A Wee Bit More Christmas

I thought I'd share a wee bit more of our Christmas.

Suzanne has a way of making Christmas very special regardless of circumstances. I think she's a real Christmas Angel. This is our dinning room. It sets a nice holiday mood even though the house is almost empty.



After getting up Christmas morning and shoveling the driveway again (!), I ventured out on the drive to Grandma's House (mom and dad in this case). The snow was starting to melt in our neighborhood so I thought it would be melting everywhere. I found out that was a pretty big assumption. This is what I faced on HWY 84 between Riverdale Road and HWY 89, before I get off and head up towards Harrison Blvd. It was worse than it looks. It was a lot of ice. Dear Santa, how about a 4x4 SUV next year?



After sliding through a red light I finally made it to Mom and Dad's and was greeted by a little Elf named Zoe.



We went down to the dinning room for their Christmas dinner. Everyone was happy to see Dad out and about and greeted him warmly wishing Happy Holidays to both of them. Everyone is nice and friendly and gets concerned when they don't see someone for awhile. It looks like they had a good time.



And that's all for now. I'm heading out to pick up my best Christmas present at the airport. I guess I'll have to wait until next year for that SUV.

Our Christmas

With our family scattered from coast to coast we continue our tradition of "Celebrate the Holiday Any Day You Can".

So where are we?

Kimberly and Mike and Megan and their son-in-the-oven (bun-in-th-oven) are in Washington DC. They are celebrating in our Nations Capital and get to see some pretty amazing things.

Alisha and Cory and Noel and, newest edition, Ellie are in Reno. Ellie was born Dec. 18. They have lots of visitors. Grandma Laure was arrived that day, and had to hurry home. Grandma Suzanne arrived the next day and will return (to ME) Christmas Day. The next day Grandma Laure and Grandpa Jerry and Ellie's two nephews arrive.

Steven and Megan and Zoe are here in Utah. They carry on our "Celebrate any day you can" tradition due to Steven's work schedule and their family's schedule.

Grandpa and Grandy are here in Utah. I brought him home from the hospital yesterday and had a nice day with them. Today, I'm headed over there again to have a "Traditional Christmas Dinner" with them at 12:30p, after I shovel the 5 inches of snow off our driveway. It should be fun.

My Christmas present is getting to pickup Suzanne at the airport tonight, Christmas night!

Did I miss anyone? Hope not. Now for a few photos.

So, this is our Christmas tree that Suzanne decorated so nicely. I know, you have to turn your head sideways, or you can turn your computer monitor sideways to see it. Not being as computer savy as the you younger bloggers I can't figure out how to rotate this photo. I tried rotating it in iPhoto and then importing to the blog, but that didn't work either.

But, I digress. The purpose of showing you the tree is to show how good Suzanne is at decorating and if you look in the bookcase you'll see a photo of Zoe in her Santa hat. Cute, right?



A couple of weeks ago we went to see Mom and Dad and have a Christmas Buffett with them. They decorated the dining room, made lots of good food and homemade candy and it was very festive.



And here's the latest Zoe photo we have. She is so well behaved. She likes to sit and watch everyone. Now she's starting to make faces when her mom and dad talk to her. These are good faces, not the kind she'll make when she's in her teens and mom and dad talk to her.





Alisha and Cory gave us a nice Christmas present on Dec. 18 when Ellie was born. Here, she is only hours old.






Kimberly and Mike and Megan had a nice outing in Washington DC seeing the lights.




After the big night out seeing the lights, you are rewarded with a huge cheeseburger.



Then you go home and wait for Santa.

Better late than.............

We know, you don't have to say it, we've been remiss in updating our blog. Sorry, but life has been too hecktic (sp) caring for our parents.



You all know how Mom likes to decorate for the season. We bought some outdoor lights and garland and wrapped them around the railing on their balcony. Suzanne picked out this little tree and decorated it. She did a nice job, it looks festive, doesn't it?




To have the scents of the season we bought a little candle, and we recorded 4 Christmas cds for them to listen too.



Now is this a cute family or what? This is at our house during our Thanksgiving Sunday (because Steven had to work Thanksgiving day).



Here's our cute girls!!!



And our proud papa bear with his little Zoe.


