Have a holly jolly…snow day! Maisy thought the snow was the perfect birthday present. How cool is that? My mom comes in and we get snow! I’m not going to count the snow we had a few weeks ago that lasted a few hours. This is our first real snow this season, quite late too, but at least it’s here. So, after a breakfast of gingerbread eggnog French toast we geared up and headed over to the sledding hill.

Grandma was having a lot of fun (and wearing her newly knitted scarf and hat.) We sledded, snowboarded and ate snow.

Coming back up the hill is work.

Making snow angels.

We made monster snowballs (just like in the cartoons, start at the top of the hill and let it roll down.)

Here’s Joel with his, it was so big we eventually couldn’t roll it anymore.

Here’s Grace’s expression when she saw the snowball!

Here is Joel after he let a snowball fly and its recipient Grace just as it hit her (she wasn’t too happy.)

But, in general, it is my theory that snow makes people happy…see?

We had a great Thanksgiving Day at our friend Krista’s house. We were joined by another lady from our HS group and her daughter, so we had 7 kids and 5 adults in the house. It was Krista’s first time cooking Thanksgiving dinner and she did great! We had chicken, sausage, stuffing, green beans, corn, potatoes, pecan and pumpkin pie and great conversation. Hannah found a computer and got onto webkinz and ‘did her account’ for awhile. Krista’s son Elliott made a paper titanic and we watched it sink in the backyard, it went down just like in the movie too (what HS’ers will do!) We watched some TV, ate and talked. I think we’ll invade someone’s house every year that doesn’t have family in town, it was fun.

Today we started on our Thanksgiving meal with my mom (she came in at 2:15pm) We had turkey, mac and cheese, stuffing, beets, broccoli and rice, green beans, pumpkin and apple pie and ambrosia.

I think that’s about it. Here’s James slicing the turkey.

We picked my mom up at the airport and went home to relax while we finished up dinner. Well, some of us relaxed, some of us played Wii.

We strung up our Christmas lights and as soon as we got them up it stared snowing.

Now we have about 3”, looks like good play snow for sledding tomorrow, yay!

I just finished up a hat and scarf for my mom, good thing too, she’ll need it tomorrow. And I still don’t have my camera back, these pics are thanks to my friend Heather who is letting me borrow her camera till I get mine back. Thanks Heather, I’m going to get great pics tomorrow!

And Happy Birthday Maisy! We forgot! She’s 1!

Yesterday the cable guy came by to fix out internet. The modem Comcast gave us went out, he said the cable was chewed up outside too and he replaced it. I saw the cable he threw in the trash though, it had one section that Maisy had obviously put teeth marks on, but it’s not like the entire wire was chewed to a thread. Dance went very well. Our teacher is having to dance in place of a girl that can’t continue. Her Dad died a few weeks ago and she has to work 2 jobs to help her family. It’s very sad for something like that to happen right before the holidays. Pray for her mom and whole family. I got my skirt yesterday and so did Hannah, they both fit. The circle skirts are so pretty when you twirl and they flow out around you (we wear bloomers underneath.) T minus 6 day till performance!

Today we did some extra school to catch up; we’re going to be off this next week when my Mom comes to visit. After lunch I had this craving for oatmeal cranberry cookies, like the ones we had at 4 mile this weekend. So I made some, good thing for my neighbors that I always make extra. I didn’t like the first batch though (so they get those….I threw in some later batch ones too, I’m not mean!) Anyway here’s the recipe (or receipt as Grandma Carberry would call it.)

Cranberry oatmeal cookies

1 C oleo (If you don’t know what that is Google it.)
¾ C white sugar
¾ C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
2 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 C oats
1 C cranberries

Cream oleo, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, soda and oats. Mix well, and then add cranberries. Drop onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes 3 dz.

They were good, craving gone!

I’m tracking my new camera on UPS.com too. I called because it was taking so long and the camera repair said that Kodak was mailing it to me directly (nice of them to notify me.) Then I called Kodak and they finally found my paperwork and said, oh it will be there today – here is a tracking number. Again, nice of you to notify me after you’ve had the camera since Nov. 11th. Hopefully this new camera will never break and I’ll never have to deal with Precision camera repair again, they suck.

My friend at Woodstone prairie did this and since she didn’t tag me (thank you) I decided to do this list.

10 Years Ago…
1. We had 1 child!
2. We lived in a house in Katy, TX.
3. Joel was 4, could already read and was a voracious HS’er.
4. I was pregnant with Bethany.
5. At the end of the year we were living in an apartment in Humble, TX and James was working for KSBJ radio.

5 Things on today’s “to-do” list
1. Get Comcast guy to fix internet (done)
2. Put up laundry.
3. Clean tubs.
4. Dance!
5. Make sure I get home in time to get Joel and take him to CAP.

