...Underneath the hammertoe last night.
Danny thought mistletoe was stupid and outdated so he came up with a hammertoe to hang in the doorway. Instead of a kiss you get kicked. Sounds about right then! The kid's never worn ill-fitting shoes or he wouldn't think a hammertoe is so funny.
I'm doing my best to decorate on a limited budget.
There's only so much I can do to dress up the empty raised beds.
I did re-purpose the Thanksgiving decorations for Christmas by adding some festive attire. I stuck to my plan and didn't do a cold weather garden this year, opting instead to buy from the hippies at the health food shop. They have a small, but quality produce selection and this week I've bought spinach, purple kohlrabi, and beets. I'm enjoying taking the winter off (and the frantic covering with fleeces when the weather suddenly turns).
This paper Advent calendar is the old-fashioned sort that I prefer. We've had this one for many years, but tuck the doors back closed each year. Most of the doors have some sort of animal toy on wheels.
What sort of a mother would I be if I didn't buy my son a chocolate one as well? Vermont Nut-Free chocolates are $$$ but they are made on dedicated nut-free production lines. It is excellent quality chocolate-much better than what you'd typically get in an Advent calendar. I ordered a box of their fancy chocolate for Hanukkah (we're an inter-faith family) and some chocolate foil covered coins. The apricot/white chocolate truffles are probably the best candy I've ever tasted, nut-free or not. I know how to make candy (caramels, fondant from scratch, truffles) but with everything else I have to do, it is nice being able to order a selection with a few clicks of the mouse. I am not being compensated by Vermont Nut Free Chocolates, but I do buy their products, including their baking chocolate. Great company with excellent customer service as well.
On the subject of nuts-Danny is being re-tested this week, first with a blood draw, and then a challenge where he's given small amounts of nuts in a medical office (where they can administer an eppi pen if needed). He only had a reaction once, and it was to tahini that was contaminated with what we think was nuts. On scratch tests he was positive for peanuts and almonds, but as he's never had another reaction (we've stopped eating prepared foods and dining away from home) who knows? For his sake, it would be nice to know if he was just reacting to some mould or god-knows-what in the tahini (pesticides?) but honestly, we're not hopeful. I've been nut allergic since I was two, and there's a strong heredity factor to these things. Still, it would be nice to be certain what we're dealing with. Danny joked that if it turns out he's ok around peanuts he's going to visit every ballpark in America as he's never been able to attend a baseball game.
The treat-bags with decorated gingerbread men really dress-up the tree and it is nice to have something that is edible. The decorating is entirely Danny;s handiwork and I think it is perfect.
We attended the Family Festival today. Everything is free of cost and there's a trolley to take you around to different activities throughout downtown Omaha. The museums tend to be a bit crowded due to the free admission, but we were able to attend a wonderful Tuba concert (I never knew there were that many sorts of tubas) and even ran into someone I hadn't seen in a long time. It was a great afternoon, and I'm already marking my calendar for next year's Christmas Tuba concert.
The museum was doing a Harry Potter activity for children, and at first I didn't understand why there were so many children wearing my big round glasses. Eventually, I put it together and I admit I was a bit crushed to find out it wasn't my fan club, but that's how it goes. They also gave small children pointy, plastic wands to play with which took all of 30 seconds in the hands of the typical child before they were fencing with them. F- to the person that thought handing out pointed sticks to children at a crowded venue would be a good idea. But otherwise-the day was great fun.
Outfit Particulars:\
Vintage crushed velvet skirt-Salvation Army store, Lincoln, NE
Boots-K Mart
Polo neck-Can't remember
Pendleton wool jacket-Goodwill
Purse-Made by Me
Vintage Shiny Brite Christmas corsage-Thrift World
Hand knit wool mittens-Hand-Me-Ups
Hand woven scarf-Fiber arts show
Hat-K Mart
Vintage Christmas bulb earrings (they're heavy glass) Sarpy Museum garage sale
Danny is wearing a vintage acrylic cardigan and a Santa hat.
...and at the Durham Museum which was built in the same era. The Durham was formerly the Union Station and much of the original building is intact.
you can even play on old trains and streetcars.
See you next time with another installment of Christmas brooch of the Day. Meanwhile, watch yourself if you're under the hammertoe!
But Danny, the ancient Druids thought mistletoe was tree genitalia (that's even funnier than a toe on a foot isn't it?) That's where the kissy stuff came from - Getting romantic under a tree's naughty bits - those ancients were real kinks.
ReplyDeleteHah! I love the decorated yard turkeys. I'd never heard of Vermont nut free chocolates - thanks for the link as good chocolate is hard to find nowadays.
Sesame seeds are a fairly common allergen too. Neutrogena & a lot of 'natural' skin care & home remedies have sesame oil in them. We used to see 3-4 people a month come into the pharmacy with an allergic reaction to sesame oil (everything from contact dermatitis to full blown anaphylaxis.). The clove oil/eugenol they sell as an otc toothache remedy uses sesame oil as a diluent- it's in a lot of things you wouldn't think of.
