No Camping

Yes it's true. We canceled our camping weekend because I am sick & Jeff is feeling like he could get it. But it's okay. We will enjoy being able to stay home & relax,and give me a chance to get well.

An Evening with Mama & Nana

Mom & Nana came up this afternoon, just for a night. Wanted to see us & give us our Christmas gifts . Enjoying the evening watching "Baby Boom." I cooked a kickin' chicken and rice dinner, and just relaxing. So we are looking forward to camping in the desert this weekend. Not sure where yet, but it will be nice to get out with our trailer again. Good times.

Here is my "supposed to be Christmas Day" post.

Christmas day was wonderful. We weren't in a rush to do anything, and we enjoyed spending quality time as our little family. First thing the kids were up super early. I heard them, and managed to stay in bed until Kent brought me out of the room. They then had to wait for Daddy to wake up, and boy was that torture! The kids were super excited! When Jeff woke up, we told the kids about the real meaning of Christmas, with baby Jesus being born, and why we should never lose sight of that. That santa and presents are the "fun" stuff; but that if it weren't for Jesus, Christmas wouldn't be CHRISTmas at all. They understood :o) Then came the stockings and presents. A good ol' time! Even Curly got to open a gift. He received a stuffed squirrel; and he LOVED that thing. His first Christmas with his family :o) I assembled a lot of toys, and placed batteries where needed; I even got Jeff to help me assemble my new exercise cycle. I cooked a prime rib, homemade mashed potatoes, peas (for me) and corn for the husband and kids, Au jus for the p[rime rib and biscuits. We got extremely full! Uncomfortable full...but enjoyed every minute of it. We took a late afternoon walk around the neighborhood, came back home and did nothing but lay around, watching movies until bedtime. This was a blessed Christmas.

Today we took a family drive, and checked out West Clear Creek. That is so beautiful over there, and nice temperatures today. It was a good outing that included Freddy's for lunch and an afternoon Starbucks. Good times.

It's Christmas Eve!

A couple days ago the kids made their gingerbread houses. Lets just say, Kent's house wasn't structurally sound. I don't know what the problem was; but right from the start we had problems. It collapsed three different times. When you see the pictures, that is why his frosting and candies look so tossed around, because it was. I did manage to secure it with tons of frosting and holding the roof and walls for like 10 min. It is still standing today. Samantha's house went up easy, no collapsed walls or roofs, and in my opinion, very pretty. I helped her with her house first, before Kent's. I had to go back and forth, because it was just me. Jeff was at work. It was a messy job, but loved it! Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Stafford for the gingerbread house kits.

Now today is Christmas Eve! Alright. Cheesy Christmas movies have been on today from the Hallmark channel, and Lifetime. We all went to Safeway to pick up my five-bone prime rib, and the butcher was super nice to me, he gave me a seven-bone roast, cut it into two roasts (my five bone, and two bone); and priced it very well, He also cut and tied it for me. I got a great deal. Jeff says it is because, he is the butcher that "loves" me. Oh boy. That prime rib, Jeff waits for all year. I cook that thing slowly, and season it just right. Drool. We usually eat it for a late lunch on Christmas, then cook the bones all day, to devour for dinner. Left overs galore! Drool. Jeff is steamed up today, and has his fire going in the little stove in the cabin. I am preparing to wrap all the presents, drink some eggnog, eat some Sees candy; relax and take in the family weekend of Christmas. God bless you all and may you all have a Merry CHRISTmas!

Yes, I will most likely blog tomorrow as well ;o)

A Family Christmas Weekend, With So Much Going On!

 We had a fantastic weekend with Dad and Mom Stafford. They arrived Friday, and left this Monday morning. Let's see, where to begin...Saturday the men folk steamed up the engine and had a fire going in the wood burning stove, out in the little cabin. That was the first "snow" steam up day, and it was successful. After they steamed down, we headed to Freddy's for some lunch. Then at 3:00, we had a tour to go to, at the Riordan Mansion, in Flagstaff. That was the most fun tour, with amazing history. The house was built in 1904, and there is over 13,000 sq. ft. of it, with 40 rooms. At the ends of this mansion, there are the two homes (each with their own kitchens and everything, like a mirror image of each other); and then the center common area, which they shared. Our tour lady, named Mary, was the sweetest, and during the tour, she took us to a room with a 1904 Steinway piano. Mary asked if anybody knew how to play the piano, so I chirped in, "I do." So she asked me to sit down and play something. I played my short version of "What Child Is This." It was amazing and I felt honored to be playing on such a piece of history. A stunning piano. Wow. After the tour, we chatted with her about my piano music, and my Christmas and original Cd's. She brought out the director of the mansion, and they each purchased a Christmas CD (which I had to make later that night, along with four others, and two originals). So We all headed back to the mansion yesterday, that I may drop of their Christmas Cd's, and then Mary purchased the two original Cd's of mine, and they placed the other four Christmas Cd's out on display to sell, during the rest of the Christmas season. Can you believe it?! They are interested in selling my original Cd's as well, so that will take more production, on my part. Also (I know, like I don't have enough to say); they said they could have me play that 1904 Steinway on occasional Saturdays, as a volunteer. People would be hearing my music play during the tour, throughout the mansion. Surreal. It was awesome! Back to Saturday...so after the tour, we went to have dinner at Charly's Pub, in the old Weatherford Hotel. A classic evening, and the weather was wintry. We all went there this time last year, for lunch, and it is a charming place to eat really good food. Before we headed back home, yes, a Starbucks was in order. Come Sunday, we relaxed in the morning a bit, and  then headed into Flagstaff again, so I may drop off my Cd's at the mansion. After that we headed to, what else, the Cracker Barrel for lunch. What an experience there, and I don't just mean the food. Too much to type about, but we shall see what comes of it. It's awesome! After Cracker Barrel, we went to Target for my weekly grocery trip. It wasn't too painful. When we stepped out of Target, it was all snowy. Huge flakes falling, beautiful. We then drove through the Starbucks drive thru, and headed home. The rest of the day was hanging out at the house, watching the snow fall, and staying warm my the fire. I did make my homemade cheese enchiladas, and for dessert...(AUNT NANCY THIS IS FOR YOU)...THE KOLOTCHKYS. I made those cookies from scratch for the first time. They turned out delicious, and tasted like they were supposed to. *Aunt Nancy, I sent some of those cookies home with your brother and Gayle. They loved them...so thank you for sharing the recipe.* A blessed weekend that's for sure. God has plans for us all, and I got a glimpse at what I am supposed to be doing. Praise Jesus! Only through him could these things come true.


P.S. Doesn't Jeff look fantastic in his "supposed to be ugly, but you're cute, Christmas sweater?" That was mandatory for work on Friday, so our friend Tim let us borrow one of his sweaters, and I pined Christmas themed foam pins, to add that extra Christmas touch. Fanfriggintastic!

Walking in a Winter Wonder Land

We just had four male elk wander through our back acres. They are so large and graceful. A snowy day with those animals chilling out...fantastic! It's also a second snow day this week, so I have five kids in this house. Yes.