Merry Christmas

The kids were up at 5:55AM. They didn't wake us up until 7! They were so excited with their stockings and that Santa left a little pile of stuff across from them - we think it is for you and Dad! 

Once we were out by the tree (someone forgot to get a photo of before!) the kids were grabbing gifts to give to Mom and Dad to open! I know - they are just not normal! We had to open things one at a time (kids insisted, darn it) .... and Emily made sure everyone was watching when she opened her big gift - a Barbie Dream House! That should keep them busy this morning building it. They also each opened a record .... and got a Victrola record player! That is playing as they build. Aidan has a little drone to build too.... and I'm sure there will be a nerf gun attack in the back yard later.

Time to make the coffee =)

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas.

Oh - the binding got finished yesterday while watching The Night at the Museum - the Tomb and then The Pacifier. Now to wash it and wrap it.

Christmas Eve

We did Christmas at Grandma's yesterday. They got this new fangled monopoly game  - no cash - it is all done by a charge card. Aidan loved it.... me, it made the tally at the end easier (maybe cause I won?) but I miss the old fashioned cash and figuring things out. 

In between cleaning and prepping for the in-laws to come over tomorrow for Christmas and finger foods, I will be putting some slow stitches into the binding of this log cabin quilt that got quilted up yesterday and the binding was made and attached to the front this morning. Just 258 inches of binding to stitch down and then I get to wrap it for Grandpa. We will see if it is done before he arrives tomorrow!

Linking up with Kathy and the other slow stitchers.

Procrastination...

Next to Procrastination in the dictionary you will find a picture of me!

I had told Greg that I could quilt up the blue and cream log cabin quilt for my FIL for Christmas.

Well, it is December 23 and I just pinned it this morning! Yup, nothing like waiting until the last minute. I'll pop through the shower and then quickly (I hope) will just do some simple walking foot quilting on this baby. If time, I'll cut, sew and press the binding for it too - I know I have enough of that blue in the border for it. That might have to wait until later to get put onto the quilt...as we are headed to Grandma and Papa Andy's today for their early Christmas and Birthday (Papa Andy's birthday is on Christmas day!). I hope to be hand stitching down some binding tonight and tomorrow night on this one so it can get wrapped for Christmas morning with Papa Aylward.

Linking up with the RSC Challenge.

This is where Chilly landed this morning.

Lights.....

At the end of a long and busy day yesterday, Emily and I stopped by the house near us that has their lights set to music. Aidan had treated us to Wendy's for dinner with a gift card and he opted to go home with Dad. We were just about to leave when someone knocked on my car window! It was a sheriff and another man. Turns out he was looking for kids to hand out gifts to! Emily got a little doggie stuffed animal =).

The other man was from the car next to us asking if the station was working for us. It was a little static on there last night and dropped when cars went by... but it is still an impressive sight. The Grinch song was playing when we got there - I wish I had got a video of that one with the grinch appearing in lights.

I did get a little of this song. This is only half of the house lights going to the music.

Officially Winter Break!

The kids were out of school at 2PM yesterday and are off for the next 2 weeks for Winter Break. I coordinated my Fitbit challenge that day (Solo challenge of 15K steps instead of my normal goal of 10K) with my plans to bring the kids to the trails after school. I figured if I could get them out for a 30 minute hike on the trails near our house I would be happy. They were having so much fun we were out there for an hour in the 82 degree weather and they decided they wanted to go hiking every day and explore new trails! The good news - I hit my 15K step goal yesterday. The foot is still feeling great Mom!

We opted to take the old trails that wind through the woods - Called Nailys Trail.

The kids were pointing out neat trees and Aidan thought this rock looked like a frog. Silly kids. They selected the photo ops.

They have been making some changes to the trails and have paved a former working road through the woods for walking/biking/roller blading from 6 miles up near our Walmart all the way to our trail head on 49th Ave and it looks like it heads over to the bridge over I75 as well to the other trail head on the other side of the highway. That will be a good one to bring the kids and their bikes for a bike ride sometime this weekend with Dad.

I do wonder which trails they will choose for today!

Rainy Day Foods....

Years and years ago, hubby had purchased food from the Rainy Day Foods Company. I think he got a single serving portion for a year that lasts up to 30 years. It has moved from place to place (lots of boxes and buckets of things!) and we are finally starting to open and use them. There are so many different things in there  and some of the things we have pulled out to use are the baking supplies - salt, baking soda and powder, yeast, oats - hey, I ran out making cookies and remembered there were some!, 16 bean mix, popcorn, apple drink, etc. 

There are huge buckets of wheat and other grains.... and I finally just ordered a grain mill attachment for the kitchenmaid mixer for hubby for Christmas. Time to start using that up and I have a feeling we will be grinding some grains on the 25th or 26th and making some home made bread!

I think it will be time to open the cocoa and dry milk and make up some hot cocoa mix with Aidan as well. Emily will be unable to have that one (lactose intolerant) but... she'll enjoy the bread!

I think I still need a pressure cooker/canner - those beans are very hard (soaked the last batch for 24 hours and had to cook for 24 hours to get them soft) and we have multiple 10 pound buckets of black beans, the 16 bean soup (Aidan loves this stuff!), refried beans and a bunch of other kinds. I would love to start processing them so I can have them ready in the pantry when needed. I tend to throw black beans into various meals and salads... and the kids will eat them!

I just need to remember there is all that stuff around the house that needs to get pulled out and used when I am prepping my meals. Getting the grinder will help in starting to play with some of it. 

Come back next week and see what our first adventure will be with the new mill. I do love the smell of baking bread in the oven.

Monday....

I'm starting to feel a little tickle on one side of my throat. Ut oh..... the boy has been congested for a few days and hubby has as well. I decided to take it easy on myself and threw some chicken legs into the crock pot with half a bottle of terriaki sauce from the fridge and a little onion and peppers. I'll throw some pea pods in later this afternoon and cook up some rice before dinner and that is one thing out of the way!

Tonight is scouts - we are having our party. Emily needs to wrap her present and I need to prep some badges to hand out to the girls. The cookies are baked off and I should be all set for that.

We do need to pop to the store - the kids parties are at school tomorrow. One is having a pancake feast in his so we are sending in whipped cream. The other will be snacking all day and we will send in some fruit (to offset all the candies!).

Have a wonderful Monday.