Christmas Party

There is nothing like a Christmas party to get you in the mood for Christmas. L.O.L. It's definitely a challenge to get everyone to smile for the camera at the same time.

Grant and Franklin stop to pose for a picture in front of the house where the party was given. We couldn't get the littlest brother to cooperate. Oh well.

In a rare moment, I was able to get Scott to pose for the camera, without sticking his tongue out at me. Of course, Amanda looks beautiful, as usual.

The folks that gave the party had decked there house from top to bottom with beautiful trees in both the living room and den. There were nutcrackers galore, a little Christmas village adorning the sideboard in the dining room and a kitchen overflowing with delicious treats for children and adults alike. Hot cider and hot chocolate warmed the guests as they came in from the cold.

The host and hostess had hired a gentleman to give us all a ride on a horse drawn wagon through one of Bakersfield's most beautifully decorated neighborhoods. A couple of the little girls had really been practicing their Christmas carols, because they were sure to belt out those tunes with gusto.

The neighborhood that we lived in when our girls were growing up used to have the same kind of Christmas party every year. It was wonderful to see our grandsons enjoy seeing all the lights the way their mommy and aunties did when they were little.

Faith's First Birthday

This is my niece Penny, her husband Christian and their baby, Faith.

These days, when it comes to a little girl's birthday, it's all about the cupcakes.

Smiling above is Penny and Christian's little princess, Faith.

Faith's first birthday was the perfect opportunity for me to get a visit with my youngest daughter, Lindsay.

Faith is my niece Penny's firstborn daughter. She was born December 19th, 2007. Penny and her husband Christian invited friends and family to come and celebrate their baby's first milestone, so I packed up the car on Friday and headed north to San Francisco, where I picked up my daughter Lindsay and attended the party on Saturday.

There are so many firsts in life to celebrate and a baby's first birthday is certainly one of them.

For Christian and Penny celebrating their daughter's first birthday is only one in a long list of firsts they will celebrate, so why not do it with cupcakes?

Faith already had her first Christmas when she was just six days old. There will be the first time she starts school, the first car, the first boyfriend, the first kiss, the first job, and a zillion other firsts. Every moment of little Faith's life will be cherished as evidenced by all the love that filled the room, where grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends gathered together to celebrate Faith's special day. It was a joy to be a part of it.

Happy Birthday, Faith!

Penance

Today was pretty much an ordinary day. Wednesday is the day I get my hair done, run errands, have coffee with my girlfriends and today was no exception, except that is was exceptionally cold and wintry. I got my hair done and then I went to the grocery store to pick up some things we needed for the holidays. When I got home I noticed that the Christmas lights weren't on and when I entered the house the entry light wouldn't come on. This is not the first time this has happened. My poor husband was bound for the dog house. He had forgotten to pay the electric bill, apparently for a few months, and not because there wasn't enough money in the bank, he was just too preoccupied with working on his jeep to remember. Needless to say, PG&E decided to turn off the juice. Of course, I was irritated and was planning on letting him know right away, while I still looked like the dragon lady with my breath coming from my mouth, visible in our freezing cold house.

There was a note on the door from PG&E telling me the bill had to be paid by 3:00 or it wouldn't be turned back on until tomorrow. Of course, You know Who, was at work and unable to take care of it, and You know Who (that's right, me) was going to have to drive down and pay that bill, and not for the first time, mind you. The way I figured, I was getting taken out to dinner. Well, I guess I have that man well trained because he came home with a box of See's truffles in hand. He had to wait in long line at See's to get that candy. He hates long lines, but the way he figured it, he deserved his rightful penance. He already knew we'd be eating out, but he thought he'd sweeten the deal.

Of course the dragon lady put him to work in the garage doing laundry after she was properly fed and sweetened. Isn't that smile he has on his face cute? Who could resist? He's been forgiven.

Christmas with Mom and Nonie

It's been 31 years since I've had a Christmas with my sister Nonie and it's the second Christmas without my mother. It never really gets easier.

Christmas was always a big deal when I was growing up. Of course, for children, that goes without saying.

