A Tribute

Sorry for the lack of posting this week...it's not for a lack of wanting to. It has just been crazy busy with trying to get ready for our trip to Houston as well as the sickness that has continued to make a pest of itself in our household.

This will be our first Christmas without my dad (Dec. 26th will be the six month mark of his death) and I've been thinking of him and missing him a lot these past few weeks so I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of him from Christmas past. These are in very random order and I won't put captions on all of them but for reference-I'm the youngest of the three children in our family. I'm sure my sister and brother will not be thanking me for sharing some of these...

My dad and I seemed to have a thing for accessorizing

with the tree decorations as seen in the next three pictures.

This picture was taken last Christmas-one month before

my dad was diagnosed with stage IV Colon Cancer.

(Notice Jonah is chewing on a dog toy--at least he got to it before the dog did!)

Love you Dad!

Wekend Recap

We had a busy and fun weekend! Jeremy and I had a wonderful time shopping on Friday. It was eight blissful hours of just the two of us. I'm very excited that finished all our shopping for the kids and most of the shopping for the rest of our families. We also enjoyed a quiet, leisurely dinner at The Outback-yum!

Saturday evening we went to an event called Bethlehem Journey at the church where our kids go for AWANAS. It is was somewhat of a tour with stops at the Temple where Zechariah went mute, Mary's house where she was visited by the angel Gabriel and Elizabeth's house where the babe within her leaped for joy upon hearing Mary's voice. Following those stops we headed into Bethlehem but not before being stopped by Roman soldiers and paying our taxes to Cesar. We were given plastic coins to drop into a chest and which the kids thought was great fun. We then entered an area that was set up as Bethlehem would have appeared so long ago. Complete with an innkeeper and live sheep, goats and donkey to pet. There was also demonstrations of blacksmithing, pottery spinning and mat weaving where the kids could make their own "pinch pots" and weave a paper mat. There were authentic samples of bread from that time and other items used during that time. Also the kids got to play the game of Dreidel and bring a dreidel home with them. After spending time in the city of Bethlehem we headed outside where we met the shepherds, complete with live, sheep, who had been visited by the host of angels and then finally we entered the "stable" where Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus were found. It was a really neat experience and the kids really enjoyed the hands on part of it and seeing what it was like when Jesus came into our world. The church did a really nice job of making the sets and scenery and costumes to bring the experience alive.

It became extremely cold overnight. Sunday dawned with a couple inches of newly fallen snow and temps in the single digits. Jeremy was working during the morning and I decided not to venture out on my own with the kids to church so we enjoyed a cozy morning at home. Temps continued to drop throughout the day and we were in the negative numbers by evening. We built a fire and continued to cozy up for the rest of the day. I spent the afternoon wrapping presents and and am mostly done with wrapping which is great since it will be a busy week with getting ready to head to Houston on Sunday.

The temperature dipped to -17 during the night---a new record for Denver and it was -10 when we woke this morning. It has not crept above zero all day. Due to the extreme cold Jeremy's car would not start, even after having roadside assistance come out to help. So we've enjoyed having him home with us today. Aidan and Sarah still had school though-thankfully the van started just fine. Jonah began to show signs of being sick yesterday and today woke up with a high fever so I headed to the doctor with him this afternoon to confirm that he now has strep. I'm really praying that Aidan and Sarah won't get it this time around--especially with us heading out of town in a few days.

It is supposed to warm up to 32 tomorrow-which, if it actually happens, will be surprising since it was supposed to get up to 13 today and didn't make it anywhere close to that. We are supposed to get another few inches of snow overnight as well--add that to roads that are still icy from yesterday's snow and things could be pretty treacherous in the morning. (btw-treacherous seems to Aidan's favorite word these days.) Jeremy will likely be taking my van to work tomorrow as his car is unlikely to work until it is well thawed out.

Sorry to be long-winded but I had to make up for missing the previous two days. =) Be looking for funny sayings from Katie and Sarah in tomorrow's post.

The Twelve Days of Christmas like never before

I heard the end of this song on the radio today and knew I needed to hear the rest so Jeremy sweetly searched it out for me and did one step better than the audio version by finding it on youtube. Truly entertaining!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8

Have a wonderful weekend! I'm heading out for Christmas Shopping and dinner with Jeremy and NO kids! It doesn't get much better than that! Jeremy and I love shopping together and it's been quite a while since we've had a date so this will be heavenly!

Easy Recipe

This recipe comes from my dear friend Cristyn. I made it for the first time last year and was instantly hooked. It is super easy (a good thing!) and one of those treats that you just can't stay away from (a bad thing!).

White Christmas Candy

1 pkg. 24 oz. Almond Bark

2 Cups peanut butter Cap'n Crunch cereal

2 Cups rice crispies

2 Cups dry roasted unsalted peanuts

Melt almond bark in microwave. Stir in other ingredients until well coated. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow to cool. One batch makes about 40 pieces. Note-don't take too long to spoon out of bowl as the almond bark hardens quickly.

