Christmas 2013 ~ In Pictures

Now that all of the Christmas hub-bub has come and gone, I'm sure you are anxious for entertainment. Not one to disappoint, I've collected a few snapshots of our Ward and Camp family Christmas celebrations for your viewing pleasure.  Please enjoy:

Ward Family ~ Kearney ~ December 21/22

Though we missed Tyler and Nick's families, we made the best of our early holiday. Lots of cookies and yummy food plus a day of chopping firewood, of course.

Karli was a super good helper on Saturday, helping prepare the traditional chicken noodle and oyster soups. She even brought along homemade pfeffernusse cookies that were absolutely delish!

Mom and Dad's Christmas tree, laden with presents.

Lauren Jo usually had at least two screens plus her hands in front of her face. How she made it through a weekend with her "lame" family all around is beyond me.

 At least I got one good photo of sisters Chelsie and Lauren.

 Miracle, the Cat

If they're not out chopping down trees or driving the tractor/4-wheeler/Arctic Cat, you'll find most Ward boys in front of the TV in the basement.

Karolyn prepares Sunday's relishes, sneaking some spicy pickled green beans onto the tray.

 Super good helper, Karli, did a fine job of setting the table for 15 guests on Sunday.

 Alan and his three babies: Joe, Lauren, and Chelsie

 The three granddaughters received pendants from Gramma. Alan got to pose within the group photo.

Mom and Dad Ward with their kids and spouses.

Camp Family ~ noTTafarm U.S.A. ~ December 25

Holidays are guaranteed to be fun if Sophie is in attendance. 

Who wouldn't love spending time with a precocious 5 year-old redhead?

We served brunch on Christmas day for a total of 13 guests. 

The beautiful sunshine made the dining area all the more cozy.

Andrew enlisted Sophie to help distribute presents. 

Andrew may or may not have distilled his own version of moonshine for his brothers. Pete was anxious to try it but is going to wait until his pneumonia medication has run its course.

 General chaos as the presents are opened!

Katie was happy to see her old friend, Wilson. 

When she adopted him from the Humane Society in Denver, he was so tiny, he could fit in her hand. Hard to imagine our 20-pounder being a little kitten! Sophie's new "Pete the Cat" toy and book were big hits.

 The Camp Kids:  Katie and her Alessio, Pat and his Kathleen, Andrew, Pete and his Sophie.

Pat and Kathleen have finally chosen a venue for their wedding ceremony. Kathleen has her heart set on a rustic country setting.  Hint:  we'll have more to blog about this summer!

Alessio and Kate drove home from Portland with their two doggies. 

Andrew:  Forever Alone

Since he has such a great sense of humor, he goofed around in front of the tree for me.

Merry Christmas from The Camps!

Carl, Scott, Kristin, Marita, Kate, Pat, Andrew, Pete and Sophie

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Christmas Baking is More Fun with a Crowd!

One of the things I promised myself I would do when the new addition was finished was entertain friends and family more often. Lucky for me, I have a great group of friends with an affinity for baking. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than by spreading some Christmas cheer - along with some buttercream? The new kitchen, with its over-sized peninsula, offered plenty of room for everyone. We frosted, dipped, baked, and sneaked a few bites in between. 

Sheryl, Christine, and Amy B. try their hands at frosting sugar cookies. I baked a double-batch Saturday night so they were ready to go Sunday afternoon. This was Sheryl's first visit to noTTafarm after listening to me yap about it at work for the past three and some-odd years. I hope she comes back soon!

Meredith's mom, Leigh Anne, and I used to spend hours each holiday frosting cookies for our World-Herald clients back in the olden days. I'm glad to see that Meredith has picked up her Mommy's piping talents!

Brenna turned 5 a few weeks ago, and did a great job of frosting.

Megan brought along all the fixings for Peanut Butter Balls which she created then shared with all of us. Sadly, my photo of Megan is a bit fuzzy but yes, those are kitties on her sweater!

Official Friend of noTTafarm, Amy B., surveys part of the day's bounty. She dipped pretzels and frosted her share of cookies (plus brought Brenna along for a big dose of "cute" for all to enjoy.)

Leigh Anne and Meredith

Merry Christmas, Ladies! 

I'm so lucky to have such wonderful, creative, and talented friends!

Deck The Halls: Part II

We have really been looking forward to having our first Christmas tree in the new great room. With such a lovely, tall space available, we justified the "need" for a 10-foot tree. We found a lovely specimen on Saturday, December 7th at Robert's Nursery. (http://www.robertslln.com/home/) The guys at the nursery were so helpful, and didn't miss a beat as they tied the giant Frasier Fir to the top of the Escape in sub-10 degree weather.

When we got home, I thought, "good grief, I'm going to have to help carry this beast in the house!" Scott pulled up onto the south yard so we could move the tree through the great room patio doors. Once we cut it loose, it really wasn't too difficult to carry (Scott took the heavy end.)

We cleared the northwest corner of the great room in anticipation of positioning the tree.

Leo and Wilson were intrigued, to say the least! (So far, though, we have not experienced any cat vs. tree difficulties.)

The purchase of an 11-foot tree meant that we had to invest in a new tree stand. Luckily, we found this heavy duty one at our local Home Depot.

After a bit of assembly and some thoughtful yet scary maneuvering, the tree was in the stand and positioned in the corner. We put a rubber mat under the stand to protect the floor.

 The big orange ladder came in handy as Scott started by placing the star on the tippy top of the tree.

He's always been in charge of placing the lights. As with the house exterior, we're going to need to invest in a few more strands if we want to continue having this large of a tree. Just needs a smidge more sparkle . . .

The finished product

This beautiful tree is putting us in the holiday spirit! I hope to have more decorations up around the house this week so that noTTafarm is as festive as possible. 

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Decking the Halls: Part 1

The first day of December was a lovely, warm day - the perfect day to put up a few lights!

Scott and I dug around in the basement and found the tub of C-9 lights that outlined the front of our Tudor on Grant Street.

I found these little trees at Target a year ago on clearance, and the light-up packages were a gift from my mom years ago. Now they make a festive spot for Bibber's food bowls! I hope he appreciates the spiffed-up dining area.

Scott was able to outline the 1972 entry and the courtyard entry but we'll have to make a big investment in light strings if we want to do more. There's always next year - which gives us plenty of time to plan a more spectacular display.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

We're Thankful for . . . the noTTafarm Family!

Most of the local Camp family members were able to join us for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a wonderful time and ate too much, of course!

Prior to the holiday, nephew Pete suggested we take over the care of their family heirloom dining set. The oak table extends to seat 10 and has five matching chairs (there's a 6th one out there . . . ask nephew Pat the next time you see him.) When the day comes that niece Kate has room for the set, it will be her's but until then, we'll take good care of it.

Scott suggested we use the china and silver which I thought was a great idea until I realized I would need to wash every piece of it since it had been in storage for three years. And, of course, the silver needed polishing . . . but everything looked sparkly and pretty in time for dinner!

The real fun of Thanksgiving is being with family! Our great niece Sophie did a wonderful job of entertaining everyone. A great time was had by all!

And So Begins The Holiday Season!