Trying to keep warm

One mug of hot cocoa at a time!

Aren’t Christmas traditions funny old things?

I feel like my childhood Christmases were simply magical!  Our traditions were a part of the very fiber of our family’s collective identity. There is something almost sacred about them.

And yet…

I still remember bringing out my Mannheim Steamroller Xmas albums to play in the apartment I shared with my BYU chums.  I LOVE those albums. In the 80’s when I was a medium sized lass – they were the cutting edge of coolness and my sibs and I spent HOURS listening to them and dancing around the house. When I played them at the Y, as a college age lass, my chums laughed me to scorn. (I won’t lie, it hurt a little)

Jan doesn’t like those albums either, but friends, corny as they are, they fill me right up with remembrances of my Christmas past. And so, I adore them.

Openly.

Here on my blog I pledge my little girl heart to YOU Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums. SYNTHESIZER AND ALL!

Along with the MS albums are many other odd and wonderful traditions that I hold dear. One of the most cherished traditions is “the elves”. Every year a set of Santa’s little helpers were assigned to take care of us during the month of December. They would watch to see if we were being good – brushing teeth, listening to parents, RESISTING giving younger brothers “swirlies” etc. And if we were good they would leave us little presents all around the house. On the doorstep or under our pillows. They could zip all around the house and you’d NEVER see them (but every now and again you could hear them giggle)…they were magic so you know, the normal laws of physics did not apply to them.

When my parents moved to fabulous Provo UT it turned out that the Elves had a established a post  – under one of their pine trees.

This very pine tree, in fact!

It is called,

ELFINDEN

It is a place where they go to chill out in between gigs. They sip hot cocoa and rest their weary bones etc. Because Grandpa is on good terms with the elves, he must know their secret handshake er something, they let his grand-kids in on their hideaway, and maybe they feel a little guilty because they don’t pay property tax. Whatever the reason, we know about it and we hang out there too.

It’s kind of awesome, if you ask me.

Last Christmas, when we were staying with Grandma and Grandpa the elves hooked us UP!

It began, as it often does, with the discovery of a note. This note instructed us to go to Elfinden (aka their hideaway).

(The adventure begins!)

We all bundled up and made our way out to Elfinden.

(Grown up mommy – but still as excited as the little kids)

In we all went –  under the pine boughs to discover…

…that the elves had decorated Elfinden for Christmas. (Please note that Brynn, also grown-up lady, was just as excited as the kids)

They left us yet another note that would lead us to a special Christmas surprise!

Out we came and off we went!

Following the clues,

which lead us to this ark (just part of the surprise,and  just a beginning of what was to come!)

We kept following the trail of animals until,

We discovered that the elves had taken a little storage space under the stairway and turned it into what we now refer to as, “The Ark Room”.

BEHOLD!

As little peeps they found a way to cram a WHOLE bunch of fun into a tiny space. They are so good when it comes to decorating small spaces – I wonder if they ever considered decorating Manhattan apartments during their “off” months.

Oh, Elves – I love you! How I love you!

Because this tradition means so much to me, it goes without saying that the dear little guys come and visit Millie and Clara too.

We have this here mailbox.

It is where the elves leave us the good stuff.

They have been kind to us this year.

On Friday they left us…

I am here to report that it was well received,

“On Dasher! On Dancer! On Prancer! Right into my mouth!!”

YUM!

“And to all a good night”.

Peace out

and

peace on earth, suckaz!

I am.

Are you?

Our fridge sums it up nicely (this photo was taken 10 minutes ago)…

DECEMBER WHAT?! Can you believe it is the first of December? I just threw Millie’s left over Halloween candy away, so amidst the boxes of Christmas ornaments yet to be placed on the tree is Millie’s trick or treat bag.

Where did November go…

WHO WANTS TO HEAR ME BLATHER ON ABOUT THE SWIFT PASSAGE OF TIME? I am guessing nobody. Instead I will tell you the story of our…

Thanksgiving!

It was nuts and it was wonderful (that is how most things are around here, have you noticed that trend?)

But I get ahead of myself! So much of what makes Thanksgiving rock is what happens before the actual feast, true?

