reunion logistics

When I called Dad last night, he and Mom wanted to discuss some of their thoughts about the reunion. I want to nominate our collaborative blog, Ginormous Turnip (tm Jeff), as a discussion space. I think that the easiest way to share our ideas and preferences about the weekend will be to make individual posts for specific questions and topics, then each of us can respond to those issues in the comments, or raise new issues by writing new posts.

Mom and Dad realize that with everything involved in Steve and Shawna’s wedding, and with the difficulties attendant upon each of our families living out of suitcases for the weekend, we are going to have to be more flexible than at last year’s reunion. Keeping our plans minimal and our expectations limber will help to ensure that we all enjoy our time together. Anyway, we’ll be best able to preserve time for talk and play if we keep things informal.

That said, Dad feels really strongly that we keep some continuity from last year’s reunion. What is important to you to see in this year's reunion?

auction

The auction seems to be the central thing that Dad, in particular, would like to see us attempt. I’m sure that it will be less ambitious than before, but I’d like to suggest that we approach it more or less the same way, though on a smaller scale. We should take some time to talk about logistics: the only practical time for both auctions seems to be the afternoon of July 4, but that’s open to debate.

Should we plan on an auction in which we lower our expectations, but still try to share what we can? Andrea just sent me the suggestion that we take some time to traipse around Boise, going to thrift shops and trying to find auction items. This sounds like great fun, if a little risky (at least with my family’s schedule, I’m not sure that we’re going to be able to fit thrifting into the time we’ll have), but there’s no reason to insist that all (or even most) of the items in the auction be homemade. We understand that there are other obligations which will take precedence this year (you know, moving, having babies, getting married, buying houses), and I suggest that we should just try to have a few fun things to give, wherever they come from. I’ll bring the money, Dad will bring the paddles, and I hope that Steve will bring his auctioneer’s patter.

children's auction

(Not an auction of children)

The kids’ “auction” was a real hit, I thought, and I’d like to repeat it. If you find any interesting candies or little toys that you can bring for the bags, please do; we’ll probably have to search Boise, land of dollar stores, for the majority of the stuff. Since we won’t have the luxury of putting kids to sleep before we have the adult auction, one possible fringe benefit of having the kids enjoying their bags is that it may work to buy time for us to have the adult auction. (As I see it, since we will probably have to hold the auctions at the rental house for reasons of space and timing, we’ll need to find something for the young ones to do while we wheel and deal.) If they are looking through their bags, it may provide us at least some beginning time for our auction.

I had another thought, actually. A week ago, Jeffrey sent me this fun link . It describes a family’s efforts at making trading/playing cards which depict monsters or other invented creatures. After the members of the family draw pictures of beasts on their cards (and name them), they shuffle, pick, and exchange them. I thought that it might be fun to have the kids involved with something like this – if we have them draw the cards on Friday or Saturday before the auction, we could put cards in the bags and then allow the children to look at and swap them while we are auctioning. I wonder whether someone whose boys are already into trading cards (Jill and Will, do I understand that this may apply to your family?) could weigh in on the possibilities here – and the things that might raise interest in such a project. Let me know what you think; if there is approval for this idea, I could cut some paper for the cards before we come.

favor

Well, Shawna and Stephen asked me to make announcements for their wedding, and I found it a real pleasure to work on them. And although I can't exactly say that I met their deadline, they tell me that they've received the package with 150 cards, each including an image of hydrangeas (printed from a hand-cut wood engraving), type set with the invitation text, and my calligraphic presentation of their names. I don't think that it's really possible to see enough of the announcement to make this photo a spoiler, but I thought you might find it interesting to see part of the project drying in my pressroom.

Laura's Easter Favorites

Crepes:

(makes 8)
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar

Super crepe sauce:
Sour cream
Brown Sugar.
2:1 ratio respectively

Open-faced egg sandwiches:
(for four people)

Eight or nine eggs, hard boiled and cut up into chunks.
About a half cup mayonnaise.
About two tablespoons mustard.
About a half cup ham chunks
About a half cup grated or diced mild cheddar cheese.
Salt and pepper to taste.

I say about, because everything is really to taste. Mix everything together in a bowl, and then spoon onto halves of potato or dinner rolls. Broil on middle shelf for a few minutes. Keep an eye on it, because as soon as they start browning, they go fast and can burn easily.

Easter Sunday Meal

We don't really have any foods that we eat specifically around Easter. I love ham but we decided to go non-traditional (and cheap) for our Easter meal.We tried a chicken fajita marinade from Our Best Bites. It was really tasty. Also, as a special treat I made Brazillian Lemonade from the same site. I have been wanting to try this, because I have heard a lot of good things. It was delicious!
I made muffins for breakfast. I had ripped this recipe out of Wondertime magazine years ago and never made them. I substituted canned pumpkin for the yams and craisins for the cranberry sauce. They were really tasty. In fact, I made them again today with the leftover pumpkin.
I also found this recipe for Easter Rolls that looks so fun. You bake a marshmellow in the center of a roll and when you bake them the marshmellow melts. When you open the roll it is empty (like the tomb). I thought it would be a really fun recipe to make with the kids!

Gwennie's "Lovey-Pop People"

I think I invented lollipop puppets when I made a person lollipop. I just wanted to have a head. I wanted to eat the lollipop, but I saved it under my pillow, I think.

The first one was a really silly one, with the dress going around her. I should have done it the other way -- where you put the dress straight on her, and tape it on the back and front and bottom and top.

Big sister and kitty

Ingredients:
a piece of paper
wire
a lollipop (that's the importantest)
tape

Tools:
wire cutters
pencils
scissors

Little sister and brother

First, you need to cut out a square. Then you color on the square. Then you tape the square onto a lollipop. The square is for the dress.

Then, you cut out two even pieces of paper, then you measure it, see how long the pieces of paper are, then you tape the wire onto one piece of paper and tape the other piece of paper on top of the wire. That's the arms. So, you just get some more tape, and tape the arms on. If you want to do a boy, you can do a shirt. The girls just have skirts with arms. The boys? No, they don't have any arms -- they just have shirts, shirt sleeves or long sleeves.

Baby and candy purse

And then -- it might be the hardest -- put some tape if you want eyes on the face, then draw eyes. If you want to do the hair, you have to collect it from when your brothers or sisters -- or you! -- have haircuts. Then tape it on. Or you can cut it out and color it, or just have them have white hair. But if it's a different color piece of paper, just leave it, or color it differently. If you want legs, do it the same as arms, but two of them, and shorter.

To make a bag or a purse, whatever you want, you cut out walls and a bottom and then do an opening that can open and close, and tape it together. And if you wanted a handle, cut out a skinny, long piece of paper, and tape it on the top as well. And then you can put small little things in there, and candy, that's what I did.

(Instructions by Gwendolyn.)