a little disney magic fixes everything

with both the hub and the old lady back to work the day after thanksgiving, the bean and i were left to our own devices pretty much all day long.  we spent most of the morning hanging out in our pajamas, with me getting a little sewing time in while she just relaxed and watched tv and played with her bazillion different tubs of slime.

when the mail arrived, there were a couple of items for the bean.  do you remember when pixie the elfette made her final exit last year?   well, it seems that she remembered the bean when she arrived at her new home and decided to send the bean a postcard:

too bad that this didn't have the happy, magical effect that i'm sure pixie was hoping for.  no, in fact, the bean read every word and then dissolved into a puddle of tears.

luckily, she had another piece of mail that made her much happier and distracted her from the sadness of missing pixie.  mini lilcee had written her a sweet letter and mailed it to her in an envelope that she had beautifully hand decorated, and so she got busy working on a letter to mail back.  phew.  crisis averted (thanks, lilcee!).

later on we decided to brave the crowds and headed down to disneyland to see if we could squeeze in a little magic to close out thanksgiving week.  shockingly, we hit no traffic on the way down, found a really great parking spot and boarded the tram with no elbows thrown.  getting through the turnstiles was a breeze, and we even managed to take a picture with minnie after waiting just a few minutes.

we headed over to tomorrowland and had some pizza and pasta at the restaurant next to space mountain, which had a wait time of 60 minutes.  blech.  but the sign at star tours said it was only 35 minutes, so we decided to wait that out instead.  plus, with the new movie coming out in a couple of weeks i'd heard that there were new scenes in the ride.

the quoted time was pretty dead on, and we enjoyed the new scenes and got even more excited to see the new movie.  we didn't get surprised with a guest appearance by mark hamill like a few other folks had a couple of weeks ago, but that's okay.  it was still fun.

from there, we went on the astro blasters ride that i typically don't like.  i'm not into spinning rides, and you sit in a rocket that goes up high in the sky and then spin around at a pretty good speed.  ugh.  but she wanted to ride it and i didn't want her to do it alone, so i went.  and i didn't throw up.  yay!

there were quite a lot of people lined up along main street, waiting for the fireworks show to start.

we decided to walk over to new orleans square for some candy cane beignets:

and because the fantasmic show was going on at that time, we slid right onto the disneyland railroad without having to wait even one second.

we almost got the entire grand circle tour around the park before hopping off at main street, where people were happily standing around watching the fireworks show.  this is always the perfect time to leave without having to worry about crowds at the tram, and so while everyone was looking up at the sky we scurried right past them and hopped right onto a waiting tram that was practically empty.

so we'd gotten dinner, rode a couple of rides, had a treat, and then got chauffeured right up to the gate to make an easy exit on the empty tram and no traffic getting out of the parking structure...all in a span of about three hours.  not a bad evening, i'd say.  not bad at all.

the elfette's last hurrah

can you believe it - this is my very last "pixie the elfette" post EVER!  i can hardly believe it myself.  and of course, she spent her final days with us doing all sorts of silly things.  one morning, we found her set up on the table with a fun little trick she must've found on youtube (click on that link if you've never seen it before, because i don't have a video of my own to share):

all those trips back and forth to the north pole are pretty exhausting.  she decided to throw on a robe and slippers and kick back when she got home one morning.

we never did get around to putting the star on the tree this year.  and so i suppose she decided to take matters into her own hands.  she put on her best dress and perched herself up there - although when i posted this picture on instagram, a couple of friends pointed out that that top tree branch looked rather, um...phallic.  oops.

from the looks of it, she's about as good on a pair of ice skates as i am.  fell flat on her bum, she did.

on christmas eve eve, she was actually all set up with her apron on and the ingredients for cookies all laid out in front of her.  but then she realized that it was actually going to be her very last trip to our house, so she sat down at the computer and wrote her final goodbye note.

