The Quest for a Christmas Card Photo

Every year around Columbus Day, I start to panic about the family Christmas card photo.  One of my favorite parts about the holidays is going out to my mailbox in December and finding a stack of Christmas cards.  I love seeing other people's family photos, dressed-up dogs, holiday drawings and yes, even their newsletters.  I know that I must give to receive, and to give I must capture a picture that motivates me to create a card, have it printed, and send out my mailing. 

Unfortunately, the task is not an easy one for several reasons.  Number one, I'm not a skilled photographer.  Every few years, a camera makes it onto my Christmas list because the one I have doesn't take great pictures (hmn, I wonder why).  Number two, my subject matter is not compliant.  My three young kids don't sit and smile on command, despite my effort to chant words that I think will make them laugh.  Number three, I usually don't have the time or attention span to coordinate outfits, make sure everyone's hair is brushed back and corale them in front of a good backdrop for pictures.  Call it lazy if you want. 

This year, we spent the long weekend for Columbus Day at Mohonk Mountain House.  With its breathtaking lake and hills, I thought it would make a great backdrop for our family Christmas photo.  In between activities like horseback riding, fishing, hiking and dining, I organized family photo opportunities.  The kids were sick of posing by our second day.  I took over a hundred photos of the trip.  Though there was no clear winner, I am going to use my creativity to make one of the photos I took work for the card.  Here are some of the less-than-winning photos that did not make the cut.

Where's Caroline?

Quit pulling your brother's hair.

Eyes opened, not closed!

 Look at the camera!

Saying Gaga (my dad's nickname) doesn't lend itself to a nice smile.

Just one good shot, please???

 

Fun With Back to School Shopping

One highlight of our recent vacation in South Carolina was some unexpected back-to-school shopping.  After several days of soaking up a little too much sun on the beach, my friends and I decided to take our kids shopping while our husbands spent the morning golfing.  There aren't too many stores that can entertain our busy gang of children, who range in age from 2 to 8.  Since school would be starting within the month, we hit up Kohls hoping to check some items off of our list.  We were not disappointed.
 All was quiet when we entered the store at 10 a.m. on Sunday.  There were enough carts for each kid to have his own.  Within seconds we were trailing after them as they filled the carts with items from their lists. 

Our daughters ended up with at least 20 dresses in their carts.  They were shopping for their big fall event - the Father/Daughter Dance.  Though they had their choice of dressing rooms, they squeezed into one.  What is more fun than a party in the fitting room with your friends?  Certainly not cleaning up after one (thanks for taking the lead on that, Paulette!).

Our sons stuffed their carts with tee-shirts and sports shorts.  Those weren't on my son's list, but I did buy him a few that were on sale. 

My two year old fell in love with a Dora nightgown and a dress that came with a matching doll dress.  The set was much cheaper than one I'd bought her at American Girl in the spring.  I'm a sucker for a bargain, as are my friends Monique and Paulette.  With bathing suits and sandals marked down 75%, we bought the kids some for our YTBP (yet-to-be-planned) spring vacations.  I guess the kids and I will be going someplace warm.  I couldn't pass up these silver sandals for $4.99.

We also found some Stuart Weitzman knock-off heels in a great taupe color for a fraction of the designer price.

When we finally made it to the registers to pay, afer our nearly two hour escapade, we learned that we could save an additional 30% off the prices if we opened a Kohls account.  We had so much fun that we decided it was worth it. 

My Favorite Thing To Do In Hilton Head

Every summer when we visit my husband's family in Hilton Head, South Carolina, we have our list of favorite things to do - go boogie boarding at the beach (in addition to family-friendly waves, Coligny Beach has a great splash fountain for little ones, porch swings and a gorgeous stretch of sand), search for dolphins on Grandpa's boat, listen to Greg Russell sing in Harbor Town, shop at the outlets, and stop for ice cream at Hilton Head Ice Cream (where there is an unlimited topping bar).  My personal favorite, though, is crabbing at the dock.

I love seafood, particularly fresh stone crab claws.  As soon as we get settled into my inlaw's house, I anxiously await the time that we can head to the dock to set the crab trap.  Fortunately, they keep fish heads in the garage freezer to use as bait.  On our recent trip to Hilton Head, I decided I wanted the entire crabbing experience, with the help of my well-trained relatives.

To catch crabs, you need fish, but to catch fish, you need shrimp.  The best time to shrimp and fish is two hours before and after low tide.  We used a small net to catch shrimp (the smaller the net, the easier it is to handle, apparently).  My brother-in-law demonstrated the technique for me, draping the net on his shoulder, putting a piece of it in his mouth and then casting it into the flowing water.  The best kind of cast or throw is called a pancake, which looks exactly like it sounds - round and flat.  You have greater odds of catching shrimp that way.  Something must have been wrong with our net because we mainly threw tacos (where the net folds in half before hitting the water).  We only caught a mud minnow and an oyster shell.

