December is busy - always has been, always will be!!! All those extra things like putting out the Christmas decorations, baking, mailing Christmas cards, shopping and wrapping gifts - well, they just take time, lots of time!!
I'm usually ahead of the game as I'm so darn organized!! And I'm not doing too badly this year but still have this "hurry, get it done" feeling every day that I get home from work!! Of course it doesn't help that it's DARK 2 minutes after I walk in the door either - I do much better at getting my lists done when it's light outside!!
I have one more shopping day ahead of me to finish up!! And then there is the never ending pile of gifts to wrap!!! But I TOTALLY enjoy it because I always have the Christmas lights on, the Christmas music blaring and hot apple cider to sip while I wrap!!
Poor Glenn is not feeling well at all - it started out as a bad sore throat and now has moved somewhat to his chest - he definitely sounds like he sings bass now!!! He made the comment when he got up this morning that he wouldn't be talking much at work!! Now that will be a REAL switch for him!!
And work??? We started packing up the office on Friday - boy, was that weird!!! Sorting through drawers, throwing away an endless supply of stuff that Gary no longer needs, deciding who wanted what and such - gosh, it IS coming to an end!! We also mailed out the "retirement" letters on Thursday so on Friday the calls started coming in!! I'm sure there will be a lot more on Monday............
Somehow this didn't get posted on Friday like I had planned so now it is Sunday night - the shopping is basically done AND wrapped, 6 loaves of pumpkin bread are in the freezer, the house is clean due to company on Saturday night and I'm ready to sit down with a glass of wine and some cracker mix.........relaxation comes at a price sometimes............
Friday, December 9, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Garlic Anyone?
When you're up at 6:00am and open your frig to get your juice out for the morning, you don't expect a strong marinade type smell to come streaming out of the frig!! At least I don't, especially when the ONLY thing you put in different after dinner was a covered container with some hash browns and sausage in it!!
OK - I DID buy a pork loin that was already marinating in a smoked apple wood sauce!! But I checked it and there was no hole in the package and it didn't smell - hmmmmmmmm - I stuck it in a ziploc anyway.........and proceeded to exercise!
Glenn came down a while later - opened up the frig and started complaining about the smell - I told him I had no idea what it was so he started looking through it all. And he found the culprit!!
GARLIC!!! I buy the glass jar that has the fresh minced garlic in it and I had used it on the hash browns for dinner. And put it away in the same spot I always do - BUT - because I usually buy the small jar and it's stored in the side of the frig, the last time I went to the store they did not have the small jar and I had to buy the large one - which did NOT fit sitting straight up like the little one did - so I put it on its' side..........and it leaked...........and it smells.............
I scrubbed the shelf down, I scrubbed the garlic jar down, and then I had to suds up the dish rag because IT smelled like garlic!!! And when I was showering, my hands had to have MORE soap on them because they STILL smelled!!
I'm hoping when I go home tonight that my house doesn't smell like a garlic clove - and that the cup of coffee grounds and the new soda box have taken the smell out of the frig - and if it hasn't? OH well, everyone will just think I'm one FANTASTIC ITALIAN CHEF!!
OK - I DID buy a pork loin that was already marinating in a smoked apple wood sauce!! But I checked it and there was no hole in the package and it didn't smell - hmmmmmmmm - I stuck it in a ziploc anyway.........and proceeded to exercise!
Glenn came down a while later - opened up the frig and started complaining about the smell - I told him I had no idea what it was so he started looking through it all. And he found the culprit!!
GARLIC!!! I buy the glass jar that has the fresh minced garlic in it and I had used it on the hash browns for dinner. And put it away in the same spot I always do - BUT - because I usually buy the small jar and it's stored in the side of the frig, the last time I went to the store they did not have the small jar and I had to buy the large one - which did NOT fit sitting straight up like the little one did - so I put it on its' side..........and it leaked...........and it smells.............
I scrubbed the shelf down, I scrubbed the garlic jar down, and then I had to suds up the dish rag because IT smelled like garlic!!! And when I was showering, my hands had to have MORE soap on them because they STILL smelled!!
I'm hoping when I go home tonight that my house doesn't smell like a garlic clove - and that the cup of coffee grounds and the new soda box have taken the smell out of the frig - and if it hasn't? OH well, everyone will just think I'm one FANTASTIC ITALIAN CHEF!!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Cold, Snowy and FUN!!
Everybody slept pretty good - and Jill felt much better the next morning which we were all thankful for!! Glenn cooked up some yummy pancakes for the kids in all different shapes and sizes!!