5 Snacks I enjoy
1. Reese’s
2. Reese’s
3. Mellocreme pumpkins
4. Border’s javanilla shake
5. Pumpkin spice donut

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire
1. Pay off all bills.
2. Buy some acreage and build a dream house.
3. Set up a trust for the kids.
4. Set up a fund for the church.
5. Go on a vacation.

5 Places I have lived
1. Katy, TX
2. Humble, TX
3. Kingwood, TX
4. Arvada, CO
5. Highlands ranch, CO

5 Jobs that I have had / or still have
1. Kindercare worker.
2. Kroger sacker/deli/milk/cashier
3. Tax return computer input person
4. Petco cashier
5. Mom/teacher

I’m not tagging anyone!

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Denver!

June 1858, GOLD! Gold is discovered in the South Platte River near Cherry creek. It is said that gold nuggets line the streets and waters and are just waiting to be picked up to make a man a fortune!

November 22, 1858 Denver City Town Company is founded by the William H. Larimer party from Leavenworth, Kansas Territory. Wanting to be Grand Pooba of the New Denver City, Larimer laid out street plats. Miners beware: grub stakes and land tracts are being offered up in Poker games. Be careful or you may end up with no stake and no home! Larimer was instrumental in the formation of the Colorado territory and making Denver the Capitol of that seat. He was expected to be Gov., but President Lincoln gave the seat to William Gilpin of Missouri. Larimer’s city was across the creek from the Auraria settlement (founded earlier) and when the two rivals merged, Denver City dropped its name to just Denver.

1861 Colorado territory created.

1870 The train’s a-coming! The Denver Pacific, Kansas Pacific and Colorado Central Railroads reach Denver, ending the town’s isolation and stagnation. Before this people arrived via wagon, or in some cases walking form the last train stop outside Denver (quite a ways off.)

1871 Clang, clang, clang goes the trolley! Ding, ding, ding goes the bell! First Denver street car line built from Auraria to five points.

1876 Colorado becomes the 38th state.

State Motto - Nil Sine Numine - Nothing Without the Deity
State Name and Nickname - Colorado / Centennial State
State Animal - Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
State Bird - Lark Bunting
State Fish - Greenback Cutthroat Trout
State Flower - White and Lavender Columbine
State Folk Dance - Square Dance
State Fossil - Stegosaurus
State Gemstone - Aquamarine
State Grass - Blue Grama Grass
State Insect - Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly
State Song - “Where the Columbines Grow” and “Rocky Mountain High”
State Tree - Colorado Blue Spruce
State Mineral - Rhodochrosite
State Rock - Yule Marble
State Reptile - Western Painted Turtle

1904-1918: Mayor Robert W. Speer transforms Denver into a “City Beautiful.”

1929 Fly to Denver! Stapleton airport opens. Although air travel wasn’t new to Denver, back in 1919 you could fly from Denver to Colorado Springs for $12.50 in an open-air cockpit.

1930’s Denver develops its mountain parks system, including Red rocks outdoor amphitheater and Winter park ski area.

1947-1955: Mayor Quigg Newton modernizes Denver, installing Dr. Florence Sabin as head of Health and Hospitals; Hank Barnes sets up one-way streets and “The Barnes Dance” (diagonal pedestrian crossings downtown, we were the first city to have those – drivers hate them!)

1995: Denver International Airport opens; Denver builds a grand, new public library, incorporating the original 1955 landmark building, and restores historic branch libraries.

27 Denver landmarks:

1. Tivoli Brewery
2. Byers Branch Library
3. Speer Boulevard
4. Lincoln Hall
5. Oxford Hotel
6. Denver Gas and Electric Company
7. Baker-Plested Cottage
8. Corona School/Dora Moore School
9. Cheesman Park Memorial Pavilion
10. Baerresen-Freeman House
11. Bluebird Theater
12. Zang Mansion
13. Harman Town Hall/Greenleaf Masonic Temple
14. Douglass Undertaking Parlor
15. Clements Row House
16. Annunciation Catholic Church
17. Romeo Block
18. Queree House
19. Smith House
20. First Ave. Hotel
21. Washington Park Boathouse and Pavilion
22. Cory Elementary School
23. Four Mile House
24. Lowry-Eisenhower Memorial Chapel No. 1
25. Richthofen Castle
26. St. Thomas Episcopal Church
27. Civic Center Park

Today we headed over to the Colorado History museum to see Mayor Hickenlooper cut the ribbon to the new Denver exhibit.

It’s called Denver 150, imagine a great city. People gave a few speeches and we sang a verse of ‘Happy birthday to you’ to Denver.

In the new exhibit they have everything from the Rockies home base and dirt from the 2007 National league championship games to the money bag and gun from the Boettcher kidnapping. They have John Elways’ t-shirt, old printing press, wagon carts, historic pictures and a film about Denver stories. It was pretty neat and I’m guessing it will be a permanent exhibit even when the museum moves into their new quarters. The museum had a passport trip set up for the kids where they got a stamp at every site.

