Dogs in Wigs

During the Halloween season this year I was wandering around Target and took a few minutes to check out their dog costumes. I came across something I hadn't seen before, wigs for dogs. I saw they had a pink glam wig as well as a mullet wig. The photos on the packages had me laughing out loud, and I thought how fun it would be to pose the dogs in the wigs. Unfortunately I am pretty frugal, well cheap actually, and I wasn't about to pay $10/wig just so I could pose the dogs for a few minutes. A couple of days after Halloween Anna called me from the Target in Austin. She told me that she found the wigs on super clearance and she picked them up for me. I can justify spending $2/wig because it would be worth the laughs that not only I would get, but all of you who read the blog. Just an FYI....although the dogs look totally humiliated they were very well rewarded with a several puperoni sticks.
Beck was actually really good about being dressed up which is funny because in the past she has really not like wearing anything but her collar. This Halloween she was a great sport about putting on the costumes, especially the pumpkin costume. When we took her to Hastings on Halloween to visit Stephanie I swear she was grinning while wearing the costume.

Cassius was not such a willing participant this time. He kept trying to brush off the wig with his paw, but a little puperoni fixed that.

This is Cassius' interpretation of Joe Dirt. I love the look on his mushy little face.

Beck looks pretty good in pink. The contrast of colors is great, I only wish I had a better camera to capture the colors.

First Day on the Ski Hill

Today Susie and I headed up the winding road to Bogus Basin Ski Resort for the first time this year. On Christmas Eve Mike and I bought our season passes. Season passes at Bogus are very reasonable and since the hill is so close to home, an hour or less, we get a lot of use out of our passes each year. Last year neither of us skied. Mike was just finishing up his fire academy and after graduation he didn't want to risk an injury during his first year because he was not only a probationary fire fighter but he was also an "at will" employee meaning if he got hurt outside of work the department could send him walking, or limping if he would have been injured. Anyway ever since Christmas Eve I have had some serious ants in my pants to get out skiing. I worked on Christmas and the day after and Saturday we spent the day running a bunch of errands and tidying up the house a bit. Since Mike was working I decided to see if Susie wanted to head up the hill for a couple of hours since it has been snowing since before we left for Twin Falls.
On a side note.....a few months ago while shopping at Sierra Trading Post I found the score of a lifetime on a new pair of telemark ski boots, $48.99 (retail $498.99). Needless to say I did a cartwheel in the store because I was so happy. I have always hated my tele-boots which were so tight my feet would freeze into little stumps and my poor toe nails took a good beating each year, especially on back country trips.
Ok, back on track. The snow was AMAZING today and I can't wait to head up the hill again tomorrow with Mike and a couple of the guys from the station. Between now and when school starts I hope to get in as much skiing as possible. Even when school starts I will be able to ski quite a bit because getting up and down the hill doesn't take up an entire day. I am pretty lucky to live in such a cool place :)

An Early Christmas in Twin Falls

On December 19th, Mike and I went to visit his family in the Twin Falls/Filer area of Idaho. The ride to Twin was completely uneventful, which was good considering there was a ton of snow. Our first stop was at Mike's brother's house. Mike's mom lives in an attached apartment to Steve's house so we were able to see her as well. Mike's brother offered me a miniature pincher while I was there, but no luck for me, I came home without him.

After visiting with Mike's mom and brother we drove to his sister Chrissy's house. I love staying at Chrissy's house. We chatted with everyone and got settled then the girls, Meghan and Amanda, and I headed to Winco for some last minute grocery shopping. The girls and I had an interesting time driving into town because it was snowing, the ground was covered with horrible snow and ice and out where they live there are hardly any street lights. We made it home and I got to work on a Devil's Food cake that I was planning on serving for dessert.

On Sunday the family got up and went to church leaving me at home to prep for the dinner I was going to make later that evening.

Tyler with his "do" for church

I did have a partner helping me get things ready.

