It's Gonna Be Big!

The place is huge(this is only one of the three buildings) and I lived slightly in fear of getting lost from my group and never finding my way out! I took a lot of pictures to try to remember it all but there is apparently a limit on what I can include in just one blog. I tried to interest Wynn in the whole deer with Christmas ornaments thing ( heads were really big believe it or not!)but he was a nontaker. Wool ornaments and frames and pillows were huge as are the non-pictured monkeys. Sideways Christmas trees were not actually shown but somehow the picture regressed when I imported it so just cant your head for a better view. Wreaths were always pictured in front of mirrors ( a look I really like)and ,of course, too much was never enough!
I wish I could have shown more because this is one place I would love to go shop with my sisters because it takes in the bizarre to the sublime. My fave was probably the ribbon salesman, "My ribbon dirt cheap! Dirt still on it!"

So much for so little...

Why does it seem to take so much luggage for such a short trip?! I guess it's the Dad (aka boy scout) in us that wants to be prepared for every eventuality.
I believe I am ( except for those 4 important things I always forget..whatever they are)...oh well, I am taking 3 books...it means I am well packed!

Joy Cometh in the Morning

It was a pretty crispy morning when I decided to try and get some sunrise pictures of the pride of Rexburg. Crispy as in I had to keep my camera in my coat between shots so the batteries would keep working...
Not everything I had hoped for but for unretouched ( no available tweaking programs on this computer for the moment) I will take them.
Might I say that dawn comes very slowly when the temperature is below zero!

(keep going- the pictures wandered off)

Lovely Lewis

As one of you might know, I hate to start a series with out access to all the books. Nothing is more irritating than to get just so far with your characters and then be cut off ( did you hear that oh irritating author of the Eragon series!). I didn't read the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy for years because "someone" was generous enough to give them to me and then borrow the first book and never give it back. But all that is behind us now and I have finally ( in my dotage) finished the "Chronicles of Narnia"as well.
I saw the movie first and then was given a cd that was talk about CS Lewis from a Mormon POV.

Of Lions, Dragons and Turkish Delight: C. S. Lewis for Latter-day Saints

by S. Michael Wilcox

Fascinating actually, and so on to the series.
Not quite what I expected and yet more than I expected. I loved "The Last Battle" and that nothing in the books were politically correct. I strongly suggest downloading the talk, listening to it and then reading the series with your children of proper maturity. How exciting! An adventure book where the heroes are children of their own age and experience...to quote the book..." they might be giants!

Many Moods

Because of all the snow on Christmas Day Asher and fam did not come to visit until Friday night .
That's okay, we prefer safe.
The above picture shows Asher chewing on some tissue paper we had handy.
This is to prepare him for his very first solid food- rice cereal!
We thought the tissue paper and the rice cereal,
while not having the same texture, would have the same taste
...he liked them both.
Of course we get slightly sleepy after a full meal like that...

No scary movie here ( g'ma hates them), this is just a reaction to the flash.
All happy again!

Make Lemonade

I have, in the winter, a hankering for hot biscuits and stew and desiring such I sent mine oldest daughter for a "large" bag of my favorite biscuit mix to satisfy this desire. I would like it said now that we, in our family, possess cell phones, every one. And that when I say "large" and then specify, "about 10 pounds", I have a mental picture that I am meaning to send. Gaby went on the errand ( bless her), but failed to see my mental picture or use her cell phone and that's when I ended up with 50 lbs of said mix.
What to do?!
-Returning it was out of the question- too far in this weather ( as is just about anything quite frankly).
-I could make biscuits every day between now and next Christmas and make a sizable dent in the 50 lbs but the resulting weight gain for me (because I would eat most of them-I'll just say it now) would result in me having to look for new jeans and that I am unwilling to do ( jeans shopping and bathing suit shopping- two of the most depressing activities in the free world!)
-Orrrrr, I could make neighbor gifts! We have a lot of neighbors and friends and this seemed a little friendlier than handing out stale cookies-soooooo ta dah! A batch of biscuit mix and a sweet little honey bear all in a homespun bag- Merry Christmas one and all!

Treasure Worth Having

This is George. He is a fairly mild mannered miniature Schnauzer
who takes life very seriously and acts most of the time like a small Presbyterian minister of the less tolerant sort. He stares at you while you're eating that little snack as if to say, "You know that's just going to settle right on your hips...much better altogether if you just give it to me right now and avoid the mental anguish you will experience later". Very thoughtful of him I am sure, but annoying while ingesting said snack.
Well, George has been a model of restraint lately, what with all the visitors and Addie ( that backstabbing Plott hound who had the audacity to come into the house as an 8" puppy and then grow into a magnificently athletic 2 1/2 foot monster who now towers over George and disturbs his rest every waking moment) bedeviling him he has been taking most things in his little bouncy stride.
To begin our story George's strange behavior began, all of the sudden, Wednesday evening as he plops down by the Christmas tree and refuses to move. If Addie comes near he threatens first with low Germanic mutterings and then, if she came closer, with swift avenging fury. This happened time and again and all we could figure out was that, at this late hour he had taken it into his head to guard the presents. On Christmas morning it was the same thing and then we discovered it was one particular present...the one Cindy had brought for us Wednesday evening! As we opened it he hovered near and we discovered the fascination...
Florences Exquisite Chocolates! A treasure worth guarding with life and limb! And he continued to gaurd them all day until we put them up in the kitchen out of his reach. Oh, it's a dog's life...