It's New Years Eve and I'm already tired and it's only 8:00 pm

Boy, I can't believe it...it's 8 pm and I am already tired! I have had a busy day and the last few days have been packed with so much fun, I think it's catching up with me. I get to stay awake until midnight too...wow, hope I can make it. We have all sorts of goodies for tonight and I don't know if we got too much, may not be able to enjoy much of it. Anyway...it has been so much fun being up here in Utah with my family and visiting the in-laws. I got to spend the afternoon with my two sisters yesterday and that was GREAT! I really enjoyed getting to spend time with them. We went to the "Training Table" for lunch and ended up staying there in our little corner of the restaurant for about 3 hours. The workers there were so confused about why we were staying so long and kept coming around us to figure it out. We just sat and visited and I enjoyed it immensely. I am so grateful for my family and I love them so much. I don't ever get to spend enough time with them but I sure enjoyed the bit of time we got together while I have been up here. The time always go by so fast and it has this time also. We are leaving for home on Friday and it just seems that there is never enough time to do everything we want to do while we are here. I am so grateful for the opportunities to come up here but I know that Michael and Catherine will sure be glad to have all of us home again. It sure has been great visiting!

Family Party

Well, we went to my family party and I had a great time. If you ask my husband and children they said it was okay, but I thought it was great! I got to see my nieces and nephews, my brothers and sisters, my bro and sis in laws, and my dad and his wife. It was so enjoyable for me to see everyone and get to visit and exchange Christmas gifts. I just really enjoyed the whole time. On Tuesday I get to go out with my two sisters and continue to enjoy each others company. I am so looking forward to that.

Tomorrow is my son-in-law, Rays, birthday. He'll be the ripe old age of 31! He is such a big part of our family and I am so glad he is my son. I claim him even though it's all by marriage, I love Ray. Happy Birthday Ray!!! a day early!

Alpine is Beautiful

We are in Alpine at my in-laws home and it is so beautiful up here. Plenty of snow to make the grandchildren happy and enough for us to look at and see the beauty of the snow. The roads are a bit messy with snow but on the whole they are clear and we are so happy to be here. I hope everyone has a wonderful Sabbath...we are going up to Salt Lake to visit with my family tonight, I am really looking forward to that.

We're in Cedar City

Well, today we left our sunny yet cold home and came up to even COLDER Cedar City for the night. We will complete our journey to Alpine tomorrow morning. We figured this was a good break for all of us instead of going all 10 hours or more today. I got up at 6:45 am and proceeded to get things done so I could get ready to leave for Utah. My dear sweet husband got up about 7 am and was ready by 8 am...not me, 10:15 or so and I was finally ready to get in the car and go. My poor husband was ready and waiting and it was so fun for him to wait, and wait, and wait (we won't go into that). Anyway...we get on the freeway and Chuck is driving boy did we get the traffic from heck! Poor guy, it was pretty miserable all the way to Baker, then I took over driving and it was pretty much a breeze to Vegas. Chuck took over again to Mesquite and then my turn to Cedar City.

It is so cold up here, it was about 14 degrees out when we got here and the streets are a bit icy as is the parking lot.

Christina, Ray, and the kids are here at the hotel with us as we are all spending the time together with family this week. Poor Michael and Catherine are staying home to work and take care of the houses...we will miss them. Work is such a blessing though, especially with todays economy.

Anyway...we walk across the street to Denny's for dinner and guess who gets to slip and go to one knee in the middle of the icy street...that's right, ME! I was holding Ariana's hand and my foot slipped and down I went. Daniel had to come back and get Ari and help me to stand up, good since two cars were coming at me...so embarrassing! We got our dinner, finally, and Camden was so crabby...he was done with being out and wanted to be stable in the room. We get back to our rooms and Camden is another baby, he's squealing and happy and so much fun now! Oh, I forgot to mention that we got adjoining rooms with a door in between so it's open and the kids get to run back and forth. Ray and I made separate reservations so I was so thrilled it worked out this way...it's so much better than running back and forth on the icy walk ways.

So...this is our day and evening, fun times spent with family. I look forward to this week visiting with mine and Chuck's family and just enjoying each others company. It's supposed to be beautiful up here, albeit colder than snot...but it will be great!

