Christmas Eve, Night, and New Years Eve

 From yours truly, the Z family and Aunt Eudora.

Less Random Christmas Slideshow

 Of course, here's another, more organized, video of more random Christmas family stuff.

Random Christmas Slideshow

 Here is a slideshow of a few random things from Christmas 2021. Lots of baby Irie because, helloooo, baby.

No Goo Goo for Googly Eyes

It may sound fun, and your nieces will absolutely love doing it...but never, ever buy googly eyes to secretly distribute about the house while you’re visiting Grandmama and Papa.

No matter how funny it may seem, don’t do it. Grandmama and Papa like a certain kind of fun...but this was not it Sam I Am. Why? Sometimes the eyes leave their sticky behind, which I didn’t realize. It’s easy to clean off, but who wants to be left with that chore? Auntie, win. Daughter, fail.

Alpine Christmas Advent Calendar

Since this is the third year I’ve made an advent calendar for Natalie and her girls, I suppose it’s time to call it a tradition! This time I asked a friend over, someone with whom I haven’t connected with in about ten years—and we had a wonderful afternoon with her sewing her Christmas gifts and me assembling these little trees while we gabbed away with holiday music in the background. We had an easy visit, she said I’m still the same Anna and to me, she’s still the same Cam. It was wonderful.

This is what I created and sent off a few days ago. It has already arrived and now we’re all counting down to when the family gets to see each other again.

I cut 25 of these trees out by hand, it wasn’t bad but do you think I should get a Cricut? Does the machine do a good job? (When I say good, I really mean professional.) Tell me everything.

Also, if you’re interested, my full tutorial with templates for the trees can be found here.

First Friendsgiving

An article I read online laid out the responsibilities of a host during a Friendsgiving, “If you’re hosting you must do the turkey,” it said, “and because the gravy is made from the drippings, this will naturally be your responsibility too.” Well, that information was disappointing. I’ve never attempted a turkey! We usually rebel against tradition and eat ribs or homemade Café Rio. And though I have two stacked ovens, they are unusually small. I can’t stuff a turkey in there! 

In talking with our friends Nick and Stacy, I mentioned wanting to try a Friendsgiving someday but that I didn’t want to do the turkey and cited the article I’d read. “Do I really HAVE to do a turkey?” I asked. Then Nick said he wanted to do it! So a Friendsgiving plan was set into motion.

As I was prepping the food, I listened to Christmas music and go rather emotional. This was going to be the first time in two years I would be eating the SAME holiday meal as everyone else. I was so HAPPY to be hosting friends in my home.

Playing host also gave me a reason to get creative and make some fall decorations for the tables. (Though, I had to keep things very simple after the toll of Captain Jack Sparrow’s crew tryouts.)

Above: Mother would be proud of me. She always puts something in the butter to fancify it up—so I couldn’t resist.

We were so excited to eat and having such a good time, we forgot to get photos, so we have one mid dessert instead. This is after a walk around the block and a couple of card games. We were still barely hungry enough for pie. 

It was important to me to be sure it was okay with everyone that we share leftovers. Before calling it a night we made plates of leftover food we wanted for later and it was fabulous. (That’s the not so great part about some Thanksgivings...you travel, someone else hosts, they make all the food, and when you get home after celebrating the day, there’s still an empty fridge to greet you when you get peckish. Total bummer.)

The meal included most of the basics:

Marla’s mashed potatoes—which are a big deal. They’re so rich and creamy.

GF stuffing—a bread and cornbread mixture with double the herbs.

Brazilian cheese rolls—if you’ve never had them, you must.

Nick’s juicy turkey and gravy—cooked in more butter than you can imagine, excellent.

Texas Roadhouse rolls and butter—if you know, you know.

Fresh cranberry sauce—cooked with blueberries, rasperries, cranberries, red wine and spices.

Bacon spinach salad with hot bacon dressing—naturally a new favorite.

Pies: Chocolate silk, Pecan, Pumpkin, GF peanut butter, English apple pie

The evening was AWESOME! We ALL looked forward to it. I would HIGHLY recommend doing a Friendsgiving, and do let your friends contribute to the meal. It offers a little something that’s just as special but enjoyably different than Thanksgiving with family.

In regards to getting the table settings ready, below is a short video, click or tap the image to play. Sound on.

