It has been forever since I've posted to my "home" blog, so here is something fun. I plan to put our yearly letter (christmas letter implies it would be done before Christmas...) up soon, but not too soon! Stay tuned.
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Duh! I actually bought eggnog as a special treat for J, and he informed me he hated eggnog (as do I). D said he would try it, took one sip and announced "well, it's family tradition! We all hate eggnog!"
2. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Gift bags, recycled cuz I'm cheap.
3. Real tree or artificial?
Real. Fake trees aren't trees. And preferrably the real tree from our property that we cut ourselves (even if it looks pretty Charlie-brown-y)
4. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Both! Tastefully arranged of course.
5. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Lights first, then garlands, then ornaments. Then more lights (cuz it looks thin) and a few more garlands (to fill out here and there) and more ornaments. Usually at this point our poor little tree is sagging all over.
6. Do you hang mistletoe?
No.
7. Do you have a nativity scene?
Several. We like to insert action figures also. This year one of the kings is playing the Hallmark player piano ornament.
8. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Would love to mail, but my cheapness factor is making me balk. Of course, we haven't actually WRITTEN the card/letter thing yet, but I figure by the end of January is fine. And this year the plan is for electronic distribution.
9. What is your favorite holiday dish?
I love most food - don't really have a favorite. Do like J's deep fried turkey (was awesome this year).
10. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
Huh. I guess a standout it the new bike year (6?) and just going to grama's in general most years. Also the Christmas in Hawaii.
11. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
Don't really remember - but I do recall blowing that myth for a family friend and the mother having a cow! I was so embarrassed (probably 9-10 yo)
12. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Sometimes, but we're usually too busy.
13. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Love snow, hate driving in Bad Snow/Ice. Like last year when we got 4 feet. FEET. Inches are fine, but feet not so good. It was beautiful though.
14. Have you ever recycled a gift?
Frequently! J says I'm his recycled gift.
15. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Here's one where you have the "good" answer and the "real" answer! I love playing Christmas gigs, and it isn't Christmas without at least one Messiah. I love the last gig being over and the sense of relief I get before I realize I've put off all the gift buying and now I have 2 days to do it all. I love getting the perfect present for someone - even better than getting the perfect present. I love the quiet moments when we can all relax and do puzzles or other mindless activities we never do the rest of the year.
16. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Something chocolate. Maybe SIL's homemade English toffee. TO DIE FOR.
17. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Decorating. Visiting. Eating. Music. I love it all.
18. What tops your tree?
Star.
19. Favorite Christmas Show?
Love Actually. Or Christmas Story. Or Scrooged
20. Saddest Christmas Song?
In the Bleak Midwinter
21. What is your favorite Christmas Holiday Song?
I love great (not cheesy) arrangements of many old hymns - am missing that aspect of being a church musician this year. The funnest thing I did with the bells was Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Wizards of Winter. Loved playing all the Mannheim Steamroller stuff this year - on their actual Christmas concert (with them!); Amahl and the Night Visitors has a great oboe part, and the Russian Christmas Music is fantastic. Even love the Nutcracker although it is overplayed.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Greenacres Next Top Model
Be amazed - I am now a PAID model! Ok, paid with coffee and lunch, but still...
My neighbor is teaching a drawing class, and she wanted a "movement" model (fully clothed of course). So I walked around the classroom while the students tried to sketch movement. It was quite interesting, and it was fun hanging out with my artsy neighbor!
Other than that, Mr. D is now EIGHT! Hard to believe how time has flown, his school pictures are today so I will post those when we get them. Right now he is into bugs, and he will not hesitate to tell you he is an expert. Jim is sure he will never have a girlfriend at this rate! I remind him that HE managed to land one (myself), and he continues to be a total nerd. Awwww.
J and V came with their 3 for a weekend earlier this month, and mom and dad are coming with C and his family in two weeks. This weekend is Halloween (D wants to be a bug/native American with African influences/bat winged creature) and after the festivities we are swooping over to Lake Chelan for an overnight with Grampa G and L. Should be fun, hope we avoid the snow!