Luckily, cousins Julie and Bill caught a bunch of shrimp and shared their supply with us for fishing.  According to Julie, there are different types of fish - small fish to use as bait for fishing and crabbing, fish you throw back because they aren't quite big enough to eat, and tasty meals like trout and red fish that are 15" or longer.  We didn't catch any tasty meals, but we did catch enough bait to use in the crab trap for our visit.  With visions of a chilled crab appetizer in my future, we retrieved my father-in-law's crab trap and stuffed as many small red fish as we could into it.

On our first night, there were 17 crabs in the trap.  Sounds like the jackpot for a shellfish lover like me, but we don't keep the blue crabs and there were six of them (my father-in-law says they are too much work to eat).  We only take one claw from each stone crab we catch, and if there are any with a claw missing, we toss them back in the water.  Their claw will grow back to its full size within a year.  It is against the law to remove a claw from stone crabs carrying babies (we had two with orange sponges underneath which meant they were soon-to-be moms).  That left us with seven claws for dinner and they were mm-mmn good!

Crab Bait

Fish Bait

My Brother-In-Law Demonstrating His Casting Technique

Fishing off the Dock

Julie & My Son Posing With An "Almost-Tasty-Meal" - one inch too short

Racing to the Dock To Check the Trap

Our Catch

The Mother Crab & Her Orange Egg Sac

Jumping off of Grandpa's Boat While Looking for Dolphins

Playing Dress Up In My Sister's Closet

I went back to Indianapolis last weekend to visit with my family and attend my 20 year high school reunion.  A few days before the reunion, I learned that cocktail attire was required.  Fortunately for me, my fashionable sister, Meri, and her husband, are staying with my parents  while their house is under construction.  Her extensive desiner wardrobe is now on display in almost every closet on the second floor of their house.  When I explained my need for a nice cocktail dress, she threw open the doors of closet number one and whipped out seven for me to try on.  I felt like what my daughter must have felt like at the Bibbi Bobbidi Boutique in Disney World (where she's tried on every princess gown in existence).  I had my choice of designer gowns:  Chanel, Rebecca Taylor, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Diane Von Furstenberg and a variety of others I'd seen on the pages of In Style Magazine.  I debated between some flashy dresses - pink and white, silver, taupe, turquiose - but decided to play it safe by borrowing a little black dress.  As I returned the other dresses to Meri, I asked her if there was anything she might want to consign to her older sister, mom of three, who doesn't have much time to shop, nor the eye for chic apparel.  She was very agreeable to my proposal exclaiming that there were a number of items she'd seen on Net-A-Porter.com that she might like to buy.  From that point on, every time I came up to my room I found shoes, tops, skirts and dresses laid out for me to try on.  It felt like I had a personal shopper.  Everything fit perfectly.  I had a lot of fun playing dress up, though I'm not a big fan of high heels and could barely walk to the mirror to check out how her shoes looked on my feet.  I ended up with four "new" dresses and two "new" tops in my suitcase.  And Meri ended up with some extra cash to purchase her next installment of designer duds (which could be mine on consignment when I visit next summer - cha ching).  Thanks Meri!

Closet #1

Closet #2

 These Yves St. Laurent shoes arrived while I was visiting.  When I asked Meri what she would pair them with, she suggested this dress...

Gorgeous!

Fitting right in with my girlfriends, in my "new" black dress at the reunion

Who needs Carrie (Bradshaw) as a friend, when they've got Meri!

Move Over Martha Stewart

My sister Wendy's artistic friends, Charlotte and Erin, along with my ever-so-creative mother, planned a shower worthy of a spread in Martha Stewart Magazine for her.  The theme, "Feathering the Nest," and colors, pink and green, were selected based on her nursery.  From the invitations and decorations to the food and game, everything was perfect.  Charlotte had saved baby food jars for several weeks to use as place card holders.  She and Erin painted the inside of the jars pink and green, filled them with flowers, and attached name tags to them.

Centerpieces featured painted applesauce jars that were filled with tree branches and brightly-colored birds.

My mother made her own version of a diaper cake that was topped with a stuffed animal.

As guests arrived they were served a glass of pink lemonade and asked to write a new mom tip for Wendy.  (My sister Meri, who is not a mom yet, quickly stepped into my dad's office to Google new mom tips.  Hers was the only one that quoted a study.)

The lunch menu was fitting for a hot July day.  It included chilled strawberry soup, chicken pasta salad, and sweet rolls from Taylor's Bakery.

