Merry Christmas!

Well, another Christmas Day has come and gone, and it was wonderful yet again.  Family, friends, food, laughter and love.  Oh, and Copper.  What more can one ask for?

The crowd started trickling in around 3 o'clock.  Rob and Amber arrived first - they had traveled out from the big city.  Shortly after that, the crew from the farm arrived.  (Jason and Terri had driven from Calgary Christmas Eve day, and Ashley had been here for a few days already.  Mom and Dad had also arrived a couple of days early.  We spent Christmas Eve at the farm, and it was so nice to gather there again.  Lisa didn't come from Chile, but we did connect on Skype!)  Aunt Linda and Chris joined us for supper as well.

Jason prepared tur-pork-en, rather than the turducken that we have had before.
This year it was pork tenderloin inside a bacon-wrapped chicken inside a turkey, with layers of dressing in there as well.  We would be able to hear the cholesterol marching to our arteries even as we ate.  He started cooking it at Mom's, and brought it out here to finish.  There was much discussion over how long to cook the poor thing, and when Jason, Mark, and Chris went to retrieve a meat thermometer from cousin Don's,  the real cooks (Mom, Terri, and I) decided it was done and proceeded to prepare the rest of the meal.  We were just about done when the men returned.  It is not a long drive, but I believe cocktails were involved.  So we finally sat down to eat, about two hours later than predicted, but no one was too concerned about the time.  After all, it was good to just be together.  And anyway, there were a few nibblies around all afternoon!

Clem experimented with his new camera all day, and here are a few samplings from that!

Skyping with Auntie Lisa (until Copper decided the microphone was a sucker!)

  

 

 

The Calgary Huck family.

 

Cousins

 

Sisters

 

 

 Laughter

 This puppy barks "Jingle Bells"!

 

The "turporken" and the crazy chef.

 

 

Digging in.

 

The Saskatoon Hucks, who brought the excellent wine.

 

 

(You'll notice there is still lots of food left in the serving dishes.  I had to bungee cord the fridge shut because of all the leftovers!)

Happy pappy.

 

Copper and Auntie having some fun.

 

Goofing off!

 

The girls.

 

 

I think this one showcases her attitude exactly!!!

 

(Come on, you knew there were going to be lots of pictures of the little girl!)

Thanks for stopping by, and from our house to yours, a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy 2010!
Chandra

-36 and holding

Brrrrr.  We're all hunkered down here today, trying to avoid going outside.   Except for the boys.  We sent them to school.  Then I went looking for something to remind me why we live out here in the middle of nowhere.  Ah, here it is:

And here we are, back to centered text again.  You will have to bear with me, since I can't for the life of me figure out how to change it!

Not too much new here, just hockey, hockey, hockey.   And I heard somewhere there is a holiday coming up - I'll have to check into that.  You will have surmised that I have enormous amounts of work to do, since I am procrastinating posting again within a week!  A word to the wise - if you happen to stop in during the holidays, please don't look in the corners, or the closets, or under any beds.  It won't be pretty.

While searching for my reminder photo, I came across this one of Derek after the first snow of the season.  This was the sight that greeted me when I drove into the yard that day:

 

We've had a bit more snow since then, so it really is winter now.  Here is Clem going to work on the new rink:

 

I was just asked to play for yet another choir for the contata - that makes four.  So I guess I should get going and do some practicing.  It's a free concert, but still...

For any of you reading this who usually receive a Christmas gift from us, please be advised that it won't be happening this year!  I found out a while ago that one of the dormitories at the boarding school in Tanzania had a fire.   Now I saw those dorms before the fire, and was amazed at how they crammed the students in them.  I can't begin to imagine where they are keeping them now.  Fr. Chuwa estimated that it will cost $15,000 to rebuild the dorm.   After a bit of thought, about how neither I nor our children really need anything,  I sent this year's gift money (and baking supplies money!) to Fr. Chuwa.   We feel it is much better spent in that manner.  I hope you will agree!

Thanks for stopping in!

Chandra

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

...and I think it's the snow!  (It's certainly not the house!)  Yep, we finally got some of the white stuff.  It makes spending all that time in a rink a little more acceptable.  Driving was a little treacherous on Monday night, but all is well now.  Good thing, since what would we do around here if we all had to stay home together???

Clem and Derek are busy building a rink near the house.  The dugout is a little low on water this year, so it's mostly muck and weeds down there.  There shouldn't be so much complaining about shoveling now - a nice, small, flat surface.  I'm sure one of them (probably the big one) will rig up some way to do it mechanically - a blade on the quad, perchance?

I have been busy getting two choirs ready for our big Candlelight Contata in a couple of weeks.  I am also playing for two more who are also participating.  Things are sounding pretty good, so if you are close, you might want to check it out at the Catholic church in town on the 13th.  Bring some coin/paper along for the silver collection for our parish's foster child! 

The Midgets are 4 and 0, and looking for the fifth win in Outlook on Friday.  I am going to drive down, and my favorite uncle is coming along for the ride.  Now he has invited his cousin to join us (the cousin's grandson also plays on the team).  These two are the best story-tellers you have ever heard.  They remember people, places and events (at least I think they do - how would I know!) and the stories are hilarious.  I should sell tickets. 

Derek's team plays again on Friday, too, matching up against a North Battleford team.  Clem will stay around for that one.  Hard to tell what will happen there - they split a home and home round with a similar team last year.

I should be getting a little stressed out about Christmas, seeing how we are hosting 16 people or so for supper on the big day.  I guess there is just so much other stuff occupying my time right now that I am in denial!  However, it will come whether I am ready or not, as it has every other year, and things always seem to work out.  I wonder what my mom would think of turkey weiners as a main course...

Bye for now!  Thanks for stopping by!
Chandra