2011 Missions: Accomplished

Built raised beds and grew a bunch of good stuff,

got the chicken coop to end all chicken coops (thanks, honey),

changed out the lights over the breakfast bar,

and kitchen table (thanks, Bill),

ripped out the lousy living room carpet that came with the house and installed travertine,

baked a pile of Christmas cookies with Stevie and Andi (whose move up here with Bill wasn't a goal of  mine, but is a bonus),

certified as a master gardener in Oregon,

and lost weight.  Twenty-two pounds to be exact.

We had some fabulous visits with good friends, we've seen some wonderful concerts, and I've discovered that the longer I live here, the happier I am.  A belated happy new year to everyone!

Christmas in the Place Where Wishes Come True (unless what you're wishing for is affordable prices)

As promised, here are some pics from our recent Disney World expenditure -- er, adventure.  We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, where we were able to see all kinds of wild animals from the safety of our balcony.

I have to admit, the lobby of the hotel was spectacular, all done up for Christmas.

Of course, there were gigantic Christmas trees at each of the theme parks as well.

The weather was gorgeous for our stay, and our favorite part of the trip was seeing the Wild Animal park.  We could actually SEE some of the animals!  Imagine!  When I think of the countless times I tried to see gorillas at the San Diego zoo, and they were always hiding....



Very cool fake tree.





I was looking through the window in this enclosure and announced "Nope, nothing in here."  I turned my head to the right and there they were.  "Except these tigers," I added.


Of course, there was the usual Disney-esque stuff as well, including this little beauty parlor which churned out princesses by the dozens,

and this new rollercoaster I was unable to ride because it seems everyone in Florida wanted to ride it that day.

Oh, well.

While not my favorite vacation of all time, it was nice to get away with the old man.  It was a little loud at times, especially during meals, but room service was okay.  Of course there were thousands of small children, but the place caters to them and that's to be expected.  I wasn't expecting to find them bellied up to the bar, but ....

It's a kid-friendly place, isn't it?

What Ted and I couldn't figure out is why the Disney stock we bought for our smallest grandchildren a few years ago hasn't budged - yet this place was raking in the dough.
Hmm.

Fun was had.  That's what counts.

Ted and I in our flying car.



A fool and his money, Mickey.

 Next time - Amsterdam!

Glitter in My Lint Filter

Okay - I've spent the past five loooooooooooong days at Disney World (pictures to come, and I'm here to say, size isn't everything.  Disneyland is so much nicer).  I'm just looking at one of our presents to Stevie, thinking about how Bill and Andi are gearing up to move into their own place and how, all too soon, I will no longer have glitter in my lint filter.  :-( 

I remember my own mother's technique with me (my sisters may have different memories), and I have tried, with Stevie (my granddaughter but still), to do the exact opposite.  The first time I pulled glitter-encrusted lint out of the dryer filter, I thought, like my mother,  "Gaa!  What kind of damage did this do to my dryer!  And what a drain on the power bill!  The fire potential!  That eight year old has GOT to keep this out of the regular laundry!"  What I SAID was "Cool!  Glitter in the lint filter!  This must be my lucky day!"

I'm not always successful;  in part, I think, because I was never a mom.  I recently said something which, in retrospect, I realize was pretty mean to Stevie about her reading level - and it broke my heart when I stopped (and Ted made me stop) to think about it.  She is who she is, and who she is is someone I love with all my heart.  I'm not going to try to "help" her by hurting her feelings and making her feel bad in any way about herself.

So, Stevie -- before you and your mom and dad find your own place, you and I (and your momma) will be making a huge mess of the kitchen with Christmas cookies -- some for Mrs. Cochoran and Mrs. Rasmussen, too.  And maybe we'll mess up the bathroom with bubble bath and funky-colored soap and candles.  And just for good measure, let's wrap up some presents and leave bits of tape and paper on the dining room floor.  But most of all, let's leave a big pile of glitter in the lint filter.

I'll keep that last blob of glitter/lint for the rest of my life.

Holidays

The weather has been cooler, making for some lovely ice formations

and we've been enjoying spectacular sunsets as well here in Central Oregon.

Thanksgiving was a blast, with headdresses, placemats and napkin rings by Stevie,



No pilgrims in our house, my conservative friends will be shocked to discover.


and delicious victuals by Andi and me.



The obligatory Desilets sausage rolls.



Yesterday we watched the Civil War (Go Ducks!) and decorated the house for Christmas,

and last night was the Redmond Starlight Christmas parade.  It wasn't too cold so we had a terrific time watching the floats and the people go by.



Andi and Molly.





A five-year-old giant next to Stevie.



Christmas llamas.




Stevie quickly learned that the more you wave, the more candy you have thrown at you.



While we didn't wait around for Santa (these small town parades are loooooong), it was a great time nonetheless, and we returned home happy and tired!

Ted and I are off to Orlando this week for my first visit to DisneyWorld.  Happy holidays, everyone!