Winter Break 2011

Winter Break started for me on December 19th at 6pm. It has been a fun filled adventure ever since.

Hike on December 21 -Pipeline Trail in Millcreek Canyon

Peppermint Fudge!

Hair Cuts for Xmas

For hiking in icy conditions

Very Cold Xmas Eve Morning

Band Practice on Christmas Eve Morning for that evening

My favorite - hot wassill

My own special dessert at my in laws - raspberries and cream

Toy in hubby's stocking

Tran-siberian Orchestra Concert on 12/28

Waiting for the concert to begin

It has begun! What fun!

Prime Rib dinner after Concert - so good

China our youngest cat

Hike on 12/29

No snow but lots of mud and ice

My trail shoes - made it much easier

Tacos from LST - after hike food

Fergie has decided to become a lap cat

China snoozing while I am on the computer.

I can't believe how quickly this break has gone. It was been a lot of fun.  The hike before Christmas with our friends seems like a month ago instead of just over a week ago.  The next day they flew to Washington to spend the holidays with family.  We have missed them a ton.  Then on Christmas Eve morning hubby took our other friends - H and J to the airport so they could fly to Kansas to spend the holidays with her mom and step-dad.  It has been quite different around here without all of them. Not quiet but different. 

Just before the holidays we went from a three cat home to a two cat home.  We have missed our older cat but as she was the wire chewer since she has been gone it has allowed us to open up more of our home to the other two cats.  The personalities in the two cats has also changed, they are more social and more vocal.  I have been able to get more photographs of them.  It has been really nice. We have moved several things around in our house as we no longer have to worry about cords being eaten.

We are getting ready to go to a friends home for the New Year's. We are looking forward to H and J coming home tomorrow afternoon. We are picking them up from the airport!  Woo hoo!!!!  I am so excited to see them. Then on Monday, late, Bear and A and E come home.  I sense a major dinner party and debriefing sometime in the upcoming week.

I have had a good 2011 overall.  I am looking forward to the adventures of 2012.

Merry Christmas All!

Winter Christmas Hike

Warm feet on a cold day

Hubby washed all of our woolies as the weather is very cold. Here is a sampling of our collection.

A Sock on the needles

Finally cast on a pair of socks as I have been knitting other items that I forgot to take pictures of and forgot to put on Ravelry. This yarn was dyed by my friend Bea. These are my high school colors.

A little knitting

So I worked a little on non ornament knitting yesterday before heading to mom's for Thanksgiving dinner.

All dressed up for the holidays!

The only knitting I have been doing is ornaments for my tree. However they dress up the chessmen quite well!

Mitten, MItten, whose got the mitten?

I do, finally!  I have said every year that I want to knit mittens for myself.  This year I finally completed this task before winter really hits.  Now they just need a bath and block and they will be ready to go.

I am doing some other knitting for Christmas that I am not ready to share quite yet but I will soon!

Veteran's Day

Halloween

As many who have read my blog before knows I am not the biggest fan of Halloween.  While I love fall, not so much Halloween. I don't like to get scared for any reasons and I still believe there are monsters under the bed.  I liked Halloween as a kid, dressing up, trick or treating but since then not really.

Halloween hasn't been that positive of a day for me:
Six years ago on Halloween I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.
Five years ago I had my appendix out.
Today I had nine crowns put in  - which wasn't too bad. My mouth is sore but no real pain.

But this year I have sorta changed my attitude (slightly). I have a new friend that really loves Halloween and through their passion of the Halloween I no longer totally hate Halloween. In fact I sorta embraced it by knitting a pumpkin patch. 

This was a lot of fun and it was fun to share the pumpkins with my friends. (okay, some haven't gotten theirs yet but they will.)

One of those Days

While today is a beautiful sunny day, unfortunately it is very chilly.  But at least my front porch looks cute.

I love pumpkins on the front porch.  It makes me want to make some pumpkin spice coffee. But before I do I thought I should show you how my day is going.

Yes, that is one of my temps. I can't get into the dentist until tomorrow night.  Luckily I don't have any pain from it yet.  Well I am off to make some coffee.

Monday, October 24

Monday was a great day. I had a productive day at the gym and in the office.  We finished the day up with dinner with friends at our favorite place. 

It was a great night to eat outside before the weather changed to more fall like temperatures.  We enjoyed tacos and great conversation.  We headed home for homemade hot cocoa that was like drinking a liquid brownie.  So very yummy!!! 

