Road to the Championship, Part Two

"Every fan likes to think that they helped their team win the game.  

In our case, we're sure of it."  ;)

~The Happily Ever Johnsons celebrating the 2011 Crimson Tide

When we stepped out into New Orleans last Sunday, we looked the part.  T and I were wearing our matching houndstooth pants and skirt, respectively, which were Christmas gifts that we had found for each other not knowing that the other had the same idea.  Baby Bear was dressed in his new Big Al costume (the Tide's mascot -- thanks, Nana!).  E-Bear was dressed in his new Alabama sweat suit, and G-Bear was proudly wearing her new 'Bama cheerleader outfit.  As we walked down the street, shakers in hand, we shared a common greeting with the ubiquitous roaming Alabama fans:  "Roll Tide!"  The kids got so good at saying it and enjoyed giving out 'Roll Tide's' so much that G-Bear later described this as her favorite part of the weekend.  Even the LSU fans were sweet to our crew:  "aw, aren't you the cutest Tiger Bait ever!"  Whenever we passed a purple Tiger flag, G-Bear would look at T and me, then give us a wink and a playful thumbs down.  

We took New Orleans by storm.  

We had beignets and cafe au laits at Cafe du Monde,

 then attended church at Immaculate Conception downtown, and visited Jackson square, ESPN Game Day and the St. Louis Cathedral.  

We delighted the balloon vendors with our enthusiasm, and they delighted the kids with amazing creations

(Elmo for E-Bear and a red/white Ariel mermaid for G-Bear!), 

Notice that G-Bear is levitating with excitement.

and then took in the sights and sounds along the lavish Rue de Royal. 

(Sorry, no Bourbon Street for us.) 

We enjoyed a spectacular brunch with Uncle L and Aunt H at Antoine's, complete with jazz singers and a personalized Baked Alaska dessert that had the rest of the restaurant swooning.  

We ordered it 24 hours in advance, and boy, we were so glad that we did.

Finally, while the rest of the adults were out for dinner, T and I took our bears on a city-wide trolley tour to complete our evening.  We all had a great time, even when we got stuck in a downpour while waiting for a trolley to take us back to our hotel.  Hey, it was a small price to pay to maintain our super-fan status!

As we crawled into bed at 11pm on Sunday night, we knew our work had only just begun.  Then next day would be game day.   We knew we had to stay committed to make sure our team maintained it's edge. ;)  E-Bear slept in his Alabama football jersey to ensure sweet dreams.

Road to the Championship, Part One

"Every fan likes to think that they helped their team win the game.  

In our case, we're sure of it."  ;)

~The Happily Ever Johnsons celebrating the 2011 Crimson Tide

Last Saturday our alarms went off at 5am.  T and I had slept 3 hours the night before.  E-Bear came stumbling out of his room, still half asleep.  G-Bear rolled over and said, "is it ok if I just lay here in bed for a few more minutes?"  But none of us were crabby.  As we hopped in the car with our friend and airport chauffeur extraordinaire, Mr. Peter, we were already cheering.   We were on our way to New Orleans to help cheer for our favorite team, the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

Two plane flights later, we were in Birmingham and on the road with our Nana to the Big Easy.   When we stopped at the Chick-fil-A in Meridian, MS, it felt like we had pulled into an Alabama tailgate party right outside Bryant-Denny Stadium.  The restaurant and parking lot were overflowing with 'Bama fans headed to the city.  Never mind that the game was still over two days away!  The kids loved picking out all the Alabama A's as we traveled.  At home it is a big, rare deal to see another Alabama A!  Here, there were 'Bama fans like us everywhere!  

By the time we pulled into our hotel, we had been traveling for over 14 hours.  We had waited for an hour to get off at our exit in Saints game-day traffic.  But as we crawled into bed after our pb&j hotel room dinner, none of us were complaining. We were ready to rise, shine and cheer on the Tide again the next day.

Roll Tide

Not only is this an appropriate post title given our favorite team's win yesterday, but it has also been our favorite greeting to friend and stranger alike for the past three days.  That's right, the dearth of Happily Ever Johnson postings is due to our journey to New Orleans, where we cheered our team to victory over the course of a three day weekend.  We have lots of fun memories and moments to share, but for now we are basking in the glow of the Tide's win.  As I said to T this morning, "it's ok, you can get out of bed, we really did win last night, and our team is still the national champs."

So happy for the players, Tuscaloosa, and Tide fans everywhere!  We have enjoyed the ride this year!

On the twelfth day of Christmas

For the twelfth day of Christmas, a priceless memory:

twelve "happy pifnies!" 

This is E-Bear's renditions of "Happy Epiphany," which is how he greeted everyone today:  his preschool director, his preschool teacher, the office manager, three maintenance men, our neighbor, his toy truck, G-Bear, Baby Bear, and myself (twice!).  

eleven threads adorning,

ten strings of tree lights,

nine Moravian cookies,

eight hours of playtime,

seven resolutions,

six nights, scant sleeping,

five first time puffs!

