Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
House Hunters
A new video featuring the usual household names.
This was supposed to be an episode of House Hunters with two commercial breaks. Instead, it's just half a House Hunters and one commercial.
Well done Marisa and Jacob for their performances.
house hunters from Oliver Seeley on Vimeo.
house hunters from Oliver Seeley on Vimeo.
Saturday, December 08, 2012
Christmas battle droids and cheeky loglets
Other highlights of this Christmas include:
The Lego Star Wars advent calendar sent to us by Oli's mum. Rumor has it, it includes a Darth Maul figure dressed as Santa. I'm sure Jesus finds this funny. So far we've had a bunch of vehicles, a Gungan warrior (Is it Jar Jar? Not sure.) and a battle droid ("Roger! Roger!"). Still waiting for the really good stuff...
And for the fourth year running our little Caga Tions have returned to be fed and kept warm at our house. Lili played at a friend's the other day and when she got home she expressed concern that her friend's Tió had already arrived but ours were still not here. We put some plates of raisins out on both balconies that night and in the morning, they had arrived, laying shivering in the cold, windy morning air.
They've been thriving since we brought them in. They gobble up everything we give them, mostly clementine slices, raisins, dried cranberries and cookies. One day they even stole a whole apple from the fruit basket and we found it next to them with little nibbles in it. They also seem to like reading. Almost daily we find they've 'stolen' one of Josie's board books and are looking at it together. Not sure if they can read English or if they just like the pictures. Unfortunately, they don't seem interested in playing hide and seek. Lili took them into her room, came out and closed the door and counted to twenty, but when she went back in they were right where she left them. I guess Tions can't be good at everything.
The Lego Star Wars advent calendar sent to us by Oli's mum. Rumor has it, it includes a Darth Maul figure dressed as Santa. I'm sure Jesus finds this funny. So far we've had a bunch of vehicles, a Gungan warrior (Is it Jar Jar? Not sure.) and a battle droid ("Roger! Roger!"). Still waiting for the really good stuff...
And for the fourth year running our little Caga Tions have returned to be fed and kept warm at our house. Lili played at a friend's the other day and when she got home she expressed concern that her friend's Tió had already arrived but ours were still not here. We put some plates of raisins out on both balconies that night and in the morning, they had arrived, laying shivering in the cold, windy morning air.
They've been thriving since we brought them in. They gobble up everything we give them, mostly clementine slices, raisins, dried cranberries and cookies. One day they even stole a whole apple from the fruit basket and we found it next to them with little nibbles in it. They also seem to like reading. Almost daily we find they've 'stolen' one of Josie's board books and are looking at it together. Not sure if they can read English or if they just like the pictures. Unfortunately, they don't seem interested in playing hide and seek. Lili took them into her room, came out and closed the door and counted to twenty, but when she went back in they were right where she left them. I guess Tions can't be good at everything.
Friday, December 07, 2012
Presents from England!
We're going to the US for Christmas this year, but Yaya Lisa in England thoughtfully sent us some presents for an early Christmas. We thought we'd have a mini Christmas day before we left, but Lili had a different plan, and we like it.
Our first Christmas tree
We always spend Christmas at someone else's house, so we've never had our own tree. This year we wanted one!
This is a four-day weekend with Thursday and Friday off school and work. On Wednesday while Lili was at school Oli and I made a last-minute decision to buy the tree and accessories that evening after he and Lili came home from teaching an English class to some of her friends.
Josie and I met them up at a plaza near our house and we went out for a tree, some new lights and some more ornaments (Even though we never had a Christmas tree, we used to hang ornaments from our ceiling or on our lemon tree.) It was, of course the windiest and coldest night and Josie was teething, but at least the Christmas lights in our neighborhood were nice and Lili was excited.
We put it up the next day while Josie was napping. Josie didn't seem too bothered or excited when she woke up. She just shouted 'This?!' repeatedly at it.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Lili's Christmas concert
Lili's group start at 3:20. Look for the blond pony-tail in the center of the top row.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Letter to Santa
Some home movie footage of Lil and Angela writing their Christmas list, with a special guest appearance by everyone's favorite log.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Good day
POINT NUMBER 1: Caga Tio
Yes, I already posted this Caga Tio video on Facebook. Now I post it on my blog (not everyone is on Facebook!) with extended detail.
Talking to a neighbor the other day, I finally got what I think is the straight dope on Caga Tio. Why a log that we feed, then beat until it shits out presents?!!?!
Well, back in the days of the pagès (pah-zhes), the peasant farmers who populated the valleys of northern Spain and Southern France, etching out a living where no invading Moor bothered go, leaving behind massive stone houses (masias) that have endured 700+ years, man's dependence on and subjection to nature was foremost on the collective mind.
