Christmas Preparations ~

 While Justin spent most of the weekend repairing our pond, Jordyn and i got out the Christmas decorations.  Her excitement took me back to my own childhood...the thrill of seeing all the decorations again...reminiscing about previous holidays...playing with everything...and of course, the waiting..."are you almost done with the lights...can i start decorating the tree now".  Waiting to decorate the tree while my dad got the tree straight in the tree stand, and then waiting for them to finish hanging the lights always felt like an eternity, and i guess things havent changed much since then!  Of course, we dont use a real tree...living in the mountains, surrounded by trees, we have plenty of nature around us...besides, we dont have room for anything bigger in our little cabin.  But this little tree suits us just fine!  The cabin is so cozy when its adorned with shiny, sparkly Christmas magic...i love it!

And look what arrived this weekend...the fabrics for Jordyns I-spy quilt.  I wanted to add a few more personal pieces to her quilt, and these all have special meaning to us, so now i can cut these out and continue on the quilt. 
Sunday afternoon brought snow and lots of icy road conditions, two cars in the river and one in the ditch...thankfully everyone was okay, but those kind of calls are always scary.  It was nice to come home to a warm house after spending 2 hours in the river!  I hope everyone had a safe holiday weekend!

Sledding with the cousins

Here is a shot of my turkey getting into the turkey :)  I busted her eating turkey right off of the platter...guess she was hungry!  No doubt, from all of the craziness her and her cousins had playing together.  Thanksgiving was a relaxing, pajama kind of day...no place to be, no time frame...just doing our thing all day, and it was wonderful.  I even squeezed in a work-out and loaded and unloaded a cord of wood, so it was guilt-free as well.  The meal was simple, but delicious...turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and asparagus.  We had pumpkin pie for dessert, but we were too full to eat any, so we enjoyed it today.  It was my first time cooking Thanksgiving dinner in 7 years, so i was a little rusty, but all turned out great in the end.  Besides, I only had to cook for the three of us because the cousins were eating up at Aunt LeAnns place, so there was no pressure either.

Today we hit the snow and ice...sledding, laughing and having a ball.   Im so glad we were able to get the sled run and skating pond ready for their visit!

And speaking of our skating pond...here is the shot i uploaded in my last post, which is what it looked like earlier today...

and this was our pond at around 2:30 this afternoon.  Apparently they decided to drain one of the reservoirs or something, because our pond was entirely flooded with about a foot of large ice chunks, slush and water, which sadly ruined our skating pond.  If we had left it like this, it would have frozen on top of our skating rink, all sloppy and crooked, for the rest of the season...

 

so, we spent the next 2 1/2 hours shoveling, scraping and smoothing, in hopes that the pond will freeze smooth again for skating.  Looks like i can cancel my work-out for the day...besides, after shoveling all of that ice, im sure my back will be killing me tomorrow :)  All in all though...a wonderful holiday weekend so far! 

Skating Pond is Ready...Bring Your Skates!

So, who's ready to go ice skating...we are!  :)  Justin and i prepped the pond the last few days, and the ice is ready to go!  We worked on the sled run too, with what little snow we have, but its working pretty good so far...just ask Jordyn...

We woke up to 19 degree weather and its slowly climbed to 23 degrees...looks like defrosting my turkey might take a while...

 Thats okay, we have plenty of fun things to do while we wait!

 So, if you have a little time, grab your skates and your sleds, and swing by the Black Bear!~

And for my friends and family in the States...May you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Snowy Sunrise ~

The phone rang at 5:30 this morning, snow day...no school, hooray...i wasnt looking forward to driving anywhere today anyways!  Besides, look at the beautiful snowy sunrise i got to enjoy from the comforts of my couch this morning...hope you have a cozy day too!

The Bride and the Robot~

Since this was the first weekend we had off in about 2 months, we decided to lounge around the house in our pj's for most of it.  Jordyn got this really cool tin can robot from grandma and grandpa for Halloween, so Daddy and Jordyn decided to put it together on Saturday.

Just look at that concentration...

 

Sunday morning brought snow...so we spent most of the day inside, playing games, playing with her wooden "paper dolls", and of course dress up.  She adorned her self with shiny fabrics, a sparkly crown, and this lovely bouquet, and marched down the stairs.  She said, "im a bride...but who can i marry?...i know, Daddy!" 

So, there was a simple ceremony with Daddy, Mommy and Jordyn, and she made a beautiful bride :)  But back to that tin can robot...

Here is the creation that Jordyn and Daddy made...of course, i helped....i provided the empty beer can!  :)  Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

Friday Night at the Black Bear Cabin...