I finished the socks I was working on for the last few weeks.

Now I am working on a few little knitted pumpkins for Halloween and the Thanksgiving. More pictures to follow.

A great way to start the week!

Breakfast outside on patio!!! I think it might be able to start the week after all!
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A Small Gathering!

We gathered together last night to celebrate H's birthday. Lots of food and fun!!!

It was so much fun, I can't wait for the next time!

Good Morning, Sunday!

This was a great way to start my Sunday morning out on the patio/deck! A little chilly but so beautiful!
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Not much knitting

I haven't knitted much lately. In fact, last night was spent mostly frogging projects.  The socks called S'mores were the first to go.  As socks are one of my favorite things to knit that if they stay on the the needles too long there is something wrong. So they were gone.  Then the shawl that has already been frogged once before and so it ended in the frog pond.  Then I had another pair of socks that I cast on yesterday that also got frogged as well as a baby sweater. 

So what do I have on the needles.  Well this shawl/baby afghan.

Then I casted on a different pair of socks last night.

I feel like I got a lot accomplished last night, even though it would seem that I went backward but I feel relieved to have those off the needles, as I never would have enjoyed knitting them. 

It looks like the weather has decided that summer is over as the temp when from 86 degrees on Monday to 49 degrees as a high today.

oh yeah it snowed a little today too!

Not a bug person

I already shared this on facebook, but as I was leaving home this morning to run errands before work, this BUG was on the front lock. I don't do bugs but I really don't like bugs in my place. Out in the wilderness that is fine, that is their turf. So it took me a moment to lock the door....yes I thought about not locking it but I couldn't leave unlocked. Yes, I did freak, I didn't scream but one of my dear friends (at least one of them) screamed for me when they saw it.
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Fall Food

Gluten free pumpkin streusel pudding!!! It smells wonderful. Have to wait until tomorrow night to taste.
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Fall is coming!

Despite the warm temperatures, fall is on its way.
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Great Friends

I have to admit that I have some awesome friends.  But there are four people right now that my husband and I spend a lot of great time together.  Two are my wonderful neighbors, A and E and then our friends that are like family H and J.  We have gone camping together, visit together, watched football together. (The wonderful Utah vs BYU game last week, all of us cheering for Utah).  Both A and I are gluten free and the rest support us and eat everything that way along with us. 

So why I am mention them today especially? Well today was a big dental appointment for me. Those who follow my blog know that several years ago I had all my top teeth crowned all at once. Well today was the crown prep for 8 of my bottom teeth.  I have two implants that are in process and the others are crowned.  So in the least you could say eating was going to be mushy to say the least. Normally it is shakes and applesauce. Both can get very boring very quickly.  Well my dear friends made sure it wasn't. While I still had my normal peanut butter chocolate milkshake after the 3+ hour appointment, I was gifted with some amazing food at dinner.

H and J brought and cooked, J's wonderful mexican dip full of flavor and goodness. (Mine had to be put through the blender but it still tasted awesome). I look forward to the leftovers tomorrow, but I also look forward to having it again some other time with tortilla chips.  No picture of these dip as it sort looks like baby food and not at all pretty. But very, very good.

Then a little later A and E brought over rice pudding, oh my goodness.  It was so very, very yummy and beautiful.  They had found a recipe that was more like the rice pudding that the Indian restaurants serve.  I felt so very, very spoiled. 

I am truly blessed by my friends and I look forward to spoiling them back.  I did get extra servings of the rice pudding, and I am sorry but I am not sharing. Well maybe a little with hubby as I can't eat the nuts yet. 

Anniversary Dinner

Tuesday was our 14th wedding anniversary.  I can't believe how fast the time has gone.  We believe in making the most of our anniversary and celebrating it in little ways over the course of September through the first week of October.  But on the night of our actual anniversary we did have a really nice meal at the local Indian restaurant that we were taken last week by our friends. We tried several new dishes this time.

Onion Bhaji-my favorite from last time

Gluten Free Bread (Naan but they call it something else)

Bombay Paneer

Chicken Coconut Kurma

Delicious Rice

Kheer

This was the most delicious meal and now I can't wait to go back.  We did have a chuckle as we had the same waiter as last week but this time he told as about the gluten free bread, which was heavenly.  He did apologize for not telling us last week.  We immediately text our friends about it and they went up there today and enjoyed it.  I think I can talk hubby into going for it soon.  Mom is always up for an adventure and so is Dad...so maybe one day soon!