Over the Hill and Through the Woods

It was the eve of Christmas-eve and the weather forecasters were predicting the 'winter storm of the century' using every superlative in the book. The Bassett family, however, bundled up, loaded in the car, and traveled over the snowy hills and through the woods to Great-grandmother's house.

Teagan, who loves being spoiled by her Great-grandma Lynn, was in a particularly snuggly mood. Perhaps she was daunted by the following morning's road trip to Duluth. Teagan wanted to hug her Great-grandma a little while longer, "Just in case...'

Teagan was also excited to see her Great-aunt Sarah, who made a quick stop on her way home. Teagan treasured the bonding time, but she hadn't remembered goodbye's being this difficult before.

All Clear

Chip dutifully kept an eye on Teagan and her Mom's health, and he is satisfied with their level of improvement. While the computer ban has been lifted at the Bassett's Bungalow, Chip has suggested that Teagan's Dad temporarily exchange his hammer for a broom or a mop.

Teagan's nose was cleared of debris making way for her magical misting peace-pipe, the nebulizer. (Due to the public nature of the blog, we are unable to confirm whether or not she inhaled.)

"Hey Dad, now that I'm feeling better, why don't you stop sweeping the floors with Chip and update the blog." Her Dad assured her that he would resume posts just as soon as he is done mopping...

Tough Love

Chip apologizes for the recent lack of posts, but with Teagan and Andrea both sick he decided the computer was off-limits for everyone - even his brother Sky (see post: Furry Four Footers). Teagan was diagnosed yesterday with RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) after struggling with a lingering cold and keeping her food down. She has responded well to the medication and she will go back to see her doctor tomorrow for another check-up. Andrea continues to struggle with her cold.

As if the computer wasn't bad enough, Chip also guarded Dan's tool bag: "Sorry, no projects either."

Bottle of Brew, Part 2

There are four basic steps to making home-brew. Step one: brew the wort and wash lots of dishes (see post: Bottle of Brew). Step two: reduce the sedimentation by racking or transferring the brew from the primary fermentor to the secondary fermentor and wash more dishes (there is nothing to see here folks). Step three: bottle the brew and wash dishes, which is the subject of this post. Step four: consume the beer, which is what I am doing now as I write the post.

A week before Christmas, Sam and I were ready to bottle our double-batch of Nut Brown ale that we brewed a couple weeks earlier. All that was lacking were some lights for the bottle tree to complete the festive scene.

The sight of 108 bottles of beer almost makes washing all those dishes worth while. Now comes the difficult part, waiting 2-4 weeks for the beer to carbonate...

Of course Nate, Teagan, and Zoe - who had fun watching their fathers make a mess and then clean it all up - will have a little longer than 4 weeks to wait...

Friends & Family

The weeks leading up to Christmas can be quite busy, or so Teagan has learned. She worked hard to coordinate her schedule with the Purmans in order to arrange some long over-due get together time (see post: Interdependence). She planned weeks in advance, but as the date drew near Teagan learned her Grandma and Grandpa Nyman would also be visiting at the same time. Teagan was at a loss, she hadn't remembered being double-booked before in the nearly five months of her life.

"How about a dinner party with both," her parents suggested. Teagan wasn't sure what a party was, but she liked the sound of it. She brought the smiles, her Grandparents brought lasagna, and the Purmans brought an assortment of wine and beer - everyone was happy, at least until bedtime.

Math Rocks

Let's face it, few of us liked math - let alone loved it. Yet with Josea's enthusiasm, one can only assume that many of her students do in fact love math (see post: A Weekend of Picnics). For Teagan the jury is still out on math, but she loves having Josea's enthusiasm directed at her. She thought Troy was pretty cool too.

Okay, jury's in: Math Rocks. "You guys can come back now."

A Date with the Rowlands

Time without children is a rare event for new or newer parents. So during the Thanksgiving weekend the Rowlands and the Bassetts planned a night of turkey-free dinner and a movie.

Soon after eating John's homemade deep dish pizza (what did you expect?), we put the children to bed and crept downstairs to watch Star Trek. With a few interruptions from upstairs the two-hour movie lasted a little over three hours, but we had a great time commiserating together.

Giving Thanks

Teagan had much to be thankful as she celebrated her first Thanksgiving with family. Yet as the day drew near, she found her thoughts were consumed with how to communicate her gratitude to everyone, "I mean, cooing and sticking out my tongue will only go so far..."

Teagan needed more information. Grandma Nyman happily explained the annual gathering at Great-grandma Lynn's house and how over the years the numbers may have decreased but the amount of food and fellowship seems to have increased. Grandpa Nyman did his best to explain what a turkey is, not that she would be able to have any - at least, directly. Teagan loved spending the time with her Grandparents, but she was still at a loss for sharing her gratitude.

Turkey day arrived and Teagan was delighted to see that once again her Great-grandma Lynn opened her house to both family and friends; everyone is welcome. Teagan made the rounds and that's when it occurred to her, "I will show thanks by giving smiles and laughter."

This past year the Bassett family has been blessed with the prayers, thoughts, and support of family and friends. We cannot possibly begin to repay all that we have received, but we are ever grateful for such a cherished community. Many thanks to all!