Enjoy!

Good Read

I am always on the look out for great children's Christmas books-especially books that are Christian themed. Last year we purchased this book :

It quickly became a favorite. I love everything about it. From the illustrations to the adventurous story line which weaves together God's amazing creativity in nature with the reason why Jesus needed to come to earth as a baby to save us. It can be purchased in most stores-I'm pretty sure we got ours at Target. For more info you can visit the author's web site: http://www.lisatawnbergren.com/books.html

Christmas Survey Revisited

Since I was so serious with my survey answers I thought I would entertain you with Jeremy's answers to the same questions. One of the things I love most about him is his amusing sense of humor--even though it is a bit whacked..I mean wacky! And while I'm talking about my sweet hubby I just want to say that he's been a gem over the last several days. I have been dealing with the nastiest case of Strep throat that I've ever had and as he put it, it has me "sawing logs like a lumberjack". So he's been sleeping on the couch for four days and will probably be back there tonight-but he hasn't complained a bit and he's been helpful to boot! I'm ready to be done with this horrid stuff and ready to have my hubby back by my side! Unfortunately, also during this time Sarah had a nasty stomach bug that kept her and I up half of one night, and now Katie has strep and it kept her and I up half of last night. I'm ready to have a sick-free home and some good sleep!


And now back to the survey:

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Fried Eggs with Grits, a Side of Bacon, some Buttermilk Biscuits, and a tall glass of Chocolate Milk

Does Santa wrap presents or set them under the tree? Santa? Where’s the Jolly Old Elf when the Littlest Pet Shop Pink Puppy Palace needs “some assembly required,” has 9,000,000 tiny parts, and comes with instructions written entirely in Mandarin?

Colored lights on tree or white? Black Lights – Florescent Neon Tree

When do you put your decorations up? December 26 (Boxing Day) – Everything goes back into its box.

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Heavy Duty Dixie Plate with 3 compartments.

Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Testing every bulb on the strand to see which one may or may not be the culprit.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? The Enquirer, December 2007. Scandalous!

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Sacrilege! Although we do typically open one on December 23 in honor of the Japanese Emperor’s Birthday.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? By sitting across the room with a sling-shot…

Snow! Love it or Dread it? Snow-shmow… the real excitement of the holiday season comes with black ice!

Can you ice skate? I’ve got a Dorothy Hamill wedge haircut, does that count?

Do you remember your favorite gift? Nope. I forgot after being abducted by the Ghost of Christmas Past.

What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels; Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles; Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings; These are a few of my favorite things…

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert or snack? Peeps

What is your favorite tradition? Petitioning the government to disallow images of Santa in public places.

Which do you prefer, Giving or Receiving? Giving…Receiving… who cares? I just want to dance!

What is your favorite Christmas Song? Perry Homes for Christmas (Anita Kerr Singers)

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? I think a more appropriate question would be: Candy Canes – Fact or Fiction?

Ever recycled a Christmas present? I put a particularly loathsome one in a wood chipper once – does that count?

Christmas Riddles

Here are some riddles to give you a Ho Ho Holiday Chuckle...in honor of Aidan, who is currently really into these type of "play on word" jokes. Enjoy!



Q: What do elves learn in school?

A: The elf-abet

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Q: What is the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet?
A: The Christmas alphabet has No L (Noel)

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Q: What Christmas Carol is a favorite of parents?

A: Silent Night

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Q: Why does Santa have three gardens?

A: So he can Hoe Hoe Hoe

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Q: What do Snowmen eat for breakfast?

A: Frosted Flakes

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Q: What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?

A: Frostbite

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Q: What kind of bird can write?

A: A pen-guin

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Q: What did the ghost say to Santa Claus?

A: I’ll have a boo Christmas without you…

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Q: How do sheep in Mexico say Merry Christmas?

A: Fleece Navidad!

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Q: What does a cat on the beach have in common with Christmas?

A: Sandy Claws!

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Q: What do you get if Santa goes down the chimney when a fire is lit?

A: Crisp Cringle

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Q: What kind of candle burns longer, a red candle or a green candle?

A: Neither! Candles always burn shorter!

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Q: Why was Santa’s little helper depressed?

A: He had low elf-esteem

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Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?

A: Claustrophobic


You can find these jokes and other fun Christmas stuff for kids HERE.

Cakey-cakes

I love to bake and create in the kitchen and in the past few days I've made two cakes that were both a lot of fun to do.

On Friday Aidan finished up a unit on Mexico at school and they had a Mexican Fiesta. When it was time to pick the food item we would contribute I let Aidan take his pick. I should have known he would pick the dessert. I racked my brain and came up with a few ideas but none of them were working out because Mexican food is a little scarce where we live. If we were still living in Houston this wouldn't have been a problem at all. Then I remembered Pastel de Tres Leches-or Cake of Three Milks. I searched on the Internet and found an easy version on foodnetwork.com that seemed perfect for a 1st grade fiesta. You can view the recipe here. I omitted the rum and added a bit of almond extract. It received rave reviews from the kids as well as the moms and Aidan's teacher. Here's my finished product:

Last night we celebrated my sister's birthday and I made a chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Jeremy is really the cheesecake baker extraordinaire in our family but he was unable to do it for this particular event so I stepped in. I had fun making the decorations for the top and it was really quite easy to do.