Evan (and Jessi) were THRILLED that I had kept this old marble game around!! They had a ball building it and rebuilding it and even the little girls enjoyed putting the marbles in!!
But the noise level got loud so Jessi and Glenn decided to take the older 3 kids outside to sled!! It was SUPER cold out but after I saw them sledding, I KNEW I had to get out there and take some pics!!
Evan slid down the little slope a few times but sure didn't like climbing back up!
Isn't this a cute picture - 2 little girls just looking at each other!
The girls!!
Parker stayed inside where it was nice and warm!! And I even captured a smile!!(and a tongue)
What a fun weekend we had with the girls and the grand kids!! And I'm already wondering how cold it will be NEXT year when we do the parade!!
Evan (and Jessi) were THRILLED that I had kept this old marble game around!! They had a ball building it and rebuilding it and even the little girls enjoyed putting the marbles in!!
But the noise level got loud so Jessi and Glenn decided to take the older 3 kids outside to sled!! It was SUPER cold out but after I saw them sledding, I KNEW I had to get out there and take some pics!!
Evan slid down the little slope a few times but sure didn't like climbing back up!Even Aleah had a turn on the sled!
Isn't this a cute picture - 2 little girls just looking at each other!
The girls!!
Parker stayed inside where it was nice and warm!! And I even captured a smile!!(and a tongue)
What a fun weekend we had with the girls and the grand kids!! And I'm already wondering how cold it will be NEXT year when we do the parade!!
Holiday Home Tour & Christmas Parade
It was the December weekend we had looked forward to - the home tour and the parade - and even though the weather didn't look great, Jessi and her kids and Jill and her kids both headed down on Friday night! It was a good thing too because it DID snow quite a bit on Saturday!
Snow and cold greeted us on Saturday morning but we were still determined to do the tour! Robby's mom Bev and husband Mike came to the house to help Glenn babysit the 4 kids! Joleen joined us 3 girls and we braved the snowy roads to head to Woodland Park and start our tour of the 6 homes!!
The homes were beautiful - especially the largest one we saw where Glenn had done the granite - I took my camera and took a few pictures of his work !! WOW - what a house it was!! We enjoyed seeing all the homes and just spending some fun time with the girls!!
We had picked up Papa Murphy's pizza for a quick dinner that evening as the parade started at 6:00pm. But Jill wasn't feeling well so she opted to stay home with Parker since it was so cold outside!! What a frenzy we were all in, trying to get snow boots, hats, mittens. snow pants and coats on those 3 kids!! But we FINALLY got them all put in the car and headed back into town!
Was it cold? OH my - it was VERY COLD!!! The temperature on the bank said 10 degrees but I believe the car read lower than that! Needless to say, it was icy feeling outside!! We found our spot that we wanted to sit at, got some hand warmers out to use, and poured some nice hot apple cider that I had brought in a thermos!!
Now aren't these kids cute as can be sitting on this blanket??
Now take note, right behind us is a really neat shop in town that now has wine-tasting and all these people were watching the parade from INSIDE the shop!!! I did think about checking it out but figured they wouldn't appreciate 3 little ones inside!!
The parade was wonderful and the kids loved it!! But most of all they loved all the candy that was thrown to them!! My oh my, we must have come home with 3 or 4 pounds of candy!! And keep in mind that it had snowed most of the day so there was snow, slush and ice all over - the bag of candy had to be "dried" out when we got it home!! 
The kids enjoyed waving at the floats and since they all looked so cute standing and sitting there, there was LOTS of people in the parade that came over to give them candy! All in all, we were out in the cold almost an hour so that heater in the car sure felt good!!
And having a tea party!
And coloring pictures!!
And little Parker? He was a "mama's" boy all weekend!! I didn't get to hold him a lot but at least I got some smiles...............
To be Cont'd...............
Snow and cold greeted us on Saturday morning but we were still determined to do the tour! Robby's mom Bev and husband Mike came to the house to help Glenn babysit the 4 kids! Joleen joined us 3 girls and we braved the snowy roads to head to Woodland Park and start our tour of the 6 homes!!
The homes were beautiful - especially the largest one we saw where Glenn had done the granite - I took my camera and took a few pictures of his work !! WOW - what a house it was!! We enjoyed seeing all the homes and just spending some fun time with the girls!!
We had picked up Papa Murphy's pizza for a quick dinner that evening as the parade started at 6:00pm. But Jill wasn't feeling well so she opted to stay home with Parker since it was so cold outside!! What a frenzy we were all in, trying to get snow boots, hats, mittens. snow pants and coats on those 3 kids!! But we FINALLY got them all put in the car and headed back into town!
