The family portion of the holiday was reasonably low key this year (at least for us). My parents arrived around 3pm on the 25th with the u-haul trailer.
Apparently picking up the craig's list bed was a little more of a thing than expected. They got lost and spend 30 min. with the guy on the phone. Then the bed has some minor damage to the trim, causing angst, phonecalls to us, and the swapping of digital pictures. It wouldn't fit in the trailer so they tied it to the top of the minivan, and my dad had to keep stopping and fixing the straps. So my parents are wonderful people and we really really like the bed. We can fix the little damaged parts with a bit of putty and stain so no big deal. It is large, and our room is small so when you look in it screams OMGBED! But since all we do in that room is sleep, bed-focused seems okay.
I expect our furniture to look used and loved rather than perfect anyway. Speaking of, I really like my great-grandparents' dresser set which I hadn't seen in person before they brought it. It's really lovely although also a little worn and scratched (and none of us can figure out why my grandmother insisted on putting plants on every surface so there are a plant rings on the tops, but my mom brought doileys. But then this is the grandmother who never cleaned out/deep cleaned her house for 40 years).
So Friday involved a lot of disassembling/reassembling/assembling of furniture as well as unpacking and moving. There are probably some families who can do this without any yelling or snapping. That is not us, but it all worked out.
I blanked on the idea of Christmas dinner so I hadn't planned. Based on what we had in the house we had homemade bean soup and a spinach salad with bacon vinagrette. It was just the four of us and I used a nice embroidered tablecloth from my MIL and our wedding china so at least it looked festive. Afterwards mom, dad, and I went to DC to my uncle's to visit with some extended family while D. stayed home to do the dishes.
Saturday we drove down to my sister's. Baby Jacob is tons of fun. At 9 months he is cruising around holding on to couches, tables, people's hands or legs, furniture that might fall down on him, whatever. He will take 1-4 steps unaided if properly motivated. Apparently it is normal for babies this age to not quite be crawling yet so we think that he is a genius. He can also babble dadadadada and my sister is working on mamamamama. Mostly he is great because he is so happy about everything! Happy to see you, if you clap, if you talk to him, if you pick him up, if you play, if you read books, if he rides in his toy car, gripping the steering wheel, if we go out with the stroller, if the dogs walk by, if you change his clothes, if he can take a bath, if you pour water over his head, if he's eating (breastmilk or some solids), if there is any food he might be able to grab, if he's drinking from his sippy cup (which he grabs and violently puts in his mouth like he's never had water ever), etc. He is one happy guy.
My family is insane with the presents, even though there were only 7 of us this year instead of the usual 12-17. Items ranged from the practical: shirts, laser pointers, a cast iron casserole (this is awesome, I've wanted one for forever) to the pretty (D. got me a nice necklace, my mom got us highball glasses in our crystal pattern). Also lots of handmade stuff: my mom gave me mittens made out of a sweater (really warm), my uncle (a woodworker) made my sister and I birdhouses (we both bought houses this year). My cousins who are moving to AZ gave us all framed photos of landscapes, flora, and fauna, near their new house.
Some of the most meaningful this year were things from my grandmother's house, including an angel made of my grandparents' handkerchiefs (this is prettier than it sounds), and a framed piece of my grandmother's embroidery (she did a lot of handwork, we all have afghans of hers from various events, graduations, weddings, etc.). My sister and I divided up doilies, and glass christmas ornaments.
We received 1950s instruction booklets, that were originally part of some Encyclopedia Britannica set?. I got "Parties...fun for everyone" and "Homemakers" (cute, mom). My sister got "Making Things" and something else. My mom gave us each a selection of vintage aprons. My grandmother always wore an apron in the kitchen and when they were kids my mom and aunts would sew aprons for fun(?). This also included my aunt's 1960s McDonald's apron that she never returned to her 1st job. My mom brought us all our childhood ornaments from her house too.
(FYI my grandmother is still alive, she's in a nursing facility with very advanced dementia and/or alzheimer's, she doesn't recognize us anymore. She would never let anyone take anything from her house, even family stuff that it would have been nice for my mom and aunts to have, like stuff from their childhood. This fall they've begun the gargantuan task of cleaning out her house. My aunt, who cared for my grandmother for many years, is still living there and wants to do some updating.)
Okay I need to write down who all the furniture is from before I forget. (This is for my records more than y'all).
-dresser set: great-grandparents Linton (maternal grandmother's parents)
-cedar chest: great-grandma Widmer (paternal grandfather's step-mom)
-rocking chair and stool: Aunt Lana
-bookcase: grammie and grandpa K.
-guest bedroom headboard: grammie and grandpa K. (from their guest bedroom)
-nightstand: made by Uncle Ted for me for my (highschool?) graduation
-sewing machine: great-grammie Linton
a 1969 singer, my mom is going to come and show me how it works, even though we have the original instruction booklet. "Sewing machines last forever" she said. It has my grandmother's pincushion in the drawer, when my mom showed me, she started crying. :(
Sunday I baked biscotti (a Christmas gift for my uncle, my parents are spending the week in VA, then driving to the Upper Valley to have Christmas there), while D. hung out on the couch and watched SGA eps on hulu. D. and I got home Sunday night. A nice, short visit with plenty, but not too much, family time.
