Monday's Moment (Up On the Rooftop)

Photo Source: Joe Buckingham 

One of the great things about siblings is getting to share the excitement with one another. Today's Monday's Moment is more of a culmination of similar moments that happened on Christmas Eve growing up.  After the Shepherd Meal and caroling together as a family we would of course open our one gift.  Surprise, it's pajamas... again.  Then we would go down to our rooms, fall asleep quickly, and sleep in until 8 or 9 in the morning.  Ha ya right.

The family rule was that we weren't allowed to wake Mom and Dad up until 6:00 A.M. and we couldn't go upstairs and peek at our presents until they had gotten up.  After all, Santa is watching our every move to know if we are being good or bad.

Between the time we "went to bed" and could wake mom and dad up were the longest hours of our very existence.  The boys had a room and the girls had a room but on Christmas Eve it wasn't uncommon for us all to end up in one room, each counting down the minutes by increments of 15.  I remember one particular Christmas Eve we tried to stay up ALL night long and we made it until probably 4:30 or 5:00 bouncing with excitement, wondering what we would get, analyzing each sound wondering if we had just heard the reindeer on top, etc.

Another night I remember being so excited that I couldn't sleep, which was pretty much every Christmas Eve.  Anyway, I lay in my bed when I swear I heard a sound coming from the fireplace in the next room followed by a creak on the stairs.  It had to be Santa and since he know's if your sleeping I hurried and shut my eyes hoping he wouldn't skip our house.

As I got to be a teenager it was still fun to have my younger siblings come wake me up wondering if we could get Mom and Dad up yet.  The funny part is that my youngest sister sleeps like a log and out of all of us kids could totally sleep through Christmas morning if we didn't wake her up.

Confession:  I still get a little giddy on Christmas Eve and wake up more than usual wondering how long until we can get up out of bed.

It's funny but no matter how old I get I don't think I will ever outgrow the "Christmas Magic" especially since so many fond memories are attached to it.

What were your Christmas Eve traditions?

Monday's Moment (Shepherd's Meal)

Ok I know I've taken a few weeks off from Monday's Moments but it's time to get back on the band wagon. Today's post is all about TRADITIONS.

When you hear the word "tradition" is it said in Tevye's voice from Fiddler on the Roof. Ya same here. In fact the song starts playing as soon as I think of it.

The holidays are often filled with various traditions. The husband and I are still trying on a few for size and deciding which traditions we as a family would like to continue on with. However, today I would like to talk about a Christmas tradition I had growing up.

Every Christmas Eve we would read the Christmas Story from Luke. When we were young we started adding on to this tradition by eating a "Shepherd's Meal" while someone read the story. We would pull out the blankets for an indoor picnic, turn some of the lights out and grab our meal that was in a muslin bag. Inside the bag we would find jerky, string cheese, crackers, grapes, and a juice box. Following the story and our meal we would sing a few Christmas hymns.

I loved this tradition because it helped us as kids to take a moment and realize the humble circumstances in which the Christmas Story is told. Our focus was momentarily shifted from the "I Wants" to the true meaning of Christmas : love, service, gratitude, joy, and Hope.

Hubby and I have yet to decide if we will continue this tradition but it is one I would like to at least try once those stubborn children of ours show up.

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

Monday's Moment (November 14th, 2011)

This edition of Monday's Moment is in honor of the type of family I came from and the type of family I married in to. You may recall the "funny" my father-in-law pulled on me while we were out at the lake one time from last week's post. I am no stranger to this kind of behavior.

I come from a family full of mischief and pranks. My parents use to belong to a group known as "The Birthday Bashers," where they would pull different pranks on their group of friends for their birthdays. Some included building snow walls around their front door, Oreos on the windshield, large paper circles all over the house, and a real cow pie.

These tendencies were passed down to my siblings and I. Lucky for me I married a man who could handle the various unknowns and dish a few out himself. Pictured above is a time when we were engaged and I started an impromptu chocolate fight. Right around the time we were engaged my parents sent him a survey to "Date My Daughter," and the poor guy wasn't positive if they were serious about the whole thing or not. The hubby was well informed by the time we actually got married and was starting to pick up on certain things.

Why this subject for today's Monday's Moment? We are preparing to go see my family. Again, when the husband and I were dating and engaged my brothers would try and short sheet his bed ALL THE TIME. I have the thought that we need to check our bed as soon as we get there, just out of habit.

