Holiday Tea

The Holiday Tea is a Misawa Officers Spouses Club event, since I am on the board as Special Activities along with my Co-Chair Kat... This is an event that is free to members and we also invite Japanese Nationals to join us, Mostly civic leaders wives, JASDF (Japanese Air Self Defense Force) wives, and community groups. It was a really cool even where we shared our cultures with each other, and give the Japanese a taste of American food and American Christmas. This is the arrangement from my dining room table. Our colors were Blue white and silver and soft gold! Our theme was snowlfakes. When you invite a Japanese person to your house or event instead of them bringing a housewarming gift, you give them a presento.... so our presentos to the Japanese guests were this snowflake bottle stoppers! They were super cute and the Japanese LOVED them!We has assigned seating so that the Japanese would not all sit at one table and then the Americans sit at a different table. We did two Japanese then two Americans till we had 8 at a table. These are the table numbers Kat made, the craft store here is so lame that all they had NO blue paper so we did white card stock with blue snowflake stamps which glitter vellum over the top tied with yarn! it turned out really cute... then we had those clear glass bulbs around the silver chargers for a craft we did... you'll see more of that later
We had two kinds of centerpieces, winter branches and these fresh evergreen arrangements with blue and silver Christmas balls and pine cones and glittery snowflakes!
One of the example balls we had on all the tables for the craft.
Here is the other centerpiece of branches that we spray painted white with touches of soft gold, coming out of a hurricane filled with fake snow!
The brains behind this whole thing, on the left Laura (our faithful and much appreciated helper) Kat (my co-chair) and ME
People who did not have assigned seats could pick up their place cards and put them on the seats they wanted, we had these strips of white card stock with a gold embossed snowflake held in a white and muted gold spray painted pinecone.

We had a gift exchange, combat style, and the Japanese were not shy about stealing gifts! it was great! then we did our craft and the Japanese had a good time decorating their ornaments along with the Americans. We had tinsel, curling ribbon and white feathers people could put inside their ornaments and gold paint pens for people to write on them.
Here the Japanese lady at my table is writing on my ball, so no I have a really awesome hand made Christmas ornament with Merry Christmas written in Japanese.
I think I will go ahead and say the holiday tea was a great success!

Super Cute Christmas House

Fresh evergreen arrangement on the kitchen table... you can see my sea glass mural on the background and my icicle lights in the door... And the really cute snowflake table runner Derick got me from Shimoda Mall... We actually ended up using this arrangement at the Holiday tea (pictures coming)OH... and I finally got curtains in the Kitchen!
Curtain rod in the living room... its the little details that make me happy!
ALL THE MISAWA SNOW! and my really cute front door
I have these poinsettias and wreath out front, becuase the front of our houses are so bland... cream walls, metal door... I decided to do red outside even though I have blue and silver inside
Derick bought be this red berry wreath while he was in alaska and I added all of the pinecones by wireing them in! I think it looks great!

O' Christmas Tree

We got a new camera! Well new to us, its used but way super cool and we got a smokin deal on it! So check out our new camera pictures! Here is an AWESOME picture of Kona! Look at her lips spreading across the floor!The ornament we got as a Christmas present from Derick's squadron commander! It is VERY cool! It is wooden which is important because the Samurai were "merchants of wood"
Our chirstmas tree is blue and silver... We got a real one from the boy scouts! I was so happy I didn't have to send Derick hunting in the woods for one... who am I kidding, I would be in the woods hunting for one!
WE HAVE SO MANY PRESENTS! I think it is so cool how much our families have been thinking about us and making us feel SO special!
The disco ornaments are my favorite!
Here is the whole thing! I think it looks so magical! I love Christmas!
A very secretive envelope on our tree!

Kona, Kona & more Kona

The kids... actually behaving...
Kona asleep on Dericks foot!
Everyday on my way to work I look at the mountains getting more and more snow!
"Get him Kona"
Kona trying to get the peanut butter out of her kong... look how bent up her nose is, she looks like a cartoon character
Sleeping on eachother, Kona makes a great pillow
Derick loves his puppy so much!

