Happy Birthday To Me!

Many of you may already know this, but Darrin and I went on a cruise for my birthday this year.  We traveled with our neighbors and good friends, Tom and Kim Hoffman.  Here are some random photos from our trip.

This is one of the many lovely views from our ship.  This is nearing Cozumel or Belize I think.

 If you have ever been on a cruise you have seen these towel creatures...one would appear every evening before we would retire for the night.  These are my sunglasses, the crew used them on this seal and on a rabbit later.....adds a personal touch.

 This sunset is taken from the aft hot tub as we are leaving Costa Maya.

 Here is the view looking forward (toward the bow) from the same hot tub.

 Here is a view of our ship from the little mall right on the dock in Roatan, Honduras.

 This is a Brazilian Silkwood tree right near the beach where we went snuba diving in Roatan.....yes snuba is correct.  It is scuba diving, but your tank is floating on a raft above you instead of on your back.  It was awesome.  I have been diving before, and Tom and Kim are certified divers, but it was Darrin's first time....he is now hooked.

 The Norwegian Spirit dockside in Roatan.

 Loved this carved horse sculpture...the sign said "DO NOT TOUCH", so I  am not.

 An old shipwreck in the bay as we are leaving Honduras.

 Darrin and I on a catamaran on our way to snorkel the reef in Costa Maya, Mexico.

 Kim and I all dressed up...aren't we attractive.

 Peep-toe snorkel fins with an ankle strap....high fashion.

 Our "fish" impressions.

 This towel monkey was hanging from the ceiling...his eyes are creamer cups.

 On our last day at sea the weather was bad and very rough so we played cards in the game room...The boys won most of the time, but I think they were cheating!

This is at the port in Belize...just for us cruise tourists...everyone walks through here on their way to their excursions....ours was cave tubing....pretty cool.

We cruised to and from New Orleans....here is a random group playing on the street in the French Quarter...they were really good.  Tom even bought their CD...it's case was made out of lined notebook paper with handwritten titles...awesome.

So....I am already planning next years birthday party....don't you think I should?!?

I was dreaming of a WARM Christmas!!!

We spent Christmas and New Years on planes this year....and all the time in between in WARM, SUNNY Arizona....NOT!   Well, the day after Christmas was beautiful, but...we had to come home to Delaware to get warm after that.  Seriously, I think we are weather cursed!  It was great to see many friends and family during our stay.  We wished we had a week to spend with each one.  I'm afraid our kids didn't get much of us at all.  Next year, they will be coming here.  It seems like we had one long party the whole week.  I will let the pictures do the talking...

           Heading up Gonzales Pass to Safford...for our Delaware friends... these are mountains!

                                        
The Tunnel....yes we rolled down our windows and honked!

                                           Mt. Graham and cotton modules.

                                          The Gila Valley Temple and our Family!

 The Gordon's made a trebuchet and launched grapefruit and lemons at the neighbors over the fence...the neighbors retaliated with stink bombs!

Watching the "bombs".

 Out to lunch with 6 of my 7 siblings...so fun!  We missed you Jordan.

 All the single cousins...all the single cousins.  (they are rolling their eyes at me right now).

COOKIE FACE!!

More Cookie Face!

This Bouncy House was supposed to be for the little
kids, but the BIG kids had more fun!

Flamboyant Christmas Concert

I have to post this cute video from Jesse's concert last week.  Jesse came home with a part to learn a few weeks ago.  He wanted to try out for a solo....a few days later he said he didn't want to try out for it anymore.  He didn't explain why, but when you watch this video, you will understand...I did.  It is very funny, but the talent is amazing.  Turn up the volume and enjoy!    Jesse is right in front of the teacher....laughing.

Sarah's Marbles

 Sarah has an awesome Art teacher who has really helped her focus on her drawing this year.  She has been working on this piece for several months...she calls it "Reflection".   It is being entered in a competition by Scholastic in Dover tomorrow (Dec. 7)...if it does well there it will go to a state competition, then national and then international.  I think it is an amazing piece, but I am her mother....what do you think?

Thanksgiving

So here is our Thanksgiving weekend in a nutshell.....

Lily hung out on Sarah's lap at the computer.

Allen read Mockingjay while David read Hunger Games.

 The boys crowded around our tiny laptop to watch football.

