Holiday Happenings

 This winter I have been content to just relax at home!  And that's OK - December is usually so full of activities but I'm appreciating my decorated house and the snow falling and the Hallmark movies more than EVER this year!  And since the family get together is in Jan. this year, there was plenty of time to shop and wrap!

But I did do a couple of things!  Joleen came in for a few days last week - it's always great to have my friend here!!  Saturday found Jane, Joleen and I at the Butte Theater in Cripple Creek for the Christmas production of  Angel of the Christmas Mine!  Last year we really didn't enjoy the production that much but I thought this years' was excellent!!!

Trying to get a selfie with 2 ladies who did NOT want their picture taken - ha!

When the production was over, the manager came on stage and said we all needed to stay in our seats for a while as there was a medical emergency in the back and the stairs (which you descend to get out into the street) had to be free of people until they could transport a person - sure enough, right at the back of the theater were the EMT's working on somebody - about 20 minutes later, they transported the person down the steps so we could leave!

AND we saw the famous ice castles which were still being produced (and now they are open!) which look amazing - I can't wait to see them inside!!

On Sunday, we had our Unchoir Party - yes, there are still 4 of us that STILL get together for a meal and sing a long!  I made the soup and the punch this year - Arlyne always makes this wonderful ice cream peppermint dessert, Beth brought corn bread muffins and Steve brought the relish tray - a great meal! Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures!!  DARN!!

And once again, we all ATTEMPTED to sing Christmas carols - we laugh and smile during this as we just don't have the voices we used to have when we sang in the choir - but it's still fun!

Christmas is right around the corner and it looks like we WILL have snow on the ground - how much?  Only time will tell..........

Jessi and Jam

 I was super excited when Jessi told me she wanted to come down and spend a couple of nights with us as she just needed a break - I get it - working and kids and activities and cleaning and cooking just sometimes gets to a person and you need some "mom" time!

Unfortunately the weather didn't look too promising on Friday when she was supposed to drive down so she rearranged her schedule and got left by noon - awesome!  AND she beat the snow!

We had a relaxing afternoon - lots of talking - a Hallmark movie - a good dinner - and watched the snow fall!

Woke up to about 8" of beautiful snow!!  Gosh it was pretty out!  Jessi decided to shower about the time the sun started to come up so I raced outside and took this picture!!  WOW!

Some time during the day we went for a walk - it wasn't super cold and the trees were just beautiful!

Jaime came over Sunday morning so we could make our jam!  This year we ended up making 4 batches - 2 peach, 1 strawberry and 1 cherry!  But not without some complications!  Somehow I only had 4 cups of frozen strawberries and I needed 5 cups and Jaime's frozen cherries unthawed but they were lacking a cup also!!  I dug around in my freezer and found some frozen blueberries and black berries so we added those to the cherries and Brad had some frozen strawberries in a bag so he brought them over with the promise of a soup lunch!!  It was a "win" situation so we could finish up the jam!

In the meantime, Jessi had brought her famous homemade cinnamon rolls so we enjoyed them BOTH days - they're SO GOOD!!

 Finishing up the jam - we make a good team!   And Jessi sat at the bar and blogged and talked to us all morning so it worked out great!

It was a fantastic weekend and I know Jessi enjoyed her time just relaxing and blogging and watching Hallmark movies in front of the fireplace with a snowy background - you just can't beat life in Colorado on snow days!!

Kenzie's Birthday and Other Happenings

 How can it be December 19th already and I haven't even blogged in December yet!!!  It's always amazing how time gets away from me!

Granddaughter Kenzie turned 15 on Dec 2nd!  This beautiful girl proceeded to get her drivers' permit the following Monday - which basically means she CAN get her license as soon as she turns 16!  She passed drivers ed with flying colors and now will start practicing with mom and dad - right?????

Glenn has been wanting a one man fishing hut on a sled!!  And he found a used one from a guy over in Gunnison so they met a couple weeks ago and he bought it!  He's excited to try it out soon!

Not a good picture but this is what it looks like on the inside!  Perfect for one person and will be easy to pull on the ice!  The top portion folds down.

Jaime and Brad went to Mexico for 5 nights - first time EVER for a vacation with just the two of them!  They had a wonderful time!  We had Kylan and Irene over for dinner one night while they were gone!

November Photo Dump

 And the Christmas season has begun!!  It's nice to be all decorated, the majority of the gifts bought and the calendar full of events!!  But for now, here's the wrap up of November!

These beautiful November sunrises remind me of what we see in Baja!  Oh those colors!!

Mid-November it was time to take down the fall decorations and start on Christmas - this is what my house looks like when I start - and yes, it takes me a couple of days to get it all decorated and then another day to clean - HA!

We have a cat that has been showing up at our house - I'm sure he belongs to a neighbor!  But Glenn started feeding it milk every time it comes around - he SAYS he wants it around outside to catch mice but deep down, I KNOW he really DOES enjoy cats!!

Time to make pumpkin bread!  I ended up making 2 batches and could hardly believe that ALL 6 loaves came out of the cans perfectly!!  That doesn't happen very often!

My "travel' tree and fireplace decorations! (the decorations on the tree are from the places we have visited)

But I think I like this picture even better!!!

When Kohl's started their Black friday specials WAY ahead of time, I not only ordered my usual cozy sheets but a new electric blanket AND a new bedspread which we needed!   And I LOVE it!

Good-bye November - Hello December!!!