Well, if you haven't heard me excitedly babble about our Thanksgiving adventures yet, well, I'm doing it again. It was crazy. It was fun. And it was a bit stressful (at least for the manly men of our homes who had to drive the vehicles and shovel cars out of ditches and driveways). For the folks who sat watching all the car sticking, snow tromping fun from the warm house, it was fun.
Most of my non-Montana living friends think that we live in 5 feet of snow all the time, ride our horses to work everyday, and bathe in our long-johns. Not true. While there is an occassional storm that has us cancelling plans or calling in "sick" to work, or a horse here and there on our main streets for no reason, we have had fairly mild winters for the last couple of DECADES and big snow storms have not been the norm this early in the year. I am borrowing some fun facts of our Thanksgiving storm from Melynda, who already did the research and seems to be a pretty reliable source.
According to the Livingston Enterprise, this is the first time in 24 years that 12-below temperatures were recorded before Thanksgiving. Temps dropped from 56 degrees on November 17th to 12-below Sunday and Tuesday nights. Reminder: we are all meeting on Wednesday in Paradise Valley to start our Thanksgiving week-o-fun.
During that week of Thanksgiving there were 600 accidents on Montana roads. There were 60 accidents in Park County (that's where we live) between Friday and Tuesday, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.
So, we know it was cold... but this storm also graced us with -18 inches of fluffy white snow in Livingston!
Now, reminder, we are in LIVINGSTON - the real windy City (Chicago has nothing on us), so the snow blew... and it blew and it blew. Folks, when snow (which is actually really heavy) starts to blow around here, it means there are WALLS of snow that are completely impassible. Many folks couldn't get in or out of driveways, the roads all were shut down because of white-out conditions and random drifts in the middle of the roads .... Crazy I was telling you!
Either by a stroke of luck or insanity, our super troopers still made the trek on Wednesday nights and Thursday morning to join us at our Home Away from Home. They ALL made it (save the Rogers family who decided to not risk getting stranded with THREE children on a 18-below Thanksgiving Day (wise decision).
The view you see above is of Emigrant Peak from the windows and porch of a house that we caretake in Paradise Valley. It's a beautiful home and it was graciously loaned to us for a couple of days so that we could spread out and enjoy the Holiday with our huge crowd of friends and family. What a treat to stay in a fancy, beautiful home for a few days. If we were going to be stranded with 20 people, this was the place to be stranded. 3 levels, huge kitchen, basement with pool table and tvs, kids could go crazy, and we all had our own bathrooms and bedrooms. I don't even want to think about what would have happened had we been stuck with 20 people in our house! Someone would have died.
So, 5 kids, 15 adults, and a few hairy friends here and there... What did we do for 3 days?
We ate lots of food and did lots of visiting.
We brought out the 2010 Holiday Family Pajamas and enjoyed time as a family. Matine of course, ate lots of toast (with "butter"). She must be drunk off her toast here... Cut her off!
We laughed and drank in equally large amounts. It was a treat to see Loni and Marni and their sweet men.
Apparenlty there were moments of stir-craziness and Matine just played in a box. She's kind of a wierd kid. Marni thinks she's going to be an eclectic artist like her.
Sally got to kick up her feet and do some reading, while her darling kiddos played. It was great as a parent because there were 15 other people to keep an eye on your child! We had no injuries, fights or children falling down stairs! Success!
Sweet Audrey looking like the angel that she was. Audrey is 2 weeks older than Matine. And she is literally a doll. That could be a hair model.
Occasionally, Matine would share Baby Jhett with me and I got to hold her and see her darling smile that seems to be permanently affixed to her face. This is one happy baby!
Pete, Jim and Brian (and apparently Annie the dog) spent lots of time playing pool, drinking whiskey, and doing manly things like assessing snow conditions and even some hunting (yes, they managed to get their trucks out on highways that were closed to go hunting in Gardiner on Friday).
