On a One Horse Open "Sleigh"

December 21, 2009

On Saturday, Grace, Emmie, Tommy and I went on the carriage ride at ACC.  Poor Tom was home nursing the flu bug he caught.  Most Christmas seasons since Tommy has been about 3, we've gone a carriage ride around the golf course at ACC.  We have hot cocoa or hot apple cider and bundle up on the carriage to see the Christmas lights on the houses along the golf course.  Sometimes it is really, really cold, but not this year.  It was about 55 degrees.  Oh well, we still enjoyed the lights and had lots of giggles.  And I still wore my new hat. . .it's Arizona, when else will I be able to wear it if not this month???

Here are a couple photos. Our horse was named Leo.

A Smile

December 20, 2009

I have not been posting as much lately because (a) my computer stinks is driving me mad . . .the keyboard sticks so I have to type each letter fifteen times before it shows up.  Grrr.
And (b)  I have been busy, busy, busy and grumpy, grumpy, grumpy (in part because of (a) above). 
So on Friday afternoon ... my first day of vacation which started off so nicely (see my last post), I was waiting in the school turnaround (a very long line of cars), and this cute pup was sticking his head out the back of the car in front of me.  Awww.  How cute.  It made me smile.  Dogs have that effect on me.  Maybe things are starting to look up.
I hope you smile today too.

Merry Christmas to me and Chicken

December 18, 2009

Today I start my two week Christmas vacation.  Yea! 
Boy did it start off right.  Tom was around this morning to meet the pool guy so I got to sleep in.  Heavenly.  He fed the kiddos, took Grace to the bus, and got Tommy off.
Ahhh.

OK, now the chicken...
I roasted a chicken on Tuesday for dinner.  It was very tasty, but my house STILL stinks smells like chicken.  I've tried the room spray.  No good.  I am thinking of having the oven self-clean itself, but I'm afraid that will bring back the chicken smell.  Any ideas to get rid of the roasted chicken smell????

Off to get ready for a lunch date . . . I love vacation!!

The Christmas "Letter"

December 15, 2009

Every year as I address the Christmas cards, I think to myself that I should write a longer note.  I never get around to it . . unlike my dear friend Jenny who fills up my card every year with a lovely handwritten note which reminds me why she is so awesome.  Not that her note says she is awesome; it's the fact that she handwrites in my card that reminds me . . . get it?
Anyway, I have never written a Christmas letter.  We get a few each year.  One in particular from another law school friend is always hilarious; I look forward to it each year.  He should write for Letterman or something. 
Since I sent out those cute blog cards, I KNOW you all will be flocking to read this (ha!!) so I am going to blog my "Christmas letter" of sorts this year. 
Here goes:

A summary of the Halterhome in 2009:

Tommy began lacrosse and loved it (he's #1 below).

Grace, Emmie, Abbie, Aunt Kristin and I visited the American Girl store in Los Angeles.  Santa brought all three cousins a trip to the AG store for Christmas 2008 . . . what are the odds?!  We also spent a day playing in the ocean.

Grace played softball.

Tommy's baseball team won the Arcadia Little League Majors Championship.

Then he played on the Allstar baseball team!

Tom gave me a trip to Portland for Christmas which I took in February.  I had a fabulous visit with the Holcombs.  Portland is one of my favorite cities.  You should visit it if you've never been there.  I didn't take any photos though.  Sorry.

We went skiing with our friends, the Bettins and the Massimis, in Tahoe, CA.  It was the kids' first time on skis. They loved it and can't wait to go again this spring break.
Look at that amazing view of Lake Tahoe!

We got to spend much of the summer in Flagstaff at Poppy's house.
The kids golfed ALOT
We had cousin Max out to visit from Ohio

Emmie also spent some fun time in Flagstaff with us.

Abbie also got to come from Ohio for the 4th of July.

We had to say farewell to 352 Lee Doyle at the end of July. 

We really miss it.

Tommy went to camp in California and then on to see Aunt Fissa in San Diego with Kathy and Emmie.

Grace and I left Daddy & Ollie in hot Phoenix while we visited Jennifer's family in Vermont, with a side trip to Lake George, NY. I've decided I am living in the wrong part of the country. It is way prettier out there, although Flagstaff is pretty close (although it needs more lakes).

Tommy got a cell phone for his 12th birthday!

I learned to surf with my neighborhood pals in La Jolla. 

