A perfect white Christmas……. that is what we had. Snow started falling early Christmas-eve morning and it fell lightly but steadily all day until we ended up with about 5-6 inches of lovely wet snow turning the landscape Christmas-card perfect yet leaving the roads easily cleared and just wet for driving. Evergreens heavily laden with white – deciduous tree branches all outlined in white. And, having all our children off the highways and here in Columbia before any precipitation fell was the best part.

The two weeks leading up to Christmas was busy, of course, but not overly insane. Fortunately, I did not have massive gifting projects by this time so I was able to savor so much of the season that often gets lost in holiday madness. In recent years, my gifts to neighbors and church friends have been loaves of cinnamon raisin bread so every day, I made a batch. Mmmmm, freshly baked bread smelling up the house is pleasant, even for this celiac. Beckie helped me pick Kirsti up from the Kansas City airport on the night of the 16^th. Oh my, that is a LONG drive! It wasn’t helped by the fact that Steve and I had driven to St. Louis that day to attend the temple. I am just so thankful that Beckie was willing to be my travel-mate. It has been wonderful to have Kirsti here. Julina and Elise joined us on Wednesday, the 22^nd. Sarah is still here so we have had a full house again for a few days. Nice.

Continuing musical highlights these past two weeks include Beckie, Melanie, Sarah, Kirsti, Steve, and me on our annual caroling (Sunday evening the 19^th) to Marcie Leubbert’s home (a church friend who has cerebral palsy). A new friend, Kelly, accompanied us beautifully on her clarinet. It was a nice touch that we may want to reprise in future years. I was asked on Tuesday, the 21^st, if I could provide some string music for Parkside Manor’s Christmas party on the 23^rd. (Parkside is a nursing home where I took my Carpe Harmonium strings earlier in the month so I guess I was on their radar) Well, in spite of the ridiculously late notice, I was able to persuade Tamara Kitchen and Kirsti to play violin and a kid named Grant Bradshaw to bring his viola and we played from my Prairie Strings Quartet Christmas music quite admirably (they were sight-reading!) Finally, our Sacrament meeting today featured a large amount of music including a piece featuring the Primary song Stars Were Gleaming with Kirsti on violin, Sarah on piano, and me on cello. And, Elise and Julina and Steve joined in the ward choir’s rendition of Silent Night with me accompanying on piano. I just love the music of Christmas…..

We enjoyed our annual trek to historic St. Charles on Wednesday, the 22^nd and treasured the presence of all of our children for the only time in 2010. Also joining us were Melanie Johnsen, Jason Bell, and Vicki and Joe Southerland – visiting the U.S. from Korea. We ate at the Trailhead Restaurant and then went on our $5.00 treasure hunt until the stores closed at 9:00. Before St. Charles, we began the day at the temple and then went to Emily and Joe’s home for a hearty lunch, Noah time and a nap. It was a pretty perfect day.

Right up there with our Christmas day. All but Emily, Joe, and Noah were here but we were so happy that Vicki and Joe could be with them and we spoke to Em three times on the phone so we didn’t miss them so much. Besides, we just saw them and will have them here for New Years. Anyway, after a leisurely wake-up and breakfast, we opened gifts until noon, ate dinner at 1:30, and then just relaxed the rest of the day.

Sadie continues to rehabilitate well from her surgery. She puts weight on her leg now at least half the time. Sarah discovered she is going to need a different car for her year in Maine. The ’96 Saturn has just too many repairs costing more money than it is worth so the next three days leading up to her departure on the 30^th are going to be kind of nuts as we search for, finance, and then license a “new” used car. Not only Sarah, but Steve and I are finalizing the purchase of a “new” used car for us. This transaction has been in the works for almost a month as we have waited for our neighbor Walter to make the final maintenances to a Volvo that he is selling from his repair shop. We will pick it up tomorrow. Car photos to follow….until then, enjoy some Christmas puppies.

What we did this past week……

I seemed like mostly musical things…...