For us there was much shopping, hauling, stirring, baking, basting, fretting, setting, humming, skipping and so forth…

Millie provided most of the skipping (but I joined in because, WHAT’S A HEART FOR?!)

On a scale of 1 to 10 how cute is this little pilgrim, asks the doting mother?!

Millie’s Pre-school has a little feast every year. Check it out!

After the feast (and whilst the skipping ensued) I brought in the groceries and this very cute baby that I found who took a real shine to me… for some unknown reason! (hardy har, har!)

Then, the cooking began!

The following day,

we enjoyed a leisurely Thanksgiving morning – mostly spent loafing and simply being together. It was, really heavenly!

We hung out with the girls then went on a walk through our little town center. We watched people coming off the train with their luggage in tow. We saw them embrace their families and trot off to their cars. It was just tender. And made us very excited for our family to arrive.

They did come – despite moving, shooting a film, and having to work they all made it! And seriously, could they be any more darling?!

It was just right. Ask our very own Goldie-locks. My favorite things on the table were the rolls and apple pie ala Nikki. Good action, Nikks! You knocked it out of the park with that pie, I tell ya!

The following morning Alli had to head back to work and Cam & Nikki had to jet off to get their apartment packed up for their move. With much prodding, they left their little man John-o behind and we had a swell time chillaxing with our favorite Manhattan-ite.

Good times were had by all. And may I say that I think my nephew is a rock star relative. The kid was charming. He ate, and slept (which is more than I can say for certain parties who live under this roof) and was a sheer delight to have around. We love you, little John!!

Later that evening we walked into town for the Madison Christmas parade. It was a little rinky-dink, in a charming, small town kind of way. It was also very, very cold. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it.  But as soon as Allison turned up everything got better. She stood behind me and oohed and awed over every last detail, including appreciating the Mickey Mouse inflatable Santa strapped to the back of a truck. She is such a wonderful appreciator. You are the best, Ali!

(A random lady stopped me to tell me she liked my hat, which was nice of her because it took a fair amount of courage to wear it – thank you, dear random stranger lady for making your opinion known to me!)

We came home and warmed ourselves by the fire and played with Millie’s princess face cards.

I walked into the living room to find Allison and Millie warming their feet by the fire’s glow (everyone should have an aunt who would do this with them!)

Once we were adequately toasty, we had some dinner.

The salad had pomegranates in honor of Millie’s new favorite reading material, Persephone!

On Saturday, as per tradition, we cut down our tree. And I tell you what, she is a BEAUTY!

Every year Ian and Allison have a friendly little race up the hill. We went to a different Xmas tree farm this year, but that didn’t stop I & A. They found themselves hill and they went for it!  When the race ended Millie ran up after them to announce that they had BOTH won, “It was a tie! It was a tie!” she shouted. They rushed back to meet her.

Just look at all the energy in this photo. I love that Ian and Allison both have their arms wide open to receive Millie.

And that my friends is what it is ALL about.

So, happy Halloween, happy Thanksgiving, and may your Christmas be merry, bright, and full of all that is good and true.

This time of year is so wonderfully out of control in so many ways – but oh, I am so grateful despite this crazy world we live in there is still a little bit of magic in the air. The world may try to squeeze the Savior out of Christmas but He shows up every year. He is in the very air we breath. So I guess as long as there is air he will still be with us. (Thank Heavens!!)

Even the grumpy New Jersey-ites are a little less grumpy, and that is something worth celebrating!

My Christmas wish for you and me is that we embrace each other and this joyous season with open hearts and W I D E open arms.

Let the good times roll!!!

Today is one of my very dearest friends’ birthdays (by the time I get this post finished it will be a belated b-day). I would like to tell you all a little bit about why I love Randall so!

I still remember the very first time I saw Randall. I don’t know why this memory of her is etched in my heart, but it is. I had been hearing about her as I was hanging out with many of her high school buddies. It was the first week of college – so you can imagine that it was a time of huge anxiety for just every one of the 30 thousand students on that campus nestled in the mountains. I had that horrible desperate feeling “must find friends” all the live long day. I remember looking down a long cinder block corridor at BYU’s Helaman Halls and seeing her. The girl who would, in time, become one of my closest and dearest friends. I remember her        L O N G legs. She was wearing jeans and and long sleeve red t-shirt, and boots. Her naturally curly hair hit just below her shoulders and her arm was in a cast. She was standing next to her mom and she looked, well quite honestly she looked absolutely beautiful…and a little vulnerable. It is funny to think of her then – when she was an unknown quantity – as the last 15 years have brought our friendship through the peaks and valleys of what is often referred to as “real life”.

