Things I am proud of:

I know what to do with 30 pounds of fresh tomatoes.

Seeing a gutted deer hanging from a tree in someones lawn doesn't bother me anymore.

I can't remember the last time nylons and high heels were even an option.

A date with my husband is a long walk on a country road.

When I ask what I can bring over for dinner, they always say pie.

I think about my garden in January.

Paul and I used our new snowshoes today at White Pass 

Highlights of our "Portland" Christmas

-Braving the after-Christmas crowds for some cheap sheets with Rebecca.
-Going to the Laurelhurst with Dan (Robinson). Dan is the great movie connoisseur and Portland has more than it's fair share in the theater pub category. We watched "The Constant Gardener". A bit graphic but pretty worth it. I would like to watch it again to understand it better.
-The REI Buyback Sale. One of my great loves in life is the love of the GOOD DEAL. I will garage sale as much as my husband will let me. There is not much that I wouldn't do to get something that I need or want for really cheap including standing in the rain and wind for two and a half hours. This time we were joined my my brother Dan (Tupper)(who scored us some great spots in line by arriving at the sale at 5am, that's right, he stood in line for four hours(it's in the Tupper blood, but that's another story)), Alicia (his girlfriend), and Rebecca (Paul's sister). Our spoils include: two pairs of tennis shoes, two pairs of snow shoes, a bivy sack and snow boots.
-Catching up with "the Paul's" - a family that we love but had lost track of for a while.
-Watching Dr. Phil with Kara
-Lunching with the Tupper's at Kennedy School for my Mom's 52nd birthday
-Walking at Mt. Tabor with Barbara and Paul
-Coming home - as much as I love Portland, it was so nice to come home to our little barn. I stayed in my pajamas all day and just enjoyed that "home" feeling.

Christmas Dinner at the Robinsons: Barbara, Mark and Dan 

Rebecca, Olivette, Imanuel 

Christmas 2005 

Merry Christmas Eve to you!!! 

Frosty fence 

This picture is from a few weeks ago when we had a cold snap. 

The finished product! 

And I though MY husband was crazy about Christmas. (this is a video)

http://media.putfile.com/WizardsofWinter-SM

"Teacher, I sang that song at Temptation Bible School last summer."

-Kindergartener

Dad and Annie sell Christmas trees at church for an Alaska missions trip we are planning for.

Paul cuts down our tree. This is ALMOST Paul's favorite part of Christmas, searching for the perfect tree and cutting it down. Even if there were a perfect tree already cut for the same price, he would still prefer to cut one down. Once we get it in the house he is very protective of it, asking me to please not brush up against it lest it lose it's needles. This is very funny to me. He also likes to sleep by the tree at least one night before Christmas, something that his family did. I love that he loves traditions and holidays so much.

This weekend we went to the Santa parade. You can see the nativity scene in the background in front of the library. I'm glad our town still has one.

I have gone to this parade since I was a little girl and Santa is always the same man. I wonder if he's always looked like Santa?

In the parade in our town, there are many tractors. I actually didn't know there were so many different kinds of tractors. We were behind this man driving home from the parade.

SNOW! 

Our kitchen window 

Our driveway