Christmas Eve/Christmas Day

The picture below is what the valley looked like on the morning of Christmas Eve just as the sun started hitting the Wellsvilles. (b-r-r) This shot was taken 2 1/2 blocks south of our home. We headed to McDonald's for a quick breakfast before running errands. Loaves of banana bread with a sprig of holly were put on the trays with food orders until it was our turn. The customer before us got the last loaf. (g-r-r) In the mid-afternoon we decided to have a late lunch/early supper at Sizzler. We like their salad bar as well as any around. But I struck out for the second time in one day as the ice cream machine was not working. (g-r-r)

CHRISTMAS DAY

On Christmas Day we decided to make the rounds to see what Santa brought the grandkids. We arrived at the Schvaneveldt's home in Providence about 9:15 a.m. and they had just started opening gifts. It reminded me of years goneby when Reed's parents would get up and drive from Preston to our house in Millville early in the morning so they could be there when our girls got up and opened presents. They usually had to sit and wait in their car in the freezing cold until our household was 'up and at 'em. We usually gave the kids the option of what time they wanted to start, if they wanted breakfast first, and whether or not they preferred to be all fixed up before going into the living room. (The girls didn't want Christmas morning pictures if they were were still in their pj's, no make-up on or hair done) Anyway, the Schvaneveldts ate breakfast and got ready before they began their Christmas morning extravaganza.

I gave a puzzle to the family to put together to let them know what their gift was. On the back of each puzzle piece there was a word. Since we had already done this with the VanWagenens, I decided it would be easier to put the puzzle together inside this clear drawer.

When the puzzle was complete Kaden, Natalie, Courtney and Hailey laid on the floor and I held the drawer above them, showing the bottom of the puzzle for them to read. Both Schvaneveldts and VanWagenens got a 7 night stay in St. George during their spring breaks in April for their gift from us.

Next we went to the Johnsons in Nibley. We had talked to Santa Claus prior to selecting a gift. He said he was going to give the family a Wii and various Wii products. He suggested that maybe they could use some extra games or accessories. Here are the Johnson kids -- Riley, Ashley, Brynlee and Jayse -- holding the presents we gave them.

Our next stop was in American Fork at the Burkhardt residence. Ashlyn and Katelyn had received new tutus for Christmas so they were wearing them with their dance attire. I don't think I saw Ashlyn without those princess barbies she has clutched in her arms. In the lower right hand corner of the picture is the box that contains a 14 foot trampoline they received from Santa. What do you give to someone who has everything? Beats me, it is a cop-out but we just sent checks to the Burkhardts and Hawkins families.

We were unable to see the VanWagenens because they were going to Jory's grandmother's house in Orem. We practically had it timed that we could have seen them on the freeway enroute. We obviously didn't make a visit to the Hawkins family in Oklahoma. We drove back to Cache Valley and went straight to Mandarin Gardens for tiny spicy chicken combos. Going there on Christmas Day is a tradition of sorts. It is one of the few places to eat that is open on Christmas Day. Since we went to China we rarely eat Chinese food anymore, but think it is okay about once a year. They had a sign that simply said, "Open Christmas Day and New Years Day." Many years ago when we took the girls to eat at Mandarin Gardens we laughed at their sign. It said, "Open whole day long Christmas Day." We also like their sign that says, "Restrooms on the back."

The temperature was really cold but our spirits were high as we traveled around to visit family. It was a pretty blue-skied day, nice for traveling. We got gas for $2.29/gallon and thought that was a treat. Back at home we had a quiet Christmas night, reading, watching tv and munching on goodies before we went to bed early. We are thankful for this time of year, for our family, and for the true meaning of Christmas. 'Jesus is the reason for the season' and 'Wise men still seek him.' The feelings of love, peace, goodwill, giving and charity shouldn't be seasonal. I hope we can keep spirit of Christmas in our hearts all year long.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The day after Christmas we were crazy but we went to town and braved some huge crowds. There were lots of bargains but it probably wasn't worth the wait in long lines. We are too cheap to spend much on flannel or fleece sheets. Unfortunately we can't find inexpensive sheets of either kind to fit our mattress that is 17 or 18" thick. Deep pocketed sheets have deep pocket prices. We did purchase 100 new ornaments and over 100 feet of beaded garland for about $25. We will be ready to decorate our new tree next year. It will be a Logan High School special... primarily red and gold.

What?

So how fast did you catch the mistake on this coupon? Anyway, I got a chuckle out of the expiration date. Maybe Jay Leno would like it.

