The Twelve "Pounds" of Christmas

We had a wonderful holiday...
Such fun was had by all. We had our KS
kids and BYU coed and stuffed as much fun as we could in the days of Christmas.
Speaking of stuffed....
Anyone who knows me, knows that I get a thrill when it is time to cook...and cook we did...





Cookies decorated before Christmas just HAVE TO HAPPEN.

and it always includes a bit of silly....ok, a LOT of silly.

We then decided it was time for a few new traditions...how about temple square lights on Christmas eve? COOL...or should I say C O L D?

I just wanted to kiss this beautiful thing....but I had to resort to just scratching his chin and telling him how impressed I was with his great attitude on such a cold night...

Twas the night before Christmas and we had warmed up....

Christmas is really all about nine year olds and their older sisters.....
We did take some time from EATING to open presents....here our music man starts his family's traditional "spanish tortilla"....OLE'

We ate ourselves to near "FOOD COMA" so we decided it was time to do a winter state thing...

SLEDDING.......

We came home and warmed up and yes...ate some more and then headed over to Ted's for a little Christmas night concert and yes, MORE FOOD.

THe next day it was fun to load our Christmas ham plus fixins into Dora (the Explorer) and head up to Grandmas for MORE FOOD and another concert.

Here is Mr. DI who worked Christmas eve and still poses with a smile for the camera. IT was SO COLD in his work area!!

So, we are done for another year. All the food got eaten and now I am carrying some around on my thighs to remind me....now onto 2010.

video of song.....

Thankful

Somehow, moving brings so many new things. New house, new friends, new life. Can't say that I LOVE all these "new" things. But when you are forced to do things in your "new" life like having a holiday in the "new" place, you find out that you could really learn to LOVE

For instance, being close enough to your family that they will come and eat at your Thanksgiving table....pretty cool.

And for once we were the family that could take in a couple of sweet college nieces and a daughter that needed a table to put their feet under.Here we are doing pie dough...turned out pretty darn good...

oh, and when mom saw the roll dough rising on the counter said she sure was hungry for a cinnamon roll.....so we rolled em out and stacked em in...they were great appetizers.

We had unusual guests for dinner....haven't seen this pair for oh....about 20 years or so. I mean at Thanksgiving. Mom and Dad came to our house!! I convinced Dad to carve the meat....tradition!

it was great to eat together and talk about the silly and the strange and what we were thankful for....(I was pretty thankful to get to sit...)

We then served pies...ah yes, the pies...

I made just a few...cocoanut cream, raisen cream, black and blue berry, french silk, and Neil made two oreo cream and we bought a pumpkin. They were gone pretty quick but I am remembering them every morning when I put on my jeans.

THe high light of the day HOWEVER, had to be my great shopping find. I had been looking for some new nuetral color napkins and found a real deal in Ross. I was so proud of myself. I mean I found them on clearance and the price was just so phenomonal! 99 cents for four. I smiled all the way home. Of course, I bragged it up with everyone Thursday as we set the table...that is until I opened the package and saw the "real deal". Seems like there is never really a "deal" unless you are CATHOLIC....

NO WORRIES FOLKS....no one turned on their religion today. We just wiped up with em and tossed them in the laundry for a good soaking. ( a little sudsy baptism won't hurt em)

We decided on a new tradtion for this UTAH life....head on downtown to see a few of the lights they've been putting up since...SEPTEMBER.

We were not disappointed...just in my camera skills.

maybe if you squint, or turn off the lights, or shut your eyes.....

It was cold but beautiful. A nice tradtion to start.

"Octo-ver" move over...

One of my little kids used to call it that....I like it. SO, we have survived our first Octover in Utah. Generally it was ok. Halloween was cold and nasty for our one trick or treater from this house...she went as a "ghoulish fashionista".

Stacey went as a artsy..."cat fish" to her art club party. She came pretty close to winning that one.

Oh and speaking of cold....why does SL arrange for one of the most popular bloggers to come to a book signing at a "lettle" tiny bookstore??? REALLY?? For any of you out there that haven't clicked onto http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/, are really missing out. She is a world famous blogger and now has a great cookbook, that I ahem, took to get signed. Silly me. Thinking I would be one of a few..make that a few hundred women...yikes.

