Quilting...

I finished piecing the top of the pink and yellow quilt last week.  And here I have to admit to an error in my last post about it.  The block pattern is not shoo fly, but churn dash.  They are somewhat similar and will use that to justify my mistake. :-)

For a quilt that started out as a couple of test blocks, I love how it turned out.  I essentially used all the pink and yellow fat quarters I possessed (obviously they're not colors I use much) and then was stumped as to where to go next.  I kept pawing through my stash and came up with the green (it has tiny polka dots which are indiscernible in the photo) for the sashing and had enough of the small pink check left to cut inch and a half cornerstones.  The border really had me stumped until I found a yellow remnant from a long-ago quilt that was just enough. It's very feminine and I think it will make a lovely baby quilt.  

I'm in the process of putting it on my handi-quilter frame and hope to start stitching later today.  ♥  

Kitchen Stuff

At the risk of geeking out in my kitchen, I have to say there's a new power couple in there.  Now I love my KitchenAid stand mixer, and my ancient old bread machine is still dearly loved. My Cuisinart food processor rocks, but two recent additions are currently starring in a number of productions.  

I wrote last year about getting my InstantPot electic pressure cooker.  I'm still amazed by it.  Mostly, I love that it's fix and forget, enabling me to go about other cooking without keeping an eye out on it. My second favorite thing about it is being able to make yogurt.  I still can't believe I can do it! 

My sweetie has been working, working and working, and been out of town many nights, leaving me alone with my computer. My long time friend, Kathy, gives herself rewards when her husband is out of town. As a joke a month or more ago, I told Dan I was going to buy a Vitamix blender and start drinking smoothies. He just rolled his eyes and said, "Go for it!"  Well, somehow, the more I said it, the more it took root in my mind.  (Hmm, there's a lesson there!) I checked around town but found only the usual suspects, no Vitamixes.  

I read reviews, blog posts, recipes, etc, in an attempt to tamp down my interest, but it only served to make me more interested.  The downside seemed to be price. They are not cheap.  But then I discovered that Amazon had refurbished ones which came with a full warranty and required quite a bit less money.  The reviews were excellent. Finally, one day I clicked "buy now with one click" and two days later a huge box arrived on my front porch.  (You knew that was coming, didn't you?)

So here they are, the new power couple in my kitchen:

I just used both to make the most amazing roasted red pepper hummus (recipe from Pressure Perfect by Lorna Sass).  I cooked the chick peas (garbanzos) from dry to ready-to-go in just an hour, start to finish, and then made the hummus in the Vitamix.  Yes, I even roasted my own red pepper (a first) on our grill.  I made the tahini a couple of weeks ago in the Vitamix.  Tahini is muy expensive and I could never bring myself to buy a container of it, but my favorite grocery store has a huge bulk section and sesame seeds are very reasonable.  I'll have this blender paid for in no time!  

Oh yeah--and I'm drinking smoothies too!  ♥

I've Been Stitchin'

I'm not really in the mood to blog, but I decided I need to or it will be weeks ... again.  Dan has been super busy with his consulting so I've had long days with time on my hands.  I have enjoyed watching some quilting videos online and have ordered a few things to feed the habit.  One thing doesn't necessarily have to do with quilting, but it does sometimes figure in.  I have many types of stabilizer for machine embroidery and every time I need to use some, I've had to pick through a whole shelf of them (an upgrade from the basket I used to keep them in).  I noticed a clever over-the-door hanger just for stabilizer in an email from Nancy's Notions and I decided to order one.

It's easy to see what types of stabilizer I have and I no longer will have to spend precious sewing minutes searching for the one I need.  Plus, the hanger is out of sight and I had an empty shelf!

I have an AccuQuilt Go! cutter which hasn't been used as much as it should be.  I watched a few videos and was inspired to buy a BOB (block on board) die for making shoo fly blocks.  It came on Tuesday and yesterday I decided to give it a try and sew a test block. I picked a pink fat quarter and after searching through various other FQs decided on a yellow print that included pink.  Well.  After making the first one, it was so cute I used up the rest of those quarters and made two more. I decided these three were too cute to waste and I spent some time plowing through my fat quarter stash and came up with several more fabrics that would work.  I'm thinking a baby quilt or small lap quilt.