The photo above is the first Christmas I remember celebrating in Los Angeles after my parents divorced. I know there must have been a couple more, but from the looks of this photo, I must have been about five. None of us look terribly happy in this picture. I don't remember exactly what was happening or who was taking the picture when this photo was shot, still, it makes sense that we might not have been that happy. It takes awhile, maybe forever, for children to get over a divorce. Nonetheless, my mother always did her very best to celebrate life and every special occasion.

Because of my mother's own family traditions, we always opened our gifts on Christmas eve, after a midnight candlelight service. Maybe that's it, maybe we were just tired from staying up so late when the photo was taken. L.O.L.

No matter how little money my mother had, the tree was always beautifully decorated, the house always smelled wonderful (she was a terrific cook), and there were always toys and gifts under the tree. She never failed to surprise us. We ate our dinner by candlelight, listened to the Christmas music that permeated our home and we savoured every moment. I am amazed when I think about how she must have made that all happen by herself, in a foreign country, with her family of origin so far away.

My sister Nonie and I were close sisters, but more that that, we were best friends. We relyed on each other and that never changed as we got older. In some ways, I felt like I had two mothers.
Nonie was always very protective of me and, of course, she liked to boss me around too, and she could do it. I worshipped her. I remember one Christmas all she wanted was a football. She beg-ged Mom. I'm sure my mother thought that football was not a sport for a young lady. However much Mom thought that football was for boys, there was a football waiting for Nonie under the tree.

I know my Nonie must have pulled some strings in heaven so that I would live next to my eldest daughter, because living next to each other was always Nonie's and my personal dream. We wanted to have our babies together and live next to each other. She did live right in the next apartment from me for awhile but never got to have babies of her own. She always loved my girls and treasured her time with them, as if they were her own. When she passed away I thought God would probably put her to work in baby heaven, because she loved babies so much.

I know both my mother and my sister are watching over me and I will see them again in the hereafter, but I miss them like crazy!

A Committment to Exercise

A year ago on December 19th I made a committment to exercise, at least four to five days a week. I am so proud to say I have kept my committment. I needed to know that I could really make a change in my life. I've tried before and had some success, but I've also had things happen that have stopped me in my tracks. The picture above is the dvd that I have been using.

A couple of years ago I was about three weeks into the program when I fell, while exercising, and broke my ankle, needing surgery, a plate and sixteen screws to put me back together. Needless to say, it was a long time before I could try again. My husband really didn't want me doing this particular dvd again, because it was while doing this particular dvd that I fell. Still, I really loved the way I felt when using this tool, so I decided to get back on the horse, so to speak.

One year later I am still working out. I must say, that though you may not notice the changes I've made, I have dropped a size and I am so much more flexible and strong, and I have more energy to boot. More than anything else, I have proven to myself that with baby steps it is possible for me to change.The photo below is the room in which I exercise. This room has become a sanctuary of sorts for me. It is the room I use to take care of me. It is the room in which I have changed the picture of who I am, at least in my head. It is the room in which I dare to dream of a better version of me. It is the room I plan on using to set new goals in.




Life has a way of challenging us every step of the way. I want to meet those challenges with faith and grace. I want to meet life head on, welcoming all that life has to offer.

I read somewhere "never, never, never give up!'. This has become my very own motto.

The Twelve Days of Christmas, Bakersfield Style

My sister in-law Sherree invited Amanda & me to join her and her husband at a church Christmas program sponsored by her church junior high department. It was an evening of dinner, music and fun put on to benefit the youth programs.

My mother in-law came along, as did my sister in-law's long time friends Bill & Helen. Unfortunately, not all my pictures turned out.

Fred and Sherree hosted a table and shared the fun with Amanda and me.

