I finally got as many ornaments on the tree as I am planning to put on this year. I think Tinkerbell loves December because she really likes to sleep under the tree. She is very good about not trying to play with the ornaments. She makes sure to get both of us up in the morning. Then she checks to make sure she has fresh food in her bowl. She waits for JW to give her a few treats out of the treat container. Once she thinks everything is good, she crawls under the tree and I may not see her again until around 10:30 or 11:00 - especially now that the sun doesn't come up until late.
On December 7th, I picked up MP from school and took her home to check in with her aunt. Their Halloween pumpkins are still in good shape so they "re purposed" them as Christmas decorations - complete with Santa hats.
It wasn't too terribly cold - about 18 degrees. MP had on her hoodie. She told me she couldn't find her coat but I don't think she had looked very hard for it.
We drove down town as I had seen a museum that I thought we could go to. What I found out is that while it says museum, it is just a gift shop so we decided not to go inside. Instead we drove across the Chena River and parked to take a few pictures from that side looking towards 1st Ave. It was only about 2:45 but already getting dark.
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| Riverboat and the "North" wind |
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| State flags line the Cushman Street Bridge |
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| Golden Heart Plaza |
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| The building on the right is looking for someone to figure out a new purpose for it. At the moment, it is just a big empty building. |
It was a little cold to walk around the plaza so we went back to the truck and discussed what we should do. We decided to go and see Happy Feet 2. MP checked on my phone and saw it started at 3:10 so we rushed over to the Regal Theater where it took us 10 minutes to get our tickets (turned out the 3:10 showing was in 3D). I took another 10 minutes or so to get popcorn - not that the theater was busy at all but because they were so slow.
We got into the theater just in time to watch half of the Sylvester and Tweety cartoon and then the movie started. We both enjoyed it a lot and when we were leaving the theater, MP told me she wanted the dvd for Christmas. I'm thinking she will have to wait for her birthday.
On Thursday, December 8, I got off work and thought about going into town to do a little more shopping but decided instead to just stay home and try to get a few things done. About 4, I went outside to put some wood in the boiler and saw that the moon was out to provide light for me.
On Friday, JW came home early as he had to go get his eyes checked. I rode into town with him, then we came home and put on warmer clothes so we could go out in the 19 degree temps and walk up the hill. On the way back down, we decided if we could get in, we'd go to the Turtle Club for dinner. As it turned out, they were booked both Friday and Saturday night and also next weekend. So guess we won't be eaten there for a while.
I finished sewing and got everything put away by 11:15 - just in time to see the sun rising over the Alaskan Range. We ate a little lunch and then JW plowed the driveway while I went to get some groceries and make a quick trip to North Pole.
It's always nice when the sky is clear enough to see the Alaskan Range on the way into Fairbanks.
I went to the Santa Claus House to get a nativity set that I had been saving my pennies for since earlier this summer. I had thought the place was packed last weekend but this weekend was even worse. Christmas in Ice was in full swing and many people had driven down there to see the ice sculptures.
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| North Pole street lamp. |
Turn here to go to Santa Claus house. - first house on the right.
Although we had gotten another 4" of snow, the roads were not icy. It didn't take too long to drive to North Pole and back. However, buying a few groceries at Freddy's was a whole other story. While I was in the store, JW called to make sure all was okay. I told him I'd be home in about an hour and we could have avocado tostados and grilled sheep meat for dinner. He had it just about ready when I got home and it was very delicious.
This weekend, I decided to try making some allergy free candy for 2nd granddaughter. She really likes chocolate kisses but because they have soy in them, they aren't good for her. I decided to try to make fudge using coconut milk. It turned out kind of sugary so not sure if she will like it or not. Course I like my fudge filled with pecans and she can't have that.
I also decided I would make some honey taffy. I hadn't made any of that in years and since it only has one ingredient - honey - it would be something anyone could eat. I put all the honey in my pan and cranked up the stove. It wasn't long before it had reached the appropriate temperature. Then I found out the pan was a little small as it started to go over the top. I grabbed it and dumped it into my cookie sheet - spilling a little on the counter as I was doing that.
Then when I was putting the pan into the sink and filling it with hot water, I managed to get a nice gob on my knuckle which left me with a lovely burn.
It didn't take long to cool enough so I could pull the taffy. It pulled pretty good but didn't get the light creamy color I would have liked. More than likely because my honey was a little old and dark to begin with.
It tastes okay - but next time, I'm going to make it from light colored honey to see how it turns out. Course, next time, I'm also going to use a larger pan so I don't make a mess and don't have to spend an hour doing clean up.
I'm still trying to think of what to get MP for Christmas. I made her a quilt last year but can't think of anything to make. Guess since I got the rest of my shopping done and will be mailing my last package tomorrow - it is time to focus on what to get a person who has very little but really doesn't want stuff. Time is running out way too quickly.
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