Gary's Birthday

Today Gary turns 59 years old.  For four days he gets to truthfully say he is older than me.  One of his standard lines is that he is much older and more mature than I am.  I think that he actually just "can't handle the truth." 

We watched the "Bishop's Wife" on Christmas Eve, and in one scene they are eating at a long dinner table with each of them at the opposite end.   I recreated that today as I made him his birthday breakfast.   He's trying to look debonair.

 But it hasn't been all fun and games for him today. 

He's shoveled snow and fixed our fireplace damper.

 When he was done he wanted me to take a picture of his face.  

 (I think he wants to document what a hard worker he is).

 

  Now we're off to Texas Roadhouse and a movie. 

Natalie made this little document for Gary for Christmas.

It captures his often created lines perfectly.

 

 

 

Merry Christmas to all . . .

 

 And to all a

"comfy" night. 



It's been a very nice day.

The music and message in Sacrament meeting was amazing, Natalie was with us, and the Primary children gave a wonderful program the third hour.  The lesson in Sunday School was on feeling fellowship, and that is what we felt today as we gathered at church.  

We had the neighbors over for "lunch on us." today from 12:30 to 2:30.   Many of the neighbors have been here longer than we have, and there have also been wonderful new families move in.  We are so blessed to live where we do and to be surrounded by such loyal and good friends.  Yesterday I spent the day making lots of soup (potato cheese and a new chicken chili recipe that Charlene served us last week) and dozens of rolls.    I had fun doing it and should do it more often.  Here are some of the photos.

 

Here are some new cookies I tried.

 

 And here is Gary helping with clean up.    As he was washing the many pans, I asked him if it was worth all the mess.  He said "yes" (with the added comment of "every once in awhile").   He is a great supporter of my many projects, even when he is a little dismayed at the mess I leave in the wake of them.  He is also proving to be a great Candy Store Proprietor.  Maybe when he retires from teaching he can take that up professionally.  (It has to be easier than being a used car salesman, which he has also been).   I love and appreciate him and the fun he brings to any event.  As both Lucienne and Marshall have commented to their moms since coming home from Orlando, "Grandpa is funny."

Gary and I celebrated

his birthday a little early with his free meal at Tuchanos.  It was nice, relaxing, and we had a window with a view.   

 

Then I came home and made about 14 dozen cookies and, I know this is hard to believe, but the kitchen is a mess.

A few of the things that

I've been doing the last little while.

Meeting with Barbara and Ron in Layton to exchange our traditional (of 25 years?) Twelve Days of Christmas.





 

Hosting a Shower for Lexie Warner, our good friend Matt Warner's daughter. 

She is such a sweetheart. 

 Robin Norton (another high school friend of Matt's),

Lexie, and Me.  It was very sweet to have Robin there,too.

 

 Lexie modeling her apron

 

 I bought several (?) bags of these peppermint truffle candy's from Costco.  They are so good, in fact, that I bought a bag every time I went.  I was trying to figure out a fun way to give them, and made this candy tree.  I just rolled a sheet of 12x12 paper into a cone, covered it with two sided tape, and added the candy.   It was one of the few creative things I've done this holiday.

 

On Monday we went up to Charlene's and met Richard there.  Gary and Lynn's 50th wedding anniversary party is on the 28th of this month, and Cory (their son) wanted to get us together to give some video interviews.   It was so fun.  We just sat casually around in the living room sharing remembrance's, laughing, and telling what we appreciated about Gary and Lynn. 

I feel so blessed by the family I was born into, the family I married into, and the family we have created. 

I've hardly been able

to think about the tragedy in Connecticut on Friday.  It feels very personal when 28 people are killed, especially when 20 are children who are just 6 to 7 years old.  That should be such a time of innocence, not horror.  We think of our children, grandchildren, and those we love and realize it could happen to any of us.   It's heartening to hear about the adults who tried so hard to protect the children and lost their lives doing it.  

There have been many facebook postings that have touched me.  This photo is credited to Patti Ramos.  I love how the child, who is now free from the horror, is comforting the mother who will, in may ways, never be free from it.   What will help the families through it, though, is the understanding that their children are now alright.  That, and the love and support of others.  Which is why I love the second quote attributed to Mr. Rogers.

 

 I think there are many helpers at work here, both on earth and in Heaven.  I hope those who need the help can feel it. 

I am so behind on

posting about all the dinners or parties I have been attending.  In fact, I've been attending so many parties that I haven't had time to post about them.

 Let's see, the first one was my club party last Thursday.  It always starts the holiday season off with lots of fun.  I'm still waiting for my friends to send some pictures of them, because I didn't have my camera.  So that will be later. 

Then on Saturday we meet my siblings for breakfast.  As always we had a wonderful time.  And, if you're wondering about the crowns, guess what?  They come with the Crackers I told you about!

Then on Sunday we had our friend, Matt Warner's, kids over to dinner and making gingerbread houses.  If you're wondering what they are holding up in this picture, guess what?  More crackers!   They were also very inventive with the ginger bread houses.

Then I taught a cupcake making class at Relief Society on Tuesday.  Guess what?  I didn't take any crackers.

Then, today I went to the Lunch Bunch luncheon. I should have taken crackers, but I forgot.  In fact, I'm feeling so frazzled and forgetful, that I left my car running while I was at the luncheon.  (One of the neighbors called to tell me that my car was still running).

All of these parties remind me of how wonderful friends and family are.  Of course my family has been with me since birth, my club friends have been friends with me since childhood, we've known the Warner's since they were all born, and the lunch bunch ladies have been getting together for about 20 years.    I am richly blessed with friends and family.

Crackers

This has definitely been the year of the "Crackers."  It all started last spring when I went to a scrapbook warehouse sell.  I've been intrigued with crackers for years as I've seen them in Costco at Christmas.  But, I haven't been intrigued enough to buy them at the hefty price they are.   (If you're totally confused and thinking I've finally lost it and "cracked," you probably aren't far off.)

But, just to clarify, here is what kind of "cracker" I'm talking about.

"Christmas Crackers snap when you break them open, each revealing a paper crown, toy favor, and riddle."  Here's a picture of Harrison cracking one open.

Anyway, at this warehouse sale, they were selling boxes of 12 for $1.  I didn't know what I would do with them, but it was a sale, and I couldn't resist.   So I came home with boxes of these crackers.  Storing them was a little tricky, but I finally figured out how I would use them.  Each day for 6 days while we were in Orlando, everyone got to open a cracker.  That wouldn't have been so exciting, as the prizes are very strange and random, but we had also slipped money in them, too.   That was a fun way to give them their Christmas money.

A friend asked about them, and I told her I might have as many left as she needed.  But, I didn't.  So last week I went to see if the warehouse had any more.  They did, and when I asked how much they were, the guy said they were free (as they were wanting to get rid of them).  Wow, you really can't get a better deal than free!    I did feel a little embarrassed and greedy taking so many (like maybe 150), but since I was doing them a favor . . .

Can you believe I am writing a whole blog entry about crackers?  And this entry just barely cracks the surface of my latest obsession.