"Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?"

Is it just me or do we need some snow? I mean it is the last day of November and this means Christmas is right around the corner. Snow seems like a reasonable request. I’m dreaming of a White Christmas…… (using my best Bing Crosby voice).

Before I dive too deep into this Christmas filled post I hope y’all had a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you indulged in moist turkey, flavorful dressing, creamy green bean casserole and warm fluffy rolls then topped it all off with pumpkin and pecan pie. My Thanksgiving was wonderful. I spent the holiday at Jarret’s sister’s (Mackenzie) down near Houston. It was a filled trip of going’s, doings, and seeing. I’d never been to that part of Texas and was thankful to go.

This year in the barndominum I have a small pre-lit tree and a few decorations that I was able get out of storage that didn’t require me moving everything. I decorated before I left for Thanksgiving. Normally this would be something I’d do the day after Thanksgiving, but since I was out of town I needed to be proactive and plan it in advance. This tradition of putting up the tree and decorating for Christmas after Thanksgiving is not only my families’ tradition, but many families’ tradition. Decorating for Christmas can be therapeutic for me. Something about twinkling lights and bright red ribbon puts me in a Zen place. I am totally that kid with visions of sugar-plums dancing in my head. I look forward to doing it every year and I enjoy helping others with theirs.

As I got older I’d decorate my Granddaddy and Grandma Miller’s house for them. My Granddaddy had this bird ornament. I’ll try and explain this the best I can hoping my memory serves right, but it looked like a silver ball ornament and had a red Cardinal on it or a red feather? I am certain it made a bird noise. If I am not mistaken I think Shana has this now.  Shana and I (when we can) help my Mom pull out and decorate her tree. It’s the same ornaments every year and yet the excitement I have each year when I pull them out of their box and think on each story they carry is unwavering. The ornaments on my tree, my Moms tree and my Sisters tree are all different. Some folks theme their tree with a certain color or only certain ornaments that are all the same and those are beautiful trees, but we three have the tradition of buying ornaments to remind us of a moment in life. This year when I pulled out my easy to reach ornaments I was reminded about a trip to Key West because the starfish wearing sunglasses and holding a surfboard marked that trip I took with my Aunts. My Grandma Miller collected Hallmark ornaments and after she passed my Mom kept those ornaments so the memories of decorating my Grandma’s trees are still present when I put or see those ornaments on my Mom’s tree.

My favorite and most prized ornaments are my Miss. Piggy and Kermit the Frog ornaments. My Grandma Miller had the pair. I am not sure how I got Miss Piggy, but I got her and Shana got Kermit. I remember asking Shana if I could have Kermit too because in my mind Kermit and Miss. Piggy belong together. She never gave him to me and then somehow my Mom had or got a Kermit and now I have them together forever! I have included a picture below from a few years ago of them on my tree where they are living happily ever after.

The few gifts that I have purchased so far are wrapped and sitting under/next to my little tree. They were lovingly decorated and the wrapping was picked out special this year like every year. BabieCakes has taken a liking to the bows. I’ve had to swat her swatting paw away from them a few times and have come home to bows on the floor. She now has a bow for all her own. #spoiledcat. Although the ones on my wrapped gifts are certainly more fun than hers, I’m sure.

Decorating cookies is another tradition we have. We bake sugar cookies shaped in trees, stars, bells, gingerbread men and snowmen. We always seem to have so many cookies to decorate, but we get it done every year and they are delicious. During the height of our BackStreet Boys obsession we decorated gingerbread men to look like BSB. I don’t’ have a pic readily handy, but no lie they were awesome. We should have submitted them for a contest. A few years ago I wanted to decorate some of them as dwarfs from The Hobbit, but Shana wouldn’t let me use up that many gingerbread men (sad face here). Along with our cookies we make Ritz peanut butter sandwiches and haystacks. Every now and again popcorn balls, fudge or puppy chow makes its way into the mix.