I know it's a poor picture because the sun is hitting the back row but you get the idea.  I love that the pieces come out of the Go! so perfectly and by putting the two colors together with right sides together I can start right in stitching and chain piece.  (Some of the pieces for the next three blocks can be seen in the bottom of the above picture.)

Here's a picture of the die.  It's called a BOB, block on board, because all the pieces needed for the block are on one die.  

I'm having fun!  And, gasp! I'm working on another quilt when I haven't finished the Yellow Brick Road baby quilt I was working on last week.  I am one of those weird quilters who always finishes a quilt before I start another one, but really, the top is done (see below) so technically I'm sorta done with it.  I'll just quilt these one after the other and be done with both lickety split!

And now to head down to my sewing room and crank out (literally!) a few more blocks! ♥

Happy 4th! and Other Mutterings

For some reason I always feel that when the 4th of July hits, summer is half over.  Really, it's not and I'm not certain why I feel that way.  Maybe it was the years I was teaching and August was creeping steadily closer. Once August hits, teachers turn their thoughts and efforts to a new school year: planning, getting to know new textbooks, putting the classroom back together after the summer cleaning crew leaves, and so on.  One teacher friend likened summer to a weekend: June is Friday night--hey we survived! July is Saturday--let's play! And August is Sunday--Monday's comin'...

At any rate, it's our country's birthday! And a three-day weekend.  We here at the resort are enjoying some down time as Dan has been super busy with his consulting and will continue to be in the weeks ahead.  I plan to grill some chicken breasts later and have it with pasta alfredo.  Mmm.  Hardly 4th fare, however. Hopefully I'll have some chicken leftover to put in salads this week.  Love these salads in the summer!

Meanwhile, I've been doing some stitching.  A week or so ago when Dan was out of town for the week, I pondered possible projects in my sewing room closet. I'd had one pulled out for a while but I finally realized it was not one I would enjoy, so I pulled the kit apart, threw the pattern away, and put the fabrics in the appropriate fabric stacks by color.  Whew!  The relief I felt told me I'd made the right decision.  But now what?  

Something fun and easy, that's what.  A few years ago when I tore my sewing room closet apart and Dan made me new shelves, I put together several bundles of fat quarters to make Yellow Brick Road quilts.  One such bundle was comprised of the Bella Baby fabric line by Marcus Brothers in blue and brown.  The time had come! I began cutting and soon had the various blocks made.

I currently have the blocks arranged on my design wall and plan to start stitching them together in a day or so. I should have this quilt done in no time and then I'll get to choose a whole new project.  ♥

Red, White and Blue

I'm a fan of using peanut M&M's as part of my seasonal decorating and love that they make appropriately colored bagsful throughout the year.  Last summer a Facebook friend posted a picture of a bowl of red, white and blue ones and I wanted some. I searched all over town to no avail and was totally bummed.  This year I decided to start my looking early, but still no luck.  I even looked on line and did find some--for some pretty amazing prices,  Apparently the M&M people don't make many bags and some people are price gouging.  I didn't purchase.

Fortunately back in March when I had some Valentine's M&M's left over as I changed over to Easter hued ones, I noticed I had a few white ones left.  In a light-bulb moment, I scooped out the whites and put them in a ziplock baggie...just in case.  I bought a huge Costco bag of the usual multi-colored ones last trip and picked out some red and blue ones.  And so it is that I have a bowl of red, white and blue peanut M&M's to add to my summertime Americana decorating.

And I tell everyone to only eat the red and blue ones.  ♥

Post 417: Wherein I Discover Dusting Can Be Fun

Yes, I realize it's been three months since I've written. And one would think that I would have something more earth-shaking to write about than dusting, but trust me when I say that this is earthshaking.

NOTE: For those of you who have already discovered this amazing item, my apologies and you have my permission to stop reading at any time.  

While at my parents' house weeks ago, I spotted a strange looking thing in the laundry room and my brother told me it was a Swiffer duster and that it was, well, I can't remember his actual words, but something to the effect that it was amazing.  Fast forward to a week or so ago when I was surveying the dusty living and dining rooms and our bedroom, mentally gearing myself up for a marathon of dusting when I remembered The Swiffer.  

A trip to the grocery store was on the agenda so I added "Swiffer duster" to the list and away we went. (I need to have a list because, well, I'm getting old-er and the memory...).  We finally found the Swiffer and threw the box into the cart, mentally noting to transfer Swiffer to the Costco list (in other words, The Swiffer is not cheap).

