Holiday Fun for the Wasatch Front

With Thanksgiving approaching I thought this would be a great time to share the treasure trove of seasonal events going on right here in the Ogden/SLC area. This is by no means a definitive list so please, anybody who has an event I haven't listed, fill me in via the comments section! Our family is always looking for cheap (or free!) activities to do.

OGDEN
1) Christmas Tree Jubilee presented by Weber Schools will be at the David Eccles Conference Center November 26,9am-8pm, & 28, 8am-8pm. The trees are decorated and auctioned off to raise money for special needs children in the school district. Admission is FREE, the conference center is located at 2415 Washington Blvd.
2)Holiday Lights Parade takes place on November 29th at 5:pm, early arrival is recommended to get a good view. The parade route runs from 22nd to 26th Streets along Washington Boulevard in downtown Ogden, floats will be viewable along 25th street afterwards. This event is FREE
3) Light of Christmas Village takes place immediately following parade on November 29th, at 6:30pm in the Municipal Amphitheater. There will be live entertainment and fireworks to mark the occasion, Santa Claus will be present & there will be vendors selling refreshments. This event is FREE, pictures with Santa are permissible (bring your camera!)
4) Peery's Egyptian Theatre presents The Polar Express as part of their Len Allen film series on December 8th, afternoon showtime TBA (call the office at 395-3227) Children 16 and under are free, adults are $3 and tickets will be sold one hour before the show. The Theater is located at 2415 Washington Blvd.
5) Weber County Library presents Family Fun Night at the Ogden Valley Branch, December 8th from 7-8pm. There will be stories, crafts, refreshments and more for the whole family, no registration necessary. Admission is FREE, Ogden Valley Branch is located in Hunstville at 131 S 7400 E.
6) The Old World Christmas Market will be held at Union Station on December 12, 13, 19, & 20. Local art, crafts and foods are sold at this outdoor market, childrens' activities will take place on Saturdays. Open to the public, located in Union Station Plaza at 2501 Wall Ave.

LAYTON
1) Layton City Parks Holiday Lighting Ceremony starts at 6pm on November 24th (that's tonight!), with singing in the Ed Kenley Amphitheater prior to turning the lights on. Admission is free, the amphitheater is located at 403 Wasatch Dr. in Layton Park.
2) Journey to Bethlehem is held at Mountain View Baptist Church on December 4, 5 (6:30-9pm) & 6,7 (5-9pm). This is an interactive drama for the whole family replete with live animals and an outdoor manger scene. Admission is FREE, the church is located at 2585 E 3000 N.

SLC
1) Feast with the Beasts at Hogle Zoo on Thanksgiving Day, November 27th. From 9-12 you can watch the animals recieve turkey shaped pinatas and other food-based enrichment treats, including an enormous pumpkin for the elephants to smash. Last year's was 800 pounds and this time it's supposed to be even bigger! Admission is FREE to members, regular admission otherwise. Located at 2600 Sunnyside Ave.
2) Lights On! is presented by DowntownSLC on November 28th, starting at 4:30pm. The lighting of downtown will begin at the Gallivan Center and progress through Temple Square and Gateway Mall. Activities include ice skating with Santa, free cookies, live music by Kurt Bestor and the One Voice children's choir at the Gallivan Center, plus visits with Santa, a Jon Schmidt piano concert and tree lighting at the Gateway. SLC Old World Christmas Market also starts on the 28th and will be held in the Gallivan Center through December 6th. Admission to Lights On! is FREE, as is downtown parking that night.
3) Zoolights! at Hogle Zoo begins on with special member days on December 3, 4 & 5 from 5-8pm. Members receive an additional $1 off the admission price ($5A, $3C) on these nights. The lights will be up through December 31st, regular admission for all other days. Be sure to bring your 3D glasses, or pick up a pair at the zoo!
4) Holiday Open House and Art Fair will be held at Red Butte Garden on December 6th & 7th, from 10am-5pm. Admission to the garden is FREE during the open house, making it a great time to enjoy the beauty of nature in winter. Red Butte Garden is located at 300 Wakara Way.

Achilles' Heel of a Crafty Housewife

Number of scarves begun: 14
Number of scarves completed: 5
Amount of total fiber chaos created by four cats and two boys in the last week: overwhelming

I think the yarn is winning this round.