One of our favorite parts of the program is when the audience was led in a revised rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas, Bakersfield style:

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
One ticket into Rabobank for free
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Two shopping malls,
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Three oil rigs,
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Four pairs of boots,
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Five foggy days,
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Six Condor tickets,
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Seven redneck cowboys,
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Eight blazing hot days,
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Nne cotton trailers,
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Ten Roadrunners dribbling,
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Eleven John Deere tractors,
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Twelve Walmart shoppers

Of course I had to come up with a Beverly Hills version of the Twelve Days of Christmas, this time we will start on the twelfth day:

Twelve boutique hotels,

Eleven Cartier watches,

Ten Mercedez humming,

Nine celebrity attorneys,

Eight trips to Paris,

Seven French maids,

Six swimming pools,

Five Tiffany rings,

Four pairs of Monolos,

Three ipods,

Two plastic surgeons,

And the papparazi in a pear tree.

Where the Magic Happens

Cookies are the magic of Christmas in my household and the magic is a messy job, at least for me. Isn't that the way it is for everyone? L.O.L.


This is where the magic happens at my house. I have not perfected my sugar cookie technique the way my friend Susan has, but I do make a valiant effort.

Though they aren't the prettiest cookies -- or maybe I should say weren't the prettiest cookies, as they've all been devoured -- they were delicious. There are a few of us who are going to have sugar hangovers tomorrow. It's a nasty job, but someone has to do it.


Let the baking begin and welcome the magic!

Cous Cous Anyone?

A very long time ago, my husband began buying pre-prepared cous-cous at Trader Joe's. He was taking it to work for lunch everyday, despite his co-workers teasing him relentlessly. "Is that all you eat for lunch?" they would say. "Pretty much," he would reply.

My daughter overheard him tell his cous-cous story and she told him he should have me make it for him. "It's so cheap to make, Mom", she said, "and so easy." I thought I was doing well to go to the store and buy him the ready made kind, but then after giving it some thought, I decided to try. Wow! It couldn't have been simpler, and much better than the store bought kind, if I do say so myself.

If you can't eat wheat, you can subsitute the cous-cous with Quinoa.

All you do is add one cup of lemon juice to one cup of chicken broth and six tablespoons of olive oil and bring it to a boil, add two cups of dry cous-cous to the boiling liquid, turn the flame off, cover with a lid and let sit for 5 minutes. That's right, just five minutes and it's done. Then the fun part begins. You can literally add everything you like, except the kitchen sink.


I like to rinse canned black beans in a strainer and canned corn, as well, and add it to the cooked cous-cous. I chop red, yellow & orange peppers (one of each) and add them next. I add a small jar of sun dried tomatoes, drained, some chopped red onions, chopped basil, one cup of cherry tomatoes cut in half and salt & pepper for added flavor. Subsituting basil with cilantro is also very good.

This big bowl of cous-cous will feed my husband lunch for a week. Best of all, he loves it and brags about me to his co-workers when they tease him about eating cous-cous everyday.

The Hunt for the Perfect Christmas Tree

We found the perfect tree, a noble fir, just the right size for the corner of our living room. For most of our married life my husband, Richard, has been the designated tree finder. The kids would go on the search with him when they still lived at home, but since they all moved out he had lost his enthusiasm. He really hated doing the lights. That used to be our firstborn's job, so I let him off the hook for the last several years and we didn't get a tree, but this year would be different.

This year I really wanted to have a real tree again, so with his blessing, I put on my warm coat, he grabbed his work gloves and off we went. In years past we would always have the same conversation and this year was no different. I think we should go to the cute little corner tree place and he always thinks we should go to Home Depot or Lowe's, because they will have a better price, but he always takes me to the cute little tree place that I suggest, and then after being told a noble fir will start at $109.00, we decide we'll check out Lowe's. I really should learn to just let him do it his way first, because he's always right. There, I've said it, "he's always right", at least, about some things. What can I say? He's been doing it for years, he's experienced in the Christmas tree department. When we got to Lowe's we took home the first tree we looked at, and I must admit, I love it and it was only $42.00. Woo hoo!

I always seem to think we need a new tree stand and he always tells me "no, we have a perfectly good one at home and I know exactly where it is". It's true, he knows exactly where it is and it is perfectly fine.

