~Merry Christmas~



whoopie pies delivered from Massachusetts




otis enjoying his new bone.




popcorn anyone??




brady trying to guess his gift.




lovin' his new bones




headphones are back in style.....oh yeah!!!




our Christmas tree.




brooke holding up nebraska hoodie....



Merry Christmas!

Hope yours was merry and bright...

~a recipe worth sharing...~

again this year someone contacted me for this recipe

that's how good it is.

i had made it couple years ago for thanksgiving with the family

and now every year they are wanting it to be a tradition...

so i though i'd re post the recipe again.

it's really easy, so you'll love that part as well:)

it was found in my church cookbook many, many years ago when I attended Castle Rock, Colorado

Church of the Nazarene.

Recipe:

Fresh Strawberry Pie

1-1/2 c. water


1-1/2 c. sugar


1/4 c. cornstarch


1- 3 oz. box strawberry jello


3 to 4 c. fresh strawberries


Cook first three ingredients until clear. Add the Jello and stir well. Cool. Add the fresh strawberries halfed and quartered. Put in nine inch pie shell or graham cracker pie shell. Chill. Serve with whipped cream.

Hope you will try this.

and i hope your family enjoys as much as mine has.

 

Happy Friday!



~15 years~

i saw this on pinterest and thought it was extra meaningful today....

chuck and i have been married for 15 years

and this fortune cookie made me laugh.

so true. but what a journey:)

engagement picture many years ago.

~chillin' right now~

these, as we speak, are in my frig right now chillin'. if you have time to add this to you Christmas baking list i'd recommend them. they are delicious. my kids are not great fans, but i think it's because they heard the word molasses in them.

molasses crinkle cookies

3/4 c shortening

1 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 c. molasses

2-1/4 c. flour

2 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger.

Mix first 4 ingredients thoroughly. stir in remaining ingredients. when mixed together, chill dough two hours. roll into balls, roll in sugar, place on cookie sheet. sprinkle with a drop of water. bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. 

~getting ready...~

we are getting ready for Christmas.

how about you?

i cannot believe how fast it has snuck up on us.

another year almost gone.

I love Christmas.

it's hard taking this guy shopping without him getting distracted and falling off course. :)

i mean one minutes he's shopping with you and then the next.....

it's like where did he go?

oh right, there he is. being weird...

following us around the store like this.

he keeps us smiling.

brooke and otis having bonding time.

how comfortable is too comfortable??

the words of the song "so this is Christmas" keep coming to mind.

but it isn't just about the cute kids, the dog, the presents(although blessed with these things)

it's about Christ!

and through the rest of this season and the next year coming i MUST focus on that!

I heard a song the other day after dropping the kids off at school.

Jesus Freak.

People say i'm strange, does it make me a stranger.

That my best friend was born in a manger.

wouldn't it be nice if we all became a freak like this!

~weekend plans~

last night chuck and i had a date night with another couple.

they took us out for his birthday. (which is today)

i keep thinking if i can get through all the birthdays in my house i could concentrate more on Christmas.

man it's a busy time of year for us. not to mention our anniversary is December 21st too

who gets married that close to Christmas?

This am (a.k.a. birthday day) chuck had to head to guards for the weekend.

no rest for the birthday boy i tell ya!

so i decided i will try and stay home and get organized....

is it just me or does being organized make everyone happier and things run much smoother?

lately i've been stressed out of my mind

with everything. and that's not what Christmas season should be about.

so i'm going to work at making it better and more meaningful.

not to mention i was in a car accident two days ago and am feeling a little shock en up from that still...

but i'm going to rebut my mind and "just breathe" and get some things accomplished.

WITHOUT STRESS!

i read this today and it was is very comforting....

In anguish I cried to the Lord; he answered by setting me free. (Psalms118:5)

so this weekend i will work on my attitude and get back up and try again in a more organized fashion.

i ran across these blogs with organization ideas. i thought i'd share in case you are where i am.

31 days to an organized home.

31 days to {cheaply} organize your home.

~baby it's cold outside~

~two teens~

well today i am the mother of two teens.

my baby turns 13 today! (finally his age matches his shoe size. well for now)

next time you see me i may just have a few more grey in my hair.

tonight i'm lucky enough to have 8 boys over to spend the night.

i think they are headed to the gym to play hoops.

that is what brady loves these days.

all about basketball!

on another note since yesterday was Dec 1st the snow came out!

very fitting for this time of year even if it did not last long.