I love my family and can't wait to see them and to match anything they may have up their sleeves.

Monday's Moment (November 7th, 2011)

I know today's Monday's Moment is a day late. I was out of town, didn't take my laptop with me, and ended up staying an extra night because of weather.

As of late I've been thinking a lot about how lucky I am to have the in-laws that I do. They are both so kind and loving and fun to be around. I love the time I get to spend with them and the little adventures we have.

One particular one that comes to mind takes place at one of our favorite family get-away locations... the lake. The whole family had gone up to the houseboat for a long weekend but had to leave on Monday. My in-laws and I stayed for a while longer. On one of these days my father-in-law and I had taken the jet-skis out to go explore some of the more narrow parts of the lake. It was so pretty getting to see some of the rock formations up so close. After an hour or two we decided to head back to the boat.

I'm still a newbie when it comes to the lake and quickly loose my sense of direction. I was leading to set the pace but was making sure we didn't get to far apart. We came up to a giant rock or a small mountain whatever suits your fancy. I took one side and my father-in-law took the other. This rock was extremely tall and fairly wide. Thus when I came out on the other side I started looking for my father-in-law to make sure we didn't crash into one another... only he wasn't there.

I looked behind me to see if he had changed his mind and decided to come on the same side of the rock as I did but he was nowhere to be seen. Surely he wasn't going fast enough that he would have come out ahead of me and kept going. I sat for a moment and decided to drive around the rock. I couldn't hear his jet ski and as I made my way around could not see any sign of him. "What the heck is going on here?" I started thinking of all the different scenarios as I kept going around the rock. "There's no way he crashed or sank, the jet ski would be floating somewhere if he had. I know he didn't keep going without me. Jet skis and father-in-laws don't just disappear, right?"

I was starting to get worried and had no idea what I should when all a sudden my father-in-law comes around the rock... the same one I had been circling. He had been following behind just enough that I couldn't see him for FIVE minutes. That stinker! I was so mad (in a non serious way). I was worried sick and here he is playing a prank? We both had a good laugh after we got back to the houseboat.

I love that he can be serious in the times he needs to be but knows how to spice up life when it's appropriate. Good thing he can take what he dishes out... Muah ha ha ha.

Monday's Moment (October 31st, 2011)

Today's Monday's Moment is of course in honor of the holiday even if it isn't my favorite. Regardless we've had quite the weekend full of friends, activities and lots of amazing food!

First off if you have a husband like mine, convincing him to dress up is quite the chore, especially when they don't want to help come up with ideas. Since moving to this house we have made friends who like to throw together elaborate get-togethers throughout the year and for Halloween it's become tradition to have a couples only, costume required dinner party. I don't mind dressing up but I'd be ok not dressing up. I don't however like forking over $40 for a costume I will wear for a few hours. Don't get me wrong, I love to shop and I love clothes but some cheap imitation is not my forte.

Thus this year we decided on "Where's Waldo and Wanda." I know, it looks homemade but I wasn't too picky. We already had the white shirts. All we bought was red duct tape and I bought my red hat (which I will wear often). We had to put the duct tape on after we put the shirts on which limited our mobility just a little and was slightly frustrating. However, they were easy costumes and everyone loved them. When all was said and done we took the duct tape off, which didn't leave any marks on our shirt, and threw it away.

I love getting together with friends whether in person or with all my online friends. I love how holidays (even the ones I don't like) give me the opportunity to get to know others just a little bit better, to remember to laugh, and enjoy each period in my life.

What did you do this year for Halloween?

Monday's Moment (October 24th, 2011)

Today's Monday's Moment is Halloween inspired. My mom is super creative and talented, two things that I hope will someday rub off onto me. She has written scripts for short skits, sews, can paint and draw, and comes up with tons of ideas out of thin air. Growing up, especially when we were younger she had the challenge of balancing the mom on a budget act and coming up with great Halloween costumes. This was yet again a challenge she always seemed to win.

Halloween was always tricky growing up because of living in the mountains. The first snow always seemed to be on Halloween or shortly before with temperatures dropping drastically. We needed WARM costumes or something that would fit over our coats.

