It’s Finally Over

No, not the year…Christmas!!  We just had our last Christmas celebration today and now we are done for another year.  We had a great Christmas but I gotta tell ya, we’re tired.  I would love to write something wise and wonderful to usher in the new year, but the sad fact is, I just don’t have it in me right now.  Maybe I’ll think of something later…like the next new year!!

Tonight we have the two local granddaughters here with us overnight while the parents have a date night.  Don’t think we’ll make it to midnight.  Here’s some of the ways we celebrated Christmas this year.



John was having a good time mugging for the camera as he and Joni showed off the gifts Bekah made for them.  It doesn’t show very well, but she etched the glass on these two jars.  John’s says “Dad’s Snacks” and Joni’s says, “Mom’s Cocoa”
She was very proud of her gift and she did a great job with it.




Then we went to Portland to celebrate with our daughter, Merry, and her family.




Grandson Mike thought the socks we got for his girlfriend, Delany, worked better as ear warmers.



Oldest grandson, Timothy, also got in on the Duck shirt craze.




On Friday we had middle son Josh, his wife, Arwen, and Cailin and Emmie over for a waffle breakfast and another round of gift opening.



Emmie was so happy with the new marbles…. special thanks to Judy for being my secret shopper and sending these all the way from Texas.



Grandpa got some marbles too, but we all know who will end up with them.



Against my better judgment, Grandpa got Emmie the one thing on her list we know would not be coming from her parents…a remote controlled spider.




Around Halloween time this year, we were dropping the girls off at home and I snapped a quick picture of them at their front door.  It turned out so cute and colorful, that we had it made into a blanket for Josh and Arwen.




Today we met our youngest son, Joel, his girlfriend, Annette, Annette’s daughter Sarina, and our two grandsons Brendan and Corbin, at a local pizza parlor for lunch and presents.  Sarina’s twin sister, Olivia, was not there as she broke her arm on Christmas eve and was feeling a bit under the weather.  We sent her gifts home with her mom.




And so … that’s a wrap!!  2011 slips slowly into the sunset and we will hopefully be in bed and fast asleep when 2012 makes its appearance.  Only one more “Big” day, and that is the Rose Bowl game on January 2 and then we will collapse for about a month!  GO DUCKS!!

It Was the Best of Times , it Was the Worst of Times

We started out yesterday morning with a great breakfast with Allen and Lolita.  They were on their way from their home in Corona, CA to visit with Allen’s family in BC.  We met at Denny’s right off the freeway and started our day with some great fellowship.  We were very happy to receive some homemade tamales from Lolita and I'll post some pictures of those soon.  Going to stream them up tomorrow – and I can hardly wait.  Thanks guys!   That was the best of times!!





We were on our way to Portland to celebrate Christmas with our daughter and family…that was also the best of times.  More about that in a day or two.  We hadn’t planned on going to John’s house as they had been down on Christmas eve and we did their Christmas then.  This morning I was checking the computer one last time before packing it up and putting it away prior to our trip home.  I saw a FB post from John and that is where the worst of times comes in.

It was time.  His cat Pita has been ailing for sometime and finally he knew that nothing more was going to work.  Her time had come.  We hurried to his house and Pita raised her head and greeted me when I called her name.  She could not get up, but she always knows Grandma.  John lovingly gathered her in his arms and we drove them to the vets office where Pita crossed over Rainbow Bridge.  It was a heartbreaking event for all of us, but especially for John.  He has had Pita for 13 years and loved her without reservation.  We were all somewhat better once it was over as we know Pita is at peace and no longer in pain.  There is a quotation that goes something like, “a man is never taller than when he stoops to help a child.”  I think that should also include…"as when he loves a pet.”  Rest in peace Pita… we love you.

Pita checks out John's pork enchiladas, August 16, 2009

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

We Pulled a Sneaky!!

The Children were nestled all snug in their beds
When Grandpa and I drove away in our sled
Away to the Pancake House we flew like a flash
I had the pancakes and Grandpa had hash.

The sun as it rose, and the fog and the clouds
Covered the Hills with a magical shroud



My nose how it reddened, by cold wind ‘twas bitten
But each hand was warm in its Maple Leaf mitten (Thanks Doug and Sue)



While out in the sled, in great anticipation
Awaited the dogs for their share of the bacon



They each took a turn, (they are always polite)
Of those two bacon slices, they finished each bite.



We jumped in our sleigh, and we went down the road
We stopped at the market then to our abode
The girls were just fine and the house was still standing
We pulled in the driveway for a perfect “sleigh landing”

So as a reward, we went to a movie
Saw Happy Feet Two, and it was sure groovy
Came home and we fixed them hot chocolate and snacks
Now two have gone home, we can “kinda” relax



What tomorrow will bring we really can’t say
But this has sure been... one heckofa day!!

This is Why I Haven’t Been Blogging Much!!

Really no words needed!!

Bekah and Anna show off some of their decorating skills.  Bekah especially liked this nutcracker she found in the attic.  She wanted to know just what goes on in this house.  I told her that nutcracker sang "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" one too many times.

Had our youngest son, his two boys,  his girlfriend and her two girls over today for a Christmas visit and a few snacks.  The girls helped!

When the other two granddaughters heard there was a "party" they wanted to be included too.  How can I say no??  So we had 8 Kids from 7-14 doing crafts in the craft room today.  Punkin the cat supervises from a safe perch!

Now we are going out to look at lights and visit a live Nativity scene.  Wish me luck!!  It's only the four girls and us for the time being...tomorrow will be another story.

