On our five days of Christmas...

December 23: Albuquerque. All the fun begins when Paul and I open our own gifts at the house.

After indulging in the best breakfast burritos in the world, I'm ready to open presents.

Paul shows the cat his Christmas gift--another toy that he can ignore.

Jub inspects the new purse he gave me for Christmas--the cat has great taste in accessories

Totally ignoring his new toy, Jub checks out a box from one of my gifts.

Still the 23rd: Christmas with my parents, stepbrothers and their families in Sunray.

Madness ensues--six children, lots of presents.
Abigail and I model her new John Deere "talkie-talkies," a gift from her Uncle Gene.
Donna helps Holliday with the laser-tag game. Holliday loved the new robe she received as a gift and didn't take it off after she opened it up.
Benjamin examines a combo John Deere tractor/book from Uncle Gene. (Uncle Gene likes John Deere.)
Benjamin checks out Daegan and Garrick's new RC racecars.

Christmas Eve (round #1): At my maternal grandparents' house in Amarillo.

Learning young the joys of the recliner.
Dad and Granddad C. The whole thing just wears them out.
Who needs all those new toys when there are 20 year old blocks to play with at Gran's house?
Donna concentrates on the "Shocking Memory" game while Abigial supervises. Remember, don't set the shock to high!

Christmas Eve (round #2): With my paternal grandparents at my uncle's house in Amarillo.

Just as we suspected--he really just wants the paper
Lots of fun (and lots of paper).

Christmas Day: At my sister Amy's house in Amarillo.

Paul and Benjamin discuss the ugly, yet comfortable, design of Crocs

Amy is obviously delighted with her new Christmas book. Hey, it came with a bonus ornament! Score!

Abigail, a study in orange, goes for the orange Play-Doh with Grandmother and Uncle Jammie

Mom, Dad, Paul, and Donna

Granddad B. just takes it all in.

David and Benjamin play with some of Benjamin's new tractors. (Grandpa likes John Deere, too.)

Abigail models her new pig wrap, much to Benjamin's delight.

December 26: back in Albuquerque at the inlaws' house

The quilt my mother-in-law made for Paul and me.

Paul discovers the chocolate at the bottom of his stocking.

Paul and his mom. Apparently, it's hereditary.

December 27: breakfast with friends who are in town visiting her family

Sandy, Corey, and Kyra are a little back-lit.

But look at the cool "kit tent" they got for Jubjub. And he's actually gone in it more than once so it's a very successful purchase.

Historic proportions

Almost two feet of snow at our house. Pretty much all of ABQ is closed--restaurants, churches, the airport, the malls. Snowfall records that stood for almost 50 years have been broken--over 15 inches at the airport, 12 inches on the Westside, 24 inches in the NE Heights. But everyone we've encountered outside is cheery and enjoying the weather. Paul called me to one of the windows this morning so I could watch one of our neighbors make a snow angel in the middle of the street. I think all the grouchy people stay inside when there is bad weather.

We shoveled another 8-10 inches off the driveway and sidewalk this morning. That first day I was out shoveling? And I said it was a novelty and "fun"? Yes, well, it's not fun any more. It's hard work. And I'm done with shoveling snow for another 5 years. Paul and I were discussing buying another snow shovel for the once-a-decade we get more than a few inches so both of us can be out clearing. I'm not sure there are any shovels to be had in town now. And I think our next-door neighbor is still out of town for the holidays so I didn't clear her driveway again. Maybe tomorrow.

An easy way to get a privacy wall that is two feet taller.

Under that drift, one of our Christmas presents is just visible--the Gnome-be-Gone with Flower (thanks again, Amy!)

It didn't get much higher before it toppled off the top of the chiminea.

Yet again.
(I should have taken a picture of Paul because he did more than I did this go-around.)
A little top-heavy.