For dessert, Charlotte and Erin had decorated cupcakes to look like bird's nests.  They took vanilla cupcakes, piped on brown icing, sprinkled on some coconut, and topped them with pink candy-coated almonds.  They were almost too pretty to eat.  When I was young, I used to wonder why my mom's Christmas list always included serving dishes.  How many of these dishes could one person possibly need?  Five sizes of salad bowls, eight sets of salad servers, six sets of china.  Now I know why - so she can host a shower for 30 people.

After lunch, a memory game was played with a tray full of baby items and prizes were awarded.

Then, the new mom tips were read and gifts were opened.  Though the fashionable baby clothes and tiny shoes received plenty of "oohs and aahs" from the crowd, it was the homemade gifts and baby products that make life easier that interested me.  Here's a list of the gifts that intrigued me the most.

1) A homemade quilt in the nursery colors from the hostess with the mostest - Erin
2) A homemade alphabet and number book by my daughter

3)  Crafty Mama: Makes 49 Fast, Fabulous, Foolproof (Baby & Toddler) Projects
4) Beaded flower drawer knobs from Pottery Barn

5) Swaddle Plus instant swaddlers (much easier than using a receiving blanket)

6) Safety 1st 4 Piece Oral Care Set - this kit grows with the baby from infant to toddler years
7) Munchkin A&H Disposable Changing Pad - 10 Pack



8) Sloganed onesies from Urban Smalls

9) Simple Wishes Hands-Free Breastpump Bra, Pink, XS/S/M *This nursing bra was highly recommended by a guest who had used it to pump, hands-free, while commuting to and from work

10) In My Flower - an adorable interactive baby book

My daughters enjoyed helping out at the shower and can't wait to make their own painted jar decorations, like the ones used in the centerpieces.

Taking Off

We recently decided to move, which explains why my blog has been absent of activity for the past two months.  When I started Something to Dwell Upon this spring, my goal was to write a few times a week.  I found it cathartic.  The early morning hours before my children woke up became my golden hours for writing.  And then our realtor showed us a shingle-style house in a neighborhood not far from where we currently live.  It had a flat front lawn for soccer practice, a creek stocked with small fish, a white kitchen and a large basement to entertain the kids during the long winter months.  We bid, signed the contract, sold our house and closed on the new one within two months.  The buying-selling-moving process knocked the writing right out of me.

I am pretty certain that I caught the “moving bug” in May from my next-door neighbors.  I swear, it is contagious, so build up your immunity before coming into contact with me.  This bug comes with emotional and physical symptoms including high levels of stress, irritability, inability to make decisions, hair loss, weight gain (this has nothing to do with all of the fast food I’ve eaten lately) and tears (I didn’t know that I would miss my old house so much). 

Like any move, ours was not without its challenges.  In an effort to save money, I decided that we would move as much as we could ourselves and I booked a "cheap" moving company.  The plan started off well.  I asked the moving company for a list of the most cost-saving items to move ourselves.  I was told fragile items, paintings, lamps, electronics and kids’ toys.    My husband and I gathered our moving materials: empty wine cases (great for glassware and utensils), garbage bags (for toys and clothes), and plastic tubs from our attic (the catchall for everything else).  We spent a week moving our kitchen, playroom, garage, outdoor furniture, artwork and accessories.  Despite all of our time, we only saved 15 percent off of the original moving quote and ended up exhausting my car which died in our driveway on moving day.  The "cheap" moving company I hired missed day one of our move because they got into an accident on the way to our house.  On day two, they showed up with a U-haul and two less men than they were supposed to bring and knocked a hole in our wall with my dresser.  They forgot several big items they were supposed to move, but managed to fit our old speakers and furniture that was sitting by our trash bins into the truck (these went home with them, which was fine, but I wish they'd fit my planters and bench into the U-haul instead).  Oh, and it poured that day.

To give the kids something to do while we moved, I instructed them to search the house for anything that the sellers had left behind.  No drawer was to be left unopened.  I was certain they would find a few items.  During our previous move eight years ago, the sellers had left a workbench in the garage filled with tools (my husband was thrilled), a silver urn in the kitchen (I was thrilled), and a buddha in the garden (I gave it away).  This time around, all they found were some old spices in a drawer.  Disappointed, they went down to the basement to watch television.  It wasn't until I walked outside to take a break that I found the astronaut.  He was perched on top of a pillar under our covered porch.  I quickly called up my son who helped get it down with a broom.  As we walked back into the house to show the girls, we heard a noise behind us.  A red-breasted robin swooped in with twigs.  Within five minutes, a nest was built.  The astronaut had been used as a scarecrow.  We like our new red-breasted friends (the robin has already had babies).  It's nice to watch them settle into their new nest as we settle into ours.  The astronaut has found a new home in my son's toy box.  

