Mackinac Nights

I thought you might like to take a gander at the island's downtown - at night. I just love how everything looks this time of year when it is all lit up.

I took photos on the hayride and at the tree lighting on Friday night, but none of them turned out very well. Nighttime photography and corralling two excited children just don't mix. So I went out again on Saturday night, tripod in hand, and got much better results.

Christmas lights just make me smile...

Christmas Bazaar 2009

Part Two...

Community Hall at the height of the Bazaar.
Click and blow this one up. It's much better bigger.

If you've never been to the Mackinac Island Christmas Bazaar, you're missing out on a fantastic experience. If you're an island fan, you should visit the Bazaar at least once. Our community tries to make sure there is something for everyone and all the money raised stays on the island. (It is shared between the Medical Center and the island Churches.)

There are booths of things for sale for the adults - including my favorite table - the baked goods, as well as auctions for bigger ticket items. And of course, Santa makes an appearance. No one quite understood why I was taking photos with the kids looking away from the camera, but I was thinking, "Oh, that's perfect - I can post that one!" Santa is played by one of our local dray drivers; a really great guy. We're lucky he is willing to sit there roasting in that suit, smiling while people put their screaming children on his lap. (If that Santa suit looks familiar, you may be remembering this post.)

There were also crafts for the kids over at Trinity Church, but we didn't make it. Our lives are currently ruled by nap time, so after giving Santa their letters my two were done. We went right home for a much needed rest - Mama included.

Today is the big auction and the prime rib brunch. Yum yum!

Perfect Timing

Our mittens were done just in time for snowmobile season! Which Started Friday in almost the best possible way. I rode my bike to school on Friday morning and my husband took me home on the snowmobile Friday afternoon! No month long walking on roads too icy for bikes but not snowy enough for snowmobiles. Trust me, those times on Mackinac are not pleasant.

Snowmobile season started on the perfect day because this weekend is the island's annual Christmas Bazaar. Lost of people brave the winter weather for this annual event.

One of my favorite parts of the Bazaar is the island's community garage sale. It's held in one of the island's few garages (since we don't have cars) - can you guess who's garage it is?

(Dennis, the Fire Chief, let me climb up on one of the trucks to take this picture.) The kids love the sale too. They each got to enjoy a hot dog, brownie and some cocoa and then got to pick out a toy to take home. Since I could ride my snowmobile, I took the kids home after they ate and then I went back later to shop for wool sweaters - what else?

I did manage to find a few other treasures too. A vintage apron, some wooden trees for the kids to decorate, a rain hat, two blue and white plates, and three bottles of glitter. I've never seen glitter in glass bottles before so I think they've been around a while. With two little kids in the house, I'm predicting they'll finally get used.

Today we'll all go back to the Bazaar for lunch and to see Santa. He arrives at one - on a fire truck...

Mackinac Mittens

Eight Mackinac Island women + a pile of felted sweaters = a whole lot of fun.

We cut, we sewed, we chatted and we had a great time just hanging out in my classroom at the school making mittens. (Just try to ignore the messy parts of my room. The kids and I have a ton of projects going on right now.) Not everyone got a chance to finish theirs, but everyone made great progress - even K, who hadn't touched a sewing needle in over 40 years! The entire Mitten Making Party was actually her idea. She wants to make some for all her relatives for Christmas.

I loved using everyone as guinea pigs for the mitten pattern and tutorial I've been working on. It was good to see what made sense to them and what was clear as mud. As a sewer some things are obvious to me, but sot so much so to someone else who doesn't really sew. You know? I've been making good progress on the tutorial so I'll get it up within the next couple of weeks.

I'd love to get to it sooner but Mackinac Island life is just crazy right now! The Christmas Bazaar is this weekend, DARE graduation is next week and the Christmas Program* at school is the week after that. Throw in the fact that my students and I are making light up cards for their parents and gingerbread houses between practices and I'm surprised we all have time to breathe!

*We may be one of the last schools left to actually have a "Christmas Program." I love how our entire town comes out for it - regardless of whether or not they have kids in school.

Resistance is Futile

Last weekend my husband spent some time cleaning out the basement. (Hooray.) I was surprised when he brought his collection of Star Trek, excuse me - new and still in the box Star Trek, action figures upstairs. In the 13 years A and I have been married I've seen those things out of their trunk once. I was really surprised when he started opening them and giving them to the kids to play with. Apparently, they aren't particularly valuable so hubby decided he'd give them to the kids.

According to my son new "guys" to play with is a good thing. I think it's a good thing the basement is a wee bit cleaner and, of course, that my son now knows what Klingons are. Qapla!*

(For you non-Star Trek fans out there, Qapla (pronounced k-PLAH,) means "success" in the Klingon language. They use it as a salute in a greeting or farewell.)