Big tub = LOTS of bathing kids. They LOVED the jacuzzi tub and the ability to all be in there at the same time. "Sit still Cash, I am just going to pour this on your head."
Did I mention we ate? That's a pretzel in case you were concerned.
Amy and her boy - they sure look alike here.
Amy and her gal - she looks like her dad.
Nona and JimPa didn't have trouble relaxing and enjoying the chaos.
That huge mound of snow is not usually there. This is a flat driveway with no "hills" in it. This is after the cars were removed and we called in a snow plow to plow the roads so we could get out!
I just love this picture of my mom here... so beautiful.
Snuggle bugs! Loni has her hands full with Camille and her little shadow, Matine.
It was pretty great, on Turkey Day, the meal is served and without prompting, all the super-dads were down at the kids table, making sure the kiddos were all fed and doing well. They fixed their plates and sat and monitored it all. The moms were quite impressed with their men at this moment. And actually got to eat an entire meal without a kid on a lap!
more bathtime... hey, it was fun and the kids couldn't go outside. It looks like poor Audrey is drowning here.... oops.
Everyone did their part in keeping everyone fed and happy. Wednesday night was elk popper night!
Here's our plow to the rescue! Finally after making about a dozen calls to everyone within 100 miles. Hank arrives!
Holy Thanksgiving snow!
It was a blast. I was so very thankful for my family, my friends and the ability to be together. We were so sad to not have Micca and Josh joining us. They were supposed to be there, but fate had other plans. We love you Micca and Josh and are so thankful for YOU and your family this holiday.
No she didn't! Oh, yes I diiiiddddd... I am that cheap, that lazy, and just not that into details apparently. I just wrapped my Christmas presents in black electrical tape.
Proof of my shame
Hoping for some redemption, I DID hand bake all my other presents (mexican wedding cookies, ginger bread cookies, fudge, almond roca) and hand make some pretty crafty little personal note tags.
It makes me laugh even typing this, but I have decided that today will be the day I attempt baking a "Yule Log" for my Christmas dessert tomorrow. They are kind of fancy and require some custard, cake and icing making. I will let you know how it goes.
Well, it's official. I have cooked so much food I no longer want to eat. Ever.
I cooked from 7am until 7pm yesterday... Without stopping. Ok, maybe to have a pinto bean burrito and occasionally look up from the stove to watch August Rush (another great movie and requires an entire post).
Pete goes into Elk Camp today. This first week will be set up - only our friends and us will be there (fun!), but starting next Friday the hunters will be there each week through the 2nd week of November.
Did I know that it would take a long time to prepare the food? Yes. Do I have a degree in planning this sort of thing with great ability? Actually, yes I do -it's called Leisure Service Management. Did I still procrastinate and wait until the day before Pete leaves to cook food for hungry men? Yes, of course I did, I am a Cottongim whether I like it or not!
What we did Wednesday night:
Went to Costco and bought 2 overflowing cart fulls of food -- argued a bit when I "clipped the car keys" to the cart and of course we didn't end up with the same cart after we checked out and I had to comb the cart caddies and ALL THE CARTS AT COSTCO in the parking lot at 9pm for my keys.... That was a really special moment for me.
Thursday Brooke:
Made 2 additional runs to the grocery store for things we missed Cooked, sliced and diced 5 large stockpots of homemade chili Cooked, sliced and diced 5 large stockpots of homemade beef stroganoff Cooked, sliced and diced 5 weeks worth of homemade meatloaf Baked 2 additional loaves of banana bread Baked 4 loaves of zucchini bread Divided the jumbo bags of oatmeal, Krusteaz, cornbread mix into individual bags for each week, labeled them. Divided out the toilet paper for each week, as well as the candy, granola, snacks, etc. Cracked 30 eggs into a nalgene to carry into camp. Asked the guy at the deli for 10 - individually wrapped 1 lb bunches of bacon (and dealt with his looks of disgust). Stuffed all the chili, stroganoff and meatloaves into freezer bags to freeze (can you say mess!) Took over the basement and had piles of food organized / labeled for each week in boxes. Tracked down 2 new sections of stove pipe for our camp stoves Took Oliver to the vet to get his "drain tube" taken out of his massive lump on his throat. Showered, tried to look presentable and went to dinner with Pete and his clients. PASSED out at 10:00pm.