This week![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bayleaf and I are heading to tribecon and then on our New England roadtrip. :)
Apparently picking up the craig's list bed was a little more of a thing than expected. They got lost and spend 30 min. with the guy on the phone. Then the bed has some minor damage to the trim, causing angst, phonecalls to us, and the swapping of digital pictures. It wouldn't fit in the trailer so they tied it to the top of the minivan, and my dad had to keep stopping and fixing the straps. So my parents are wonderful people and we really really like the bed. We can fix the little damaged parts with a bit of putty and stain so no big deal. It is large, and our room is small so when you look in it screams OMGBED! But since all we do in that room is sleep, bed-focused seems okay.
I expect our furniture to look used and loved rather than perfect anyway. Speaking of, I really like my great-grandparents' dresser set which I hadn't seen in person before they brought it. It's really lovely although also a little worn and scratched (and none of us can figure out why my grandmother insisted on putting plants on every surface so there are a plant rings on the tops, but my mom brought doileys. But then this is the grandmother who never cleaned out/deep cleaned her house for 40 years).
So Friday involved a lot of disassembling/reassembling/assembling of furniture as well as unpacking and moving. There are probably some families who can do this without any yelling or snapping. That is not us, but it all worked out.
I blanked on the idea of Christmas dinner so I hadn't planned. Based on what we had in the house we had homemade bean soup and a spinach salad with bacon vinagrette. It was just the four of us and I used a nice embroidered tablecloth from my MIL and our wedding china so at least it looked festive. Afterwards mom, dad, and I went to DC to my uncle's to visit with some extended family while D. stayed home to do the dishes.
Saturday we drove down to my sister's. Baby Jacob is tons of fun. At 9 months he is cruising around holding on to couches, tables, people's hands or legs, furniture that might fall down on him, whatever. He will take 1-4 steps unaided if properly motivated. Apparently it is normal for babies this age to not quite be crawling yet so we think that he is a genius. He can also babble dadadadada and my sister is working on mamamamama. Mostly he is great because he is so happy about everything! Happy to see you, if you clap, if you talk to him, if you pick him up, if you play, if you read books, if he rides in his toy car, gripping the steering wheel, if we go out with the stroller, if the dogs walk by, if you change his clothes, if he can take a bath, if you pour water over his head, if he's eating (breastmilk or some solids), if there is any food he might be able to grab, if he's drinking from his sippy cup (which he grabs and violently puts in his mouth like he's never had water ever), etc. He is one happy guy.
My family is insane with the presents, even though there were only 7 of us this year instead of the usual 12-17. Items ranged from the practical: shirts, laser pointers, a cast iron casserole (this is awesome, I've wanted one for forever) to the pretty (D. got me a nice necklace, my mom got us highball glasses in our crystal pattern). Also lots of handmade stuff: my mom gave me mittens made out of a sweater (really warm), my uncle (a woodworker) made my sister and I birdhouses (we both bought houses this year). My cousins who are moving to AZ gave us all framed photos of landscapes, flora, and fauna, near their new house.
Some of the most meaningful this year were things from my grandmother's house, including an angel made of my grandparents' handkerchiefs (this is prettier than it sounds), and a framed piece of my grandmother's embroidery (she did a lot of handwork, we all have afghans of hers from various events, graduations, weddings, etc.). My sister and I divided up doilies, and glass christmas ornaments.
We received 1950s instruction booklets, that were originally part of some Encyclopedia Britannica set?. I got "Parties...fun for everyone" and "Homemakers" (cute, mom). My sister got "Making Things" and something else. My mom gave us each a selection of vintage aprons. My grandmother always wore an apron in the kitchen and when they were kids my mom and aunts would sew aprons for fun(?). This also included my aunt's 1960s McDonald's apron that she never returned to her 1st job. My mom brought us all our childhood ornaments from her house too.
(FYI my grandmother is still alive, she's in a nursing facility with very advanced dementia and/or alzheimer's, she doesn't recognize us anymore. She would never let anyone take anything from her house, even family stuff that it would have been nice for my mom and aunts to have, like stuff from their childhood. This fall they've begun the gargantuan task of cleaning out her house. My aunt, who cared for my grandmother for many years, is still living there and wants to do some updating.)
Okay I need to write down who all the furniture is from before I forget. (This is for my records more than y'all).
-dresser set: great-grandparents Linton (maternal grandmother's parents)
-cedar chest: great-grandma Widmer (paternal grandfather's step-mom)
-rocking chair and stool: Aunt Lana
-bookcase: grammie and grandpa K.
-guest bedroom headboard: grammie and grandpa K. (from their guest bedroom)
-nightstand: made by Uncle Ted for me for my (highschool?) graduation
-sewing machine: great-grammie Linton
a 1969 singer, my mom is going to come and show me how it works, even though we have the original instruction booklet. "Sewing machines last forever" she said. It has my grandmother's pincushion in the drawer, when my mom showed me, she started crying. :(
Sunday I baked biscotti (a Christmas gift for my uncle, my parents are spending the week in VA, then driving to the Upper Valley to have Christmas there), while D. hung out on the couch and watched SGA eps on hulu. D. and I got home Sunday night. A nice, short visit with plenty, but not too much, family time.
This week
bayleaf and I are heading to tribecon and then on our New England roadtrip. :)