Tom took his annual golf outing with the Wintergalen brothers in Tubac, AZ.   I have yet to see a picture from this event which is now about 13 years old. 

Grace took up volleyball and played soccer

Grace got braces.

And Ollie is still obsessed with the tennis ball.

Christmas Decor Update & Gingerbread Houses

December 6, 2009


So you all have been just dying to know what "something" I found for that vintage-tin shelf Cathy gave me for my birthday, haven't you??
I went to a craft fair Friday night looking for just that special "something."

I got this star. . .
from Tricia, the talented lady who helped me make the Haunted House of Wax in October.

Alas, when I got home it was too tall for the shelf.

 But it looks good on a wall by itself.

I foun this fun garland at Frances. . .

This "vintage" art is just PERFECT for the shelf!

How happy does this smiling girlie make you?

And the glitter letters make me MERRY just looking a them.

GINGERBREAD HOUSES

OK. . . I was going to save this event for a blog post of its very own,

but, I'm usually too pooped on Mondays to do much when I get home, so I am sharing it now while there are no kids or husband at home (ahhhh. . . the quiet).

Grace, Emmie, Kathy, and I made gingerbread houses today at ACC.

All the fun, none of the clean up!

Actually, Grace and Emmie made them.

 Kathy and I watched and took pictures.

Here they are intently decorating . . .

Emmie apparently inherited her Mother's affinity for well-matched accessories

and craftiness

Here's Grace's . . . more (non-Christmas) colors, but just as pretty

The other side is a tad more traditional . . .

The "back door" and window (I thought it was an animal)

Ta Da!

Karen

Good News for Teddy

December 6, 2009

Here is what Kristin (my sister-in-law, Tom's middle sister) sent us this morning. . . yea!!

Infusion complete. Fever coming down. Hopefully will stay that way. Cardiologist said echo and EKG look good. Hopefully we'll be released tomorrow at noon.
 
The diagnosis was "incomplete Kawasaki disease."  You can go here for an official description, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kawasaki-disease/DS00576
But the very simplified meaning (at least as I understand it) is primarily an inflamation of blood vessels.  It can cause high fever and lots of other scary symptoms and if not caught quickly, which Teddy's was, heart damage. 
 
Looking good, Teddy!
Thanks for your prayers.
Thank you, God, for listening. 
 
Karen

Tricks and Treats

November 2, 2009

Here it is 3 whole days after Halloween and I am just now getting the Halloween photos up.
Grace was, duh, a clown...pretty obvious.
Tommy was Tiger Woods.   Not as obvious.  Apparently, my family has an above-average interest in golf.  We all know that every Sunday Tiger wears a red shirt and black pants...his "Sunday Red."
 I thought everyone knew that. 
Nope. 
We also assumed you people know that Tiger has won the Masters and that when you win the Masters, you get an ugly green  blazer.  Again, apparently not common knowledge outside the Halterhome. 
We had a lot of 'splaining to do.  Here are the Clown and Tiger.

Here are "the Graces" (aka Grace R. and Grace H.) as a nerd and a clown.

Here are the boys...not nearly as cute as the Graces. 

Bret as Swine Flu, Tiger, Matt as V for Vendetta (huh??) and Tony as The Scream.

Here I am with my girls.

I went as a cow girl...I had boots on too but you can't see that.

And here I am with my cowboy.

These three lovely sisters hosted the fun block party. Really, they are sisters in real life. 

Karen, Peggy & Donna

At the fabulous block party, I spied this BIG guy.

It was one of those GINORMOUS pumpkins from our local Safeway!! 

(You can tell it's size by looking at the jar of hand sanitizer and child behind it.)

As you may or may not know, I coveted these things from the first of October when Safeway got them in.  But, seriously, who is going to spend $80 on a pumpkin?? 

Then they slowly got marked down...to about $30.

Hmmm. 

I considered one at that low-ish price.  But where would I put it??

I ended up passing on the big pumpkin. 

Maybe next year.

Here are some "famous" friends from the block party:

Sigfried (or is it Roy?) and his lovely assistant

Kate Gossling minus the 8 and Jon (and apparently out with her new fella)

A member from the cast of Cats

and Michael Jackson back from the dead with Jason

Happy Halloween!

P.S. Kathy, I didn't get a single good picture of Emmie. 

I really need a new camera. Hint hint if you are reading Tom. 

Karen