The line stretched down and around the block and then we found out that you needed a ticket with a letter on it. WE didn't have one. The waiting time was estimated to be about 4 hours. HA...my life is too short. I even offered to the new friends I had made in line, that I would sign their books and they could sign mine. Everybody laughed but nobody handed theirs over. Emma and I stood and chatted about and hour with all of our new friends and then called it quits. The "Pioneer woman" walked by me and I coulda tripped her, I was that close...it was enough.

Emma and I went and enjoyed an ice cream and called it a day. Here's proof that we were there.

Happy blogging.....

Maple-flavored day

Just a random day, I set out with my camera and my mp3 player set on Michael Buble's newest stuff, grabbed my golden-golden and I was off!

Enjoy the view....

ok, I just HAD to throw this last one in....made me laugh out loud. Then I came home and worked on this....

Still needs some work, but the juices are starting to flow again. The view from my deck at night is amazing....hmmmm.

Sick of boxes-sick of organizing-time for.... C R E A T I N G!!

Yeah,I am sick of boxes, sick of taking things out of boxes and looking for a place for it. And because living with part of it in storage for a bit, made it not so important.... like the one glass candlestick, the 2 red ceramic apples, 3 plate hangers and a partridge in a pear tree....HA.

I have decided that the place for some of it will be in a dark box somewhere in the basement.

Anyway, I am sick of looking for stuff that still needs a home and happy that so far I haven't missed it...

SO- with the change in the weather any of you that know me...know how much I love FALL.

LOVE THE COLORS-

of changing leaves,

of everyone else's mums in their yards (MAYBE NEXT YEAR FOR ME),

of the sky muted blue,

of pumpkin fields covered in orange polka dots,

the purples, and oranges, and rusts, and golds and glitters of the SEASON.

SO, I made some velvet pumpkins..

And Alicia and I have been on the quest to find the "perfect" chocolate chip cookie recipe....
this one is a pretty darn good contender. (According to Jacque', you must let the dough cure in the fridge for 24-36 hours to let the vanilla do it's magic.) They were pretty magic, but I haven't met a warm chocolate chip cookie that wasn't....

And I also found an amazing recipe for pumpkin muffins and I figured that they could be EVEN better with a coating of brown sugar frosting....mmm. THEY WERE.

But alas, Monday comes again and the boxes are calling...(stupid partridge wants a home on a shelf outta the box-) and I need to sort some more. But the holidays are coming and I saw a recipe for chocolate truffles that I need to try.....

Come on over-

It's been a rare event in our lives. This having family close by...

We've lived two different lifetimes- one where in FLorida we had babies and baby blessings, baptisms and birthdays (all "B" things....weird), anyway, with no family in the audience.

Even when we lived in WA it was an unusual thing to have family come.

And we are NOT blaming anyone....except maybe the airlines but that is another blog.

Now we have moved to a place with family in our neck of the woods and we "LOVE IT".

And when they fly in from the MIDDLE EAST -even better!!!

I've always wanted lots of people on my couch on a Sunday evening. Cousins and nephews and daddies all mixed up together....

And there were new cousins that had never met, but look like us...
And cute babies with aunties..

and a couple of real cute coeds on load from BYU....

AND THEY BROUGHT KEY LIME PIE....(I crave this all of the time....)

We had great treats to share and see the "little" brother acting so culinary and all...

oooo and here are the "middle children" holding the table down...


We laughed and told a few stories and watched a little football and an inning or two.

BUt it was over soon and everyone left and the couch was really empty again...

So we made promises to see each other a lot more of each other and who could say no to that?

On the banks of the mighty Mississippi....

We took our flyer miles and hopped a jet for Kansas to see Alicia and Brian who are starting a new life of graduate school in the land of Oz.We were first treated to a few numbers on the Kansas State University Organ by our favorite and most handsome son in law, Brian. Ate a few cookies by his sweet, clever wife and looked around Lawrence. We were impressed with the campus and this impressive bld.