Getting Caught By Uncle Scott

My brother-in-law, Scott, is a serious athlete.  He’s a tall, lean, exercising machine who spends considerable time biking, running and swimming.  Rain, snow, wind and sleet do not dissuade him from training for a triathlon or an iron man competition.  Last weekend while we were on Mackinac Island, my Aunt Abbi was out on a walk and noticed that a runner was lapping her for a second time around the eight mile island.  Of course, it was my brother-in-law Scott getting in a quick 16 mile run.  This is why I was surprised to learn that my son, Andrew, had outrun Scott last June at my sister Wendy’s wedding.  Like a good brother-in-law, Scott had agreed to take my kids from the wedding reception back to the hotel after dinner while I was busy with my matron-of-honor duties (like chatting with the other bridesmaids and dancing to Oh What A Night).  Unfortunately for him, my son was not feeling tired.  And when Andrew doesn’t want to do something, he can be pretty stubborn about it.  A chase ensued on the dance floor.  For several minutes, Andrew outran my brother-in-law dodging the crowd of people on the dance floor.  I wouldn’t have had any idea that this event had occurred except for one small stroke of luck.  The chase was included in the wedding video which was then watched by the bride and groom and shared with our family.  Thanks to my brother-in-law, Paul, I'm sharing it on my blog.  You'll notice a blond boy in an untucked white shirt just at the end of the steps.  Keep your eye on him and be patient when he runs off-screen, he quickly returns.  It’s funny to think that Andrew’s size actually gives him an advantage over Scott, who looks a bit tired out by my six year old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg1j1fr1LrQ

Scott prevailing over Andrew on the way home from my brother Mike’s wedding

The McLaughlin Wedding Trilogy

My brother and sisters got engaged within a few months of each other.  This resulted in the McLaughlin Wedding Trilogy – three family weddings in one year.  Despite their very different locations (an art institute in Indianapolis, a beach in San Diego, a courtyard in Mackinac Island), there were many similarities.  Each wedding shared a beautiful bride and groom, a beaming father of the bride, a teary-eyed mother of the groom, adorable flower girls and ringbearer (my children), a devoted group of fans, planned surprises (like a musical toast and an A Capella singing group), unplanned surprises (including a tardy band, misplaced flowers & wedding dress snafu), good music (from Motown to Rap) and a crowded dance floor.  Though stressful at times, it was an unexpected blessing to have a year of three celebratory family events (six if you count my father’s retirement party, his 65^th birthday party, and my brother’s business school graduation).  It’s been an amazing 12 months for the McLaughlin family.

In honor of the completion of the wedding trilogy this weekend, I thought I would highlight my favorite memory of each wedding.

-    The father/daughter dance at my baby sister’s wedding.  When Meri was a toddler, she contracted spinal meningitis and nearly died.  After several weeks in the hospital, she came home with a warning from her doctor that she might not fully recover to play sports.  And then she became the family gymnast.  My father turned our sunroom into her personal gym.  The most memorable part of her wedding was the tribute he gave to her in his toast.  He admitted to the groom that he may have spoiled her a little because of her shaky start in life.  This was followed by a very loving father/daughter dance during which, I swear,  I caught a glimpse of Meri as a little girl dancing in my father’s arms in our living room on Sargent Road.

-     The photo slide show at my sister Wendy’s wedding.  Wendy and Paul got married less than two years after they started dating.  Wendy was truly a blushing bride and Paul, a doting groom.  I’ve never seen a couple more in love on their wedding day.  At times, they seemed not to notice anyone else in the room.  At their reception, the photographer had compiled a slide show of photos from the wedding ceremony and post-ceremony photo session that played on a continuous reel in the bar.  You could see their sheer bliss at being married in every photo.

-     The bride and groom's first dance at my brother’s wedding.  Like all of the McLaughlins, my brother loves to dance.  I have videos of him as a young boy lip syncing to Michael Jackson with his own choreography (including his almost-famous chair jumps).  I knew his wife, Anissa, was his soul mate the first time I saw her hit the dance floor with Mike.  She shares his rhythm, for better or for worse.  His wedding would not have been complete without a momentous first dance.  His wedding guests were not disappointed.  Rather than describe it, I’ve decided to post it (with help from my brother-in-law Scott).  It starts off a little slow, but then Mike channels his inner Michael Jackson.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-89UY0WY52c

The Adorable Flower Girls & Ringbearer

Mike & Anissa - The Dancing King & Queen

Celebrating my wedding with my brother & sisters nearly a decade ago...





Scott & Meri At Their Beach Wedding