Was it cold? OH my - it was VERY COLD!!! The temperature on the bank said 10 degrees but I believe the car read lower than that! Needless to say, it was icy feeling outside!! We found our spot that we wanted to sit at, got some hand warmers out to use, and poured some nice hot apple cider that I had brought in a thermos!!
Now aren't these kids cute as can be sitting on this blanket??
Now take note, right behind us is a really neat shop in town that now has wine-tasting and all these people were watching the parade from INSIDE the shop!!! I did think about checking it out but figured they wouldn't appreciate 3 little ones inside!!
The parade was wonderful and the kids loved it!! But most of all they loved all the candy that was thrown to them!! My oh my, we must have come home with 3 or 4 pounds of candy!! And keep in mind that it had snowed most of the day so there was snow, slush and ice all over - the bag of candy had to be "dried" out when we got it home!! 
The kids enjoyed waving at the floats and since they all looked so cute standing and sitting there, there was LOTS of people in the parade that came over to give them candy! All in all, we were out in the cold almost an hour so that heater in the car sure felt good!! I really thought the kids would sleep in on Sunday morning after all of that fresh air!! But by 6:30, we had two little ones in bed with us!! So much for sleeping in................
We had a fun morning though - the girls LOVED playing on the pool table!!
And having a tea party!
And coloring pictures!!
And little Parker? He was a "mama's" boy all weekend!! I didn't get to hold him a lot but at least I got some smiles...............
To be Cont'd...............Monday, November 28, 2011
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!
It was decorate the house weekend - after our Thanksgiving get together!! I ALWAYS look forward to decorating, even though it takes a LONG time and lots of carrying up and down the lower level steps!!
I decided to put my village houses in a different place this year!! I always agonized about putting them on top of the kitchen cabinets because it was SO MUCH WORK!!! I have to stand on a step ladder as Glenn doesn't want me standing on the granite counter tops!! And because I'm so short, the leaning over part to reach the tops is not fun!! Not only was there all the stuff to take down from there, but then putting all the village up there, along with trying to plug it all in - bottom line - it took me almost 2 hours each year to get it set up
So I made the decision last year that I was going to put it on top of the entertainment center in the lower level, which is where we spend most of our time anyway as the TV is down there!! It was a GREAT decision!! They look fantastic there and the setting up part was much easier!! I still had to set them on small boxes and because there are already cords up on top because of the lights in the entertainment center, I had to cut some side holes in the boxes so they would sit straight. But it was a far cry from putting them on top of the cabinets again!! Hooray for easier decorating!!
The MOST fun is always decorating my "travel" tree!!! And this year I had 4 new ornaments to add to the bunch - Las Vegas, Puerto Morales Mexico, Michigan and Belize!! Once again, I had the pleasure of reliving each vacation as I put each ornament on the tree!! I realized this Christmas that the tree is getting pretty full of ornaments as of course I have many, many others I put up - but Jessi told me you can NEVER have too many ornaments on a tree so I'll take her word for it!!
The house looks great and is all complete - and my evenings can be spent sipping apple cider in front of the fireplace and dreaming of future vacations and ornaments for the tree!!
I decided to put my village houses in a different place this year!! I always agonized about putting them on top of the kitchen cabinets because it was SO MUCH WORK!!! I have to stand on a step ladder as Glenn doesn't want me standing on the granite counter tops!! And because I'm so short, the leaning over part to reach the tops is not fun!! Not only was there all the stuff to take down from there, but then putting all the village up there, along with trying to plug it all in - bottom line - it took me almost 2 hours each year to get it set up
So I made the decision last year that I was going to put it on top of the entertainment center in the lower level, which is where we spend most of our time anyway as the TV is down there!! It was a GREAT decision!! They look fantastic there and the setting up part was much easier!! I still had to set them on small boxes and because there are already cords up on top because of the lights in the entertainment center, I had to cut some side holes in the boxes so they would sit straight. But it was a far cry from putting them on top of the cabinets again!! Hooray for easier decorating!!
The MOST fun is always decorating my "travel" tree!!! And this year I had 4 new ornaments to add to the bunch - Las Vegas, Puerto Morales Mexico, Michigan and Belize!! Once again, I had the pleasure of reliving each vacation as I put each ornament on the tree!! I realized this Christmas that the tree is getting pretty full of ornaments as of course I have many, many others I put up - but Jessi told me you can NEVER have too many ornaments on a tree so I'll take her word for it!!
The house looks great and is all complete - and my evenings can be spent sipping apple cider in front of the fireplace and dreaming of future vacations and ornaments for the tree!!
Happy Birthday Mackenzie
BEFORE the birthday party............was our annual shopping day!!
