Staff Christmas Dinner Party

We pulled it off. A sit-down dinner party for about 18. It was one of those all-work and totally fun days getting ready and executing. Thank goodness it was a school day, too.

Bright and early Monday morning. The kids are off to school.

Cheesecakes are headed to the fridge.
There's a single chocolate chip in each that
won the recipient a Rational Bible!

Most of this wine and some cognac ended up in the beef dish.
And yes, we sampled them all.

That was fun!

Oh, yeah!

"What's Your Super Power" Ornaments.
The pictured instruction sheet is here.

Don't miss the French Radish Thingy...

Hot chocolate bar. Coffee available, too.

The kids snuck up for some dinner.

And for some hot chocolate!

Party Prep and a Trip to the Pool

Tracy, Lynn, and Fina gave the personalized ornaments to their Sunday School preschoolers this morning! And some of the boys went swimming after the Chief's game! Most of the afternoon and evening was prepping for the big church staff dinner party we are hosting here at the Compound tomorrow night. Based on a recent sermon, our theme is "What's Your Super Power?" including an activity that culminates in a personalized Christmas tree ornament to take home (see tomorrow's post).

Can you spot the 4th boy?

Fina's re-wickered car decoration

What's Your Super Power?

Half of the twice-baked potatoes fit in the soda drawer!
Thank goodness as we were running out of room.

The Broadmoor Hotel at Christmas

It really is a sight to behold. Jamie and Matt got to do a dinner and a show recently. Dinner at the La Taverne, one of the 7 or so restaurants at the Broadmoor Hotel, and a show at Springs Ensemble Theater.

Jamie doesn't make many ornaments...
But what a great KC memory!
All it took was a Raphael Hotel room key,
a hole punch, and a paper clip.

One part of La Taverne.

The second half of the martini is
staying ice cold in the copper bowl.

Creamy cheesecake with a creme brulee top. Wow.

Resting up for the big night?
We ALWAYS see deer when we're down here.
These were two of six we saw tonight.

Various Activities

Every morning on the way to the school van stop, Papa and Matteo listen to Mountain Country Radio's "Impossible Question." And we won the other day! Here were the clues given: 1. it's about 85,000 days old, 2. about 100 people have kept it going, and 3. lifers. Answer below. Lynn has two projects going in her picture below. One is a Christmas dinner party at our house this coming Monday. The other is personalized Christmas Tree ornaments for her Sunday School preschoolers. BTW, Fina may have broken her foot falling down the stairs the other day. The ER doc wasn't sure, so she's in a boot for a while till the swelling goes down. This on top of some flu thing going through the entire household the last week or so.

Cooking dinner for the foster child on a gastrostomy tube.

AJ organized the Lego collection into scenarios.

A breather at Atmosphere Gastropub for Lynn and Jamie.

At the Mall.

Mountain Country Radio offices in the Mall picking up
our winnings, Manitou Money. Answer: Supreme Court!
We got some ice cream at Baskin Robbins, too.

All kinds of Christmas prep.

Manipulatives for fractions!