Mike and Heidi

CREW Utah held its members' Christmas party at the McCune mansion on December 11, 2014.  As I greeted my friend, Angela Kesselman, chairman of CREW events, at the party, she said, "I invited Mike and he said he'd come."  Mike is a favorite with the CREW ladies, since he hosted a CREW party this October at his house.  I had to leave the McCune Mansion party early, but I was pleased to receive this photo of Mike and his friend Heidi, who did attend the party.  Angela took the photo and sent it to both of us. 

Waffles with the Ward

 "Come as if it's Christmas morning."  Those were the instructions for our ward party, held Saturday morning, December 6, 2014.  Tom Horne wore the tops from a set of pajamas, and his wife wore the bottoms.  I came dressed in my leopard-spotted, knit sleepers, with Grandma Calder's wooly socks with skids on the bottom.  David refused to appear in what he really wears to bed.  All of us laughed a lot and downed great quantities of waffles, ham, fruit, and gallons of chocolate milk.

 Wilma Livsey won the prize for best nightwear.

 Lindsay McSweeney wore adult-sized flannel pajamas with feet that matched those of her baby, Grace.

Christmas sweaters were another big item.  Jewel Cutler was at the party with her twin sister from our ward.

 Harry Henshaw looked great in his Batman pajamas.

 Eric Monson wore striped pajama bottoms and slippers.

 Even our high councilman came dressed for Christmas morning.

While the Cat's Away

Camille and Steve ran the California Marathon in Sacramento during the weekend of December 5, 2014.  Jono was in Las Vegas with his lacrosse team and Annelise stayed with friends, but Emilie, Sophia, Ezra, and Mia came to stay with us.  We planned a full schedule.  "I believe in running kids hard," I told Camille and she agreed, "I do, too."  On Friday night, we ate at Noodles (mac-n-cheese, what else?) and then saw the movie, "Penguins of Madagascar."  Dave and I slept through most of the movie and decided that was just as well.

 

Ezra wanted waffles for breakfast on Saturday morning.  "Would pancakes do?" I asked and he shook his head.  Waffles it was, with fresh fruit and syrup.

Our big outing for the day was the Festival of Trees, at the Expo Center.  We bought the little kids lots of coupons for the Kids' Craft Center.  Sophia, Ezra, and Mia all fished for prizes.  Sophia and Mia got their fingernails painted and made Christmas ornaments.  Emilie was more interested in the displays of trees, wreaths, and gingerbread houses.

One uniquely Utahn version of a gingerbread house is a scale model of a Mormon temple.  There was both a Salt Lake Temple and a Manti Temple.

We ate supper at The Spaghetti Factory.  We told the kids stories of when their mom worked there as a hostess, and how Jonny and Michael begged, week after week, to go to The Spaghetti Factory for family night.  In the evening, Dave and I had a "date night" at the symphony and Emilie found a good TV movie for the little guys at home.

I have promised the Ebert children a repeat of the English tea I fixed for them a year ago.  After Church, we laid out a lace tablecloth and Grandma Rose's flowered china.  Mia and Sophia helped me pat out English scones.  We split them, filled them with strawberry jam, and layered fresh strawberries and whipped cream over the top.  The New Zealanders and Australians call that a "Devonshire tea."  We served it with hot chocolate, poured from a tea kettle.  

While Dave and Ezra watched a ball game on TV and Emilie did her homework, I took Sophia and Mia to the Museum of Natural History to see the horse exhibit.  "I don't like horses much anymore," Sophia confided.  "The teacher at my horse camp last summer wasn't very nice to me, so now I don't like horses."  I hope I don't poison my grandchildren's view of something by not being nice enough to them!  

 

Sophia and Mia liked the horses, but they liked basking on the top porch of the museum, looking out at the city, even more.

We hurried home to Grandpa, who cooked his famous hamburgers for dinner.  Annelise joined us, as did Mike and his friend, Heidi.  Steve and Camille were soon home, as well.

First Party

I had told our contractor and designer for months that we really needed the house done for Christmas.  Our first party, I warned them, was December 4, 2014.  When I left the house on the morning of December 4, there were canvas splash rugs all over the living room and the rock fireplace was only half finished.  When I got home at 5:30, the fireplace was done, all the way to the ceiling, the splash rugs were gone, and the living room, family room, and kitchen gleamed.  "It's exquisite!" exclaimed one of the guests.  The partyers were the women lawyers of Durham Jones & Pinegar, who assemble once a year for a Christmas dinner.

Thanksgiving

Mike and the Eberts joined us in St. George for Thanksgiving.  Our St. George house is the perfect place to warm up in the winter, relax, and spend time as a family.

 Mike polished his piano pieces while Jono and Ezra relaxed.

 Steve contemplated over his cereal.

 "Thumbs up," Mia decided.

Camille and I did major shopping at Albertson's, making sure to include everyone's favorite Thanksgiving foods--turkey, but also cornbread stuffing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, Brussels sprouts and shredded carrots, homemade cranberry sauce, red jello with pomegranates, baked mushrooms stuffed with cream cheese, and, of course, lots of pumpkin pie.  Only the rolls failed.  I am not yet ready to join the neighborhood superstars in roll-making....

 After dinner, the family relaxed with board games and/or an extra slice of pie.

 On Saturday, we hiked the Three Ponds Trail in Snow Canyon.  The red rock vistas were gorgeous.

Steve, Mike, Dave, and the big kids pushed forward along the sandy trail towards the ponds.  Camille and I hung back with Mia and Sophia, who were more interested in playing in the sand than hiking in it.

"Let's try for a Christmas card photo!" Camille suggested.  When we have Mike with us to take the pictures, any photo is frameable.