December has been Interesting

December is almost over, and as I look back it was a very mixed month. It started in Thanksgiving when I asked Gary to put up the tree. It took him 3 weeks to get the tree, bring it in the house and put the lights on. I let him pick it out this year and I think he found the barest tree in Chehalis. (This meant fewer lights for him to put on). This is a picture of our 2008 Charlie Brown Christmas tree.



For weeks we have been having a problem with our 30 year old heating system. Luckily we found the original papers in the files the previous owner left us. It explained why Gary had not been able to find the part for it, the part he needed was a retro fit. After bothering Tom at Ferguson nearly everyday, Gary found a part to fix the heating system. Unfortunately, he didn't really need the part that took 2 weeks to get, the problem was the spark plug. Gary couldn't find the right spark plug so he temporarily fixed it by inserting a wire in the system. We knew it would eventually fry and sure enough last night it did. So now Gary is machining a spark plug to get our system running. At least we have a wood stove to keep a couple of the rooms downstairs warm. The dogs have found a new spot to curl up.



Allie (Michelle's dog)



Gary braved the freezing temperatures and put up "The Forest". For years I have been accumulating different size spiral trees and last year I found a couple of bucks and a doe to add to the beauty. I was surprised when Laura came home and told me my yard looked "Redneck". She was shocked because the deer move. Yes, I was terribly offended but I still like my forest. I think it is as beautiful as my Christmas sweater. You can't see all the trees in this picture but it shows most of them. I think it turned out great in the now.




We celebrated our Klein Family Christmas the weekend before Christmas. Jenny & Trevor, and Laura and Blane braved the snow and came down Friday night. When they got here they warmed up with Kirsten's Minestrone Soup. The next morning Gary picked up his mom from Tenino and went with Laura and Blane to visit Gary's aunt in Sharon Care Center. When they got back we enjoyed a Prime Rib Meal with rice, Crescent Rolls (Pillsbury), Jell-o salad (Gary's mom Ava says you have to have at least one Jell-O Salad) and Caesar Salad. For desert we had Creme Brulee. It was a delicious meal and afterwards we opened presents. We did a gift exchange and Michelle got to watch from Chicago via the webcam. She let Dayton open a present which turned out to be a big mistake. Now he realized there were toys in the presents and in the morning the presents were everywhere.

Jenny and her husband Trevor


Laura and her boyfriend Blane


Gary and his mother Ava


Kirsten torching Creme Brulee


After dinner the "men" went outside to ride the go-cart. There was no traffic outside and about a foot of snow. You may not know this, but we rarely get snow here in Western Washington, and when we do it is maybe an inch or two.

Blane


Trevor


Gary got his mom home safe and sound, but very late. The next morning everyone had to go home. I think it took each of them about 3 hours to take a trip that normally takes 90 minutes.



We were supposed to leave on Monday to spend Christmas in Provo, but for the next 2 days the Interstates were closed on and off due to the snow. We decided to stay home and be safe.

Last night Gary and I went to the movies. I have never paid $9.50 a person for a movie before. It is a new theatre in the Lewis County Mall. There were about 10 different screens playing all the latest movies. After the shock of the admission we passed on any popcorn or drinks. I was looking forward to seeing Marley and Me. It was advertised as a funny family film. It is a story of a couple (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) that get married, get a dog and start a family. About half way through the film I realized how the movie was going and I almost got up and left. It started when the yellow lab Marley had a difficult time going up the stairs in their new home. We are now dealing with our dog Carly aging and she is having difficulty going up our stairs at night. I bring her bed downstairs during the day so she can curl up near me. I have never cried so hard at a movie before, and as soon as I got home I got some of the dog toys out and Carly, Allie and I played. (While Gary was trying to fix the heating system).

Today we got up and the tent Gary has had outside for several years caved in from the weight of the snow. We knew it was old and it had already started tearing. the problem is that Gary had a huge load of wood he had milled from a tree he cut down. He was drying the wood under the tent to take down to Provo for our house there. Yes, the wood was drenched but he did get a tarp over it right away.



I was released in my Church calling as the Secretary in Relief Society, a calling I have had for almost 4 years. I will truly miss the women I work with, but I am looking forward to my new calling. I am the Beehive Adviser for Young Women. I have never served in Young Women before but I am excited to be there.

I look back at December and even though it was hard, we are all happy and healthy and that is what counts. We may be a little cold and grumpy from what we've had to face, but together we can do it.