Now that you’ve seen it, I can tell you the full story. My intention was to buy 7 feet of fabric and cut it in half lengthwise so it would cover two tables. Well, I did something very stupid. I spaced it and FORGOT what my plan was…I ordered SEVEN YARDS. When I realized what I had done, I couldn’t have felt dumber! So yes, I got  an apron and a mask out of it. But what you don’t know is that NINE more feet went to a friend who is also getting two aprons and who knows what else out of it. I’m laughing. Truly.

Inexpensive Fall Centerpiece

This is a re-post from an Instagram story. If you don’t know what that means, no worries. Scroll on friend.

My plan is to make a few more so all the doors in the hallway will have matching wreathes on them. I think it will look a little more sophisticated than just one. 

Food Shirts

 That time when our shirts matched our food. DeVivo Bros. Eatery, great food.

Captain Jack Sparrow Turns 40, Needs New Crew

I firmly believe Adam has a man crush on Johnny Depp, especially in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. So when I brought home a Jack Sparrow hat a few years ago...a plan started to formulate: We would be pirates on Adam’s 40th birthday!

The invitations went out on coffee aged, edge burnt, rolled paper tied with leather. They read: New crew wanted aboard the Black Pearl, by behest of Captain Jack Sparrow because “the other ones be dead and that’s what I want for me birthday.” Furthermore: “A chance to show [their] mettle" would take place at our home, and to come prepared as no quarter would be granted the unprepared.

Getting the costumes together was time consuming, painstaking, yet fun. I hadn’t fully realized the difficulty in cosplay. Adam’s costume would have been much easier had he been a generic pirate. But I think we got a passing resemblance and he was VERY pleased. (Even if what was supposed to be a long bone in his wig came as white plastic chopstick! Seriously?!)

Upon arriving, guests—errr, potential crew members—saw this posting outside the door:

Inside, friends were greeted with a giant Jolly Roger flag (painted on a king sheet.) And black, ragged sails gently undulating from the ceiling above.

Also, featured was a bar lined with liquor bottles, mouths stopped with lit candles and corks. 

How did I procure said bottles?

Several weeks ago I put out a request on a Facebook group for empty liquor bottles the members might be throwing out. So, I went around picking up one or two here and there. One day I got a message from a lady about a house she’d driven by. She said she’d seen about 9-12 bottles in a box out by the curb. When I investigated, there were at least FOUR MORE BOXES full of empty bottles. Knowing more would be better in this case, I took what I could! 

Lysha, a friend, lent me her skeletons, which I needed and didn’t know until I set them up. They perfectly filled the empty spaces in the room and gave the scene a bit more personality and humor.

One of the guests ate the chocolate being offered by this fellow. I don’t know who it was but I think it’s funny and totally allowed! 

The first activity:

Once the pirates arrived, each received a scroll with specific instructions for earning extra points—if they wished—to help them win a place on Captain Sparrow's crew. They could trade scrolls but could only do one and it could be carried out at any time during the night.

One task read: Raise yer glass and give a toast, end it with, “drink up me hearties yo, ho!” 

Another: Bend the knee and kiss a ring on Captain Sparrow’s hand and say “Captain Sir, ye have me loyalty.”

These things DID happen very much to Adam’s surprise! (I kept the details of this from him. Heh heh.)

Here’s a little more detail of the decor. The mantle...

...featuring the pirate brethren, Morgan and Bartholemu. May they rest in peace. (It’s a drawing I did in high school, glad I remembered I had it.) 

Below are most of the potential pirate crew—there’s another photo further down. Great looking bunch I’d say. (Also, I love that Lex tucked his napkin into his collar. Good form.)

Here is a closeup of the table setting. It included a feather pen, and a folded pamphlet with the first activity inside. Mateys could work on it before dinner while awaiting the arrival of others, or during dinner and I gave them some time a little after.

The front.

Each paper had a different quote from the movie on the back. For simplicity, I stuck with the first movie as I knew some of the attendees haven’t seen the subsequent films.

About this game:

Inside were a list of questions for the particpants to scribble down an answer to. Their answers didn’t have to be right—they just had to match those of the Birthday Boy to get a point.

Some of the questions were:

If Adam had an animal aboard ship it would be a __________?

Where does Adam’s compass point?

Why do pirates wear headscarves? 

