Me, mommy and my magic apron!
Banana waiting for the guests to arrive.
As you all know because I have blogged about it extensively my mother was just out visiting for the Murphysboro Holiday Hometour (details to follow), while she was out she mentioned to me that there are grumblings among my dedicated followers that I am not 'writing' enough on my entries but am instead rather trying to appease you with pretty pictures and slightly informative captions. I of course became indigent at her implication that I am not living up to my writing potential but then I took a closer look at my recent posts and realized that they were short and sweet, not really detailed and slightly detached.
My dearest followers thank you for bringing this to my attention and I promise to you that I will try to tell the whole story in the future. There is just so much going on all the time and not to blame Gus but with only one computer in the house my rambling blog posts don't really have a chance to compete with his need to write big important papers and grants. He has promised me my own pink baby netbook in the future specifically for my blogging/celebrity gossip/picture addiction but I am not really going to hold my breath for that little gem to materialize. In the meantime will do my best to give my readers more of what they want which is the whole truth and nothing but the truth of this crazy So. Ill life. So here it goes....
The hometour was a unmitigated success. Plain and simple. It could not have gone any better if I had hired a group of magical elves off of Craigslist to make sure that they whole weekend ran like clockwork. The universe saw fit to make it happen even without any magical helpers. There was tons of work involved most of it in preparation for moms arrival but when I left to pick her up from the airport in St. Louis everything was spotless and ready for showtime. Her plane was on time, I made what some might consider miraculous time getting to the airport ( my gps tomtom estimated 2 hours and 38 minutes I made it in 1 hour and 45 minutes, take that global positioning system!) which gave me enough time to throw on my Christmas vest and unravel my special handmade sign which proclaimed "Mommy, welcome to So.Ill!!!". Needless to say I was quite a spectacle at the Gate A arrivals area but who cares. There were no flight delays, mom arrived safe and happy and ready to dominate the weekend.
Now this might seem superstitious but on our way back home we stopped and gave a homeless man under the MLK bridge some money and I think that that little slice of karmic goodwill skewed the entire balance of the whole weekend. Seriously, we discussed it in jest but I really believe in my heart that the small act of kindness turned the tables on moms visit. Nothing went wrong at all, it was like out of a movie where you wish things to be and then they are. The road trip back home was quick and we stopped and got lunch at Gus and my favorite dinner outside the Lou. Timing was perfect we pulled in and Gus had just finished the remaining yard work everyone had a cocktail and then we headed out to join the caravan and tour all the other homes on the tour.
Friday night was committee caravan night, basically it was a chance for everyone who was on the tour to see everyone elses homes. Now we were the last stop on the caravan because I decided that I wanted to do a little cocktail hour/ appetizer thingy to kick off the tour right. Shocking I know. So Gus, mom and I got all bundled up hopped in the Saturn and followed the line of cars to the first house on the tour. Which was massive, and beautiful. Now I don't have any pictures of the house because to do that would have been one of those rude social faux pas things that I try to avoid whenever possible but I wish I had been able to take pictures. This woman's house was so over the top and beautiful that it almost looked fake. Like no one really lived there and it was just a closed set for some sitcom set during a holiday episode. It was that beautiful and crazy. As I walked through the house feeling many emotions primarily jealousy and fear that these people would later be touring my house I committed a deadly sin and began to covet my neighbors goods.
It is a pretty bad sign to start off the holiday season by committing mortal sins, but there I was walking room to room and feeling my heart drop with every step. The house was three floors of total and utter perfection, and I wanted it all. Except the fake food, people who decorate with fake food are just hateful and should be shot at dawn by a pair of life sized evil gingerbread men. I left the house asking my homeboy Dale why on earth I was ever asked to be on a tour with a house like that and thinking that we should maybe just take our house off the list. My stomach hurt and I felt anxious and like a massive yuletide failure. Mom and Gus were of course reassuring in the ways that supportive loved ones are meant to be but nothing they could say could shake the lingering doubt and nervousness I had over the committee and the other homeowners coming to Elm St.
