And a Basket of Christmas Cards, too!

And a Basket of Christmas Cards, too!

One of these pictures shows the 'traditional' nativity poster that has graced our kitchen every Christmas since Thomas was the baby Jesus in Erika's arms.

But, breaking from another tradition, this year we didn't hang the Christmas cards around the top of the walls in the front foyer. Instead, we kept them in a basket close at hand for all to read and enjoy. The newsy letters with pictures are super - telling of how life has been going for all of you and your families. Whether we are related or not, each time we hear from or think of you, we say a prayer of thankfulness for God's gift of friendship.

Many, many cards depicted the true meaning of Christmas and for that we rejoice! I might even hang up the nativity scenes around my 'craft room' to enjoy all year round! But the card that Helen and Fred sent from New Jersey was particularly perfect this year since I was trying to figure out a way to depict our 'Four Calling Boys'! I'm continually amazed at how God cares so much that He gives us what we need, when we need it - even if our requests are ridiculously small. Naturally all of His good gifts pale when compared to that of His Son, Jesus.

In this "Twelve Days of Christmas" song, I should have called this day: "and a Baby Came to Save the World's Lost".

In His Joy, Marijke - blundering for all the Baker's

Two Spoiled Dogs

Two Spoiled Dogs

By now all bakercrowd readers know that Danielle and Will (Gibbs) have adopted a dog named "Jim Harget, III". (You don't need to know if this is the correct spelling or not because he answers to "Jim" perfectly well.) This blond beast of a dog (98 pounds at last weigh-in) is very gentle and has won our dog Beau's heart which is unusual. It's especially fun for Ken (and other family dog lovers) when we have both animals in the house together. In answer to your unasked questions: No - we did not go so far as to buy them Christmas gifts or stockings!!

Three House Guests

Three House Guests

In anticipation of the arrival of Mom and Dad (and Ruth a couple of days later), Ken and I fevoriously painted five main areas in the house. You may have already read about this. Anyway, as a result, we are now sleeping in Danielle's old bedroom upstairs and our clothes are spread between that room's closet and the closet in what I now fondly call my 'craft room'. We carted our bed upstairs (because it was a little bigger for us to sleep in) and Mom is using Danielle's relatively new bed. In addition, we set up a twin bed for Dad to sleep in. (With Mom's leg being what it is, they try to prevent ways from waking each other up at night.) Though some of the spaces we painted got relatively boring colors, Ruth's bathroom is now a very pretty shade of light periwinkle blue. In addition, the carpets in all of their rooms got cleaned - just in the St. Nick of time, you might say. Phew! No more painting jobs around here for a while!!

As you can tell from these pictures, we are all unwinding nicely and enjoying one another's company immensely.

Four Calling Boys

Four Calling Boys

What can we say? Ken and I do indeed have four grandsons now!! Jack Greer Flippin joined the family on October 3rd and Todd and Schelyn are loving being parents for the first time (although they do admit to it being quite difficult at times!) Garrison and Daniel (Counts) get to see 'Baby Skeeter' often as he attends the same church that they do but Olice only got to see this new cousin once when he traveled with his mother (Nancy) and Aunty Dan Dan to Colorado in November. The resulting group picture was being secretly taken for Oma and Pops but, in a conversation we had with him just afterwards, Garrison spilled the news!! They hadn't even gotten home from the photographer's; talk about "out of the mouths of babes". As you look at these angelic faces, it's hard to tell how hard it was to position four very active young 'uns. J.G. even got dropped once - thank you SO MUCH, Girls, for this gift of love.

Five Books to Read

Five Books to Read

This year was the beginning of something new. Each of our five children got a brown paper package in which were stashed lots of Dutch or British edible treats as well as individual little gifts suitable to each family. (Thomas obviously would not enjoy the same things that Garrison would!) Everyone did get a copy of the same children's book, however and it was a delight for me to hear them read it - first in our sunroom (Will, Danielle, Nancy, Reid and Thomas all taking different pages) and then in Colorado over the phone - thanks, Erika, Bryan, Schelyn and Todd! The book was called "The Gardener" and even made Erika cry! Oh - the gift certificates that were enclosed are only to be used to buy something for the garden! (I know it's hard to visualize the planting season out there in Colorado where the snow has been extra deep and early this year!)

