Getting ready for Christmas!

So many photos to add, so little time. Here's a quick rundown of everything that's been sitting on my computer, waiting to be added.

Holly and Trevor continued the annual gingerbread house tradition.


We used the first gingerbread kit, oh, at least 9 years ago. I'm so glad this has become a favorite activity. Holly made the house this year; Trevor, the train.



Holly and Trevor wrapped presents. I found the best hiding place for Robert is in plain sight--in Holly's closet. He will never step that far into her bedroom, haha.


Lots of people sharing sweets and giving small gifts. These cookies were from two of our young library volunteers.


While eating dinner the other night, my stomach turned to hear the fire truck sirens going up and down the main road--and then it came to the end of our street. The truck was decorated for Christmas, taking Santa out. I'm not sure if he delivers gifts or visits children, or what, but when he saw me taking photos, he came over and gave me a candy cane. Holly and Trevor (and Robert) hid safely inside.
l

It's been cold, cold, cold for several weeks. Holly and Trevor planned to stay up and watch the rare solstice eclipse. At 1:30 a.m., they went outside to check the position of the moon. There was already quite a bit of cloud cover. At 2:30, Trevor gave up and went to bed. Holly and I went outside and were unable to see the eclipse, as low clouds had rolled in. Too bad. While the solstice eclipse is a rarity, there will be another total lunar eclipse in June (although I don't know if it will be visible in Virginia)(.

We drove out to Lynchburg for Christmas Eve service last night. Still feeling our way with this new church. It's big, harder to get to know people, and made even harder since we've not gone to anything other than Sunday morning services. It was a very nice drive, much less stressful since Robert drove--I dislike that drive in the dark, I'm too fearful of hitting a deer, or being hit by a deer.
l

We made a brief detour on the way home to swing by the Elks Retirement Home in Bedford.


The lights first began back in 1953. Now totalling over 50,000, the display is quite famous locally.


Traffic was bumper to bumper but moved nicely through the grounds.


By the time we got home, Robert and I still had the kids' gifts to wrap.

(Elks' home)

For years when they were little, I would end up staying up half the night, wrapping presents, decorating with ribbons and bows. I dreaded it but could never pull it together earlier than that. For the past several years, Robert's encouraged me by wrapping with me several days early. Our plans this year fell through. (Welcome to the dark side, honey!)

But it didn't end up being that bad at all.


Merry Christmas!!!!!

Shopping Day!

Beautiful morning after the snow.



"Shopping Day" has become a tradition that the kids look forward to. Usually we shop for Robert and go out to lunch. We don't have much to get him this year (he's already chosen his Christmas presents), so he came along.

Our first stop was lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant Alejandro's. Hey, we have our priorities. I tried to get a great Christmas pic of Holly and Trevor, and if I'd been successful, you'd see it here.



We went to the "old lady store" (according to Holly and Trevor), and Holly bought a pair of shoes (not "old lady" shoes though).



We drove to the mall and battled the parking lot. Trevor's been growing, and his pants from last year are a little short, so we bought him a couple of pairs of jeans. We wandered through the mall, admired the decorations, and people watched.

Uneventful, enjoyable, relaxing family day.

Hey!

We made the local newspaper! Isn't that sweet?!

Second snow!

We knew it was coming, and we were prepared. We figured out how to turn "Emergency Heat" on for the poor heat pump, which just does not heat up the house when it's 20 outside. I was scheduled to work but didn't go (they were not surprised), and Robert built a fire in the fireplace.



Soup began cooking on the stove, the kids did a little school work, and we played video games.



We drove around the corner to the soccer fields to use the saucers. We bought these after the big snows last year. To our complete surprise, there was not another soul sledding! Even Trevor remembers sledding in Colorado Springs, where there was always a crowd. We even brought Lucky along to run in the snow. I think he misses the old house the most, he no longer has the freedom to take off. The weather was almost perfect, low 30s, a little icy sleet coming down.



Robert dropped us off back at home, and he went to pick up a movie for later tonight. I made hot cocoa for Holly and Trevor.



