minute by minute

So, a month has gone by since my last post;  which isn't necessarily unusual for me, it's just that of course I chose the busiest time of year to get behind! This post may be the longest in history.....but at least it will have.....wait for it.....wait for it.... PICTURES!!! Because after being without a camera for 6 months, and having a suboptimal one before that, I took the big plunge and bought the camera I have been looking at for a couple of years.

All right, starting off with October-- Halloween! I have never been a big Halloween fan. When I was a kid we were trick or treating, and some weirdo was dragging a leg and waving a gun. It probably was all fake, but it has warped my perspective of all things spooky ever since. This year, with young kids in the house again, I decided to try really hard and give them a fun time, a good memory. Off to the  land of costumes we went, and SUCCESS!! Bri was a punk rock princess, Joss was a hobo, and Brannick was a ghost. We went to the ward party and trunk or treat. We decorated the truck, and after Brannick had made several rounds he hid in the cab and made scary ghost sounds that could be heard all over. It was really funny!

I am not sure what you would call Adam- he was supposed to have one of those fake eyeballs hanging off his forehead, but at the last minute just decided to go with striped hair. Bri and Brannick looked great too, but I am not allowed to post pics of them.


November brought one of the highlights of my year- the scrapbook retreat! It was held at Suncadia Resort which is gorgeous. It is located in the mountains, and the setting is magnificent.

Below and to the left are the views out of the windows of our scrapping room. Floor to ceiling windows were wonderful!  It made it really easy to get the creative juices flowing.

                                                                             

 One of the special things about retreat is the amazing food. I kept meaning to catch a pic of each meal, but the only one I managed was this dinner salad. It had a raspberry vinaggrette dressing on it. Some of the menu items included top sirloin steak, and several chicken dishes, and positively sinful desserts.

 This room is full of 40 + women, each with a 6 foot table, and all their scrapbooking supplies.


Below is what I took. It is only a small amount compared to what some other people took. One group of 3 ladies used a trailor to pull all of their stuff up!

I did get 15 pages done, complete with journaling the events. While there were people who completed 60 pages, I am very happy with the way mine turned out. They were a vast improvement over last year, and told the whole story. One of my favorite projects was retelling the story of Dylan's summer camp. One of the boys caught a rattlesnake, and oh my! You can imagine what 10 or 15 boys can do with that.

 < This is Lisa and Leslie. They are both nurses that I used to work with. This was Leslie's first retreat, and I think she had a good time.

 Some people did scrapbooking, some did sewing projects, and some made banners. It was so fun to wander around and learn new techniques.

 This picture was taken a few days before the temps dropped into the single digits. I can never see one of these machines without thinking of the childrens story "Are You My Mother?"! So funny!!

The week before Thanksgiving brought our first snowfall. 


This is my car in the driveway just as the snow was starting.

 Paul and Adam and Dylan were out in the blizzard hanging heat lamps and making sure the critters were going to be alright. They are really awesome that way. I am so grateful to have such an amazing husband.

This is my car about 4 or 5 hours into the storm. The flakes were huge, and the wind was blowing sideways. Add to that temperatures hovering down around 10 degrees, and it was definitely a night for a blanket, a book, and some hot chocolate.

And this is my car after the storm!! We were surprised that it drove right out- the drifts were really misleading. In some places they were 3-4 feet deep, in some places the ground was almost bare. Isn't nature amazing?

Thanksgiving Day brought the smells and tastes of Paul's delicious cooking. He never ceases to amaze me with what he can do with food. Nik came over and brought his little girlfriend, named Ashley. She is very sweet, and even more important, she loves to scrapbook too!!Woot woot!!

Left to right: Nik, Ashley,Paul,Dylan,Adam,Josslin,Brannick,Brianna. 

The food was great! We discovered after the meal that we had left the cranberry sauce in the fridge! HA! But it tasted great the next day on toasted and buttered flat bread!  We had a good visit with Nik, and he made a comment about it being good to be home again. Hopefully he will begin to come out a little more and we can continue to mend our relationship.

Friday afternoon found us on the road in 2 vehicles on the way to bigtown. The Forgotten Carols were playing at the local performing arts venue, and we have wanted to see it for years. If you have never heard of it, it is the story of a very practical nurse named Constance who hates holidays and children. As she hears the carols of the innkeeper who turned away Mary and Joseph, the shepherd who slept through the angelic chorus, the childless woman who may have helped Mary care for her infant, and others, her life is changed. It is wonderful music that will bring the spirit of the season into your home every time it is heard.  We hooked up with my folks,Bill and Julie, Brandy, Kait, and Ian and Karissa for some good eats before the show and then headed on over. Such a special, fun night!

Hmmm.....what shall I have?

                                                               Brandy is due anytime, but  she bravely     made the trip to see an amazing show! What a woman! She is having a girl, and naming her Aria, we are so excited to meet her.

This is the set before the show started. It is very simple but was perfect for the play.

Left to right: Mom, Kait,Bill,Julie, and the top of Karissa's head.

We made sure to get there early- I don't know why as we had reserved seats. The place did fill up tho.

 So, this tree below has bottom branches that normally reach about 6 feet off the ground. As you can see, the weight of the snow was significant! But I love how the tree looks, so pretty!

 These chickens are so funny! They must be afraid of melting- they won't step outside their coop into their run, but they stay all cuddled up on their roosts.

And my goats are growing and growing! I am looking to breed them, so if anyone has some Boer bucks, give me a jingle or shoot me an email. And that pretty much ties up our month! Now, we are on to the Christmas craziness.

If I don't get back here before the new year, I wish you all a peaceful and happy Christmas season. May we all look for and find ways to serve those around us, so that the Spirit of Christ will light our way back to Him.