Christmas festivities

It was Christmas Eve...and we prepared a few of the foods for our Jesus Birthday party, and then got ready for church. I love Christmas Eve service. We decided to go to Passion City Church. Their service started at 2:30 so we got an early start, and left at noon. We stopped off at Gam and Pop's. Zach was going to drive them there and we were all going in a separate car.

girls are ready to head to church

Ready for church...

everyone posed for momma before we left and even again at gam's

our kids at gam's

 When we were almost to the church, Karlie was talking about how hungry she was. I was telling her that soon we would be having our little birthday party and I then started listing the food we were going to have....when I got to the sausages, I remembered that  they were simmering on the stove. AND that I did not remember turning them off. We had been gone from home for over an hour. We were at least 40 mins away...and church had not even started...needless to say, Karl dropped us off, turned around, 'booked it' home and turned off the stove. So glad the house did

not burn down.

 Gam and Pop pose by the trees at PCC

and Karlie did too...

Then we headed home, to get ready for Christmas eve birthday party for Jesus. The anticipation and excitement of that one night should be bottled up and sprinkled on everyone each day. I think Jolie had enough for all of us. She could hardly sleep.

I used the candle from the service for the cake. And I sprinkled sugar in the shape of a snowflake...it went well with what Louie Giglio preached on at the service. 

Christmas eve Pjs...They loved them this year...sometimes I do good at pj pickin' sometimes not. Shek was hoping I didn't get him another set of hot pants...it was just short pants. But I got it right this time.

Christmas Morning Highlights.

 Shek looking at all the gifts

 Jolie says....LOOK

 Shek received lots of altheltic wear and sox. He was especially proud of his Nike socks that Gam and Pop got him...He requested those sent her an email link so she would know exactly which kind and he's over the moon about the socks...who would have 'thunk' it?

 Karlie has always wanted a sock monkey so this year...she got all kinds of sock monkey stuff.

 Gam got a Wild Olive tee shirt with Run the Race on the front and a scripture verse on the back...Perfect to wear when she walk/runs

 Cinderella is always a hit.

 Zach didn't know what to think about this can of chunky chicken soup from Gam...especially when she said

 Open it!

It was full of Gift cards to eat at Chick fil a gift cards.

Karlie received a repurposed makeup table...that Gam and Pop fixed up...it's awesome. She's wanted one for a long time and was really surprised. 

 Christmas eats...

Shek and Karl model their jersey and cap

Merry Christmas 2013...can't believe it's come and gone already.

Merry Christmas Card 2013

It's Christmas Eve....can you believe it?
I love Christmas cards. I love "creating" them, addressing the envelopes (I love handwriting the names and addresses) and mailing them. I especially love receiving cards from family and friends too, I love love love when there's a photo inside too. Sometimes a Christmas card is the only contact we have with some family and friends..believe it or not, not everyone is tuned into social media.

After all of our Christmas Card photo outtakes....here's our 2013 card. I love the color red, so I chose the red and green version of this shutterfly card, although the fushia colored one was pretty awesome too.

They have been mailed out, but it seems I never order enough. Next year I will start early and order more, and organize my addresses.

Merry Christmas, from our house to yours...

January is coming...we have the solution to your resolution.

baking up some memories

My girls have been wanting to bake. It's Christmas time and everyone bakes at Christmas, right? I really admire you bakers out there. Your baked goods look awesome. Always. Mine, not so much. But wanting to make memories with my girls more than making perfect cookies, we stopped by and bought the ingredients. My boys? They like to eat the dough while we bake, and eat the finished product. They did however, dash up to the store to get two ingredients that we needed that I forgot.

We found the rolling pins, and 3 cookie cutters. That's right, only 3 cookie cutters, a heart, a snowflake, and a heart.

Karlie and Jolie loved baking today...

The finished product was gobbled up quickly by the family even though the cookies didn't keep their cut shape.

Can't you see our excited baker faces?