At home, I opened the box, pulled out the handle and noted it came in two pieces.  I managed to ram the pieces together and then pondered how to put the actual duster thing-y on.  I read the instructions and still no wiser, consulted Dan, who pointed to the picture. Ah. The picture. Worth a thousand words any day!  After realizing we'd put the dust thing-y on upside down, I was in business.  

I thought I'd give it a little spin so I tried it out on the dining room table and before I knew it, I was done with the dining room itself.  I even dusted the chair legs!! This little gizmo ↓

is truly amazing.  There must be some dust attractor on those fluffy strips because even corners and crevices become dust-free in a flash.  I attacked our bedroom and then the living room.  I was still smiling when I was done, and let me say I was done in record time.  (Please note that there is no picture of the duster thing-y when I was done because I was truly embarrassed at the amount of dirt on it.)  Who knew dusting could actually be easy and fun?  ♥

It's Spring Break and . . .

for the second time this week, we woke up to snow!!  So typical!  

Or course it's gone now and sun is out, but it's definitely March-like weather.  Dan and I have laughed today over memories of the year we got up to several inches on June 10, the first official day of summer vacation when I was still teaching.  Ah, life in the mountains. 

Meanwhile we've been enjoying going to Keaton's basketball games (his school is competing in a spring league for middle schoolers).  Here he is going for the score!

And here's a photo of Cameron all dressed up for his school's spring formal.  I'd show one with his date, but I'm not certain if it would be okay with her parents.  

And finally, here's one of the Daniel, adding his bag of corn to his pre-school's pot of "stone soup." It's been a busy month for the boys.  

Ann and I had a fun morning on Tuesday when she showed up with her niece Elizabeth (Eric's brother's daughter) and we taught her to use my quilting machine.  For her last birthday Elizabeth had asked for quilting lessons from Auntie Ann and they spent the summer piecing a top.  Of course, then school got in the way, but with this being spring break, it offered the perfect opportunity to quilt it. Elizabeth, who will turn just ten next month, did a fabulous job with the machine and got the whole top quilted.  Just the binding left to be fitted into the schedule, hopefully soon.  A whole new generation quilter!  

Oh, and happy St. Paddy's day!  ♥

Stitch, Stitch

I've decided counted cross stitch is the perfect antidote to soggy late winter days.  The steady in and out of the needle is soothing and the whole process is somewhat like painting a picture.  A boon for those of us with absolutely no talent in the painting department.  The fabric is blank, like a canvas, and as the thread colors fill in the squares, the picture emerges.  The picture just keeps growing, and in the end, I'll have a new piece of art to display.

Happy soggy day!  ♥

Another Tiny Book Review

I just finished a book that I couldn't put down.  It's by an author I've enjoyed before and came recommended by Ann so I knew I would probably enjoy it, but it truly was a page turner. And more than that, it was the first book in a long time that I didn't peek at the end somewhere along the line to see if I liked the ending and if it was worth my time to finish.  (Yes, I'm a peeker...)

The book?  Secrets of a Charmed Life  by Susan Meissner.  It's a story set in England during the Second World War and features two sisters caught in the blitz, Hitler's Luftwaffe's devastating bombing of London in 1940.  I love history and I love novels set in England so I was pulled in immediately.   The story is presented in an unusual way, and I'm really not saying anything more.  

I know all readers don't always like the same type of book, but I think most people will be drawn into this book and, like me, be pulled in all the way to the end. Enjoy!  ♥

Christmas...in February

I used to do a lot of counted cross stitching.  Then as time went on and I started having less energy when I got home from teaching, things began to fall by the wayside, and cross stitching was one.  A few weeks before last Christmas, something spurred me to dig into a basket and pull out a tin I knew contained little cards for St. Nicholas type Santas.  And there I found one in process, started I don't know when.  I decided it would be a good TV project and began to stitch again.  

Counted cross stitch is another area where I prefer primitive type projects, and a company called The Prairie Schooler was the source of my favorite St. Nicholas designs.  They published a card every year with a new design and somewhere back in the '90's, I chanced upon them and began collecting. I don't have them all, but I have quite a few!

I have several framed that I have used for probably at least twenty Christmases, but in the tin I also found two completed St. Nick's in addition to the one I began working on.  They are the two on the bottom and I finished the top one today.