Four at St. Nick's feet,

three playmates,

two crawling buds,

and a JOYFUL, THANKFUL FAMILY!

We have had a wonderful Advent and Christmas season and hope you have too.  I am already excited for Christmas next year!  Happy Epiphany!

On the eleventh day of Christmas

For the eleventh day of Christmas, a photo memory:

Eleven threads adorning,

ten strings of tree lights,
nine Moravian cookies,
eight hours of playtime,
seven resolutions,
six nights, scant sleeping,
five first time puffs!
Four at St. Nick's feet,
three playmates,
two crawling buds,
and a joyful, thankful family!

A tribute to our lovely 2011 tree!  The freshest one yet!

Tonight, T and I took down the tree.  Sniff, sniff!  In the process of taking down the ornaments and lights, we noticed a few rouge decorations that hadn't yet caught our eyes.  Small, one-to-two-inch pieces of yarn had been carefully cut and laid across the lower pine branches.  A few had even been tied around ornaments to help them stay on the branches. Sweet G-Bear, our craft and ornament aficionado, had mentioned several times this season that we didn't have enough ornaments decorating our tree. Apparently, she had taken it upon herself to partially remedy the problem.  T's childhood family friend, Renee, who has a tradition of giving us an ornament every year, would have been proud of G-Bear's work.  The care with which the threads had been cut (all similar sizes) and placed on the tree (or tied to ornaments) melted our hearts (which must have been stone-cold and grinchy to take down the tree in the first place).  

And so sitting here in our living room bare,

we give thanks for our tree and our sweetest G-Bear.

On the tenth day of Christmas

For the tenth day of Christmas, a priceless memory:

ten strings of tree lights,

nine Moravian cookies,

eight hours of playtime,

seven resolutions,

six nights, scant sleeping, 

five first-time puffs!

Four at St. Nick's feet,

three playmates, 

two crawling buds,

and a joyful, thankful family.

We love our Christmas tree.  It is the perfect size, with the top just brushing our ceiling, fitting perfectly in front of our mantle.  T has taken great care of its maintenance for me this year, and since we live in NC where most of the trees are grown, it is the freshest we have ever had.  Our strings of rainbow lights twinkle all day long.  Our kids placed each ornament with extra care this year.  Our friends' and family's Christmas cards adorn the branches.   

I am just like my mom in that I start  to get crabby when it is time to take down the tree.  Today I learned that my son is just like me too.  As we returned home from preschool today, we came upon a city service truck picking up the discarded trees on the curb.  I stopped to ask him if they would be picking up trees again, as we have not yet taken ours down (c'mon, people, twelve days of Christmas, right?).  He reassured me that they would be making rounds again next week.

As we pulled away, E-Bear asked, "Mommy, what were you saying about our tree?"  When I told him that we would need to take our tree down soon because it was getting too old to live at our house anymore, he started to tear up.  "But Mommy," he said, "I love our tree."

What could I say?  I love our tree too.  Then G-Bear joined in.  We all had to wipe a tear away.  

So here I sit, in our dark living room, next to our tree with its lights shining brightly.  We'll treasure these last two days with our tree.   On Friday it must come down, along with our ten strings of lights and our ornaments, and we'll all have to say goodbye until next year.

On the ninth day of Christmas

For the ninth day of Christmas, a tasty memory:

nine Moravian cookies,

eight hours of playtime,

seven resolutions,

six nights, scant sleeping,

five first time puffs!

Four at St. Nick's feet,

three playmates, 

two crawling buds,

and a joyful, thankful family!

Our area of North Carolina is marked by the cultural traditions of the Moravians, who settled in North Carolina in the mid-1700's in search of religious freedom.  We have been delighted to encounter the Moravians and their traditions for the first time since we moved last summer.  I have been especially attracted to the Moravian traditions surrounding Christmas.  We have encountered Moravian stars (thanks to Nana, ours will light up our porch through Epiphany), Christmas Teas and Love Feasts, Christingle candles (G-Bear received one at her preschool Christmas Tea this year), and perhaps most deliciously, Moravian cookies.  

Our favorite bakery in town in Dewey's, which makes cakes, pastries, and especially delicious Moravian classics.  One of our favorite ways to treat our kids is to take them to Dewey's and let them each choose a cake square, which cost about a dollar.  T and I have come to love their Moravian cookies, which are out of this world.  We gave them as hostess gifts during Advent and brought them to our family Christmas gatherings.  They are so thin and delicate, yet are packed with a perfect flavor and sweetness that taste like Christmas melting in your mouth.   I could eat a whole box, especially the chocolate-dipped kind topped with crushed peppermint.  Thankfully, even though they taste amazing, they are so thin that you can eat 9 cookies for about the calories of a granola bar.  I'll take these cookies over a granola bar every time.