I was wide awake by 5:45 am, ready to face the crowds and the traffic!! Jessi and I left the house by 6:45 and soon met Jaime and Jill for our day of shopping!!
It really wasn't too bad - I think all the die hards had went at midnight!! And there was only one door buster item that was completely sold out that I wanted so I didn't think that was bad at all!!
Break time was spent at Panera Bread and oh my, they had some great bagels there - although the coffee wasn't fantastic!! A hot out of the oven cinnamon-sugar pretzel hit the spot at the mall and Noodles and Company was our lunch destination!! To top off the day, it was gorgeous outside so we rarely wore out coats after it warmed up!! All in all, a great day of shopping and I made one huge dent in the list.........
Kenzie and Evan were excited to help decorate the cupcakes!
And before we knew it, all of the family arrived and Kenzie's party had started!! She liked her new boots that we got her and proudly modeled them for us!!
Remember that GREAT bargain I got at the Munchkin Market last spring??? Well, I wrapped up a large portion of it for Kenzie and she loved it!! Can you believe I still have 21 baggies of the pet shop left???? Guess what she's getting for Christmas??
After a great meal of chile and hot dogs, it was time for the cupcakes!! Kenzie of course had to wear her new dress and "wings" for the blowing out of the candles!! What a cutie!!
I was wide awake by 5:45 am, ready to face the crowds and the traffic!! Jessi and I left the house by 6:45 and soon met Jaime and Jill for our day of shopping!!
It really wasn't too bad - I think all the die hards had went at midnight!! And there was only one door buster item that was completely sold out that I wanted so I didn't think that was bad at all!!
Break time was spent at Panera Bread and oh my, they had some great bagels there - although the coffee wasn't fantastic!! A hot out of the oven cinnamon-sugar pretzel hit the spot at the mall and Noodles and Company was our lunch destination!! To top off the day, it was gorgeous outside so we rarely wore out coats after it warmed up!! All in all, a great day of shopping and I made one huge dent in the list.........
Kenzie and Evan were excited to help decorate the cupcakes!
And before we knew it, all of the family arrived and Kenzie's party had started!! She liked her new boots that we got her and proudly modeled them for us!!
Remember that GREAT bargain I got at the Munchkin Market last spring??? Well, I wrapped up a large portion of it for Kenzie and she loved it!! Can you believe I still have 21 baggies of the pet shop left???? Guess what she's getting for Christmas??
After a great meal of chile and hot dogs, it was time for the cupcakes!! Kenzie of course had to wear her new dress and "wings" for the blowing out of the candles!! What a cutie!!
We were all a little tired after the celebration - in fact, after Jessi and I cleaned the kitchen, we sat down on the couch and looked at each other and started yawning - it was time to hit the sack!!
Happy 3rd Birthday Kenzie!!!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Turkey Day 2011
Thanksgiving Day dawned absolutely beautiful and the warmest one we've had in years!! I had decided a couple of days ago that instead of trying to fight the traffic on Wednesday night that we would just wait until Thursday morning to head up to Denver - and that was definitely the RIGHT decision as it made for a great drive with hardly any traffic!! In fact, I ended up driving since Glenn insisted that we stop by Burger King for a breakfast sandwich for him (I opted for cereal that morning!!)
As I was getting close to Jaime's turn-off I started thinking about coffee - Caribou Coffee - and wondering if it might be open............so I turned off a couple of exits early and headed over there to find it open!! I called both girls and got their coffee orders and we brought coffee to the crew -yum!!
Rayna was set up right inside the door with her "face painting" station!! Kylan was the first victim and he did look darn cute!!
Soon the Savage's and then the Keppy's arrived so it made for one big happy family!! Putting the finishing touches on our meal was quick and easy and because it was so nice outside, the kids could play outside which really helped the noise level!! Although when you get the 4 guys together, I think they can be louder than the kids!!
Robby had brought my new hard drive for my laptop and immediately set to work fixing my computer - HOORAY - he finished it in no time at all and I was good to go!! THANKS Robby - we all appreciate your skills!!
One NEW thing about this Thanksgiving - no more bibs - yes, the girls called me one day at work and they had made the decision that they were tired of bibs and ready for comfy pants - and I was OK with that - a little sad, but OK!! This tradition had been going on for many, many years - back in the days with we used to get together with Cindy and Rene for our Thanksgiving!! Many fond memories of those bibs but I guess it was time to say goodbye to them!!
Brad and Jaime cooked 2 turkeys - one in the oven and one in the smoker - and they both were excellent!!
