Have Yourself a Pinteresting Christmas

This year, we decided to go a little "out there" with our Christmas card photos. They were inspired by Pinterest.

I'm sure you've all seen this photo (or versions of it) floating around Pinterest:

And, we realized that there wasn't much we could do with that what with us having already been married for 13+ years by the time I joined Pinterest.

And then there's this little bit of hilarity. What's not to like about a Venn diagram comparing Santa to a superhero? (For what it's worth, Elvis is ALSO like a superhero . . . sparkly costumes, cape, karate moves . . . but I digress.)

And then remember, dressing up like superheroes (read: any character AT ALL) is not a foreign concept to the Walkushes.

Ryan Barrett Walkush and Baby Aidyn in 2005 (pre-Pinterest, might I add):

Entire Walkush family in 2009 (also pre-Pinterest):

And, when you mix all of this information together in my somewhat creative mind, you get the Walkush family 2012 Christmas photo:

Which then turned into this Christmas card, complete with "superhero" themed Christmas greetings:

Some interesting factoids for you:

• I have been been WAY ahead of the curve on this whole Superman for Christmas idea. Take a look at a photo of me, Deanna, Misty, and Mama all the way back in 1980 at Christmastime. 
• RBW is sporting the very same Superman T-shirt and glasses from 2005 (because I meticulously catalog and store all of our Halloween costumes for just such occasions).
• The cost for these "costumes" rang in at a whopping $2.00 for two sets of Dollar Store reading glasses that I popped the lenses out of for the boys.
• We all owned white dress shirts, ties, and jeans. Aidyn somehow owned a small and a medium Superman T-shirt (and he was nice enough to let Mama borrow the larger one).
• If you are looking for Superman T-shirts, Old Navy is your friend. I have also seen them at Target.

Methinks Superman would approve of our Pinteresting choice of cards this year:

What in the World to Buy the Menfolk in Your Life

I truly struggle with this sometimes. Ryan Barrett Walkush is a difficult one to buy for (and that statement is generous). I often joke that I buy him the finest socks and underwears that money can buy . . . and THAT is because his "hobby" is one that I am completely inept at supporting - technology.

But, I have had bright spots of gift giving - perhaps my brightest being this commissioned piece of artwork from good friend and super-talented artist J.J. Rudisill:

This was actually a Father's Day gift when we had no other children than these three fluffy babies: Jasper, Randy, and Geordi, who I referred to as my "angels" (hence the halos). Note: Jasper was as mischievous as all get out and Geordi was only really nice to me and maybe a few other people, so Jasper's halo is cocked to the side and Geordi's is broken and taped back together - what fun details that J.J. added!

And even though these boys are no longer with us, we cherish this piece so much.

So, if you're stumped for an original gift, I would encourage you to surprise that hard-to-buy-for person with a piece of commissioned artwork. J.J. is a super-cool cat to work with, and he gets it right every time. He works in many different art styles (not just the one pictured here) and will find one to suit your needs.

Check out his other hip, funky, straight-laced, and completely-out-there styles at www.jjrudisill.com. (And, yes, even though he is a former skateboard shop owner with lots of funky skateboard art, you'll see he's even drawn Strawberry Shortcake and Dora - he's THAT good!)

I Love a Parade

We recently went to see the Lewisville Annual Christmas Parade. (Clemmons does not have a Christmas Parade, so we visit the nearby small town of Lewisville to get our parade "fix" and it never disappoints!) And while I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of 76 trombones, there were AT LEAST that many vintage cars in the parade. I'll only post the highlights, lest ye be here all day.

This fire truck led off the parade, ushering in the first band (which may or may not have had 76 trombones as I have already mentioned - they did have flag twirlers, although I don't think that is the official name for them).

This one caught my attention for two reasons. One, Daddy has an old truck that we always say he should doll up for the Roxboro Christmas Parade. And, two, check out what the sign says: "Old Timers Racing Club: Legends of the Past" - Awesome! Daddy needs to apply for membership and then run for El Presidente. He would win in a landslide. Everybody loves Daddy.

This was the best photo I got of this classic car without some parade-goers' shenanigans in the background (thus ruining the photo of said lovely car). Look at the chrome! It ALMOST makes me want to wash my Jeep . . . almost.

And, this, THIS, was the BEST car in the whole parade. And you could tell that the car even knew it (its front bumper looks like it's smiling to me). The little boy inside the car certainly knew it (he could not stop grinning the whole time he was riding in it).

Now, right about now you might be thinking "Sheesh, this woman is not awares that she really went to a car show under the guise of a Christmas parade." However, these were just some of the more memorable moments according to someone who was raised by someone who loves classic cars. Some other highlights included:

Sheep that were dressed as reindeer. (These guys come out every year, and I STILL have no idea how they manage to keep those reindeer antlers on those sheep!):

A dancing gingerbread man - "Not my gumdrop buttons!"

An entire fleet of dogs dressed as Santa's helpers. These are just two of them:

And, of course, the Big Man himself:

The boys had a blast and collected more candy at this parade than they did on Halloween night. They do it up right in Lewisville!