Traditions

Can you believe that Holidays are just around the corner? When did that happen? While I am a bit paniced at the thought of all that is going to need to be done, I am also very excited about all the little traditions that my family will be able to start back up again.
With 7 children, Craig and I have tried to keep certain Holiday Traditions alive and well. Our traditions aren't anything to write home about but they are ours. The best part about them is how the children look forward to them.
There is the Ice Cream Punch. Nicholas and Helen would cry if we didn't have this. Melissa begs for her Sweet Potato Bake. Candace craves Dark Chocolate Cheesecake. Deborah is pretty simple, she wants Corn. Matthew is the bread man and CJ asks for Pumpkin Pie.
Last night as we sat at the table and discussed Thanksgiving Dinner the children made sure to remind their Dad about the making of the stuffing. You're thinking, 'Big Deal', right? Well, in this house it is. It is a major deal .
Every year about a week before Thanksgiving Craig makes a trip to the Bakery Department of the local grocery store. He buys 20 or so loaves of French Bread. Once the French Bread is home, Craig proceeds to sit the bread out so that it can go stale. The day before Thanksgiving he and the children gather in the kitchen and tear each one of those loaves into bite size pieces. The bread is soaked in water, then more of less 'wrung out', then seasoned and stuffed into the Turkey. There is also a large portion placed in a separate dish because you can never make too much stuffing!
While it doesn't sound like anything a child would look forward to, our children would not let Thanksgiving happen if they didn't get that time with Dad in the kitchen the day before the big celebration.
It's also a special time for Craig as this was something his own Grandmother did for him. A simple tradition but a tradition that has spanned many years and has now become a part of our own children's lives.
I would feel a bit remiss, if I didn't mention the 'Opening of the Traditional Christmas Eve Gift'. Every one of us remembers opening one present on Christmas Eve. It was probably a way for our parents to pacify us. To get us to go to bed so that 'Santa' could get busy putting the bikes together. We basically do the same thing with our children but each year the gift is the same.
This tradition spans at least 25 yrs. It started with our Helen and still after all these years, there is always excitement in the air. That Christmas Eve gift is opened and to the children's surprise (NOT!), It's "Christmas Pajamas!!!!"
Yep, Pajamas, PJ's, Jammies.  I still remember the first pair I ever bought. They were Carters Footie Pajamas with little Snowbears on them. Helen was adorable and every Christmas Eve since, she and all her siblings have received the same gift the day before Christmas.  No one gets matching pajamas. Everyone's PJ's are matched by personality and the amount of flannel they can handle, LOL. The only thing they have in common is the Christmas Theme.  The best part is seeing their faces light up as they put the Pajamas on and model them for Mom and Dad.
As the children have gotten older, a lot has changed. Helen is in California, CJ is off living his life and the 5 still at home are getting older and soon will be thinking about living their own lives. It is because of this that Craig and I have worked hard at continuing all of this. We want all of the children to look back and know, that they were the center of our Holidays and more importantly, the center of our lives.
So, as I start writing lists. Looking at magazines for new ideas. Thinking that I am not doing anything right, there will be a part of me that knows, that no matter how crazy it gets there will be those times when I will be able to sit and watch new memories being created.

It's Fall!

Fall is my favorite Season. It tends to bring out my childish side. I love the whole idea of Fall. The cooler weather. The beautiful colors. Pumpkins, hayrides, cider, Scarecrow's, it seems to bring a smile to everyone's face. I want to decorate! I want to buy gords and pumpkins and a bale of hay! I want to sit on the patio all morning with a cup of coffee and do absolutely nothing. I want to buy Candy Corn and play in the leaves that have fallen from the trees.
Fall is an awakening of sorts. It is our goodbye to Summer. A  'So-Long' to the heat and the always running Air-Conditioner. Fall allows you to open all your windows and sit in the livingroom taking in the breezes that blow through your house. The crisp air of Fall gives you an excuse to bring out your comfie blankets and snuggle up on the couch with your honey.
I think of my mother in the Fall. She loved the smell of the burning leaves. In the fall our neighbors as well as ourselves, would rake the leaves into a pile and instead of putting them in a garbage bag (I don't think they even existed) or garbage cans, everyone would set their leaves on fire. The leaves were always damp from the morning dew so instead of a complete burn, the leaves would smolder instead sending streams of smoke throughout the neighborhood. I can still hear my Mother saying "I love that smell. It is the first sign of Fall." This makes me believe that my love for Fall comes naturally. Like my Mother, there are smells of Fall that you can't compare to any other holiday.
I welcome Fall with open arms. I say hello to the colder air and the comfie blankets. Bring on the Pumpkins and the Bales of Hay. Remind us Fall, of Childhood memories and the precious smell of smoldering leaves.