Christmas Card, 2008

Family Picture
This is the picture that we had printed on our Christmas Cards this year. No letter, no news. But, as they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Right? Damian was not really here this summer when this picture was snapped in our backyard. He was digitally added at a later time. Pretty good, eh? My kids spend WAY too much time on the computer! Thank you, Tandy, for sending the good snapshot of Damian so we could add him in!
Happy New Year!

December Snows

We received a bunch of new snow over the past week. Get a load of all the snow in the branches of that tree in my front yard!

And we played around in Kanarraville at Pam's house with Damian and Tandy and kids.



Sometimes it's just fun to lounge around, too. This is Tandy and Ella visiting with me in my bedroom. Heated water beds in winter...mmmmm...comfy.



These are some pretty pine cones that took the place of my fall squash on the front porch. Seth and Caroline found these pretty things while out Christmas tree hunting in the woods.

Technically, Kanarraville got several more inches of snow than we did. On Saturday when we drove out there to visit for a bit in the morning, there was frozen fog all over the area. It was so beautiful. Gail was lamenting that she did not have her camera, so she used mine to try to capture some of the beauty. There are few things prettier than frozen fog on trees.




If one owns a Santa hat, one should WEAR said Santa hat on all appropriate occasions. I would think dragging a sled around on Christmas week qualifies. So does work the week of Christmas (yes, I wear my hat to work!).

Happy Holidays!

I've been tagged

I don't usually do this, but my friend Erin tagged me. I said I'd give it a shot... why not?
I'd RATHER be posting cute video clips of my grandkids playing in the snow this morning. Our California Kids came up for a pre-Christmas visit, and we've been having lots of fun. Fun for a later post, I hope. In the mean time, here's a review of 2008 (sort of):

The Year 2008

The year 2008

JANUARY
1 Who kissed you on new years?

Mikey. Probably. Unless we were asleep. It counts at 10:00 pm, too, you know!

2 Did you have a New Year's Resolution this year?
Nope, I’m a total slacker.

3 Does it snow where you live?
Yes, if we’re lucky.

4 Do you like hot chocolate?
Yes, with marshmallows that get stuck in my mustache (let’s not go there)

5 Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop?
No, but I don’t usually watch it on TV either. NY would be better at other times of the year, but not during that small segment of time. Can you say “pickpocket”?

FEBRUARY
1 Who was your Valentine?
Mike’s my best Valentine. He brings me chocolate ;-)

2 When you were little, did you buy Valentine's for the whole class?
Yep.

3 Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not?
Nope. Weather is weather and I can’t change it, so why bother?

MARCH

1 Are you Irish?
Welch. Close enough?

2 Do you like corned beef and cabbage?
Yep. I used to make it for the family to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but have since grown lazy in my old age.

3 What did you do for St Patrick's Day?
Celebrated Relief Society’s Birthday, probably.

4 Are you happy when winter is pretty much over?
Depends on how long it takes to get winter over with. If it’s in June, yes!

5 Do you get tons of candy for Easter?
I’m the candy buyer. I try to be moderate. It doesn’t usually work.

APRIL
1 Do you like the rain?
Do I have to be out in it? Is it in Hawaii?

2 Did you play an April fool's joke on anyone this year?
No, I’m so boring.

4 Do you love the month of April?
Yeah. I love Income Tax Day, especially. It’s also my daughter’s birthday AND my son-in-law’s birthday and sometimes they come on Easter! What could be more fun than a birthday Easter Bunny cake?!

5 Your birthday is in April, isn't it?
No, only seven months away, however

MAY
1 What is your favorite flower?
Yellow Roses. Unless it’s spring tulips in my yard.

2 Finish the phrase "April showers…"
bring May flowers. . . is this a trick question?

4 Is May anything special to you?
Yes, it’s Gail’s birthday and Damian’s and Tandy’s anniversary, and some cool other stuff, too. And a very cool birthstone I covet.

JUNE
1 What year did/will you graduate from high school?
1974. I’m almost an antique.