it's probably hard to see it from that picture, but it says:

i have spent five wonderful christmas seasons with you and your family, and it has been so much fun watching you grow up from one year to the next!  you are such a smart, kind, funny and thoughtful girl who no longer needs an elf to report back to santa.

next year, when i go back to work, i will be assigned to a whole new family - bringing their wish lists to the north pole, watching over their kids to make sure they aren't misbehaving, and doing what elves do best.

i'm really going to miss you, your sister, your mom & dad, and even molly!  now is the time to give me one last hug and say goodbye.  don't forget to put me back in the same spot afterwards, just like always.

merry christmas!!

i love you,
pixie

now, i wasn't there or anything, but i'm gonna say she got pretty choked up as she wrote this all out.  she wasn't really expecting to feel some kind of way, but she did.  that pixie is one sentimental elf.

the next morning, i found that the bean had actually woken up rather early (unlike the rest of the week, because winter break always means sleeping in, amirite?).  she was sitting at the table working on a drawing, and when i went to her to say good morning she looked at me with big ol' crocodile tears glistening in her eyes.

and then i knew she had already read it.

"mom...pixie's leaving.  you have to go see what she said in her note," she said.

after i went over to look at the note, i turned back to her, smiled, and she flew into my arms and let it loose.  she cried for a few minutes, and it was hard for me to hold my own tears back as i explained to her that this was a good thing.  we sat down and talked about how she had been around for a long time, how the bean had grown into this big girl who knows right from wrong and how to be kind and good, and how pixie could really help a new family's kids learn those same qualities.  and being the bean, she nodded and agreed with me and then turned back to her drawing.  i should have taken a picture of it, but it was her own farewell note to her beloved elfette complete with a really good pencil drawing of her in her final pose.

much later, she and her sister and i gathered around for that last hug.  first, the old lady:

and then it was her turn.

she tried to hand her to me, but i was busy taking pictures of the whole thing so i blew her a kiss instead.

then they put her back into her chair...

and gave her one last kiss.

bye, pixie.  thanks for five years of fun and silliness and laughter, and thanks for letting us use you as the bad guy when we needed some behavioral assistance.  i'm not gonna lie, i'll miss you.  it'll be really weird next thanksgiving when you don't come back.

maybe send us a postcard from where you end up next...yeah?

breaking news!

after five years of faithful service to the house of wan, pixie has informed me that she will be retiring and relocating to the north pole on a permanent basis.  or, she's decided that the bean has gotten to the point to where she's such a good girl, she doesn't need an elf to report to santa on her behalf anymore.  come next year, she'll be helping a whole new family with delivering wish lists to the big guy and watching over kids to be sure they're not misbehaving.  she plans to finish out this holiday season with us, and then on christmas eve she'll leave the bean her final goodbye note and give her permission to hug her one last time.

although i must admit, i'll be sad to see her go.  we've had some good times with our little elfette and she's brought some great entertainment to our house over the years.  i'm kind of getting a little choked up over it as i think about it.  hmmm.

in the meantime, here's a recap of her shenanigans over the last week.  one day, the bean asked me if i knew where pixie's storybook was.  well, she must've been listening, because the next morning we found this on the table:

and then the old lady was rather pleased to find a nice surprise in the form of her very own christmas countdown calendar, delivered by pixie herself.

she must've been tired after lugging that big awkward box all the way from the north pole, because the next morning she was just kind of hanging out.

her next present wasn't as successful.  the "snowballs" that she brought back "melted."  heh.

and then she crash-landed right in one of the scissors hooks on my sewing pegboard.

she's been waiting a couple of years to try out this googly eyes trick.  and it looks way creepy in the picture, but i promise you it wasn't that freaky in person.

barbie decided to join in on the fun again and they enjoyed game night together.

only five shopping days left till christmas!  it's almost here!

even more elfette shenanigans

so pixie is continuing to entertain on a daily basis (HOW many more days till christmas eve??).  with the help of a fun idea book that came with a bunch of props, the elfette has managed to return every morning doing something new.

