Christmas at the Clifford Home

I came home from work and Robbie and Pat had gone grocery shopping - so the whirlwind cooking and baking started. Robbie helped me get the bread started - then he played with the leftovers from the bowl. Adding flour, sugar, apples, onions, whatever he could find - he had fun shaping one piece into a fish for Caroline.

Explanation: I told Caroline we would probably just have a simple dinner of pizza and salad - her response was: "We eat a lot of pizza" So - I called her back later that evening and left her a message: "mmmm... We'll have salmon"

Explanation 2: Caroline does not eat fish because my best friend, Janet, served us trout with the head on it when Caroline was three. She came over to me and said, "Mommy, the fishie is looking at me" - never ate fish again.

So, Caroline called me and said, "Jesse doesn't like fish either!" I just laughed and told her we were having soup. She didn't think it was funny. But Robbie did.

So then Robbie and I were peeling potatoes - he found one with a deep crevice in it - and then the laughing started. He said it was Mr. Crack Canyon.

Explanation 3: When Pat, Caroline, Robbie, Sheala and I went up north to Grand Marais we stopped in Seney for lunch. There was a guy at the counter with his pants WAY DOWN. I wish I could explain this right but I'll try anyway. First Caroline noticed it - she turned red. Then I saw it and started laughing. The Robbie saw it and he did a double, no a triple take and turned red and started laughing. I kept nodding my head toward the counter for Sheala to look but she wouldn't - she knew it was BAD. We could barely (pun intended) eat we were laughing so hard. After we left the restaurant we named the customer at the counter Mr. Crack Canyon. Well from that time on - just the mere idea of a crack sends us over the edge.

So we made potato soup, chicken noodle soup, outback croutons and dinner rolls. Then everyone came over and we ate. Then we opened presents. Then of course Caroline, Robbie and Sheala went after each other, I kept yelling at them not to break the lamp, knock over the tree, break the nativity pieces - Joanna kept telling me if I'd stop laughing while I was yelling they might listen to me.

All in all - it was a great Christmas celebration.