My neighbor is teaching a drawing class, and she wanted a "movement" model (fully clothed of course). So I walked around the classroom while the students tried to sketch movement. It was quite interesting, and it was fun hanging out with my artsy neighbor!
Other than that, Mr. D is now EIGHT! Hard to believe how time has flown, his school pictures are today so I will post those when we get them. Right now he is into bugs, and he will not hesitate to tell you he is an expert. Jim is sure he will never have a girlfriend at this rate! I remind him that HE managed to land one (myself), and he continues to be a total nerd. Awwww.
J and V came with their 3 for a weekend earlier this month, and mom and dad are coming with C and his family in two weeks. This weekend is Halloween (D wants to be a bug/native American with African influences/bat winged creature) and after the festivities we are swooping over to Lake Chelan for an overnight with Grampa G and L. Should be fun, hope we avoid the snow!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
1st day of 2nd grade!
So our boy is getting all grown up - 2nd grade today. He will have the same teachers as last year, still going to the wonderful little school in the valley. Here he is, solo and with daddy as they head off.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
vacations!
In all the craziness it is suddenly time for vacation! Today was supposed to be the last day of swimming, but for some reason the pool was "unbalanced" and they canceled til tomorrow. So daddy will have to pick D up from the neighbors and take him (fun). Because tomorrow is the day K and I go to the Tetons! Girl weekend here we come. Of course the timing is terrible, because the next weekend is my family reunion at the beach (which should be delightful also) AND the audition which is right after I get back! So hopefully I won't be too awful to be around, and I'll get good practicing as well as good visiting in. I swear I don't plan the auditions to fall right after vacations, it just keeps happening that way.
Friday, July 17, 2009
new dog
I guess I haven't mentioned the fact that another dog has been left with us. It appears that he was dumped on our road (same as Donna 3 years ago) and he is the same age she was - around 8 months. Weird. Also strange is that they look like twins - black lab-like with white chest markings. So alike that the person who found the dog thought it was Donna and brought him up to our place!
Since Donna was there in the driveway, it was pretty obviously not her. Also the male factor, and the age were good clues. But the "finder person" was going to take him to the vet, where they only can hold lost pets for 3 days. She was willing to make posters to put around the neighborhood, and we agreed to keep the dog if/until the owner called. We also advertised on Craiglist, but no one called, so last week we took "Darwin" to the vet for the big snip-snip.
Darwin is not the smartest of dogs. The day after the vet experience he discovered a new species: porcupines! Both he and Donna had a face full of quills. Fun. A couple years ago we took our first dog to the vet for porcupine quills and it was $300! Since then we (mostly J) pull them out ourselves. The dogs aren't happy at the time, but they keep going back for more! And indeed, Darwin was quillful again the next day (yesterday). Hopefully he is getting a clue, but I'm not holding my breath.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
ha!
Ok a month later and I'm at exactly the same place with the house! That is sad, and it will be my goal to muck out the living room by the end of July.
D is out of school now - next fall he starts 2nd grade! We have done one session of swimming lessons, I was not really thinking he would be into that, but he did great! He's kind of timid about new things, but armed with grama's goggles (thanx G!) he was a little tadpole. We are signed up for another 2 week session for the end of July. Last week he did a 1 hour a day drawing class - not as instructive as we had hoped for but he had fun and drew lots of obscure prehistoric insects (the new obsession).
We did have a crazy driving marathon for the 4th - went to J's old stomping ground (the farm) on Thursday night (after swimming lessons), Friday we drove on the the beach house and grampa joined us there. It was really great, we had a fun time and D tried oysters for the first time and loved them. Nasty. We went to the beach and D had a shovel - spent the whole time digging little nature displays (his words) and putting pieces of shells, sticks and one dead fish (very small) in them. When J found the dead fish D was so excited, and as we left he said "This is the best day of my life!" Awwww.
Of course then we headed back for the farm and fireworks with Uncle S (Boom-Boom). This is a neighborhood effort, usually held at another farm. The boyz really go crazy and the display rivals that of many towns. Also LOTS of fireworks - went on from kid stuff during dinner, big stuff starting about 10 til 12:30 in the morning!
