When we got to their place we hung out just a little bit, then Jenn and I hit the grocery store to get all the goods. We joked that we should set out an offering basket the next day, LOL!
When we got back we gave Sammy and Bianca our Christmas gifts. For Bianca, a Snow White game. She fell in love with the little figurines that came with it, and pretty much ignored the rest of it.
We gave Sammy a roller coaster building set. It came with 40 different designs to follow, and we did a bit of that, but he had more fun coming up with his own designs.
He and Grandpa were having fun with it the next morning too. I admit, I spent a fair amount of time on it myself!
It was so beautiful! We were expecting around an inch, but probably ended up with at least five. It kept snowing lightly most of the day. So that definitely had an impact on fondue attendance. Anthony and Lori had already said they would not come if there was snow. Then Frank texted that Jada was sick and also that he got called into work to plow snow. We were planning to go pick up Destiny and then take her back in time to work at 4, but her plans did not work out. She had to get her broken nails done before their big New Years festivities, and the nail salon was packed of course. She was there for HOURS. By the time she was finished we were already cleaning up. I was so glad I had gotten to spend time with her and all of Frank and Lauren's family earlier in the week.
But guess what? We had fun anyway! Actually, as I had read back over other years, I discovered that there were indeed times that our group was very, very small.
We got things set up in Sam and Jenn's basement. The pots of hot peanut oil were on the table, the food was on the side tables. Beef cubes, venison cubes, li'l smokies, pierogies, chicken nuggets, soft pretzel nuggets, shrimp, sweet potato fries, mozzarella cheese sticks.
Guess who was ready to get this party started??
We were so glad that Bjorn and Jess were able to join us. Notice the wire rims around the pots of hot oil? Those were Dick's invention a few years ago to keep our forks from falling into the oil!
So often when I take mealtime pictures I get shots of people stuffing their faces. So Jenn and I decided to get one of those shots on purpose! She's got a fried pierogi - a new favorite from last year.
Because so many of our own gang couldn't make it, Sam invited their next door neighbor over. He was a ton of fun. I actually knew his dad's family growing up! That was funny.
The second course was the cheese fondue with tortilla chips and crackers. And third course was the chocolate fondue with strawberries, maraschino cherries, bananas, marshmallows and pretzels. Actually, Bjorn and Ray discovered that the deep fried soft pretzel nuggets dipped into the chocolate was a great combination, but most of us were too full to even give it a try.
Sammy had more important things to do than eat. He was constantly leaving the table to go decorate. He spent HOURS stringing lights and decorating the other side of the basement. It was never quite good enough! He was so proud to show his work to everyone.
He put lights inside a cupboard behind the bar and said it was the Cat Hotel. Not sure the two cats were that fond of staying there however, haha!
He absolutely loved the atmosphere and we all agreed that it was a job very well done. He named it his Downtown Lounge. Can you believe it? He's six years old. What EVER???? Whenever we couldn't find him the next two days we could be sure he was down there, because he needed to just relax where it was nice and quiet!
After all the clean up from the meal we did a lot of relaxing. Penn State's Rose Bowl game was on TV.
Bianca was having fun being Jess's doctor.
I crawled between people into the corner of the surround couch, Bianca snuggled against me, and we both napped.
Later Jess and Bjorn left for a Hershey hockey game, Dick and I went for a few groceries for the next day's events, then Sam and Jenn went out and we stayed with the kids. While I made fruit salad for the next day, Dick and Bianca watched Alvin and the Chipmunks. Well maybe Dick didn't watch too much, haha!
Sammy was up and down between watching the chipmunks with them and going down to his lounge! Eventually Dick joined him down there and Bianca zonked out next to me again.
On Sunday morning I made sausage and pancakes for everyone, we played, we got showered and dressed, and prepared three big loaves of Italian garlic bread for later.
The annual Stauffer gathering was held that afternoon at Manheim Brethren in Christ church. We took Sammy along with us. Bjorn and Jess were there too, so I didn't even have to take care of anything for Sammy. He just attached himself to them! They have so much more energy than we do.
We sat at a table with Bjorn and Jess and also nephew Greg and his wife Kendra, who will be having their first baby in February.
Steve and Faye's son Joe was at the next table. Doesn't he look like Anthony from the side? The Stauffer "look" is very strong!
We enjoyed chatting with niece Heather. She's a reporter for Lancaster News and we enjoy reading what she writes.
Niece Laura with Jess.
Niece Krista, her mom Faye, and Kendra.
Deb, her daughter-in-law Amanda, Joe's wife and daughter Kim and Morgan.