Recently I’ve started to collect Santa’s. I gravitate toward the jolly man and not because he brings the goods, but because it’s Santa (my reaction is similar to Buddy the Elf from ELF)! I started my collection two maybe three years ago. I have my eye on one at Hobby Lobby and although I told myself “let’s take it easy on buying Christmas décor this year” since my space is limited, however what’s been decided is “what would a little ‘ole Santa hurt, he’s not going to take up that much space!?” My next trip to Hobby Lobby that Santa will be mine!

I even go so far as decorating my feet for Christmas. I have some really wonderful Christmas socks that officially broke free from my sock drawer today. From cats in glasses with Christmas wreaths around their necks to snowman, reindeer, Santa (duh), and bright red candy canes! They are fun, festive and although they don’t match all the time I am happy to have them covering my toes!

Decorating is not what Christmas is about and I know that. However, it certainly doesn’t hurt and if it fills the heart and spirit of those around me, then by all means! So if you you feel the urge to light your house up like Christmas Vacation, more power to you! I'll come help hold the ladder steady. 

-Very Merry Christmas Season to you!

Kermit and Miss. Piggy

Dear Thanksgiving, it’s not you-it’s me

I know I just posted about the Christmas loving fool that I am being patient, thankful and enjoying Thanksgiving before jumping straight to Christmas. My willpower is waning. I feel the strength to acknowledge and enjoy Thanksgiving before Christmas slipping through my fingers and is almost a faint memory. It’s been six days since that post and I don’t think I’ll make it. I purchased some Christmas gifts this morning and suddenly my heart is singing…”here comes Santa Claus.” I’ve not decorated yet for Christmas. I’ve not purchased any new Christmas home decorations, but when we had our first snow this week I cracked down completely and listened to Christmas music and it was wonderful and I don’t regret it. My Mom has been jabbing me on FB with posts like, “Decorating for Christmas early doesn’t mean I’m forgetting Thanksgiving. I just like to be Holly Jolly for more than 25 days. Get off my back.” I saw that as my window, so welcome to my first official post for Christmas

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This morning washing my hair and working on becoming fully awake I started to make a mental list of what all needed to get done at work today. I organized this mental list putting tasks in order from high importance to low importance of what needed to get done. Then my brain immediately went to Christmas gifts, Christmas baking, and Christmas wrapping. I love to wrap presents. I love to pick out paper, ribbon and bows. On my weekends spent in Hartley at my Granddaddy and Grandma Millers, my Granddaddy kept all his newspapers, so I’d roam around the house with a newspaper and tape in hand and wrap whatever I could find. I have mad wrapping skills as I’ve been practicing most of my life. 

I am about 100% sure that Christmas doesn’t only just bring out the best in me, but it brings out the best in everyone. My heart is full this time of year seeing the kindness, love and happiness that people project. Of all the different facets that Christmas celebrations bring the biggest are the traditions. The traditions of driving through neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights, the tradition of decorating cookies, the tradition of helping Mom put up her Christmas tree while listening to Christmas music and Dad directing us from his recliner. I can get lost in the traditions. My own personal traditions include watching ELF while putting up my Christmas tree. Working on a Christmas puzzle throughout the season. I also enjoy shopping and carefully selecting Christmas cards.

One specific food tradition is pickle roll-ups. Quick story on pickle roll-ups. These are a Lenz family Christmas staple. They are dill pickles wrapped in ham with a nice layer of cream cheese in-between. You ask any of my cousins about Lenz Christmas food and they will say pickle roll-ups. When I moved back to Amarillo and had my first Christmas at my new job we had a potluck and I brought pickle roll-ups with a little story explaining the importance of these at my family gatherings. One of the women I worked with now makes them at Christmas for her family and at all the future Christmas potlucks I was always asked to bring pickle roll-ups. I’ll have to continue the tradition and introduce pickle-roll ups to coworkers here in Dalhart. The silver lining to taking pickle roll-ups to potlucks and unsure if anybody will like them? More for me. Win-win.

