Christmas 2015

 

 We survived Christmas again this year.  On Christmas Day, we had 28 Andersons here instead of the 40 we'd had 2 years before.  Everything went well despite the fact that we didn't have our informal "program" where we all sing "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer".  I got to put up my "big girl" Christmas tree--this is the $300 pre-lit tree that I got on sale and with a coupon at Joann's for $85 dollars late last Christmas season!  The tree skirt was a lovely and classic gift from my sister, despite it being from the Sandra Lee Collection.  I don't like Sandra Lee but I love the tree skirt.

Dave's sister gave us 18 beautiful eggs produced by "her girls".  They are lovely to behold and delicious to eat.  The two light colored ones actually have a greenish tint to them.  I hope the hen had an epidural for that large egg that contained two yolks.  I just love these rustic simple gifts the best!  My sister's neighbor dyed eggs to look like this with onion skins last Easter.  I will have to try that in a few months.

We enjoyed a very warm December and it only froze up after Christmas.  We enjoyed our second annual Tveiten Christmas Skating Party.  Dave is the official equipment manager and he built a regulation size goal out of 2 x 2's and chicken wire.  Here is a picture of the "rink" cleared off for the first time this season.

The Johns were here for New Year's Eve and we enjoyed a bright night on the ice due to the overcast sky.  We even enjoyed a fire before retiring to the warm house for ginger beer on the stove.  We all stayed up and watched the ball drop before heading to bed.

My sister and her family arrived the next day and we had more fun on the ice.  Last year I think we had only 2 pairs of skates between all of us and she bravely tried some on and did quite well.  This year all the Johns and my husband had skates and Lisa talked me into trying on Dave's.  I last ice skated at least 25 years ago on West Twin Lakes with David and Alitza Rueber.  I wore second hand figure skates at the time and all I can remember about the day was I was black and blue because I fell on my knees about every 3 feet or so.  I have to say I didn't do too bad this time around.  David Rueber would be proud of me.  I remember too he laced my skates SO TIGHT I thought my ankles would break.  I did fall down on my right knee once but that was when I was wearing boots and slipped on the ice.  I never fell wearing skates.

You'll notice I'm pushing a metal folding chair around the ice to steady myself.  This is not crazy because our neighbors who are serious hockey people start their kids off on the ice pushing folding chairs around.  Notice my death defying move where I spin around AND the chair is actually lifted off the ice!  I'm wearing my husband's hockey skates which for some reason I found easier to wear than I remember figure skates.  It was amazing how you feel muscles you never knew you had in your feet and ankles.  Boot hockey is fun too but skating is effortless.  I pushed my nieces and nephew around on that chair and it was smooth and easy unlike walking/running would have been.  My brother bought his oldest daughter/my niece a new pair of skates while they were here and they gave me the hand-me-down pair.  Hopefully this will serve as a great and FUN exercise activity vs. crying on the treadmill.  Unfortunately, my brother in law and his kids brought strep throat and my dad brought a cold.  I am attempting to breathe and drain snot through some sort of infection I picked up during the holiday so skating will have to wait for a bit.  So far my tonsils are not involved and I'm drinking juice and praying like nobody's business.

As long as I'm posting videos, here is probably my favorite from the weekend!  Dave skated around our rink wearing the viking helmet/beard!  He looks like a big muppet!  But notice how slick he moves on those skates!  Even my niece Annika, who prior to this weekend was afraid to move away from the boards, was skating around like a pro by Saturday.

Even my 64 year old mother and 66 year old father got in on the action.  Here is mom playing goal in an action shot!

There was plenty of goofing around on the ice too as evidenced in this picture!  Skating and pushing a human on a folding chair takes no effort!

I just loved this shot of hockey fun from my sewing room window!

My big home-made Christmas gift for my nieces and nephew and husband was this knitted helmet hat.  These are the 3 hats that went to my sister's kids and the Gopher hat I produced for my father in law and husband combining 2 hat patterns.  This is an awful picture and I never got a chance to take a picture of the kids IN their hats.  I even sold one of these and a pair of mittens as a commission to a coworker of mine.

If this were Imgur, this would be the dog tax.  My brother brought his beagle Zeke for the festivities.  My sister brought her Jack Russel Terrier.  My parents brought their poodle Sparky and of course we had our dog Lopi and our foster beagle Zak.  We had FIVE dogs here for the occasion and Zeke posed so nicely on the back of the couch.  He just looks like a Christmas card!