When Richard was a boy, he learned how to be a perfectionist from his grandfather. If a tree wasn't perfectly symmetrical his grandfather would drill holes in the trunk, remove lower branches and insert them into the holes. Thank goodness my husband does not take it to that extreme, but you've got to love him, we always have a beautiful tree.

December '08 - A Christmas Tradition

Every year for the past ten years or so, my dear friend Nancy and I take a trip to Santa Barbara to do some Christmas shopping and have a long leisurely lunch at our favorite restaurant Pascucci's. This year was no exception. We had bruscetta, and risotto, drank a glass of wine and sat by a fire reminiscing.

I don't know what happened last year, but for some reason, we just couldn't get away and we missed our Christmas tradition.

In 2006, I broke my ankle, but we valiantly made our trek to S.B. taking along my wheel chair. Nancy developed big muscles pushing me all over S.B. collecting packages along the way. At one point, she almost lost me picking up momentum going down the handicap curb, laughing all the way. She will probably never know how much that trip lifted my spirit. Once again we had our lunch at Pascucci's and all was right with world.

In 2005 I was ill with some unknown illness for weeks. It was the week before Christmas and I hadn't done any Christmas shopping, and I was tired of the doctors not knowing what to do with me. I had just gone in for a disgusting test where I had to swallow this nasty white liquid (about a gallon of it) so that they could take some pictures of my intestine. I was in and out of the lab by 7 o'clock in the morning and I was ready to get out of Bakersfield. I still wasn't feeling well, but by George, I wanted my shopping trip.

Nancy agreed to help me get out of town. We decided that S.B., while only two hours and fifteen minutes away from home might be just a little too much, considering the way I had been feeling. Valencia was much more reasonable, so off we went. I remember having to walk pretty slowly and barely being able to finish a bowl of soup, but by four o'clock we had most of our shopping finished. We were headed into one more store when the doctor's office called and said they found a shadow on my intestine and told me to go directly to the hospital. Of course, I had to tell them I was an hour and fifteen minutes away from home doing my Christmas shopping. Anyway, they told me to have my husband pick up my test results at the lab and meet me there A.S.A.P. At least Nancy and I had our day. By the time I got home I had a fever and was admitted to the hospital, spending the next six days there, to be released just two days before Christmas. As I recall my dear friend Nancy even wrapped my presents for me that year.

What would we do without our friends? I hate to even imagine.

How Do You Find Inspiration?

The other day I was in Starbuck's with my daughter Amanda. I was struck by the simplicity and beauty of what looked like handmade Christmas wreaths. Knitting seems to be all the rage these days and, of course, Starbuck's being on the cutting edge of what's popular, had on display the most unusual balls of yarn, made into wreaths. Anyway, I got the idea for an easy Christmas craft, balls of yarn for Christmas tree ornaments. Amanda said that yarn can be very expensive, but then I noticed, the Starbuck's wreaths were actually made out of styrofoam balls covered with just a bit of yarn. So, I went to Wallmart, bought some cheap knitting yarn in red & green & some gold crochet yarn, some styrofoam balls, some traditional Christmas ball ornaments, and some straight pins. I took the little hanger dohickies out of the glass ball ornaments to use to hang my styrofoam yarn balls from, and proceeded to wrap each styrofoam ball with green yarn, followed by red yarn, followed by gold yarn, using straight pins to secure the yarn. I then attached the little hanger dohickies, I had removed from the cheap glass ball ornaments, to the balls I had wrapped with yarn. I put the glass ornament balls in a crystal bowl for decoration and I will add pinecones to that later. And so you have it , I have completed my first holiday craft.

A Gingerbread House Tradition

Every year since my girls were little we have decorated a gingerbread house. One year when the girls were home for the afternoon with their dad, I came home to a kitchen covered in powdered sugar and an entire graham cracker village covered with candy of every sort. When Dad was in charge, apparently, it took a village to make the girls happy.

My kitchen didn't fully recover for several days, but the girls were all smiles.