The next morning we headed back home in HOT weather, fortunately we had missed most of the heat at the beach (only staying at the farm in the evening) but I was really grateful for the A/C in the car! Looking forward to getting some stuff done around the house (yeah right) and the Fireworks Concert coming right up (last Sunday of July).
D is out of school now - next fall he starts 2nd grade! We have done one session of swimming lessons, I was not really thinking he would be into that, but he did great! He's kind of timid about new things, but armed with grama's goggles (thanx G!) he was a little tadpole. We are signed up for another 2 week session for the end of July. Last week he did a 1 hour a day drawing class - not as instructive as we had hoped for but he had fun and drew lots of obscure prehistoric insects (the new obsession).
We did have a crazy driving marathon for the 4th - went to J's old stomping ground (the farm) on Thursday night (after swimming lessons), Friday we drove on the the beach house and grampa joined us there. It was really great, we had a fun time and D tried oysters for the first time and loved them. Nasty. We went to the beach and D had a shovel - spent the whole time digging little nature displays (his words) and putting pieces of shells, sticks and one dead fish (very small) in them. When J found the dead fish D was so excited, and as we left he said "This is the best day of my life!" Awwww.
Of course then we headed back for the farm and fireworks with Uncle S (Boom-Boom). This is a neighborhood effort, usually held at another farm. The boyz really go crazy and the display rivals that of many towns. Also LOTS of fireworks - went on from kid stuff during dinner, big stuff starting about 10 til 12:30 in the morning!
The next morning we headed back home in HOT weather, fortunately we had missed most of the heat at the beach (only staying at the farm in the evening) but I was really grateful for the A/C in the car! Looking forward to getting some stuff done around the house (yeah right) and the Fireworks Concert coming right up (last Sunday of July).
Saturday, June 6, 2009
rats in a maze
We are at the stage of "decorating" the house, and "landscaping" the yard. These are in quotes because I am trying to do this for no money! Additionally I am really trying NOT to buy additional furniture since we have SO MUCH STUFF! Of course this is a problem if you need a storage containment unit, so we may end up buying some things after all.
I'd really like a system for the DVDs, we have hundreds and they are in a motley assortment of racks. As you know I love the mission style and we have one closed mission style DVD case, would love to have more or build some that "go". If we build something it will just be open like a bookshelf. J is getting really frustrated that we aren't moving stuff into place, but he WON'T move furniture once it is situated, so I have one shot. And until we get the furniture up there and see how it fits I don't know where to put his stupid bookcase. This is the bc full of "decorative books. I hate "books for show", but if he wants them it's ok. Kind of like a painting I don't like, or the chair he doesn't want (what am I saying, he wants everything!)
The yard is insane - all kinda beat up from the earth moving. Our neighbor may help us since he is a master garden and will work for cheaper than a landscaper. The sort of plan is to get fill and top soil and smooth it all out with the tractor. Then put in the sprinkler system. Then plant or sod a lawn (this could be next year). I actually sprinkled grass seed over the lawn area (which is all rocky and lumpy) just so we wouldn't have a field of mud. We'll see what happens!
I'd really like a system for the DVDs, we have hundreds and they are in a motley assortment of racks. As you know I love the mission style and we have one closed mission style DVD case, would love to have more or build some that "go". If we build something it will just be open like a bookshelf. J is getting really frustrated that we aren't moving stuff into place, but he WON'T move furniture once it is situated, so I have one shot. And until we get the furniture up there and see how it fits I don't know where to put his stupid bookcase. This is the bc full of "decorative books. I hate "books for show", but if he wants them it's ok. Kind of like a painting I don't like, or the chair he doesn't want (what am I saying, he wants everything!)
The yard is insane - all kinda beat up from the earth moving. Our neighbor may help us since he is a master garden and will work for cheaper than a landscaper. The sort of plan is to get fill and top soil and smooth it all out with the tractor. Then put in the sprinkler system. Then plant or sod a lawn (this could be next year). I actually sprinkled grass seed over the lawn area (which is all rocky and lumpy) just so we wouldn't have a field of mud. We'll see what happens!
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