December, 2021

December is here.  The busiest month of gatherings, banquets, school programs, gift buying and wrapping, making homemade goodies and listening to all the Christmas music!!!  We are excited!

 

One more month to read the Bible in chronological order through in a year!

Mike was still hanging in the basement with Matthew one night and I was lying in bed just thinking of how blessed I am to have a warm house, a warm bed, a family that loves each other and a candle that smells like Christmas!

I made a few peanut butter crackers and I hope to do some more one of these days!

December is the month of so many projects!  Stuffing envelopes with a Christmas card and letter is something that needs to be finished up yet!

December is buying a tree and putting gifts under it.  It's magical!

I made another batch of apple butter!  It's delicious on toast!

Last Friday, I went to Produce Junction and bought a bunch of wreaths and poinsettias for church!  Mike meet me at church and helped hang the wreaths in the sanctuary!  It looks so pretty!

On Saturday, Mike and I and the kids walked through our little town!  We do this about once a year and it's so fun to visit the many neat shops in our town.  Singers were out caroling, shopper were strolling the streets, fudge was being poured as we walked into the candy shop!  So much happiness is in our small town!

Our last stop was at the greenhouse for me to smell the fresh dirt and fresh plants!!!  I love poinsettias and these were just gorgeous!  We did the annual quick, very quick photo shot and then drove back home as we ate the soft pretzels we grabbed in town!  I love our hometown!!!!!

Such cute kids!!!!

So precious!

We watched a baking show the other night and Ashlyn got creative the next morning in the kitchen!  A snowman pancake and a chocolate scarf was her breakfast!  

There's always that moment in the beginning of December that I feel overload.  My mom and sisters had a day of shopping but I still have a few gifts to purchase.  Things need wrapped.  The cards are not yet ready for send off.  I keep wanting to do some more peanut butter crackers but didn't find the time to just yet.  It feels like so much happening and some times it feels overwhelming.  I did purpose in my heart that I would try my best to bring a spirit of peace in our home over the holidays.  I try to always but especially over the busy days!  It's OK to not have "all the things" done yet.  Maybe some things just won't get done?  That's OK too.  I reminded myself to stay focused on the main reason of Christmas and celebrate the birth of Jesus with my family!

These two sayings from Pinterest are great reminders for me right now!

We spent a few hours at Mindy's house this week.  She's still healing from her broken leg and she decided to not decorate for Christmas this year because she can't move and carry all her things up and down her steps.  Sister Jody found out about this and set a date for us sisters and mom to go help her!  It was fun and we had her house in the Christmas spirit in now time!!!!!  Her house is so pretty!

And then I had a craft day at church for the ladies whoever wanted to join me.  We made wreaths!  I made one for me and one for Hadassah!

December sure is a month of lists and check offs but I love it when we can be home in the evening with the candles lite and glowing.  The twinkling lights on the tree are magical!  I love that we got to watch HomeAlone 1 & 2 so far with the family!  To make this month be a month of fun memories and joy is a goal!

Happy December!!!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend!

 We spent the weekend of Thanksgiving with my family at the cabin once again!  Every cabin vacation is so much fun!  We all help out with the meals!  We eat good!  This time the hunters were in the woods during the day and on opening rifle day, there were four deer down!  This was super exciting for the kids to watch and see as the deer were drug to the cabin, gutted and then hung up!  There was the first snow fall for us to for this winter season!  A snowman was built, snow balls were thrown and the there was laughter all around as the snowflakes fell from heaven!

So many little ones watching to see how it's done!

All four deer!!!  Two shot by men and two by ladies!!!!  Way to go hunters!

We woke up one morning with bear tracks right outside the window!

I took some photos of my parents and on the way back into the cabin, they stopped for a picture of the girls with them snowman!  My parents don't normally dress up to play in the snow!  :)))

Jeremiah and Hadassah joined us on Sunday night at the cabin after spending some time at another cabin with the Petersheims.  On Monday, we decided to stop for a Christmas tree on the way home from the cabin.  Jer and Dass joined in and bought a tree too!  We drove to 

Austin got to put the star on top this year!

