So Here Are Those Pictures You Were Promised...

Grace, outside "watching" Charlie and Aaron and Ed play with the new car.  Just getting over bronchitis, and bundled up snug in the quilt I made for Erin when she was about Grace's age.

Since family Christmas is mostly about the pictures you take to remember it, here are some from our day...thank you to Erin for sharing those she took.

A car from Grandpa!

Getting it down, fast!

This was his idea: go up on the porch where he can't see the car, and see if he can work it without knowing where it is.  Notice his eyes.
This is one of my very favorite Christmas pictures from this year! (Taken by Erin, thank you so much!)

Grandpa checks out the car.

And this is where Charlie figured out on his own that the radio control needed to be up high enough
for the car to sense it.

Amazingly Cute Grace...love those hands, and those lips!

Grace and Mamaraye, in her new Cupcake Hat I knitted for her.

Of Course We Have Christmas Pictures!

But really not that many...

Christmas 2010 is done, and it left us with sweet memories of a Christmas Eve morning visit to Charlie and Gracie, and a remote control car.  Making my almond braid a day late, but still in time for our neighbors, Steve and Roxan, to have their fix on Christmas morning.  A wonderful Christmas Eve dinner cooked by Ed and enjoyed by both of us.  A quiet Christmas morning, sharing time and memories and opening presents from family.  Then a brunch visit to Aaron, Erin, and Charlie and Grace, to see them open their presents from us and share food we enjoy.

Ed working his magic in the kitchen, Christmas Eve.

My almond braids, at least 20 years running now!

Charlie with what else???  More Thomas the Train.  This is the Cookie Car Set, or as Charlie calls them The Sugar Set.  Appropriate.

Grace with Grandma, and the new doll Erin made her.  Love the red hair!

Grace's first Christmas of course had to include a sock monkey-ette (named Gabriela) to go with Charlie's much loved sock monkey, Ichiro (he DOES look like Ichiro!  Really.) (It also includes a headless Grandma, evidently. :)

Sweet family times and a nice way to wind up the year.

Amazingly, for me, I didn't take a lot of pictures.  I have been having much trouble with my shoulder (an old Kick the Can injury from Korea), and just couldn't do the camera thing.  Besides, I would MUCH rather spend my shoulder energy holding Grace than holding a camera!  And who wouldn't?  Just look at that happiness in a sweet baby girl bundle!

When we get the pictures of Grandpa and Aaron and Charlie with the remote control car, I will share some here.  (Erin?? :)

Happy Week Between Christmas and New Year's!

The verse for this day:

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not depend on your own understanding.  In all your decisions and choices, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.

My version of Proverbs 3:5-6

A Bunch for Brunch

This morning was Ed's Christmas brunch for his group at work.  He manages 21 people, so we thought having a little brunch here at our house would be nice and maybe a bit different for them.

We planned a brunch with fruit, breakfast breads, juice, coffee and tea, and breakfast burritos.  I have been shopping and prepping for over a week, but what fun.

Early this morning, twenty-one people crowded into our living/dining area for a staff "meeting" and some good food.

Erin came over bright and early to help with the prep.  She was the master burrito maker.

What a nice time and what a great way to say "thanks" to the good group of people who work for and with Ed.

Enjoy the pictures.  Brunch is on us.

Burrito Maker Extraordinaire.

Hot burritos, ready for the crowd.

The table before the crowd arrived, and before we got the burritos out.

The Good Cooks.

Life Comes in Cyclones

...to borrow a phrase from James Herriot.

Actually, the quote is "trouble comes in cyclones," but not all that happened in the past 24 hours is trouble, just life.  And good life, too.

On Thursday afternoon I was out doing some much needed grocery shopping when Ed called to say that his sister, Debbie, and her husband, Jeff, would be up here on a quick trip, shipping a car to their kids in Alaska, and needed a place to stay overnight on Friday.  Of course I jumped at the chance to have them stay.  We don't get to see them very often, and Jeff had actually never been to our house in WA!  So...that was sudden, but wonderful.

