A year ago today...

A year ago today Grandpa Joe died. I still miss him like crazy.

Fantastic Christmas

Oh what a fantastic Christmas, it was magical. Last year at Christmas my Grandpa was dying and the family was in high stress mode, plus it was the first Christmas after my parent's divorce, so it was a hard year. This year was completely the opposite. Everything was perfect, and my dad and mom (and their new respective loves) both joined me on Christmas Eve at my house, and everything was great.

Let me start at the beginning (sorry if this is a bit long):

On Saturday the 22nd, E and I met our good friend Ashley for lunch at our favorite Middle Eastern place, Mazza. We exchanged gifts (thank you Ashley) and had a grand old time. Plus, I love the food there, so it was sure to be great. We then went to Costco, the store, etc and ended up at home that evening just in time to get ready for my Dad's birthday party. We had my siblings and my dad over for a Italian pasta, salad, and pecan pie. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

On Sunday E and I were very lucky indeed, we were done with our Christmas shopping, so we decided to head up to Snowbird for our new favorite tradition, a day at the Cliff Spa followed by drinks at the Aerie Lounge. The spa was great, the day was cold with constant snow and cloudy skies, so the hot tub on the roof was fantastic. The steam room, sauna, Solarium, and heated outdoor pool all were wonderful, as always. After fully spa-a-fying we headed upstairs to the Aerie Lounge where we got wings and spiced cider with rum. Yummm!

Monday was Christmas Eve, and E and I had a busy day. After prepping our house for the large cocktail party we were going to host, E and I headed over to his families house for a doll's Christmas. Our dolls exchanged gifts (yes, I know I'm lame, but it is fun!) and Violet came home with lots of goodies, but the best of all was a wonderful Christmas photo album full of all my doll's Christmas photos. Thank you Chelsea.

Once we returned home we finished getting ready for our party, we set up the bar, made about 15 appetizers and waited and waited and waited! E and I joked that nobody was going to show up, the snow had moved in and the roads looked pretty bad. Finally everyone started to show up, and it was fantastic! First my brother and his new girlfriend Natasha, then my Mom, Chuck, Melissa, and Chandler. Soon after that Logan arrived, then E's family and then my Dad and Kimmie. We had a full house, but it was wonderful! My Mom and Dad were fine together and my Mom and Kimmie ended up chatting for awhile. E's family seemed to have a great time, and everyone got along perfectly. The snacks and drinks were a big hit too, we ate and ate and the spiced wassail was gone in no time. It was wonderful.

Natasha, Chandler, Brandon, me, Kimmie, Dad, and Melissa

David, Chelsea, Connie, Steve and E

Chuck, E and Logan hang out in the kitchen with the wassail
My cute brothers and Natasha.

After the party was over I was so tired! E and I filled each other's stockings (another tradition) and headed to bed.

Tuesday was Christmas day! E and I woke fairly early to the most beautiful day. The sun wasn't yet up, and the whole world had a fine mist over the newly fallen snow. Our living room looked especially lovely, don't you agree?
First we pulled out the new cat nip toys for the kitties and laughed and laughed as they flipped, ran, bounced and sucked on their new toys. Then we opened our stockings, and E had filled mine with the most wonderful treats! Mini German cookies, beautiful colored pencils in a wooded box, and pomegranate juice! Then we opened our "big" presents and I got Lei Mei, the beautiful Chinese doll I had been hoping for! E got a new wool coat that looks so sexy! He also go me purple Crocs and a coat for Lei Me. I am spoiled.

E's new coat

Once our presents were opened it was time to head up to E's family's house. I was hoping for breakfast at home, but that didn't happen. Once leaving the house I was awestruck by the beauty of the world. The sun was just peeking up, and the sleepy houses looked so pretty with their Christmas lights flickering from inside. On the way, I insisted that E pull over so I could snap a photo, I don't remember any other Christmas being so beautiful.
Once at E's house our ripping of wrapping paper skills were put to the test! Man oh man are we spoiled! I got so many wonderful things! A Gap gift certificate, doll clothes, doll ski stuff, and more and more and more. Then came the final present, a huge box....

E's wonderful family got me Kit's trunk (another doll item) but it is such a great surprise, and something I had really really been wanting, but I didn't put on my Christmas list because of the price. I am thrilled because not only is it a beautiful piece, but now I have my first complete collection! Here I am when I realized what was in the box. ;)

E had been hoping for a new CD player, he is working on building a stereo system, and the CD player is the start.