The tour progressed and we saw two other lovely homes, and I began to calm down as I toured houses that were lovely but in no way the holiday juggernaut that the first home was. We did not get to see the fourth house that night because we bolted home to get all the candles lit and everything ready for people to come to our house. We all ran quickly into the local liquor mart to get more wine (everything is better with more wine) and then bolted home to grab our lighters and go to town. It is at this point in the story that I need to give crazy props to mom and Gus for being better than cracked out craigslist elves. They were my absolute dream team, we all moved in perfect harmony lighting decorative candles, setting out plates, napkins, opening wine, grabbing glasses, to the point where we were done early and had nothing to do but anxiously await the arrival of the caravan. Then they arrived and we knew with no uncertainty that Elm St. was the best house on the tour bar none.
Why do you ask do I say that my home is the best? Am I biased? Well of course I am!
But my house was actually warm, and welcoming. We pulled out all the stops and people lingered, they had a drink and made a little sandwich to nosh on and then our guests relaxed. The home tour committee members made toasts and everyone clinked my mismatched wine glasses together and celebrated the kick off of the tour. I did not have fancy china but that did not stop people from going back for seconds of barbecue. No one was worried about sitting on my furniture and since I refused to lock my dog away like the other owners did Anna was able to mix and mingle and be a great welcoming ambassador for Elm St.
People stayed and chatted and opened up and got to know their neighbors. We had the smallest house on the tour but we filled ours with the most love and warmth and I think that people really felt at home. Now I am being kinda full of myself I realize but you don't understand how nervous I felt after seeing that first house and watching everyone chat and mingle really reassured me that we were asked to be on the tour for a reason and that we did belong in the same league as all the other people with bigger, fancier houses.
When our guests finally began to trickle out the three of us sat back in awe at what an incredible night it had been. The next morning we were up early to make sure everything was tip top perfect. Now the thing about entertaining that anyone will tell you is that when you are having people over night time is the right time. This is because candles and dimmer switches help mask those nicks in your paint and the dust around the corners of the baseboards that you can never quite get rid of. Similar to dating an ugly girl you want to take her to the candle lit restaurant to make things easier on the both of you. Oh and it is more acceptable to drink in the evenings. Unfortunately for me the tour began at 10 am on what was turning out to be a bright beautiful morning. Cursing the fates I began anxiously running around the house with a paper towel and my can of Pledge multi surface going over everything in sight. Try as hard as I could though it was too bright, all the little imperfections were popping out at me and I was helpless to fix them. I was on the brink of tears praying for ominous cloud cover with Gus and Mom assuring me that everything would be fine and the house looked great (I come off like a basket case during this part of the tale but it really was too bright!).
Ten am rolled around an no one was lining up outside the door, then another fifteen minutes, and then half an hour past. We did not get our first visitor until almost 11 Saturday morning and by then I was just a big ball of nerves. She was a lovely older lady who came in and looked around and chatted for a bit but did not seem that impressed by either us or Elm St. I was helpless to entertain I had no food or beverage to offer her there were no little goodies out anywhere and I was going against every natural inclination I had in my hostessing soul. She left and shut the door and I immediately shrieked that we needed treats! Mom and Gus always quick to mobilize and at this point very eager to get away from me generously offered to go to the store for some cider and cookies. Away they went and I threw on an apron and began to bake the worst gingerbread cupcakes in the history of baked goods.
Something happened when I put on that apron though, a calming change came over me and I began to feel more in control. Just like that the clouds began to gather. The sky darkened and I smiled and began to light my candles. By the time the troops returned with refreshments the house glowed with warmth in the darkening December day, the fates had heard my plea and had thought it appropriate to grant me my proper blustery winters day.
For the remainder of the day we warmed hot apple cider served out of a gorgeous crystal punch bowl I found at a second hand shop. Instead of cheap plastic cups we used decorative glass tea cups. The house was filled with the scent of gingerbread and joy and little decorative peppermint bark and yogurt covered pretzels were placed out for visitors. It was on. The Elm St. team hosted our little brains out. We had about 50 people throughout the day in spurts and groups and they all wanted to know all about us and the house.
