Thank Goodness!

"The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together." ~Erma Bombeck

The current blog challenged posed over at Sweet Goodness Swaps is to share a favorite quote and relate it to a Thanksgiving or Holiday story. I have a lot of favorite quotes but couldn't quite put them together to relate to a story , and then I found this one and it reminded me of my Sisters and I growing up. I'm the oldest, Becky's next in line, and finally there's Sherry, the youngest. We are a strange band of characters--all different, personalities, looks, hair color, likes and dislikes but yet we are the same and have that common thread that binds us together as Sisters. We fought over clothes, over attention from our parents, friends, money, even fought over attention from one another. But we've stuck together, through thick and thin, and it this time of year reminds me of how thankful I am to have my Sisters and my family that I was born into, no matter how different we all are. I think we all remember the year that we made the Christmas video with our whole family singing away to Come Sail Away, cameo shots of Aunt Marsha running around in her Playboy Bunny ears and tail ( the adults shared naughty holiday gifts for their exchange) , and Grandpa bopping away in his hat during the video. For years and years after that famous video, we watched it every Thanksgiving over at my Aunt Patty's house and just laughed and laughed at each other. It was also a special video as it was the last year that we spent with our Grandfather, just before the next Christmas.
Christmas Eve is the holiday that I remember best when I recall our family get togethers, it was always a time of good food (my Mom's million dollar spread of appetizers and delicious goodies), Santa stopping by for a visit to give out our first gift of the year (well that is, until he was arrested for embezzlement and never came back to our shin-digs), karoaking with everyone (something I STILL like to do after a few adult cocktails...LOL). As we got older we were able to share in those adult cocktails and I quickly learned, Santa better come before Momma passes out or mayhem will result.
And then suddenly---everything changed....the kids of our family started having kids themselves, and wives, and husbands, and jobs, and many of us moved. The perfect nest was blown to the wind in a thousand different directions and holidays are ohhh so different. I've tried to recreate our Christmas Eve holiday extravaganza here in NC, but it's not the same as it was when my Mom used to hold it. I feel bad for my kids that they don't have all their cousins to play with and create memories with like me and my Sisters had the opportunity to do when we were little ones, especially at the holidays. I miss my Mom's cooking (wahhhh) and even more so, helping her make all dishes together. I miss watching my Sister's opening their presents and taking turns snapping pictures of everyone, I miss seeing all the cars pull up in the driveway as our family arrived at our house, with everyone all dressed up to the nines. I can still the smell the scent of their hugs and kisses on my cheek---I miss their laughter and stories and the sense of....family I always had growing up.
As I mentioned before--I still try to recreate the holiday feeling for my kids, and we do many of the same things we would have if we lived in NY surrounded by the core of our family, but do it here with A LOT LESS people.

As you probably can tell, holidays are very hard for me--I have such a sense a lament for not having what I used to have--but this year, I will have a touch of home this week with My Sister Becky and my nieces and nephew joining us for Thanksgiving, as well as my children and my x husband Jim, and my good friend Linda--so the house will be full once again and I hope my kids will remember this holiday and think back on it perhaps like I do of that one Christmas Eve we made the video--and cherish the memory of being surrounded by people who love you.

Here's a sneak peek of my latest project heading to my Sweet Goodness Swap Sister, Jane. Jane--this is not going to be your normal garland--in fact it's really not a garland at all! It's something I dreamed up, flew by the seat of my pants on but it does hang!! I think you will appreciate it because we are like minded individuals--and different we embrace :)
I'm hoping to finish the assemblage tomorrow and get it out in the mail Saturday.

I'm loving my new camera (thanks again MOM and CRAIG!)--I could never get such crisp close up pictures on my old camera!! It has sooo many cool features on it, I'm only beginning to understand them all!


I know many people will be traveling this week, or preparing for their own guests for the holiday. My wish for you is to be in the company of those you love, and to truly be thankful for them.