Somehow I missed taking pictures of the family at the table - maybe I was actually eating this year instead of taking pictures???
We sent the kids and the guys to the park after lunch so we could clean up and it worked out great!! It was almost hot out when we strolled little Parker to the park for a while!!
The kids decided to watch a movie up on Jaime's bed since the guys were watching football and I caught this picture - do ya think they're a little interested in this movie or what???
Evan was next to get his face painted - and we were actually sitting on Jaime's deck which is off her bedroom on the 2nd floor, looking at ads.............
Parker slept through our meal which was nice for Jill - he's crawling all over now and despite wanting to be held by his mom all the time, he was still fun!!
I had decided I wanted pics of the boys and then the girls to use on my Christmas cards, along with a picture of Glenn and I!!! So we got them all lined up and I snapped away, knowing that most of them would not be too good, trying to get all 3 of them to sit still and smile!! I peeked at the pictures on the camera and was just sure I had a great one of them, but alas I was NOT happy with them - the best one of Evan and Parker had Kylan blurry - now how can that be???? This one turned out cute but the lighting is not great at all - I need some lessons from Amanda!!
Then it was the girls' turn - and again I thought I had a good one but I didn't - either Aleah was moving in 1/2 of them or I need to steady my hand!!
We did run out and do a little shopping - I always seem to find something at Walgreen's in the toy department!! Jessi and I headed to Michaels later on and no matter how many times I tell myself I do NOT need any more scrap booking things, I just can't help but buy more!! After all, it WAS on sale!!
As I was getting close to Jaime's turn-off I started thinking about coffee - Caribou Coffee - and wondering if it might be open............so I turned off a couple of exits early and headed over there to find it open!! I called both girls and got their coffee orders and we brought coffee to the crew -yum!!
Rayna was set up right inside the door with her "face painting" station!! Kylan was the first victim and he did look darn cute!!
Soon the Savage's and then the Keppy's arrived so it made for one big happy family!! Putting the finishing touches on our meal was quick and easy and because it was so nice outside, the kids could play outside which really helped the noise level!! Although when you get the 4 guys together, I think they can be louder than the kids!!Robby had brought my new hard drive for my laptop and immediately set to work fixing my computer - HOORAY - he finished it in no time at all and I was good to go!! THANKS Robby - we all appreciate your skills!!
One NEW thing about this Thanksgiving - no more bibs - yes, the girls called me one day at work and they had made the decision that they were tired of bibs and ready for comfy pants - and I was OK with that - a little sad, but OK!! This tradition had been going on for many, many years - back in the days with we used to get together with Cindy and Rene for our Thanksgiving!! Many fond memories of those bibs but I guess it was time to say goodbye to them!!
Brad and Jaime cooked 2 turkeys - one in the oven and one in the smoker - and they both were excellent!!
Somehow I missed taking pictures of the family at the table - maybe I was actually eating this year instead of taking pictures???We sent the kids and the guys to the park after lunch so we could clean up and it worked out great!! It was almost hot out when we strolled little Parker to the park for a while!!
The kids decided to watch a movie up on Jaime's bed since the guys were watching football and I caught this picture - do ya think they're a little interested in this movie or what???
Evan was next to get his face painted - and we were actually sitting on Jaime's deck which is off her bedroom on the 2nd floor, looking at ads.............
Parker slept through our meal which was nice for Jill - he's crawling all over now and despite wanting to be held by his mom all the time, he was still fun!!
I had decided I wanted pics of the boys and then the girls to use on my Christmas cards, along with a picture of Glenn and I!!! So we got them all lined up and I snapped away, knowing that most of them would not be too good, trying to get all 3 of them to sit still and smile!! I peeked at the pictures on the camera and was just sure I had a great one of them, but alas I was NOT happy with them - the best one of Evan and Parker had Kylan blurry - now how can that be???? This one turned out cute but the lighting is not great at all - I need some lessons from Amanda!!
Then it was the girls' turn - and again I thought I had a good one but I didn't - either Aleah was moving in 1/2 of them or I need to steady my hand!!
We did run out and do a little shopping - I always seem to find something at Walgreen's in the toy department!! Jessi and I headed to Michaels later on and no matter how many times I tell myself I do NOT need any more scrap booking things, I just can't help but buy more!! After all, it WAS on sale!!Then it was off to Walmart for the 10:00pm start - there was nothing I really needed that was going to be put on sale at that time but of course I didn't want to be left out so I went!! It wasn't as bad as that one year Jill and I went but it was still VERY crowded and after I picked up a couple of things, I was ready to get out of there!!!
And then it was off to bed before our 6:00am alarm for Black Friday shopping!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)