We had decided to close the basement off but everyone wanted to see the coal room that had become a walk in closet, so we gave tours of the basement. Never have we ever had so many glowing reviews or wonderful compliments. People told us that ours was their favorite house on the tour and it was certainly the warmest and most welcoming (thank you apple cider). Not to indulge too much in the heaps of praise but it felt great to have that kind of validation from our neighbors and people in our community. They loved us, they really loved us! We even had a woman so taken with the house that she offered to buy it right then and there at 40 g's more than we bought it for. We were a success! Our candles flickered, we smiled and graciously offered cookies, Anna greeted all and then laid down to welcome the next group... we rocked it.
I think my highlight of the day was a group of three little girls who were touring with their moms. They were all in sparkly shoes and pink or purple coats and were just so cute. I myself was also wearing my sparkly shoes and asked them if they wanted to see my closet, once inside while admiring all the stuff everywhere they proclaimed in no uncertain terms that they wanted my closet and that my house was their favorite on the tour. From the mouths of babes I find validation and acceptance, don't judge me it was a lovely moment. Gus also basked in praise from visiting husbands who were impressed at all the steps he had taken to ensure our basement remained dry, mom basked in the glow of other mothers who were impressed that she had made such a long trip to support her daughter. All of our egos were boosted and by the end of the day we felt like legitimate rockstars. And the hits just kept on coming!
My dearest followers thank you for bringing this to my attention and I promise to you that I will try to tell the whole story in the future. There is just so much going on all the time and not to blame Gus but with only one computer in the house my rambling blog posts don't really have a chance to compete with his need to write big important papers and grants. He has promised me my own pink baby netbook in the future specifically for my blogging/celebrity gossip/picture addiction but I am not really going to hold my breath for that little gem to materialize. In the meantime will do my best to give my readers more of what they want which is the whole truth and nothing but the truth of this crazy So. Ill life. So here it goes....
The hometour was a unmitigated success. Plain and simple. It could not have gone any better if I had hired a group of magical elves off of Craigslist to make sure that they whole weekend ran like clockwork. The universe saw fit to make it happen even without any magical helpers. There was tons of work involved most of it in preparation for moms arrival but when I left to pick her up from the airport in St. Louis everything was spotless and ready for showtime. Her plane was on time, I made what some might consider miraculous time getting to the airport ( my gps tomtom estimated 2 hours and 38 minutes I made it in 1 hour and 45 minutes, take that global positioning system!) which gave me enough time to throw on my Christmas vest and unravel my special handmade sign which proclaimed "Mommy, welcome to So.Ill!!!". Needless to say I was quite a spectacle at the Gate A arrivals area but who cares. There were no flight delays, mom arrived safe and happy and ready to dominate the weekend.
Now this might seem superstitious but on our way back home we stopped and gave a homeless man under the MLK bridge some money and I think that that little slice of karmic goodwill skewed the entire balance of the whole weekend. Seriously, we discussed it in jest but I really believe in my heart that the small act of kindness turned the tables on moms visit. Nothing went wrong at all, it was like out of a movie where you wish things to be and then they are. The road trip back home was quick and we stopped and got lunch at Gus and my favorite dinner outside the Lou. Timing was perfect we pulled in and Gus had just finished the remaining yard work everyone had a cocktail and then we headed out to join the caravan and tour all the other homes on the tour.
Friday night was committee caravan night, basically it was a chance for everyone who was on the tour to see everyone elses homes. Now we were the last stop on the caravan because I decided that I wanted to do a little cocktail hour/ appetizer thingy to kick off the tour right. Shocking I know. So Gus, mom and I got all bundled up hopped in the Saturn and followed the line of cars to the first house on the tour. Which was massive, and beautiful. Now I don't have any pictures of the house because to do that would have been one of those rude social faux pas things that I try to avoid whenever possible but I wish I had been able to take pictures. This woman's house was so over the top and beautiful that it almost looked fake. Like no one really lived there and it was just a closed set for some sitcom set during a holiday episode. It was that beautiful and crazy. As I walked through the house feeling many emotions primarily jealousy and fear that these people would later be touring my house I committed a deadly sin and began to covet my neighbors goods.