I have to say it--what a huge relief to live on a road that is plowed by the state, to live five minutes from the grocery store, to not dread the possibility of losing power (we'd still have water; we have alternative heat).


It was a wonderful second snow of the season.

More friend time

Holly is not yet back to 100% and missed her biology class today. Trevor and I had plans to meet up with friends to paint pottery.



It's a laughable myth that homeschooled kids are unsocialized. The truth is that sometimes we should stay in more. :)

Tuesday

It's been bitter cold, lows in the teens, with highs near freezing, and winds bringing the wind chill close to 0. (Record-breaking low of 10, brrrrr.) Tuesday was supposed to be the kids' and my annual Christmas shopping day. We didn't have a huge day planned, just lunch and the mall, but we look forward to the tradition. Holly was sick over the weekend, not quite recovered, so we postponed our trip for later in the week.

The cold hasn't kept the birds away from the feeders.

Female cardinal

while her mate keeps watch

The cats are disappointed. They have to angle themselves well beneath the window to glimpse the birds, as we have no windowsill and no other good vantage point for them to birdwatch.

downy woodpecker

Friends came for for dinner later in the evening. They brought two beautifully wrapped presents for the boys to open.


I love that my 12 year old son is still thrilled at the idea of matching pajamas. They were so funny and excited! (And it doesn't get any better than Star Wars pjs, believe me.)

My wonderful friend also brought an amazing peanut butter and chocolate trifle for dessert. We pretty much ate, drank, and gambled our way through the night.


Or something like that.

Pics from Saturday night

Robert made eggplant parmesan. He's been working for years to find a good recipe. Isn't it gorgeous?



Meanwhile, Trevor did his famous random internet searches; I think this one had to do with "custom Lego minifigures." He's kneeling on the floor. When he has shoes on and I don't, he's taller than I am.



Lucky watched all with great interest.



We finally continued working on the Christmas tree.



The kids and I started decorating it at least a week ago and then stopped. I finished putting up the ornaments, Robert rearranged them all (not really). He does the big finale, putting on the tinsel. It's almost done.

At my house this morning

Nope, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Yet, anyway.

Chilly, foggy morning.





We had our first snow of the season last weekend, which dropped several inches depending on the area. I was working and brushed off 4" of snow from my car. There was much less at home, just an inch or two, not quite covering the grass.

It's been trying to snow again now, but it's a little warmer out. I don't think there will be much.

Dead giveaway

Some things just shout, "HOMESCHOOLED!"

My 12 year old son is chasing the cat through the house, chanting, "I am a jikininki, come to take your soul."

We are almost finished with The Ghost in Tokaido Inn and are looking forward to reading the second book in the Samurai Detective Series. This is great historical fiction, set in 18th century Japan. Combining a suspenseful mystery with details of samurai life, this story has many references to Tokugawa Ieyasu, Oda Nobunaga, and other samurai leaders easily recognizable to your kids. I'm also enjoying the book (I relish any time I can still read aloud to Trevor!), and he often will ask me to read just one more chapter. The beheading of a lead character in the book hasn't hurt either, haha.

This is the time of year when I remember making the wrenching decision to begin homeschooling. Who would have guessed nine years ago that we'd still be doing this? We are so blessed.

Recipe -- Make Ahead Turkey Gravy

I abhor store bought gravy. I am not that great at making turkey gravy, and most turkey holidays turn into last minute panics over what I may or may not be doing with gravy. This was the perfect solution--homemade, foolproof, and even made ahead of time.

The only thing I'll do differently next year is check out Alton Brown's turkey recipe, or any other option that cooks the turkey at a higher temp for a shorter amount of time. We'd planned to go to the movies yesterday, but the timing didn't work out with the four hour turkey.

Make Ahead Turkey Gravy

1 T. oil
reserved turkey neck and giblets, minus the liver (too strong!)
1 onion, chopped
4 c. low sodium chicken broth
2 c. water
4 sprigs fresh thyme (didn't have, so I skipped)
1 bay leaf (had, but I skipped)
4 T. butter
6 T. flour
salt and pepper (forgot to use and didn't miss)

Heat oil in large pot (that you'd use for spaghetti) over medium high heat and brown giblets and neck for five minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 mins. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 mins.