I have always loved Randall. Always. I think I was born to love her. She is a person for whom my love, respect and admiration has grown as I have gotten to know her better.  I believe she is a person who God trusts implicitly. I say this because I have known some of the trials he has trusted her with. I don’t know a person who has been through more and has remained so lovely, so pure, and so completely devoted to God. When the time comes that the things that we have conquered are shouted from the roof tops and a heavenly cheer rises up, I hope to be one of the lucky ones who is given the chance  to sing out everything that Randall has overcome. And I will do it at the top of my lungs, with all the energy I possess and with all the love I feel for this beautiful woman, who I am blessed to call my friend.

Until that day comes I will have to settle for singing her praises from my humble little blog.

Randall is a person who has taught me many important things – for starters she has taught  me about forgiveness. She has taught me the power of letting go of pain and letting God rest his hand on your heart. She has taught me about the power of the Atonement. More than once she has told me about how love really is the solution and the answer to most of the problems that we face. I believe her because she knows.

She is kind. If you were to meet her I think you’d be struck by her gentleness and her serenity. She is also a wonderful in the way that she listens.

Listening is always a mark of humility, and Ran is humble – I don’t think she has ANY idea just how wonderful she really is.

Randall is a deeply compassionate person. I have noticed that when we are having a discussion when I get crusty and adamant she is soft and caring. I really love her compassion. When I am with her I notice that her instincts always fall on the side of being loving, and her compassion always inspires me to try to be more this way myself.

She is willing to work very, very hard to do God’s will. I have rarely met a harder worker. She just keeps chipping away, no matter how hard the task – hoping, hoping, hoping and working, and waiting for God to come through. She has the lovely grace that comes to those of God’s children who have really learned to wait upon Him.

She and her husband, H.L. are two of my heroes. Their relationship is such a wonderful example to me of selfless love and giving. Because I have been known to be fiercely protective of my girl friends, who they date and marry is of great concern to me, I couldn’t have been happier that Randall and H. L. chose each other. He has been and continues to be such a fantastic husband and father. Together they make the most beautiful team.

Randall is fun. We have had lots of fun together. Just thinking about the crazy stuff we did as co-eds makes me laugh – remember how I always wanted to find a hot tub at around 1:00 am, WHAT was that about? When we couldn’t find a hot-tub we’d often settle for those random swings, do you remember that? How you let me sleep on your floor after we watched X-files because I was always so creeped out! Our search for the ultimate hair cut – we traveled to the far reaches of UT looking for that hair cut. You found an apartment for us and my room had clouds painted on the ceiling – that was awesome. You were my chauffeur b/c I still didn’t have my license. THE HUMILIATION! I remember you taking me over to the little shop where your wedding dress was. I remember they wouldn’t let you try it on so you sent pictures of you wearing to to me – with the bows and without the bows. You dropped me off at the MTC when I was mission bound. Colloquium class – that was a winner! The winner that brought you and H together. Viva Mexico! Staying up late into the night talking, and talking and talking…I guess some things haven’t changed!

Randall is impeccably stylish. I have always loved looking through her closet (with her permission, don’t worry!) She has always had a superior wardrobe. I remember someone once saying of her, “She always looks so good… and have you noticed, she always wears a belt!” I thought that was a funny thing to say – the part about the belt – but it is true. She always looks beautiful (even when she is pregnant- she doesn’t feel beautiful but she IS!!)  She has a natural polish. Her tallness (those lovely long legs) and her light eyes and dark hair, those gorgeous cheek bones, and rosebud lips help the clothes considerably – but as ever, I think the inner beauty far outshines the exterior. But let me tell you, that exterior ain’t bad!!

Randall is a great athlete – for starters she is a great water skier, snow skier, basketball player etc and these days, as she isn’t playing on many sports teams, she has been working out at the gym. She has become something of a gym maniac. I have nothing but respect for her in this department.