Ah, the must have food shot. We must of enjoyed it because we couldn't get a picture before it was almost gone. We left out the BBQ Ribs this time. That was a mistake. We missed them. But, if you look closely, you'll see we did have our famous Suicide Rolls.



Does Steven look satisfied? I hope so! We went to a lot of work so they could have a true Thanksgiving. We loved having Megan, Steven and Zoe with us.




Our parting shot. After dinner we followed Zoe's lead and took a nap.

"And that's the way it is."

Thanksgiving Number One

This year we are so thankful we are having two Thanksgiving dinners. One today with Grandpa and Grandy and one Sunday with
Steven and his family.

Last week we went to dinner after church with Grandpa and Grandy and Steven, Megan and Zoe. That was the first time Zoe met her Great grandparents. You can just barely see her in her car seat behind the drinks.



Grandma Suzanne is so proud of her newest grand daughter. Don't they look happy.



And here is the star of the show! She gets all the attention.


Today we had Thanksgiving dinner at Grandpa and Grandy's apartment. They have a nice dining room where they have all their meals. It has lots of windows and is light and relaxing. A majority of the residents were away with their families so it looks kind of empty.



Dad has a walker now. It's a really nice blue one, with big wheels, a seat, and two storage bags, oh, ya, it has breaks too. Thank goodness, he's a wild man with a new toy.



I can't begin to explain how helpful Suzanne has been helping out with our elders. She spent a long time in Denver after Dad's surgery, she helped with the moving to Ogden, and now she helps with doctors appointments and errands. This week she had to take Mom to the doctor, go have blood drawn, buy an electric blanket and on and on. Tomorrow she's shopping for some Christmas decorations for them. The least I could do, to remind her how much I appreciate and love her, is to get her a few roses.



"And That's The Way It Is." Until the next Thanksgiving celebration.

Crystal is the only one who tried to answer the question as to where this quote comes from. I guess it's too hard for the rest of ya all.

So, Crystal, I'll tell only you, it is the line the Great newscaster Walter Cronkite closed his newscast with every night. To find out more about Walter, check out: www.grandtimes.com/cronkite.html

Until next time.............

Bathroom Makeover, the Middle

The Bathroom makeover is coming along. The new tub, vanity, floor, and toilet are installed. Now we need to prime and then paint the walls, then install all the new oil rubbed bronze accessories like towel racks, a shelf or two, etc. That will happen over the next few weeks.

Here you can see the nice new window and the cultured marble walls.



We had them install the plumbing so we can have a real shower head, actually a rain head, and the hose that Suzanne likes. The lighting in this photo is too dim to show the real colors.



The tile we chose is a Tuscan style and has some texture to it, but it doesn't hurt your feet. The shower curtain Suzanne chose is perfect, it really sets the tone. They did a good job with the cultured marble, even putting it on the side of the tub. And, instead of molding on the bottom of the walls we chose floor tile. The new toilet has nice lines that fit in with the theme.




The vanity has a custom oak stain and the frame around the mirror matches. After we paint the mirror will be hung, probably about 2-3 inches above the splash guard on the sink. We've added two more electrical outlets and there will be a glass and oiled bronze shelf above them. The vanity top matches the shower walls.



We'll take more photos after we paint and hang all the accessories. It may take awhile with all the things going on around here. But we'll have it finished by Christmas.

We hope all is going well with everyone.

That's all for now.

"And That's The Way It Is."

(does anyone recognize that quote?)

Bathroom Makeover, The Beginning

OK, we've been asked for an update on our Bathroom Makeover.
Here's what we came home to after our trip to Washington.









A new beginning.





That's the tease. Next time you'll see the new tub and surrounding walls with new rain type shower head along with a hose, porcelain tile floor, new toilet, vanity, mirror and light fixture.

"And That's The Way It Is."

Pirated Halloween Photos and a Special Treat

Sometimes the only way to get family photos is to pirate them. Here are a few taken at Halloween.


Here's Daddy Bear Steven giving his Baby Bear Zoe her first feeding from a bottle.



Mommy Bear Megan on an outing with Baby Bear Zoe who looks nice and cozy.



Here's our little Skunk Noel nibbling on her candy.



It's this the cutest pumpkin you've ever seen? Thank you Alisha and Ellie.



