Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of you. We have a Christmas card for you.
Click on the link below to view it.

http://www.jacquielawson.com/preview.asp?cont=1&hdn=0&mpv=3150446

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........

Our winter arctic blast hit just in time for our grandson's birthday party, which we once again missed due to weather and driving conditions between here and there. Hopefully next year we'll be living closer to them and it won't be a problem. He did call and tell us all about the party and what great presents he got. He said 8 was the best age to be and he that he wants to be 8 forever!

As I looked out my window yesterday, lamenting the missed birthday party I saw a deer walking though our property foraging for something to eat in the midst of all this cold and snow. Then today the sun came out and the day was bright as could be.

As for now, we are having temps in the 20's during the day and teens at night.The pattern is supposed to stay with us all week. On the eastern side of the Cascades the temps are even lower, getting down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. It does put us in a festive Christmas mood with the sun shining and making the fresh snow sparkle.

We have all our decorations up, our Christmas cards written, and ready to mail tomorrow. Mark is due home Wednesday and then we will really be ready for Christmas. Drew and his family will be joining us this year. How great it will be to have us all together - healthy and happy - at the end of this tumultous year.

Let the Christmas Season Begin.....

Late yesterday a beautiful Christmas wreath arrived at our door. It was a gift from my sister, Tara. She knows how much we love wreaths. Years ago when our sons were still living here, we would spend most every Thanksgiving week-end making and selling our own wreaths. The boys would gather the greens, shape them on a form we made and I would make the bows. The boys would sell them to earn their Christmas money. We did this for 12+ years, but since the boys are grown and gone now, that tradition has fallen by the wayside. We haven't had a wreath adorn our front door for several years now, so when this one arrived we were thrilled and it brought back all the memories of those days gone by.

This wreath was hand made in Maine using fresh greens and arrived in perfect condition - still very fresh. The company that makes them is Whitney Wreath. If you want a wreath for yourself or to have sent to someone else, check them out. We highly recommend them. It even comes with a small bell and a brass tag with the year on it. We will keep our bell as an ornament for future Christmas trees.

For us, once the wreath is on the door, the merriment of the season may begin!!

Over the Mountains and Through the Woods to Grandkids House We Go...

Yesterday we headed over the mountains once again to spend Thanksgiving with our kids and extended family. The trip over was uneventful, although we did encounter some falling snow on the way home.

On our trip over and back we always make a stop at Indian John Hill at about the half way mark.

It's our all time favorite rest stop and we've posted a little history about it here for you.


Anyway, we did arrive in plenty of time for the Thanksgiving festivities to begin. Our daughter-in-law's parents hosted it at their house this year. There were 16 of us included 5 children ages 7 and under. It was wonderful, as always. The only thing missing, once again, was Mark, but he'll be here for Christmas - it's not too long now. We can hardly wait to see him again and for us to get moved over there. Hopefully, we'll be settled in by this time next year and we can be the hosts.

We'll keep you posted on our plans to move at they progress.

Family Week-End

We had another great week-end with the 'kids'. Drew and family came over for a visit and the November weather was unusually cooperative. We trekked through the woods, climbed (fake) rocks, went to a park, played games, did some art projects, and generally had a great time. Drew and Sarah got out for an evening by themselves and we got to have the children to ourselves.
Many times this week-end I wished I had brought my camera, but didn't, so there are no pictures to show this time.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

It has been a very rainy November with lots of flooding in this area. The rivers are swollen and overflowing, blocking several roads around here. We are wet, but not flooded or even leaking. This is pretty typical for November. The month probably won't end without a wind storm that brings down lots of branches and a few trees. That seems to be the pattern for November in the Pacific Northwest. I recently put a small weather and time widget on this blog right under the map. It shows the current temperature, time, and weather indicated by the picture background.

On a brighter note, Drew has been on a job assignment in Sweden for the past two weeks and is returning home today. He has a 4-hour layover at the airport before catching the last leg of his flight home, so John and I will be going to the airport later today to have dinner with him while he waits for his connecting flight. It's also Sarah's birthday today, so he is getting home just in time. The children were wonderful and remembered her birthday on their own. JJ set his own alarm so he could get up and make breakfast for his mom. Hannah had made a necklace for her mom which she presented to her first thing this morning. We really do have the BEST grandkids!

What Happened to Halloween?

We never do get very many trick-or-treaters, but this year was the lowest we'd ever had in 30 years of living in this house. The doorbell rang only once and the two children from next door were there. That was it for the night - bummer. Is this a national trend? I love seeing all the kids come by with their costumes and trying to figure out who they are.

On the bright side.... there's all that candy left over for us to enjoy - Mark.... if you're out there, we'll be sending some of it your way if I can get it packed and sent before Dad eats it.

The past few weeks have been very productive. We had all the carpet replaced upstairs and got the living and dining rooms painted - what a chore. Glad it's done and it looks great!! Now to get everything back in place - ugh.