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Showing posts from December, 2013

Christmas California Style

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 At the grandparents' house, no one goes in to see what Santa has brought until everyone is lined up and the great living room door gets unlocked.  Joss was so excited he had to check his heart rate.  When we finally got the door open, he found a new Razor scooter and limited edition Minecraft Legos. He was happy that Santa found him out in California.  Sebi and John, trying to figure things out through a princess cake hangover (Sebi) and a fog of Mountain Dew (John).  There was lots of presenting and lots and lots of wrapping paper to get out of the way. For the first time in my memory we didn't have a fire in the fireplace on Christmas because of bad air quality. Instead my sister set up her laptop with a full screen flickering fireplace. Unfortunately the laptop didn't get rid of the wrapping.  Joss made off like a bandit with oodles of Lego kits. Minecraft and Batman and Creator and on and on.  Uncle John dove in with both feet and tried learn

Christmas Eve

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This was the beautiful Christmas Eve table.  Joss gave it two enthusiastic thumbs up. Good holiday fun! And the food was excellent too. Rob made up a special bunte teller for the Lyons of their traditional pfeffernusse and that gingerbread star from Fatapples. Yay, Fatapples! We would have gone there any way, but to find a gingerbread star that we love? Excellent! We retired to the living room to sing carols and read Luke 2 . . . . . . and have Aunt Kiecoo read How the Grinch Stole Christmas . . . . . . and open pajamas . . . . . . and eat princess cake! Nedra and Barbara. Barbara introduced us to princess cake in 2008. I think I first had it while I was pregnant with Joss, and perhaps that is why Joss and I are just crazy about the stuff. Joss managed to get people to give him both the slice with Santa on it, and the snowman at different times. Yum! I could devour a piece right now, I could. Barbara also brought over this astounding gingerbre

Mincemeat and Sea Glass

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 On the morning of the 24th, we all descended on the kitchen and made mincemeat. This is a family tradition that's been around since before I was born. Other people make pickles or salsa. Rob's family always made applesauce. Mine makes mincemeat. Yup, it's true. And we make true mincemeat, which contains meat and doesn't have any brandy. Here Grandpa and Sebi have got the unenviable job of grinding the suet. And if you don't know what suet is, I won't ruin your next meal by telling you.   Pretty much a hive of industry.  John and will had to peel all of the apples. Back when I was a kid we would often buy the apples in Watsonville while we were down at the beach during General Conference weekend. What?! You didn't go to the beach for General Conference? Well that explains why you don't make mincemeat. If you did, then you would.  Maddie got the fragrant job of stirring in all of the spices and raisins.  And Joss and I juiced and zested

Fort Mason, Lombard Street, Ferry Building and the Parrots of Telegraph Hill

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 Once we were back in San Francisco we called Rob to  come pick us up from his adventures through the city. Rob was on a quest to see as much of the city as possible while using free parking. John called Clarissa who was on the far side of Golden Gate Park. I didn't know how we'd ever find each other, but it came together like something out of The Italian Job. We told Rob to stop at the pier's driveway, and as he pulled up, Barbara and Clarissa slid in right behind him. I tell you, Shumway in-laws are nearly superhuman when it comes to timing!  (like the time Rob, Sebastian, and I traveled back to Boston for a conference -- Jeff and Saydi lived nearby and were expecting their first child. When we arrived at our bed and breakfast, we got a note that Saydi had gone into labor. She had Hazel that night at a birth center that was five minutes walking from the place we were staying. Those odds are next to impossible on both Saydi's part and Rob's!) We drove over t

San Francisco: Sea Lions and Alcatraz

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Months ago, Sebastian began declaring that he wanted to go out and see the grandparents for Christmas, so we decided we'd have a San Francisco holiday. And as I so often do, I got a bee in my bonnet. This one was about taking the kids to Alcatraz. I knew they'd be disappointed someday to have been in the Bay Area so many times and never seen it. In preparation for the tour, we listened to Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko while driving out in the car. It was good preparation, since it talks about the kids who used to live on Alcatraz and where they played, lived, and went to school. Rob opted to stay in San Francisco with Joss, and my brother John opted to come, so the five of us were dropped off on the Embarcadero early Monday morning. In typical Shumway fashion, we arrived plenty early. We whiled away the time by walking down to Pier 39 and saw the sea lions. They were frisky and loud, and they were getting their pallets hosed off at K dock, so we watched