This is Sprite. She is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever with a heart of gold. She is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met. The menu for dinner included turkey, ham, stuffing, sauteed vegetables, stuffed mushrooms, Brie en croute, mashed potatoes and a variety of pies and chocolate. To get everything ready I assembled the stuffed mushrooms and brie en croute because they would have to hit the oven and be done before I could start the turkey. In years past I have made stuffed mushrooms and they are a hit with the Holley crowd, so this year I made sure that we would have enough for everyone to have more than a couple. This tray only shows a small portion of the mushrooms that I made. Keep in mind I am making a meal for 22+ people.

This is the Brie en Croute before it was baked in the oven. It was stuffed with dried cherries, rosemary and pecans. After I pulled them out I realized I forgot one of the the ingredients, honey. These came out so well they will definitely make another appearance at another party.

Around 5 o'clock everyone started showing up. Everyone snacked on appetizers and enjoyed holiday beverages. Mike's mom enjoyed the Bailey's and coffee. Marge, is such a great lady. She is so funny and always makes sure holidays are fun. She set up a great white elephant game with fun gifts for everyone.

This is Mike's dad, Bill, and his sister Chrissy. It was really great to see Bill. I was bummed because his wife Lou wasn't feeling well so she wasn't able to make it over for the festivities.

While I finished up dinner everyone sat around the kitchen and we all caught up on the comings and goings of our families.

Me finishing up the vegetables

Don & Marge

Once dinner was all ready the kids were wrangled in to eat. The adults scattered around the kitchen and we all began to enjoy our meal.

After dinner it was time for presents. After all the paper was done flying we gathered the kids for a photo. This isn't all of them though. We were missing Chase, and Mike's sister's, Annette, family.

We had a great time visiting with everyone. On Tuesday we headed back home, picked up our pups and got ready for the rest of the week. On Christmas eve I made my first Prime Rib with a port/balsamic reduction. It turned out beautifully and I had to hold Mike off from eating the whole thing (he loves red meat!). I worked on Christmas and after work went to Susie and Wayne's house for a later dinner. Now that Christmas is over it's time to SKI!

Santa Rampage 2008

Saturday night was the annual Santa Rampage here in Boise. Every year for some time now we get dressed up in our favorite holiday attire and take over downtown. We took over three different locations. There is nothing like seeing an entire venue filled with over 150 people dressed up in Santa Suits or some other holiday costume. This year was especially fun because I got to introduce my friend Stephanie to the tradition, and I think we have another elf to add to the yearly rampage.

Stephanie & D

For those of you that know me well, you know that I enjoy sewing and when the opportunity to create a costume comes along I jump in with more than two feet. This year I made a cute little taffeta red dress trimmed the bottom hem and neck line with furry fleece. I also put together a great little cape (it was my favorite part of the costume). The cape made made out of plaid taffeta, lined with red fleece and accented with the same furry fleece around the edges. The cape kept me warm while walking between our locations.

D & April

Every year it is a great time where we get to meet up with old and new friends.

Susie, Jessica, & Jonathan busting a move

D & Marissa

Mike & D

D, Tim, & Mike

The photo above was taken on our final destination. It was a long walk and with the boots I was wearing (thanks Steph) I needed a break. Mike and I took a rest in a bus shelter. The night was filled with fun, friends, and of course lots of dancing and celebration. I am looking forward to our next event and more specifically the costume I will get to create.

Eagle Fire Fighter Calendars on Sale Now!

Eagle Fire Fighter Calendars are on sale now. If you would like to purchase one let me know. The calendars are $15 each and all proceeds go to the Eagle Fire Burnout Fund.

WaltDisney World 2008

So after we all were settled in at the condo we started to plan out our time at the parks. Saturday morning everyone slept in. I snuck out for a workout before the boys woke up and then we all got ready for the park. We usually spend the first day at Magic Kingdom and this trip was no different. Alex dropped Anna, me, and the boys off at the transfer station and we hopped on the Monorail to make our way into the park.

D, Ethan, & Aidan on the Monorail

The boys were really excited once we stepped foot on the Monorail. Aidan recognized the castle for quite a ways away and vocalized it he could see it so everyone in our cabin could hear.