Our first thought when it happened was that it must have been sesame-but he's fine with it in both seed and oil form (though he loathes the smell of sesame oil to the point where I can't cook with it or he'll gag). He is however allergic to just about every possible mould out there (including penicillin and blue cheese) so it isn't impossible that was the culprit-though honestly, I think it is peanuts and tree nuts. We'll know soon enough.
ReplyDeleteI developed a severe allergy to clove after it was used to pack the dry socket in my mouth after the tooth extraction. god knows how long it was building up (I've had a lot of dentistry done) but that last time was the breaking point. Scary as hell as I'm the sort of person that tends to ignore things like rashes from my latex allergy (which I know will catch up with me). Now you have me wondering if perhaps I'm developing an intolerance to sesame rather than clove? Yikes. You're right-sesame is everywhere.
That knit penguin is delightful! I do admire you both so well dressed in red, though I'd like a better look at those earrings. The family festival sounds like a freaky great day. The mere thought of how you cope with such allergies is terrifying xx
ReplyDeleteThat kid surely has a sense of humour AND some serious taste in decorating! Love those photos of you two dressed in red. You are looking properly festive with your woolly hat and mittens, and of course: the Santa pants purse! Love those Art Deco details. Having allergies like that must be horrible, glad you found those nut free chocolates. xxx
ReplyDeleteYou look like Mrs. Santa Claus in your reds! I 'm glad to see the Santa's pants bag is out and about. Danny is looking very festive, too.
ReplyDeleteThe Christmas tree is wonderful and what a brilliant idea to put the gingerbread men in those little bags. Well done to you and Danny.
The family festival looks like such fun.
I do hope all goes well at the allergy clinic; fingers and everything else crossed.
Your tree is magnificent!! I love the idea of the edible treat bags but with two dogs and a tree climbing cat I think it wouldn't work!!
ReplyDeletelove the mom&son dressing!
ReplyDeletethe young man has a hand for decorating and his smile makes me smile with joy. wishing all the best for the allergy case!!
xxxx
Aren't you a well-turned out family? I love your mittens, they're proper cheery.
ReplyDeleteLove Danny's sense of humour, I hope for his sake he passes the allergy test and does a tour of all the stadia in the States. xxx
Your tree is gorgeous! Edible ornaments is a great idea - you never know when you'll need a snack.
ReplyDeleteApricot/white chocolate truffles sound amazing. I'll check out their website and try not to spend my whole check on yummies.
Good luck with the allergy tests!
@Radostin
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I'll wear the earrings again before the holidays are out-I'll try to get better photos.
@Ann
Having a lifetime of nut allergies myself I was better prepared to deal with it, but it can be tough on families without the experience or children with multiple allergies. I think a dairy allergy must really be tough as it is hard to avoid.
@Veronica
Danny enjoys the santa cap as it is warm, and fits over all that hair of his. Today is the day-I'll keep you updated how it goes.
@Sue
Yeah, dogs might be trained to behave around a tree (our poodle was about Oscar's size and he ignored it) but cats? No way! Cats will be like, "Oh look, the humans bought us a tree to play with. Cool!"
@Beate
Thank you. He tells me when he becomes a teenager in a few weeks it will be his job to act sullen. At least I've been warned.
@Vix
Thank you, I hope so too, but we're being realistic about it. Now that he's older he can manage better in public places but when kids are small and they touch everything and put their hands in their mouths it is best to keep them away from the allergens. Peanuts are a major food at US ballparks. He won't get sick being next to someone eating nuts unless they're an asshole about it and spread it about (I guess that's the new bullying to throw nuts at allergic kids. Sigh. Just when you think society can't get worse).
@Bobbi
Thank you-we're keeping our fingers crossed.
The treat bags are nice if you don't quite have enough ornaments to fill out a tree. If you bake the gingerbread with something like crisco (instead of butter) they will stay fresh longer.
Oh dear, I am 100% certain I wrote "really", & not "freaky"! So funny. I am impressed by how many outfits you are coming up with that seem to be THE perfect accompaniment to your brilliant Santa Pants purse.
ReplyDelete@Radostin
ReplyDeleteShe's a very freaky girl, the kind you don't take home to mother (or to the family christmas festival) :)
I love your son's sense of humour. Danny is a gem. I'm not a touchy person and would much rather kick people than kiss under the mistletoe anyhow.
ReplyDeleteI hope Danny's tests went well, and I look forward to your baseball park travelogue ;-)
@Mim
ReplyDeleteThe test was interesting. He's still showing mild reactivity on scratch tests so they drew blood to see when broken down which protein he reacts to as one is more life threatening than the other. We're still waiting for the blood results. If it is the less reactive one, they will do a food challenge where he has to eat a small bit of nut to see what happens. So far, it isn't looking good, but we should know by thew end of this week.