Steve, Fred, and Dad.
Niece Lindsey holding her nephew Seth. He's looking at his mommy Chrystal, who is nephew Mike's wife.
Chrystal and Lindsey again. Laura's little Brinley is in the background.
I was having fun with Seth. He loved getting his picture taken!
The energetic ones were in the gym next door. Of course that included Sammy and Bjorn.
Krista's Natalia was giving Brinley a ride, Laura's Payton and Connor are in the distance, Sammy looking on.
Greg, Mike, Josh, Jim, and Mark playing basketball.
We stayed at Sam and Jenn's again that night. They went out for a while and we stayed with the kids. I didn't do a good job of taking pictures, just two of Bianca and me.
Sam and Jenn were home before midnight and we watched the ball drop in NYC together. Sam said the sweetest thing as he wished us all a Happy New Year - "All the people I love the most are right here in my house tonight." I'm holding the memory of that in my heart.
We stayed up and talked way too late, but there was no hurry to wake up the next morning, so it was ok. Jenn had put a breakfast casserole into the slow cooker. What a wonderful aroma to wake up to on a sleepy New Years morning!
Lots of good sandwiches to come!
We ate some of Grandma Arlene's pork and sauerkraut, shoofly pie, and ice cream, then we hit the road for home. As we crossed the frozen Susquehanna River above Harrisburg I snapped this picture.
We got home late afternoon, unpacked everything, relaxed a bit, then went over to Anthony and Lori's for a while in the evening. Hunter likes to "un-fill" the dishwasher!
He also likes to eat yogurt. He especially enjoyed looking at this picture on my phone, LOL!
The moon was really full as we drove home that night. No flash light would have been needed.
But hopefully no one was outside needing light, because it was COLD!!! And it's been REALLY COLD all week! And windy! We thankfully did not get much snow from storm "Grayson" - we're a bit too far west. But it's been hanging around in the single digits most of the time and occasionally below zero.
One morning there was nice sunshine coming through my kitchen window, so I just stood there for a while to soak it in. I thought maybe I could just pretend I was at the beach getting a suntan - a striped one I guess, haha!
Our State College school district continued their Christmas break through this week due to high school construction and move-in. So Austin was my buddy for several days. I really enjoy having him here. For a boy with ADHD he certainly is capable of an incredibly long, very quiet attention span when doing things he loves. Here are some of them - each picture truly represents HOURS.
A 500 hundred piece puzzle.
His newest passion - drawing.
Of course Legos.
Yesterday he brought 8.5x11 pictures of Pokemon figures that Anthony had printed out for him. He decided he wanted to trace them. So I set him up at a window. I would tape the original to the window, then the blank paper on top of it (magic scotch tape of course). And he got to work.
An hour later, still at it.
STILL at it more than an hour later. I had to force him to take time to take bites of peanut butter crackers and sips of juice. Picture after picture after picture! I hardly knew he was here!
On Thursday I took him to see the movie Wonder. We had seen it at Thanksgiving with Sam and Jenn and the kids and LOVED it. I knew I really wanted Austin to see it, and Thursday was the last day it was showing, so we saw it just in time. Austin really felt the impact of it and had lots of questions during the movie and many more afterward. I will definitely be buying the movie. I think everyone needs to see it.
By the way, here's what that 500 hundred piece puzzle looks like by now - with Grandpa's help. Hopefully he finishes it this weekend so I can have my table back. That table is my work space when I prep all my musician's notebooks for the upcoming Sunday.
In addition to having Austin here several days this week, we also had an overnight guest Wednesday and Thursday. My former student Allyson Balmer, a Penn State student, is ready to begin her last semester - student teaching. But she had to come here for a seminar for three days first, and she no longer has housing here, so it worked out great for her to stay here. We caught up over tea each evening before hitting the sack. Today on this bitterly cold day, she is moving in to her apartment and on Monday she starts student teaching at Tri-Valley Jr. Sr. High School. BEST WISHES, Allyson!!
This week Sophie had her braces removed, she got her hair done, and WOW!! She looks like she'll be turning more than 13 this month! These children just refuse to stay little!! What a beautiful girl she is!
Destiny was frustrated that there was no time for her to get her hair done after that long nail appointment last Saturday. She had to work Saturday evening and they were leaving for relatives in New Jersey the next morning for their New Years celebration. So after work she did her own hair with sponge rollers. Wow!!!! How cute is that? Of course, I like to see her bright smile too, but that's not always the cool thing to do, haha! Grandma understands.
Well, I do think I'm all caught up here. If you stayed with me all the way down to the end, have a good weekend! Stay warm!
