Christmas Party

Last night was our annual Schroeder Family Christmas party.  We always have our gathering the night after Christmas to accommodate  all the different schedules that happen at this time of year.

We were really looking forward to a crowd but the snow started around 2 p.m. and by the time folks would have been driving into Dearborn for the party, the roads were pretty treacherous and so the turnout was smaller than planned.  But, that doesn't mean we didn't have a great time.

Szegedi's Catering cooked for us again this year and the roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy were wonderful.

We had some music this year.  My niece, Rachel, played her guitar for a little while and my nephew, Dan, brought his friend, John, who brought his accordion.

The accordion music brought us to our feet as we tried some polkas, tangoes and some swing dancing.

My mom took a swing around the floor with good friend, Joe.

And, a few of us tried a Tango.

The kids aren't kids anymore. Most of them tower over the adults and they love to be together.

Most of my siblings were there:

Time flies when you're having fun and the two events I had been looking so forward to are now over.  But some of us get to escape up north this weekend to have Christmas with my dear one's family and so not all of the fun is done. And, with the New Year comes our first birthday of the year which means the partying will last a little while longer.  May you all have a wonderful New Year!!

New York

Ten years ago I took our three oldest daughters to New York and Boston for a long weekend.

This year, they, plus the next oldest daughter, took me.  (Just to New York.)

 Liz and Caitlyn drove in rain and dark for 9 hours through Pennsylvania and New Jersey onto Staten Island.  (I drove the Ohio portion). What troopers!  It was a terrifying ride because, not only did it rain the whole way, there were semi trucks crowding the road and the rest stops.  They were very boldly driving through the rain and passing slower cars left and right. After our book on CD ended and we still had two hours to drive, Amanda and Caitlyn took turns reading "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" to help keep Liz awake while she drove into the wee hours of the morning.  I was very grateful to get to the hotel.

After arriving at 3 a.m., we fell into bed and slept until around 9 a.m. Then, Erin managed the freeways like a champ and we spent Friday on Manhattan seeing the typical sites; 30 Rock, the Christmas tree and ice rink in Rockefeller Center, NBC studios, St. Patrick's Cathedral (all wrapped in scaffolding for repairs) and of course the street performers.

We figured out the subways, which are still in the midst of cleanup after Hurricane Sandy.  The line we were on had just opened that morning so we lucked out.

We took Boston Market chicken back to the hotel for supper and crawled into bed exhausted.  I decided, since it was only 8 p.m. and I was wiped out, that the next day I was staying in because I wanted to be awake for 'Newsies' which is what we were there to see.  Saturday evening, Erin got us to the parking garage and theatre with no problem and even learned to beep her horn New York style.  The drivers are so bold and the taxi drivers don't even need lanes!

The play was amazing.  I found myself wishing for a rewind button so I could watch it again. I was so engrossed with the singing and dancing that I didn't even sing along.

Erin and Amanda made the drive home in 3 fewer hours. It was not only shorter it was much less hair raising because it was Sunday, so no truckers, and it was sunny and dry.  We had a great time and I'm so grateful for the  memories.  Now, I'm counting the weeks until I take our 12 year old to Los Angeles to see my brother and his family.  We'll be flying!

Ramblings

I woke up this morning to find: a bottle of Windex on the floor in the living room, a roll of paper towel on the chair in the family room, and a car part of unknown name on the counter in the kitchen.  Guess who finished his semester and is on to other things? (btw- he passed Diffy Q. and Thermodynamics).

I went to Target today (didn't end up shoplifting anything this time) to buy snacks. One hundred fifty dollars later, I checked out.  But, I'm that much closer to being done Christmas shopping. And, I found a new book!

Had lunch with my dear one at Pot Belly.  Good food and great company. Thanks, Sweetie.

The five of us who are going to New York this weekend are trying to figure out the least amount of clothing to pack for a four day trip in a vehicle with very little storage space.  Very much looking forward to being with my girlies!

Getting up at 5:20 a.m. to go work out is so hard to think about when you're crawling into bed at night, but makes you feel so glad you did it the next morning once you're home again.

I got to use my nursing skills several times this week.  On Monday, a gentleman passed out in church right at the end of morning Mass.  I was very glad there were several nurses, two priests and other helpful people standing there as it wasn't just a quick slump, put your head between your knees and you'll feel better kind of passing out.  This man was quite sick and his poor wife was so scared.  I heard today that he spent the night in the hospital and is expected to be fine.

Today I got to do an ultrasound on a 21 week old baby.  I love to watch these little ones move and stretch, and to see their moms get excited.

I also got to do some nutrition and exercise counseling for a mom concerned for her daughter's health. It was a great day.

And a final note: last Friday, my nephew Michael received his nursing pin.  My mom, who is a nurse, got to pin him.  We now have 3 generations of nurses is the family.  

Barenfunc

That's pronounced 'barn funk'.  The spelling is questionable but the fun at the parties is not.