Now that I have grandsons, they are delighted to carry on the tradition their mother and aunties began. It doesn't take much for the fun to begin. Now I simply purchase a pre-made gingerbread house, mix up some frosting and let the kids decorate to their hearts content.

Franklin, Grant, Harrison and their Mommy enjoy the holiday season with an afternoon at Nana's with a fun project to do and their Mommy's kitchen stays clean, not to mention she remains stress free, even if only for the afternoon.

Best Ginger Bread Cookies Ever

1 cup butter softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 egg (cage free)

4 tsp. grated orange peel

2 tbsp. dark corn syrup

3 cup sifted flour

2 tsp. cinnimon

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. salt

Cream butter & sugar, add egg, beat until light & fluffy. Add orange peel & syrup. Stir in dry ingrediants. Form into ball, and chill at least one hour. Roll out and shape. Bake 6-10 minutes, at 350 degrees, cool & decorate.

Getting Ready for Christmas '08

The wreath on the door says, "Grandma's house, Children Spoiled While You Wait".
Doesn't that just say it all?



The nativity scene is on the buffet, so it must be December. Now the Christmas cookie jar must be filled.
Every year, since my children were little, we have decorated a gingerbread house. I used to make my own gingerbread for the house, but I've become lazy and so we buy candy and decorate a pre-made gingerbread house. "Simplify, simplify" I tell myself.

With a simpler Christmas comes the fake tree, that you see on the sideboard in the living room. My wonderful grandsons ask, "Nana, why don't you have a real tree for Christmas?" I admit it, the last few Christmas's I've been tired. In 2005 I spent the week before Christmas in the hospital, getting out only two days before Christmas. In October of 2006 I broke my ankle, yet another excuse not to put up a tree. 2007 was the first Christmas without my mom, but now I have my energy back and I'm thinking it might be nice to have a real tree. I don't want to slip into Scroogedom. I love the way the house feels and smells at Christmas with the scent of pine needles and cookies baking.

The stockings are hung and the sound of Christmas music is in the air. Still, I am going to keep Christmas simple this year. I am not going to go shopping crazy. We don't want to lose the meaning of Christmas in commercialism, even if it was my goal, in previous years, to single handedly keep the economy afloat. Less stress, more fun, that's my moto now.

The Thanksgiving Feast

At the Gauthier house, Thanksgiving is all about the food. We go to great lengths to set the mood for our gluttonous reunion. This year both Brook and Lindsay came home for our Thanksgiving feast. My middle daughter, Brook, brought with her, not only a charming guest named Brian, but also a wonderful recipe for cranberry sauce, a gluten-free pumpkin pie and gluten-free stuffing. With my eldest daughter living in the house right next door, we had no shortage of ovens or refrigerator space.

The table was set the night before, this being a tradition of my own mother when she hosted our Thanksgiving feasts in years long gone.

Amanda has been honing her culinary skills for the last several years. You would never know she was my pickiest eater as a child. She prepared our favorite pecan stuffing, yams, garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed carrots, and the most delicious apple and pumpkin pies from scratch, not to mention the beautiful, moist turkey you see above.

Brook was absolutely thrilled to be home. In fact, she drove in Thanksgiving traffic all the way from Tucson, only to be put to work in the kitchen. Doesn't she look happy?

Brook and Brian were endlessly entertained by Brook's three favorite people, her nephews. There was jumping on the trampoline, playing monsters on the bed and lots running through the house, playing ping pong, and uproarious laughter. At the end of the day there was even a game of Scrabble.

Amanda's husband Scott has forever been the designated green bean cook and even our guest Brian, who claims not to like vegetables, enjoyed Scott's green beans. I have to say my son in-law is tops!

Even Lindsay was put to work in Amanda's kitchen peeling the Jonagold apples for our apple pies. Lindsay spent hours with her beloved nephews playing on the computer, jumping on the trampoline and just entertaining her favorite little people.

The boys are never happier than when their aunties are home to play with them.

Giving Thanks for Family Nov.'08

I am so thankful to have been given the family I have -- that includes the family I came from, the family I married into, the family I created, and all the friends I am blessed to have who feel like family.

