They still "like to go to Grandma's house for Christmas"

 We finished up last minute details and packing and headed to IL for Christmas...bearing gifts and sick germs!  "Sleep in heavenly peace..." was Ashlynn's goal as she battled a high fever.

 The only snow we had for Christmas this year was a small stretch in Indiana.

 We picked up Chica on Sunday afternoon.  She was all pretty and had no idea what was about to happen.

 Meeting the family was very exciting!

 Velle is not too sure or happy about this.

 Hmmm...maybe she will be fun to play with maybe not!

 Well....I like her toys when she is sleeping!

 Here we go...puppy naps, puppy food, puppy training...

It was a fail on many levels...

 I decided to be a sport and participate in the dessert contest for our staff party.  I found a yummy recipe and paid way more for the butter than I normally would think logical.  The batter looked great and fluffy till I added the eggs...one at a time...three in all.  The batter got runnier.  It smelled divine as I put it into the cake pans and cupcake pan.  It continued to smell good as it baked!

 And this is what I pulled out...I have never had this happen...but then again...I don't normally bake a cake totally from scratch.  It tasted good and there was no way I was throwing it away!  Plan B!

 I layered it into Gram's pretty bowl.

 Serve yourself...and it tasted good!  No one had to know!  Homemade salted caramel frosting whipped to fluffy goodness.

 Garnished with our cute gingerbread men...not even a runner up.  All that stress for nothing!  I have decided that I am not doing that again...I paid $5.99 for a pound of butter for a disappointment.

I decided that it is not worth it...no matter what anyone says!  The day of a K5 Christmas party following all the fa la la la la is not the time to add one more thing to your list.

I worked hard for Christmas break this year...we all did!

This is what I came home to the other day!

I'm wondering how she will do with a new sibling!?  Maybe she will be too busy to get up on the table?!

A Family Project for College!

 Ashlynn has indicated a desire to go into Interior Design in college.  So...Ted had a perfect job for her.  He gave her some info he needed and off she went to talk to people in the paint department at Menards.  She has picked out paint colors.  They have looked at flooring samples.  They have talked cost factors.

 Real life lessons in getting a house ready for renters...and it has been a family affair even in sickness and Teddy's time on crutches.

 The girls conquered fears of "other peoples' dirt and smoke" as they ripped out carpet and scrubbed walls/trim.  We have been learning more as we go...seven years of cigarette smoke in a house can do a lot of damage!

 Cleaning and Sealing and Painting and Cleaning...

 "Mom, don't!  This is so gross and I look a mess."  We will take after pictures!  I promise!

 How do you get rid of old, nasty carpet and padding?  Just like you did...a few years ago...to get rid of an old, dilapidated garage!  But wait till dark...so nobody can see the black smoke!  But the orange glow lit up the whole neighborhood!

 Endless scraping gave way to a wall that now has to be textured!  Soon there will be a finished project!  And it is fun to share the time with the big kids who have been a part of the whole process!

"There's no place like K5 in December..."

 So many thoughts and plans run through my mind...often adding more to my to do list and stress level!  Sprinkles were equivalent to glitter last week.  Why did I not consider a child would roam aimlessly through the tables...not even close to his seat...thus dumping a plate of sprinkles on the floor?!  Two little boys...couldn't keep their feet or chair off each individual piece.  Enter Grinch mode!

 Our little elf appears with fun things for review activities for us each day.  I am determined that we will learn these last few days before Christmas!

 Huge accomplishment...flipping our candy canes over so they make the letter J for our song!  Added bonus...this day...not hitting our friend in the face!  We shall see how the remainder of our practices go!

In other news...my big chair fillers are busy and helpful and full of laughter!  Who knew it would be so nice to have extra drivers this time of year!?!  And...no snow/ice right now is a huge relief!

A surprise weekend away with my love!

 For the first time in several months...Ted is home for two weeks!!!  He surprised me with a weekend get away...just the two of us to go see the Jubilee Christmas Concert.  Our big kid chair-fillers kept the home fire burning safely and securely.

 I was almost giddy with excitement for this special treat!

 Legacy 5 and Greater Vision...for three hours!  It was a beautiful and encouraging way to spend the first day of December!

 And the venue had a cafe...that had coffee and specialty drinks!  Peppermint mocha and a coffee at intermission...YES, PLEASE!

 A new fun tasty treat for this season!  MMM!

 Velle...cute and cuddly...enjoying the calm before the puppy storm in about 22 days!

 Cozy by the fire...and a partially decorated house.  The big kid elves have pooped out on putting ornaments on the tree so far this year.  I might need to bribe them with some sort of Christmasy treats!

 "You know, this is the first Monday night that I have been home in...ah...several months!"  It is so nice to have Ted home and not in the air headed south.  He is dealing with the weather change, "It is cold here!"

 Well...we have a creature stirring out in the garage and we finally caught him/her/it.  BUUUT...when we went out to "take care of it" there was only some fur left on the glue trap.  All the squeaking and squealing was in earnest as the little critter worked to get free.  I hope I don't find it in my Christmas buckets that we are working out of as we decorate!