This is the name of our family's Christmas party each year.  It is actually the name of the drink that is made at the party.

So, I called my mom and got the history of the party:

It seems my grandparents on my dad's side pickled tongue yearly but it was never a party, just a family tradition.  You start with a nice fresh cow's tongue.

The tongue is cooked in pickling spices for several hours until it is nice and tender and easy to peel.

It is then set out to cool and wait for the guests to arrive.

At the appropriate time,  before the drinking begins,  large onions are sliced in to rings and the tongues are skinned and cut into bite-sized pieces (about the size of a Ritz cracker.)  Yes, the taste buds are still on there.

The tongue and onions are layered in a crock pot and the pickling spices and vinegar (I believe a 2:1 ratio) are added.  The tongue goes into the fridge to pickle for two weeks and then the Barenfunc in made.

According to the story, brought over from a friend of a friend from Germany, there was a farmer who wanted to kill a bear so he would have his winter's meat.  He decided to pour vodka into a honey comb,  thereby making the bear drunk so he would have an easy shot.

So, Barenfunc is vodka warmed on the stove with honey and lemon added.  Each year a new brew is created and lately different flavors of vodka have been tried with mixed success.  One year my parents did not have a funnel to use to return the vodka to its bottle and so my industrious brother-in-law (of sod laying fame) made one.

As you can imagine, with shots going around, a lot of laughter follows.   In order to remember what made us laugh, we took to writing down "funnies" on paper napkins. For years my parents had stacks of them that we would re-read each year.  This year my brother took over the tradition for us and now he has stacks of napkins to remind us of fun parties past.

Lucky for me, only one of our children likes pickled tongue so she and I will share it this year and look forward to next year's party.

The Accidental Shoplifters

I have always followed in my big sister's footsteps.  She taught me how to walk, talk, and share.  She was a lefty and so, even though I was a righty, I wrote with my left hand.  We shared the misery of chickenpox, mumps and 4 new schools in 5 years.

When she got her driver's license, she used to take our slightly younger sister and me shopping at F & M for some great deals.

While I know we are close, in age as well as other things I found how just how much we think and act alike when she told this story:

Seems she had her daughter at Target and was holding onto a tank top she intended to buy. She threw it over her shoulder to keep it out in the open while her daughter went into the dressing room to try on some new clothes.  And, she forgot it was there.  She walked all through the store with it on her shoulder and through the checkout.  Even the cashier didn't notice.

When she got outside, her daughter said, "Mom, are you going to buy that tank top?"  Back in they went to pay for the tank top.

This week, I had the same type of experience, twice.  I put a small item in the seat of the cart and forgot it was there when I was unloading the cart.  The beeping at the door, ignored by everyone anywhere near the door, alerted me to the fact that it was still sitting in the cart.  Thankfully I had only gone through the first door and not made it to the van yet.  So, I turned back in and paid for it.

The second incident occurred when the kids and I were shopping for outfits to give to needy kids this Christmas.  Number two son put an outfit together to show me.  Unfortunately, I didn't think to ask if the belt was already on the pants or if it came separate until we were home and I was wrapping the gifts.

Off to my favorite store, again, tomorrow to paid for said shoplifted belt.  On the upside, I have to print our Christmas photo so I was going to be there anyway.

Endorphins and College Kids

We've all been doing a lot of hugging lately.  It was brought to my attention recently that at about 20 seconds into a hug endorphins kick in and a happy feeling starts to spread through the hugees.

With Diffy Q. (differential equations), nursing clinicals, a chemistry professor that does not speak English very well and Master's level classes there have been many endorphin rushes needed to keep kiddos on track and feeling loved so that they can accomplish all, in good time and with good grades.

I take my place on the bottom step cause all of these kids, boys especially, are much taller than I and then we hug away.

Josh asked for a hug the other day while I was in my bedroom and I said, "yes, hang on one sec."  He replied, "snubbed!" I then reached under my bed and pulled out a step stool.  He wondered if it was my hugging stool.  I told him yes, it saves my neck and your dad's back!

There is a small downside to all this hugging.  Apparently we've also been sharing germs as 4 of us are now sick.  On the upside, we should be better by Christmas.  I think we'll keep on hugging even after the semester ends.

Those endorphins are pretty sweet.

The Scent of Christmas

Everyone has certain aromas they associate with Christmas; evergreen trees, candy canes, cookies baking.  For me that scent is pickling spices.

Every year, for as long as I can remember, our family Christmas party has been a tongue pickling party; as in cow's tongue.

My favorite pre-Christmas thrill was to go to my parents' house the day the tongues were stewing in the pickling juice and just breathe deeply.  The scent would go right to my core.  It meant a fun party in the evening and that Christmas was only two weeks away.

This year, my parents did not have their party, but my brother has taken up the tradition.  Even though I was unable to attend his party I still got to have the thrill of the scent as well as my first piece of tongue for the year.  I even have my own little container of tongue that will be fully pickled right at Christmas.

In a future blog I will explain the tradition, with photos!

