C is for cookie....

Christmas is the time to make cookies....Lots of Cookies



They have to be tested to make sure they are just right...


Then it's time to make more cookies.....



Don't forget the gingerbreadmen

May everyone have a sweet and Merry Christmas

No snow....No problem

We are dreaming of a white Christmas..... But this is all the snow we have.

But that didn't stop Eliza from makeing a snowman.

A very cute snowman.

Small but cute.

We made some of our own snowflakes....Its a Christmas must.

Can you find the raindeer running around the outside of Elizas snowflake?

Queen anns lace ornaments

I love Queen Ann's Lace. It grows wild along the roadsides, Fields, and yes I do grow some in my flower garden even if many consider it a weed. I adore the Lacey delicate flowers and the airy foliage. I also think they look lovely as ornaments on the Christmas tree. A Friend told me years ago that in Victorian times they would dry the flowers and then decorate their Christmas trees with them. I couldn't help but try it for myself but to my dismay the flowers stuck to the paper I was drying them between So I was very happy to find this web site that really works. htt://www.gardenguides.com/2114-queen-anns-lace-snowlakes.html It is funny that I am thinking of Christmas. But the snowflake like flower does that to me.

If you can't pull up the web sight here are the directions. Personally,I don't like the snow on them. But I love the glitter spray.

1. Gather the flowers: Cut branches of Queen Ann's Lace a couple of inches below the flower heads
2.To clean: Rinse the flowers off gently, head down and let dry on dishtowels. you can also lay then sideways turning them occasionally.
3. To press: you can press the flowers between old catalogs, phone books, or stacks of newspaper. Trim flower stems very close to the bottom of the flower head, turn your flower head upwards, and carefully place on paper towels, put paper towels between the flowers and pressing paper to protest the flowers from the ink on the paper. Check these flowers every couple of days. You want them to get dry enough that they nicely hold their flat lacy shape. You can also move them pressing paper each time you check to keep them from sticking to the paper.( Note: the flowers are often very moist the first few days, but if they stick to the paper and dry there, you'll break them when trying to remove them.)
4. Finish drying : once flowers are relative dry, they may be flexible but not floppy. Dry in the open air.
5.Decorating: Make loops for snowflakes by fastening a loop to the back of each flower. Spray them with spray snow and let dry between coats.
6.Sealing: after you get them to a snow consistency that you like, spray well with the clear paint to seal let dry.
Variations. Dress the snowflakes up with glitter, spray glitter ( my favorite) You can also use fall-colored spray paint for a fall wreath, pink and blue to decorates a baby shower gift, or white on a wedding reception centerpiece.

2009 brought some sad goodbyes as well as a wonderful new beginning. Both of our dogs died. Lady and Babs where so loved and such a wonderful part of our lives. We really miss them. Then on Christmas day my cat Penelope crawled underneath the house and passed away. I was always really protective of her because she had brain damage and so she had a hard time. She was very loving and always wanted to cuddle.I really don't know what caused her death but I really wish she hadn't died alone. I wish I had been able to hold her and tell her I loved her.

But Christmas also brought a new baby to our home. He is the cute, sweetest, ball of energy. After losing two dogs I was debating if I was ready for another dog, but I started looking just in case. I went to the pound, the humane society, and put the word out that I was looking. I saw LOTS of really cute dog, but none seemed "just right" That was until I met Trigger. He is a husky/lab mix like Babs was but he doesn't look at all like her. He is working on house training now and is catching on really good. He is friendly and loves everyone. He loves to chew (what puppy doesn't) and always want to be involved with whatever we are doing. We are in love with him! I feel like he is a gift from God to our family.

Its a wondrful life

Its a wonderful life. It is full of ups and downs but it is defiantly a wonderful life! It has been 2 years since we have seen Sarah and Layton. So this year was really special. Sarah and Layton got to spend Christmas eve and Christmas morning with us.

Sarah is going to school in LA to become a cosmetologist. She is such a fashionable, avant garde girl, so this is perfect for her.