It is a pretty bad sign to start off the holiday season by committing mortal sins, but there I was walking room to room and feeling my heart drop with every step. The house was three floors of total and utter perfection, and I wanted it all. Except the fake food, people who decorate with fake food are just hateful and should be shot at dawn by a pair of life sized evil gingerbread men. I left the house asking my homeboy Dale why on earth I was ever asked to be on a tour with a house like that and thinking that we should maybe just take our house off the list. My stomach hurt and I felt anxious and like a massive yuletide failure. Mom and Gus were of course reassuring in the ways that supportive loved ones are meant to be but nothing they could say could shake the lingering doubt and nervousness I had over the committee and the other homeowners coming to Elm St.
The tour progressed and we saw two other lovely homes, and I began to calm down as I toured houses that were lovely but in no way the holiday juggernaut that the first home was. We did not get to see the fourth house that night because we bolted home to get all the candles lit and everything ready for people to come to our house. We all ran quickly into the local liquor mart to get more wine (everything is better with more wine) and then bolted home to grab our lighters and go to town. It is at this point in the story that I need to give crazy props to mom and Gus for being better than cracked out craigslist elves. They were my absolute dream team, we all moved in perfect harmony lighting decorative candles, setting out plates, napkins, opening wine, grabbing glasses, to the point where we were done early and had nothing to do but anxiously await the arrival of the caravan. Then they arrived and we knew with no uncertainty that Elm St. was the best house on the tour bar none.
Why do you ask do I say that my home is the best? Am I biased? Well of course I am!
But my house was actually warm, and welcoming. We pulled out all the stops and people lingered, they had a drink and made a little sandwich to nosh on and then our guests relaxed. The home tour committee members made toasts and everyone clinked my mismatched wine glasses together and celebrated the kick off of the tour. I did not have fancy china but that did not stop people from going back for seconds of barbecue. No one was worried about sitting on my furniture and since I refused to lock my dog away like the other owners did Anna was able to mix and mingle and be a great welcoming ambassador for Elm St.
People stayed and chatted and opened up and got to know their neighbors. We had the smallest house on the tour but we filled ours with the most love and warmth and I think that people really felt at home. Now I am being kinda full of myself I realize but you don't understand how nervous I felt after seeing that first house and watching everyone chat and mingle really reassured me that we were asked to be on the tour for a reason and that we did belong in the same league as all the other people with bigger, fancier houses.
When our guests finally began to trickle out the three of us sat back in awe at what an incredible night it had been. The next morning we were up early to make sure everything was tip top perfect. Now the thing about entertaining that anyone will tell you is that when you are having people over night time is the right time. This is because candles and dimmer switches help mask those nicks in your paint and the dust around the corners of the baseboards that you can never quite get rid of. Similar to dating an ugly girl you want to take her to the candle lit restaurant to make things easier on the both of you. Oh and it is more acceptable to drink in the evenings. Unfortunately for me the tour began at 10 am on what was turning out to be a bright beautiful morning. Cursing the fates I began anxiously running around the house with a paper towel and my can of Pledge multi surface going over everything in sight. Try as hard as I could though it was too bright, all the little imperfections were popping out at me and I was helpless to fix them. I was on the brink of tears praying for ominous cloud cover with Gus and Mom assuring me that everything would be fine and the house looked great (I come off like a basket case during this part of the tale but it really was too bright!).
Ten am rolled around an no one was lining up outside the door, then another fifteen minutes, and then half an hour past. We did not get our first visitor until almost 11 Saturday morning and by then I was just a big ball of nerves. She was a lovely older lady who came in and looked around and chatted for a bit but did not seem that impressed by either us or Elm St. I was helpless to entertain I had no food or beverage to offer her there were no little goodies out anywhere and I was going against every natural inclination I had in my hostessing soul. She left and shut the door and I immediately shrieked that we needed treats! Mom and Gus always quick to mobilize and at this point very eager to get away from me generously offered to go to the store for some cider and cookies. Away they went and I threw on an apron and began to bake the worst gingerbread cupcakes in the history of baked goods.