We got to pan for gold, lasso a steer, spark a fire, see an old schoolhouse, grind corn meal, see several touch carts and the mining cart exhibit was actually on (that’s the first time we’ve seen it working.) We saw a ski soldier reenactor, a square dance group, an Indian tribe dance and got a free Denver postcard at the end of it. If you haven’t been, go on Saturdays. They have cool family events and kids under 12 are free.

Next stop was the Denver Botanic gardens, also free today. They are tearing up the place for winter so most of it was closed off, but we did see what was left of the outdoor gardens. Inside the giant glass and steel structure is a rainforest cornucopia of plants, flowers and trees.

It’s very humid in there (reminds us of Houston.) Today it wasn’t so bad because it was only 60 outside. The new exhibit at the gardens was graffiti or urban garden art. We sat down and wrote our names graffiti style on paper and looked at this plywood art up close.

There were panels of graffiti art all over the gardens, and I must admit – they look like art to me. After rolling down the hill and playing tag we went to the last stop of the day.

Four mile historic park gets it name because it is 4 miles from Denver. Four Mile House once served as a stage stop, wayside inn, and tavern for travelers on the Cherokee Trail on their way to Denver City. We haven’t been here in 5 years. We’ve been back here 3 years, but we just haven’t made it by for anything. Half of what we saw I don’t remember from our last visit. We went in the visitor center, which I think is new, and headed out to the houses. We passed up the quilting bee house where some ladies sat quilting and we pounced on a cat that was lounging nearby (to pet him.) We went by the outdoor bakery where oatmeal-cranberry cookies and Christmas cookies were being cooked in an old Franklin stove. They were good! We saw the root cellar, tipi, miner’s camp, miner’s cabin and the blacksmith shop.

He was actually in there working on a piece. We went by the barn and saw the horses (the girl’s had them named in 2 seconds; Brownie, Snowflake and Rainbow.)

After petting the horses and looking at the goats we wandered back to the center and found dress up clothes to put on.

It would have been much more pioneery if there had been 5 feet of snow on the ground, but we still had fun in the sun.

That was the way we spent Denver’s Birthday.

Happy 150th!

last night. I put up my mis-matched garland and lights in the basement, my snowmen on the mantel and my nativity sets in the front room. Oh, and the one set that I thought I lost (I did lose some of them) I found!

As I was putting them up the girls were singing, ‘Mary had a baby, oh my Lord, Mary had a baby in town’. Hannah was singing too and then said, ‘Did Mary have her baby in a mall or in a town?’ Um…in a town, well outside of town anyway, but definitely not in a mall!

Denver is turning 150 this Saturday and to celebrate here are some things going on:

Denver Zoo, Botanic gardens, Colorado History museum and Contemporary art museum all free on Saturday, cake too (at noon.) (9:45 ribbon cutting by the Mayor at the Co. History museum.)

Just in time for the holidays, get your greeting cards postmarked with a unique commemorative cancellation at Denver Botanic Gardens and the Colorado History Museum from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.! Commemorative envelopes will also be for sale at both locations.

Four mile historic park is free from 12-4, blacksmithing, tours of the house and holiday fare.

Bring a toy for tots and get in free at the Buell Theater to see the Polar express, 11am.

The weatherman

was

right!

Looks like our night at the museums outing is going to be chilly and wet tonight, cool!

Thanks to friends who encouraged me to put up my Live well, laugh often, love much stickers on my wall (I thought they were all one sticker, but each letter is an individual sticker, yikes!) I did that this morning.

The dollar store has these cool wall stickers, I put up a plumb line and got to work, it’s pretty good. The frames will have up close pics of the kids once I get my new camera back. I love the leaves too, the other wall (this one used to be full of kid’s art) will have new cork squares across it and the kids’ art hung up again. I got my backdrop for Christmas pics and some snowflakes to hang, the girls are wearing blue or black dresses this year. Again as soon as I have my new camera in my hot little hands I’ll be snapping away!

Well, history was made last night and the people spoke. Now, if it wasn’t you that spoke (like me) for Obama, take heart. Democrats have had to live with Bush for 8 years; it’s only fair that Republicans live under a Democrat. But, we as Republicans have an awesome opportunity here and that is….we can be nicer to Obama than the Dem’s have been to Bush.

Yes, we can. We can pray for him and as long as he doesn’t do anything against our beliefs (insert your beliefs here), we can support him, we can put God first, country second and ourselves last. Hopefully he will surround himself with smart, knowledgeable people who can help us get out of a war and a bad economy without imposing more government on us.

We have a really nice document that starts out like this:

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

And another that says this:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.

We can always change if we see our rights trampled on, we just haven’t done it in awhile.