Preparing for Christmas

 I'm trying not to stress, but it's so hard to say "no" during the holidays. Ideas pop into my mind and I want to do everything. Every craft. Every candy. Every quilt.

Let's start with caramels. Should I dip them in chocolate?

The tree is up, but not decorated yet.

Why not make a cute make up bag?

The reverse is just as cute.

Oh, good. My shipment of 11 lbs of chocolate arrived from Amazon. I just need to pack these in 1 lb packages with my FoodSaver.

Why not make some ornaments with my parents' pictures?

My dad was a handsome Naval officer.

My mom was a beauty queen in the Rose Parade.

My ancestors in Sunday School class in 1887.

Happy Thanksgiving

 Usually I'm exhausted by the end of Thanksgiving, but this year I tried to stagger the work out a bit. If I can get Paul to deep fry the turkey, then the oven is all mine. The trick is to get the orange rolls to come out of the oven at the same time as everything else is ready. Usually I forget something.

Berry Delight and Broccoli Salad can be done on Wednesday. Pumpkin pies are a morning affair. If I make Smitten Kitchen's green been casserole, that takes a while. Plus mashed potatoes and stuffing. Luckily, Howard likes Satin Pie, which needs no help from the freezer.

That's how I feel.

Let the little ones enjoy a movie or someone's phone. Happy Thanksgiving.

The Lack of Power

 I started Monday in such a good mood. I stitched up these little gifts because our YaYa quilting group meets on Tuesday. But as soon as I was done, the power went out.

Sometimes I check the PUD outage map to see how Everett is doing. If they aren't out of power, we get more trucks. On Tuesday I left for Mount Vernon to enjoy the day quilting. Not much was going to happen at the house with no power.

Naomi's Blessing

 We were happy to go to the Snohomish building to see Naomi blessed on Sunday. Pam and Howard brought up Bonnie from Edmonds and Grandma Megan came from Utah for the event. I love our growing family!

Jack not name; Jack job

 Sorry for throwing in a Muppet Movie line, but Jack has two jobs. One is at Cabela's and one at Costco. Luckily, they are just down the highway from each other. He is working insane hours. I'll be happy to see him on Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Naomi Visits

I loved having Naomi come visit yesterday. She is still a wee little girl and her needs are few. 

Who is asleep and who is awake?

Grandpa practices his swaddling skills.

Naomi and Friend Owl.

Bighorn Sheep

 I looked out my window this morning and saw a bighorn sheep in the backyard. We have many strange animal sightings on the island, but not this. Barb down the street swears she saw the elusive cougar that appears occasionally. This huge sheep does not seem like an island native.

I ran out to take pictures. At the point where he arrived at the pond to get a drink, I got nervous.

He wandered away by the afternoon hours and I never saw him again.