Spotlight On . . .

I've been contemplating doing this for a while so I guess I'll begin today.  As I go about my days, running errands or enjoying lunch or dinner out every once in a while, or even needing something repaired around the house,  I run across a business or restaurant that really makes me feel good about spending my money with them.  So, I've decided that when I encounter one of these fine places or people, I will blog about them so that anyone in the area who reads my blogs can check them out.  A little free advertising so to speak.

Today I wish to highlight:

Westborn Tailor & Cleaners is located at  22668 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI 48124. 

 While I've been aware that they were there for a while, I never had need of a tailor so I never thought to go into the shop.  Well, in the past year, our family has had that need several times and I'm glad I finally went in.  Daughter, Caitlyn, and I each needed dresses altered.  The job on each dress was beautifully done and the fit was perfect.  

My dear one has a very nice wool overcoat.  The lining was a wreck last year and he wore it anyway.  This year I decided a new lining was probably a lot less expensive than a new overcoat.  The smile on his face when he wore it the first time after the repair was priceless.  Again, the job was flawless.  

Son, Josh, needed some work done on his Air Force uniforms and he was looking sharp when he wore them for field training this summer. 

Currently, they are hemming a pair of slacks for me.

Sam Sabbagh and Mariam Eid were kind enough to let me take their photo and share it with you.

So, if you are in need of alterations, or dry cleaning, I highly recommend Westborn Tailor & Cleaners.  The staff is very friendly, the work is done quickly, the price is very reasonable and the quality is top notch. Thank you Sam and Miriam and all of your employees who make my life a little easier! I'm glad you're in the neighborhood. 

Memories of Christmas Trees

When I was a child, we always had a real Christmas tree.  I remember tromping around in the snow (yes there was actually snow back then) in my snowsuit, with my siblings in a 'forest' looking for the perfect tree.  My dad would bring a saw and crawl under the tree and down it would come.

The years passed and I got too busy to go with my dad and younger siblings to look for the tree.

When I was dating my dear one, we, along with my sisters and their boyfriends, went to cut down my parents' tree and I realized that the 'forest' was just just a tree farm and most of the trees were actually pretty small.  Amazing what a little height will do for you.

The next year, when my dear one and I were engaged, my parents got an artificial tree.  The horror!  But, things change and my dad wasn't feeling the need to go cut one down and, with wedding plans in full swing, I think it was just easier.

That turned out to be a year-round tree in 1983.  My mom decided not to take it down (either that or she just never found the time).  So in January she hung New Year's decorations on it, in February it was decorated in hearts.  Of course March saw it wearing shamrocks and in April the replies to the wedding invitations were cut into bells and hung on the tree.

May was kind of a blur with the wedding, but each month got a unique set of decorations depending on the celebration that took place.

The tree finally came down in November!  My dear one and I used the top of it for a tiny Christmas tree in our first apartment. I don't remember if my parents had a tree that year.

Eventually, when all the kids moved out they reduced the tree to a color-changing fiber optic table top model.  The less clutter the better.

Now, they don't have a tree at all. Instead they decorate the mantle with a Christmas stocking for each person in the family.  All the stockings are hand-made and decorated with the names and there is a "?" stocking for a  baby-on-the-way.  They haven't had to use that one in a while. The Jesus stocking hangs  bottom center and when nice things are done the person's name and good deed go into the stocking as  gifts for Jesus' birthday.  Each grandchild gets a candy cane and a gold dollar.  It's a great tradition that started when our oldest daughter and the oldest grandchild came along.  It keeps things simple for my parents and the grandkids love it.

I'm looking forward to getting our tree this weekend.  The weather will determine if it is pre-cut or harvested.  Either way, it always brings back memories of my childhood and a hope that the memories our children carry will be just as special.

Advent Tree

If you've driven down Silvery Lane between Ford Road and Cherry Hill when it was dark, in the past few days you probably couldn't help noticing two towering, lit up trees in front of The Church of the Divine Child; one with purple lights and one with white.


Advent started Sunday and for the third year in a row our parish held its Advent Tree lighting ceremony.

The first year it was bitterly cold but the tree lit just fine.

Last year it poured buckets and in the rain and the mud everyone was afraid Fr. Bilot was going to be electrocuted as he attempted to get the lights to go on.  No luck.  They sputtered for a second and the tree went dark again.  It was lit up the next day, after the rain stopped, and it looked beautiful.

This year we had the honor of having Mayor O'Reilly present as well as City Councilman, Brian O'Donnell.  
The high school brass ensemble played a couple of Christmas carols and members of the grade school and high school choral groups each sang for us.

The weather was beautiful and the rain had stopped.  Both trees lit with no issues.

The festivities ended with hot chocolate and cookies, and for those who waited until 8 p.m. there was night prayer.  A peaceful end to the day and a wonderful beginning to the new week.

Night prayer continues each Sunday throughout Advent.  Join us as we wait in joyful anticipation of Christmas.