Then we went around the table, each person saying aloud their answer with Adam answering last for comparison. Some answers were hilarious, smart, and some were revealing!

Below are a few images of the center pieces. The skulls came painted all black, I felt they were missing something—my sister advised that I highlight them, (I used gold paint and a dry-brush technique) and a friend, Lysha, showed me an idea for drippy candles. They turned out perfectly!

I also used wood stain to make the the small skulls look older and a little gross (another idea from said friend.) And that worked mighty well too!

This cute skeleton frog needed rescuing from the shelves at the store—I love him and wish I’d gotten at least one more. The apples are a tribute to Barbosa, of course. Plus it’s the only thing we see Captain Jack Sparrow eat in the movie. (I said eat, not drink.)

We served party food like brats from hog Adam has killed. A couple of dips. (I did something stupid and brave. I tried new recipes for the dips. One turned out GREAT. The other, NOT AT ALL...Sorry ‘bout that.) Also there was a simple salad and a few drink choices. Already on the table were little glasses at each place setting (see below) filled with lemon jello, banana and pineapple, and a custard on top. Mom suggested I put a chocolate coin in each one, brilliant idea! The table did need a little more gold.

Below is the group from the other direction.

So you noticed the items on the wall? Below is a closer look. It’s bits of information about a few real pirates in history. (There’s a show on Hulu called Black Sails. It’s a fictional story about these pirates and their fight for a free Nassau. We finished it last night. I enjoyed it.)

Since pirates get nick names—I knew the crew needed nicknames of their own. So I made this chart up and posted it for reference. We got some good chuckles from it. What’s yer pirate name?

Okay now....What is happening in the photo below?!

Everybody is looking for something...

...they’re looking for a piece of Aztec gold! (Next time I would use something bigger than the one pictured below.) Captain Jack Sparrow wants a crew that’s good at finding gold, otherwise they’ll be of no use to him. 

About this game:

The coin gets hidden in plain sight. It can’t be under or in something, no one should have to touch or move or climb on anything to see it. (Amazingly, it can still be difficult to find this way.) The first person to find it sits quietly in their seat without revealing the hiding place. The next matey to find it sits down and so forth. Points are assigned accordingly. 

With 12 people searching, we stopped the game at six winners. It would have taken too long to wait for everyone. We played three rounds. Who hides it again? The person with the most points so far that evening—not fair but—“Pirate!”

Last game:

You can’t have a party theme that includes eye patches and a map and NOT have a “pin the x on the map” kind of game. But we elevated it a bit.

Mateys got TWO eye patches and had to walk a plank to reach the map! Each time they stepped off the plank, a point was lost. They had to guess where Adam would to put his X and then aim for that spot. (Adam had picked the location at the onset of the game and kept it secret.)      

We’ve never played it this way before—of course—and I think it needs tweaking. We found that players needed a guide to get down the plank without tipping over—which did add to the fun as we all looked a little bit drunk—but perhaps the plank was too long, not wide enough, or maybe we should have left it out altogether. 

All the pirates were acquiescent however, and we still had enjoyed ourselves. (With some mates finding ways to make it funny, even.) Thanks friends!

Below: Adam’s Mom. Cheating. Allowed because: first, Mom, second, pirate! 

Below: Lex, getting his bearings after being spun.

The Captain went last, (no eye patches. Jack Sparrow DOES NOT wear eye patches so he kept his eyes closed) and tried to place his X on the spot he’d chosen earlier. All the closest X’s to his X got points.

Three games is plenty so it was time for cake! (Thank you Amelia for taking so many photos of the evening!)

And of course we had photo ops!

Marlex, please make this your Christmas card!

Nick and Stacy.

Brent and Amelia.

Lee and Jamison.

(I will have to get Adam’s parent’s photo off their phone when I see them next.)

Below: The amazing new crew. 

The Captain very much enjoyed the evening. I did too—plus the planning and making of things. So many details! I haven’t done something like this since...well since Adam’s 30th Zomcon. (Click here for that.) It was nice to have a creative project again. I’m so grateful to everyone for dressing up and playing along. It made Adam’s 40th birthday one we will NEVER forget! Adam ABSOLUTELY enjoyed himself.

Below is a “detail” video. Tap or click the image to view. If you would like to see a more formal and  public post about this evening with links to printouts and more detailed instructions click or tap here.