Advent Calendar, Flying Home and Goat Portraits

December is here! And all my kids are home. 

Poor Kassie has a cold (which might get her out of work when she goes back home) but she rallied for church and we filled the pew! 

We had them pick out of the calendar before they left for the airport, because everyone needs to have a special gift!

We are auditioning a new tradition...the advent puzzle. The chocolate calendars have waned in popularity. Some kids forget they have them, others eat all the chocolate at once, then save the plastic template, convinced they will melt some chocolate chips down later and refill it. I get the itch to clean and throw it away, devastation ensues and round and round we go....

The advent puzzle has potential.

And we won't start every day in December off with chocolate breakfast. I'm liking this more and more.

I drove Ethan and Kassie to the airport. They seemed happy and excited to get back to life. We loved having them here, Kassie fits into our family perfectly, but I'm so glad they love each other and when it comes down to it, they are building a home and life together and that's where they want to be. I  wouldn't want it any other way!

As for us, we are headed out to Shaver's farm to say hello to the goats, tiptoe around the chickens, learn about sourdough and have dinner with new (and old) friends. 

Why are goat's pupils rectangular?

Chickens are scary. They're....organized. (Chicken Run!)

Crystal Shaver is a new member at the gym and we have become fast friends. She's a homesteader and a homeschooler. And she's super nice! She is endlessly patient and teaching us all to use sourdough. 

Laney left them with a parting gift. That's one lucky goat.

Now, let's go home to our feisty bird.

Puzzle therapy

 There are stretches of my life that are busy and interesting and engaging in a way that would make a puzzle out on the coffee table unnecessary and forgotten.

But there are weeks and often months that feel like that puzzle is the only thing keeping me together. 

It's solvable, ya know?

There are so many things that don't feel that way and sometimes what I really need is just to experience some measurable progress....

...on anything....even its just the patch of blue sky in the right corner.

Since November:

And for a bonus...I'm removing all the side pieces after doing each puzzle and putting them in a ziploc baggie for future me...because I have a feeling she's gonna need it.

Let's wrap this up

Ok, fine, I confess! 

We procrastinated the gingerbread houses this year. 

So we're doing it before all the Christmas decorations disappear. And just to make up for it, we're going OLD SCHOOL and finally making our own gingerbread dough. 

 

Mine: 

Megan's:

Laney's: 

Anna's:

Everly's (more is more):

Once the sprinkles were swept up and the countertop has been scraped with a razor blade...we settled down into gentler pursuits. 

Three puzzles in two days. 

The Christmas purge is near!

U/C Trip Day 4 - Sabbath Camping

Oh, Sundays in the woods. Will it ever not be weird? Perhaps not. 

We wandered over to Heidi and Jay's cabin to see what was happenin and there was wonderful Johnny playing his guitar and blowing us all away in his unassuming way. 

Jordan's clan was all dressed up for church and looking generally unenthused about the prospects of finding a church service in Duschesne. They sure do look spiffy, though!

Mark is always up for guitar. ALWAYS.

Mark and Joel ventured out to go do some shooting and the rest of us decided to make good on a couple hours of peace on this day of rest. We had a midday pop up storm that would have been fabulously cozy if it hadn't been for the realization that Ivry and Addie were nowhere to be found. We wondered if they had gone for a little walk to the lake or maybe up to the lodge for a soda. We sent little search parties in every direction with a walkie talkie. 

We crossed that unmistakable line where worry turns into terror and before we knew it, we were all out in the storm screaming there names and running around the lake, disregarding "Do not pass" signs that we couldn't help but pass. 

And thankfully, Kaira thought to go down to the lodge and use their phone to call Mark and Joel. He had taken them with them to go shooting and somehow the info did not get communicated to Kaira.

Good gravy. 

,

We settled in to a nice afternoon of crafts

and the best toy ever out of a donut container and wooden discs for Mac.

Mathew was super generous and shared his VR set with all the kids. We really like to embrace nature and disconnect from modern life when we camp. We're all about roughin it. 

Mark did puzzles. He puzzled! Pieces that were not in place were put in place BY MARK. 

All the families ended up making quick meals for their families and we all just shared potluck style. I always come away with new meal ideas. Costco pork carnitas are the jam. And chicken tostadas will be a part of the monthly rotation going forward. Heidi and Jay took Mom down for Terrah's farewell sacrament meeting, so we felt strangely unsupervised. 

Megan and Addie (Ivry on the stump!)

Puzzle done!

The younger generation playing switch together and bonding. I'll allow it. Mostly because I want the nieces and nephews to think I'm nicer than I really am. 

The older generation jamming out on the porch. By "older", I mean 15 and up. 

That's about as good a camping sabbath as I've ever had. 

The first one is free

In a strange twist of events....I've become the local puzzle dealer.

These things are worth their weight in gold during a quarantine....and I deliver....at night.

I've got something for everyone....just peruse my extensive catalogue...

Barns for a thousand? You betcha.

And in other weirdness....the neighborhood ladies are doing jazzercise in the cul de sac.