This Christmas

We started out the festivities on Sunday night with a family party at Ross and Kristi's house. Everyone was so excited for the traditional family picture on the stairs. This picture is almost perfect...

Christmas morning before the presents are ripped open!

Christmas morning line-up-shortest goes first!

Julie sports a new apron sewn by Traci!

We love the holidays and especially the opportunity to give thanks for the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. May we all find the peace, through Him, that we all need in the confusion of this world. Merry Christmas to you all...Brent and Julie

Jury Duty

It all started in September. Brent and I were on a cruise and we got a text from Kasey (who was taking in our mail) saying, "Ha Ha-you have jury duty, Dad. So Brent served down at the East County court house for the "one day-you won't called for a year" program. Then in November I got my summons for December 17th-same place, same program.

It's really not that bad. When you go there, though everyone is looking at everyone else thinking, "Don't look at me-I don't want to be here either." I must admit that when they show you the introduction film about jury service, it does spark a little sense of civic duty-but just don't call me up this time.

I took my crocheting-thought I could get a jump on the hat orders (see post "Hats, Hats, Hats"). After a while, the man sitting next to me started up a conversation. Turns out he played basketball with Army and Dot Matern's son, Craig, on the El Cajon Ward's team many years ago. Small world!

Another lady sitting by me started up a conversation. She said she had been in the court system-only on the other side. Her husband of 32 years just got out of jail for drugs-one of the many times he'd been in jail. She has four kids and was trying to do the best she could.

At 11 a.m. about 25 names were called to go up for jury selection. Fortunately my name wasn't one of them. Then at 11:45 am they told us all to fill out our surveys-all the rest of the cases had settled and we could go home at noon.

That same day, Brent got another summons in the mail-this time for jury duty in the Federal court system. He would need to be on call for a month! I think they have our number...

Christmas Past

It's always fun to see photos of the past-especially at Christmas. Can you identify the babies in the slides?

Check out my Slide Show!

I yUst Go nUts aT Christmas!

When I was growing up, Grandma and Grandpa Buchanan always played a song called "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas" by Yogi Yorgesson. My dad carried the tradition on in our family and I think the kids in our family knew the words by heart. I found this great web site where you can hear the song and sing along with the words. Check it out! www.stinalisa.com/NutsAtChristmas.html

HATS! HATS! HATS!

We just returned from Kentucky and Ohio where we visited our kids-Traci & Zane and Family and Brett & Amy and Family. When we arrived, Traci had purchased a few skeins of yarn so I could make Mallory some hats. When we went to Brett's house, I was just finishing one of the hats. Addie watched me for a few minutes, disappeared and then came back. "My mommy said I was allowed to have a hat, too," she said! Anyway, we got carried away and I ended up making a few more than I thought and now the boys have put in their orders for hats, too. Eli wanted to make sure I make him one that is "all brown." I have my work cut out for me!

Check out my Slide Show!

Thanksgiving Day

Our Thanksgiving included family and good food. We made gingerbread houses after we cleaned up the dishes. It was really fun seeing all the different creations! The younger kids were not as worried about being meticulous and their houses turned out beautiful with candy everywhere. They are really more creative because they are not as inhibited and self-councious! Jill and Netzer brought their new baby, Ellie. Uncle Gary and Aunt Karen were the proud grandparents. Gayle and Brad worked their fingers to the bone cleaning up, as usual. We had one change in the menu this year-green beans with garlic and parsley instead of gooey green bean casserole. It was refreshing. The pies were great and we ate ourselves sick...

Orange Rolls

Since it's one week until Thanksgiving, I thought I would publish one of our favorites for Thanksgiving dinner-Orange Rolls. I don't know how many years ago I started making them but it just isn't Thanksgiving without them. Well, maybe not everyone really loves them-but I do!