2 Did you do anything fun during this month?
I think I just did work stuff and garden stuff and home repair stuff at my in-laws with the kids and Mikey.

3 Have a favorite baseball team?
Not a one. I wouldn’t even know if they went on strike. They’ve done that before, haven’t they?

JULY
1 What did you do on the 4th of July?
I think we skipped the parade, skipped the fireworks (because we didn’t know where they were), and just relaxed at home. We had a new (used) hammock in our backyard I put to good use.

2 Did you watch the fireworks?

Nope, skipped them. Utah Summer Games ones are better, anyway.

3 Did you blast the A/C all day?
We don’t HAVE A/C.

AUGUST
1 Where did u go?

I honestly cannot remember if we managed to go anywhere at all during the summer.

2 Did you have a sunburn?
Nope.

3 Did you go to the pool a lot?
I WISH!

SEPTEMBER
1 Are you attending college/school?
Nope, just a random fun class every now and then to keep the ol’ brain alive.

2 Do you like fall better than summer?
By FAR! Although, summer is great, there’s nothing like crunchy leaves and bright crisp skies. Ripe apples on the tree . . .garden harvests.

3 What happened this month?
I got MARRIED! To the sweetest guy about 32 years ago.

OCTOBER

2 What is your favorite candy?
Cherry chololates, Dove Chocolates, Baby Ruth bars. . .just about anything and everything except sour things. How can something SOUR be classified as candy!

3 What was your favorite thing(s) about this month?
I love Mike’s birthday and the Harvest Holiday. And the fall weather, unless it turns winter too fast and snows on leaf-laden trees, breaking limbs. Yeah, that gets ugly. But you should see me ride my bike down 700 West through those crunchy leaves! It’s the greatest!

NOVEMBER
1 Whose house do you go to for Thanksgiving?
Mine!

2 What are you thankful for?
My family, my friends, my home, my job.

3 Do you like stuffing?
Yes!

4 Anything special in this month?
Family Time!

DECEMBER
1 Do you celebrate Christmas?
Yes, and I have all my life.

2 Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe?
Yes.

3 What do you want this year?
Cards to automatically be addressed and mailed.

4 What do you love most about December?

The music, the feeling of love, the time with family. More music. (The Messiah)


And I tag Tandy, Katie, Gail, (what happened to Hali?), and Trecia . Have fun!

December Musings

I made a lovely jello salad late last night for our Book Group potluck dinner tonight. I put it in the fridge. It's very festive and pretty (red, you know). BUT, I failed to put a note of any kind on it saying that it is for a PARTY. For me. Later. Don't eat it.

I am wondering how much of the jello salad will be gone before I get home from work today.
Just wondering. So much for MY December musings!

Who's A Fan?

Nick's a T-bird fan, apparently! I found this picture of him (thanks, Erin, for letting me know!) on the bulletin board in the Student Center for all to see. Only, I'd walked past numerous times and NOT seen it at all! So, what's a mother to do, but take a picture!

Pumpkins!

HALLOWEEN, 2008












Here's Caroline's pumpkin that she helped to design and carve. Well, she actually cleaned it out and I carved the face she put on it.
I think it turned out pretty good!







These pumpkins were out on our porch for Halloween.












Here's the perfect pumpkin that we grew in our garden. It's living on our living room window sill right now. I wouldn't put it out on the porch on Halloween with the rest of the fellows that were merely STORE bought ones. And carved. We didn't carve our perfect one.

I think we're going to make him into a pie or two. Or ten.

All Girl's Weekend, 2008

HEY DONNA! WAS IT GOOD???












Gail and I always look for the air show. We've never actually GONE to see it, but it happens right around us as we're coming or going to Las Vegas. Nellis AFB does a Veterans' Day air show each year. This is what we got to watch as we drove into town on Saturday. And this was just the beginning! As we drove on (I was driving and couldn't look very much, darn it), the sky was eventually filled with much more loop-de-loops and dotted lines of smoke...lots of acrobatics going on up there. Gail managed to contain her enthusiasm somewhat.








