Thursday, December 29, 2011

Dreaming of Sugar Plums

Oh the memories...


this quilt will hold some day. A gift finished literally last minute for Momma Cass and her babies.

Next Christmas when they are one year older, Olivia and Henry will take turns sleeping under this magical Santa quilt. As they toss around each night during the Christmas season...the tiny tinkling of nine little bells will accompany the visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads.

A similar but well-worn version of this quilt has been snuggling with my children for many Christmas seasons in the past; The Teenager still sleeping under it this year, and Lawyer Girl too when she arrived. The bells are tarnished and a couple of them no longer jingle...but yesterday as I folded and put it away for another year, I couldn't help but nestle up to it myself. 

Although the batting is no longer as lofty as it once was...merry dreams of Christmas' past billowed from the patchwork creation. 

Childhood dreams from The Blond one, The Brown one, The Baby Brother...and most especially from The Red One. For just a moment, angel Jocie's magical Christmas dreams were wrapped completely around me...and I felt her warmth envelope me.

Can you just imagine the visions of sugar plums my grand babies are going to have through the years?

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Christmas Eve at Alta

Courtesy of Dean's helmet cam...here is just a short video glimpse of how The Garlick Press traditionally spends Christmas Eve. We've been doing this for years...and will continue it for years to come.


It's our favorite part of Christmas Eve.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Peanuts

Oh you know how it is...

 anticipation and excitement over the annual family Christmas party.


All your relatives and Santa Claus packed into one small room.


Despite overwhelming noise and chaos, there were some pretty delightful moments.

Like Kylee

and Zac dressed up as shepherds

and Addison too, complete with candy cane shepherds hooks.

Harley holding a "cabbage patch kid" baby Jesus; Grandpa beamed while retelling The Nativity story.

A beautiful Christmas angel.

Maybe my favorite moment might have been watching Griffin cling to his mother, he was less than thrilled about being a wise man.

Or how about when Henry took over as a wise man.

You should have seen the terror in Olivia's face when she met Santa for the first time...

but my favorite moment could have been watching Olivia seek comfort from her Daddy because of that fat scary stranger in the red suit.

Owen was delighted to snuggle up to Henry, who is the great great grandson of Owen's father Chet.

It might have been the wonder of Santa Claus as seen through a child's eyes.

Or watching Olivia and Henry fight over Henry's toy. Olivia loved her new toy from Santa...she just needed Henry's too!

The white elephant present game is always a hit,


especially when Brandon opened his gift and found an IN-N-OUT burger! That most certainly could have been my favorite moment.

Or perhaps it might have been

Unni and Henry

getting to know each other

up close and personal. Makes you wonder what Henry was thinking.

Delighted sisters who can't seem to stop giggling...it's so wonderful to see them both together again.

Olivia found munching on a giant marshmallow Yoda very delightful...but it still wasn't my most favorite.

No...my favorite moment did not come until the end of the family party...when Grandpa Owen suddenly opened up bags of peanuts and started chucking them into the chaos. Peanuts literally rained down on everyone and everywhere! I haven't seen Grandpa Owen this happy in a long time.

Family parties...priceless, and I can't wait until next year!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!




Sunday, December 18, 2011

Sometimes...

I quite often find myself hanging out with other over-achievers...

who at the busiest time of the year decide to make nearly 90 hand appliqued wool needle cases.

And as if that wasn't enough over-achieveing...we created a flock of funky folksy birds in all colors and designs,

to hang from centerpieces at a quilt guild party.

So let's here it for all the over-achievers in the world!

And today I think I'll start my Christmas shopping.


Monday, December 12, 2011

Finding Danny


There are several theories as to the origin of the Christmas tree. Some say it began in Germany almost 1000 years ago when St Boniface (who converted the German people to Christianity) was said to have come across a group of pagans worshiping an oak tree. In anger, St Boniface allegedly cut down the oak tree and to his amazement a young fir tree sprung up from the roots of the oak. St Boniface took this as a sign of the Christian faith. But it was not until the 16th century that fir trees were brought indoors at Christmas time. 

The Garlick Press has one of those mish-mash trees...you know, the polar opposite of the perfect evergreen trees shown glowing from a Pottery Barn catalog. As it is...the only thing our ornaments have in common...is the fact that they have nothing in common.


Several times throughout the years, I've been tempted to throw out the hodge-podge and opt for a more traditional tree with matching ornaments and coordinating garland and bows.

This Rockettes ornament came from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.


Of course I have an ornament of my favorite beverage.

The hand made treasures kiddos brought home from school projects are still adorable.

Seemingly ages ago, the Teenager made this one in preschool...astonishingly it made the trip home in a little guy's backpack and has been hanging on the tree ever since.

I easily recall the story each ornament has to tell. Yearly as we decorate the tree, I'll quiz the family as to the origins...almost willing them to remember year after year. 


There are ornaments that represent memories. This ridiculous Bart Simpson ornament came from Orlando...reminding us of the year we took a page from the John Grisham novel and "Skipped Christmas!" It was the first year without our Jocie. Christmas Day was celebrated on The Simpson Ride in warm sunny Florida. 

This gorgeous one is made of crystal and glass. We picked it up in the Czech Republic.

And this guy came from Moscow Russia.

One by one...the tree soon becomes an evergreen journal filled with magical moments.


 The Garlick Press is especially fond of Santa on a string of garlic...clever!


The official White House ornament from a few years ago.

Pink Ballet shoes...the year Lawyer Girl began dancing on Pointe. Although she most likely hates to admit to her dancing days...it's a part of her story none the less.


This one speaks for itself!

Right up to the angel sitting on top, which we purchased from the most enchanting year-round Christmas store in historic Ellicott City Maryland so long ago. The back wall of the Christmas store was the mountain side...it had the coolest smell in there.

But perhaps my most cherished ornaments are the ones with the funny childhood faces. We tease and giggle about them year after year. Like this one of baby Cassandra just 6 weeks old


Or this one of Jocie wearing one of her many signature hats she loved.

And this one of Little Man Chet...just four years old when this was taken. 

And last but not least, the one of Dione as a baby dressed in a holiday outfit with a bow-tie. She claims she looks like a little boy in the photo;  we have been referring to it as the Danny ornament for as long as I can remember. It is not Dione's favorite photo...to say the least.

But alas...WHERE IS DANNY you might ask? 

Well, here is the deal. While Lawyer Girl was visiting over Thanksgiving break...Danny came up missing....hidden somewhere in the boughs of the Evergreen. This is Dione's game which she plays every year. It makes the rest of the family crazy...spending hours playing hide and seek with Danny among the thousands of lights and hundreds of ornaments. 

So...I'm going to outsmart that clever, tricky, slightly devious second daughter of mine. Two can play at this game.

I'm hereby issuing a reward! 

Anyone who can locate Danny gets one of my fresh homemade pies...you pick the flavor! And hurry...because Lawyer Girl is due to arrive home for the holidays very soon!