It is a beautiful building constructed specifically for the organ... no pianos allowed.

As we drove along the green roadways of Kansas, and then Missouri, I was astounded once more with the beauty of this country. Yes, there are wide wheat fields but there are long pastures and fields and fields of green. And having lived in the desert for the past 11 years, I admit, I have missed the GREEN.

We stopped on a quiet hill and walked a little trail to the site of ADAM-Ondi-ahman....it was peaceful and serene.

It was a beautiful place and the "residents" were quite calm and friendly....
Then it was back in the car for more miles, and more miles. We got in around 11ish and found the missionaries still badged and waiting like they had just got home. IT WAS SO GREAT TO SEE MY MOM AND DAD!!!
We got up early the next day and met some of the locals....It was wonderful to meet and smell em....( only a farm girl would say that!)










We took a carriage ride and loved it.



ELDER TIBBITTS talked "shop" with the handler.

We were able to go to the new temple and do a session with our 3 generations.... now that was WAY COOL. (and that climbing to the top of the spiral staircase was pretty breathtaking-the view and the huffing and puffing.)

We went to the visitors center and I couldn't help but contrast the time I had been there before when Alicia was just 2 and Steven was turning 5. We were on our way to Florida.

This is now-looks like someone has been gardening.....

There was this really nice looking ,friendly missionary couple sitting there in the shade....
We then followed Parley Street to the end and took a long look at the mighty river.....Mom says she is really going to miss it. I suspect she will leave a part of her heart there....



We got up the next morning and attended Sacrament meeting with them....everyone was warm and friendly...they get trained to do that...



Here's that daughter of mine....trying for the favorite grandchild spot....
Then we were off in the car again-headed towards Carthage. It is always sobering and yet peaceful. The grounds just felt sacred.


Then we were "on the road again" and we stopped for a FINE Sunday dinner at a royal resturant....and it was time to get the queen home. We had eaten all the Twizzlers and cookies we brought. There is no place like home....

Pink and Purple Pony-ness

One of the greatest blessings of this move was being able to see my kids more often. And yes, with only a few days under our belt here, we were thrilled to see some Coloradoans on our doorstep! MY FAVORITE ONES...

We just moved some boxes over and let everyone in.....we had a special occasion to celebrate!

ELLA TURNED THREE!!
and we had some party making to do.

Alicia and Brian came up from Provo (he is our new " BYU Masters Degree" guy) and they brought our newest BYU coed...Rachel. They can make a mean Pica De Guyo (SP!!!) Some party decorations came in the form of "Let's help Dad with the new flat screen television." Thanks to Steven for loaning his brain and brawn for that one!

We asked our best photographers to come and snap the event...the tension was building and it was about more than the three year old to be could handle...and well everyone else wanted cake.

She opened lots of pink packages and got lots of ponies...



We sang, we ate cake, we laughed a bunch and Ella rode away into a pink and purple sunset.

(Well only to the deck and back...) What a perfect day! HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLA!!

A big ole slice of LIFE....

Yeah, I know it's been quite a while since I've posted...we moved out of our Washington house and into a hotel, and then across 3 states to the Idaho beautiful but boonies, and then into Don's Salt Lake City downtown apartment and then finally into our new digs in South Jordan. But somehow it wasn't that simple...let's just say that a picture is worth a bunch of words....

Reality smacks you in the face when the big orange truck pulls up to the curb....

leaving Washington in the rear view mirror was NOT easy....Stacey and I boo hooed for quite awhile....then Idaho came into view-We made some new friends....they loved the carrots we brought. All the rain in the Lost River Valley made it beautiful and green. It was wonderful to see water in the river.... We made a day trip to see the "National Craters of the Moon"....some things never change. Then it was back in the truck for more moving....to Don's apartment in the city. Goodbye, Idaho and visiting the City Library for our internet fix....Here is home...at last. (Check out that NICE lawn...)
I also had to make a street sign so everyone could find us....including the ambulance-See those "pods"? There were 4 truckloads with 4 of them on each. YIKES..man, Don has lots of stuff. And then there was the "sink" incident.....way to welcome us in. Grass day was a real upper....
We are now in....and trying this new life. It is a challenge...stay posted.