Tonight, T and I took the kids to Dewey's for a special treat night after dinner.  The kids chose pink lemonade cake squares: pink cake with yellow lemon frosting.   T and I chose two boxes of Moravian cookies, which are conveniently on post-holiday sale for 50% off.  So here we sit, herbal tea in our coffee cups, munching away on Moravian cookies.   In keeping with the current day of Christmas, I only ate nine.  Just kidding.

On the eighth day of Christmas

For the eighth day of Christmas, a priceless memory:

Eight hours of playtime,

seven resolutions,

six nights, scant sleeping,

five first time puffs!

Four at St. Nick's feet,

three playmates,

two crawling buds,

and a joyful, thankful family!

Our house has been a perpetual family playplace for the past few days, and today was no different.  What a treat to all be together for yet another day full of 

pjs 

(today at dinner, E-Bear noted: "Mom, you didn't even change us out of our pjs yet!"), 

playtime 

(Trains! Shopping with the grocery cart! Cars!  Coloring!  Stamps! Learning games!  

We've played with pretty much everything today.), 

football 

(at one point T had rigged a system to watch 5 games at one time!), 

snuggles 

(on the couch, all together, watching the Rose Bowl parade) 

and stories 

(plenty of new winners to read).  

After our long days and short nights, we are normalizing our schedule and today enjoyed a late morning, super naps and a relatively early bedtime.  Tomorrow, our regular weekly schedule kicks into gear, but we'll be doing our best to carry the Christmas spirit into our normal weekly life.  

Grocery Bag

Welcome to the new year!  As we recover from a fabulous holiday and get back into our routine, meal planning is a must.  Here is our plan for the week.  

Day One

Pasta with roasted vegetables and bacon from Martha Stewart Living

with warm shredded brussels sprout salad from Everyday Food

These two recipes are two of my new favorites, full of vegetable variety.

Photo and recipe from MarthaStewart.com

Photo and recipe from MarthaStewart.com

Day Two

Ham salad sandwiches by Happily Ever Johnson

with apple slices and sugar snap peas

T's love for ham salad motivated us to create our own recipe.  This is now a favorite sandwich staple.

Favorite Ham Salad, by Happily Ever Johnson

2 lbs leftover spiral cut or bone-in ham

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

1/2 tsp black pepper

Broil the ham for 5 minutes or until heated and lightly browned.  Allow ham to cool slightly.  

Using a food processor, pulse the ham in batches until finely ground.  

In a large bowl, mix the ham, mayonnaise, relish and pepper.  

Serve immediately or chilled.  

Day Three

Sweet potato tortilla pie from Vegetable Planet

with apple pear and poppy seed salad from Southern Living Magazine

A fantastic recipe from a favorite new cookbook!

Day Four

Butternut squash and mushroom lasagna from Bon Appetit Magazine

with homemade rolls and mixed green salad

This is a longtime favorite lasagne in our house.

It is one of my go-to dishes if we are hosting company for dinner.

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Day Five

Sweet potato salad with spicy peanut dressing from Bon Appetit Magazine

with grilled ham steaks and orange slices

I love sweet potatoes and snow peas.  This salad combines them in a most delicious way.

For the kids, I often keep some steamed potatoes and snow peas out of the salad and serve them plain.

Photo from SmittenKitchen.com.  Recipe from Epicurious.com

May your kitchen be blessed in the new year!

On the seventh day of Christmas

For the seventh day of Christmas, a priceless memory:

Seven resolutions,

New Year's Eve 2011!

six nights, scant sleeping,

five first time puffs!

Four at St. Nick's feet,

three playmates,

two crawling buds,

and a joyful, thankful family!

I am usually not one to make New Year resolutions.  Realism over the power of a semi-arbitrary date to motivate significant change in my life usually gets the best of me.  This year I have a slightly different perspective.  As we focus on the twelve days of Christmas with our kids, I am realizing that the New Year falls smack in the middle of the Christmas celebration.  I know from my own life experience that the birth of a new baby is a powerful, motivating time for change and renewal in lives and families.  If ever there was a birth to give us hope and aspiration to change, it is the birth of Jesus.  This New Year, I am looking out our window at the Moravian star illuminating our porch.   I am praying that its beckoning light would motivate me to reflect and seek change through Christ, the same way that the Christmas star beckoned both peasants and kings so many years ago.  

We floated the concept of New Year resolutions with G-Bear and E-Bear last night.  Here is what they came up with:

G-Bear:  "I resolve to make cake for Daddy."

E-Bear:  "I will make cookies with Mommy."

G-Bear:  "I think we should go to Disney world."

E-Bear: "And I will play with my trucks."

Baby Bear didn't say much, but T and I agree that he seems resolved to stand and explore every inch of our apartment in the new year.  He is unstoppable these days!  As for me, I am resolving this year, but I am keeping my resolution to myself. :)  T never divulges whether he is making resolution or not.  So that brings our resolution total to seven.

Thanks be to God for this new year.  May the joy and hope of Christmas motivate us to be better in it.