Family = Fun – Page 66 – TheSabins.com

Christmas C&C

Gather round children and listen up for I have a story that will fill you all with the wonder and meaning of the season:

This Christmas holiday Jason and I had just enough time to ourselves to undertake a top to bottom cleaning of our house. This endeavor was instigated by me and once my mind’s made up to do something there’s no unmaking it. While our home was in need of a thorough cleaning, Jason was not quite as enthusiastic about this plan as I was. He especially didn’t appreciate my two-day scrubbing extravaganza coming dangerously close to impeding his Christmas fun. I didn’t finish furiously dusting until 11:32 PM on Christmas Eve, compelling him to frequently remind me of the time limitations on my tidying allowance. The next day, however, Jason changed his tune and decided he was rather glad we had cleaned. He enjoyed having a sparkly home somewhere underneath the layers of wrapping paper.

Jason Jobs — I gave Jason a MacBook Air and the Steve Jobs biography for Christmas. That nerdy combo led to this nerdy picture.

Give a hoot! — We gave our niece Abigail this darling handmade hat for Christmas.

Cooking was to our Christmas as cleaning was to our Christmas Eve. We made puffy cheddar grits for breakfast and a fancy dinner of wild mushroom risotto topped with citrus-seasoned arugula and toasted hazelnuts. Sugar was definitely invited to the party as well; we baked both chocolate cupcakes and jelly-filled cookies. Although our Christmas was not quite its usual hectic mess, Jason was still tired and had had enough of culinary creativeness about the time I started forming the cookies and therefore protested their construction. I’m not sure why he thought he had the right to gripe since he wasn’t exactly helping me prepare them, more like complaining on the sidelines as I rolled, but for some reason he seemed to find standing around doing nothing too taxing to tolerate. Of course, me being me, I was unmoved by his grumblings and I just baked away anyway. The next day, as he was gobbling up those buttery treats, he admitted that he was very happy I had persevered and basted through his grumpies.

Hmmm…I’m no psychology expert but there seems to be some reoccurring behavior patterns emerging here.

dignified dames — The ladies in my family are very reserved and refined. Obviously.

chocolate on chocolate with a side of chocolate — We made chocolate cupcakes with a rich velvety frosting. I think I would have enjoyed them more if I hadn't already been so hopped up on sugar.

The morals of this story? The first obviously is that wives can be a tremendous pain in the neck. Forcing spousal participation in a cleaning marathon or cooking fest is practically dehumanizing. Having to tidy your own home or cook for yourself: these tortures no man should ever have to bear. The second message is clearly that your wife knows best so shut up and do what she tells you. I guarantee that you will be glad you did later either because you’ll discover that the fruits of your labor are indeed sweet or because you’ll realize that the only alternative to doing as she asks is listening to her never-ending whining.

Behave boys! — How is my family like a hardware store? It's full of nuts.

nothing broken about it — This broken spaghetti "risotto" was relatively easy to make yet oh so good.

And the final moral of this story? Don’t take me too seriously. My fine tale may seem to suggest the contrary but Jason and I had a fantastic Christmas. I wandered around in my pajamas until sometime in the afternoon. We ate and ate and ate all that scrumptious homemade food and we actually got to open each other’s presents before the sun descended. Sure, Jason did complain a bit here and there, for which he was relentlessly teased, but that just added to the seasonal merriment. I especially enjoyed making fun of my hubby while his face was covered with the crumbs of the cookies he was too pooped to watch me make. Good thing he likes to laugh at himself as much as I do.

That a girl! — Our niece Isabelle had to put on the pink polka dot pajamas we gave her immediately regardless of the other layers of clothing she was already wearing.

the brothers Sabin — Jason and his brothers make a very "special" trio.

bo better — Jason's brother Matt asked for a bo staff so he could improve his sweet bo staff skills. We were happy to oblige; subpar staff skills are an embarrassment we don't want in the family.

I hope your holidays were just as full of jovial taunting as they were for me and my spouse. Merry Christmas to all and to all a clean house!