After we finished opening tons and tons of presents and having a yummy breakfast we headed over to my dad's house. Now the sun was fully up, and it was truly glorious outside. The valley was crystal clear and everything was fresh and white. After hearing the very upsetting news that Brandon's house had been robbed the night before (they had stolen all his Christmas presents, a pile of sunglasses, watches, his Christmas bonus, and bracelet my Grandpa gave him, which was one of his most prized possessions and having it stolen was worse than all the other stuff put together) we moved onto presents. We all felt so bad for Brandon, but we all had things to give him, and hoped that he could still have a good holiday.

I gave all my siblings presents, and they all gave me great things too. My Dad and Kimmie went all out and got us some really special items, Ethan got shoes, a sweater, money, an antique radio (which is awesome) and water from the BMW shop (a joke of course!). I got shirts, a neat mirrored box, a sweater, and a new coat! It rocks. We also all got a box of oranges and we read the sweetest story about Christmas oranges and a little girl in an orphanage.

My new most awesome coat for snowshoeing.

Once we were done at my dad's we headed back to E's family's house for a bit. I had a chance to relax and then we packed up our gifts. I can't believe how many things we got! Holy cow, we are so spoiled! We dropped off the presents at home, grabbed a few things, and headed to my Mom's at 5:00. Here house looked wonderful, she lives in an old house in a very cute area, and her red door with a lighted wreath really set the mood for the night, I took this photo as my mom opened the door, I like it!
Once inside the spoiling continued. We had snacks, drank wine and opened more presents! Chuck had been in charge of stockings this year, and he did such a great job! He got us the neatest things that were just fun! I got sea animal toys and dinosaurs, a potholder making kit (like the kind I had as a kid), candy, a toothbrush, a mini frame, and so much more, just in my stocking! The presents were just as thoughtful, E got some GPS accessories he has been wanting and I got snow pants to go with my new coat. Also I got a really cute dress, a sweet llama toy, a cool bag, and tons of other things.
After the last of the presents were opened we ate a fantastic meal of stuffed shells (tradition in my family) and visited with the Laytons. We gave them our presents and enjoyed the rest of the evening.

E and I went home to a house that has presents stacked to the ceiling (seriously, we got so many wonderful things), three sweet kitties, and a warm bed calling our name.

Merry Christmas.

Done with work, ready for Christmas!

I am done with work and I'm so excited for Christmas! There are still many Christmas-y related activities going on, last night we went up to E's house to make divinity (an old fashioned candy) and tomorrow we are hosting a party for my Dad's birthday. Of course Christmas and Christmas Eve are right around the corner.

Here are a few photos from the last few days:

Chelsea, David and E making divinity! These ones turned out perfectly!

Ben and Jo sent our Christmas gift, and of course we couldn't wait to open it (we are so bad). Thank you guys for the awesome Korean treats!

I took this photo last night on the way into the house. It was snowing like mad. I'm not sure why the photo is so yellow (none of the others looked like that) but I thought it was cool anyway.

100 things I am thankful for, in no particular order

1. My bed 2. Chapstick 3. Sun coming through the windows 4. Snow in winter 5. Fresh air 6. The smell of the ocean 7. Snuggling 8. Indoor pluming 9. Mexican food 10. My three cats 11. Hot baths 12. Thick blankets 13. Driving fast 14. Fresh flowers 15. Tin toys 16. French fries 17. Ibuprofen 18. Big fat snowflakes 19. Spring 20. The mountains 21. Shrimp 22. Warm shoes 23. The roof over my head 24. Air Conditioning 25. The internet 26. Mabel purring as I fall asleep 27. Beautiful painted walls 28. New York City 29. Flip flops 30. Fireworks 31. French fries 32. Easter decorations 33. Kisses 35. The way my husband hugs me 36. Shampoo 37. The desert 38. Harry Potter books 39. Travel websites 40. My little sister 41. Cool showers 42. Rainbows 43. Middle Eastern sweet tea 44. Falling leaves 45. The ability to see color 46. Indoor heating 47. Abandoned places 48. Mt. Pleasant 49. My Christmas tree 50. Thunderstorms 51. My two brothers 52. Rainforests 53. Planning my next trip 54. My husband's smile 55. My car 56. Dishwashers 57. Spending hours in a bookstore 58. Good coffee 59. Scarves 60. The toy shop on 9th and 9th 61. Back rubs 62. My favorite movies 63. Laundry machines 64. Freedom 65. My mom 66. Gardens 67. High tea 68. American Girl message boards 69. Reading a new book 70. My husband's wonderful family 71. Moose's grumpy attitude 72. Candles 73. Slippers 74. Indian food 75. Lifelong friends 76. Christmas presents 78. Alaska 79. Fresh fish 80. My memories of my Grandpa 81. Lazy Sundays 82. My dolls 83. The way Mabel licks my fingers 84. Old houses 85. My dad 86. Memories of when i was a kid 87. The reading nook 88. Secret rooms 89. My blog 90. Italy 91. T shirts 92. My job 93. The cabin 94. Baby animals 95. My pillow 96. Backpacking 97. Hand massages 98. Homemade ice cream 99. Peaches 100. Ethan

