Happy Valentine's Day

 

Our realty company gifts us each Valentine's Day with free Oh My Cupcakes! This is the first of the six years we have been able to appreciate the gift as we are usually in AZ. The realty company also gifts their customers with a pumpkin pie (Costco size) for Thanksgiving. We took advantage of that in November, also for the first time. Usually these two freebies go to our son and family who also get their own desserts because we used the same realty company. Pretty sweet!

Back left: chocolate cupcake with vanilla bean frosting, double chocolate with butter cream frosting, lemon with frosting and vanilla cupcake with tinted vanilla bean frosting.

Christmas Lights at The Falls

 OFD wanted to see the Christmas Lights at The Falls after the play and pizza. These are her photos.

Winter Wonderland from November 21-January 5

over 29 miles of twinkling light strands

260 decorated trees

the Visitor's Center & Observation Tower

The Falls are water (Sioux River) cataracts and waterfalls at the Sioux Quartzite quarry in downtown Sioux Falls. The Parks and Rec Department light and decorate The Falls Park the weekend before Thanksgiving for the Christmas season. Thousands of people visit the park during this season.

colored lights reflecting on the water

You can see the fog start to move in by looking at the sky in this photo.

and there's the fog

visitors can walk throughout the park or drive through to see the lights

this was the 22nd year of the lights at The Falls

This house is NOT part of the lights at The Falls. It was on 26th Street across from McKennon Park. We noticed their huge Halloween display and wanted to see if they decorated for Christmas. Yes, they did. Arch over the sidewalk. Lighted figures on the lawn. House and garage trimmed in lights. Christmas spirit.

The Grinch

 OFD wanted to see How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which was playing at the Washington Pavilion over Christmas. The two of us had tickets.

statue at the Pavilion, part of the outdoor art display

At first I thought the glass was reflecting the sunset, but it is colored glass. Still impressive. Also part of the art at the Pavilion.

no photos once the musical began

we both enjoyed a Don't Be Grinchy adult beverage

photo collage from OFD

Hubby joined us for pizza after the play

December Family Time

 We have a family tradition of going bowling when we all get together. This photo of KJs family was from our Thanksgiving bowling activity. The photo of the 7 of us was our Christmas card this year.

I volunteered to help the family make lefse this year. It is a tradition of the Hanson family and in the past, was a weekend event in Watertown. This year K & C planned to make it at their house.

Since I used to help make lefsa at LCOOR in Watertown, I offered to help this year. The kids had done a trial run earlier in the week. They had the family recipe and planned to make 50 lefse on that Saturday. One griddle. One roller. A fun afternoon with K & C and her parents. The Hansons enjoyed lefsa at their Christmas Eve and Christmas Day gathering, and so did we.

photos from Christmas bowling

OFD & FDIL

Hubby

McBe

posting the score 'cause I broke 100!

Miss W

soup after bowling and presents at our house

a game of Clue after dinner

it was new to KJ & C, but is a favorite of the grands

and daughter

The grands stayed overnight. OFD and Miss W frosted and sprinkled pretzel sticks the next afternoon.

McBe and I made pretzel turtle treats

he also frosted and sprinkled pretzels

All the treats were shared amongst the 3 families, including the four kinds of cookies I had baked earlier in the month. 

McBe's December Concerts

 As I said, December was a busy month. The 8th-grade Band Concert was first.

he played the xylophone for the first song

(I think there were 4 xylophonists because there are lots of percussionists)

snare drum for the second number

no photo, but he played the tympani for the third song

the 8th grade band

The Edison Middle School Chorus concert was next. McBe was one of three eighth graders to play percussion accompanying one sixth-grade song.

The seventh and eighth graders sang six songs for the gym-filled audience.

he knew I was taking a picture of him

having a little fun with one of the songs

the seventh and eighth grade chorus

90 seventh graders and 70 eighth graders