Rachel December 29, 2011 1 Comment

Wally, Pong, and Chow

What says Christmas better than a hideous moustache and a sweater even your mom wouldn’t be caught dead in? The answer perhaps is a Sabin fest that incorporates not only both of these foul abominations but also some seasonal classics, white elephant gifts and overeating, along with a couple nontraditional holiday pastimes, ping pong and wallyball. The result of this unusual combination? A party of such repugnant, yet satisfying, proportions that a word more disgusting than disgusting would have to be added to the dictionary to adequately portray its disgustingness.

food glorious food — The food for our party was catered from Zupas and Kneaders: creamy soups, fresh rolls, gooey brownies, chocolate dipped strawberries, and giant gingerbread men. I don't think anyone left hungry.

Although last year’s moustache and unsightly sweater party was a cringe fest, our friends, it turns out, liked that repulsive theme so this year we brought tacky back like a barfing kid on a merry-go-round.

What the wally? — Can you figure out what is going on in this picture? If so, you must be a photograph deciphering savant.

tacky knows no gender — The girls packed together for a picture of their own. I must say, we are much more photogenic than those silly boys.

For this event Jason and I rented a suite of rooms at Noah’s that included a wallyball court, ping pong arena, and chow station. We, along with our collected friends, played ping pong until we were dizzy and then wallyball until our forearms burned. If we ever began feeling even slightly exercised we recommenced eating so our belt straps were the only things overly exerted. And once we had consumed our weight in cookies and grown tired of tossing balls we fought over the prettiest awful white elephant gifts ever.

underdressed and overheated — Jacob overheated playing wallyball even with half of his belly hanging beyond the confines of his undersized sweater. So, like a little boy, he just removed that offending article of clothing and ran around in various stages of toplessness. He wore Jason's itchy vest briefly before deciding he preferred no shirt at all.

Maybe baby Jesus didn’t anticipate ugly attire and gluttony heralding in the arrival of his birthday every year but hey, what a birthday party! Here’s to the nauseating traditions that make Christmas so dang memorable!

Rachel December 17, 2011 1 Comment

Mr. Darcy Likes to Party!

That creepy time of year was just here and another Halloween meant another Sabin Halloween party. We did it again and it was just as much work and amusement as always.

Miss Elizabeth goes from page to made — This year it was my turn to decide our costumes. I have long wanted to go as characters from one of my favorite books, Pride and Prejudice, so that’s what I chose.

my Regency tresses — My hairdresser did my Bennet do. She’s a big Austen fan so I knew my strands were in good hands.

disdain never looked so good — Jason looked yummy dressed as Mr. Darcy. Good thing because his costume was quite the pain to sew. Most of its components were made from actual 1800’s patterns since they were my only option. I basically had to create my own modern instructions for these antique designs.

We had a great turnout of friends and family. They all came clad in their best disguises ready to flaunt their haunt.

not new but new to you — Making the same decorations look different each year is always a challenge. I guess we succeeded this time because several of our guests commented on all the “new” items we had bought.

cloth and electricity — Jason turned our basement ceiling into a billowing tapestry of festive lights.

my creepy creation — My recipe for creepy: skulls, crows, spiders, moss, and crispy dead flowers.

Bingo was popular once again with both adults and children. We played enough rounds that those who walked away with a prize or two outnumbered the luckless.

Jeremy the Pop-Tart pussy — Jeremy took home the prize for best dressed with his energetic portrayal of the Nyan Cat.

I've got my eye on you! — The beaten and disemboweled pinata somehow ended up on Matt’s head.

my buddy — Lauren came as Buddy, my favorite elf. She won 3rd place in the costume contest so obviously others favor that north pole homeboy as well.

The kiddies were as eager to bat the piñata as ever. I don’t think there is a child out there that doesn’t enjoy smacking something with a stick until its insides gush out.

Tobias in trio — The Ashleys depicted Tobias from Arrested Development with an assortment of peculiar outfits.

skeletons like to get down in the ground — This year our skeletons painted the cemetery red with their spooky spirits and party hats.

Yo it's Jadon! — Our nephew Jadon rocked his DJ Lance Rock outfit.

The costume contest was pretty cutthroat this year. I was very impressed with the fabulous and creative attire concocted by many of our guests. In the end Jeremy Rowley took home the prize for best dressed with his original and disturbing portrayal of the Nyan Cat but there were a lot of other contestants that gave him a run for his rainbow.