Holidays in Memphis. We had a Christmas breakfast (Wade again got biscuits and gravy) and then had a few more presents. I think the pitch forks were the biggest hit:

We had an early supper at Jean and Jim’s with the Burch family. Wade and Marie always like to clown around:

And no Burch Christmas would be complete without a bag from Tommy Angel (Jean and Jim’s no-longer-living cat) and some random gifts inside:

And of course we had to have a group photo:

Wade and I then loaded up the car and drove to Paducah to spend the night. Tomorrow we are bound for Milwaukee!

Mom and I got ready early for a quick trip to Hancock fabrics. I am trying to find some material for the rocking chair in the nursery. We left Wade at home and he decided to tackle a project – switching out my mother’s outdoor water spouts. He ran into some problems and had to make a couple of trips to Home Depot.

I left Wade hard at work and went to Johnna’s for brunch. Johnna, Jenny, Amy, and I got together and had a nice Christmas morning.

Wade and I spent the rest of the afternoon running errands, eating one last time at El Chico, and then driving to Memphis.

Most of today is spent with Wade’s family. It is very convenient to have his family celebrate Christmas with his grandparents, who also live in Paducah. We arrived in time for Christmas breakfast – with Judy’s awesome coffee cake – and then we moved on to more presents.

Aunt Louise, Papa, and Judy

Early evening we returned to my mom’s house and had our stockings:

I gave Madison a Christmas treat – a ham bone. It turns out I should have monitored her eating a little more closely. When I went to check on her there was only a small fragment of bone left. Hopefully her system can handle all of that…

Wade and I spend two full days (and sometimes more) celebrating Christmas with our three families. Over the years we have formed traditions, which makes it easier to know where to be when.

We always begin the Christmas celebration with my Dad and Laura. We spend the night before Christmas Eve at their house and then have a Christmas morning breakfast. This year Wade and Madison were driving down yesterday from Milwaukee in some of the worst weather imaginable. I think they encountered snow, ice, sleet, and rain. I was very happy to see them arrive and more shocked that they made it to Dad’s house at a reasonable hour. We all slept late and then got up for a wonderful breakfast (Wade’s Christmas wish came true with biscuits and gravy) and then opened some presents.

Next up we spend the afternoon with my mom and open presents there too. I don’t have a picture, but one of my favorite gifts was an old wood table that I can use beside my couch. Too bad Wade didn’t drive down my MDX. His car is going to be really full!

Our evening ends by celebrating Christmas with my mom’s side of the family. Wade had somehow missed that we always have country ham, another one of his favorites.

Addi and Lawren playing Santa

My grandmother has been living in an assisted living facility since my grandfather died a couple of years ago. She is having trouble with her short term memory, but has developed a great sense of humor. My mother often visits in the morning and this conversation took place during one of their morning visits.

My mom entered grandma’s room with a sausage biscuit for grandma and a Diet Coke for herself. Grandma asked for a drink so mom poured her some of the Diet Coke.

Grandma comments, ‘This is some of the worst coffee I have ever had.”
Mom (assuming grandma is a little confused), “Mother, that’s Coke, not coffee.”
Grandma, “Well I know that. But it seems you should have coffee with a biscuit.”

I wonder how many times we assume someone older is confused when they are only making a joke and then how silly they think we are!