I've discovered two things.  My eyes are older!!  I need to use reading glasses and take out my contacts.  If I do that, the stitching is easy; if I don't, not so much.  And the fabric I use, 18 count Davos in khaki, is proving very hard to  find.  I have enough for one more, but there are all those others!  I've found one source on line, but I've not taken the plunge yet.  Scratch that.  With Dan's blessing, I just ordered a yard.  A very expensive yard.  

Merry Christmas!  ♥

A Short Ponder

Every year as part of my Christmas presents, Dan buys me a Mary Engelbreit page-a-day calendar.  I enjoy looking at each day's art and often there is a quote of some kind.  Yesterday's art (which I just read due to yesterday's busy schedule) showed a woman with huge, startled eyes reading a newspaper and the quote was: "If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."  It was attributed to Mark Twain.  When I read it, I laughed out loud.  It's so true!  Anytime I know anything about an article in the paper, I can usually find at least one major error, and often more.  

So my question (ponder) is, why do we ever believe what we read in the paper??  ♥

The Sun is Shining!

I know it's still February, but having blue sky and sunshine today has been a wonderful harbinger of spring.  Caveat:  it's cold!  But it is sunny!  

I've been doing a little hand stitching.  When we were at Bruder Bear's last fall, I made my yearly stop at a wonderful quilt shop in a neighboring town and was attracted to several primitive framed stitcheries.  I tend more to classic decorating items, but I do like a smattering of primitive decorations.  I bought two patterns and settled in to stitch one out several weeks ago.  The process was rather new to me because I had to trace the design on my Osnaburg fabric and it was a learning experience.  I was thankful Dan had made me a light box years ago--it was the perfect thing to use.

The little project is still in progess as a frame needs to be made by my handi-man, who is otherwise engaged with a bathroom remodel, so the picture below just shows the stitched fabric laying on a piece of batting with the buttons in position to be stitched on later.

The pattern was actually created by a lady who works at the quilt shop and she also makes the buttons.  Talk about a crafty lady!  I bought another of her patterns and look forward to starting on it. The colored parts are done with chalk, but I think I will applique with wool instead.  

The pieces of felted wool in the photo were gifts from Ann a few years ago and I think the red will be perfect for the mittens and scarf and the blue for the mug.  Now we'll see if I can be clever enough to do this!

I left my last post with a paragraph about our friend Steve.  We were able to spend a few minutes with him on Friday morning the 12th, and then on Valentine's morning he left us for a new life free from the cancer that had ravaged his body.  We and so many others miss him but rest in the assurance that we'll meet again.

Lifting a coffee cup to you, Steve!  Your super power was indeed love.  ♥

Happy Valentine's Eve...and Other Stuff

Here we are, almost half way through February, and tomorrow is Valentine's Day. The only room where I have Valentine's decorations is the dining room.  I did add a thing or two this year, though. On the table is this little setting:

The hearts on a stick in the vase were a gift from Daniel last year.  He bought them on the day we spent together while Ann took her friend Dayna on a round of doctors and hospitals.  Every time I look at those four hearts, I smile.  And I'm smiling, too, because Dayna's latest MRI showed further shrinkage of her brain tumor and a PET scan showed no active cancer cells!  Her doctor told her she's in uncharted territory and gave her three weeks off of her chemo.  She's enjoying renewed energy and a trip to Mexico with her sisters and mom as I type.  

I liked the leaves I made for the knob of the china hutch last fall so much that I was inspired to stitch out a Mary Engelbreit heart for this season.  Such a simple addition sure adds a lot:

Here's a bigger view of the whole hutch including a candle with a seasonal wrap:

Several years ago I created a banner for the embroidery club I taught at the quilt shop.  There's no mantle over our fireplace to place it under, and I couldn't figure out where else to put the banner, so I'm embarrassed to say I never put it up. This year I had an idea and it worked--under the dining room window:

Here's a longer range view showing the banner, the table, and the ultimate Valentine's decorating essential, a bowl of appropriately colored Peanut M&Ms:

Meanwhile, our hearts have been heavy this week as our friend, Steve, seems to be losing his battle with cancer. Steve, just a few years older than our kids, has been a good buddy of Dan's, is one of the pastors at our church, and with his wife, Tina, has provided us and many others, with an end of the holidays party known as Italian New Year's for a number of years.  As a couple, they have touched many lives near and far. We and hundreds of others are in prayer for this family that includes two young sons.  ♥

More Kitchen Stuff

About a thousand years ago, or not (but sometimes it seems that way), I was on my way home from college for Christmas break.  A friend from high school days drove me as far as some friends' house and dropped me off so I could spend the evening with them before they drove me the rest of the way home.  Actually, I remember the year, 1969, because one of the things I had with me was a pink satin formal (which my high school friend, Bob, called my "gown" as he carefully moved it into and out of his car) and I know that the only time I wore it was to the Navy Ball in December of 1969.  But I digress...

