Inside the Cookie Factory
To those that know the Foleys, it should be no surprise that this week has been filled with cookie making. Now well into our third day of baking, the plan is for at least 12 types of cookies. I suspect that number may go up by one or two by the time all is baked and done.
And here are some of the results. If you think they look good, you should see how they taste!
At home with the Foley Family Players
There is always music in the air at the Foley house, and this Christmas has been no exception. When holiday music isn’t being played over the stereo, the Foley’s are busy making music themselves. Grams has been playing the violin for 2.5 years, and Grandpa Tom has more recently picked up the viola, which has been Karin’s instrument for many, many years.
Here are some pictures of Karin and Bernadette serenading the family:
All that music puts Penelope into a great mood.
Last night, Penny Jean even joined in and sang along…
Grandpa Tom’s Musical Extravaganza!
The entire family ventured out into the cold (some less successfully than others) on Monday night to the church for the annual Christmas concert featuring the choir. Penelope was dressed in her new lambs wool dress that Daddy bought for her, and of course, she was a hit with everybody. The concert was wonderful, and a good time was had by all.
The Church all decorated for the holidays.
Penelope and Tia Karin.
Grandpa Tom (and the rest of the choir).
Penelope and Grandpa Tom
Filed under Grandparents, PJ | Comments (2)Penelope, Tia Karin; Auntie Karin, Penelope
At long last, Penelope got to meet her Aunt Karin! Penelope was delighted.
Champagne was opened and toasts were made.
To celebrate the Foley sister’s homecoming, we had a big Turkey dinner. I particularly enjoyed it since I missed out on Thanksgiving on the summit this year. Penelope also seemed to really like (looking) at the turkey, although she was a bit bummed that she couldn’t have any.
Penelope and I even snuck in some football as we watched Denver continue to try and blow the playoffs. Go Broncos!
Then we ended the night in typical Foley fashion, baking an apple cake for Tom to bring in to work the next morning. Everyone pitched it and it turned out pretty good, or so we heard…
Snow Baby
Getting Penelope ready to go outside has proven more difficult in the Connecticut winter than a typical Chilean day.
Not only does Penelope get to wear a big snowsuit, she also has a special fuzzy insert for her car seat, thanks to our friends Chris and Rikki, who lent it to us for our trip.
You’ll notice that she wasn’t exactly super happy about the ordeal. She eventually got used to it and was nice and warm in the snow outside.
Now, why would Penelope bother with getting all dressed up and go outside on a day like this? To visit Grandpa Tom at the Pancake Breakfast!! Here’s Grandpa showing Penelope how to perfectly flip a pancake.
Here’s Penelope doing her best Pillsbury Doughboy impression.
Of course, it is Christmas, and Christmas means SANTA!!!
Penelope then wanted to play in the snow before coming home again. Snow angel time!
Penelope can’t wait for Auntie Karin to arrive tomorrow along with more and more snow.
Filed under Grandparents, PJ | Comments (2)Over the ocean and across the country…
to Grams and Grandpa Tom’s we go.
Penelope aced another intercontinental journey from Chile to the US. It was a pretty exciting time at the airport. TWO big earthquakes were felt from nearby Valparaiso (6.2 and 6.0 magnitude!!) and Penelope loved her first time in a high chair.
Once here in Connecticut, we’ve been settling in around the Christmas tree. Penelope already has her eye on some presents with her name on them.
Of course, she is already getting in some good time with Grams and Grandpa Tom.
Why the winter hat? BECAUSE IT IS COLD AND SNOWY AND NOT THE SUMMER WE LEFT BEHIND. We were hoping for a white Christmas, but weren’t expecting the foot of snow we may get tonight!
A tale of the valley, the desert coast, a festival in the city, and a sunset
It has been a busy last few days. The rainy weather finally cleared and we have had wonderful weather since.
On Wednesday, we traveled up into the valley to see the mountains covered in fresh snow. There was more snow than we’ve ever seen. Despite the snow, we had a wonderful sunny lunch (70s!) outside at Miraflores restaurant in Pisco Elqui.
Then on Thursday, we headed up along the coast to eat lunch at Entre Rocas in Caleta Hornos, a small fishing village north of La Serena. Not only has the rain brought a huge amount of snow to the mountains, but it has also completely greened up the surrounding desert, which is now full of flowers. I’m not sure if this qualifies as the ‘blooming desert’ but it does for me.
Today, we walked (!!) to downtown La Serena to a festival that is part of the city’s 464th birthday celebration. There were things for sale, food to eat, and dancing performances. Afterward, we ate lunch at Donde El Guaton, a downtown favorite of ours.
This evening, we watched a wonderful sunset, along with some nearby birds of prey. And thanks to my new camera, and my Dad’s 300mm lens, I was able to photograph the green flash for the first time!!!
Click Here to see all the pictures.
Filed under Grandparents, PJ | Comment (1)The New (Old) Camera!
Grandpa Margheim recently got himself a new camera and let me inherit his old camera, the Canon 300D digital SLR. After years of point-and-shoot, it is good to be back in the world of the SLR, and I’ve been taking picture after picture of sweet pea and everything else.
We have mostly been hanging out at home, just enjoying our time with Penelope. We went to the beach with Leyna dog on Friday (holiday!) before we ended up getting rained in all weekend with perhaps the worst storm we’ve had in our three years here. It rained from overnight Friday until Sunday afternoon, and we even had thunder and lightning! We had a great weekend nonetheless, being stuck inside with Penny is hardly a bad way to spend the weekend.
Don’t forget the Leyna dog…
Grandma and Grandpa Margheim are here
Penelope was so excited today, her Grandma and Grandpa Margheim arrived. Penelope is ready for 2 weeks of spoiling!!
On the Leyna front, she was also super excited that they’re here. She’s already been up to the park, and they even brought her presents- 2 new frisbees!
Always hard to say goodbye…
Lisa’s folks left us at the end of July, and we’ve been so sad that we just couldn’t bring ourselves to post on Penelope’s blog since then.
We really enjoyed having them here, they were an amazing help around the house and with Penelope, and it was great for Penelope to be around her grandparents.
It is always hard when it comes time for our families to leave, and Penelope has made it that much more difficult. Luckily, it won’t be too long before we see them again.
One last hug for Gramps.
One last kiss for Grams.
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