Turn heat back to high, add chicken broth and water, scrape pan bottom, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, add herbs, simmer 30 mins., skimming if needed (what? skim what? there was nothing to skim).

Pour broth through fine mesh strainer. Discard whatever is left in strainer. Broth can be made in advance and refrigerated for two days.

Melt butter in large pot (I used the same pot) over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until honey-colored and fragrant, about 4 mins.

Add broth to roux, a little at a time, whisking in each addition. Simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 mins. Set aside, covered, until turkey is done (or can refrigerate for an additional day).

Directions say: Scrape up bits in roasting pan and pour drippings into fat separator.

What I did: Pour drippings into big measuring cup and scooped off top layer as best I could.

Reheat gravy and add drippings. Simmer for two mins. until thickened. (I was concerned that gravy might be thin, so I added only about 1 cup of drippings. The gravy was not super thick but also not runny.) Season with salt and pepper; serve with turkey.

This was a huge hit. Everything with dinner was perfect, and this was definitely one of the winners.

Thanksgiving!

This is the first Thanksgiving in four years that we've spent at home with just the four of us. It was a nice, quiet day. Whatever holiday comes around, it seems that I make oodles of appetizers, sometimes spending the entire day frantically fixing food, and by the time dinner rolls around, I skip some of the planned items entirely, and we are just too full to eat much or enjoy it as much as we should.

No fancy breakfast today, no fancy snack food. I put all of my efforts into the basics: turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, corn, jello salad.

Okay, I put no effort into the stuffing; I cheated and used Stove Top. Stove Top was a staple for my sister and me when we were teens, along with Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I like Stove Top. Not as much as stuffing inside the turkey, but I was set on not doing that this year.

It was wonderful. Nothing fancy. We enjoyed every minute of it and even enjoyed seconds.

..................................1. No one wanted to be in the picture.
..................................2. The turkey raised its arm in an early surrender.

Oops. Someone put the regular salt and pepper shakers out with the Christmas dishes. We're a little ahead of the game here this year. Last year, the Christmas dishes never came out.

I sent Robert and Trevor out to Red Box for the first time. We were greatly impressed. You can check online to see what movie is available at what location; you can even request it be put on hold. We watched Iron Man 2, very nice, as I've been on hold at the library for over a week with nothing to show for it. Red Box -- Iron Man -- one day -- one buck. Red Boxes are a whole lot closer than our local libraries too (which charge $2 per day in late fees, twice as much as Red Box).

A few things I am thankful for: Jesus. My husband, my kids, my family, my friends. My new house and location. Our current church, whether we continue to go there or not. My job and my co-workers. My health. My freedom.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another beautiful morning!

I could never complain about living in the woods. But I missed views like this, and I appreciate them every single day now.

Random shots from today

For the fourth week, we went back out to Lynchburg for church today. It's a great fellowship, and we went in already familiar with the worship style and teaching (Calvary Chapel). It's big, two services. We have friends there. This drive is killing me, Robert doesn't mind, and I'm not sure about the kids.

We stayed today for the Fall Fellowship, taking advantage of the opportunity to meet people. And eat. Before leaving home, I prepared cheese and crackers, very carefully laying out the cheese onto plastic wrap, wrapping it up, placing it gently in a small cooler--all so it would look nice when I transferred it to the tray later. Robert flunked mindreading today, of all days, although I appreciated his willingness to take care of the food. He dumped all of the cheeses out of the wrappings into one big pile.



After eating, we made our way down to the playing fields, where there were bouncey things, pony rides, and other activities set up. We didn't even know this area existed.



Trevor recognized a boy from his summer aviation class (also in Lynchburg) and quickly refriended him. I'm always surprised by his mysterious social life of which I know nothing. I don't know the name of this game, but Trevor played it at the beach early in the summer.



Holly was a real ringer though. Out of the 21 points scored, she scored 18 of them. And she's never played the game before.