Next up we tried a new recipe. It is a twist on an old classic. One of our favorites (peanut butter blossoms) mixed with red velvet, another of our favorites. I saw the recipe on this blog iambaker

These turned out nicely. I do much better with cookies that you roll in a ball dip in sugar and bake and then press a chocolate kiss in it while warm.

I tried to get fancy with it and take a photo on a Christmas plate like the real foodie bloggers do. 

We had fun making Christmas baking memories today...now someone pass the carb-ease please.

Do you really like Christmas?

The other night while we were driving to one of the many events that crowd our calendars during the month of December, I turned to my hubby, and sighed. 

I sighed one of those deep, sighs. The kind of sigh that can get you in trouble cause those in ear shot might think you're disgusted....

anyway...

I turned to him and asked him this question.

Do you really like Christmas?

He replied...well of course. 

I said

Yeah

I know what you mean....I love Christmas

the celebration of the birth of Jesus...but the stress that comes with the season.

I 

could 

do 

without.

A friend of mine told me about Ann Voskamps book about Advent. I read her blog, and have read her devotions for advent in the past, but this year she has a new book to help us prepare ourselves for 

the 

coming

of Christ

in 

the midst

of 

all 

of our 

secular lives....

I read it...I like it

But

Sometimes

Still

The 

Stress of

Christmas

finds 

me and wears me down.

Oh to bottle up that anticipation of a child waiting for Christmas...

Thinking it will never arrive

but as a parent...realizing it arrives all too fast.

but yesterday

on my way to one of those shopping trips I passed the little church on the corner.

There were no fancy ribboned decorations there, no fancy light displays, but simply a cross...a very plain cross, with a sign

with 

red 

words..

that simply stated

This I did for you

John 3:16

I snapped a quick photo with my phone while paused at the red light.

The church at the corner has it right

Christmas...it's about the cross...

nothing 

fancy, ribboned, or lighted

but

simply a cross

 with a message...

a gift.

so today, when I found myself out with the rest of my county making those last minute preparations.

My attitude had

a 

glimpse of that 

childhood 

wonder of Christmas and I took the words from Ann's book to heart.

Turning my secular tasks into something sacred.

Jesus is the gift of Christmas. Have you received this precious, awesome gift?

Breathe a silent prayer, asking God to clear the way, turning your secular tasks into something sacred.

  The Greatest Gift --Ann Voskamp

Christmas with EM

We were so excited to have Emily visit for a few days of Christmas break. She has already headed home, and we miss her bunches.

Opening a few gifts

 Christmas is fun

 Jolie can always be found

 Near Emily...

Merry Christmas, Emily...we miss you...hurry back to Georgia, soon.

A trip to the big city...

We decided to be spontaneous tonight and head into the big city...we texted Dad and asked if we could meet him at the mall. So around rush hour we headed to the mall near Karl's work.....and we went inside for some festive fun.We really don't do Santa at Christmas, we all know he is just fun. Jolie still likes to go see him and get her picture made with him.  We found the line for Santa and got in it....he was not there....he was on a reindeer water break? 

We took a few photos around the pretty and festive decor while we waited, my boys went and visited several stores while we waited, but Karlie stuck out the wait with us.

Sisters pose by the tree

The bros pose while we wait in line...

 There was lots of time to take photos in the waiting line...

We are almost to the start of the line...

 The best gift of Christmas is JEsus! That's how Jolie says it.

 Sweeties

 Festive trees...

 Aren't they sweet and photogenic?

 Talking with Santa

 It was fun visiting the big city and seeing Santa...it was even more fun when 

all my children ages 4 to 21 sat with Santa for a photo...
it was an awesome evening.

Merry Christmas 2013!

Jolie's Christmas Musical

It's Christmas time....and it was time for the church musical....Jolie wore her sparkle stars dress and sang beautifully...here's the photos I snagged off the big screen.

 at first I could not find her...she was behind the camara pole...

 I found her on the big screen af rew times.

 Isn't she precious.

 Singing  about JEsus