It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas???

This weekend was the Annual Smets Family Christmas. That's my Grandma Ellen Smets Garretsons' family. She had 4 brothers and for as long as I can remember they have taken turns hosting the family Christmas gathering. I haven't been to all of them. In fact I've only been to a few. But I sure do love that side of the family. Each time I get together with them I learn a bit more about them and grow to love them much more. These pictures may not look like your ordinary Christmas gathering, but for us, it was nothing but joy and fun! Thanks so much Grandma, for hosting, your home was gorgeous and the food was delicious. Thanks, also, to everyone for driving to McCook and bringing scrumptious treats to share! Until next time :)



Aunt Shirley, Mom and Dad working on some Christmas trivia. (Cousin Nick in the background. PS these are my mom's aunts and uncles and cousins.)


The lovely tree.


2nd cousins: Braden and Kyle


Uncle Bill overseeing the game of Spades with Kyle, Brandy, Braden and Scottie.


Scottie and Brandy-so cute! Brandy is wearing earphones to muffle the shot gun!


Cousin Brent, his son Trevor, Uncle Bill and Braden and Kyle.


Target practice :) Brent, Nick (brothers), Kyle, Trevor, Bill, Scott, Brandy, Jim, Braden, Granddad and Dad.


Oh yes! Sledding behind the 4-wheelers. (I can't recognize this person...oops.)


Uncle Bill


We had two going at once!


Granddad getting Kyle ready for a ride.


Uncle Bill pulling Scottie.


Uncle Steve and Granddad.


Yep, I'm excited :)


Trevor giving someone a ride.


Oh boy. Did I mention the snow kicked up like a blizzard? There's Frosty-I mean Dad.


Poor Dad!


I thought I was ready. I was wrong! I had to fall off on purpose because the snow in my face was so horrible!


I know this is blurry, but I just love how Grandma is laughing and having so much fun with Nick!


The whole crew minus Sue and Jim and Brent and Connie who had to leave early.
Back row: Tom, Steve, Granddad, Trevor, Kyle, Bill, Jo, Nick
Middle 1: Marlene, Donna, Hannah
Middle 2: Ann, Grandma, Reed, Dad, Dorothy, Shirley
Front row: Brandy, Scottie, Janna, me, Mom and Braden


Granddad, Grandma, Steve and Gail

Oh, and this is back home. Check out Hubbs new coffee table! Isn't that a beauty?! Sheesh, my man is talented. Want one? (a table that is, not a hubby ;)




I'm practicing settings with my camera. Love this picture with the lights and the shadows on the ceiling.


Last but not least-Chloe. She was thirsty!

Santas reindeer sure do know how to sing!

This is for Patsy :)

"Another Way to Give"

Check this out:

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/12/small-measures-with-ashley-another-way-to-give.html

Thankful

In no particular order:

The Christmas tree. You know. The one that fell on Grandma.


Cade and Brandon checking out the new sled they helped build.


Cade, Brandon and Jeff putting skis on the chair Cade built-turning it into a sled!



Me and Sar! She lives in Georgia now, and I miss her. So glad I got to see her and meet her new hubbs, David.


We ate at Pegasus in Castle Rock. We kissed Pegasus goodbye :)



The tree. See the pretty bird? I think he might have tried to take off and caused the silly thing to fall.


The boys. See how they cooperate. They love pictures.


Grandma and Chloe. You know. The Grandma the tree fell on.


This is how we do trees. Just get one, bring it in, then cut it down to size when it's inside :)


Cade showing Jeff an animation video he made.


Thanksgiving at Uncle Brent's house. There are my boys again.


And some of my gorgeous cousins who knows how many times removed. Cassie, Chloe and Kendal.


And Brooke doing a little Christmas carol recital for us. She's 12. She's tall. She races a 250 motorcycle. And she's pretty. :)


So much to be Thankful for. Thanks for sharing with me!

Umm, yeah-dream on

So we had a great Thankgiving break, to be sure. But guess what happened...OUR CHRISTMAS TREE FELL DOWN! With a crash. Right on my poor Grandma! Don't worry, she's fine. But I confess I was a mess for a while. Ornaments shattered. Pine needles everywhere. And in the end, our tree is now screwed into our wall with string. Oh my. I guess I sure called that one (see the previous post.) More to come on the fun parts of the holiday...