Shuttle ride from the hotel to the Strip on Monday. I wonder why Mom looks so shocked?








Here's a group shot. See the empty chair right in front of the camera? That's Janey's. L-R Mom, Aunt Tuny, Suz, Sandi, Janet, (Wait! Where's Donna!??) Katie, Gail, me. I guess Donna took this picture. Sorry Donna! I know you're out there in SOME of those pictures. Goodness knows, there were enough taken! ha








Janet, Donna, and a very blurry Katie (seeing to Hayden). See, the menu and eating is VERY serious with us. You can see that from the very concentrated looks on all these peoples' faces!








Mom and Aunt Tuny.











I missed this one little creation in the Jean Phillipe Patissiere. He's made totally of sugar, this little toucan bird with the tree. And he's safely enclosed in glass.















These are huge glass leaves that are suspended from the very tall TALL ceiling in the shops/shopping area--you know, where all the high-class stores are in the Bellagio? Like Tiffany's, etc. They were so pretty, these leaves. I'm guessing they were at least 4 to 6 feet long, maybe some of them were bigger. None were smaller than three feet, I'm pretty sure. Very large and festive.







Just some pretty fall scenery in the Bellagio's Conservatory. There were pumpkins galore, fountains, scarecrows, and many, MANY other fall things. It's always a fun place to stop in and see. Who knew that the huge chocolate fountain was right around the corner? Not me! And these are WATER fountains, spouting right behind us. They were solid streams of water that arched over the walkway. Very cool.















Here's the description of the chocolate fountain. And the food is just so pretty, you can hardly eat it. We might have, but the line was long and we had other places to go. But it was fun to see.





































Gail snapped this photo of me trimming my Mom's hair. I'd not realized until I saw the photo that MY hair was in curlers at the time. It looks like a mini beauty parlor in the hotel room. Well, it sort of was! I also had my legs waxed by dear Gail. She's a good sport (and way more gentle than Katie--yikes--she hurts!)











This was the ONLY time a male person has ever been allowed by special permission at an All Girls Weekend. Hayden came with his mommy and WE got to take him home to Cedar City with us after. It was a lot of fun. What a good-natured baby!







We walked and Walked and Walked AND WALKED! Well, Suz apprently did. Doesn't she look so tired and worn out? (I mean her socks, not HER!)

Chocolate Fountain at Jean Phillipe's Patissiere in the Bellagio.

Yep, the theme was chocolate. Was I really licking that fondue pot? You'll never know. You SHOULD know, however, that we did NOT let Hayden eat chocolate while we were at the Chocolate Lounge at Ethyl M's for the breakfast fondue.

















His Great Grandma Autrey kindly fed him his bottle while we all pigged out! ha.








Donna didn't mention that she had a chocolate MASSAGE on Saturday morning in the Spa at our hotel. I kept trying to sniff her, but she did not smell like chocolate by the time I got to see her. She'd already showered, silly girl. Oh, wait! She probably did it as a matter of defense so I wouldn't take a chunk out of her arm or something.

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO FALL????

Cedar City seems to have two seasons: Summer and Winter. It's been pretty summery here up until this weekend. I mean, I do need a jacket in the morning, but not usually for my 5 pm bike ride home (or 6 pm, depending on when I get home). But Saturday--WOW. My teeth were chattering for the first time in a very long time. I usually bundle up and stay warm. Why not? I've got plenty of clothes. Well, what I was wearing was not quite warm enough.

Of course, it's Cedar City and the snow melted by afternoon. That doesn't mean that it is warm by any means. Nope. I'm sure even the double-blanketed tomatoes in our garden won't survive this night. I picked most everything on Saturday, but left two plants and tried to save them. I mean, it IS going to get warm and fuzzy again. Shoot! Our leaves hardly had a chance to turn colors down here in town. Snow with leaves on the trees is risky business. Good thing it was a LIGHT snow storm.

