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Merry Christmas 2011 and Happy New Year 2012. We’re just now, on December 26, starting to snail-mail Christmas cards, so if you are on our list, you may not receive it for a few days, or a few weeks, or maybe just in time for Christmas 2012! As usual, the card is a photo collage of some of the events in our family in 2011. You can view the complete card as a PDF document by clicking here.
Our 2009 Christmas/Holiday Card
We’ve snail-mailed most of our Christmas cards already this year. As usual, it is a photo montage of the events of the Seattle Schriers in 2009. If you didn’t get a card, or inadvertently didn’t get to read it, here it is, in these images. You can also download it as a PDF file by clicking this link, but the PDF is over 2 megabytes in size. Click any image to see a larger version.
 First and second pages of the card. |
 Inside of the card. |
 Explanation of the photos on the card. |
The Seattle Schriers celebrate Christmas. Since our kitchen is being remodeled, we did all our decorating on December 24th, and held a party for 16 friends and relatives on the 25th. Then on Sunday the 27th we made a Skype call to Carroll, Iowa, which was having a blizzard but also was having Christmas at Bill’s sister Jane’s house. More photos on our picasa site here.
Click any photo to see a larger version.
 Alex helps set up the Nativity scene. |
 Toby the cat takes shelter under the Christmas tree. |
 Roxanne and Alex play the piano. |
 Alex and LuLu, her new Furreal pet. |
 The Kumer family open presents. |
 And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, by Alex. |
 Discovering the ornaments while decorating the tree. |
 Fireplace on Christmas morning. |
 Photo of the Skype call to Carroll, Iowa on December 27th. Olivia, Michael and Jane in front, Mary, John and Anne in back. |
 Lara and Ryan puzzling and photographing. |
Our kitchen remodel is getting into the final phase. Lots of progress in the last three weeks. The first photo, from earlier in December, is before the windows arrived. The windows are installed by Day 93, but the better photo is on Day 96 during a sunshiny day. Day 96 also shows the granite countertops installed, and on Day 98, the overhead part of the peninsual is installed. By Day 99, some of the appliances are working (gas stove, microwave) as is water in the main sink. Still washing dishes by hand, however!
Coming up next: tile for the backsplash, paint and cork floor.
We are planning to have Christmas for relatives and friends on December 25th even though the kitchen isn’t done, so we’ve spent the last two days – December 23rd and 24th – madly cleaning.
Click any photo to see a larger version.
 Day 79, December 3 |
 Day 93, December 17 |
 Day 96, December 20 |
 Day 98, December 22 |
 Day 99, December 23 |
 December 23rd with Christmas Tree ready for decorating |
 The peninsula from the kitchen side |
 The kitchen from the stairway |
Alex, Kathy and Bill visited Garden d’Lights at Bellevue (Washington State, not Iowa) Botanical Gardens. It is an amazing display of flowers, trees and even fish all done in Christmas lights. In some cases the lights are strung on trees or on the ground, but in other cases (a spider and fly, butterflies and flowers) the creations are entirely made of lights. Alex also insisted that she take some of the photos herself!
Click any photo to see a larger version. A lot more photos are on Bill Schrier’s Picasa site here.
 Alex touches some “flowers” made of lights |
 Bill, Alex and Kathy with a trellis of grave vines and grapes |
 Alex took this photo of Bill and Kathy |
 A pond, fountain, trees, shrubs and flowers all done in Christmas lights |
 Christmas Tree |
Panorama theme by Themocracy
