Happy NEW Year 2013

       May the NEW year be BETTER than the last and may we all  have HOPE for better things as we begin 2013.

Merry Christmas

Here is the card I made this year to share with all of you...

Here is our Christmas Letter

Reason for the Season CHRISTmas

 I just liked this!

The DAY AFTER Thanksgiving

While Sierra was home we decorated for Christmas. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have done it until she was home for Christmas break anyway.

The four inside Christmas decoration containers

In order to have a tree in the front room we needed to store

the chair in the garage.

Doug putting the Christmas lights on the house.

Sierra puts up the Christmas tree.

 I said "smile" and this is what I got...

Putting ornaments on the tree

Putting up the Three Trees

TA DA

And our penguins with lights.

Sierra puts up our Christmas village.

Sierra putting up her Christmas village

Doug's bread went fuzzy but the Squirrels liked it just fine....

                                                              

Sierra and I play MALL MADNESS

      I think it helps her win when there are just

             2 players because everytime I went to buy something it

said "Sorry were out of stock"

  Sierra won all 3 times... But it was fun playing

                      

The Christmas lights at sunset

Sierra heads back to college...  

The house all lit up from across the street

Close up and you can see the tree and the village

through the window

Our penguins

                                             Our Christmas village

Our Christmas tree

All lit up

Well except for the 8th tier it isn't lighting up this year...

Close up

All ready for Christmas

 

THANKSGIVING

So waiting for Thanksgiving to come I decided to start doing some of my 20 puzzles. So every day the week before I would work on a puzzle before getting ready for work...most were fairly easy but this puzzle which took me 3 days to complete was my nemisis.

Sierra came home the Friday before Thanksgiving and when she was busy babysitting I was working on this puzzle.

This year it was JUST THE 3 of us for THANKSGIVING usually we have a house full of guests. It was nice and very casual.

When we got up Doug and Sierra did the pies together.

Doug made the crusts and Sierra made the fillings.

Sierra shaking the apples and cinnamon for the apple pie.

Doug made the rolls.

                                        Pies made and rolls rising...

We decided to just bowl at home this year so we played Wii Bowling.

 We bowled 3 games

Here are some actions shots!

  He reminds me of Fred Flintstone when he bowls :)

Sierra is a casual bowler...ho hum

 I am an intense bowler.... I want to knock all the pins down

every time or at least get the spare.

 "STRIKE" finally

We had fun then it was time to work on the sides for dinner...

When we went into the kitchen this is what we saw out the back window apparently our squirrel decided that pumpkin would make a mighty fine Thanksgiving dinner...

                                 Sierra was in charge of mashed potatoes

                                           "MASH"ing the potatoes

                                 She also made Grandma As whipped jello

                                 This is what it looks like when it is set
                                    and it tastes like a raspberry cloud...

                    The turkey was done around 1:30pm and we ate at 2.

Doug's yummy rolls

Sierra ready to carve the turkey

Doug can't resist getting in the picture

                                   Doug's succulent brined turkey :D

The table set for dinner.

 We kept the hot stuff on the stove

It was a FABULOUS meal!

                             After dinner we played some board games

Playing Blokus

                       These are the games we played the rest of the evening.
                             My subjects got tired of me taking pictures...