Sorry, there are no pictures of my soiled kitchen to show you...
I get alot of flack for describing most days as "the best day ever." I am just excitable and enthusiastic ok. But seriously, this was a pretty great day.
I had a nice long, lazy morning with Pete. Coffee on the patio, swinging in the new Sky Chair, then I rode my bike down to Chadz to meet Madeleine, Mike, Logan, Bob and Theresa. It has been a while since I had time to go to Chadz and meet my friends on a Saturday morning. Oliver of course ran next to me while I rode my cruiser bike, Black Betty is her name. After my perfect Chadz smoothie we (Oliver and I) went and did some banking and hardware store shopping (I needed more weed-eater line to finish the yard, Oliver loves the treats they give him in the store).
Then, we rode to Abby and Libby's house. When I entered Libby was in ballerina slippers, a tulle fairy skirt, and butterfly wings, with pink flowers & bows in her hair - melt my heart. Abby and Libby and I loaded up on bikes and went grocery shopping (Oliver still along), and shopping for a very belated wedding gift for Matt and Jeannette. After finding the PERFECT gift, a handmade Reed Lehman pottery bowl with fly fisher people in it, we rode up to our house. We then proceeded to run through the sprinklers to cool off and play in the backyard. I then found my old childhood stuffed animal bunny, Thumper. Thumper had no eyeballs or nose anymore. Thumper's last friend (Oliver) ate them off. So, Libby picked out some new buttons from my button box (thank you mother, yes I too have a button box) and I sewed Thumper's new eyes on. Libby assured me that she would show Thumper all the things he has missed while having no sight, and was certain Thumper needed to go home with her and she was going to introduce him to some "real friends" (aka - her bunnies at home). None of them would torment him and eat his eyes off - she assured me.
Thumper, Libby and Abby relaxed on the Sky Chair, I made fresh raspberry iced tea with mint from my garden, moved the sprinklers around 10 times, got 2 loads of laundry hung and dry on the clothes line and then Libby, Thumper and I made brownies. Libby and Thumper sat on the counter and poured the sugar, flour, vanilla (oh how they both love vanilla) and cocoa into the mixer. We read magazines, played my little ponies, Abby and I had girl talk and we ate fresh Rainier cherries while our brownies cooked and cooled.
I received a call from Libby as soon as they had made it home. Thumper loved the bike ride home, he had a bed all picked out for the night, and he had made friends with the bunny Libby was certain he would have - "the soft bunny."
Yes, it really is that pretty here. Yes, the children are ALL that cute, and yes, life is really that happy and idyllic. We live in Livingston, a.k.a. Pleasantville. Livingston is a place where people who love pretty things, culture, kids, dogs and simplicity come to live -- a bit like a hippy colony without the kool-aid and patchouli.
These were taken Wednesday - just another evening at weekly Farmer's Market along the Yellowstone.
Sex and the City would still be on TV and the movie would have come out YESTERDAY! Alright already, I have been patient and waited like a good little girl, but it's time . . . Miranda, Carrie, Charlotte and Samantha . . . I miss you. What have you been up to?
I cannot wait to see the movie! 5 days and COUNTING! What should I wear?
I would forever get to eat macaroni and cheese and not gain a single pound. Yum...
Our US Weekly Magazine would come twice a week instead of only once. We actually fight over who gets to read it first when we get home. Once PH digs into it, I don't see him for an hour.
Micca would live next door and we would have some sort of home business that we did together. It would be something really fun and challenging at the same time - but completely flexible of course. We would have babies at the same time and hang out every single day- taking the kids for walks, vacations, playgrounds. Of course, we would work on our excellent business during the kids' nap times.