(missing from this photo is Eliza May - sorry Ella, I should have kept all those Xmas cards your mom sent me!)

She is a wonderful mother. I remember once looking at a photo of her holding her oldest son, Jack. She was lit in such a way that she looked like she was sporting a halo. That is how I see her as a mother. I am not saying that she is perfect, but I know her heart – I know what she desires and I know her intentions – and they are BEAUTIFUL. She has fought so hard for her children – for their happiness and for hers.

I want her (and anyone who happens to read this post) to know just how much she means to me. I love her more than I can say!

Happy Birthday, Ran!

Is my mom.

And today is her birthday.

You ALL know what that means…

but what you don’t know is that I think this blog was born so that I could write a birthday shout out to “me ma”! When I was considering starting a blog I wondered what in the world I would write about. I thought about what I might enjoy writing and what my sisters (aka my audience) might enjoy reading…but one thing was certain. I was going to shower my mom with love on her birthday.

And now the day has come!

So, without further ado, please allow me to tell you a little bit about why I, for one, am sooooooooooooooo happy that Khaliel Kelly was born and why I love her so.

My mom:

is kind. She is selfless. Perfect example – only a week ago my mom took my crying baby out of my arms (after I had sworn, not at her, but in her direction) and stayed up with the little blighter all night long so that I could sleep. WHO DOES THAT?  The only person in the whole world who has ever done this for me is my mom. She is remarkable in her ability to do this not only for me but for everyone around her. Case in point, as I was packing up and getting ready to leave UT for our trip back to NJ my mom fixed me and my girls lunch. Tuna melts, if you care to know, and they were rather “tasty jingles” to coin a Khaliel-ism. So, while my mom was – making us lunch, getting our suit cases loaded, (the very suit cases she’d helped me to pack) she also fed my two brothers, brought lunch for my dad and sister Tess who came with us to the air port. WHO DOES THAT?

I’ll tell you who, MY MOM!

People adore her. Everywhere I go I hear praise of my mother. “Oh, you are Khaliel’s daughter! I LOVE her.” I always smile and say, “Me too!” I am kind of proud of her. I feel lucky, no a better word is, blessed that I can lay some sort of claim to her.

But let me be clear, although my mom is one of the kindest and most generous people I know but she is no “doily carrier” – she isn’t soft spoken and she isn’t a push over. She is a woman of strength and grit. True story: Once my mom was in the car driving some of her many children hither and yon. She noticed that my brother’s best friend was being picked on by a really tall fat kid on our neighborhood streets. What would you do in this situation? Well, I’ll tell you what Khaliel did. She pulled the car over and got right up into the face this rotund human being and told him where he could go! Later she also got right in the face of the father of said boy. He must have been a few hundred pounds heavier, and a few feet taller. That made no difference, she also told him where he could go too.

Not only is she gutsy and bold, she is intelligent – I think she is intelligent in an academic way, an emotional way and a spiritual way as well. I once heard or read that wisdom is when knowledge is applied – I feel that this is my mom. She is a very wise woman. She has a true depth. She just gets “it”. She gets why she is on earth. She loves people. She cares for people. She listens to the needs of those around her. She is a counselor. She is always calling out words of encouragement and hope. She is not afraid to admit when she is wrong or apologize – even to us, her kids. I am grateful for this example, because it means that I too am able to apologize to my own children.  Her humility and willingness to see where she needs to change is one of the coolest things about her.

She has tons of class – and yet she is totally down to earth. She is funny and very, very witty. She has great taste. She loves beautiful art, theatre, music and she taught all nine of her kids to love and appreciate the good stuff. She had the guts and wisdom take ALL of us into the City to visit fine art museums, see shows on Broadway, to hear poetry readings, to listen to interesting lectures. The interesting thing to me is that none of this was ever done in the spirit of elitism, it wasn’t ever haughty – rather she was teaching us to celebrate beauty and goodness. I am starting to see the fruits of her efforts in the projects that my siblings (all film or theater majors) are creating. I recently had the privilege of watching a documentary that my brother Chas made. It is about a boy in my parents’ ward who got into big trouble, went to jail, was converted to the gospel in jail and is now out and doing his best to hold on! The film is wonderful. I think it is not only a reflection of my brother’s goodness – but also a reflection of his mother’s goodness.