Snow 2.0

Another week, another snow storm. Since we're not Denver, I think New Mexico has only warranted a passing comment on the national news about the snow storm we're getting. It started yesterday afternoon at our house but we didn't have any accumulation until overnight. The snow started falling in earnest mid-morning and has been steady since. We've gotten about 8 inches so far, and probably another half-inch since we shoveled the driveway at 4:00. And being good people, I shoveled our next door neighbor's drive as well. She can be a bit, um, crabby and will probably tell us we did it wrong. But in the spirit of goodwill toward men, I did it anyway. We chatted with a variety of neighbors when we were outside, each wandering out to shovel or just take a little stroll, all of us going a little stir crazy from being cooped up all day and needing to venture outside for a little fresh air and activity.

The local news stations are thrilled at the fact that there is weather! road closures! something to report! Each station has reporters stationed across the city and the region, braving the elements, many armed with rulers to measure the depth of the snow. One even had a thermometer so we would know exactly what the temperature was at 1-40 and Tramway. Exciting stuff, I tell you. The winter storm warning for the area is in affect until tomorrow afternoon, giving the stations at least 48 more hours of material (because they'll have to cover us all digging out when the snow finally stops).

Paul and I did venture out to the grocery store this morning, before the snow got too deep. Paul made me drive, in hopes that eventually I'll become a less nervous snow driver. On the drive down to the grocery store (a whole mile from our house), a coyote darted in front of the car. It startled me but happily, I didn't slam on the brakes. Just applied steady, even pressure like one is supposed to do in snowy weather. It's not that I don't know what to do--I just tend to forget everything when I'm actually in the situation. But we made it to and from with no problems even with the added obstacle of wild life. And as a double bonus, the trainer called to cancel our afternoon meeting with him (which we were going to do but he called first) so we didn't need to get out again and we didn't have to exercise.

Since I knew we wouldn't be going any place for the next two days, I wanted to get all the needed groceries for what Paul calls my "uber-cooking" days--the one day I spend every few months replenishing our freezer with pre-made meals. It was one of the projects I wanted to complete during the waning days of Winter Break. I know I could go to one of the many "make-your-meal" places that dot the city and it would be less mess and work. But I actually enjoy cooking and this busy cooking day. There's just a certain satisfaction that come with looking in the freezer and seeing all I accomplished. We now have two kinds of soup, chili, marinara, meatballs, and mac and cheese all ready for those nights when I'm too tired/lazy/busy to cook. I did forget a couple of ingredients so some of my other "standards"--breaded chicken, ziti, and a chicken dish--and another dish or two I want to make will have to wait until I can make another trip to the store. I recently purchased the new Real Simple cookbook specifically because there is a section on freezer meals. One of the soups I made today is a new dish from that cookbook--Mushroom Barley Soup. I had a bit for my lunch and liked it. Hopefully Paul will as well--he's worse than most small children when it comes to introducing new flavors and dishes.

Tomorrow, all of the Christmas decorations will be coming down. I'm still enjoying the Christmas tree but if I'm afraid that I don't take them down now, it will be March and the tree won't look quite as festive over Spring Break. I also feel the need to give the house a good scrubbing. I never did finish laundry on Wednesday so that's also on the list. I really hope the snow does clear up tomorrow. We've invited friends over for dinner/game night for New Year's Eve (another reason for the flurry of house cleaning). The evening will probably end by 10:30 so we can all be cozily tucked into bed before the crazies come out.

In the meantime, the snow continues to fall--we'll be back out in the morning shoveling the driveway and sidewalk in a repeat of last week--but inside, we're warm and cozy with popcorn and hot cocoa.

And here's another picture from the first day of last week's storm. Pretty much what it looks like today as well.

Home again, home again

Paul and I arrived home early yesterday afternoon. We met his parents for dinner and more gifts last night. This morning, we met friends for breakfast and more gifts. I think we're done with the eating and the gifting. All in all, we had a really nice visit with everyone. My brothers and their families are good and I managed to escape with only a few snide remarks by my oldest brother. Grandparents seem well, parents are good, sisters are good, children are as adorable as always. There are, of course, tons of pictures from the weekend to download.

It doesn't look like we'll make it to Kansas. Paul is feeling pressure about an upcoming work project and doesn't feel that he can take five days off, even though we'd really like to see his grandparents. If we don't go, I've got several projects to do around the house, in addition to putting away the Christmas decorations. I don't know if I'll actually do those projects but there are things I could be doing even if I only decide to sit.