My Toy is in the shop

So...on Saturday when we fiinally got dug out from all of the snow my husband started my car and moved it...I saw a trail of oil in the snow from him moving it and then realized there was a puddle of oil in the dirt where it was parked. I freaked out that oil is leaking from my car and a friend came over and looked at it. We knew that it was going to have to be towed to the shop on Monday as the shop was closed all weekend, so we waited.

I called AAA yesterday and the tow truck driver came and towed my baby away. The auto shop called and it's an oil gasket that is bad and will cost a bit to fix it. Unfortunately it has to be done and can't wait so it's getting repaired. It's just tough when it's Christmas time to get that extra expense of the car. Oh well...it will be done today and I get my baby back. I was so sad to see it get hooked up to the tow truck and taken away, but it will be home today, thank goodness. There's just a sad feeling when you know you can't just go hop in your car and go and do what you want to do. This is life though and I am so grateful that I have a car to drive and the opportunity to get it repaired. The Lord is blessing us and I am so grateful to Him for all of the blessings that he gives me.

Once again, MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!

Christmas Sunday was a very busy day

I can't believe how busy it was yesterday...but it was Christmas Sunday so that should explain it all. First we had our Sacrament Meeting program where Chuck, Daniel, and I all sang in the choir and Chuck had a speaking part in the meeting. Then we went to set up for Relief Society as we have a special program in Relief Society every year and we had to set up the tables for cookies for afterwards.

During Sunday School I went off to rehearse with Kathryn Tait and Donne Pratt with whom I sang a trio for Relief Society. It was the most surprising thing for me when I spoke with Donne before sacrament meeting and she told me that she had rehearsed the 2nd Soprano part all week and that was the one that I had rehearsed also. I found out that I was going to be singing the Alto part and hadn't practiced it but once at home...whew...I had such a small amount of time to learn the alto part for "Angels We Have Heard on High"...a 3 part version. So...after starting to help with the set up for the cookies we went off to practice. We rehearsed our part, made sure the tables and cookies were taken care of (and they were thanks to Kim Long and Nicole Slapper and other helpful people and off to our program.

Chuck and Daniel sang a duet "O Holy Night" and that made me cry as it was so beautiful and next year Daniel will be out on his mission for the church...it was so awesome to hear my two guys singing so beautifully, they have the most amazing voices! Then Kathryn, Donne, and I sang our song and was told by others that it sounded great...that was a relief as I am so scared to sing in a trio so that was a good experience.

Well, after the program we went in for the cookie refreshment for the entire ward and then clean up, rush home, eat, and off to tithing settlement then off to the stake choir Christmas program. We participated in the program, waited once again for people to eat cookies, collected our belongings and finally got home for the evening.

Catherine stayed the night over here last night so we got to enjoy spending time as a family watching "Iron Chef America" too.

We are all so glad that this isn't a normal day for us...we do enjoy a slower pace around here.

Whew...it was a busy day!

My boys dug our cars out

I am so grateful to my boys for getting our driveway dug out and now we can actually drive down the driveway and Chuck got the cars driven out. It is so nice to be able to get in the car and make it to where we want to go. of course, Chuck backed my car up and I saw that it was leaking oil...OH NO! I was so freaked out because it shouldn't be doing that, it's in good condition. A friend in the ward came over and looked at the car and reassured me that it is probably an oil pump and we'll have it towed in to Loveland Automotive on Monday and get it looked at. Okay, I can breathe again...that's my baby...I hate it when there are car troubles of any kind.

So today I made 2 batches of my delicious fudge and now am making some pumpkin/chocolate chip cookies for church tomorrow and choir program tomorrow night. So far my guys like it...it's like a german cookie that Chuck really enjoys. They turned out delicious but we will have many more than I planned on so yummy, we get some extra cookies to keep at home and enjoy. The recipe is from my sister-in-laws cookbook and they are her moms recipe...thanks Sister Rushing!

Michael was able to get to work tonight so that is good...he can't afford to not be there. I have some music to go in and rehearse for tomorrow...singing in a trio for the Relief Society program. It should be fun though, I am looking forward to it. Choir in sacrament meeting first so it's a busy day.

I can't believe that Christmas is almost here. It always comes up so quickly though. I sure love the Christmas holidays.

We got out thanks to Catherine

Chuck and I are so grateful to our sweet daughter, Catherine. She has a 4 wheel drive and came over to get her dad to work and shopping for me while he was working. Thanks Catherine, it was so much fun shopping today. After being home all week it was a real treat to get out and get some groceries and finish Christmas shopping. Chuck had to get to his classroom to lock up his cabinets before his 2 week break. Our school was out for the entire week and now we have 2 weeks off. Too much fun!

Michael and Daniel got out and worked on digging out the driveway and Michael spent 5 1/2 hours digging us out. Chuck helped to finish up to his car after we got home. My guys are so AWESOME!!! Thanks Michael, Daniel, and Chuck for all of your hard work. Especially Michael...he rocks...he worked so hard for so long!!!

Christina got to stay home with her sweet children and play in the snow...that's fun too. Hopefully more snow will melt tomorrow. It's so beautiful but such a pain to drive in. I have loved it and am ready for it to be gone now...LOL.

Pictures of the snow

So I had to post all of these pictures of our wonderful snow...it will be wonderful until we get mud from all of it melting, but I am going to enjoy it anyway.

The Snow has ended...for now!

It snowed all day yesterday and we got a couple of feet out there...I have never seen that much snow in our front yard before so had to share it. It is so beautiful outside this morning...I have been taking so many pictures to document this. Of course, we are snowed in and can't even think about getting out of our driveway and the roads are loaded so there is no way we are going anywhere. Our heater doesn't seem to be working this morning either, maybe too much snow on the roof covering the exhaust for the heater? Hopefully this doesn't mean we need a new heater, but it has been 18 years since we moved in. We'll see what happens with the heater as the snow melts. In the meantime we will be using floor heaters that we have...it will have to work besides bundling up.

I just love how it looks after a good snow fall...the desert is gorgeous!

It's SNOWING Outside!

I am so excited...it is SNOWING outside, and I mean SNOWING! We have at least a foot of snow outside of our door. I woke up at 4:30 am and it was a light dusting of snow...not much at all. Then I woke up again at 9:15 am and there was at least 6 inches out there. I couldn't believe how much snow fell in that amount of time, and it just keeps going. The desert is so pretty when there is so much snow outside, it's so beautiful. There is about 2 feet up in Phelan and more to fall today, it hasn't let up yet. Our poor dogs are out in it but they have their houses to go into and are staying under the pine tree to stay warm.

My granddaughter, Ariana, has been wanting to play in the snow and was upset that she couldn't when it snowed on Monday, but today there is nothing stopping her except for frozen hands after being in the snow for a few minutes. We figured she was praying for snow to play in and boy does she have it. All of my grandchildren are so excited to be playing in the snow...I just love it.

The best part of it snowing out here is that it melts pretty quickly but it's enough to enjoy it. It looks like there won't be school tomorrow either, that will be 4 days in a row...too much snow for them to have school tomorrow. Then we would have maybe 1 day, Friday, for school and then two weeks off for Christmas break. I'm glad that I am about ready for Christmas as the weather isn't helping it at all.

Anyway, it's so great to have some beautiful snow in our area and I am loving it. Chuck got up this morning and was going to go to work but wisely chose to stay home. If he had gone to work he wouldn't have made it home, he would have had to stay in a hotel instead. So...good man that he is he is home and it's great to all be here together.

So, we will continue to try to stay warm and enjoy our beautiful snow day.

It's COLD Outside!

I LOVE IT!!! It's cold outside and we had snow...that means 2 days off from work thanks to snow days! I was hoping for some as I have so much to get done before Christmas and this gives me some more time at home. It's hard for Chuck as he couldn't get to work yesterday due to the freeway and highway being closed but today he left very early to get through the icy roads and made it to work. I know he was giving his students a test today so it was important he was there. He does good getting through in bad weather but sometimes it just doesn't work. On Monday Christina and the kids came over as Ariana wanted to see the snow and theirs was melting. Well, ours did too, but they got to see the snow up in town and wanted to play in it. It was about a foot deep so Christina didn't want to wrangle 3 small children in the snow on the side of the road with cars getting stuck...so...they came over to Grandma's and that was okay with the kids anyway. Fun shows and all make grandma and grandpas house more fun. Catherine came over also so we had a fun time. I got Christina and Catherine busy on the "cricut" with me and had fun getting a Christmas gift made...some things we cut out were a pain to deal with but I thought it was fun.

On Saturday Catherine and I went down to Victoria Gardens as Catherine hasn't been there before and needed to go to Lane Bryant. That too was enjoyable. The weather was coming in and it looked bad going down there (big dark clouds) but it ended up being windy, cold, but nice. Then that night we went to our ward Christmas party and got to enjoy spending time together as a family. I love it when I get to spend time with my children/grandchildren. It's what makes life so beautiful!

So, back to today. I get the time to make several batches of fudge and get gifts wrapped and relax here at home. It's going to be a great day!!! Also there is the possibility of more snow tonight so who knows, maybe another "Snow Day" tomorrow...yippee!!!

Fun Times

Last night was my Christmas work party and the first work Christmas party that I have been to...I have been working for the school district for about 12 years now. I am working for school police as a SARB Technician and there are only 8 of us in the office. Mostly it is just the secretary and I as the officers are out doing their jobs...monitoring the school sites and doing traffic around the schools. So...I knew that with a small office I needed to go ahead and attend the office party. We went to "On the Border" restaurant in Victorville and had drawn names so we could bring a gift for the one person we drew. I just knew that I would get the name I got so wasn't surprised when I did. I was glad though because he is a nice guy, but all of the officers I work with are. Anyway...I took the gift and headed to the party. I wanted my husband to come too but it was "employees" only so I went alone. I got there and found it was so much fun. The food was okay, I don't think I'll eat there again, but I enjoy the people I work with and having a nice dinner with them was great too. We exchanged gifts after dinner and I got the one thing I really wanted from the person that had my name...a willow tree figurine...I was so happy. He really took the time to find the one I wanted and had to go to four different stores for it, I thought it was so sweet of him to take the time to go around and find the one that I requested when he could have just as easily gotten me a gift certificate. Then our boss gave us each a gift with some lottery tickets. I don't buy lottery tickets so he told me I could give them to the others but I told him no, I would scratch them. I won $2 also, pretty good! I still won't buy them though... :) Anyway...we got a bag full of goodies from our boss and then he bought us our dinner. That was so nice of him and totally unexpected. I think mine was the cheapest as I don't drink alcohol...lol...but, it was very enjoyable and I am glad I went.

I am so grateful for a good office to work in and a boss that I know and love (we've known my boss for about 16 years or so). The Lord has blessed me in my work environment and I am so thankful for that.

My Home feels like Christmas, finally!

I am happy to say that yes, we have a decorated tree in our living room and many other decorations making our home feel festive. It feels like Christmas, finally. I loved putting up my nativities, yes, I have more than one. I put out the one that my dear mother and father made for me many years ago...I treasure it as mom is no longer with us. Then I put up the one that we got from my dear in-laws that was made in Ghana, Accra, West Africa. They purchased it while on their mission there. I love it and display it every year. It looks great atop Chucks chess board that he made many years ago.

It was nice to have Catherine here to help put decorations on the tree, then Daniel hung some, and finally Michael got a chance. Chuck put the angel on top of the tree so it is complete and beautiful if I do say so myself.

I have been busy with making aprons for Christmas. I started with making some for my sweet grandchildren and have expanded it from there to family and friends. It is such an easy pattern and I am really enjoying sewing.

I love Christmas time and the giving spirit that is present. It's a year to be frugal but still fun to give.

Busy Week

This has been such a busy week. On Tuesday night I had a Relief Society Presidency meeting. Daniel was auditioning for "Beauty and the Beast" at the college so he was over there with no ride home. Michael was at work at Target and Chuck was expected by Daniel to come and pick him up. Well...I told Chuck that since I was at the Tait's anyway, closer to the college, I would just go and pick him up. Mind you, he wasn't done until 9 pm...we thought. I get to the college at 9:15 and couldn't get ahold of him and finally he lets me know that he'll be done about 9:30...it was 9:45 when he finally got out!!! So...about 10:45 we get home (had to stop at In-N-Out as Daniel was so hungry). Anyway...that was Tuesday. Wednesday we had haircut appointments (our hairdresser is in San Bernardino)...so...I had to run errands on the way home for Enrichment Night (that's tonight)...again home at 10:15 (I had to drop my friend Elaine off before I could come home). So tonight is Enrichment Night and I get to be at the church at 6 pm and probably won't get home until around 9:30 tonight. Whew...busy week!!! It's been fun but busy, and in between it all I have been busy making some cute little aprons for my sweet grandchildren for Christmas.

I keep getting asked if I'm ready for Christmas and I can say, yes, my gifts are almost all bought, but my decorating has not happened yet, been too busy! :) I look forward to tonight and tomorrow getting some decorations for Christmas in my house and then on Saturday we have a Rennaissance Faire rehearsal. What a wonderful life to be so busy!