That also meant I had to very quickly clean out the guest room which was currently being disguised as the catch-all Christmas-cyclone-has-struck room.  This included moving furniture, by the way, too...but I was happy to do it.

The room was ready, the guests were eagerly anticipated.

Then on Friday at about 12:15 pm, Erin called to see whether I could come get the kids because she and Aaron "have sort of a work emergency."  Well, I'll say!!  Alligator Soul, the restaurant Erin has worked at and with for over 6 years suddenly (as in from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm, same day) closed it's doors for good.   Since she and Aaron do all the promo and etc. for the restaurant, they were the ones the owners came to in getting the notifications out that the Soul was no more.  Sad day for all of us...even though life does happen.  So I ran up to North Everett and picked up the grandkids - who were almost literally thrown into my car, things were so rushed - and we came home to catch our breath.

Then later, the phone rang again.  It was Ed.  Guess what, Jeff and Debbie have their son, Cody, with them.  Okay.  We love Cody!  A very welcome addition.  Also, guess what?  It would be nice for the kids to come eat dinner at our house, since they've had such a strange "day off" -- and very welcome, I must say - instead of coming over on Saturday morning to see Jeff and Deb, as originally planned.

So...Throw a Muppets video in for Charlie, get lots more chicken out of the freezer (thank goodness for Costco chicken thighs!), rush around like another chicken who has lost her head, and bingo!

Dinner for nine, on time, with a very, VERY nice visit and time as a whole family.  SOOOO glad to see Jeff and Deb and Cody - SOOOOO glad our kids feel comfortable and relaxed here.  SOOOO glad I had all that chicken in the freezer.

SOOO glad we have the family we do...

Jeff and Deb and Grace and Charlie, with Aaron in the background

Cousin Cody with Charlie, looking at pictures of Cody working on a crab boat

Auntie Debbie and Charlie check out the Christmas scrapbook.

Grace is just adorable...nuff said.

Watching the Muppets Christmas Carol, but NOT the scary part!!

AND, to top it all off...this is who visited my suet feeder this morning before Jeff and Debbie and Cody left for Oregon.  The first time I have ever been able to get a picture of him...

"My" pileated woodpecker.

So That's What You've Been Up To!

Lately it has been raining a lot (shocker!!), so we haven't seen much past the end of our own street.
However, today is so nice and cold and blue that I worked outside cleaning out gardens.

And this is the view from my kitchen window this afternoon.

Hello, I've been wondering when you'd come out of hiding.

What Says Your Name to Me?

Our tree, all decorated by Grandma and Charlie,
with serious help from Grandpa on the whole lights thing.

Yesterday I went shopping for the Christmas packages for family members who live far away from us.

One of my favorite days of the year is the day (or days!) I go out all by myself and just get little "this-and-thats" for people.  I love thinking about each person and what they are like and what they might enjoy.  It makes for a long day, and sometimes an unfruitful one, depending on what don't I find out there, but I enjoy it every year.

Online shopping is great - I mean, in your sweats, nice hot coffee, no crowds, click and pay...but I like to get out in the real world and see what's what.

My favorite stores are the funky ones, the mom and pop ones, the second-hand ones, the antique ones, the book ones...oh, and also the craft ones.  It's fun to see whether I can find something original for each person.  Something that says their name to me.

This is also the year of hand-made.  I made a goal that many, if not most, of my presents for people would be made by me.  That has been fun, too.  So far, the goal seems to be reachable.

I read on one of my knitting blogs about a girl whose family limits the cost of presents for each person to $10.  She gets yarn in that price range and knits for her family.

Sort of like the Woman (with a capital W) in Proverbs.

Verse for the day:
"When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet."  Proverbs 31:21

Stay warm and well clothed, no matter what color.

(Disclaimer for Ed, though:  I didn't knit all those socks!  I got the Costco 12-pack.  Some times you just have to do the Costco thing.)