I love the photos above! I don't remember much from this particular Halloween other than I think we went to the mall that year for trick - or - treating. However, I think the costumes were genius and didn't break the "piggy bank." Moreover, the facial expressions and poses are priceless. I'm pretty sure my mom already had all the pink clothes (my brothers must be wearing my hand-me-downs). She made our ears and tails and I think borrowed the wheel barrow from a friend.

I'll be honest, Halloween is not my favorite holiday, at least in this stage of my life. I do like to see the kids dressed up though. They make for great photos and bring in the magic of being a kid, when you could be anything you wanted to in a moments notice and still be true to yourself.

Link up your favorite children's costumes with today's Monday's Moment and share your tips and ideas.

Monday's Moment (October 17th, 2011)

I have two sisters and as you can tell there is quite a bit of age difference. Don't get me wrong I love all four of my brothers but I was SOOOOOOOOOO excited when my first sister came along. Up until that point I had three terrific brothers but it just wasn't the same. I remember very clearly the day my mom went up to the hospital, way past her due date. My parents had opted to not find the gender out for this pregnancy and all fingers were crossed it was a girl.

While at school I kept calling my mom's friend to see if there was any news. I was in luck, my first beautiful sister made her debut and there was an instant sisterly bond formed.

Fast forward a few years for this Monday's Moment. My sister and I did everything we could together regardless of our difference in age. There was a point were I was home schooled for half a year to help my mom out after the next child came along. This meant lots of sisterly bonding time as she was still a toddler.

One particular day we were thumbing through an Oriental Trading magazine together. As we would look at each photo I would point to something and say, "That's my bracelet," followed by my sister pointing at something in the same photo announcing, "Well, that's my bracelet." It became a game as we each claimed items in various photos. We came across a photo that had four Halloween character cups. I quickly called my cup, "That's my mummy." My sister eager to stake hers loudly exclaimed, "That's my daddy," all the while pointing at a Frankenstein cup.

My dad was all sorts of excited to know his daughter saw a resemblance between him and the great holiday figure.

There are some days I wish I could step back in time and just bask in my childhood memories where everything seemed to come so much easier.

Do you have a funny Halloween moment you would like to share, I'm always up for a good story.

Monday's Moment (October 10th, 2011)

Photo Source: TheCulinaryGeek

This week's "Monday's Moment" is thanks to my love of all things pumpkin. Fall is by far my favorite time of year. Pumpkin pie was a staple in our house growing up. In fact most of us request this delicate dessert for our birthdays instead of cake, regardless of what month it is. We HEART pumpkin pie. This brings me to our Monday's Moment.

To begin I will tell you that I have certain siblings who are a little pickier than others when it comes to foods they like or dislike, or so they think. This of course sets them up to have a prank or two pulled on them. One brother in particular wears the badge of "Pickiest Eater." Today, I wish to share two of those stories.

One night as we sat around the dinner table this particular brother was complaining and whining about having to eat his broccoli. My mother, being the mean mom she was, told him that he couldn't leave the table until he ate all the broccoli on his plate. This sent him into a wailing fit as his broccoli got colder. After many minutes passed he grabbed his first tree all the while crying, "I hate broccoli."

*Cue mean older siblings*

While one of us distracted my distressed younger sibling, one of us would sneak another piece of broccoli onto his plate. My brother would grab his next piece of broccoli, assuring us that he hated broccoli. We repeated the whole process several times. Distract. Reload. Eat. By the time our game was figured out a whole plate of hated broccoli had been eaten.

Story #2. As you may have guessed this younger brother of mine is yet again the star. Years after the broccoli incident he complained to my mom about how much he HATED yams while sitting around eating Thanksgiving dinner. You'd think he'd learn not to complain. A second brother also voiced his dislike of yams. Dislike noted. A year later my mom and dad got busy making all the yummy foods for Thanksgiving only this year they made a pumpkin pie AND a yam pie, placed side by side. The yam pie was prepared exactly like the pumpkin and looked rather similar.

Throughout the house you could hear the cheers as the "pumpkin pie" was brought out to be served. Then... silence as every morsel was being savored. "So are you sure you don't like yams?" Confusion sets in on my brothers faces and then complete shock and disgust as the secret is revealed. To this day they will both tell you that they could tell something was off even though they never said a word as the scarfed down their slice.

Moral of the story... don't let on your dislike for foods, at least in my family. Do you have a picky family member? Have you ever tricked them into eating a food they supposedly "don't like?"

