Monster Mini Golf

Mini golf is always MORE fun when everything is all glowy wouldn't you agree?

This course in Folsom (it's by the Spaghetti Factory) featured all kinds of scary creatures. A particularly gory one towered over part of the path (not pictured)...Dad reported that he overheard Malaika saying to herself "it's not real, it's not real" while looking out of the side of her eye at it.

 But the girls especially liked that their dolls glowed.

Natalie wore the baby the whole time and both did fantastic.

I'm sure all the "swinging" worked out in Zania's favor.

Mom complained that I wanted to take a picture of her next to something ugly. But um...that's what the options were. Sorry Mom.

And most of us got a hole-in-one at the end. (What is it with scary clown heads? It's so cliché, can we be done with them yet?)

Trying New Food with Old Friends

I met my lovelies for dinner one of the first nights after getting into Sacramento. We chose a little hole-in-the wall restaurant in Cameron Park which was a GREAT value for the amount of food. Look at the spread below...three of us ate for guess how much?

$20.11 Shut your mouth! Seriously. But then keep it open so you can stuff it!

After, we went to Sweet Dozen Cones in Old Folsom and ordered ice cream in churro cones.
Mine is in the middle—strawberry cheesecake. It came with ONE slice of strawberry. Seriously? We fibbed to the kid behind the counter saying it was my birthday so could I please have more strawberries. Ha ha ha! So two more slices he gave me. Oh! Thank you!...while secretly thinking "oh brother."

Amanda and Megan, I so much enjoy seeing you when I can. Good friends are hard to find and usually hard to keep long distance. And I love that even though we see each other once or twice a year...we DO still get along and laugh and talk with no awkwardness at all! The older I get, the more I appreciate people like you. You are both a rare gift to me!

A Trail Somewhere to the River Somewhere

You guys, the family went on a short hike to one of the forks of the American River (this is still over Christmas vacation) but I can't remember which fork and can't remember the name of the trail. But I do remember enjoying it. So there you have it. The end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Eve and Morn

Southern themed food sounded good for Christmas Eve. So I suggested chicken and waffles and Hayden made southern green beans with bacon.

After dinner I heard Dad and Dwynne had previously been discussing the menu and asking one another "So...how DOES chicken and waffles work...I mean, what does it even look like....?"

Let me describe things correctly here—you place spicy fried chicken on top of a thick bacon and cheddar Belgian waffle, smother it in creamy bacon gravy, next drizzle Franks wing sauce over the top with green onions sprinkled over it as garnish. Lastly top it off with syrup. Each place-setting had its own little creamer of hot syrup. That's right. Syrup ties it ALLLLLLLL together.

And THAT my friends is chicken and waffles. (I have the recipes as a pdf and ready to go if anyone is interested.) And it couldn't have been any more Southern. It. Was. Delicious. 

For the table decor, I rolled out some of Mom's plaid wrapping paper as a runner and cut several boxwood branches from outside and placed those down the center of the table too with Christmas candles. Mom especially liked it I think. 

It was a VERY good dinner. I've been craving it ever since.  

Thank you to everyone who helped in the kitchen. It's not easy to cook waffles, dip and fry chicken and whip up gravy and homemade syrup all at once!

Then we sang our traditional Christmas carols before bed. 

Christmas morning we sent out a Christmas hello to friends...

and headed downstairs to discover Mom's cinnamon rolls rising in front of the fire. 

Pause to stare at the cute husband and baby. 

Pause breakfast prep to send out more Christmas wishes.

Pause to reminisce over the Santa cups that we ALL grew up with.

Now we can eat! 

Just for fun I wanted a christmas package photo to post on Instagram...it started out with Adam, then Malaika joined, then Zuki.

Michael got extra presents from us this year. We'd forgotten we'd already bought his gifts in April while on the cruise (including faux Oakleys) so he got twice the goods! He's a great guy, he deserves it.

Dwynne got a full art setup from the family, paints and everything. Total score. 

We gave Zuki some real drawing paper. I don't know how she felt about it, but I liked giving it. When I was young I liked getting real art supplies, they were special in a way (still are). So if it's on someone's list, that's probably what I'll choose to give.  

 When Malaika discovered her Poppy gift she exclaimed, "How did you know!?!!!" Well...I have a connection to Santa, that's all I can say.

The wig was loved too (given by?)...and made several public appearances during vacation. 

Good day. Good day.