lula

i had the pleasure of meeting my new dog-cousin, lula, this past week. though i felt bad cheating on lilly most of the week/end since she stayed home, as she is too spastic to get along with other dogs, i very much enjoyed spending time wearing lula out. lula was rescued from a westie center in charlotte a few months ago and i think she blended into our family quite well. i might even go as far as to say she was voted in.

dear lula, i’m sorry i threw your toy next to the wall, thus making you run into the wall with your head. kisses, meghan

tree style

i thought you might be curious to see what the “v” tree looks like. with the exception of a sporadically growing ornament collection, it looks the same every year, which i love. what i don’t love was the epic year my beloved REAL tree was replaced by our current impostor of a tree. yup, the v’s went fake. it’s so wrong. almost as wrong as margarine. (yes, you should stop eating that fake crap) mom’s solution? a candle. the candle smells more like pineapple than evergreen. yes i’m still bitter and no i will not get over it. i know what your thinking, “stop whining and get your own place and your own tree.” we’re not having that discussion here, k? thanks. besides, my laundry never smells as good as mom’s.

back to the point, there are ornaments on our tree i remember getting years ago and still put up every year. not counting the ones i “created” in preschool. those, conveniently, never see the light of day. i’m a creature of habit and traditions/small gestures like that make me smile.

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cookie sweatshop

we take sugar cookies, well cookies in general, very seriously in the schroeder family. our cookies do not derive from the roll out, boxed or pre-made variety. in fact, hours go in to creating such delectable treats. those said hours could also have attributed to why my skinny jeans are extra tight today. but that’s another story.

this past sunday we dedicated a solid 5 hours to our infamous sugar cookies, by far the most painstaking of our traditional cookie spread. i’d give you the recipe, but then, well, i’d have to kill you. it’s a secret that came over on the boat. no, really, it did. they’re easily the best sugar cookies i’ve ever had and trust me, i never turn down the opportunity for a challenger.

we enlisted the help of brothers #2 and #3; number #1 was apparently wearing his teenager pants and was thus way too cool for cookie decorating. though he did say he had no problem eating them. funny how that works. it was a fun, EXHAUSTING day, complete with a piano break to amuse ben with christmas tunes.

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i’m yoda

lots of funny things happened last saturday, but two stick out, one being the above picture. since ben’s involved, of course there’s a story. after “mastering” the reindeer, we went free style with the pipe-cleaners and while making a pipe-cleaner lilly, i notice ben hobbling around on his knees:

me: ben, what are you doing?
ben: i’m yoda, duh (see the teeny tiny (metallic) cane in his right hand)
me: oh, silly me.

prior to this happening, the boys were mocking how i apparently say “shall we” “like all the time, sis.” as in, “let’s stop fighting, shall we?” i’m so sorry for like being polite, like. so i ask ben if he even knows what mocking means. he says that it means to like make fun of someone. i said that was right and that i would never mock him. to which he says, “haha yeah right sis, like the time you made fun of my butt crack.” touché, ben. what can i say, he had a long butt crack when he was a baby.

-yes, “like” is ben’s favorite word.

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happy holidays from the v’s (+1 h)

made with tiny prints. we love them. you should use them, too.

saturday craftday

instead of tboxing this past saturday, i spent the day doing something a little more healthy; crafting with the brothers. my liver (and spirit) sure thanked me. i found these online and thought they looked too cute not to make. i will say, however, that martha is smoking crack if she thinks a child can figure these out on their own. i’m 26 and i barely managed. after ‘mastering’ the reindeer (and letting a few too many ‘craps’ fly. “sis, we don’t say the “k” word), we attempted the snowmen, but they quickly turned into an epic fail. that is, until ben turned his snowman (which was worlds better than mine) in a cowboy who rode rudolph. well-played, brother, well-played.

despite what the last picture will tell you, andrew really did have fun. i even overhead him say, “this is awesome.” or maybe that’s just because the activity got him out of doing homework….that’s neither here nor there. i got him to say something i did was cool; score one for this super-awesome sister.

how to entertain teenagers

1) stromboli (oven to tummy time was too fast for a picture).

2) soft drinks. no diet crap.

3) chips. variety, please.

4) red velvet cake (see #1).

5) rockband (i was not allowed in the basement, i guess that means i really am old).

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top 10 holiday movies

truth: i love christmas and everything that comes with it. snow, cookies, fire places, (real) christmas trees, family gatherings, frost on windshields, hot cider, christmas music and movies, etc. around the holidays, my house is a melting pot of all things holiday related and i do believe we could communicate with each other by using nothing but lines from christmas movies. so, since the best way to spread christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear, without further ado here is my top ten list of holiday movies (i’ve already watched 4 this season), along with my favorite quote from each movie, bc that’s how we roll.

1. christmas vacation. it’s a hochgesang family tradition and i could fill an entire post with my favorite quotes, i mean, have you seen my header? but my favorite, and the one i often say to my brothers: “get off meeeeee, you little fungusssssss.”

2. love actually. i mean, this doesn’t count as a quote, but this may well be my favorite scene from a movie. of all time. ever. as for a quote: “let’s go get the shit kicked out of us by love.”

3. elf. “buddy the elf, what’s your favorite color?” “francisco, that’s fun to say.” “watch out, the yellow ones don’t stop.” ok, you get the idea.

4. a christmas story. “fa ra ra ra rah, ra ra ra rahhhh.”

5. the family stone. “you have a freak flag. you just don’t fly it.”

6. the holiday. “i have found almost everything ever written about love to be true. shakespeare said, ‘journeys end in lovers meeting.’ what an extraordinary thought.”

7. home alone. “buzz your girlfriend, wuff!” “santy don’t visit the funeral home, little buddy.”

8. prancer. “i do believe, i do believe.”

9. miracle on 34th street. “faith is believing when common sense tells you not to. don’t you see? it’s not just kris that’s on trial, it’s everything he stands for. it’s kindness and joy and love and all the other intangibles.”

10. frosty the snowman. “i suppose it all started with the snow. you see, it was a very special kind of snow. a snow that made the happy happier, and the giddy even giddier…for it was the first snow of the season. and as any child can tell you, there’s a certain magic that comes with the very first snow, especially when it falls on the day before christmas. for when the first snow is also a christmas snow…”

honorable mention: little women. “we’ll all grow up one day, meg. we might as well know what we want.”

the mere thought of  these makes me want to grab one, along with a blanket, lilly and some hot chocolate and let my cares melt away. what are your favorites?

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sister outtakes

we tried to have a christmas card photo shoot at the IU/PU tailgate on saturday, but since we waited until the worst time of the day to take pictures, the above is the only suitable one we came up with. however, the following “outtakes” are quite entertaining. and oh so typical. btw, this is my favorite post ever. and that’s saying a lot. thanks for taking these.

and the best for last, obvs.

the glory of old iu

this past weekend marked the annual ‘old oaken bucket” game at iu. that rivalrous (lexicon, much?) match up also meant it was the last game of the season, since iu can’t seem to ever win enough games to secure a bowl game. we had an awesome tailgate, which, for the boys, began at 9 a.m. we were so blessed for such an amazing day (when is the last time you walked around, mid november, in short sleeves?) with great food and even more great people. we just won’t talk about who won. for now, so-long iu football season. let’s hope for better luck next year.

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