Update on Kirsten's Quirks

Just to update you all, I've been working on becoming better and better everyday! A few of my previous quirks are no more...


1. I haven't purchased a DVD in months, so I believe I have overcome this impulse. Now if we could only get through our piles and piles that we already own.

2. I sorted through my old cookbooks! I found that I was hanging on to so many of them because special people had given them to me, but I was convinced that saving one or two from a special person is enough. I got rid of more than half of them, which was at least a hundred cookbooks. I gave some to friends and ladies at Church. It's nice to have the space in my pantry again!

3. I'm able to admit that I don't need fabric! Wanting it is a different story... but I've cleaned through my quilting room and closets and sorted all of my material in order to realize that I could work on making quilts for about 5 years without ever running out of fabric. Now it's more organized, and I've been reminded of old fabrics and patterns and kits that I'd forgotten about- what fun.


From now on, you can call me SUPER KIRSTEN!

I miss her!

I sent my favorite Christmas sweater to Chicago to spend Christmas with Michelle this year, and I MISS HER SO MUCH (the sweater, that is). It's her first Christmas away from home (again, the sweater).

Here she is in all her JINGLING glory.

What a beautifully intricate design!

I hear Michelle won a prize for wearing her. I think the prize was for the most fabulous Christmas sweater of all time or something. My girls used to make fun of me for wearing this crafty gem, and now they want it for themselves! You'd be surprised what a hot commodity festive sweaters can be, especially the ones that jingle when you shimmy!

Chef Laura's Gourmet Thanksgiving

Laura and her boyfriend Blane hosted our family for Thanksgiving in Issaquah. They are both chefs, so we thoroughly enjoyed our feast.

Guests included: Gary and I, Jenny and Trevor, Laura and Blane, and Gary's mother Ava.

Pumpkin pie was trampled by this gourmet dessert Raspberry Chiboust that Laura made.

I know, your mouth is watering.

The tryptophan in the turkey worked on Gary; he sacked out on the floor. Lazy bum.

Gary's 7 Quirks

1. I have around 200 t-shirts that I never wear, dating back to 1980. They don't fit, they're worn out, and they're way out of style. My wife nags me to get rid of some, but I just won't!

2. I must have McDonald's for breakfast EVERY morning; I don't always get the same thing, but I have to get McDonald's (my wife nags me about this, too).

3. I save every nail, screw, bolt, etc, that I have left over, because I believe I will use it again later, but you'll still find me running to Home Depot to buy these things when I'm working on a project.

4. I drink an entire pot of coffee everyday. Don't believe me? Ask my wife about the mess of coffee grounds that I leave on the counter.

5. I'm brutally honest. If a waitress asks me how I liked my ribs, I'll tell her they were dry and chewy. If a missionary asks me how to fix his bike, I'll tell him it's a piece of junk!

6. I think my own jokes are the funniest thing I've ever heard; I laugh REALLY loud at them.

7. I name my vehicles; my semi truck is Galaxy Quest, my dump truck is Earl, and my mobile home trailer is Love Shack.

Kirsten's 7 Quirks

1. In my home, pets are family. My amazing wonder-cat Murray eats on his own counter (separate from the rest of the kitchen), my outdoor cats have heating pads in their houses, and I even tell my daughters that my yellow lab Carly is their sister (which they hate, by the way).


2. I have at least 100 cookbooks, but I only use about 2 of them; I REFUSE to get rid of any, even though I could really use the extra space in my pantry.

3. I'm a sucker for Court TV shows; I watch them while I'm quilting. Gary calls them Scumbags-R-Us.

4. I'm obsessed with buying new movies; I buy ALL the new releases at Costco (cartoons, comedies, dramas, anything). But I never watch any of them! They sit in their plastic wrap until one of my girls borrows them. Lately I've been getting better about resisting the urge (thanks Derrick).

5. If you ever ask me what I'd like for a present, the answer is always FABRIC!

6. I can remember just about any phone number I've ever dialed. Phonebook- what for?

7. I keep my daily medications in a granny pill dispenser; you can find them online under products for seniors!

Happy Halloween

We came back from diving just in time for Halloween.

Grover and Goni came by on their way to Seattle and met Chris, Charity and the boys at our house. They were dressed as Ratatouille, or Linguini (Noah) and the rat Remy (Jonah). Chris took Noah trick or treating in our neighborhood.

I went through 6 bags of candy from Costco and turned out the lights at 9:00 pm. I did a few decorations and we put the music in the window. A few kids cried from it!