Everything tastes better dipped in cheese!

Now that I got that vent out of my system (see previous post) I can blog about something that I've been meaning to do all day, our fondue party E and I hosted last night!

So, as most of your know my Grandma is traveling to England for Christmas, so before she left I was excited to have a Christmas party. She left today, so we hosted a wonderful party last night! E and I decided to do a fondue party, who doesn't like things when they are dipped in a cheesy drunken goodness? Nobody, exactly.

The party started at 5:30 when my Grandma, aunt and uncle, cousins, Mom and Chuck, and three siblings showed up on my doorstep. We started chatting and hugging immediately, so happy Christmas is finally upon us. My Grandma was in charge of hor'dovers, and of course, she went all out. We had homemade crab cakes, shrimp, bruscetta, cheese and so much more. Soon we started exchanging gifts, Grandma had something for each of us, and we each had something for her.

E and I got something really special, a gift certificate to a night at the Homestead Resort! We are so excited! The Homestead in a great little getaway in rural Utah, and it is built on some natural hot springs, so it will be perfect on a winter weekend. Breakfast at the restaurant was included, so we are pretty excited.

Then we served the dinner, a huge pot of swiss cheese fondue (made with half a bottle of wine) and a fantastic Asian broth fondue. The items to dip included crunchy bread, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, sirloin steak, shrimp, snap peas, apples, and more. We ate and ate. Even when everyone said they were full, and we couldn't eat any more, we still ate.



The way we set up the fondue pots was fun too, there was a cheese fondue station and a broth fondue station, and people just migrated between them, so I ended up getting a chance to talk to everyone.

Soon most of the fondue was gone, and we were all tired and full. Now it was time for dessert, chocolate fondue! My mom brought a huge block of the most divine chocolate imaginable, cut it up into small chunks, mixed it with heavy cream and melted. We dipped berries, oranges, pound cake and bananas. As you can imagine, when we were done we were so full that we couldn't imagine ever eating again.
The party wound down and soon the house was quiet, but before E and I could settle down for a long winter's nap we had a kitchen full of dirty dishes. I realized just how thankful I am for dishwashers.

Merry Christmas!

Thank you Connie for the Dammit doll

Uggg, I hate mailing things this time of year, I needed to mail three books for office presents to out-of-state clients, so I went to a mailing center after work - BIG mistake. Not only was the line long, it didn't move the entire 50 minutes I was there. I finally got so mad I went to the front, demanded help, and left (with packages mailed) two minutes later. I hate incompetent people.

I made good use of a little sewn alien looking thing that my Mother in Law gave me when I got home, it is called a Dammit doll, here is the poem:

When you feel you want to throw something or shout, here's a little dammit doll you just can't live without. Just grab him by the legs and find a place to slam it! And... as you whack the stuffing out.. yell... Dammit, dammit dammit!

Thank you.

December fun

I don't really feel like typing an entire post right now, but I thought I'd share some photos of what I've been up to for the last few days.

The other night E and I went to the zoo at night for Zoo Lights, a new night time Christmas attraction the zoo is doing. It was quite fun because we got to see the animals and the lights. It was really cold though, so afterwards we went to dinner and I ordered a big bowl of French onion soup.
I owls were awake when you visit the zoo at night!
Yesterday E and I bought a gingerbread house kit at Costco. Before we started to decorate E said he needed to "sample" all the candy.
House all done!

Do you know about Google Reader?

Google Reader is something I love, and I've used it for a long time, but I realize everyone doesn't know about this nifty online program. This program lets you enter a list of blogs you like to read, and it will alert you when there is a new entry. If you are anything like me, who loves to read blogs, this program is vital, because I can't check everyone's blog every day to see if there is an update, Google Reader tells me when there is an update.