Over the River and Through the Woods

To ROBERT'S HOUSE we go! Yay! All the family together, minus just a few here and there. Here's a shot of Mom and Dad, me and Donna, relaxing in Robert and Janet's living room. Note the piles and piles of scrapping supplies. The room was empty and spotless before we got there!





This is Eric Autrey, the main reason (besides scrapbooking, which
was a nice diversion) for the family gathering in Provo. He's 21,
going to join the guard, then he's going to be going on a mission.







This is a typical Sunday afternoon with the Liebhardt clan in
Cedar City, so why should Provo be any different?
They DID all drive up from Cedar City that morning,
just for the church services and ordination of Eric A.,
and WERE driving right back to Cedar City that evening, so I guess a nap was justified. ZZZZzzzz. My Boys. What a crew. ;-)



A more wakeful view of them. On the way to church.









I don't really know why we have a thing for appendages, but we do.
I don't know what happened to the photos we took of the hands
2 summers ago, but here's the companion photo to that
set--the feet!
l-r, linda, robert, david, donna








Seth, bless his heart, came all the way to Provo from Richfield, UT, so he could spend time with Gail and her family. He came on his motorcycle and this is a picture of him and Gail and Robert, just before Seth headed home. He got back after dark, but thankfully safe and sound.





Janet, always the hostess with the mostess, had such a wonderful meal for everyone after church. Here's a bunch of hungry people waiting around the kitchen for the food to be blessed so we can eat. Don't click on it, it's blurry. Sorry.


SISTERS...Donna and her family are in the midst of a bathroom remodel, and since I couldn't remember quite exactly how her bathroom was laid out, she 'drew' it for me in candy on the kitchen table. Hershey''s were walls, Twix were doors, Reeses' were the toilet and tub... we are very creative when we need to be. We also happen to love chocolate. I LOVE this bathroom!! mmmm



BROTHERS...Hair, or no hair? BOTH David (l) and Robert (r) have hair shorter than the last time I saw them. David's is the result of just combing his hand through it. It amused Gail, that's why she took the picture. Robert has also just run his fingers through his hair. You couldn't TELL???? Rob usually has a little longer hair than this.




And so does Nick. He's taken to just buzzing his own head with our clippers. This summer, after the O-CHEM semester, he wanted to "celebrate" by wearing a Mohawk do the last day of class. Just as a distraction sort of the thing. But I don't do Mohawks. Apparently Eric does, because Nick got his Mohawk for the day, courtesy of his little brother, then buzzed it off the day after. It's been buzzed ever since. This is the LONG version of it.



Gail, Eric and me. We're looking through the photos that came while Gail and I were gone. Mike and the boys were nice enough to bring my mail and the photos so we could all see the pictures.






I wish I could include pictures of having Lunch with Mom, Caroline and my dear friend, Suzanne, in Provo on Friday. But I can't because I forgot my camera! But this is a picture of me calling her and making arrangements for our lunch date on Friday.


And I wish I could show pictures of the fun time that many of us had at Thanksgiving Point, driving golf carts all over the place on Friday afternoon, but I can't because I didn't have my camera! But Robert and Sarah have pictures, so ask them to post some. That was fun.



Caroline, Me, my Mom and David all went to Saltaire. This is a picture David took of the three of us standing by the very far away lake. We went there on a mission for some sand from the Great Salt Lake for David to take home to Laura in Texas. Misson Accomplished. It looked like dirt, be we all witnessed him filling the bottle from the lake bed.



Then, on Saturday, Robert, David, Mom and Caroline and I spent the day in SLC. We ate out, saw the Joseph Smith movie, shopped a very little, rode TRAX, but...I didn't have my camera, so no photos there, either! BUT

A great time was had by all. And Sunday with all the family together was really one of the best highlights. Mom and Dad with all four kids. We will be getting a photo disk soon.












Walking to Church





Dad, Mom, Robert in front of the church building.