Something happened when I put on that apron though, a calming change came over me and I began to feel more in control. Just like that the clouds began to gather. The sky darkened and I smiled and began to light my candles. By the time the troops returned with refreshments the house glowed with warmth in the darkening December day, the fates had heard my plea and had thought it appropriate to grant me my proper blustery winters day.
For the remainder of the day we warmed hot apple cider served out of a gorgeous crystal punch bowl I found at a second hand shop. Instead of cheap plastic cups we used decorative glass tea cups. The house was filled with the scent of gingerbread and joy and little decorative peppermint bark and yogurt covered pretzels were placed out for visitors. It was on. The Elm St. team hosted our little brains out. We had about 50 people throughout the day in spurts and groups and they all wanted to know all about us and the house.
We had decided to close the basement off but everyone wanted to see the coal room that had become a walk in closet, so we gave tours of the basement. Never have we ever had so many glowing reviews or wonderful compliments. People told us that ours was their favorite house on the tour and it was certainly the warmest and most welcoming (thank you apple cider). Not to indulge too much in the heaps of praise but it felt great to have that kind of validation from our neighbors and people in our community. They loved us, they really loved us! We even had a woman so taken with the house that she offered to buy it right then and there at 40 g's more than we bought it for. We were a success! Our candles flickered, we smiled and graciously offered cookies, Anna greeted all and then laid down to welcome the next group... we rocked it.
I think my highlight of the day was a group of three little girls who were touring with their moms. They were all in sparkly shoes and pink or purple coats and were just so cute. I myself was also wearing my sparkly shoes and asked them if they wanted to see my closet, once inside while admiring all the stuff everywhere they proclaimed in no uncertain terms that they wanted my closet and that my house was their favorite on the tour. From the mouths of babes I find validation and acceptance, don't judge me it was a lovely moment. Gus also basked in praise from visiting husbands who were impressed at all the steps he had taken to ensure our basement remained dry, mom basked in the glow of other mothers who were impressed that she had made such a long trip to support her daughter. All of our egos were boosted and by the end of the day we felt like legitimate rockstars. And the hits just kept on coming!
That evening we went out on the town to celebrate and see the Carbondale Christmas lights parade which was super fun. We were all on such a goofy high from such a successful day and we were just running around like kids all giggly and crazy, it would have been perfect if it had not been so crazy freezing! Later we treated mom to dinner with some local peeps at our mexican restaurant Sergios where they welcomed her back with open arms and lavished us with bowls of yummy cheese dip on the house. I told you things just went our way this weekend. It was awesome. We could'nt go too crazy though because the next day we had a few more hours of hosting. Sunday was also blissfully overcast and we hosted about another 50 people all in the span of 3 hours. We had lots of cute groups of little old ladies who were so sweet and complimentary come through. Luckily we had restocked our cider and cookies and on Sunday I actually made a rather successful pumpkin loaf with a lovely tin that Marcy lent me so we were able to give our second round of guests and equally awesome experience.
Sunday night we went out to a beautiful new winery on the outskirts of town and sat beside a fire pit and toasted our successful weekend. Mom being there was so incredible, everything ran smoothly and she kept me calm and happy all weekend. I feel like if it had just been Gus and I this weekend one of us would have ended up jumping into the Big Muddy River ( hint: it would not have been me because I hate freezing cold water). Luckily mom was there to be amazing and save the day. Everyone said that they really enjoyed the tour, we had a great weekend, we sold our house and we will always be able to tell the tale of the year that Elm St was on the hometour. Thanks mumsy for to the Boro and for Gus for agreeing to give up a weekend and indulge in a crazy holiday tradition, I love you both like crazy and I could not have done it without you!
It was a perfect weekend and I had a wonderful time being your holiday elf =)
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OMG Erin!!!! I'm so so happy that everything turned out perfectly and you had a festive and joyous house showing! I'd be jealous of your house (and closet) too!
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