So, at Christmas time, or possibly pagan holiday time, families took to wandering the woods to find a hollow log to love and care for as a way to give back to Nature. On the big night, they may or may not have hit it, but certainly would have filled the hollow log with dry fruits, nuts, bread and other simple foods that "Nature" would then give back to them, possibly by shitting, as a reward for their weeks of care. This was Christmas dinner.
I like this tradition more and more each year, and this year, for the first time, we plan to get our own Caga Tio (today in the Christmas market near the cathedral!) which we will take to England, hide and the woods, and take Lily and other to go find. Yeah!
POINT NUMBER 2: What a great day.
It's confirmed that I have the job with this indie record label, correcting their English lyrics and artists accents when they sing. Sweet.
I spent the morning making pumpkin/carrot cream soup and egg croquetas (so we can stay out late as a family later and have food to warm up for dinner), am off to work to collaborate on developing a resource wiki (fun!), and then to meet Oli and Lily at the Christmas market.
Life is good.
~
Yes, I already posted this Caga Tio video on Facebook. Now I post it on my blog (not everyone is on Facebook!) with extended detail.
Talking to a neighbor the other day, I finally got what I think is the straight dope on Caga Tio. Why a log that we feed, then beat until it shits out presents?!!?!
Well, back in the days of the pagès (pah-zhes), the peasant farmers who populated the valleys of northern Spain and Southern France, etching out a living where no invading Moor bothered go, leaving behind massive stone houses (masias) that have endured 700+ years, man's dependence on and subjection to nature was foremost on the collective mind.
So, at Christmas time, or possibly pagan holiday time, families took to wandering the woods to find a hollow log to love and care for as a way to give back to Nature. On the big night, they may or may not have hit it, but certainly would have filled the hollow log with dry fruits, nuts, bread and other simple foods that "Nature" would then give back to them, possibly by shitting, as a reward for their weeks of care. This was Christmas dinner.
I like this tradition more and more each year, and this year, for the first time, we plan to get our own Caga Tio (today in the Christmas market near the cathedral!) which we will take to England, hide and the woods, and take Lily and other to go find. Yeah!
POINT NUMBER 2: What a great day.
It's confirmed that I have the job with this indie record label, correcting their English lyrics and artists accents when they sing. Sweet.
I spent the morning making pumpkin/carrot cream soup and egg croquetas (so we can stay out late as a family later and have food to warm up for dinner), am off to work to collaborate on developing a resource wiki (fun!), and then to meet Oli and Lily at the Christmas market.
Life is good.
~
Monday, November 23, 2009
The old poop and talk
Recently Lily has taken to reading while on the toilet. This means that she will often disappear for up to 20 minutes when doing a number 2. Generally about 18 minutes of that is reading time, during which she might call me twice to show me a magazine photo.
Yesterday Lily was on the toilet when her cousin Hannah called from England, having very recently returned from visiting her mother's family in South Korea. Lily was thrilled to be reading, pooping and talking, though most of the conversation consisted of "No Hannah, YOU'RE a stinker bum. No, you're a WASHING machine! Ha ha, ha ha."
After about 10 minutes, the conversation moved on to our front hallway where Lily carried on like a 13-year-old. Incredible.
In other news, Lily still loves Santa in a deferent, worshipful sort of way. She calls him Christmas because the British call him Father Christmas, and she doesn't quite get that you're supposed to say Father and Christmas.
We walked past a bakery yesterday with this jazz-playing Santa and in typical Lily-loves-Santa style, when she spotted him, she stopped abruptly and gasped in a quiet, serious, awe-struck voice, "Christmas."
We stayed 10 minutes watching him play jazz. She hugged him. She gently held his hand. Amazing what a big bit of dancing plastic can summon from the depths of a child.
Yesterday Lily was on the toilet when her cousin Hannah called from England, having very recently returned from visiting her mother's family in South Korea. Lily was thrilled to be reading, pooping and talking, though most of the conversation consisted of "No Hannah, YOU'RE a stinker bum. No, you're a WASHING machine! Ha ha, ha ha."
After about 10 minutes, the conversation moved on to our front hallway where Lily carried on like a 13-year-old. Incredible.
In other news, Lily still loves Santa in a deferent, worshipful sort of way. She calls him Christmas because the British call him Father Christmas, and she doesn't quite get that you're supposed to say Father and Christmas.
We walked past a bakery yesterday with this jazz-playing Santa and in typical Lily-loves-Santa style, when she spotted him, she stopped abruptly and gasped in a quiet, serious, awe-struck voice, "Christmas."
We stayed 10 minutes watching him play jazz. She hugged him. She gently held his hand. Amazing what a big bit of dancing plastic can summon from the depths of a child.
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