14th Christmas Party!

We had our Christmas Party with the 14th at the Grand Kamaki Restort... it is like the holiday Inn Executive Center of Misawa... BUT WITH AN AWESOME ONSEN!I think Derick cleaned up nicely... he is wearing a suit he got while he was in Korea and I am wearing the dress that I wore in Caitlyn's wedding... and who says you cant reuse bridesmaid dresses?!
I just thought the little chopstick and fork holders were so cute... so you never get food from your utensils on the table
Derick eating yakisoba
who gets sushi at their Christmas party? I guess thats what happens when you live in Japan!
It was a huge spread, we each had a tray of sushi and tempura and then there was a huge lazy susan in the middle of table that they kept bringing out course after course of food
I thought this looked like something I would make... this is the hallway to the ballroom
On our way back to base, we rode the resorts bus so we would not have to drive, we were excited for the afterparty at La La La's... a karaoke place right outside the gate
Erica and a backwards LA LA LA's sign.. its funny cause Japanese people generally have a hard time saying L's so it comes out RA RA RA's so that is what we call it... and I know people that think RA RA RA is the actual name because that is what everyone says...

so at this place you get your own room, they have small ones and big ones, and its really fun becuase you are only singing in front of people you know and love you... we had the big room and this is what Japanese Karaoke looks like....

There are two mics (Derick is one one at the bottom) and the whole room sings with you! It is SUPER fun!
And there was this crazy Christmas light show going outside the window of our room! I think this was the best Christmas party I have ever been to! Good job 14th!

WOOD!

Christmas Tree Hunting and Gathering

Sooo... I did not know for sure if they would be selling real trees on or off base... but I told Derick we were having a real tree one way or another... even if I had to go into the Japanese wilderness and find it myself... I am pretty sure that would be illegal though so good thing the boy scouts were selling them!

It was the day after thanksgiving and the quest for the perfect tree began...It was actually really easy because they were all bundled up so we had no idea what they looked like... so we picked the tallest one in $55 categories... I picked the ONE!... Here we are with our brand new bundle of JOY! (I dont know if you can tell but I was really sleepy... I had not fully woken up from the food coma of thanksgiving!)
My mountain man making a fresh cut outside our house... and my mountain puppy getting her sniff on!
Well... not quite what I wanted... it seems so skinny... oh wait...
BAM! it was so amazing I gave it a hug... one of the best hugs of my life... maybe that is why I dont like hugs... I have been hugging the wrong things...
Sabastian refused to get in the Christmas spirit and decided to take a nap on the decorations instead... I guess that is about as Christmassy as he gets!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE decorating the Christmas tree... and I love how Derick just watches... no really I do... bless his heart but we leave tree to me! He gets to put the star on the top! He really likes that part!....

Derick: "I get to put the star on top remember"
Lisa: "oh yeah, but I think the top is too thick and needs to be carved down... here is my exacto... why dont you do that while I decorate"
Derick: "okay"

2 seconds later
Derick: "um Lisa, I dont really know what I am doing you should probably do it"
Lisa: "okay"

30 seconds later
Lisa: "AHHHHHHHH"
Derick: "WHAT?!? ARE YOU OKAY?"
Lisa: "AHHHHHHHH"
Derick: "uhhhh........ Lisa?"
Lisa: "I just sliced myself and blood is coming up in the middle of my thumbnail"

No worries... it was just a flesh wound, I walked it off... it just really hurt for such a tiny cut... maybe cause it was the middle of my nail... i guess that is why they say... ALWAYS CUT AWAY FROM BODY PARTS!... oops!
and after all this we look over and Kona has totally Christmafied herself!

Kona: "look mama you can decorate me too"
Derick trying to untangle her... what a silly puppy