Sunday – it was the Columbia Civic Orchestra playing the Messiah but I already told you that last week.
Monday – I had to go to the doctor because I developed pink eye. Yuck. Now I am putting drops in my eye four times a day.
Tuesday – It was the Columbia Independent School Instrumental Music Winter Concert. I had three groups perform and the Advanced Orchestra really wow-ed the crowd – mostly because it was triple the size from last year. I attribute the later school start-time to the increase in numbers because we have to meet before school and no one likes to get up earlier than they have to just to play their violin. It also helps that all the violinists in this group play at the advanced level so they sound really good.
Wednesday – my adult string group – Carpe Harmonium – had their final class in the form of a recital/Christmas party at one of the member’s homes. Remember that we played at a nursing home last Saturday? We did exactly the same program and did so much better. Not sure why because this was in front of people we actually knew which would usually make someone more nervous?
Thursday – I spent all morning in a R.S. presidency meeting in Jefferson City but I got to stay home in the evening – wahoo! I worked on Christmas projects.
Friday – I was asked to play in a string quartet for the Smithton-Ridge Ward Christmas party. And, they needed me to play – get this – VIOLA! I only had one “cello moment” when I mistook a G for an A but, other than not being able to do vibrato, I did OK. Plus, Steve and I got a free meal out of the deal. That is always a good thing.
Saturday – Columbia Civic Orchestra played again in a program of Russian Christmas and/or winter music coupled with a Messiah Sing-Along with the Columbia Chorale. The solos were auctioned off on e-bay and three of the four singers were actually pretty professional sounding this year which made for an awkward-free experience all around. Beckie came over during the day and she and I became candy-making machines. We had a couple of learning moments in the process: bittersweet chocolate is sweeter than unsweetened (to me, the word “bitter” has bad connotations so it didn’t sound like it would be more desirable – oh well), baking chips will not produce the same texture as bars of baking chocolate and should not be a substitute for baking bars, and NEVER use unsalted butter when making toffee even though it sounds healthier. The salt stabilizes the toffee so the ingredients don’t separate in the end. Thankfully, our mistakes still tasted good so things weren’t a total loss.
Today – We had about 3-4 inches of snow fall last night so trying to find a place to attend church meetings proved to be a challenge. Steve and I were scheduled to speak in Moberly in the morning but they cancelled. Our home ward, Bear Creek, meets in the afternoon so we thought “surely, they will have meetings” but they cancelled. The only ward in Columbia that held meetings was Highlands at 12:30 so that is where Steve and I went and we had a great experience. What a nice ward! And, it is so crazy that a ward in the same town would have soooo many people I don’t recognize.
We have a new patio door. Our old one was slowly failing so we asked Bob Eschrich, our resident handiman, to look for one at Habitat for Humanity where one can find all kinds of used building materials. This was six months ago. Well, this week, he finally found the kind we wanted (hinged – not slide) and he installed it on Friday. It is a very nice door which we got for a very nice price and I LOVE it. Now he is going to build a gate to put at the top of our deck stairs so Trissy won’t ruin this door like she did the old one. And, I think I will actually wash this one regularly!
Sorry for no photos. I took enough last week to cover this week.....

It’s December and we hit the ground running……

Here is a photo of our little invalid.

Sadie had hip surgery the first day of December. The cause is called Legg-Calves-Perthes disease. Her right hip developed poorly and you could hardly see a hip and thigh bone in the x-ray. It looked like a white blur. So, the vet did a femoral head ostectomy. Yea, I don’t know what that means exactly either but the bottom line is a two-inch incision, a dog that cannot do stairs, run, or jump for a week (which means we have to carry her outside to potty several times a day) and doggie rehab exercises to stretch the hip. We had noticed Sadie favoring her right left leg off and on ever since we got her, but I just chalked it up to another one of her strange idiosyncrasies (like how she licks metal). However, the weekend before Thanksgiving, she began to favor it all the time so we took her to the vet and now she is a recovering surgery patient.

Christmas music performances have already begun. Three this week. First, my adult string group – which we are now calling Carpe Harmonium (because we meet at a place called Carpe Diem) – performed at Parkside Manor Nursing Home yesterday afternoon.

This ensemble is comprised of amazing individuals – all quite successful and smart – who are beginning string students. Most already excel in another musical area and they have picked up string playing very nicely. But, they are still beginners and feel very self-conscious that they don’t sound like Yo Yo Ma or Perlman so I booked a gig with a very forgiving (and appreciative) audience. (yes, that is me playing a violin - which puts me at everyone else's ability level).