Her Christmas gift to Eliza and me was to highlight and cut our hair.

Here is Eliza before during and after. I love her highlights. Sarah favorite part of doing hair is coloring.

Here is me during and after. I love the highlights in both Eliza's and mine hair. The pitchers don't even do them Justice.

Please ignore the fact that I don't have any makeup on. I look so old.

The boys played video games and chess while we played beauty parlor. We all had so much fun.

. Mike was is usual great self and stayed up all night wrapping gifts, filling stockings,and setting up Santa so I could go to bed since I had to work early Christmas morning. He always has Christmas music playing , the Christmas lights on, Candy dishes filled with fresh candy, and everything perfect before calling everyone ( including me) into the parlor Christmas morning. This is my favorite gift he gives me each Christmas. It feels the room not only with presents but with the love he has for me and the kids.

He is the most incredible husband.

The hardest part of Christmas is getting in the car and heading off to work when I want desperately to be home with my family. My wonderful family are so sweet. They know this , so they all got up at 4am so I could spend Christmas morning with them before heading off to work.

After work I could hardly wait to get home and spend the rest of Christmas with my family. It really is a wonderful life!

It might have come a little latter then normal this year but it finally feels like Christmas. I had Friday off of work and decided It was time to start celebrating Christmas.



I read about the birth and life of Christ in Luke, turned on Christmas music , unpacked my decorations, and made cookies.



Being surrounded with the sound, sight, and memories of Christmas was wonderful. All day I kept making a mental list of my many blessing. My wonderful husband, My beautiful kids, My extended family and Friends. I felt the love Christ had for me, and extreme gratitude for his birth, ministry and for the atonement. I am so grateful that i have found the great feeling of Christmas. It took a little effort this year to get there but i am so grateful to have my home full of Christmas.

Where is Christmas?

The Christmas decorations are still safely tucked away in there containers. No twinkling lights adorn the outside of the house ,and the Grinch who has welcomed in Christmas for 14 years is still tucked away in the attic. Where is Christmas this year? It seems to have been forgotten somehow and I don't know why. It is not like me not to have every inch of the home full of twinkling, sparkling, glistening, adornment. I am constantly cooking and fussing for the holidays , trying to fill every moment with memories. I more often then not have to work Christmas eve and Christmas day so every second that I have home is a treasured Jewel of time. Why am I not me this year? I have baked cookies and put up only a few of my favorite decorations like my nutcrackers that the kids painted and the Christmas socks. But this is far from my usually preparations.We haven't had the usually excitement as we plan for Christmas gifts we will be giving others. I so miss the excitement and warmth of the season. I need Christ in Christmas more then ever this year because it feels so empty. As I was driving home from work Christmas song were playing on the radio. Words of hope and love floated through my car but for some reason did not penetrated my heart. Where is Christmas? I have let to much time slip through my fingers this Christmas.I have gone to long without letting the feelings of Christ penatrate my heart. Tomarrow I have off work and one way or another I am going to find Christmas and make this the best Christmas ever.

I Love November

I Love the Idea of a whole month set aside for giving thanks. I love that it is the month before Christmas. Every time I hear someone ask " Are you getting ready for Christmas?" I am reminded of The things I need to do to be ready to welcome the savior into my life. If Christ was coming to celebrate with my family on December 25Th of this year, What would I want to do to prepare? What would be the most urgent things for me to do? Would I be ready for Christmas when It came? Do I have enough time to truly become the person I want to be when I greet the savior? I'm I going to be prepared to welcome him into my home? Is He going to be the most important part of Christmas or is the store bought gifts going to be more important then the gifts he has given us and the gifts we give him? The ones more precious then gold.I am so grateful for a the reminder of giving thanks that thanksgiving brings and the preparation it allows for the greatest gift of all.

