December 2017

December was busy until the last week, when things suddenly slowed down for the holidays.  This was a good year for Christmas-related activities.  We attended several parties and shows, Kylen went caroling and started a little ministry handing out candy canes and tracts.  He also volunteered in concessions at a local theater and went to a Christmas dance and a couple of teen writer's events.  Greg had basketball Tuesdays, and Kylen had voice lessons Fridays.  Between the three of us, we saw four movies (two free from a rewards program), which is unheard of.  Usually, we see one movie every several months.  Our favorites were Justice League and Star Wars.

Christmas party #1 at a friend's house.  Kylen and his partner won the Christmas trivia game!  Their prize was festive antlers.  :)

Christmas party #2.  Technically, a game night.  I played Telestrations for the first time and was impressed with one of the drawings by a talented teenager.

Let this be known: my son seriously does not need to wear socks with holes.  He just doesn't tell me when he needs new ones!  Greg said when he was a kid this was called new crop potatoes.  Lol.

Christmas party #3.  An annual event at our co-op.  I helped make the yarn ball decorations.  :)

We ordered Christmas cards from simplytoimpress and were quite impressed!  A little more expensive than most but better quality.

I saw this picture in a magazine by Ken Orvidas and absolutely loved it, but I wasn't able to find a title or a way to order a print.  My picture of it is a little washed out, but you get the idea.  I love the happy colors!

We saw a couple friends' basketball games.

One of the shows we saw, Elf Jr., with several friends in the cast.  They did fantastic!

Kylen was inspired to write his own tract.  We added stickers, put them in plastic sleeves with a candy cane, punched a hole in each bag, and attached a rubber band.  A couple of families helped place them on doorknobs one afternoon.  Kylen got the idea shortly before Christmas, so we had to scramble to get them printed and prepped, but we were happy with how it went.  He'd like to do it again next year.

We enjoyed a Christmasy meal at the CDA resort.  I love, love, love their salad bar.  They have the best Caesar dressing.

I received an awesome belated birthday package from my cousin (belated is tradition!).  :)

A friend of Kylen's published his first book!  We went to his book launch party at a library and heard him speak about self-publishing.  We haven't had a chance to read it yet but will soon!

In recent years, we've made fudge for our holiday indulgence.  This time we made haystacks.  I grew up having them at Grandma's and my parents' house.  Definitely nostalgic, definitely yummy.

We had friends over for fellowship and a Christmas gift exchange.  They also gave us a great anniversary gift!

My first set of tiles in a Scrabble game.  Too bad proper nouns aren't allowed!

I posted about Christmas here.

After Christmas, we went to see Star Wars.  Greg and Kylen waited in line while I browsed shops.

The last week of December we mostly hung out at home and played Zelda.  We were going to have friends over New Year's Eve and meet family New Year's Day, but Kylen got sick.  So the year went out without a bang.  2018 should be eventful with Kylen graduating.  Our lives will change drastically, but we look forward to seeing what God has next.  :)

Christmas Day 2017

We spent Christmas Day quietly at home, a tradition I have cherished for many years.  I'm usually so busy earlier in the month, I have felt the day couldn't be properly enjoyed if we were rushing around, needing to be somewhere or preparing for company.  This time, it felt almost too quiet.  Perhaps it will be time for a change next year?

It was a white Christmas.  :)

A few of our favorite gifts . . .

This one was from a friend.  You wouldn't think I'd get excited about paper plates, but there are plenty of opportunities to use them, and I like fun and colorful designs.

Also from a friend.  We didn't know about this company with my name and got a kick out of it.

From Greg, which he picked out all by himself.  I love it.  We tried one out immediately, and I am definitely going to enjoy these!

For Greg:

Kylen got a couple of comment shirts matching his current passion.  I bought the first one, but I actually like the second, from friends, a lot better.  Good job, Friends!

I couldn't pass this up.

We also received two personalized family gifts from friends that were really nice, a sign and an ornament!

We spent a lot less on each other than usual and gave a gift for our whole family, a Nintendo Switch with one game:

And this is what we did the rest of Christmas Day and most of the break until after New Year's.  We decided to make it a family game, so no one is allowed to play alone until we beat it.  Great bonding time: taking turns playing, trying to figure out puzzles, and arguing about what to do next.  We're not thrilled with the town where Link is forced to dress like a girl, but otherwise we think it's one of the best games of all time.  Definitely the best Zelda game ever.

We couldn't believe how tiny the cartridge is!  So cute!

We kept a few other traditions, and - for dinner - made our belated Thanksgiving meal the day before so we didn't need to cook.  :)

November 2017

November was a fairly busy month with a large variety of activities, especially for Kylen.  His schedule included playing a lead role in a reader's theater, a game night, seeing several shows, outings related to volunteering at the local theater, rehearsing a skit for our co-op's Christmas party, teen writer's gatherings, voice lessons, and basketball.  Co-op ended for the holidays, giving us our Mondays back.

We received a bout of heavy snowfall unusually early.

Greg and Kylen were given tickets to a Gonzaga men's basketball game - in a suite!

A local gal, who taught art classes in our city for over a decade, retired.  We went to visit her, and it sure did bring back memories!  Kylen and I both took classes when he was in grade school.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Greg's parents at a restaurant.  My favorite was the soup.  It was amazing!!

The restaurant was in a hotel.  We liked the cute chalk drawings in their computer area.

The day after Thanksgiving, we had a wonderful dinner at a friend's house.  :)

A member of our co-op hosted a crafting get-together to make decorations for our co-op's Christmas party.  I thought that was a fantastic idea!  It went really well, and I learned how to make glittery yarn balls.

Well, on to December!