We don't have to LIKE it....

It's been tough week around here. Way TOO quiet, no giggling, no goof troop.

If you want to know what we were feeling , check out the sad sister in the green shirt. She really is losing her best friend.
That pretty much sums it up.We had Rachel 's wisdom teeth taken out. Did all kinds of kitchen shopping and then it was time-

Rachel and my money and my Mustang went off to BYU.

Growing up and out is not for sissies. And I know it is a great thing...

but I don't have to like it.

The spirit remembers much better than the body.

Wahoo! Let's hear it for volleyball! Let's hear it for Thursday evenings from 9 pm until late (try 11 pm and after!) Let's hear it for getting a real kick out of playing again after (ahem) 34 years.


Our stake has organized womens volleyball and boy, has it taken off. The first time I went there were barely enough for 4 teams. Last week we had double the number and we were getting ticked off because we came to play, not to sit on the sidelines.... (we are not getting any younger!)

But we have a GREAT time! There are all sorts of women there, young and tall, short and fat, and everything in between. We cheer for everything. And we laugh a lot. And we are pretty darn good too. Especially when we don't keep score...

Oh, yeah, we come home with a few bumps and bruises. And I stock up on Aleve before and after I go....and wish I could do that overhand serve that about takes someone's head off...so cool. I just keep doing it the old 1970's version and it still works pretty good. And I can hardly wait until Thursday.

Now you see it, now you don't-

I have been asking our realtors from day one if I needed to paint my kitchen a different color than red. No they would say. It's fine. RIGHT. 52 visits and six months later, I asked our newest realtor what she thought and she stammered and said that maybe it would be a good idea to get it to a more neutral color. DONE.....

And many might agree that it is calmer and more neutral and all that. But to me it is very sad. It is so not me. Hopefully someone out there will think it looks more like them. WE are praying that SOMEONE will!

Up, Up and Away

Every mom needs some down time. This mom did. So far the cleaning my house for 50 or so realtor visits thing has got me nowhere.....so southern CA seemed like a great plan.

How about Anaheim and the CHA (for all you scrapbookers, that is the symbol for paper and doo-dad heaven). But I mostly went to be with my favorite married daughter.....and best friend.

SHE is one hard working girl!! She must have tracked 500 miles back and forth looking at all the stuff and deciding what their company would want to buy. (She is a VERY important person there at ROBERT's)!

I followed her around for a day and my toesies finally starting barking at me so I sat down and read a novel and did some major people watching....

And then I spied these fancy shoes....little gems attached all over them! HMMMM!

These babies made my feet hurt just looking at them. But they were fancy! Too soon it was time to leave the sun (what I saw of it) and the birds of paradise... And jam all of our free samples and goodies into our suitcases and head to the airport....my SUPER daughter was able to get them all in the trunk! Woman, hear us roar!

Hey, leesh, thanks for letting me be a "ROBERT's buyer" and hanging with the gang. It was a real treat. It was a bit of mothers day for me. And I didn't have to clean a thing......

Drip, drip.

Man, what a difference a day or two can make.

Here is Christmas eve....

then came the chinook winds from the south....

And then it was drip, drip....all gone. This is Sunday morning...yeah, only 3 days later! It feels like March and I am wondering if I need to go out and tell my tulips to go back to sleep....

Christmas comes but once a year!

Oh, the weather outside was "frightful". And who ever was singing that song, kept repeating the chorus over and over and over and over..."let it snow, let it snow" and it snowed!!!
It was a "White Christmas" for sure. To kill a little time on Christmas eve, we took the kids and livestock to the famous "Carmichael sledding hill". We had a blast.



Then we came home and decorated cookies. TRADITION!!
(Gotta keep momma outta the frosting!) Here's Emma writing to Santa with a few minor corrections and additions.
We read the traditional "Twas the night before..." and even had a phone to phone connection to a homesick daughter in Minneapolis...
Thank heavens for cell phones....

In the still of the night, there was a reflection of the moon over the snow....gee I need to get to bed before Santa arrives...

