Oozing with talent...

This year we had our First Annual Christmas Talent Show.

I showed the kiddos how to make Norwegian ornaments- Landry treated hers like a little purse.

My poor mom just had surgery so she just kinda sits around.  Love the candy cane cast!

We drew names to see who would go first and Tate was the lucky guy.  He acted out the book How The Grinch Stole Christmas- it was adorable.

My brothers sang an awkward but entertaining song.

Jayda played and sang.

Sim sang the Iron man theme song and showed some Superhero moves.

I played the harmonica while my girls danced.

Holden sang "Rudolph"

Mom and Dad sang a Christmas song.

Holly and Adrian sang and danced. It was a great party- Olivia also played her violin but we didn't get a pic of it.  The biggest surprise was that my brother Dan, who has been in China for the past 8 years came home for Christmas!

Back at home, I play Christmas music all day long and the kids dance all day long.

He is obviously getting his groove on- sorry about the scanty clothes- he feels more like a Superhero dressed this way =)

Clockwork

For Christmas my mother-in-law gave me an early present.  When we moved here she gave me this beautiful grandfather clock but it has never worked.  So for Christmas she had Antonio come over to fix it.  He still has the face and the guts but says it should be finished by Christmas.

He is this adorable man from South America who is a clock maker/fixer, just like his dad and grandfather were.  It was very interesting to watch him take it apart.

I can't wait to hear the gong and see it put back together.

New Tradition

My friend Dianna told me about what she and her kids do with their letters to Santa: they burn them!  The idea is that they get to the North Pole faster and when they arrive they are magically put back together.  My kids loved the idea so we did it- it was great!

 Bernie and Bella were there so they burned her letter to Santa too- what a great idea! Thanks Di

Christmas knitting

Last year I made this knitted, felted poinsettia wreath- It was a bit time consuming but the results are totally worth it- for the pattern and instructions: pick up sticks

I may be insane, but all this knitting has made my fingers bleed and I'm wearing a wrist brace! I might have gotten in a bit over my head.  I should have known when I left the store with $100 in yarn that I had bit off more than I could chew.  So here are a few of the things I've been working on.

I found this awesome pattern for a 1940's watch cap on Ravelry and decided it would be perfect for my nephew- he saw me making a little bag for his sister and begged me to make something for him- little did he know it was already in the works.

I love the finished look- it's hard to see here but the top makes kind of a criss-cross pattern and the ribbing is lovely.

I made this scarf for my sister-in-law (I drew her name) and because she is a bit tricky to buy for, I decided a unique scarf would work well.  It's super long and big and chunky- it's a larger version of the orange scarf I made for my daughter for her birthday.

For my older young women (Laurels) who I'm over, I made them each a scarflette.  They were so sweet when I gave them out on Sunday, hopefully they all got the color they want.  

I've also knitted my little boy a tie, knitted a bag for my niece, helped my daughter finish her 3 scarves that she made and am now working on a bigger bag for my other daughter (won't be ready by Christmas) so she can carry her ballet stuff in it.

My baby is 3 :(

My sweet little baby is now 3 years old! I have had soooo much fun watching this little man grow.  He has had the sweetest temperament from the minute he popped into the world and he is such a happy boy.

 His obsession with all things super-hero scored him some pretty awesome presents.

It was hilarious when we started singing "Happy Birthday" he decided to raise his arm in super hero fashion and didn't put it down till the song was over.  It started a new trend.  Of course he had to have his shirt off so he looks more like a super hero (his idea, of course).

Happy Birthday little Sim!

Thanks for Thanksgiving

Every 4 years my mom's side of the family gets together at the place my parents met.  My mom's sister married into the family who owns the lovely Jacob Lake Inn right on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  It's a place full of memories for me and my cousins: we all worked there for years of our childhood on the hunting weekends when they needed extra help, and some went on to work there during summers after high school.   So this was a year to go to the beautiful Kiabab forest and enjoy ourselves for Thanksgiving.

Olivia has a favorite job: dishwashing! But only at Jacob Lake where there's a huge sprayer and enormous professional dishwasher to shove the trays into- I must admit it's pretty awesome.  Olivia spent most of her time either washing dishes, clearing tables, or getting drinks or food for people.  She even passed up sledding, and sometimes eating just so she could help out.

The lodge was closed for Thanksgiving Day so we got to use the giant grill in the kitchen to make our own breakfast- the boys seemed to enjoy this a lot.  My little brother Geoff was dressed like a cowboy for some reason.

 Jayda quickly caught the vision of helping to bus tables and was very proud of the dollar she earned, which of course she spent on gum.

 It was my favorite day spending it in the kitchen cooking and baking.  Aunts, cousins, sisters, sisters in law all spent a few hours in the kitchen getting the big meal ready for 80 people!!!  Adrian was in charge of the green bean casserole.

 Here is the famous "Auntie M" Aunt Melinda: she pretty much runs the show and is completely at home in this complicated bakery.

 I spent most of the day in the kitchen/bakery enjoying the smells and the people, and occasionally getting a little taste of the yummy food.  The sweet potatoes were the best I've ever had- recipe to  come later.

 Melinda Jr. or Bubby as we all call her, practically grew up here in the bakery so she knows what she's doing.

What cute little Schofield sisters!

The turkey was beautiful (after brining over night)

Uncle Steve knows what he's doing with a knife!

Even Tate and Holden got in on the action of clearing tables and helping with dishes.

Grandma Beth, my dads mom lives only about 30 minutes away in Fredonia, so she came for the meal.

Getting ready to feed their faces.

Cute Holls getting ready for the big meal.

Petter and Livi did most of the post meal dishes and both said they had so much fun.

Since my Grandma was there, I decided to give her the blanket I made for Christmas- it fit perfect.

Here is Beth and Landri Beth. Landri and I are the only descendants named after Beth.

My parents brought a karaoke machine they borrowed from a neighbor who bought it in the Philippines. The song selection was a bit limited, and every song (even the hard rock) sounded like wedding singer stuff, but we had a great time.  Crystal rocked Air Supply!

And my dad rocked Ricky Martins' "She Bangs"- it was hilarious!

On Friday a dedicated few showed up for yoga- they look like they had a great time- ha ha

My cute cousin Becca and here little munchkin were inseparable- even while hiking around at the Grand Canyon.

I love this picture of Jayda tromping through the snow to get a good look at the amazing view.

Andy and his boys posing at Angels Landing.

My sista and I

When it was time to go home, I pretty much had to pull her away from the dishes.  Now that we're home she wants that to be her job everyday.

 On Thanksgiving, I was thinking about the things that I'm most grateful for.  The temporal things like heated seats in my car, knitting needles, my reformer, warm house, and yoga came to mind, and the more important things like each person I'm blessed to spend my days with and the fun vacations we take together made me think about how truly blessed I am and I feel thanks for Thanksgiving and will try to have that gratitude everyday!