Tuesday, December 17, 2013

It's Christmas time

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

down out street



















We love, love, love to hear and watch the kids play across the street... they love that hill!



















out our front window



our back yard... see the trampoline to the back right the snow is almost half way up already!

our nightly walk... burrrr ( I think we look the same every 
year cuz we have our same warm gear on) but this year check out that moon right behind us 




frozen kodiak after our walk one night..
waiting for a treat... see his light is still clicked on - on
his collar so he glows bright for cars to see his  chocolate
little tail hop skip and jumping through the snow  :)




Matt and Scott with our Christmas tree (I posted this in our Thanksgiving post because Matt and Emily were here with us then



Putting up Christmas lights Saturday afternoon




getting cozy by the fire


trying to get kodiak to sit on that freezing cold bench on the front porch... he kept readjusting around and around... poor guy 



just finished trimming the tree



scott nestled down to watch a movie



Our tree... see the stockings hung


for my kids.... maybe they will remember some of
their favorite Christmas decorations
although these are new this year 
(thank you Emily)


you will all remember these vintage santa's  :)



And this is the sweetest manger scene ever... made by dad when we lived at the U of U in
graduate school and didn't have 2 nickels to rub together.  He made us a manger from our
rag bag, some hangers and sticks, rubber bands and glue.  I treasure it because it was made with such great care and love by dad.


Little Red Buckets ... which dad is reading aloud to me and Scott each Sunday night










Sunday, December 15, 2013

Dads painting of the Anchorage Alaska Temple













Robert J. Clayton
  “Anchorage Temple Lights at Eventide”

As the sun sets, the sky above the Anchorage Temple fills with a wondrous symphony of blues, whites, yellows and pinks.  Exterior lights shimmer in the rain washed pavement and illuminate the outer walls of the temple, the towering steeple and the angel Moroni penetrating the gathering shadows of dusk like the saving beacon of a lighthouse in the night.  The inner lights glow with the warmth of a fireside hearth offering refuge from the stresses of the world.  Tis eventide and the House of the Lord shines forth in a world of ever increasing darkness.  Hallowed and sacred is the House of the Lord.  My thanks to Cathy Harrell for commissioning this painting.

Robert Clayton holds a Bachelors degree from Brigham Young University and a Masters degree from the University of Utah Graduate School of Art and Architecture 

This copyrighted fine art original has been personally inspected and hand signed by the artist and may not be reproduced without the artists permission.  It was created with premium oil paints on the finest museum quality Belgium linen.


                                              Eagle River Alaska 9957
                                                   (907)854-9183

                               www.claytonstudio.fineartstudioonline.com



Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Christmas painting


I thought you might want to see the painting that dad painted for Erin's this year.   Dad and I were Christmas shopping and dad saw the cutest Christmas gift bag with this picture on the front.
He sat there looking at it and said... I just love this picture.  I said why don't you 
take a picture of it and go home and paint it for Erin to put in her Christmas box.
He did just that... he went home that night and sketched it out and the next night 
painted it.... in one night.  It is a small unframed 11x14 and fit right in her box.
I'm not sure if you can read clearly the note  on the bottom right.... 
it says Erin - May you always hear the bells!    love you dad



Sunday, December 08, 2013

A visit from Emily, Matt and Cory


Check out the concentration... Pluto was his favorite.  
Also notice that at grandma's house is when he actually
got up on his knees and started crawling... so so fun!


belly laughing with grandpa's whiskers

 

Playing with grandpa


ridiculously so cute...




This is my favorite picture... it's like Cory is saying
are you looking at me???
Kodiak kept sitting right next to Cory and Cory would look
over at him and grin.... but we were so careful and 
watched him like a hawk


Sledding across the street



Skiing through the neighborhood streets being pulled by Scott's truck



Cory also had two teeth break through.



Cutting down the Christmas tree... our first tree (dad kept saying was too big) when these two
chopped it down.. as it fell, stiff and completely frozen... broke every single limb .... so..... we had
to cut another one :/



It was 13 below that day but Cory was toasty warm...


Em and Matt relaxing :) notice that Matt's head is on Kodiak's bed :)



I love it so much!



It was so fun to have these kids come to visit.... we couldn't get enough of little Cory...


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Thanksgiving with Scott, Emily, Matt and little Cory

here is the star of the show around here.... Cory!


he's got grandpa's heart 


Checking out the Christmas tree..... I know it is Thanksgiving,
but we put our small tree up in the family room for some atmosphere lighting :)


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Winter is here


Well.... it's here :)



at  sunset




those first cold temps


all bundled up for an evening walk... don't be fooled.
I haven't been going out lately. Bob is faithful every
single night he takes Kodiak out on a cold evening walk




Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Dad's art is being shown in the 2 Friends Gallery again. Here is the new introductory write up. I thought Jacqui, the owner, said such nice things, and was genuinely happy to have his work back in her gallery. www.2friendsgallery.com

New art in the Gallery
Robert Clayton
oil on linen
Many of you may recall the work of Robert Clayton in our gallery a few years ago.  Stunning Clam Gulch beach scenes, Alaska landscapes and a richness of color and depth that captured our hearts - we're thrilled to again be showing his work.  Don't miss this opportunity to stop in and enjoy!  An old master's warmth from Eagle River!
  
  
  

  

  





Spooky Halloween


we love Halloween around here!!!
we just do....



Getting into it...



now we're getting serious



getting it just right...



I'm starting the caramel apples



and baking the pumpkin seeds



the unveiling....


tasting the yummyness



settling down to watch Disney's Ichabod Ichabod Crain


Monday, October 28, 2013

My mom's birthday


I had such a wonderful visit with my mom for her 82nd birthday.
We shopped and shopped for little this and thats, here and there :)
Then we'd come home and eat a bite and take a snooze
Every evening we'd choose a Jane Austin movie to watch.
We ended up watching both versions of Persuasion...
and Sense and Sensibility stopping to rewind the best parts :)

We went to the Temple on Friday morning with Dawna and Annie
We went to Manuel's for lunch.
She cracked up when all the servers came in clapping and 
singing Happy Birthday to her and brought her a special dessert.
We ate and ate until we rolled out of there :)


    It was such a fun day with these two along.


This is us stuffed to the brim and asking the waiter to snap a few shots of us before we rolled out :)



Ok.... this is our tea party.... we decided to eat and watch our movie.. so we brought in the little table and chairs for our food.  We had homemade cream of zucchini soup and french bread and we sat and buttered cracker after cracker :) and pumpkin muffins for dessert. Not fancy, but so fun, and a memory for me.


              I baked a bit  and we stuffed mom's freezer full


  I love these next for shots of mom blowing out the candles of her double chocolate cake Dawna made... This first one is my favorite... she is smiling at Annie's little girls who are delighted with watching grandma blowing out her candle.









                                     
It was a sweet trip and I'm glad I was able to go be with mom for her birthday.  I wish I would have taken more pictures, but love these ones

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Activity Day Girls Activity


I thought I would post the cute cute girls in
our Activity Day group
I am one of the AD leaders
Tonight we made prayer rocks



They painted their prayer rocks and decorated them


and then blew them dry... see my blow dryer... they 
finagled a way to have it balance under the chair
to dry all of their rocks 
Goofy, adorable girls :)