TNDC White Elephant 2018

Classic TNDC shenanigans at the TNDC White Elephant party!  Highlights included:

• Googly eyes on Paisley's butt
• A poop emoji plunger
• Skid mark tight whiteys
• A men's meeting in the garage (not sure why they all decided to stand out there) - Patrick mooned them!
• The box game with "loser gift cards"
• Way too much beer being consumed - Kody had to spend the night
• Special guests - The Chubbuck Family from Colorado
• Teaching everyone how to do the "crow" yoga pose - Mr C did a somersault!
• Amanda was pulled over on the way home because someone had stolen a Range Rover - Paisley growled at the officer!

The one thing missing -- the Tia's who were in Mexico.

Avery FaceTiming with the Tias

Mikey's fish tank with gold fish taped to the side

Big Dan got the boat book!

Kyle's crow

Go Cindy!

Oh Kayla!

23rd Birthday

We had a family dinner of a giant prime rib to celebrate Drew's birthday!  Happy 23rd to you!

Cantata

Every year we go to Grandma Anna's church Cantata Service.  It is a great way to get into the Xmas spirit.  We all really enjoy it and Grandma loves having us there.

Feeling and Looking Good!

My Dad was in the hospital for the second time in about 5 weeks in mid-December.  I, of course, was concerned about him.  A couple days after he was released I sent my mom an email asking how he was feeling and I got this picture back!  I guess this is one of those times where a picture is worth a thousand words!  He looked and felt great!   As one of my friends said....he's doing better than the rest of us.

Christmas Decorations

Drew decided this year that he wanted a real xmas tree in SJ.  That was ok with me as long as he planned the details and I just went along for the fun.  Which is exactly what happened! We went tree hunting on a beautiful sunny day and cut down a big tree.  The dogs got to go and we did a little four wheeling.  The only thing missing was hot chocolate!

We came home from the hunt and decorated the house.  Grace is usually the master of decorating so we missed her but I was happy to have Drew step into her place.

Final Product

Oops

Santa Collection - including the needlepoint done by my Great Aunt

Celebration Time!

Let's all stop and celebrate.....I just paid Drew's LAST tuition payment! Woot!

Wow - does that feel good!

Rain....and snow!

The rain has been coming down here in the 'hood, which means snow in the mountains.  Jim and Drew are obsessively checking snow levels and road conditions and have started getting ready for the first ski trip of the season.  I walked out in the garage this morning and found ski poles hanging from the fishing poles - they had been painted last nite and were drying.  And Jim's now board was out to be waxed.

Thanksgiving 2018

I forgot to take any pics on Thanksgiving so it will be remembered in our memories!  It was a Thanksgiving that we were extra thankful for after the last few months of hospital stays for Grandpa Roy, Grandma Anna and Grandpa Tom!

We gathered at my folks house and feasted on low sodium, gluten free and vegetarian food.    We are all so needy!

Missing were Jim - who was getting over a virus and Drew and Amanda - who were in AZ with Amanda's family.  We were so happy to have G home for her first visit from college.

Wreath Project

G and I went to Dig today in Santa Cruz for a wreath making project.  We used fresh pine boughs and other greens and topped with air plants and succulents.  It was such a fun project and we love having them hanging on the front doors!

Wood floors

Apparently we are really hard on our wood floors.  We have been talking about getting the floors refinished but were always hesitant because of the dogs.  The dog scratches didn't bother me that much but the gray spots did.    So we finally decided to just do it.  These are "before" pics.

Below are "after" pics.  It looks brand new and sooooo much better! It makes me wonder why we waited so long.  It also made me realize that its time to paint all the walls.

Below are pics of the area while the work was being done. What a mess it was and it took all week to get it done.

Crab Season

Commercial crab season opens on November 14 and although Jim is not crabbing anymore, he does help Captain Dan out.  This year he has been working on this crab table.  I am not exactly sure what he has done, but it involved welding!  And was moved in and out of my garage.

Frisbee Injury

Grace is loving playing on an Ultimate Frisbee team....except for this weekend when she ended up with a knee injury!  Hopefully it is nothing serious - she is giving it a few days to heal.

Sick Time

Last week my Dad spent 5 days in the hospital fighting what we believe was a nasty virus.  My mom and I took turns staying with him because he was so sick we didn't want him alone.   He spent the whole time in isolation so we had to wear smocks and gloves and even had to wear masks at first.  Thank goodness he finally feels better.