Second, the Bear Creek Ward Christmas party was last night and the ward choir performed “Carol of the Bells”. The piece is unaccompanied but we were a little concerned about staying on pitch so I thought I would ask a music colleague who directs a church handbell choir about the possibility of getting a few bells to ring during the song. She very generously allowed us to borrow some. Three of us in the choir each rang two bells and I think the number sounded amazing.

It was sure fun to perform. How fun would it be to ring in a bell choir? Elise already knows!

Third, tonight is the Civic Orchestra performance of the Messiah at Jesse Auditorium.

Most of our Christmas decorations are up as of last night. Steve just needs to arrange all his nativities on the piano and then we will be finished.

This is my studio - with TWO trees. The one in the foreground has lambs and musical ornaments. The one in back has s'more ornaments and all our old fashioned (and old) ornaments.

Here is the "stick" tree that I made one year in Relief Society. It is the only kind of tree that can fit in this very crowded room.

Our bedroom is has a Peanuts theme.....

The doll house gets decorated (of course?!?)

I love this ceramic tree that belonged to my parents. Notice the little bird "lights".....

The "main" Christmas tree...

And, stationed right by this tree is the birthday gift Steve and I gave each other - still in the box that it arrived in four days ago. I am too intimidated to set it up. Hopefully, some of the more technically adept folks at dinner tonight will help us?????



Finally, on a non-Christmas note, here is my little blooming azalea reaching toward the light.....

the lamb-e-umptum

Thanks to the Steves brain storms, I was able to come up with a new blog name that will permit some family privacy but still express the personality of this blog. Because having to log-in to read a blog is a bother.....

Time to be thankful –

For loved ones who were able to gather at our house. Emily, Joe, and Noah and Julina, Elise, and Elise’s roommate, Rachel all pulled into town Wednesday evening. The Southerland gang stayed at Steven and Tamara’s house. Julina stayed with Beckie. Rachel stayed in the quilt room and Elise and Tonks occupied the Noah’s Ark room. Kirsti went to San Diego with her roommate Janica. Everyone left for home Sunday. Kirsti hit some snow after St. George so I am especially grateful that she made it back to Provo safely.

For good food – oh my, we had waaaay too much. Emily made a triple batch of puppy chow. It was so huge that she had to use a garbage bag for mixing.

Beckie brought a delicious carmelized onion/apple cream cheese dip and Julina provided gluten-free crackers so I indulged a bit too much of that yummy stuff. I baked gluten-free pecan and apple pies but Beckie also made a flourless chocolate cake and Jason Bell made a gluten-free chocolate cranberry cake and both were like truffles on a plate. Incredibly rich – especially with the whipped cream with sour cream topping that Beckie made.

For 55 great years and still feel pretty fit as a fiddle (or should that be cello?). I got some lovely gifts and Steve and I and some of the kids also pooled our joint birthday moneys and bought a 26” HDTV on Amazon. I guess it is time to join the 21^st century in television technology considering the fact that all our other televisions are at least fifteen years old!

For a lovely Frasier Fir Christmas tree that we got Saturday at a cut-you-own tree farm. Now, the fir is from Michigan but it was the same price as the ones growing and the branches were much prettier. So, for the second year in a row, we opted for an import. However, we still took the hay ride out to the tree-cutting area and back because everything is fun with a three-year-old grandson.

We put it up and decorated it Saturday night. All the other decorations are still in their boxes strewn around the garage. Hopefully they will get put up throughout this week.

For Noah who will always be in my memory this year ringing a brass bell in each hand as he hunts down poor Alfred the cat. And, if brass bells are put way out of his reach, a bell Christmas ornament will do just as nicely.

For the fact that Sadie’s surgery will not cost more than $300.00. Yes, she has a bad hip – I saw the x-ray and it looks terrible – which explains her three-legged limp that got worse the weekend before Thanksgiving. She will go under the knife on Wednesday.

For a fantastic Harry Potter VIIa movie. Saw that on Friday afternoon.

For a new cell phone that I am finally beginning to figure out. The best feature is that I can text with a full keypad. The worst feature is the set of dumb ringtones that I cannot change until I get a memory card.

For a relatively painless family photo taken after our Thursday feast.


For all of you…..