Thanksgiving is such a great time to be reminded that no one loves us like our families.

Last night on Boston Legal a group of unlikely cohorts gathered together for a Thanksgiving feast. Everyone celebrating seemed to be estranged from their families of origin, but still the need to have some semblance of family is what they all craved. Everyone had differing opinions; some had issues. Nonetheless, they were all there to share in a family-style meal and comraderie (though, truth be told, there was more chaos than comraderie). Regardless of the chaos and the arguments, no one would leave -- even when the hostess begged a few of them to leave.

No family is perfect. We all have our issues, but Thanksgiving marks a time each year that each of us is reminded to be thankful. Not a bad thing.

The Thanksgivings of my childhood always included people who had no family to be with.
Because my mother's family of origin lived in Germany she always welcomed her friends that had no where to go to celebrate. When I grew up and had my own family we would travel every
Thanksgiving for years to celebrate with Mom. Mom's house was always welcoming, the table always beautifully set. Mom would also invite some of my friends and their children to come to "Omie's" house for the holiday (she was known as Omie, German for Granny, to my children and my friends). There were always special treats at each place setting for the children.

As the years passed, it became more difficult to always get to Mom's, so she began coming
to our house for Thanksgiving. Of course, she had to help me with the turkey, and she did so happily. It wasn't long before I had more confidence in my own culinary skills. I miss her terribly, but especially, at Thanksgiving.

This Thanksgiving, our daughter Amanda will be making the feast. And since she lives right next door, she will cart the food to my house and I will set the table and do the dishes. It's a fair trade Thanksgiving in my mind. Her Omie would be so proud! This year it is Amanda's sisters who will travel miles to come home for Thanksgiving. Ah, the circle of life.

Showered with Blessings

Jan & her daughter in-law Valerie

Me on the left, Jan & Deanne

Becky led our Bible study all those years ago.

When I was a young woman and about to have my first baby, I was given the most wonderful shower to welcome my first born daughter into the world. The Bible study ladies didn't know me very well, and yet they blessed me with all the darling baby things a new mother could want. Eventually, I had two more daughters and three grandsons.

Recently, I was invited to a shower by the woman who opened her home and heart to me so many years ago. Now, Jan's daughter in-law is due to have a baby boy. Where has the time gone? We have come full circle. It was such an honor to celebrate at the baby shower for Valerie and James' first born and Jan's first grandson.

Visiting with family

November traditionally brings families together, whether for Thanksgiving, or in my case, my husband's birthday. This year was special because to help celebrate my husband's birthday my brother in-law from Oregon flew down to celebrate with us.

We had a big family gathering at our house and altogether there were 19 of us for dinner. Here's Richard (second from left) with his brother Dave, mom Kathy, sister Sherree and brother Jay.

With the recent election having just passed, I told my husband to please make politics off limits at his birthday dinner. Our family was pretty much split down the middle with half for McCain and half for Obama. We pretty much canceled each other's votes out.

My husband agreed to the ban on both politics and religion at dinner. I was relieved, but then what do we talk about? I suggested talking about our childhood memories. L.O.L. I wish I'd had a video camera on because my memory is so terrible and everyone wanted in on the action. No lack of lively conversation, that's for sure. It was so lively in fact that I completely forgot to take photos, but my daughter did.

Anyway, my brother in-law who flew such a long distance to be with us was scheduled to leave via the Fresno airport, so I volunteered to drive him to Fresno for his departure. I have family that live in Fresno and thought it the perfect opportunity to reconnect. To my delight my cousin Jill was available and said my Uncle would like to come to lunch and bring his new wife Susan.

It was such a pleasure to meet Uncle Dick's lovely wife Susan and to see him happy. My cousin Robin also wanted to join us and she brought her daughter Brook and we enjoyed a lovely Mexican lunch. My cousin Jill surprised me with a dvd of home movies when I was a little girl. There's just such comfort in connecting with people that have watched you grow up and are still excited to see you every time you visit.

Here I am, on the right, with my cousin Robin and her daughter Brook.