here, she had an outfit change and brought a message straight from the big man himself:

the next morning, she was just hanging around.

it ain't a good house party without mickey and mojo jojo.

testing out her new climbing boots.

i wonder if she'd hold barbie's hair if she needed it.

a little encouragement for cheer practice after school.

the bean was particularly amused at this one.  plus, when you look closely it looks like she's pooping.

the tooth fairy wasn't feeling it and made pixie deliver the goods after the bean unexpectedly lost a tooth.

and she kicked off sunday funday by hitching a ride on a passing reindeer while out walking the dogs.

twelve more days to go.  will i survive??

year five, week one

so that little imp pixie has been up to all sorts of shenanigans since she resurfaced again on thanksgiving.  in fact, as soon as she reappeared that night, she moved into her next spot without skipping a beat...just in time for the bean to find her the next morning.

she had to use the force the next day during an intense game of connect four with lord vader himself.

after that, she decided to blow off some steam and busted out some hawaiian rolls to feed the ducks.

"thank you, good night!"

the world's smallest rubik's cube is no match for this elfette.

this is what happens when awoken in a panic at 2am and realizing she hasn't moved anywhere yet.

and it sure looks like pixie is a big tsum tsum fan too, because she brought this for the bean to start the christmas countdown:

one week down, three to go.  god help me.

hosting friendsgiving for a change

so after we got home and cleaned up after our successful turkey trot run, the bean joined me and the old lady for a quick group photo...wearing the matching tunics i'd churned out just the night before.

and then it was time to get to work.  i hadn't done any prepping for our big thanksgiving meal, but i knew i'd be able to pull it off.  our friends were coming over with a big italian feast to share for lunch - baked ziti with homemade sauce and sausage.  so delicious.

this was the beginnings of my stuffing (which doesn't actually get stuffed into the turkey, but it's still called stuffing.  go figure):  sautéed celery, shallots and garlic and italian bread chopped into bite-size pieces and toasted in the oven.

i also learned something new that day - the old lady actually enjoys peeling potatoes.  huh.  i never would've guessed, but i sure didn't complain.  that's not a favorite chore for me.

and while she did that, i worked on mixing up the herb butter that i was going to slather the turkey with.

you guys...working with a whole turkey is really kinda gross.  i mean, look at this.  WTF is this (i do know what it is, it just looks like...something else):

separating the skin from the meat is also not a favorite task of mine.  alas, it had to be done.

the turkey went into the oven for several hours while i got the rest of the sides ready to go.  all the usual suspects - the stuffing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes.  and the old lady decided to uber to her dad's house so she didn't have to tackle that drive.  i was sad to see her go, but i knew it was only fair.

i called the hub to get started on carving the turkey, but not before we took a selfie.

the buffet was laid out with all the good stuff - including the ham that i'd totally forgotten about and had just enough time to warm up in the oven.

obligatory plate photo.  i know it doesn't present very well, but i gotta say...i feel sorry for anyone who hasn't had a chance to enjoy a thanksgiving meal cooked by yours truly.  well, minus the gravy.  i didn't want to make that shit from scratch, so i stocked up on ready-made from trader joe's.  it was delish.

and this was my view for most of dinner.  heh.

also?  i'd managed to talk the hub into letting me use those "nice" plastic disposable plates and flatware for this meal.  i really didn't want to have to worry about washing and not breaking the china, even though this is exactly the sort of occasion we have it for.  i know.  maybe christmas.  but even he had to agree it was pretty fantastic to just toss everything in the trash can rather than have to wash it when dinner was over.  although i still had to wash all of the pots and pans and crap.  i swear, having to clean a roasting rack is probably the very worst part of the whole process.  ugh.

post-cleaning drink.  and yeah...that's sparkling grape juice.

after everyone was gone, i managed to get at least one decent shot of the hub and the bean together.

and of course...

oh yes.  pixie has officially returned to the house of wan for the holiday season.  this is year five, you guys.  i don't know how much more of this i have in me.  it's going to be a long 25-ish days.