Family Party

Thanks to Jill and Brandon for hosting our immediate family Christmas party on the 19th. We had a ham dinner with all the fixings and cookies and candies for dessert. Following the meal we were favored with a piano recital featuring Ashlyn (5), Natalie (10), Ashley (12), Hailey (12), and Courtney (14). Ashlyn recited the preamble to the constitution and Katelyn (3) gave the Pledge of Allegiance. Then we played bingo for prizes furnished by us and the Schvaneveldts. Most things were new but we did take a few used items such as a couple of backpacks and a breadmaker. The hot commodities that Jill bought were fleece throws and knitwear...toe socks, hats, etc. Each person got at least one gift. I didn't take any pictures. Robin, Andrew and girls stayed at Jill's that night. Candace, Jory and kids stayed at our house and went to Sacrament meeting with us the following morning. After church we watched a DVD, "Joy to the World," which is an account of the Savior's birth. Then we watched "Mr. Kreuger's Christmas." Meanwhile, back in Oklahoma, Owen (4) was giving his very first talk in Primary. He wrote the talk himself and even typed it out on the computer for printing. Owen told about the birth of Jesus and gave his own personal thoughts about Him. Owen gave the talk to me over the phone. Excellent job, Owen! We're proud of you!


Jory, Mason, Landon, Tanner and Candace putting a puzzle together to find out what we are giving their family for Christmas. Each puzzle piece had a word written on the back.


When Brooklyn (15 months) got up from her nap she entertained herself for a long time trying to position some teddy bears on a little sleigh and give them a ride.

Well today is the 23rd. We bought a 9 foot pre-lit slim Christmas tree to replace the enormous, full and bushy 12 foot tree we gave to the Burkhardts. At this late date we don't plan on putting it up. Yes, we're scrooges. We had our carpets cleaned rather late and couldn't have a tree until after that. Then we got too busy to be bothered. When Jill called to tell us the trees were on sale at Sams Club, we decided to go ahead and get one.

Because it is the end of the year and my medical deductible has been met, I decided to make a few doctor's appointments (eye doctor, podiatrist etc.) Every day it is a different one. Andrew completed his chemo and radiation on the 17th. In approximately 5 weeks he will have surgery.

Although we thoroughly enjoy birdwatching, we decided not to put the bird feeders out this winter. We will miss our feathered friends but will have to remind ourselves what a mess they are to clean up after.

We have been spending lots of time reading. I just finished reading Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" and Reed is reading it now. Great book! We enjoyed the movie, "The Blind Side." We got a movie at Redbox and it was so dumb we turned it off without finishing it.

We are thinking it is time to go ice fishing but is just so darn cold!

As if this blog isn't enough to keep me busy, I recently started four more blogs. They are family history blogs, two for Reed's family and two for mine:

http://www.myprigmorefamily.blogspot.com/

http://www.mymilliganfamily.blogspot.com/

http://www.myransomfamily.blogspot.com/

http://www.myconlinfamily.blogspot.com/

Christmas get-togethers

The annual Milligan Christmas Party was held on Saturday, December 12th in Ogden. I think I counted 60 attendees...but who can tell when everyone was moving around so fast? With my brothers and sisters and their families, we now total about 124. We had a good time eating, visiting and exchanging gifts. It was a snowy day which made for slow, slippery, and scary travel.

White Elephant gift exchange, younger group

The very tasty food was catered by the Sonora Grill, owned by Emily (niece) and Steve Ballard. Here are some of the tables set up near the kitchen end of the recreation hall.

Ashley and Chloe on plasma cars...riding these was one of the highlights of the party for most of the kids and 'kids at heart'

The stake center recreation hall was a free-standing building next to the church house. The gym was really large and it featured a kitchen, restrooms on each end, balconies on each end, and wooden 'fold-down' bleachers on the sides. It did not have a stage with velvet drapes! It was really a neat facility, probably a 'one-of-a-kind' as far as the church goes.

I attended the Sunflower Camp Daughters of Utah Pioneers Christmas Party on Monday, December 14th. A nice lunch was served and we enjoyed a short program. Later that evening Reed and I hosted our ward 'Empty Nester's Family Home Evening.' Fourteen were in attendance. We talked about Christmases past...remembrances, traditions etc. We showed a couple of video clips regarding the Savior's birth, one being from the New Testament and the other from the perspective of the Book of Mormon. We served wassail, frosted and decorated Christmas sugar cookies, red and green M&M cookies, fudge, divinity, coolwhip balls, fruit cake, a relish tray and tortilla chips and salsa. Making all those things kept us busy for a few days. We handed out 'scripture favors' with scriptures of the account of Jesus' birth in Luke, chapter 2, and bottles of our homemade chokecherry syrup. We had an enjoyable evening with some great people.

Santa came a little early to us this year. Our TV had quit working. We lasted a month without it and finally broke down and purchased a new TV, PS3, and console. We upgraded to an HD satellite receiver. The picture is impressive. Our system has a lot of capabilities. It will take a lifetime to figure out all the bells and whistles. Grandson Jayse, 9, wants to be our own personal 'geek squad."