My friend, Maggie, had dinner waiting when I arrived and it was my first taste of cabbage rolls. They were delicious!  Maggie graciously typed out the recipe for me and a few years later, when I was married, I made her recipe numerous times to rave reviews by all tasters. The recipe takes a while to put together, however, and it was left to languish in my recipe box all the years I was teaching.  I needed speedier suppers.

Lately I've been seeing various bloggers and Facebook friends mention "Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls." Basically, cabbage roll ingredients but the cabbage is just chopped and added to the meat and sauce.  I actually remembered to buy a cabbage when I was at the store yesterday, and tonight was the night to experiment.  I googled Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls and looked at several recipes and then had a thought: make it using Maggie's recipe.  Amazingly, I found it in my recipe box, typed out on a yellow 3 x 5 note card.  I made a few changes; I used uncooked rice and used some chicken broth I had open in the fridge to add extra liquid for the rice to cook.

It was a success!!  Dan loved it and so did I.  I made it virtually salt free for me, so Dan added a little at the table.  Here's a picture of our leftovers for another night.

And here's the recipe:

Maggie's Cabbage Rolls--Deconstructed

 1 small head of cabbage, chopped

1 pound lean ground beef

3 8-oz cans of salt free tomato sauce

2 T brown sugar

2 T vinegar

1/2 cup uncooked white rice

1 cup salt free chicken broth

Brown ground beef in 4-Qt Dutch oven, adding pepper and salt and a dash of Montreal Steak Seasoning. Mix tomato sauce, brown sugar and vinegar together. Add uncooked rice to ground beef and stir.  Add chopped cabbage and pour sauce over and stir well.  Add chicken broth, 1/2 cup at a time and stir well.  Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes six generous servings. ♥

EDITED to add a photo of me about the same time. And yes, I still wear my hair the same way!

The photo was taken at a park in Spokane when my roommate, her boyfriend (who took the picture) and my Navy ball date and I drove up to spend the day.  I guess it was about a thousand years ago! ♥♥

What's Happening in the Resort Kitchen?

It's been a while since I had a food related blog.  Over the holidays I was busy in the kitchen but most of my efforts were directed toward Christmas: cookies, breads, and of course the holiday dinner itself. My everyday cooking was just to get food on the table: edible and norishing, but very basic. 

Now that the holidays are behind us (or long ahead of us!), I've been having lots of fun with our everyday meals. The electric pressure cooker has been getting a workout (more on that later) and other lovely vessels have made appearances.  First up is this beautiful cinnamon Staub 4-Qt Dutch oven I fell prey to last fall.  

It was on a terrific sale at King Arthur Flour and I couldn't resist.  I made a yummy elk stew in it.  It's supposed to be excellent for baking artisan bread, but I have yet to test that.  Soon, though!

Next up is another beauty.  A stoneware roaster from Pamper Chef that was a gift a few years ago from my adorable daughter.  

It makes the most incredibly delicious scalloped potatoes!  I used up the last of the Easter ham (found in the back of the freezer) and made short work of the potatoes with a mandoline.  We all know I'm a potato lover, and these made me swoon over their yumminess. The recipe is an old one from my trusty red plaid BH&G wedding present cookbook.  

I've been drinking my coffee from a fun new mug that was part of my Christmas from Ann and family. (For someone who never drank coffee until she was thirty-five years old, I've certainly made up for it since.)  The mug is a Pioneer Woman design.  Love the polkadots and the sunny yellow base.

Green Mountain Coffee has a seasonal selection called Pumpkin Spice that I've been enjoying since the first of December.  With Creme Brulee creamer, it's like pumpkin pie in a cup! A few weeks ago I swooped up five more boxes on closeout so I'm set for a while longer.  

And onto the pressure cooker.  It's gotten a good workout since the new year began including more yogurt, cheesecake, steamed butternut squash, and some very yummy baked beans.  While I still love and use my stovetop pressure cooker, I love that I can chop up a squash, program the cooker, and let it go while I work on the rest of dinner without a worry.  Did just that last night while I made turkey enchiladas which are somewhat labor intensive since I make the sauce from scratch.  No boilovers! ♥

What's Going On at the Resort?

