Keepin' It Real...

So I did finally get Christmas cards out...after Christmas. And then I was going to post my Summary of  2016 here on the blog...and now that it is January 11 (Kit is one month old today!!!) I should get around to doing that too.

In case you had the mistaken idea that I am organized and successfully proactive with my plans for holiday fun, I thought I would give you the back story on my Christmas cards. I knew that my cards would likely be late, or become New Year cards (like last year) because we had another grandbaby on the way, and not due to arrive until after Christmas. But when Kit arrived on the 11th, I thought I could make it on time.

Of course, life conspired to make it difficult to have time to get online and look for a design, and then get the right pictures. I thought I had it all worked out when I got the word that pictures from the hospital were not acceptable. Of course, I thought my daughter looked beautiful in her hospital gown holding her newborn, but I could understand her point. So then it was a couple more days until all 3 were at the same location that I was to take the picture.

Once acquired, I put the picture in the design and sent it off. The cards were scheduled to arrive 3 days before Christmas. I bought stamps so I was ready to pop them in the mail the day after they arrived.  

The cards arrived on time, and I excitedly opened the box to find the Biggest Christmas Cards Ever! Apparently, in my rush to create a card, I did not realize that the design I had chosen was akin in size to a quarter page newspaper ad. And the entire back was a picture of Randy & myself with Kit. It was HUGE...So now I had a card, that I was a bit embarrassed to send out, but it was what it was, and it was going in the mail!

I readied my addresses and went to print my labels...and found out I had none. Just like toilet paper, it seems I either have more than I can fit in storage, or zero.

And then the weather and the road were not so nice, and Emma's momma got sick. Then Kit's momma got sick. Then Emma burned her little hand on the gas stove. (She now emphatically informs everyone that any heating appliance with flame is now "HOT!" and "NO!NO!NO!" -- said with fish lips.So cute!) So we were too busy to go anywhere, and Lynden town had no address labels anywhere.

If I had ordered labels on line, I would have already had them delivered to my home, but I was certain I could get them faster because I would just run into Bellingham.

By now, Christmas had passed, and one goal was moot. But I was certain that I would go Bellingham Monday morning, get the labels and get the cards in the mail. But first I stopped at Grandiflora to check for after Christmas deals. It was snowing lightly and so pretty, and on the way back to my car I found out there was ice under that snow, and ended up lying on my side on the ground. I had taken one sliding step, caught myself, and exclaimed out loud, "Wow! That was close!" and with the next step found myself laid out on the ice. Yeah, even closer... No cuts, minimal bruises (mostly my pride), just a really sore neck and shoulder for a few days -- but my desire to travel to Bellingham was killed. 

So I went home and ordered labels online, wishing I had done that several days before. Two days later, they arrived. I printed them and they looked like this:

Just in case you didn't know, Laser labels cannot be used in an inkjet printer, as the ink runs together, making the print illegible. It's quite important to check whether you are buying laser or inkjet labels.

Okay.

Doggone it, I was going to get those cards out without further delay! So, I printed the addresses on paper, cut them out, and put the clear labels (without print) over the paper cut outs. Not exactly convenient, or efficient, but faster than going to Bellingham, or waiting two more days for Prime Shipping. So finally, the cards were done, and they went in the mail just before New Year's Day.

And two days ago, I found the spot where I had stashed my address labels...and they are Inkjet labels...and barring an addition of someone to our family in 2017, I think that I will take a sabbatical on Christmas Cards for a year.

RANHONFAM CHRISTMAS LETTER 

December 27, 2016

Well, we’ve had quite the December. An abundance of winter weather, which I love, and an abundance of joy with Emma’s first birthday, and the arrival of Kit Cassidy Tuben! In between, Randy was so busy traveling to conferences and meetings, he was home for only one day each week from the last week of November to the middle of December. Fortunately, one of those days was the Sunday that Kit was born.

For a little while, we thought that Emma and Kit would be sharing a birthday. Caitlin and Jon went into the hospital on December 10, but Kit did not arrive until 28 hours later, on Dec. 11. So our grandgirls arrived one year and one day apart…which has made for two of the best Christmases ever!

We have had a full year of enjoying Emma and her cheerful personality. She loves to discover things, and enjoy life! She sings, and babbles a lot, and now knows a smattering of words that she pronounces with enthusiasm and sincerity. And she loves us! Oh, how we love her!

Now we have a new little girl to get to know. So far Miss Kit seems to have inherited a stubborn streak…How could she not?! J She’s a snuggler, such a tiny bundle! She is doing great with eating, and sleeping, and growing. She’s adorable in an almost opposite way from Emma in that Emma was bald and blonde; Kit is dark and has a full head of auburn hair. Oh, how we love her too! We are loving the grandparenting life.

Dillon continues at the radio station; Jon continues to fabricate, fix and upgrade off-road vehicles. Tiffany and Caitlin are making the adjustment to being moms. Jess continues in Olympia as a PIO, doing communications for 5 State Senators. He also helped with policy and debate coaching for the Republican gubernatorial candidate this year. Every time he helps with a campaign, he vows it will be the last. Too bad he is good at it, and always seems to be asked to participate.

We had a good harvest this year, though the earliest we’ve ever had! We started picking on June 9, and finished on July 15! This was about a month earlier than usual, and seemed very odd. Randy took advantage of the early finish to take out 12 acres of plants that were needing to be replaced. This project wasn’t complete until mid-October. So there wasn’t much respite before Meeting/Conference Season began, but he was very satisfied with all he accomplished.

My goat hobby grew by leaps and bounds, pun intended, when Imogene gave birth to FOUR kids in May. It was a rough birth and we had to go to the vet to get 3 of the 4 unstuck, but all survived and thrived, and delighted me not a little. They are so much fun. Best of all, a dear friend bought 2 of the boys. She and her human kids love them as much as I do and I have visitation. It was a fun learning experience for me! We will be having goat babies here again, but not next Spring. When you increase your herd 200% in one year, you realize that things could get out of hand fast! Randy is relieved. ;)

So that’s a brief synopsis of what’s been important to us this year…Life is busy, but good, and once again, we are thankful for God’s grace, and are doing our best to enjoy the journey. Our hope is that you are finding the same, and had a wonderfully merry Christmas, with a Blessed New Year ahead!