I still believe in Santa Clause and most Christmas lovers like myself do too. My Mom always said that “when you stop believing, Santa stops coming” and by gosh I wanted to see what that jolly man put in my stocking! As Shana and I got older and decided not to wake Mom and Dad up at 4am excited about what Santa brought, we’d dump our stocking out on the floor and compare notes. Satisfied we’d hit the jackpot we’d cram it all back in the stocking and return to bed giggling and laughing, waiting for what felt like an acceptable hour to finally wake up Mom and Dad. We had the tradition of sleeping in the same bed in who’s ever room deemed worthy that year. I don’t remember how this got started unless we didn’t want one getting to the loot before the other and decided this was the best way to keep an eye on each other. 

This year is going to be so much more special with the addition of Jasper. Here is my current struggle. Jasper is turning one next month. His birthday is only a short 11 days before Christmas. This year may still be a little lost on him as he’s not really aware that it’s Christmas. However, Aunt Shell Shell is struggling with being realistic in her gift buying verses going completely over board with toys and gadgets that he will be inundated with during this time. I try and remind myself when I find a toy that I think he can’t live without, that he indeed can live without it and be just fine. This Aunt thing can be tricky as I truly believe he needs everything his little heart desires. His parents may think otherwise. Jasper loves his bananas so when I feed him if he doesn’t like what’s on the menu, I am going to give him a banana. When Shana tells me “Shelly you need to feed him the other stuff.” Why? I’m not his mom, I’m his Aunt. This Christmas could easily turn into the equivalent of me feeding him the banana.

In general I do not watch the Hallmark Channel. I find their movies corny and too lovey dovey-touchy feely. This is the exact opposite at Christmas time. I find them adorable, completely realistic and the more lovey dovey-touchy feely the better. I can binge on Hallmark Christmas movies. During non-Christmas time I’d give a Hallmark movie an eye roll or grunt, BUT at Christmas time they get a twinkled eye and cheesy grin. When you then add 25 Days of Christmas that ABC Family (Freeform, whatever that channel is called) does…. Forget. About it. I am like a kid in the toy store that their parents tell them they can get one toy and the poor kid has a meltdown about what toy to get. I experience that meltdown about what Christmas program I am going to watch and if I made the right choice (over dramatization, but the struggle can be real).

All jokes aside these are a few reasons I love this time of year the way I do. I believe in the magic Christmas holds and brings with all my heart. The emotions that can overwhelm me during midnight mass at Christmas shows the truly heartfelt love I have for everything this holiday represents. I find my smile is bigger, my heart fuller and my attitude toward everything is sunny and sparkly. Just typing this has me bouncing and smiling at the screen like a crazy person. I could continue on about Christmas, but I need to leave something to write about between now and the actual big day.

-Have a happy merry day!

Happy Turkey Month

In true Shelly fashion I rang in November 2017 with a bang! Wednesday night I was hit with the stomach bug and I don’t know what it is about approximately every two years my guts turn against me and try to kill me overnight, but I am here to tell you it gets harder as you get older! Today was a day of real food cautiously at breakfast and then a real meal for dinner. I may have over done it for dinner because at this point I thought I was starving. I inhaled my cheese pizza and now am a bit miserable. Upside to the stomach bug and living off crackers and soup for two days, stomach shrinkage. (Note to self: use this opportunity for improved choices for all around health and well-being.)

I tried today to get off my butt since that’s all I’ve been doing the last two days and yes, my body needed the rest, but I can only do it for so long. The furry butterball thinks my lap is her napping oasis and I don’t want to spoil her to thinking this will be an everyday occurrence. I did get to have breakfast with Jarret this morning before he was off to work (see cautious breakfast above) and then I got to see my nephew for a bit.