One mom and dad wore rooster and hen costumes and their kids were baby chickens. It was cute. Of course there were some without costumes and a lot of gothic. Kids started coming at 4:30 while it was still daylight. The rain held off until about 10:00; it was a beautiful night.

I remember being in Provo the last two years. I miss my grandkids!

Papua New Guinea in Review

After one bus ride and 4 plane rides, we're home from Papua New Guinea. We got in over 40 dives this trip , we just might sign up for more dive trips.

Kirsten has blisters on her toes from the fins. We have 4 hours of some great video, including footage of a couple different octopuses.


Skull Caves
We took an on-shore tour of the Skull Caves. The skulls are centuries old; they date back to intertribal warfare. Tribes with bigger skull piles had bigger reputations. They paid no concern to warriers, women, or children. The skulls all have a hole on the top, the size of a sword or stone ax (clearly the cause of death). The tribes finally buried the skulls in caves some time later. Where they rest now has a calcium drip on them, so they're slowly melting over time.


Nudibranch
These bottom-dwelling, shell-less mollusks are part of the sea slug family; they have some of the most fascinating shapes, colors, and patterns of any animal on Earth.




Anemone Fish
These are one of my favorite things to watch underwater. All they do is play in the anemone.

Diving Update

In Papua New Guinea...

We have had some rain here but it doesn't affect our diving. Just before we arrived they had quite a rain spell. The water has been a perfect 82 degrees and the visibility under water is fabulous. Dad has done 8 out of the 9 dives we have done so far. I think that is a record for him! He only had one headache the first day and missed one of the dives.

We get up at 6:00 am, eat breakfast at 7:00 am and leave for diving at 8:00 am. We get back about 4 or 5:00 pm and nap until dinner at 7. While on the boat we have snacks after the first dive, lunch after the second. The food has been delicious. Michelle I have not had a soda since I have been here, water only. I am in bed easily by 9:00 and we are both sleeping well.

Last night we lost our power for a couple of hours. The main line to the generator burned up. Luckily as divers we all had lights with us. We sat around and talked by candlelight, and ate dinner that way too. The hardest part was it got so hot in the dining area without the AC or fan going.

Four people have birthdays while we are here. It is nice because the chef makes them a cake.

We have already seen some incredible fish that we have not seen before. And of course we have seen my favorite anemone fish, or Nemo. I could watch them play all day.

At end end of the week a live-aboard boat will pick us up at the end of the dock and we will do the second half of our trip on a boat. I enjoy the rocking motion of being on a boat.

Diving As We Speak

We're currently on a Scuba Diving trip in Papua New Guinea (look it up on a map if you want to know where that is). We'll spend some time diving nearby, and some time staying on a boat to dive further out.

We'll return home on October 28th and we'll let you know how amazing the adventure was!
Don't worry, we take lots of pictures and video footage of the fish that we see- just ask my children who REALLY ENJOY seeing it all.

Our Grandkids Came to Visit!

Our grandkids and daughter Michelle spent 4 weeks with us in September. We had a long list of things we wanted to accomplish while Michelle was in town, but with two adults caring for two children, we never seemed to have time for anything! I don't know how she survives on her own in Chicago! We managed to work on several quilting projects, do some cupboard cleaning in my kitchen and pantry, get Daphne's shots, get Dayton's haircut, work on some trick-or-treat bags, and a few other things...

Gary played Michelle at ping-pong and tennis, and kicked her butt at both!


Fair
We went to the Puyallup Fair.
Because I'm his Nana, I got to spoil Dayton with ice cream and an elephant ear.































I took Dayton on his first carousel ride.














And Gary took him on his first train ride, which was the highlight of his fair adventure. He LOVED the 'choo-choo.'































Walks
We went for some hilly walks with the dogs and kids for exercise. Whenever we left the house, Dayton requested to go back to 'Nana's houf.'















Goals
Derrick gave me two goals to accomplish during their trip:
1. Get Dayton to feed himself.
2. Get Daphne to eat solid foods.

I accomplished the Dayton goal on the first day he was here.
He can even feed himself cereal in the morning.




















I worked on Daphne, and she's eating a little better now.
Here she's disgusted with peaches.


























Airplane
We spoiled the kids with toys (most from when our girls were little). Gary got a remote-control airplane for Dayton, which they enjoyed for a few minutes before crash and burn.































Phantom
We all went to Seattle and saw the Phantom of the Opera. It was spectacular.



















And here are some extra fun pictures of our beautiful grandchildren.
Come back and visit anytime!