A cozy evening

Last night was the perfect night to put on comfy PJ's, build a fire, watch a Christmas movie (we chose The Santa Clause) and make Smores! Roasting marshmallows in the fireplace was a tradition during winter when I was a child so it always brings me warm fuzzys.

Winter Wonderland

We finally got a really good snow yesterday-I love the crispness and silence snow brings. As I was outside taking these pictures I hollered just to hear the echo that only occurs in a snowy white world.

This is a sand pail that was was mostly visible when we woke

up. This picture was taken around 1:00 p.m.

I love this tree-definitely my favorite picture.

Katie Bunny-who was very happy to stay inside

rather than being a snow bunny

And a very Merry, Happy Birthday to my sister Robin--I love how our relationship has blossomed over the past year. You are so special to me!

Christmas Survey

I was tagged by Erica over at haphazardhappenstances for a "Deck the Halls" Christmas meme and apparently I have a lot to say on the subject so settle in... =)

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate-especially gourmet kinds. I actually had my very first taste of Egg Nog this week-it was fresh from a local dairy and while I didn’t find it nasty, it’s not something I really care to ever taste again.

Does Santa wrap presents or set them under the tree? Santa doesn’t really visit our house-we wrap one present “from Santa” for each of the kids but they all know “Santa” is a pretend character by our design.

Colored lights on tree or white? Colored on the main tree but I do like having a small “decorator” tree somewhere in the house.

When do you put your decorations up? As soon as possible after Thanksgiving

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? This is a toughie for me-not sure I have a specific favorite. I love all the traditional dishes (minus the candied sweet potatoes) and I also love the finger food smorgasbord that Jeremy’s family does on Christmas day. It’s so fun to graze on dips and goodies ALL DAY LONG!

Favorite Holiday memory as a child: My Grandpa having all us grandchildren gathered around him as he read the Christmas Story from the Bible.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My parents told us from the beginning that Santa wasn’t real but we always had one present from Santa under the tree. I’m glad they did it this way-I don’t feel deprived at all from not believing in Santa. As I see it, our children understand that God has blessed us to be able to provide gifts for them at Christmas and we hope that we are laying a foundation of true joy and appreciation in them.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes-one small one each. Usually it is PJ’s or something else the kids can wear on Christmas morning.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? By hanging each ornament on it’s own branch. =) We have a very eclectic selection of ornaments-most with special meanings from throughout the years. Each child gets a new ornament every year which coordinates with the stocking they’ve had since their first Christmas.

Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it, Love it, Love it! Let it snow! In fact it is snowing here in Colorado right now!

Can you ice skate? I haven’t been in about 20+ years, so probably not. I’d much rather slide around on the ice in tennis shoes while playing “broom ball”!

Do you remember your favorite gift? I don’t know that I have one specific favorite gift-but finding out I was pregnant during Christmas week in 2000 (Dec. 18th), 2002 (Dec. 23rd) and 2004 (Dec. 24th) would each rank up at the top!

What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Remembering our Savior’s amazing journey into our world and the incredible life and death He went through for us.

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert or snack? All of them! I especially love my mom’s toffee recipe and my friend Cristyn’s “White Christmas” candy

What is your favorite tradition? The reading of Luke chapter 2 on Christmas morning followed by singing a few Christmas carols with our extended family.

Which do you prefer, Giving or Receiving? LOVE both!

What is your favorite Christmas Song? This is another toughie—we are Christmas Music maniacs with over 70 Christmas CD’s in our collection. I guess I would have to say anything that my super talented hubby sings. I do have a Fav Album though-Avalon “Joy” – probably because Jeremy sang several of their songs in an amazing foursome at our church in Houston.

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? I like them ok and have maybe one a year but prefer the fruity kind rather than mint.

Elvish Impersonators

Enjoy some Holiday Cheer in the two posts below!

The Cute Couple

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Crafty Kid Elves

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Snow People

Sarah received this stuffed snowman for her first Christmas and it is brought out every year with our Christmas decorations.

Here is our conversation from the other day regarding it:

Sarah: I put my Snowman up on my bed. (At least this is what I thought I heard.)

Me: That's a good place for your Snowman.

Sarah: No Mama, I said my Snow Ma'am--because it's a girl!

Christmas Blogging

My friend Erica has issued a "25 Days of Christmas Blogging" challenge and I've decided to give it a try! I may not manage a new post every day but I'll give it my best effort.

Sarah seems to be our future architect because she can easily think up a design and execute it well-whether she is drawing it on paper or building with Legos or any other material she can find to construct with.

Apparently Mary and Joseph decided to take the show on the road this year...

introducing the Mangermobile!