Since, I was off the grid after Halloween I wanted to chime in right quick about how much I enjoy all the postings and pictures of the Halloween getups that were posted of littles. It’s so much fun to see the creativity and the personality that comes out in each child with their decision on what they want to be for Halloween. Thank you for sharing.

Now with Halloween 2017 in the books lets say hello to Thanksgiving!! Yes! First, I must confess I am a self-proclaimed lover of the Christmas season for reasons that shall be revealed in it’s own blog post, but as I hear my Mother in my head “we must give thanks first”  I will write a few words on turkey day. I am always interested in other people’s holiday traditions. Of course, food is the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word Thanksgiving. I have to say it’s probably because this is my Mom’s favorite meal of the year. She has written a wonderful blog post about my Grandaddy’s cornbread dressing and she re-posts it every year, which is a new Thanksgiving tradition for her. There have been years we tried not to do a traditional Thanksgiving meal and it’s never really the same. Turkey, cornbread dressing, giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole just screams Thanksgiving. My mouth is watering thinking about it. I remember asking my Mom for Grandaddy’s recipe for cornbread dressing and she couldn’t give me one because there really isn’t a written one and as a rule follower (for the most part) I panic that I won’t be able to make it when she can’t. Another thing that comes to mind is relish trays and jell-o salads. These scream Grandma Miller. That women loved her some jell-o salads. Thanksgiving with the Lenz's was different in a sense that it was potluck style, we had the traditional style meal, but there was always extras. More people sharing their favorite Thanksgiving traditions means a wider spread, right? I don't have one particular food memory from a Lenz Thanksgiving. My Grandma Lenz is a baker so if anything I remember her pies, cookies or some sweet treats (of course I'd remember the sugar). There was always an array of salads and still to this day there is always an array of salads.

The more obvious feeling when Thanksgiving roles around are the feelings of being thankful and blessed. If you do FaceBook you may be familiar with some of the chains that get started this time of year with posting what you’re thankful for “this many days.” To save any of you from having to tag me in something like that I am just going to lay it out right here…..

To me the blessing is life. A life to live as I chose and it’s what in my life I am thankful for. If you need specifics, I am thankful for the freedoms I have been granted. I am thankful for the good days, but more importantly the bad as you learn from them. I am thankful for a forgiving, loving, and gracious Lord. I am thankful for my Mom, Dad, Sister and Brother-in-law. I am thankful for Jasper. To watch this little boy grow, learn, and see things with such innocence and wonder is truly something to behold. I am thankful for Jarret as he’s my best friend and partner in crime. I am thankful for the love he has shown me and given me. I am thankful for my job and the opportunities it presents daily. I am thankful for my friends, although we may not see or talk to each other as often as we once did friendships are everlasting. I am thankful for Brent, Judy, Mackenzie, Stacy, and Brady. I am thankful for BabieCakes. I try to remember and be thankful for these things everyday with a prayer directly to the Man in charge. It doesn't take a month to remind me, but it is nice that this month puts an emphasis on it to remind others. There is always more to be thankful for, but I am not keeping you here all night. If anyone decides they need to tag me in some FB chain please know I will just re-post this blog each and every time and nobody wants to read this more than once.

Finally, to sign off on this blessed, thankful, Thanksgiving November post as I sit in my over-sized chair with my over-sized cat trying to fit on my lap along with my laptop and settling for next to my leg, I think about Christmas lists, going to look at Christmas lights, and snow. Ahhhhh…no, I mean….Thanksgiving stuff, I am thinking about Thanksgiving stuff. I’m kidding! Seriously, life moves so quickly even this self-proclaimed lover of all things Christmas realizes you need to stop and recognize the blessing that is life and the things to be thankful for in that life even if I’ve seen 10 Christmas commercials already. Wear those pumpkins out that are sitting on your porch  and make all the pumpkin spice coffee you can because here in a few weeks it will all be peppermint mochas and rustic Christmas trees.

-Happy Turkey Month Friends!