SPECIAL TREAT

Since there are so many varities of yummy apples in the store now I thought you might enjoy this recipe.

This is our favorite version of Apple Crisp, but it's called Apple Crumble instead.

FILLING
4 large Golden Delicious apples, sliced. If you slice them thick, they don't turn to mush.
1/4 cup sugar
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
(blueberries, blackberries, see note below)

TOPPING
1 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped (optional, but really good)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces.

Vanilla ice cream, served on top, optional

Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4 inch slices (you can slice them thicker if you want)
Place apples in large mixing bowl and toss with sugar, lemon juice, flour and cinnamon.
Pour into a lightly greased 9 by 13 inch baking dish, and spread out into an even layer. Set aside.

Note, we like to add blueberries, or blackberries for added taste and color.

In another large bowl, mix together nuts, flour, oats, sugar cinnamon and salt for the topping.
Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, gently work in the cold butter pieces until peas-sized lumps are formed.

Top apples evenly with topping mixture and bake until apples are bubbly and topping is golden brown, about 45 minutes.
Rotate once halfway through cooking.

Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

(based on recipe from Dave Lieberman, Food Network)

Enjoy the photos, even if they are pirated, the Apple Crumble and the beautuful fall we're having.

The leaves are all yellow now.



Our Maple tree was just starting to get it's fall colors a few weeks ago.



Now, the leaves are almost gone. Soon they will be replaced by a white covering of snow.



Good bye leaves,
Good bye summer,
Good bye fall,
Good night Mr. Moon.

A Visit to Megan's New House

Last weekend Suzanne and I journeyed to Washington D.C. to visit Kimberly, Mike and Megan. We arrived Saturday afternoon to find the rain had stopped and the sun had come out to greet us. At the airport, Megan greeted us too, but she was a little shy at first.



Thanks to work benefits we stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Pentagon City. Our room was on the Club level (that means free treats) and was very spacious and elegant. "Somehow", they found out we just had our wedding anniversary and surprised us with huge strawberries dipped in chocolate! They were soooo goood. The huge flat screen TV and the iPod dock/stereo impressed me.

Can you find Megan in this photo? Look real hard. Is she behind the chair or under the bed?



There she is! By this time she wasn't shy any more. She loves playing with Grandma. No, she's not checking the dampness of her diaper.



We discovered a little Italian place called La Bettola in Arlington. It's a small place, with a nice dining room on the first floor, with windows looking out to the street. We went upstairs where they have about 6 tables. We decided only 2 employees spoke English. Whatever the others were speaking wasn't Italian, we don't know what it was. The service was slow, for some reason they weren't prepared for a full house that night. The good news is the food was great. They served a homemade bread that was sorta like a large, puffy pita. The Chicken Parmigiana was the best Mike has ever had, covered with lots of cheese. This photo is Chicken Alexandra ~ Breast of Chicken sautéed in porcini mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, green peppers, and a marsala wine sauce. It was delish! The Chicken Parmigiana is in the background.



Did you know that Kim and Mike live with a real, live Princess? Here's the proof.



The goodies at the Ritz were fabulous. Throughout the day they offer different Presentations. You can hang out in the "Club Lounge" or take a plate back to your room. This is a sampling of the Continental Breakfast.



We were able to go to one of Mike's favorite places for lunch. This is El Pollo Rico. Mike mentioned it in his blog. It's always busy, and the only thing they serve is Peruvian rotisserie chicken. It gets high ratings, and well deserved, from the locals and media. Here's a sample: www.washingtonian.com/restaurantreviews/258.html.



We explored old town Alexandria and found lots of great shops and eating places. Here we are on the edge of the Potomac River looking toward our nations Capital building.



After a busy afternoon of adventure we couldn't resist the Afternoon Tea Presentation back at the Ritz. We had a scone with whipped butter, a huge brownie (the best Suzanne has ever had), a lemon cooking, a tiny chocolate cake and a piece of bread with fresh shrimp and cucumber.



Sunday night we had a great meal cooked by Kimberly and Mike. A little bit later it was time for a bedtime story.



I had to go home Monday night to check on the progress of our Bathroom Makeover. Grandma Suzanne's duties continued for a few days, spoiling Megan, spoiling Kimberly and making memories.

"And That's The Way It Is"

Until next time........