Aww Nuts, Donna Wants a Turn

Yup, it’s me, Donna, taking a break from all my busy stuff.  I made some yummy nuts today and I wanted to share the recipes with the gals…so you guys can just sit back and wait for Russ to return…

Every year I like to make two kinds of nuts.  One is sugar walnuts.  Here’s the recipe…very simple

Two egg whites, slightly beaten
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 lb. walnuts

Beat the egg whites until foamy.  Mix cinnamon and sugar together and add to egg whites.  They should be about this consistency. 

Stir in the walnuts, making sure they are well coated with the sugar and egg mixture.


Spread nuts on a well –greased cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes at 275F.  Check nuts after about 15 minutes to make sure they aren’t burning.  They are ready to stir when they are looking dry and crunchy on top and are somewhat white.  After about 25 minutes, stir the nuts well and repeat the baking process.  Nuts should be very dry with the syrup all baked and crunchy.


Scrape the nuts off onto waxed paper to cool.  Do this right away or they will be cemented onto the cookie sheet!  Don’t worry about the stuff left on the cookie sheet, a little hot water will dissolve it right off.  Cool the nuts completely and store in an airtight container….or if you have an experience like I did today…toss them in the garbage!!

Actually the recipe and all the steps listed here are fine and my first batch turned out yummy.  HOWEVER, for my second batch I used nuts purchased at the store in those little plastic bags.  It was the Fred Meyer brand and so I thought they would be good.  I thought they smelled a little “off” when I opened the bag but I figured it was just me and spent all the time and effort making these anyway.  When I was done I tasted one.  YUK YUK YUK!!  They tasted like old chemicals.  I think it may just be because my first batch was made with fresh nuts I bought (of all places) at my hair dressers.  One of the gals who works there brings in nuts that her church sells as a fund raiser.  The church owns the tress, harvests and dries the nuts and sells them for $7. per pound.  You have never tasted better nuts.  No nasty preservative taste or smell.  The nuts are sweet and not at all bitter, like some walnuts can be.  So I sent Russ to take back the Fred Meyer nuts and go out to the hair salon and get some more nuts there.  I even bagged up the nuts I had already made and sent them back to Fred Meyer too.  When even Russ won’t eat them, you know they’re bad!!!

Here’s what Russ had to say about his adventures in walnuts.



Next I did Burnt Peanuts and those are easy and tasty too.

2 cups RAW Spanish peanuts (NO substitutions)
1 Cup white sugar
1/2 Cup water
1 tsp. red food coloring (optional)

Bring sugar, water and food coloring to boil over medium heat.  Add the peanuts and cook, stirring often, for 12-15 minutes.  Don't burn them!  All syrup should be absorbed and the nuts should look kinda dry.  Spread nuts on well- greased cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 300F, stirring every 10 minutes.  Turn onto waxed paper to cool and store in air tight container.  YUMMY!




Sooo, that’s it from me…back to my kitchen I go!!

Evil twin vanquished

Thanks to my (Russ) superior technical skills, I have re-gained control of this blog from Scrooge McDuck. Russ  will now continue with his regular coverage.

It’s been cold and foggy here in Eugene, lately.



We decided it would be good to warm up at our favorite breakfast place.


Sue & Doug might recognize this restaurant, since we met them here for breakfast when they came through Eugene this year. It was lots warmer then, however!
And, that’s not their Jeep.




Donna made me pose in front, so she could get a shot of my new haircut, but I fooled her, and didn’t take off my stocking cap…too cold!  We wanted to hurry inside and get some nice warm coffee cups in our freezing cold hands.
       Donna has her Holiday Finery on and looks very festive. She’s in full bore “Getting Ready For The Grandkids” mode right now, and this was a nice break for her. Notice, she still won’t let me take a picture of her hair before she gets it cut. She’s worse than I am.

This is one of our favorite waitresses wearing her Christmas Hat complete with blinking lights. She was in a commercial for the restaurant that was aired during the final Oregon Ducks football game of the season. This place is near campus and very UofO oriented in all respects.


 
Donna loves breakfast here better than anywhere else! She felt much better after having a great breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes (the ketchup was only for me).She really missed having their great pancakes.

 

 

Our grand daughter Emmie came over to show us her yellow belt in martial arts……. now she can REALLY beat grandpa at marbles…

No matter how hard I try, I'm still loosing all my marbles!  

 

 

Thought this was a sign of warmer weather to come, 

but it’s NOT!

 Well, I better wrap this up for you, so have a wonderful day, and we’ll get some more good stuff soon.

Gift Ideas for your favorite RVers

Admittedly, you may not have the huge piles of cash that are in my vault, but I’m sure that there will be something here that you will just have to get for someone!

Most RV’ers are looking to either upgrade or downsize.
You can find something here that might fit:
This is one of the newest,  most expensive RV’s in the world. You can see more about it here .

I think this one came out in 2006, and was pretty nice.

You wouldn’t have to worry about pulling a toad.









If you wanted to get something a little simpler, you might like this.








 This would be the ultimate downsized RV. You can buy the plans online. Would probably fit most budgets.









This is a really nice RV for boondocking in style. You could go anywhere.





Then there’s this ultimate boondocking vehicle that could take a lot of food and water so you could really be out there for a long, long time.

O.k. let’s get more serious here…

Who wouldn’t want to have a new camera, with a reasonable price like this?






 Or, a nice bike for those quick rides around the local area when you don’t feel like walking?








What grand son would not be excited to get a pedal car like this under the tree!





  This bear would give anyone a warm cuddly feeling, wouldn’t it?

 This specially designed laptop computer would be perfect for any blogger.

So, maybe none of those gifts are anything of interest. Here are a few more to consider.


 For that handy man in the family, this bare bones RV would be perfect. This could be built anyway you want!




How about a nice off road vehicle like this. 













If you live where there’s any chance of snow, you really could use one of these. Very practical.








Here’s a little cartoon that will resonate with most RV owners.

Coming soon…virtual gifts for blogger friends.
Stay tuned.