The Castle

We asked the boys which ride they would like to do first and of course their response was "Buzz Lightyear". We didn't want to wait in line so we grabbed Fast Passes and then took a ride on the people mover to burn some time. Buzz Light year was fun and the boys were ready to move onto the next adventure. We strolled through Toon Town and picked up Fast Passes for Winnie the Pooh.

It was time for a snack and Anna and I agreed it was time for our favorite, Dole Pineapple soft serve swirls and Dole Pineapple Floats. Ethan enjoyed his Mickey Mouse shaped chocolate dipped ice cream and Aidan devoured a tub of popcorn.

After a snack we were all refuelled and walked over to the Jungle Boat Cruise. Aidan got a special badge to measure how long we stood in line. He thought it was pretty interesting.

Aidan with his badge

Alex picked us up later in the evening and we went out for some dinner. The kids were worn out but everyone ate their dinner :)

Day Two: Epcot

On day two we got ready and made our way to the futuristic and diverse Epcot.

Aidan & Auntie D on the way to Epcot

Auntie D & Ethan on the Way to Epcot

The "Golf Ball"according to Ethan & Aidan

As soon as we arrived at Epcot we made our way to The Land to grab our Fast Passes for Soarin' that afternoon. Next it was off to The Nemo ride. It started raining pretty hard, well torrential downpour is a more accurate description. We ran from the Nemo Ride back to The Land and got lunch and then rode Living with the Land or vice versa, I can't remember. We also rode on Ellen's Energy Universe, a 37 minute ride in hopes that Aidan would take a short nap. He stayed awake the entire ride, and I ended up taking a little snooze. It was still sprinkling but we walked over to The World Showcase. We stopped in Germany so I could get a pretzel. My pretzel wasn't as delicious as I remembered from last year, but we all shared it so it wasn't a complete waste.

Aidan helped me burn a lot of the extra calories I was consuming because he always wanted to be carried. The little guy was also constantly trying to drink all of the water out of my Camelback.

We also rode the Norwegian Boat ride. We walked through the rest of the World Showcase and headed back to The Land to ride Soarin. On our way I stopped at the giant Christmas tree and had Anna take a photo of me with the boys.

We walked right onto Soarin. It was Aidan's first time on the ride and we were all anxious about how he was going to react. The lights went out and we went up and his face lit up. He loved it. We ate dinner that night in Downtown Disney at Portabellow. I had a delicious salad and the most wonderful Portabello and Polenta dish. After dinner Anna and I shopped at the World of Disney while Alex and the boys played at Lego Land. We had dessert at the Ghirardelli Ice Cream shop. Anna and the boys shared the most delicious Peppermint Bark Sundae. I had a scoop of Espresso n' cream, and Alex had a banana split.

Ethan enjoying part of the Peppermint Bark Sundae

Mmmmmm

The next day we visited Disney's Hollywood Studios. Ethan wanted to see "Fire Cars" which is really called something like: Lights, Actions, Motor something or other. But before we could go and see Fire Cars we got to meet up with the Power Rangers.

We had a fun day at The Studios. Anna and I got to ride Aerosmith's Rockin' Rollercoaster. We headed back to the condo for a little re-coup time and then went back to The Magic Kingdom. We all got to ride in the front of the Monorail, and the boys couldn't have been more excited.
The next park on the list was Animal Kingdom. It was COLD that day. I was bummed because right before we left I threw my only pair of long pants into the washer. I tried to stay warm, but most of the day I had goosebumps. Anna, Ethan, Aidan, and I first watched the Finding Nemo Musical. We saw this show last year, but it was still amazing. We filled the day at Animal Kingdom. The boys got to play in the Dino Land play area. Ethan played a carnival game, and we all rode on one of the dinosaur rides.
We also rode on the Safari ride, visited Rafiki's affection station where I ran into the same goat I posted a photo of last year. I couldn't believe s/he was still there with the same funny smile. After a cold day at Animal Kingdom we took the boys home for a bit so we could all bundle up. We headed back to Epcot later that night for dinner in China, and to watch the fireworks. While we were there we rode on Test Track and Finding Nemo again. On our way over we stopped at the Boardwalk hotel to look at the large gingerbread house they have in the lobby.