Warning: Party animals in action!  :)  Happy Weekend Everyone!!!

Christmas Quilting ~

I decided to finally work on Jordyn's I-spy quilt in hopes to have it finished for Christmas.  She has been anxious to peruse the quilt squares, so i let her help me set them out.  I decided it was missing a few more personal pieces, so naturally, i placed an order today for some more squares.  (Cat in the Hat, Popcorn, Dinosaurs, and a violin...a few of Jordyn's favorites).  This is a photo of the squares before they were sewn together.  I had all these great ideas for patterns, sashing, a rainbow layout etc...but i really just liked it random, so thats the way im going with it.  Any suggestions for border colors?  When finished, this should be a Twin size quilt for her when she gets her big girl bed.  I let her help with this stage, but i plan to work on the rest of it in secret and hopefully it will be wrapped under the tree for her come December 25th!  Wish me luck :)

Its that time of year again...

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/3PW1PwKUskqBpXNk

Diggin Holes...

So the other day i ask Justin to see if he can dig up the pesky little rock that pops up out of the ground in the meadow...its just a little rock, but a kid could fall on it and get hurt....

 

 Thats the Rocky Mountains for ya! :)

Meanwhile, he has been working so hard...he is installing a Heliostat at the Childrens Museum in Lafayette today, we are soooo proud of him!  Hope all goes well today babe!  We love you!

EMS Conference in Keystone~

 Now that ive had a few days to wind down from the weekend, i can share some photos and stories with you.  Every other year i attend the EMS Conference in Keystone, Colorado for 3 nights...my rare break away from the family and a little alone time.  But its not really a vacation, as we spend 8 hours each day in a classroom looking at grotesque slides and sharing horror stories in EMS.

 Its amazing how exhausting sitting in a classroom all day can be, but at least we had a beautiful view when we got back to the condo.  This year we stayed at the Hidden River Lodge, and it was a great place.  There was a gym (not that we used it), and hot tubs (not that we used them), and even a lovely foot trail behind the lodge (so im told).  What did we do, you ask...

 Power Lounged!  Connie had just gotten back from a vacation with her mom back east, and i had the crazy 4-day Halloween weekend, so we were both still trying to recover from all that activity.  After a few days we did start to unwind though...

 hmmmm....i dont seem to be getting a pulse!  We had some laughs at the reception hall...lots of booths, vendors and freebies, along with a very expensive cash bar.  No worries, we had ample booze back at the condo!

 

In fact, after a whole weekend of classes, we decided to kick our last day off with some red beers...we are volunteers after all...so i think we earned it!

 Afterwords we drove over to Frisco to return our keys and scope out the town.  Isnt this a pretty place!  We made the mistake of not stopping here to eat last time on our way home, and sadly realized there is not really anywhere else to get food on the way home...so this year we stopped at the Boat Yard.  Red beers, falafel with fries and sliders for lunch hit the spot!

 Then we drove through the town of Rand...this store is about it.  But this store was awesome!  If you get the chance, be sure to stop here.

 There are fun things to explore...

 and if you have to go to the privy, or even if you dont, be sure to take a peek at their Necessary room!

 thats right...i took photos of it...but i couldnt help myself, it was so cute!  Never thought id say that about a privy :)

 And look at this lovely quilt display.  I purchased the book, Love of Quilts: A Treasury of Classic Quilting Stories, by Benberry and Crabb.  Its a collection of 28 short stories about quilts and quilters and i look forward to reading it during the chilly winter months.

It was a nice end to the weekend...i say that of course, because about 1/2 an hour after we left this store i got a call from home telling me jordyn had an accident and was on her way to the ER in our ambulance.  Long story short, apparently she fell earlier in the day, then about an hour later she collapsed just inside the house...we're uncertain if she passed out, fainted or even if the fall earlier had anything to do with any of it, but it spooked justin enough to call 911.  By the time our ambulance rendezvoused with the town ambulance she was completely fine.  She was basically glanced at by the Doc and then released.  He said he didnt see any reason to do a CT scan or MRI on a perfectly healthy 4 year old, and that we should just keep an eye on her.  Then he said, welcome to the great uncertainty!  (thanks for that doc).  Anyways, that was on Sunday and she seems fine, thank goodness, but what a nightmare that drive to the ER was.  Im still processing it.  Meanwhile, our cat Spooky disappeared on that same night and hasnt been home since, so we are really sad about that.  I havent given up hope, but she's never been gone this long.