 Rachel and Jesse played "the bubble game" on David's phone.

And lots of Wii.  This was canoeing...too funny....

We had a great time with the Favreau/Knight families.  Lots of food and games and chatting and napping and hanging out.  Loved it.   

Gus and Lily

This is Gus (left) and Lily.  They are the Hoffman's Lhasa Apso dogs.  They are very spoiled and very cute and we get to have them for the next 10 days while the Hoffmans are in AZ. celebrating Thanksgiving with their daughters.  They will look after our chickens while we are in AZ for Christmas.  Kim (Sis. Hoffman) says that stinks for us, cuz her dogs only leave poop behind and mine leave eggs.... love her...she is a hoot. 

Occasionally we have what are called "fog delays" which basically means that school will start 2 hours later cuz the fog is too dangerous for safe driving.  However, last week we had a VERY foggy day and no delay...it was pretty scary.  This pic is from my front porch at 7:00 am, but by the time I got to Sarah's school we couldn't see 10 feet.  Life on the east coast is definitely full of new experiences for this family!  Dogs?...not on your life...in AZ.  Fog?...not enough to delay school...

On a depressing note...our weather forecast for Thanksgiving is RAIN!  Grrrr. 

Fall!

Here are some of the views from our yard. Our weather has been fairly nice...a few cold days and then 4 or 5 in the mid 60"s.  Fall has come very late this year...all the leaves were gone by this time last year.

 This is the view from our driveway into our back yard (and my little chicken coop).

 The back door from our dining room.

 We went to Fifer's Orchard in Dover and got apples...a whole bushel...and made apple butter.  This is a beautiful place full of trees and gardens and a cute country store...we also bought some local honey.  All their produce was amazing and huge...

...check out these carrots!

We are so excited for Thanksgiving and then Christmas in Arizona.

Funny, Funny, Mother

Today is my Mother's 82nd birthday....she died two and a half years ago and I still miss her everyday.
I have been going through my mom's recipes and found some really great ones to share....
Happy Birthday Mom.

This was something mom made all the time...I loved this stuff...she served it in the colored cupcake cups.

 This one she made for Christmas most years...it was a complicated process, but sooo yummy...I think Nona makes this now...I haven't tried to do it yet.

 This was just funny.  I found this just as it is...edited...I remember she would call this "Better than Robert Redford Cake"...you can fill in the cut out section however you want.

There was one more that wouldn't scan...it went just like this....

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

                                                   Melt dipping chocolate...dip pretzels in.

...that was all there was on it's own 3X5 card in the recipe box...funny, funny mother.....love you Mom.

HALLOWEEN!

 So....Darrin and I went to a "formal" Halloween party at our rich neighbors house where costumes were mandatory...Our friends Tom and Kim Hoffman (Cinderella and Prince Charming below) got us invited cuz they have been fellowshipping these people for years and I think Tom just wanted to have company in the "embarrassing costume" department....anyway....we were a 60's (or is it 70's) couple....I think Darrin looks like Tom Jones...Hahahaha...Sarah dressed up as a vampire...Jesse was a Republican...complete with the elephant nose...sorry no pic.

Tom and Kim Hoffman..... Aren't these guys amazing...She made their costumes...everyone kept telling her she belonged at Disneyland...They are grandparents for crying out loud!

Sarah was in a donut eating contest....she got a little unwanted help from above (her dad)...she still won.  It was COLD for Halloween here...it was kind of nice after a week of 80 degree weather....

Next up....THANKSGIVING.....my favorite holiday!

Turnips and Greens....

Our friend Marshall Mumford (real name and is exactly like you would imagine a Marshall Mumford to be) called the other day and asked me if I wanted some turnips...I told him I didn't really know if I wanted them or not, but that I would try them...so we went over to his house and he pulled up these beauties...then he asked if I wanted "a mess of greens" too...Ummmm....never really tried those either, but what the heck.

 The greens turned out to be kale...very large and kinda rubbery leaves with a thick stalk and veins.

 ...so I looked up some recipes on Allrecipes.com and made these sour cream and cheddar turnips and...

 ..these spicy mustard and garlic greens.....so....I don't think I like turnips and greens....Darrin liked the kale, but he likes cooked spinach and I don't.  

Another first for the Gordon family in Delaware....and for some of us...a last as well.