Christmas is Love

I had lunch with a great friend, Sara, today, and we got to talking about Christmas. Isn’t interesting that we both have these romantic notions and ideas of how Christmastime will be (and I have a feeling we aren’t the only two with these delusions!) Maybe it’s the movies that do it to us. Or just our hope that the special time of year really will be romantic and wonderful. During the holiday’s it’s always nighttime and snowing as you look out your picture window with your lovely lighted tree with perfectly wrapped presents below. The tree is perfect, of course, as was the day you went to cut it down-snow was lightly falling, the air was crisp, and of course the tree is shaped perfectly. Decorating was fun and went smoothly with the whole family helping out as you listened to carols and had cider cooking on the stove in the kitchen and Dad lifts little child to put the angel on top. Every night the fire is crackling and there is a sweet Christmas movie playing. A plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and egg nog are set prettily in the center of the table. All the family will bundle up and go sing Christmas carols after the movie. The house is clean. There is music in the background. The smell of apple cinnamon wafts through the rooms. A perfectly round snowman waves to passersby in the front yard. Tomorrow night there will be a fancy holiday office party that you can dress up for and enjoy with your loved one while you sip a glass of wassail and mingle pleasantly with co-workers and friends. This weekend you’ll bake and take homemade presents to your neighbors and get to know them a bit more. Your shopping trip for present will take just a few hours and you have the perfect presents picked out for each person on your list. Maybe when you’re done shopping you’ll just sit at Starbucks while the snow falls, sipping your peppermint mocha, reading a nice novel with Frank Sinatra crooning Winter Wonderland in the background. Christmas Eve is full of baking cookies for Santa and gathering by the fireplace in pajamas to read Twas the Night Before Christmas-then all the kids scurry off to bed, excited for the morning-and the adults cuddle cozily by the fire. When Christmas morning comes around you’ll wake up to fresh snow, have a leisurely breakfast (that somehow you didn’t have to make yourself-and somehow will clean itself all up), gather by the tree and take turns opening gifts and oohing and aahhing over each gift (which everyone loves and will not return, and yes, the paper will all throw itself away), he will give you a romantic, thoughtful gift, and he will love the perfect thing you picked out for him, then you’ll watch a Christmas movie, play in the snow (without tracking in mud or puddles when the playing is done), drink hot cocoa and enjoy the rest of the day and evening.

Dream on.

Here’s how it might really go, and why it is still a beautiful time:

It will be hard to figure out where to even spend Christmas because she wants to go there, he wants stay here, they want to come here and everyone wants to do what everyone else wants them to do but clearly that is impossible. And so, your company will arrive. OR you will arrive as the company You will have to sleep in an uncomfortable bed. You will bring presents, they will bring presents. The cats will break some ornaments, the needles will be falling off the tree, the paper will be torn on some of them. Maybe you’ll be embarrassed to have company over because there are so many gifts! (weren’t we supposed to spend less this year?) With these generous gifts from visitors will come more dishes, more laundry, more footprints AND more love, more laughter, more memories! Some people will want to watch a movie, some will want to take a walk in the snow, some will want to play video games, some will want to play other games, some will NOT EVER want to play games ;) and so you will try to do it all with everyone. The office party turns out to be a potluck with crazy co-workers and strange food. Christmas shopping was hectic, you couldn't find the perfect gift because everyone else found it first! Freshly baked cookies will turn into crumbs on the table, there might be cat hair on the couch, the TV will be on too loud, the lights on the tree might short out, the hot cocoa might get cold, the game of choice might not get chosen, the kids might cry when it's time for bed, your neighbors might forget your name when you take them burned cookdies, you might even get bored, annoyed, frustrated. You might… BUT, the food will be delicious, the kitties will be loved, people will be doing things together, there will be laughter and visiting and memories will be made. Couples might disagree. Kids might not play well together all the time. Things might not go as planned. It will be day time for most of the day! It might not even snow. The cookies might burn. But you know what all of this really means? You are surrounded by family and/or friends. You are loved and you have loved ones, and getting to spend time with any of them (even if it’s just the two of you) will mean more treasured memories made. Love. Isn’t that what Christmas is about? That’s my dream, anyway :)

Pictures from last holiday season:
snowshoeing

playing with cousin's while visiting grandma and grandpa

family pictures


cousin's helping with dinner

putting on a puppet show!

I can't wait for the memories that will be made this year!

Christmas again

This brings tears to my eyes and hope to my heart.