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Monday's Moment (October 3rd, 2011)

Today's Monday's Moment is not one of my fondest memories but one I will never forget. We are coming up on our one year mark since our house was hit by a tornado. I've never been so excited for winter to come, which is saying something since fall is my favorite season.

The last year I've had more fear and anxieties whenever a thunderstorm, hail, or wind storm passes through but I'm reminded of all the little miracles that happened on that October morning.

I could write a whole book on that morning so I will just highlight some of those blessings and things I've learned.

A small prompting to get up out of bed to check the weather online: I am not a morning person but that morning I had the thought as I lay in the wee hours, "I wonder what the signs of a tornado are?" We do NOT live in tornado country so this was not a normal thought pattern. I found the warning just in time to run up and tell my husband, decide where the safest place was, and get to safety. Had I not checked the weather to find the warning my husband, who was getting up super early to study for his CPA exam, would have either been badly hurt or worse. His office had shards of glass stuck in the wall and had the most debris from outside.

The tornado that bounced: We were hit with an F1 tornado and while that is the smallest they come it still causes a lot of damage. It started by raging through an RV park, crossed the freeway, and headed towards our small community. Later we found that the tornado had touched down around the RV park but had bounced over our neighborhood only to touch down just behind the last house. We would have had a lot more damage had it not bounced!

The train that changed the second tornado's path: Yes you read that right, about an hour later a second tornado touched down just south of us and was once again heading towards the neighborhood. It was bigger than the first and probably would have destroyed even more houses. However, it hit a cargo train which changed its course just enough to skip past the populated part of our community. The second miracle was that a passenger train had just gone through minutes before.

The safety of friends and neighbors: Each one has a miraculous story to tell from kids sleeping in different bedrooms than normal to walls collapsing in a child's room everywhere except for the little cavity where the child slept. There were minor injuries and no one died.

The men who came to board up windows: A storm doesn't just necessarily stop after a tornado. For the rest of the morning it continued to rain and hail... into our homes that were without windows, separated walls, and parts of roofs missing. As soon as the freeway was opened up again there were several men who had stopped at Home Depot and boarded up our windows in the freezing cold rain to save what was left of our properties.

The generosity of family members: My in-laws, brother-in-law and sister-in-law came and helped us pack up our belongings and put them into storage. My other sister-in-law and her family let us live with them for two months while our house was fixed.

I could go on and on. I know we were watched over that morning. I've walked away from this experience grateful for all the little miracles that occurred and have a greater appreciation for life.

What are some of your life-changing memories? If you'd like to join in my Monday's Moment please leave a link! I'd love to read some of your most memorable moments.

Monday's Moment (Sept. 26th 2011)

One of the reasons I decided to start creating semi-custom cards and announcements was to help others capture and preserve some of their special moments in a unique way. Thus I've decided to start posting every Monday some of my favorite moments or special things that are on my mind whether they happened yesterday or years ago.

Today's Monday's Moment is all about mi familia. I grew up the oldest as seven kids and wouldn't trade any of them for all the money in the world. I loved growing up in such a large family. This photo was taken right before I left for college. As you can see some of them were pretty young at this point. It's been hard for me to be away so much while they grow up. My youngest sister was only a year and a half and doesn't have any real memories of me living at home.

One of the questions I often get is, "Is it hard to have a relationship with your younger siblings?"

The answer is no. While I definitely have a different type of relationship with those siblings who are closer in age I still feel like I'm pretty darn close to the younger ones. My youngest sister and I have a pretty tight bond for being 17 years apart. I don't get to see any of my siblings very often, especially since we live at least 15 hours away but when we are together I feel like we pick up right where we left off. We laugh, play games, and always take a stroll down memory lane. When I get to see my youngest sister she often stays in close proximity with me, after all we do have a lot in common.

Of course technology helps with this as all of them are only a phone call away. My mom keeps me updated and will send photos to help me feel like I'm there. It's been almost a year since I've seen any of my family and I'm anxious for our upcoming trip to reconcile this.

I love this photo because it captures our personalities in so many ways. If you can't tell I was the diva of the family but my siblings took me just as I was and we had a grand ole time growing up.

Do you have a Monday's Moment you would like to share? Maybe it's a previous post you've already written? I would love to see what some of your favorite memories are.