Out of This World Rolls

2 Tbl. dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
3 eggs, well beaten
4 ½ cups flour
1 cup warm water
½ cup shortening
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
Butter

Soften yeast in ¼ cup warm water. Let stand 10 minutes. Combine dissolved yeast, eggs, 2 ½ cups flour, 1 cup warm water, shortening, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Add remaining flour to make a soft dough. Cover. Let rise until double in bulk. Punch down and refrigerate overnight. Three hours before baking, roll out as desired. For dinner rolls, divide dough in half. Roll each half into a ½” thick rectangle. Spread with butter. Starting with the long side, roll up jelly-roll style. Cut in 1" slices. Place in greased muffin tins, cut side down. Cover. Let rise 3 hours. Bake in 400˚ oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Yield: 2 ½ dozen rolls.

For Orange Rolls

½ cup butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange

Combine ingredients and spread on dough instead of butter. Handle as above. Use the aluminum foil baking cups to line muffin tins-keeps orange rolls from sticking.

Ok, Okay, I've Been Tagged

This is really embarrassing to have to say something about myself but here goes: (6 things)

1. I don't really like to get up in front of people and have everybody's eyes looking at me. I teach Relief Society usually once a month and just before my lesson, I go into panic mode! It usually works out ok but just knowing that everyone is looking at me and listening to me is almost too much!

2. I am a perfectionist-I admit it. It is my downfall sometimes but I like to have things turn out just right.

3. I started sewing when I was in junior high school and I made most of my school clothes-in those days we wore skirts and dresses to school. I even made my formals for the proms (which were held in our high school gymnasium-much more practical and fun than today). I would lay awake at night and dream up what my next formal would look like and then I could create it with my sewing machine.

4. I am trying to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. It will be really close-I am only on Alma 30 right now. If I read a few more pages every day, I may make it. As consolation, if I get to 3 Nephi by Christmas-that will be good too.

5. My parents almost named me Eileen. It was between Julie and Eileen-I am so glad they picked the right name-sorry to all you "Eileens" out there.

6.I only had long enough hair to pull into a ponytail once in my life-when I was around 5 or 6 years old. My mom used to braid my hair too. She would wrap thread around the ends to hold the braids in. I guess she didn't have tiny elastic bands like they do now. The rest of my life I have always had short hair. It would be fun to have "long hair for a day" someday just to see how the other girls feel! I think I have never had the patience to try and grow it out.

BLAH!

The weather here for the past two or three days has been Blah! It does make you want to do some indoor things like cook! I am happy to report that the orange rolls for Thanksgiving are made, in the freezer and ready to be thawed, raised, and baked that morning.

It has been baby shower week. I went to one last night, going again tonight to another, and I know Traci gave one last night, too.

It is also birthday month. Today is Olivia's birthday-Happy Birthday, Olivia! No BLAH day for her. My brother Scott's was on the 7th, tomorrow is Cohen's, Grandpa Buchanan's is on the 13th (he'll be 81), Trevor's is the 18th, Boston's-the 19th, and Aunt Jan's is the 29th. Did we leave anyone out? If so, please let me know!

No pics today-just BLAH...

Dad is Working Hard

As you can see by the pictures, Dad has been staining the decks, front porch, and the stairs (boy do we have a lot of them!). He works too hard while I, on the other hand, read magazines and eat chocolates all day long. JK If you look closely at the pictures, you'll see that our hill looks like a jungle now since you last saw it in April when you were here for Jennilee and Logan's wedding. The palms have grown and the ground cover has finally covered the hill. We are having really great weather here in So.Cal. Wish you were here.

He loves to work in the yard!

Tracy Arm

Ketchikan

Ok, here are some more photos from our trip. It was cold-we were the last ship of the season in most of the Alaskan ports but it was really great-no crowds.

Just figuring this out!

We wanted to start a family blog and so here we are! Brent (Dad) and I had such a great time on our cruise to Alaska, I thought I would start with some photos. Well, this isn't really Alaska but we did stop in San Francisco as one of our ports of call.