Aidan sneaking around the gingerbread house

The next day we headed back to Hollywood Studios so Ethan could have another shot at attending Jedi Training School. Unfortunately no such luck. Poor kid wanted to fight Darth Vader so bad. D & Aidan in front of the Muppet Fountain

We did ride the new Toy Story Ride: Midway Mania. It was a great ride.

Inside Midway Mania

Anna, Aidan, and Alex

We also got to watch the Osbourne Family's Dancing Lights which were AMAZING.



These are a couple of photos that I can't remember the exact timeline of them. I think it was on the second to the last night we were there. We rode the Goofy Rollercoaster in ToonTown. Aidan was thinking about getting on the ride, but just as we sat down he was having no part in that rollercoaster. Ethan and I enjoyed the ride though.

One night we ate dinner at the Wilderness Lodge's Whispering Canyon Restaurant. Aidan was antsy and so the waiter gave him a job, and he was really serious about sweeping the floor.


It was a great trip. I loved spending time with Anna, Alex, Ethan and Aidan. I can't wait to visit them again soon.

Made My Way to Florida

With my belly still full from a fabulous Thanksgiving, I got out of bed on Friday and got to the airport with plenty of time to grab a cup of coffee and chill out before I started my marathon plane ride to Orlando. My flight was loooooooong! We stopped in Salt Lake then Denver, and then made our final stretch into Orlando. The pilot must have had a couple of Red Bulls because we were early on each of the legs.
Once I landed and picked up my bag, I met up with Anna about 15 minutes later. We made our way to the rental car place then picked up our park tickets. Finally we made it to the condo. Holy cow, this place it nice. I was stoked to see a fitness center and to find out the pool is heated to a balmy 84 degrees (the kids won't want to get out). Anna and I grabbed some food then took a cat nap until we had to go and pick up the rest of our crew: Alex, Ethan, and Aidan. The boys were wound up when we picked them up but the response I got from them when they saw me was priceless. Aidan ran at me with arms outstretched and latched onto me with a death grip. We didn't get to bed until after midnight, whew.
This morning I was up before everyone else and decided to get in a short workout before we make our way through the rest of the day. Right now we are just feeding kids and getting started for the day. I think we will hit the Magic Kingdom today. I can't wait!
More to come on the Holley-McCallister 2008 Florida Adventure

Thanksgiving~~Griswald Style

Thanksgiving was a blast this year. I started baking and prepping on Monday because I knew I would have a busy week with getting ready to leave for Florida. I made Red Velvet & Chocolate Whoopie Cakes, a Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle, and Stuffed Mushrooms. Beck (with the help of Mike) checked everything out. She isn't usually allowed to even put her nose on the table if there is food on it, but for the sake of a funny photo I let it slide.


We spent Thanksgiving with the rest of the Orphaned Griswalds. We had a great time catching up with people that we haven't seen in a long time. There was approximately 30 or more people that attended this year. Everyone pitches in by making something for the meal and bringing logistical items. I can't tell you how much I love having this fun group of people to spend time with.

Rodney and Mike B.

Ian & Mike
Ian, Barb, Alex, & Mike

Wayne stealing my dessert

Walker holding tight at the dessert tableSusann, Mark, Sarai, Ian, & KathyThe inside table with part of the groupOlivia enjoying Thanksgiving DinnerIlene with Mr.Kitty, Ian, me, & AlexSusann & TimKathy, Michelle, Paige, Linda, Mark, Barb, & Denise

The food as always was incredible. Alex made this lovely cheesecake.

The spread

The spread continues

And continues

We had a great time and were so stuffed! We love having Thanksgiving with the Griswalds. A BIG THANK YOU goes out to Susie F. for organizing the event and to Tim D. for opening his house to all of us.