If I could show you the scripts my brothers and sisters have (0r are in the process of) writing you would start to feel the impact of my mother’s influence. Each is unique, but each shines forth with a special kind of love – a love of goodness, morality, decency. I think this comes right from my mom. We used to MOAN when she would dissect every single movie, TV show, and book that passed through our home – but she dissected with a real purpose. She was helping us to get to the core of what that piece of art was SAYING. It is because of her that I cannot read, watch or listen to anything without judging its moral content and ultimately its true worth.

My mom loves the Lord. She loves to do His work. She loves to read the scriptures. Any time I call her with a concern she has some deep and beautiful insight that she has gained from the scriptures to share with me (usually from that morning’s scripture study).

She is a wonderful teacher. People just lap her up! From little children to teenagers to grown-ups. She can get every last one of them, right in the palm of her hand. Currently she is teaching Sunday School to the teenagers in her ward. One of the boys, who she also taught as a belligerent primary boy is now one of her most devoted students. He told his dad, “Sister Kelly is THE MAN!” He even flagged her down last Friday night (I was there) to say “hi” while he was out with his cool, goatee sporting buddies. My friends, she has got it!

She loves and is completely devoted to my dad. And he loves her with equal devotion. They laugh together every day. When my dad was called to be in a BYU Stake presidency he was describing my mom to all the students in his Stake. The other two men of the Stake presidency who’d gone before him had mentioned their wives as “treasures”. My dad, well he said, “You are going to love Sister Kelly. She is NUTS!” He said it with love and he meant it in love. And he is right – she is lovable, and she is nuts.

Now I will try to tell you what my mom means to me, personally. I feel like a bit of a love glutton when I consider my mother and the relationship that I share with her. She means everything to me. If a few days go by and I haven’t spoken to her I feel totally and utterly lost. She is the first person that I want to talk to when something goes horribly wrong and she is also the first person I want to talk to something wonderful happens. It as though nothing, no matter how wonderful or horrible, is real until I have shared it with her. She just delights in the details – what the girls have done, what Jan has said, what wallpaper I have picked out, it doesn’t matter what I am doing – she just wants to hear all about it. And how I LOVE to tell her every last juicy detail.

This woman who gave me life, has stood by me in every trial, and been with me in every adventure – through it all she has been my truest and dearest friend. You couldn’t ask for a better mom. I love her more than I can say.

I love you mom! Happy Birthday

I adore you right down to your socks!

I know, I know – I told you I’d be out of commission for the next two weeks – but what is a girl to do who can’t sleep at 2:00 AM?

Besides you NEED to be introduced to Taco (not to be confused with Taco Bell’s “Black Taco”)

Here is what we have been up to this past week:

lunch with entire extended (Kelly) family, hair cut and color for me, Esme’s birthday party, trip to Spring City to see beloved friends, TACO joined our family for a limited time, mom’s homemade doughnuts, teeth cleaned – Millie’s third time in the chair and FIRST time actually getting the pearly whites cleaned (feel free to pity me, I will find your pity comforting) – NO cavities for either of us, lunch with cousins, trip to Alice Lane and dinner at Communal with my mommy, drive to Sandy to see cousins and Grandma, not a lot of sleep (various reasons) and general good times all around.

Looking at it in print it doesn’t seem like much, so why am I so exhausted?! I think the combo of no sleep – either because the girls keep me up or because I when they are asleep, like right now, my mind wont stop racing (your pity would be welcomed here too) and driving to SLC almost every day – I-15 you are not my friend – is what is doing it to me.

At any rate, we are happy and having fun.

Would you care for some photographic evidence? (FYI, all photos were taken from my iphone an posted from my iphone to boot – not an easy process, so there are not many – feel free to savor them, if you wish)

First things first. You must meet Taco!

Here he is!

Perhaps not what you were expecting – but I was trying to create mystery and suspense! Did it work?!