I would have a dishwasher . . . Enough said. I am convinced that the dishwasher is the missing link to any complete and utterly blissful life.
The movie Knocked Up had never been made . . . It is really THAT BAD of a movie. The more I think of it, the less I like it. Actually, the more I think of it the more repulsed I am by the whole idea of the movie. Laughing that a nice and put together girl gets wasted and pregnant by a loser pot head. They don't even begin to be a believable couple - even in Hollywood fantasy world. Ugh. I also resent the fact that the movie scared Peter to death and is convinced that all women who get pregnant / or married turn into witches and trolls.
In my dream world, I would be married to this man . . .
Oh wait, I AM!!!! Have you met Peter Howell? He's the best. Truly. The greatest man on earth.
Because I have a short term memory problem it seems and keep double or triple booking us for engagements - We keep missing our Idol Night Party at the Kinseys . . . We are three full weeks behind in our gathering and watching. For excellent reasons of course (see post below), but last night was a monumental night. I have no idea how the contestants did but MATT BLANK finally owned up to his Idol addiction, came out of his Idol Closet, and WORE AN AMERICAN IDOL T-SHIRT (thanks for scoring that Lee). Jeanette and Matt are excellent additions to this Idol Groupie Loser Group. I miss Meggan and Tony, hearing little Libby's opinions of the singers, making fun of Ramiele (wait she is gone finally), and Simon. We will NOT be missing next week's party or show... Mark my words. After looking at Lee's PRIME RIB he prepared and seeing Matt humiliated in his t-shirt . . . Life just doesn't get much better!
After some good Sunday morning sheep herding, we cleaned (hosed) ourselves off, made the mad dash to Belgrade and played at Pete's parents house.
This particular afternoon was filled with gunfire.
We shot about 2 boxes of clays, tested out my new Colt 48 that dad gave me for "self defense" and had an extremely relaxing and enjoyable day. It was a far cry from our morning activities, but really helped round out the "Montana experience" for Clark and Dad.
While they were here, they had a meal a day that involved some sort of red or game meat, did some ranch labor and rolled in poo, skiied a local ski hill, shot guns (lots of them), soaked in hot tubs, cross country skiied, played with dogs, did some yard work, walked around a small town, and watched some horses get their nails done.
Funny thing is that it wasn't all too crazy a weekend for Peter and I but it really drove home how spectacular our life is and to be able to share it with people who don't get to be here all the time is sure fun.
As Clark pointed out - "nothing says Montana like four wheelers and shotguns" (in your backyard)
Clark, slinging some clays for the shooters. He actually pinched his finger (boo hoo) and gave himself a blood blister. This was on top of the thistle that was still in his hands from throwing sheep a few hours prior.
John and Tim are excellent shots . . . They completely showed us up and were "monitoring" the rest of us and our gun safety habits. Excellent teachers they were.
Can't get these pics turned for some reason, but Clark and I had to show off our guns. You think Cabellas will buy these shots? That kid is always posing!
She's packin' heat folks - watch out!
Loni and old man Brutus.... Both looking spectacular.
I suprised myself and was a total crack shot! Seriously, I might actually be able to feed myself if I ever have to really hunt for my food.
I just love this picture, sorry it is sideways...
The Howell Retreat... always so peaceful and perfect.
House and Property for Sale by the way --- Anyone interested? Seriously?
The horseshoer joined the family and gave Griz and Stumpy a little pedicure. We annoyed him and watched the entire time.
All Good Things Must Come to an End . . .
We met Chuck (the devourer) and Alisa at Sir Scott's Oasis in Manhattan for our Final Supper. Everyone ate their red meat, said their final toasts, and went on their way.
Peter, Scott, Joellyn, John, Loni, Clark, Alisa and Chuck (Brooke not pictured)
It was one heck of a weekend! When are you coming back everyone? We miss you.
