Just Some December Fun!

December is a busy month so I thought I'd put some highlights here so I remember them and not just the general rush!  

We do our stockings on St. Nikolas Tag at the beginning of December, I like this because then it is one thing I don't have to worry about closer to Christmas! 

The girls are Juliette or independent Girl Scouts this year, we are having fun with a couple of Leili's friends who are also Juliette Brownies. We went on a short hike near our house and made GORP!

Jake got braces! We now have TWO boys in braces! I am praying hard Fern's teeth continue to come in nice and strait! 

Speaking of Fern, she helped me out a bit with some sewing I had. It was nice to have the help and company and reminded me of all the time I spent in my mom's sewing room or in one of her shops helping her.

Dan and I got all gussied up for his annual work Christmas party, he works with some very nice people so it is nice to see them and fun to wear some of Mary's fancier fashions! 

The kids thought we were running too behind on getting a tree but we finally got it up and decorated. 

Some friends invited the girls to their Girl Scout troop's cookie making party! Leili had lots of fun frosting and Fern was super helpful making lots of frosting for the younger girls.

For some fun Christmas giving we went over to our local Humane Society with some donations and also to give the animals a little love too! How cute are these Girl Scouts!!! 

And what would December be without some extra sugar!!! We have all been making and baking and eating too much of it! Here is Dan and three of the munchkins with their gingerbread house. This was always one of Dan's favorite traditions growing up.

Yarn Along - December 2016

I am joining Ginny for the yarn along today!

Sorry for the cryptic photo but it's nearly Christmas and that means I don't want everyone knowing what I am working on...maybe next month I will have a post with all the goodies I made. This project is only a giveaway if someone saw the colors so, black and white it is! And sweet old Zinnia sitting beside me.

Reading wise, I am listening to Withering Heights. There is a good FREE version on Librivox (version 2). I am currently volleying between reading Knitlandia and War and Peace (free on kindle). I have eschewed anything beyond fairly mellow/happy/non-emotional reading as the holidays can be stress inducing and also a bit sad for me.

Happy December!

A Real Family Vacation!

We went somewhere and it was not on the way to family's homes or to family or because of family! It was just us! Because we wanted to!!

We ran away to San Francisco (without going into the city this trip), slept in a hotel and ate out every meal! Thats right! I did not have a PB&J station in the car!! Wahoo!!

After our 3 1/2 hour car ride we drove strait to the Golden Gate Bridge and saw the iconic bridge in the fog and rain! 5 out of 6 of us had not seen it before!

We then started towards our hotel in San Rafael but had to stop when we saw the signs for a Mission. I have always loved seeing different California Missions. I grew up near the Mission San Luis Rey and frequently visited the Mission San Juan Capistrano growing up. This one was quite beautiful too.

The next morning we headed over to the Richmond Docks, it was pouring when we ran in but beautiful once we came out!

We went to the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Park! It was a great museum and we even learned how to tie a real Rosie bandana!

Leili earned her Jr. Ranger Badge!

Also at the Richmond Docks we got to tour a ship that was built there during the Rosie the Riveter era. We met some great Veterans who showed us some amazing things!!

After our day's adventures we went for another look at the bridge since it was not raining. So very beautiful!

We saved the best for last! I have always dreamed of seeing the redwoods so we went to Muir Woods National Park and I got to touch a redwood!!

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Riley and I left everyone else and hiked up further into the woods where it was peaceful and quiet, and we found this really neat bridge!

And Leili earned another Jr. Ranger Badge! Her third one this year! 

After the woods and a good lunch we drove out on the Marin Headlands, we say old battlements where cannon and guns were mounted to protect the harbor, we saw seals, and happened upon the Point Bonita Lighthouse! And it was open! We had to walk a suspension bridge out to it which was swinging a bit in the wind! 

After all this adventuring and museum going and hotel rooming we needed to have a little free time so we found a beach! Rodeo Beach, it use to be an army base. The barracks had an ocean view and were yards from the beach!

It was an amazing trip and on the way home I hit a farm stand and came home with bags of citrus and persimmons! Next time we will do the city!!