Its beginnning to look a lot like Christmas!

I love Christmas. Not for the presents, but for the joy that the presents bring.

Conor is wearing the Australian hat from Nick and Jude, Chris' parents. The hangy-down things are to keep the flies away... a must for those in Australia. Not quite essential wear here in wintery Idaho... but it looks cool!

Kevin is definitely prepared for a hot, sultry day.

I love ripping the paper. Isn't that the point?

Miss Shelley laughing at the merriment of the moment.

And a little relaxation after all the fun. It is great to have a full house at the holidays. That was my best Christmas present!

Second day of Winter

And all my children were snug in their own beds last night, and will be again for the next week. LIFE IS GOOD!

Thanksgiving 2009

I just want to take a minute to reflect on those very important folks I am so blessed to know. I hope you all had a safe and happy day.

A heartfelt thank you to my family for a memorable and emotional dinner. I love you all so much. The dinner was amazing, and being all together (except for a few loved ones across the country and world) was the greatest feeling.

Back row: Don, Mom, Ernie, Chloe, David, Brigette, Andrew, Olivia, Charlie, Alison, and Sawyer. Front row: Kevin, Ali, Sam, Skip, Hugh, Tina, Lance, Sam, and Charlie.

Me, my brother Charlie, my mom, my brother Lance, and my sister Sam.

Thanksgiving surprise

After all the surprises I received for my birthday, I decided it was my turn to do the surprising. So no one but my sister knew we were going to Virginia for Thanksgiving. So when my mother arrived today, Kevin and I went into the basement and Skyped Sam upstairs as if we were at home in Idaho.

So the stage is set... mom knows nothing. I said the connection was bad and that I would call back later. Sam loaned me a floppy hat, and I had my nephew and his girlfriend go upstairs with me, Kevin in tow with the camera. I wanted to see how long it would take for her to figure out it was me and get her reaction.

Here it is:

A perfectly executed plan. It was brilliant!

A Florida Birthday

Miss Ann celebrated her birthday with us girls in Florida this past long weekend (see Beth's blog today for more details) Ann has never had a pedicure before, so we all decided it was a good day to all go get our toes painted.

And our feet and legs massaged and pampered.

Oh that tickles!

Look at those gorgeous birthday toes!

She makes a wish and blows out the candles.

Happy Happy Birthday Ann. We love you!

We all proudly display our beautiful toes.

A beautiful day in sunny paradise.

Rainy Portland

If you choose to live in the Pacific Northwest, you probably should get used to rain.

Portland is a beautiful city. I have been coming here on occasion since my friend Cheryl moved here a couple of years ago. We discovered Portland together. It is a very eclectic, dynamic city with a great public transportation system, and tons of galleries, art museums, and cause-driven organizations to keep anyone who has an ounce of civic-mindedness busy.

We discovered the Mercy Corps Action Center today in downtown Portland. I encourage you to visit this website and peer into what we all can be doing to make a difference in our world.

Cheryl flew me to visit her for my birthday present. We have been having a grand time eating, drinking wine, and walking everywhere.

I found this quote on the PSU campus, a walkway dedicated to women. I think it speaks volumes about me (thank you Mae West)!

If you can't read it: "When caught between two evils, I generally like to take the one I never tried."

HONEY!!!!!

The bees were busy all summer, and Kevin reaped the rewards on Saturday. Unfortunately, I was not here when he chose to harvest, so we have no photos of the process. Sorry guys, you will just have to wait until next year.

The process is pretty simple. First of all he wore his new bee suit! Then he fires up the smoker that will "tame" the bees who aren't ever very excited about having their honey taken. He pulls off the top level of the hive, and removes each of the 6-8 slats that the bees built the tiny wax containers for their nectar. He puts them in our centrifugal machine (kind of like a salad spinner) but large enough to accommodate all the slats, and spins the honey out.

We now have a ton of golden bee nectar.