And here's the tree with a few gifts now tucked beside it and the living room smells like pine!  I love it!

Thanksgiving season has been a time of much thankfulness and time with family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!  We are so blessed and we stopped our normal routines yesterday and gave God thanks!  I know thanksgiving is a heart posture!  It's something we need to do every single day!  To say thank you to God for my many blessings and give Him praise!  We do that in this home and I'm so grateful!  

Yesterday morning, the littles woke up and I grabbed a simple version of the "First Thanksgiving" and we sat on the couch together and read it.  We discussed how it must have been to sail to another country and ride the Mayflower across sea all for freedom!  The Indians resisted the Pilgrims at first.  We read how Squanto was forced to be a slave and all the times he escaped and traveled back to his people.  These folks really went through something!!!!  I really can't imagine!  He helped the Pilgrims and they made peace and celebrated with giving and bringing their best for a feast - Thanksgiving meal!

Mike and Matthew joined our little gathering and we had our annual family meeting.  We all said what we were most thankful for!  Things we would like to work on or strive for for 2022!  It's always so good to sit down and jot things and goals down!

Then we got dressed in nice clothes and gathered around a spread out table at Mike's mom's house!  Mom does so good at hosting our crew!  The turkey was so delicious and the side dishes of mashed potatoes, sweet pototoes, filling, gravy, Mac and cheese, cranberry relish, cabbage salad and soft rolls all made it a feast!  Thank you Mom for hosting the family!!!!  We finished with pumpkin pie and grape mush and hot coffee!  So richly blessed are we!!!!

The cousins played all afternoon!  Mike, Matthew and Rosie shot clay birds.  Others sited in rifles for the big hunting day next Monday!  We played Four Up and Four Down.  There were toys and messed everywhere by the end of the day but again Mom was patient with it all and we had it cleaned up before leaving.

I love this saying!

Ritchie took the little boys out back and gathered a bunch of sticks.  They made a teepee in Moms yard.  Maybe it will stay there till Christmas!!!!????!!!!  Way to go Ritchie for hanging out with the littles!

I fixed up a snack board late in the afternoon!

Thanksgiving Day is a gift!  We are healthy!  So many are sick around us fighting COVID, colds and other illnesses!  We are healthy!  Others have lost loved ones this past year and now face the holidays alone or without a loved one.  We are all still gathered around the table!  Some are lost and don't know how to give thanks to God because they have been through so much in life that it's just hard for them to see any good!  We sing "The Goodness of God" as a prayer here in our home and I mean it when I sing God's been so, so good to me!  We have abundance and others are strapped to every dollar they earn.  There are missionaries still in Haiti being held hostage and can't be with their loved ones!  We are free to come and go as we please!  The list goes on!  All I want to say is "THANK YOU JESUS!!!!"

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!  May God bless you through the start of the holiday season!  

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I took away the pumpkin decor this morning and replaced it with the nativity scene and candles!!!  Fresh greens will get cut soon and placed throughout the house!  Smells of peppermint and gingerbread and fresh pine and cinnamon on now top scents!  Christmas music will be on nonstop!  It's truly the best time of year!!!!  One goal I made for this upcoming month of December is to bring peace, joy and much laughter to our home!  It's easy to get all wrapped up in festivities, parties, events and that can bring some stress and rush but I really hope to bring PEACE!  To slow down more than other years.  To take the time to read books, do puzzles, sip on coffee and tea and hot cocoa!  To treasure each day as a family and make tons of really good, new memories is on my wishlist!!!! 

The littles played rock, paper, scissors to see who can play with the nativity scene first!

I love candle sticks and glow!!!

We are off to spending a few days with my family now and I really can't wait to get some shopping done next week and let the Christmas festivities begin!!!!!