Had Ourselves A Merry Little Christmas

Season's Greetings! I know it's been ages, and honestly I have no other excuse for not posting than "it's the holidays", which does sound pretty lame. But I really have been busy with other things, namely: taking small boys sledding, baking, cleaning like crazy for all those non-existent guests that just might show up unannounced over the weekend, decorating for Christmas, soapmaking, ornament making, still more cleaning, visiting relatives, observing Advent, and the tireless creation of more than 20 unique knit hats. I thought I would never finish those in time, to tell the truth. Now that all that's past, I can try to catch you up on our seasonal celebrations through pictures. Here we go!I did some Thanksgiving baking (mmm, pink lady apples make the best pie!)And we saw the lights display at Layton City Park G tried valiantly to watch the Ogden Christmas Parade over the heads of big people (some of whom were less than kindly)We took a break from the cold to see the fabulously free Christmas Tree Jubilee at the Eccles Center (this was my favorite, duh)A was enthralled by the miniature version of Union Station (complete with running train) at the Ogden Christmas VillageWhile G loved the polar bear tea with disco ballAnd we got to take our Christmas card photo in the snow for the first timeAt our church Advent craft fair, A got to be creative painting popsicle stick snowmenG made a paint-splatter glass ornament (horrors!) The new kitten, Fafnir, ogled the crap out of our upstairs Christmas treeWhich was almost as tall as our 9' ceilingsI got to decorate our very own mantel (another first)We got a little snow....Which turned into a lot of snow, and led to us being housebound for Christmas Eve dinnerLuckily I had chocolate cheesecake and blueberry port to console me I took a glamour shot of the tree (with a little help from our friend Vaseline)Then I turned on The Flying W Wranglers "A Cowboy Christmas"And the boys engaged in some festive dancingWe went outside to see the fresh snowAfter which everyone got verrrry sleepyChristmas morning dawned frosty and beautifulSanta had delivered lots of goodiesThe cats were a bit cranky about us opening what they felt were THEIR presentsThey did calm down after receiving homemade cat toys The wrapping carnage got pretty scaryAnd ungodly amounts of candy were consumedSome of us snuck away to sleep before....We headed off to Grandma's house for more gift-giving!And lots of affectionate exchangesPoor Sheila cowered in hopes that we would finish cluttering up her houseA discovered his 2 foot tall penguin made a good chairLater we took a few runs on the nearby sledding hillAnd A refused to sled with anyone but me (awww)
Christmas Day ended with a classic Wasatch Front sunset

THE LIST, rev. 30

Really, there may have been more, I just stopped counting at 30. I can be completely AR at times, just ask R how many graph pads I go through a month. This particular revision is what I call the "Things to do BEFORE Christmas" list. As in things that will keep me from mortification when seasonal guests and visitors start to descend on me during the holiday season. Also some practical things to lower my energy bills, keep me from burning down the house, and give me much needed privacy from the neighbors' oh-so-close windows.

The List

1. Plant front yard roses/bulbs/perennials/trees, mulch and cover with burlap for winter protection
2. Throw out any debris from demo/yardwork, clean out garage so car will actually fit inside
3. Weatherstrip front door where gapped, cover swamp cooler
4. Tear out paneling in foyer/living room/dining room/guest room and dispose of
5. Skim coat walls with plaster as needed, also patch with sheetrock any bad spots
6. Primer and paint walls in foyer/living room/dining room/guest room
7. Order velveteen for heavy drapes in foyer/living room/ dining room/guest room/master bedroom (we figured it best to concentrate on the largest windows first)
8. Install any needed curtain hardware, sew and hang linen-backed drapes
9. Have FP/chimney cleaned for winter use, chimney cap tightened
10. Clean/strip FP bricks, replace mantel with something more fitting for a bungalow(DIY, probably)
11. Tile FP insert and hearth
12. Remove remaining carpet in foyer/dining room/hall/guest room/master bedroom
13. Deep clean and sand exposed hardwood flooring
14. Shellac and seal hardwood floor in foyer/living room/dining room/hall/guest room/master bedroom
15. Remove foyer mirror/foyer light/guest light/master light, replace lights with period/vintage/new fixtures
16. Finish skim coating kitchen walls where needed
17. Primer and paint kitchen walls
18. Finish painting/staining cabinets, attach new hardware
19. Remove chandelier from kitchen nook, replace with 3 pendant lights
20. Find fabric, sew and hang linen-backed drapes for kitchen/kitchen nook(harder than it sounds, what goes with lime green AND looks good year round?)