So, go to reader.google.com and sign in like you are creating a blog entry. On the left there is a button that says "add subscription". Click that, then add the URL of the blog you want to add (you can add as many as you want). Once it is added, you can see when there are new entries. After you've read the entry, just click "Mark as Read" and it we remember you are up to date on that blog.

Try it! And add me to your subscription list, because everyone needs a little does of Hot Hot JJ every day!

Winter Fairy

Winter is in full swing here in Utah, everything is pure white and the air is very cold. I wanted to post a photo of this little girl I got in Austria when I was there in September 2006. She reminds me so much of a little winter fairy, dressed in a warm blue dress with tiny winter flowers. She also wears a little hat that keeps her warm and covers her soft green hair.

Happy winter!

I'm feeling a little sad tonight

My favorite thing about the holidays is Christmas Eve. I've posted before about how I love my family's Christmas Eve party, it is so special to me. My grandparents always hosted in the past, and it was a large party where everyone dressed up, we had lots of music, drinks, and the most wonderful food ever imaginable. The best thing about the Christmas Eve party was that we were all together, my entire family, as long as I can remember.

I even remember being a little girl and being sent to bed in my grandparent's room before the party was over. There room was always freezing and I remember snuggling next to my brother in our new PJs before sleep finally came.

Last year we didn't have our traditional Christmas Eve party. My Grandpa's last wish was to host the party, he knew it would be his last. But the day of Christmas Eve he became too ill, so it was rescheduled at the last minute.

This year my Grandma is traveling for Christmas, being in her house alone one year after my Grandpa passed away is too hard, so she will travel to England to visit my aunt and uncle. That leaves the rest of the family to celebrate without her.

Today I spoke with my aunt and she informed me that they are not interested in celebrating Christmas Eve this year with the rest of the family. This was a huge surprise and greatly saddens me. I understand if they don't want to pretend my grandpa is still alive, or pretend that my grandma is home, but I still feel ditched on the most special day of the year. At least (I hope) to see them on Christmas...

I'm bummed that I'm feeling so sad right now because today I had the most wonderful day with Connie and Chelsea (and the dolls!). I woke up to a winter wonderland. I relaxed in front of the Christmas tree, got dressed and left the house with the ladies. We headed downtown first for tea and then to see the Nutcracker. What a wonderful time we had! The ballet was fantastic and the tea house was warm and comfortable like always.

Here are my two favorite photos from the tea house:


Violet's blog also has an account of our fun day.

Happy Hanukkah

Last night was the first night of Hanukkah. Although I'm not religious, I still like to call my Grandma and wish her a happy holiday, light the menorah, and make latkes once or twice.

So what are latkes? Only the tastiest fried potato pancakes imaginable! Here is the recipe we've used forever.

Latkes:
Two large potatoes- peeled
Medium onion
2 eggs
2 TB matzo meal (found on international aisle at supermarket)
Pinch of salt

Chop potatoes and onion into chunks. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. In large frying pan heat enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of pan. Pour 1/2 cup of potato mixture into hot oil. Let fry for two minutes, or until golden. Flip, and fry other side and let fry. Drain fried latkes on paper towels. Serve HOT with applesauce and sour cream.

Hint- If you are making multiple batches for a party (like we always do), preheat oven to 250. Once latkes are fried and drained, place on a cookie sheet in the oven to keep hot while you make another batch. Enjoy!

Happy Hanukkah!

My favorite photo from snowshoeing today

Here is my favorite photo I took while snowshoeing today. If you want to see some more photos, check out Violet's blog, she joined us on our outing. Remember, you can click on the photo to see it a little larger.

Does anybody ever die of beauty overload?

Last summer in England when E and I were leaving a garden in the English countryside, I asked this question to E, does anybody ever die of beauty overload? One day you just find somebody that has blown up, and on the official reports it just says "beauty overload"? Of course I'm joking, but sometimes the world is just so beautiful I think that my chest will burst.

Today is one of those days.

Yesterday it snowed and snowed and snowed. By the time it got dark the roads were slick and the branches heavy with freshly fallen snow. It was magical. This morning I woke up to a clear blue sky. Each branch is wrapped in a pure white winter blanket. It is heavenly.

Later today E and I plan to go snowshoeing, so I will come back with more photos, I am sure. These photos I took at 8:30 this morning. I woke up and realized how splendid it was outside, so I put on my slippers, grabbed my camera, and slipped out back door in just my jammies in the 21 degree weather, but it was worth it, I hope you agree.