Celebrateing Christ birth and life on Christmas

The alarm clock rang at 4am. Same as it does every morning. This morning was different though. It was Dec 25Th. Mike gave me a kiss and wished me a Merry Christmas.He had stayed up all night making Christmas preparations for the family by himself and had not been to bed yet. After I had gone to bed on Christmas eve he had continued playing games with the kids late into the night. Once all the kids had gone to sleep Mike had remained up wrapping the gifts and setting them up under the tree. He had prepared a fire, had the tree lights glowing and beautiful Christmas music playing in the background by the time The alarm clock rang. He had made everything perfect for us. As the kids and I headed downstairs to great Christmas morning it was like walking into a Norman Rockwell painting. Christmas had started out wonderful--- until 5:45 came. As I tried not to cry I kissed my family goodbye and started my long drive to work. I really wanted to stay at home and spend the day with my family. I am well aware of how fast they grow up and leave. Sarah, Layton and Isaac had already left home and I would not be able to see them for Christmas. I miss them all the time, but during the holidays it is especially hard having them gone. I knew my Christmases with my children are numbered and so this made it even more difficult to get in the car and driving away.
The sky was dark and not a light was visible as I drove the long farm filled road to Quincy. No brightly decorated homes, just darkness, broken only by my headlights. Christmas music declared the wonderful birth of Christ over my radio as I drove.I started to ponder Christ birth and life. My heart was filled with gratitude for the atonement. I marveled at his life of sacrifice ,love, and healing. Feelings of gratitude for his life felled my heart. As I thought of his life I began to feel it a privilege to serve others. What better gift could I give to Jesus on Christmas?
This wasn't the first Christmas I had worked. Being a nurse means working the holidays. I had spent Christmas in a newborn nursery ICU, on an oncology floor and now with the elderly. I have seen loneliness, pain , sadness and even death on Christmas. My mind filled with stories of Jesus administering to people who were in the same circumstances as those I now cared for.
My mind then went to thoughts of my son Isaac, and all of those who are serving in the military. Freedom is such a great and precious gift to help others obtain. It is a huge sacrifice to be away from family, to go to foreign counties, and to put yourself in danger in order to help others. Isaac has all his paperwork and preparations ready so he can be deployed to Afghanistan in the next few weeks. He will be going to one of the poorest counties in the world. The military are not only fighting a war against terror and for freedom but are serving in other ways also. The humanitarian projects our military are doing are incredible and life changing for those who are living in war, terror, and poverty. He along with the rest of our military and their families are truly sacrificing to serving the weak and poor. As I thought of this, my heart swelled with love and pride for Isaac and the rest of our servicemen.
Not being home for Christmas might not be the easiest way to spend Christmas, but as I arrived at work I realized I was giving a wonderful opportunity to give service, and love to others. I felt overwhelming gratitude for my husband and his service to our family in the loving way he made sure that Christmas morning was wonderful. My heart swelled with pride for Isaac and our military as I thought of the sacrifices they are making this Christmas. I thought of the elderly I was now going to care for and the opportunities I had been given to spend this day with them. I did miss not being able to spend the day with my family but what better way could we Celebrate Christ birth then by practicing his teachings of love and service.

The Grinch has arrived

Nothing says Christmas quite like the Grinch. 13 Years ago, in Dec, our life was very busy. On Dec 1 I had just given birth to Samuel, not to mention the 3 other small children that already blessed our family. I was working 36 hr a week as an LPN while trying to study for my RN finales that I had to take on Dec 4Th . Mike was helping with the kids, working hard as a detective for Salt Lake sheriff's department, and trying to get started on Christmas preparations. The first week of December had come and gone and we had not put up any outside lights. Late one night as we were driving past the beautifully decorated homes, We heard Isaac exclaimed from the back seat "Look we are the black hole in the neighborhood." Sure enough our home sat dark and a little sad looking between the bright lights of our Friends homes. The next day when I returned home I found Mike sitting in the living room with all the kids around him as he finished painting "The Grinch" That day He had created a family tradition that continues to means so much to us. The Grinch reminds me of that very busy Christmas, When there wasn't time to even breath but Mike MADE time to make something special for me and the kids. It was truly a gift of time and love. Topped of with a little bit of humor.