In the meantime, there are the mountains of laundry to contend with (I'm never sure how we make so much especially since we were only gone for a few days) and I desperately need to get to the grocery store. I guess the holiday is truly over and it's back to the comfortably mundane routine that we know and love so well.

Merry Christmas, y'all

I finished my Christmas shopping yesterday--at least, I'm as done as I'm going to be. If I haven't gotten it, I'm not getting it as we are soon off to Texas to see much of my family.

The car is loaded with boxes of presents, suitcases, games, books, food. We'll only be gone on this trip for three days but it looks like we could survive for weeks out of the back of the Subaru. The next 10 days will be filled with travel and family and more travel and family. . We'll be home for three days before we're (hopefully) off to Kansas to see Paul's family. In between, we'll be meeting up with friends who are in town visiting family. The holidays are always so hectic and busy with the travel but I'm so thankful for the chance to see our grandparents, other family, and friends. I hope everyone has a peaceful, happy Christmas filled with too much family, happy surprises, and lots of love.

Or maybe those errands can wait until Thursday

We had another five inches or so of snow overnight. I'd say we have between 8 and 10 inches of snow. Crazy--I've never seen this much snow in ABQ before. I really need a sled. Growing up in the TX Panhandle, it was too flat to go sledding (if you don't count the car hood tied to the back of a pickup with a ski rope sledding that we did in high school--I was never actually stupid/brave enough to do more than ride in the truck). Paul thinks I'd hurt myself if I had a sled. I'm really not as clumsy as he thinks, and I've never *seriously* injured myself. It all goes back to the not very brave or very stupid aspects of my personality. We've got a great hill beside our house and at the park behind the house. And heck, there's a great big mountain just to the east of us. All perfect locations for sledding.

My friend Devlyn thankfully made back-up arrangements for a friend of her mother to take care of Sparky if this storm truly did happen. While I probably could make it across town to feed the pup, I'm glad we don't have to get out today and brave the elements (and other, less cautious drivers). We've got "provisions"--chocolate, cheese, bread, Cokes--all the necessities for survival in our lives. The cat is going between snoozing on the bed to snoozing on the blanket on the sofa, happy to snuggle down and let us use him as a personal heater. I've made a loaf of banana bread and have a couple of books to read. Paul's able to work from home today. All in all, the makings for a very good day.
The view out the garage door this morning. I'm glad we decided to shovel the driveway yesterday afternoon so we only had four inches to shovel this morning rather than eight.
Yep, I'd shoveled that yesterday as well. The biggest mounds are the creeping rosemary and grasses we have along the front walk.
Looking north in the neighborhood--normally the base of Sandia Peak is visible
The Apache plume and lawn chairs this morning.
The bench and bear this morning
Paul mans the shovel for a while, clearing the front walk

So, I think I'll just put off all those errands I was going to run until tomorrow

It started snowing mid-morning. The various meteorologists/weather reports I saw said we would have "up to an inch" accumulation. That was about six inches ago. It's a wet heavy snow--unusual for ABQ but perfect for making snowmen. Most of the time, we just get powdery stuff that doesn't account for much.

Thankfully, we're out of school for Winter Break so I didn't have to get out in the snow. Paul went to work for just a bit in the afternoon--it took him almost an hour to get home because of wrecks and/or stupid drivers. Even with my Subaru, I know the best tip for driving in snow is to just avoid it if at all possible (and if not possible, make Paul do it for me).


It's such a novelty to actually have enough snow to need to shovel the driveway and sidewalks. Since I couldn't get to the gym, I figure this would count for something--maybe cancel out that cookie (or two) I had with lunch.
The tree in our front yard. I had a big festive red bow on the front gate but it blew off with the rotten gusty wind we had last night and this morning.

Our little house covered in snow. The wind stopped blowing before the snow started so looks right purty across the neighborhood.

Welcome! The planter by the front door

Bench, bear, and mums by the front door

Apache plume in the back yard

The lawn furniture in the back yard.

Red yucca in the backyard
The back yard
The little open space/park beside the mailbox (and my footprints in the snow to the mailbox.) On any other day, the south peak of the Sandias would be visible in this shot.
White Christmas--our across-the-street neighbor's wreath