Amanda is moving AGAIN!!!

Looking back - it really was pretty funny.  I had no sooner made arrangements to share my flight benefits at the end of September and both Matt and Amanda called.  For Matt it was about the previously shared trip to Chicago and for Amanda - well she was moving AGAIN!  She had only been in Cheyenne for about 5 months but a house on the base had become available and they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.  So a "Help" was sent out -- and of course we responded to it.  Any opportunity for memories right?  Right.  So we flew up to Denver and picked up the car rental and drove to Cheyenne to help keep the grands out of the way so Amanda and Trent could work.  It was a great plan and didn't require a ton of heavy lifting on our part.  Woohoo.  As the movers were working, Ryan was taking advantage of an almost empty road to play in.  He and grandpa played for a long time while I entertained Caleb and Amanda went back and forth between houses.





Raef had been at school the day we arrived and so the next day, we took all three boys off to an event at the Laramie County Library.  The two older ones went to reading time and Caleb had some time to play with Gammy.











When we were finished at the library, we went downtown to the Cheyenne Depot Museum where they watched the trains on the tracks, saw a display of  great gingerbread train stations, and wandered the museum for awhile.  The boys found a great map on the floor and we told them to find Cheyenne by walking along the railroad tracks on it.  It didn't take them long and so a picture of the "boys" on the right spot shows their great orienteering skills.

A quick stop by the new house to drop off Caleb for a nap and we were off with Raef and Ryan again.

Our next stop was at a craft class at The Children's Village so the boys could make an advent calendar. There was a slight oops as it had to be signed up and paid for ahead of time and Amanda had not realized that.  Oh well, we took the boys outside to play for awhile, but it was getting pretty dang cold out and so it wasn't long before we bundled them back into the car and went back to the house.


Amanda had booked us a room at the hotel since they were between two homes when we arrived and it would be awhile before the new house was set.  It was a great place and we enjoyed it tremendously.  However ---- this is what we woke up to the next morning.  No wonder it had felt so cold.

Yep -- Snow and quite a bit of it actually.  We stopped to take a few pictures before heading back over to help out at the house.  It really was quite beautiful and the base is such a beautiful setting.  Amanda's home is rich with history and is easy to understand why she wanted to make the switch.

Antelope are everywhere here and they are not very skittish around people either.  It is major cool.




Here is Amanda's new home.  It is a duplex an she is on the side facing us.  The white area at the back is a mud room.  The house has 4 floors - yep 4.  It also has a grand staircase as you enter that accesses the 1st and 2nd floor.  There is also a hidden staircase that goes from basement to attic.  Fun.

This is the little circle they live on and the little signs in the front yard indicate who lives there.

One of the first areas to be set up was the toy room down in the basement.  I was able to grab a quick picture of Grandpa and Ryan as they were playing.  I LOVE this pic.

Raef had his first day of riding the schoolbus home to the new house so I was watching for him to arrive.  He had walked home with a neighbor girl and after saying goodbye came cruising up the stairs excited to play with us.

We had spent most of the afternoon helping unpack the main living quarters and getting things set up and believe it or not -- this house was livable.  It was great.  After a dinner out, it was time for bed and they boys knew we were leaving in the morning.  They were not at all happy that they were going to bed and after some very loud discussions with Mom and Dad, they were back downstairs to put up and decorate the Christmas tree.  Apparently, Raef had REALLY wanted Gammy and Grandpa to help.  Heart touching indeed and so his request was met with enthusiasm from all of us and soon we had a beautiful tree ready for the holidays and for us to leave the boys gifts under.  While here, we had purchased a new microwave and vacuum for Trent and Amanda and so they had already received their gifts.

This was such a good time.  It had been a LONG time since I had gotten to help decorate a tree with little ones.  Their excitement is infectious and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves watching how careful and thoughtful they were over the placement of each and every ornament.  It was really fun for them to find all the ornaments I had given over the years and place them as well.  Treasured memories.




When we return home and put our own tree up, it will be very quiet with just the two of us working on it.


We are very lucky grandparents!  That these boys want us to share moments like this means the world to us and we cannot wait until we have another chance to spend time with them.  Check out this absolutely cute shot of Raef and Ryan.  Adorable.

After making sure that the boys had completed all they could reach on their own and with our help, Mom made sure that everything was just so.  She had been working so hard the past couple of days and I am sure that decorating the tree was the last thing she wanted to do that night, but she is such a good mom that she gave the boys the opportunity to give us memories.  And that is the sign of an amazing daughter as well.

Soon it was time for us to say our good-byes and head back to the hotel.  This has been a very enriching stay.


The next morning we wake up to MORE SNOW!  Great - now we have to drive to Denver in it.  Life is always one surprise after another and so off we go but not without a few more beautiful pictures of the serene and calm air force base in winter.


This is our hotel and the little rental car that we got because we didn't see any reason we would need a 4-wheel drive.  Hahahaha.

And a snowy farewell.  Truly gorgeous!

A New Door and Even More Baking

Mister has been working all week on painting our white door a beautiful burgundy.  He bought all new hardware for it as well.  Doesn't it look so nice?  I absolutely love it.

While he finished up the door, I worked on more baking.  I AM going to complete my list this year.  If I say that enough it might actually happen.

Today was Applesauce Jumbles, and Multicolor Bark.  Mister snapped a picture of what had been finished so far.  There are many in there that we didn't capture along the way - oh well.

Cookies With Jason and Family

Jason, Tina, and girls came over to help out with the cookie making process for today.  We made peanut butter blossoms by the dozens.  It was a fun day filled with laughter and great conversation.

Let The Baking Begin!

It is Thanksgiving weekend and that means that it is the start of holiday baking and treat making time.  I love this time of year and even though it is just Mister and me doing it now, it brings back memories of weekends when all five of my kids helped out with the project.  Today was Chex Mix, Peanut Brittle, Carmel Corn, Dark Chocolate Bark, and Peanut Butter Mouse Cookies.  A good start.

Thanksgiving with Mister's Mom and Sis

We decided to cook Thanksgiving this year and invited Mister's Mom and Sis over for the day.  Everything turned out wonderful and it was a great time to just talk and share.  Wish it happened more often.

Granbury and the Willie Nelson Concert

Immediately after the Chocolate class, we hopped in the car and were off to Granbury for the night.  We had already packed and had tickets for a Willie Nelson concert in hand.  I tried to get the same cabin we had stayed in down here before, but it was not available.  Fortunately, I was able to locate another secluded place that was perfect.  Granbury Log Cabins had this great old dog trot house with two cabins for rent.  It was a quiet setting and just what we love so much.





It was right outside of
Granbury in the small town of Acton.  This small town has the "Smallest State Park in Texas" as it's claim to fame.  Now who can resist that?  It turns out that it is in honor of Elizabeth Patton Crockett, the wife of Davy Crockett, and it is her burial site.  Now I was truly interested.  We spent quite a bit of time wandering the cemetery and learning all about this wonderful woman.

We also stopped at the old Acton Methodist Church to wander around a little.  I spotted this old bell and was fascinated.  I can tell it is my picture as I had not yet learned the rule of thirds.  Oh well -- I like it anyway.

The rest of the time in Granbury was great and the concert was excellent.  We put the camera down and just enjoyed ourselves while there.

Making Chocolate Truffles

The Dallas Arboretum was offering a class in chocolate and so Mister and I signed up to learn a little more.  We did learn more about the way that chocolate was classified and made, but overall the actual hand-on part was not all that special.  One new thing that we worked on were truffles.  That was fun and something I will be able to use again - perhaps in Christmas treat boxes.  We'll see.