We were brave. We complained a lot. But we did it and we had a great morning.

Yes, Christmas came to the Sleight house with no older siblings dropping in.

It was a great day.

"Playing Hooky"

Not often do you take a mini-vacation during the busiest time of the year....yeah, I did that and felt pretty darn guilty about the whole thing. Well, most of the time. The rest of the time, I had a blast!

Don and I had to go to Salt Lake for the company Christmas dinner. And Don was asked to "ask his son-in-law" to come and entertain the group. So he went all out and invited Kim Robison to come and sing also. THe company agreed to fly her to SL to sing for us. Wonderful.

We spent a long day looking at yet MORE HOUSES I CAN'T HAVE. (ok, yet). I find it to be sobering, tiring and darn right frustrating. Don finds more fun in the "HUNT" than I do. Could it be that cave man mentality? Ug-let's look at all the for sale houses. ARGHHH.

So after we got that chore done, we spent a wonderful evening taking in the lights on Temple square.

Ok, so I didn't mention and you can't tell by looking at these pictures how COLD IT WAS!!

So, we headed inside for a look at this goregous tree. Don wonders how they got that big ornament to stay ontop!! Such a kidder. We headed back to the Marriot and stopped for a second to enjoy the bagpipe music by this dedicated crazy guy in his kilt! BRRRRRR.

I spent lots of time shopping and enjoyed spending a bit of time with Alicia. I was hoping for a great big hint on what she would like for Christmas. We did find her a cute little black dress and some sassy red shoes to go with. Here she and Brian arrive for the evening festivities.

Kim looked fabulous in her sparkly outfit and sang like an angel.....That "O Holy Night" was just amazing. And of course, that cute couple at the piano are my favorite Utahns.

Then we ran over to the conference center for the dress rehearsal of the Tabernacle Choirs Christmas concert. Did I mention that we ran?? Yes, the man in charge really did charge over there...we had great seats to enjoy an amazing evening.

One thing about the church...they really do know how to do it up right. There were dancers, and bell ringers and singers and all. We clapped in great delight.

So how does one spend the last morning of "hooky"? I was shopped out. I was sick of being glared at and "waved" to when I was driving on the crazy freeways... only one thing left I needed to do. It took courage, and probably a little craziness thrown in for good measure. I went ICE SKATING!! It's only been oh, about 20 years since, but I was determined in my 15 year old mind to try it again. At the hotel there is a skating rink just outside the courtyard and i kept looking at the skaters with real envy. So I bucked up and strapped on the renters with a pit in my tummy. Would I fall on my face and crack out some really expensive teeth? Or would the joy of my youth winters return?

I am so thrilled to say that it all came back! It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, and the air crisp and not too cold. Only a few others to share the ice with. PERFECT. And I only biffed it once...and I scrambled right back up. (My neck is still complaining!) But it was like being a kid again...and the skates were phenomenal. No ankle fatigue whatsoever! Amazing! I skated for nearly an hour and only quit because it was time to pack the car for the airport. SWEET.

I really did enjoy the mini-vacation.

If only my Christmas stuff could have gotten done while I was away....now THAT would be my Christmas miracle....

"HotDog" Deja vu

"Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer weiner,

that is what I truly want to be....

cause if I were an Oscar Meyer weiner,

everyone would be in love with me!"

We heard it was coming.

We couldn't resist.

It is a tradition.

Picture takers welcome. Come sit a spell under the shadow of the biggest buns you've ever seen. Emma seemed as excited as my oldest kids were the day they saw it-oh, yeah about 20 years ago....

This is Steven, Alicia, and little boy Neil posing in front of the large meat tube in Salt Lake City.

We happened to be in town when it was there.

So fast forward about 20 years and there it appears again. More kids, more memories.

I am thinking I will be singing that tune for a few days to come......oh, I wish.....

Wonder "FALL"

Ok, so I admit it. I LOVE FALL! I love the crisp feeling in the air, and the chance to wear a sweater. (OK, and coat season is just around the corner and I LOVE COATS...)

But mostly I love the glorious colors that happen all around. Here are a few pics that I took on my walk the other day. ENJOY.....