Well, actually, nothing! As is evidenced by the Christmas wallpaper still here on the blog.  However, the entire house is still decorated for Christmas and probably will be for at least another week, so the wallpaper stays.  :-)

We still have snow although none of it is new.  It makes the days brighter and we love that.  We often call January Janu-dreary so the white is much appreciated. And we wouldn't object to some more.

Don't know if I've mentioned that Dan, with son-in-law Eric's help, got the shower stall installed over Thanksgiving.  They also got the new sheetrock up around it. Over the next few weeks Dan got it taped and mudded and finally textured.  After Christmas he got it primed and painted.  Now we await our shower door which seems to be lost in limbo-land somewhere.  Hmm, I need to call about that again.  

I'm pondering my next sewing project.  I've been digging through my quilting books and have seen many things I'd like to make; deciding is the next step.  

First up, however, is the laundry.  The excitement never ends here.  ♥

And It's Done!

I'm such a pokey hand-sewer, but I got the binding all finished on the tree skirt!  (I did stitch the ties by machine though.)

I'm very happy with it, especially as the shape was very different from anything I've pieced or quilted before. 

Here it is under the tree.  The perfect size for where we have the tree these days.  

The white sheet can retire! ♥

Stitchin'

Ever since Dan put the new lift in my sewing cabinet I've been like a woman with a whole new persepective on sewing.  I think it's because it's so easy to switch between embroidery and regular sewing.  Whatever, I've been having fun in my sewing room and that makes me smile.

A couple of quilters I have followed for years did a "24 Days of Christmas" on Instagram (no, I'm not on there, but I can view) and they inspired me no end.  Each day of December they posted pictures of quilts and other stitcheries in Christmas vignettes.  I got new ideas for my own decorating and ideas for new projects, so to my sewing room I went.

First up was this simple little quilt for our bedroom dresser.  I used fabrics from the Christmas quilt I made a couple of years ago.  

Next up, I decided it was time to get a tree skirt made! After forty-four years of marriage, I needed to do this. I had purchased more of the Through the Winter Woods fabric to make the skirt in the book by the same name, but then discovered the skirt was huge--like six feet across which is much too large for where our tree sits.  I had thought of trying to scale the pattern down, but it had so many pieces it just seemed to be too much to contemplate so I did nothing.  Until this week when I decided I had to prevail and get with the program.  I looked through my books and patterns and found Happy Holidays by Atkinson Designs.  Right there on the front was a tree skirt that would work perfectly.  

I used the Winter Woods fabrics and a few scraps from other projects and got the top done Saturday. As usual, Terry Atkinson's directions were perfect (her methods are genius--I don't know how she figures out such clever ways to cut and sew) and a top made of equilateral triangles came together perfectly.

I just finished quilting it and now will get to the binding. Stay tuned for a final viewing!  ♥

A New Year . . .

. . . and it's a cold white one here at the resort.  By Christmas Day we had a foot or so of beautiful white stuff, and a little more came down in the days that followed.  And then it turned cold.  Cold as in it was one degree last night at nine o'clock.  We've had some fog and that, coupled with the cold, has resulted in hoar frost that covers every little branch, twig, and spider web. It's a fairy land out there, people!

Box Elder at the end of our deck

View out the front door

Look at that brilliant blue sky!

I am loving every moment of this incredible beauty.  It's warm and cozy here in the resort and we were blessed with a lovely Christmas season with family.  Bruder Bear and Karen drove up to our home town on Christmas Eve and then on Christmas Day drove our parents up here for a day of feasting and visiting.  BB's son JR and daughter Kirsten and husband Tim also came.  Ann, Eric and the boys were able to run over for a hour or so (Eric's parents were spending the holiday with them) and we had fourteen of us catching up with one another . . . and putting a puzzle together!

Peanut M&M's are a must for puzzle work!

My Dad was particularly pleased to have so many of his family around!  (And the cookies didn't hurt, either!)

At 92, his biggest gift was family together

We celebrated Christmas with Ann and family on New Year's Eve and had a great time.  We dubbed the event "The Pizza and Present Extravaganza."  :-)  An excellent time was had by all.

And now, it's 2016.  A whole new year before us.  ♥