Saturday

Two years ago, a $66million museum opened in Roanoke. People either love or hate the design. I like it, but it does look somewhat like a ship rising out of the middle of our otherwise quaint and picturesque downtown.


Attendance has not been as high as planners anticipated, and to stir interest in the museum, they have occasional free days. Today was one of them; a regular day would have cost us about $40 to get in.


Gorgeous first floor; all exhibits are on the second floor.


Our stand out favorite was the stunning corrugated cardboard sculpture.



The artist was at the museum today, giving demonstrations to children, who could make their own 3D fish replicating his method. I tried to talk Trevor into doing it, but even he's getting a bit old for this stuff. It just hurts this momma's heart a little that my babies really are growing up. He did admire this fish though . . .


Another interesting piece--made of spools of thread, and then viewed through the lens which turned the piece right-side up (upside down?).


And that was about it. There were a half dozen or so rooms, each with small exhibits inside (some had one piece each). And of course some of the "art" had Trevor joking that he could do the same thing with Legos or toilet paper rolls. (He could.) Actually, overall it was rather a disappointment.

We then meandered into the gift shop, usually a place we avoid. But this was different. We laughed about spending more time admiring the various displays here than we did in the exhibit halls. There was a variety of art books, knick-knacks for kids, and many offerings by local artists, along with a mish-mash of other interesting merchandise. Robert bought each of the kids a pair of chopsticks. (Trevor adores eating with chopsticks, and I suppose Holly would do it for fun.) Ironically, the gift shop was the saving grace of the museum, and I'm glad we saved it for last!



Our next stop was Maggie Moo's, our first visit here since moving to Virginia three years ago. Oh, decisions, decisions! It was something to sit outside eating ice cream a week before Thanksgiving. (This means it was warm!)


We headed home, and I begged Robert to get a picture of the moon rising over the hills.


It seems that everyone is burning leaves today, we passed four burn fires in the five minutes between the highway and home. The smoky haze made a lovely sky.

And there's that moon again.


. . . the moon and stars to rule by night,
for His mercy endures forever.
Ps. 136:9

Sunrise today

My voice You shall hear in the morning,
O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You,
and I will look up.
Ps. 5:3

First college tour!

Holly and I planned a quick shopping trip over to Charlottesville, and Holly decided to take a tour of UVA while we were there.

It's just under two hours away, a nice drive made even nicer since our new governor raised the speed limits back up to 70. I have no idea how Holly took this picture. We were neither underneath nor directly in front of the sign. It appears she threw herself waaaaaay out the window, hanging on to the car with just her toes, but she didn't even roll down the window.


I got lost on the way to the mall, which really wasn't such a big deal, since the mall wasn't such a big deal. Happily, though, Holly bought a few shirts, and I bought makeup (original reason for the trip, haha).


We drove over to the school and lunched at Q-Doba (other reason for trip). Oh my goodness, how I love Q-Doba. Or Chipotle. Or either. Or both.


UVA is so pretty, and the history behind it fascinates me. I've posted about the school in the past; we've visited a half dozen times. Trivia for the day: Jefferson built the school on land previously owned by James Monroe. Living in California and Colorado, I've never experienced this kind of history.

We had plenty of time to make our way to the Rotunda, where the tour was to meet.


Someone noticed that you could see Monticello through the trees. We visited Monticello last month; although it looks much closer in this photo, it's about five miles away as the crow flies. (Hey! While at Monticello, I took a picture of the Rotunda, and it looks really, super far away.)


Typically, two school tours per day are offered. There are also info sessions, which were already full. Our group was large enough to split into three smaller groups, with five families on our tour.

Holly waiting.

It was a good tour (I guess, as I have nothing to compare). We walked for what seemed like miles, visiting the Amphitheater, an engineering building, a chemistry building and lecture, dorm lawn, and perhaps a few other places I've forgotten. The guide talked about different activities, her experiences, professors, campus life, and so much more.

Holly found it all interesting, and it was a great first place to visit, a fun day.

(And I learned that the street parking regulations are not strictly enforced, as I parked for almost an hour longer than permitted and was very grateful to not get a parking ticket.)