Six Grandkids Next Year

Six Grandkids Next Year

Yes, the word is out: both Erika and Nancy are due in June. That'll be 6 'babes-a-laying' next year - and all under the age of 4! That'll keep Ken and I (and these lovely moms) hoppin'!

We'll be sharing more news as we get it!! Stay tuned to this spot (the Mother Birds may let us know what they're having in February!)

Seven Nights of Games

Seven Nights of Games

Here are some more pictures of the New Year's Eve bunco party. We had 5 tables of players rolling dice and next year we think there'll be even more since the prizes were copies of Ken's 'Pretty Place' print! This was one time that it paid to be in last place (both the winner and loser got recognized).

As you can tell, Olice loved tasting and throwing the die the next morning.

By the way, other nights were spent playing scrabble with Grandma and Ruth - another enjoyable sport - and cards, too!

Eight Pounds of Goodies

Eight Pounds of Goodies

This was a typical scene over the holiday season: an overladen dining room table. Christine and Chris were two of many friends (and family members) who helped devour both savory and sweet treats. Did we ever have fun but we'll have to pay the price in the New Year, don't you know!!

Nine Songs By William

Nine Songs By William

After Will had fun recording some awesome new versions of some old favorite songs, most of us Baker's were blessed to receive copies for Christmas presents! Be sure to contact him for YOUR copy!! You'll love what you hear!!

Ten Christmas Crackers

Ten Christmas Crackers

In England, everyone knows that Christmas crackers are not edible but are actualy prettily decorated tube things that people bust open, to the sound of a mini firework. Inside can be found a small toy as well as a little sheet of jokes and a party hat. No Baker Christmas dinner table would be complete without one for each guest at the table - this year there were ten who wore hats: Ken, Marijke, Grandma, Grandad, Ruth, Danielle, Will, Nancy, Reid and Thomas (Olice might get one next year if he's in town and awake!)

Eleven Stockings Crocheted

Eleven Stockings Crocheted

As you might already know, this Oma got kind of carried away with crocheting and giving away Christmas stockings. Erika's best friend's daughter, Grace now has one as well as all of the grandchildren. I've even got a few spares so next year I might try to sell some! In any case, Santa was able to fit a regular size cereal box (instead of the usual mini-size) into Thomas' humongous, 'USC' colored mega-stocking... There was even room for oreos, mayonnaise and other things, too! I don't think he's going to miss his old stocking one bit, do you?

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

On the "Twelfth Day of Christmas", our blogspot tells the tale of:

Twelve Days of Blunders

Eleven Stockings Crocheted

Ten Christmas Crackers

Nine Songs by William

Eight Pounds of Goodies

Seven Nights of Games

Six Grandkids Next Year

-- Five Books to Read --

F O U R C A L L I N G B O Y S!!

Three House Guests

Two Spoiled Dogs

and a Basket of Christmas Cards, Too.

The latest J.G. shots

Here are some shots from Christmas week of J.G. He's getting pretty big and is three months old now! He loves to be talked to and he talks back quite a bit now and he also loves to play "super baby". He started grabbing on to things this week!

Colorado Christmas

Here are a few shots from our Colorado Christmas. We, fortunately, did not have the dishes dilemma that seemed to plague the East Coasters. G-money helped everyone open their presents, Heavy-D was the wild man on campus tackling people (especially his daddy) and being in general his charming destructive self, and J.G. just sat and watched the action. He loved watching those boys!

Happy Christmas and Merry New Year!

The 'New' Truck

This is Todd's new truck. You can also (sort of) tell in this picture how much snow we've had over the last week.

"A Dish Full of Sinks"

Anyone ever hear of Mary Englebreit's famous line: "A Chair Full of Bowlies"? Well, Boxing Day morning I told Nancy when she called that I had a 'dish full of sinks'. The sad thing is that I didn't know what I said until she told me so I wasn't even being funny on purpose! Must be quite a lot of happy stress around this house, eh?

Hope all your Christmases were merry ones! And that 2007 is not too full of blunders for you and yours.

Love from Oma and Pops' house!

Mini '06 Xmas Blunders at the Baker's

Teddy made a huge blunder this year just before the 'East Coast Baker's' Christmas meal was ready. It hadn't even been served, eaten or cleaned up yet when he plugged up the kitchen sink!

