Boxing Day 2018

The good weather continues, so we went over to the zoo for a short visit.  There weren't as many people there as  I thought there might be.  I'm sure some people are back at work already and others would think it was too cold to be outside!!!  All the better for us!!!!
The nice thing about going in the penguin house in Winter is that the temperature difference isn't as great, it is much more bearable.

The giraffes have successfully eaten the bark off the trees in their enclosure, so they have started on the ones next door-that is what the long necks are for after all!!!!!

We spent quite a bit of time in the bird house (warmer) and the kookaburra entertained us with its song

We went to The Boathouse for lunch.  It is a great setting for lunch, but it was taken over recently and isn't as good as it used to be,  Still nice to all be together

Ben found a Lime scooter to ride, it's become his latest obsession.....

Dinner with Jan and Julie

We had dinner at Jan and Julie's on Christmas Day. Julie grilled a pork tenderoin and Jan made potatoes and brussels. It was very simple, and very nice to not overeat.  I made an apple pie for dessert

Maggie took one of her new books to read and Ben sat reading some of it to her

Ben got a chess set for Christmas, so he played a couple of games with Sam.

Maggie gor a (VERY complicated) dot-to-dot book.  She kept asking me about it and I told her I'd have to take out my contacts to be able to see that small!!!!!

A walk in the park.......

It was such a beautiful day that we decided to go and take a walk in Forest Park. Actually, I thought there would be way more people than there were, it was nice to wander around with not too many people.  We really don't go to Forest Park anything like as often as we should, and definitely don't go that much in the Winter.  We parked up by the Jewel Box and there was no one around there at all

This is the best picture I could get of the family-Ben's usual scowl, Sam goofing with his glasses!!!!

Trees-I drive everyone crazy with my random pictures

We walked down to the Grand Basin

Maggie-always smiling

Sam and Me!!!!

Christmas 2018

We were set to have a very quiet Christmas this year. We really did not have any plans at all, apart from going to Jan and Julie's for dinner on Christmas night.  I made dinner for us on Christmas Eve-something I found on Blue Apron.  It was really simple, but good.  We don't very often eat together any more, so it's always a plus when the four of us sit down together.

Cream onion chicken, potato wedges and cabbage with apple.....

Christmas Day was very low key.  We had decided everyone would get one present and then we'd fill the stockings.  Of course, it tends to get to be a little more than that, but it wasn't too much.  I think this was the first year that Maggie got up before Ben.  As usual, he'll never let me take a photo of him, especially when he's just dragged himself out of bed!!!!

We didn't even rush to open presents this year-a sure sign that the kids are getting older!!  We took all the presents into the family room to open them.  We didn't even have a tree to put them under this year

Maggie looks very excited with whatever it is that Sam has in his stocking!!!!

I made Ben a photo book of some of the photos we took in England this past Summer

I managed to surprise him with this Michael Kors shirt, we had argued about buying it for over an hour one night!!!!!

Maggie might be the only child that tells you what she wants for Christmas and then looks completely unimpressed and puzzled when she gets it!!!!  Still, she got some great fidget gifts that kept us all occupied for hours!!!!

My big present was a Michael Kors bag that I can use to take my stuff to work every day.  I think we were all very happy by the end of the morning.  I cannot help buying Sam a bunch of stuff, but we ALWAYS end up taking it back after Christmas.  Wonder how old I will be before I give up???!!!!!

A week in the life (told in pictures).......

I'm like a lot of people these days. We all live and die by our phones on a daily basis. We check them every 5 mins, just in case someone texted us, or we got a "like" on Facebook or we want to see if it's going to rain in the next 20 minutes.  I'm not even sure if half of us would know what to do if it actually started ringing!!!!  One of the major things we use our phones for these days, is taking pictures, we can chronicle our lives by them, so I thought I'd take a random week and see just what I think is worthy of a photo and why I take that photo in the first place.

Last Sunday, I had done my usual massive cooking session to get us (Sam?) through the week.  I thought I'd take a picture this past Sunday to see how much it had changed by Friday.........

We don't see much of Cleo downstairs at the weekends (we are way too intimidating), but Sam caught a glimpse of her on Sunday afternoon, looking super cute.  I guess he thought it was worthy of taking a picture of her and sending to me as proof

This is the third year in a row that I have sent Dad a baby Christmas tree from Bloom and Wild (wish we had them over here, they are the best flower delivery service EVER!!)  It was delivered on Friday, but Marie put it together on Monday and took a picture of Dad and tree to send to me.  She said it's the best one yet

I had told Andy (my faculty affairs admin) that I would make him shortbread as it would be much better than buying it.  It was quite a performance as I bought castor sugar and English flour to make it & then forgot the corn starch.  So, I didn't make it until Monday night.  Then I realized that I have never made shortbread before, I always relied on Mum to make it.  We ate quite a bit of it before it even cooled down (Mum would have been horrified!!).  I sent Andy a pic to prove I'd made it (and it was going fast!) and then forgot to take to work on Tuesday.  He waited very patiently until Wednesday to get a taste!!!!

I bought these beautiful lilies from Trader Joe's on Sunday and they came out very nicely by Tuesday.  Since Shannon and I love Trader Joe's flowers, I had to take a picture of them and send to her.  They don't have a Trader Joe's in Georgia.....

Ben and I usually Snapchat every day (when we remember).  I tried to take a picture of the SLU blue Christmas tree for him.  It didn't come out too well, I need to do better!!!!

Sam, Maggie and I did the 23 and Me DNA testing earlier this month.  My results came in yesterday and Ben wanted to see what they looked like so I took a screenshot for him.  Nothing too unexpected, I'm pretty much British through and through......

Maggie had written a note to Santa on her whiteboard, telling him what she wanted for Christmas and pointing out EXACTLY where it was on Amazon (if the elves were too busy!!).  Of course, I could not resist writing a reply, or adding my own unique spin on things......

.....which inspired me to write a letter to Santa on Ben's behalf!!!!  Whiteboards are so much fun.  Of course, I think I'm so funny that I had to send to a bunch of people I work with!!!!

We had a WIMS meeting on Thursday.  This is what the room looks like when I refuse to send out YET ANOTHER reminder to folks to attend!!!!!  Since I was double booked for meetings, I just left at 7:06 and hoped no one showed up late!!!!!  Had to send this photo to Andy to show him how much (little) people think of the importance of this meeting......

I'm well impressed with me recently acquired ability to keep orchids alive and to get them to re-flower.  I have two in my office that are flowering right now.  The big one has been flowering for weeks already and this small one just started to flower again.  Every time they flower, I have to take a photo and send to Arline, we have a running joke about the lady at MBG that told me they wouldn't flower if I repotted them!!!!

As I suspected, the fridge was empty at the week's end and I sent a before and after picture to Sam and Shannon to show what a week without cooking can end up like......

And, finally, I sent this picture to Sam of my Christmas cactus that has bloomed without fail every year since I got it (and that was a long, long time ago.......

Garden Glow 2018

We go to the Garden Glow every year, although I suspect it's the same every year!!! Still, it's nice to go for a wander around the garden at night and their drinks are pretty spectacular (if a little too alcoholic!!).  The grand basin with its Christmas trees

Trees changing colors

I like this one!!!!

I love the lights, but the lit up trees are the best

Gate House-always looks spectacular and I suspect everyone in St Louis wishes they live here

Gate House entrance

SLU colored tree!!!!

"3 French Hens"

Is this Christmas or Halloween?????

Lights in front of Linnean House

We lucked out this year and it wasn't cold at all when we went.  Downside was that all of St Louis took the opportunity to come out!!!!