And now, I will share with you the story of how this little French poodle made his way to our house. On Monday, my mom, Millie, Clara & I drove to a place called Spring City to visit a beloved friend named Zina. We ended up seeing Zina and her parents, as they live a short drive from her house. Zina’s parents are Joe and Lee Bennion, they are famous UT artists and have a terrific place in Spring City – complete with barn, horses, artist studio, chickens, and DOGS! You can imagine that Millie (who has to normally settle with casting her younger sister as her pet dog) was in HEAVEN. Actually no need to imagine, just look at her face in the above photo.

Well, of the four dogs that were available, Millie took a real shine to Senior Taco – she carried him every where, talked to him, pet him – at one point they were both sitting in his dog bed watching a TMBG video pod-cast side by side. You get the picture, the dog is a saint! Several references were made by Lee and Joe that they would love to give us the dog, if only they could…so! as our visit was coming to an end I plucked up the courage to see if they would be willing to let Taco spend a week with us. They said, “SURE!” and went to the kitchen to chop up some turkey necks – because that is what Taco eats for breakfast.

He has been with us now for four days and the adoration continues – not just from Millie. We all love the little bounder!

And now for some random photos…

Here we have Millie with one of Grand ma’s delicious doughnuts — the candles are because Millie just loves to have Happy Birthday sung to her. Wanna know what she got for her make-believe b-day? You’ll never guess so I will tell you…A DOG NAMED TACO!!

Millie with Soren and Elsa, my cousin Lindsay’s kids.

And here is a random scary “before” picture of me getting my hair done.

No “after” picture yet.

But don’t worry Jan, I look awesome!

Trust me…

A word of warning.

The following females are headed your way:

Look out, suckaz…

Here we come!

oxox,

Liza, Millie & Clara Jane

P.S. Dear Readers of Dawsome, I don’t know if I’ll be able to fit my lap top into my carry-on bag (it is a well known fact that too many goldfish crackers can clog up a carry-on) so you may not be hearing from me for a while…around 14 days or so…)

Simply put,

WE LOVE YOU!

we love you & you & you & you & you

& we really love you, Mo!

You have made the following people very happy:

GO YANKEES!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please bless that the Fall doesn’t blow everyone away.

And that they can rake and have fun

And jump in the piles.

AMEN!

When Halloween is on a Saturday it spills over into the days that surround it, was this the case for you too?

On Friday morning:

Millie’s pre-school had a Halloween parade and carnival.

On Friday afternoon, due to balmy weather, we took our fun out of doors. Some people “take tea” we like to “take fun”.

For no particular reason I brought our parachute outside. One thing lead to another and before we knew it we had a “treat tree house”.  What do you do in a treat tree house? I hope that is obvious…YOU EAT TREATS – this is the kind of game I am REALLY good at.

(A “treat tree house”, invented by Millie, can be constructed in a number of ways. Don’t let the professionalism of our tree house put you off from making one of your own. We were just plain lucky that ours ended up looking like a lady with bushy hair wearing a beret…c’est magnifique!)

Millie singing a song about our tree house – wish I had a recording of this composed-on-the-spot-ditty. It was rockin’!

one for you…

…and one for me!

We were having such fun that Millie suggested we get Dad in on the mix. So she put in a call…

And look who showed up on our front porch!

BUT WAIT! THERE’S STILL MORE…

Later that same evening we headed to the ward for our annual “Trunk-or-Treat”.

Clara as strawberry and Lucy as ewok, respectively.

Remember these kids?

Sadly, the sugar high did not get us home.

By the time we got around to doing the actual trick-or-treating, on the 31st, we were OVER IT.

NO! Not really.

Not at all!

It was actually wonderful (and quick – due to the rain!)

Millie trick-or-treated with her two buds Jack and Drew and they were so stinkin’ cute.

(check out Drew’s expression – the Jedi to the right of Millie – that is the face of a happy man!)

They were polite, saying “Happy Halloween” and “Thank you” at every house. They waited for each other, looked out for each other and were just so excited.  It got me right in that soft spot of mine.

I also got nostalgic. Remembering last year when these three little munchkins were doing the same thing on the same street. I can’t get over how much they have changed from one year to the next!

Same night, a year ago, to the day, but totally different kids! YOWZA!

Must dash – Millie has prepared a Halloween/Thanksgiving party with decorations and games for all of us to enjoy. (I’m 100% serious!)

Let the good times roll… (she says wearily)