Though he was very remorseful, the repercussions have been amazing. First of all, Danielle and Nancy did a lot of the dishes in the tiny sunroom bar sink. But we saved the bulk of them until the next day, (in hopes that the plumbing would be fixed relatively quickly). It ended up, though, at around noon, that two big boxes of dirty dishes got brought to sweet neighbor Jane's house (where the water was running).

Meanwhile, Thomas' good friend Brett had come over and he told us that it was possible to unclog a kitchen sink by using a garden hose. He was then kind enough to stay around to supervise and to hold the stopper over one sink, while Ruth helped Teddy with the hose and Thomas manned the spiggot in the back garden.

FINALLY we had success and a free sink! (As well as clean dishes from across the street!)

Teddy, you are forgiven but you'd better thank Plumber Ken and his entourage.

The Painting's Nearly Done

Removing miles and miles of painter's tape is much easier if you use your head!

The word is that Mom and Dad (Baker) are quite content in their new 'quarters' - that is, the bedroom on the main floor that Ken and I have used for years. We got the toilet area and closet painted just in time for their arrival - and now there's Ruth's bathroom to work on before she arrives Christmas Day. Ken and I are getting some much-needed exercise going from one upstairs area to the other. (Our new bedroom is Danielle's old room - also repainted - are we nuts?)

So many good changes!! And the carpets get cleaned today.

I might show some more 'decorating' pictures later but it's actually pretty boring - truly just maintenance that we had put off for far too long. Feels good to be on top of some of it for sure! Now if I could just get some time to go through the boxes of stuff that I moved from our nightstands and bathroom shelves. I believe the trash man will be surprised at how much we have to offer this week.

We're almost ready for Christmas! How about YOU? Love, Oma Marijke

Making Stockings

Let me tell you the 'Christmas stockings' story.

Well, when Garrison was about to be born, Erika thought she would like green and red velvet stockings for her children. She liked the idea of a crocheted top - and a photograph of the child with his or her parents. So I made the first one with a scalloped edge. When that seemed a bit too 'feminine' looking, I altered the top and put initials on instead. Then, when Daniel came along, I made initials for the top of his red stocking - along with a little picture of him alone with his parents.

Something didn't feel quite right for Erika, though. Sure enough, when I made Jack Greer's stocking, Erika knew she'd like the same for her boys (and upcoming baby).

Since they don't take too long, I was happy to oblige, coming up with three; they have either red, green or white stripes on a taupe background. She says they're perfect even without initials on them (like Jack Greer's). (Now I wonder if Schelyn will want Jack Greer's changed somewhat to make it look more Christmasy.)

Anyway, one day in early December I had a feeling that Erika's best friend, Stacy would be in need of a stocking for her daughter, Grace. Sure enough, when Erika called her to find out about it, she said that she had just picked one up at the store. Because Erika told her how cuddly these stitched stockings were, and that I had offered to make one for Grace if she still needed one, Stacy gave me permission to 'stitch away'. (As you can imagine, Mommy and daughter were both delighted when the package arrived - and it fits a lot differently than Jack Greer's does!)


The two red and white stockings in one of these other pictures are Olice's and his new brother or sister's. And the VERY BIG stocking that Jack Greer is using as a blanket is Todd and Schleyn (Flippin)'s to share for now. (S&T may want me to make them a different big stocking for next year - this one kind of matches the Fisher family's 'theme' - we'll see!)

I'm trying to get a huge one ready for Thomas - in the colors of his favorite college. In the meantime, though, does anyone know someone who would like some beautiful velvet stockings? It's not too early to be thinking about 2007!! And I should have enough time to crochet different initials by then, right?

I have posted some new (and a couple old) pictures of Jack Greer at: http://sevenschepers.blogspot.com/
Check them out if you want!
-S

The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round...

So, a collegue and I attended the unveiling of a mural downtown at the Bus Transfer Center... lots of interesting things to note there, not the least of which is the fact that we were deep inside the bus transfer center to dedicate a mural that most of the citizens of Greenville will never see nor appreciate... Anyway, it was also the 30th anniversary of the GTA bus system in the city. Here we are with our smiling faces, which can also be viewed by going to: