Happy Boxing Day!

My Christmas gift to all of you! Finally, another post. Call me a slacker, that's fine! I can take it.

This year, I gave the gift of life...a bag of A+ blood that took me just over 4 minutes to fill up. Next time, my goal is to break 4 minutes. The Red Cross guy said that if I can get under 4, then I'll be considered fast.

Here's the run down for the family Christmas festivities:

My dad's brothers have a home health care company and sometime before Christmas, we all get together and go caroling to some of their clients, usually patients on oxygen, some who are home-bound and all are elderly with TONS of stories. This year we visited the Young's who actually were in our ward in Albuquerque when I was just a little tyke. They fed us butter cookies and let us oo and awe over their progeny's artwork.

Christmas Eve began with homemade pizzas: grilled chicken & herb, pepperoni, ham & pineapple, and chocolate chip cookie. Then we took the party into the living room for the Christmas story from Luke 2, Hymns and some great costumes.

While shepherds watched their flocks by night...Avery and her sheepie. She totally got it and stayed in character until the presents came out.


Mary and Baby Jesus. Didn't know he was a thumb sucker! Something we have in common.



Christmas morning has evolved over the years. No more 4 am wake up calls. Thank goodness! I was awake at 9 am (not proud to say that my "break" has produced some bad habits, namely staying up late and sleeping in.) We still start with stockings, but now they don't contain candy, aren't from Santa and are waiting upstairs instead of hanging on our bed frames when we wake up. Everyone comes over for presents and breakfast.

It's so fun having half of the next generation close. I think Q-cheeks likes Christmas!


Traditional fare, Danish Pastry and Egg & Sausage bake. So Good!


Followed up with some calorie burning and snow playtime. Avery's newest word, "sledoe-ing."


I hope you all had a Christmas as great at mine! Long live tradition and Happy Holidays!

promised pics, courtesy of Liz

One Happy Day!

patiently starving and waiting for...

Pics to be posted later. I couldn't find any on the worldwideweb that would do the pending feast justice.

Our traditional t-giving spread always includes:

One 20+ lb bird-brined and baked to perfection (not shown, the bird you see is the "extra breast" just in case we ran out)
Grandma Kay's stuffing
Cranberry relish (fresh, nothing canned here, thanks!)
Mashed tots extraordinaire
Rusks (rolls, but kind of more like heaven)
Yam-Apple Casserole (I've never understood the canned yams with melted marshmallows. sick.)
All swimming in My gravy (secret ingredient...brined turkey juice)

Followed up with Pumpkin Pie and Peppermint *real* Whipped Cream
and Apple, Cherry, Peaches 'n Cream pies.

The in-laws added the traditional green beans, you know, the one with the crunchy stuff on top, and banana cream pie (sorely missed this year along with the people who usually bring it!)

Borrowed post. Thanks, Harbers!

The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism.... It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself, and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his immediate posterity; but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world, and stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn.

When firearms go, all goes - we need them every hour. A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government.

A free people ought...to be armed.

~ George Washington. Speech of Jan. 7, 1790 in the Boston Independent Chronicle, Jan. 14, 1790.

Currently scheduling a concealed weapons class for myself. I've never fired a gun before, but KNOW I need to know how. With an overwhelming democratic majority, I am concerned about the possibility of increasingly rigid gun control. Luckily Utah is still Republican, but still. Christmas????

miss them!!