Stay at Home Robin : Square 4

 Okay, so the 4th block was due in October, and im a little behind, but only by a couple of days :)  Kate has already posted the block specs for November, so i didn't want to fall too far behind.  If you arent familiar with this swap, its a year long project, and each month Kate gives us dimensions for a new block to add to the quilt.  I'm doing themed quilts...Winter and Halloween.  The tree and the haunted house were the latest blocks added to the quilts.  If you'd like to check out some of the gorgeous quilts being made click here.  Oh, and ignore the chalky looking lines on the haunted house...that's just spray starch crusties i forgot to brush off before taking the photo :)

Halloween Extravaganza - Part THREE !!!

 On Sunday morning we drove back home for trick or treating.  When there's only one kid in the canyon, folks expect her to come by...and they spoil her rotten when she does.  We went out earlier this year, as it was a school night and we wanted to enjoy the warmer weather. 

 While out trick or treating, we discovered that there were a few other kids up here this year doing the same.  Grandkids visiting their grandparents, which means, we actually had trick or treaters at our house for the very first time!  We were soooo excited that someone besides us would see our decorations and pumpkins :)  We planned it so we would be back before they came by, and we were still able to visit ten houses or so...

 including the store, where Mena had a special gift for Jordyn.  Thank you Mena, she loves it!

 This years Halloween was fantastic...so many wonderful adventures, laughs, and good times!  I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween too.  And to my father, who would have been 66 on Halloween...Happy Birthday Dad...we love and miss you!

Halloween Extravaganza - Part TWO !!!

 On Friday, we headed down to Denver...our first stop, the Butterfly Pavilion.  This little guy hitched a ride on my back for about 10 minutes...what can i say, i must smell sweet!  At least he didnt land on my nose like last time :)  This was Justins first time at the butterfly pavilion, so naturally he had to hold Rosie, the spider.

 Jordyn already had her turn, as you can see by the sticker she's wearing, but she would hold that spider all day if she could.  Its one of her favorite things to do here!  In fact, it wasnt very crowded, so we all had a turn holding Rosie :)

 Here she is being silly near the tarantula case...they have a really cool exhibit on tarantulas going on right now...spiders everywhere!  Personally, I dont find them nearly as creepy as the giant hissing cockroaches. 
Afterwords we went to my cousin Greg, and his wife, Diane's fundraiser/send off party.  They are participating in the Punkin Chunkin' contest in Delaware, and they were leaving the next morning.  They (team Inertia) took second place last year, and we are all hoping they can take home the trophy for first place this year. (of course, i dont know how they'd get the trophy home if they won, but we're hoping for the best just the same!)  Good Luck guys...and travel safely!  You can watch all about it on the Discovery Science Channel around Thanksgiving.

 Saturday morning it was time for Boo at the Zoo!  We did this two years ago and had a blast, and since the weather was unbelievably wonderful, we decided to do it again this year.  With 80 degree weather, the zoo was packed, but everyone was having so much fun.

 Jordyn did some trick or treating, but mostly we were enjoying all that the zoo had to offer...

 my little monkeys :)

 Christy had never been to Boo at the Zoo, so she came with us.  She was in charge of the wagon, which made it nice trying to navigate thru the crowds with a four year old in tow!  Thanks Christy :)

 Jordyn made such a big deal over the carousel at Fort Fun, that i knew she would flip when she saw a real one!  Naturally, when she saw it, she had to go for a ride, so all 3 of us decided to give it a go!  She picked the leopard...

 and i rode the black bear, of course!  Justin had to ride along side Jordyn since she fell below the 42" mark, but i think he had a great time too.

 This Halloween booth was all decked out...and i think Jordyn was even a little spooked by it :)

 This part of the zoo was new to us...Lorikeet Adventure.  You go inside the exhibit with all the birds and you can purchase nectar to feed to the them.  These little guys were hilarious...and Jordyn LOVED feeding them.

 One of my favorite sites at the zoo, was the 3 week old Komodo dragon.  According to the sign by his pen, this is the third time the Denver Zoo has hatched clutches of dragon eggs, and is the only zoo in the world to accomplish this significant occurrence.

 After the zoo, we had a date with the family at my Uncles VFW.  They were hosting a childrens Halloween party, and there were a lot of kids.  We were a little big late, so i didnt take many photos there...but they had a lot of wonderful goodies for the kids...activities, prizes, and again...candy galore!

 We went to my Aunts house afterwords, and the cousins had a ball running off all that sugar, while the parents enjoyed a few beers :)

 and of course, some pizza...nothing washes a pizza down better than beer!

 When we got to Christys house, we dumped out Jordyns bag to check out her Halloween loot...

 man, that kid scored!

Hope you enjoyed part two of the Halloween Extravaganza...coming up next...part three ~