Christmas Eve 2008

John and I did not receive any china as a wedding gift. I figured it was better than receiving one place setting and not being able to do anything with it.

When we were moving my maternal grandmother, Mema, out of her house and into my mom's, my mom found 5 *almost* complete place settings of china. It was not Mema's china and she had no idea where this box of china came from until Ana saw it. Ana, a close family friend who is practically family, said that when her friend got divorced, she asked Ana to get rid of some stuff for her. The china was in that stuff and when Mema saw it, she said she would like it. My mom called and asked if I would like the china and I said sure since I was getting my Papa's old china cabinet that belonged to his mother. When I saw the china, I couldn't believe my eyes. I'm pretty sure it is the VERY same pattern that I had registered for but never received! Also there were 7 crystal goblets. How blessed am I to receive this china?

I told John we would be using it for Christmas Eve and he couldn't believe I was going to let the children eat off my china. I believe that you shouldn't just let the china sit in a cabinet for the 60 years you are married. Plus, even though it is a retired pattern, I can still order more on ebay I'm sure.

I wish I had a video of my children sitting down to dinner that special night. They asked things like, "We are going to eat with these?" and kept talking about how "fancy shmancy" it all was. I really enjoyed their reaction and plan to serve many more "fancy shmancy" meals in the future.

I made Chicken Cordon Bleu the German way for John and I and Schnitzel for the children. As you can see, my Cordon Bleu took up half of my plate. It was delicious but I couldn't finish it.

Sorry Ethan, no china for you yet!

After dinner, I sang a song to the children called "The Most Beautiful Story That's Ever Been Told." It was hard to sing without crying and at the end I REALLY struggled but I plan to sing it to them every year. It really is a beautiful song.

Then we sang other Christmas carols and read some Christmas stories. It was a very nice Christmas Eve.

A Twilight to Remember

On March 21st my friends and I had a Twilight party to celebrate the DVD release. We had a great time and stayed up way too late.

I made these sugar cookies. I was going to make them red to fit the theme but I didn't buy red food coloring paste because I could swear I had some. Oh well. They were a hit anyway because they are so delicious. The Edward ones were gone first of course because we are ALL Team Edward girls!

This was our lovely spread. Sunny Price hosted the party and did a fabulous job decorating with Twilight Michelle.

Aren't these cupcakes so fun?

Here we are with Edward. He was our guest of honor! He LOVED my cookies but he was slightly annoyed that I made some with Jacob's name on them.

We had a fabulous night and I CAN'T WAIT until our New Moon party!

This is for you Kristin! I'm sorry I didn't get this to you BEFORE Christmas but at least you'll have it for next year. You will love these-- almost everyone does!

Soft and Sweet Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine
1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt

Frosting:
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 cups powdered sugar
milk

Cream butter or margarine and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Add all dry ingredients and blend. Chill dough for 2 hours. On a surface lightly sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar, roll out a portion of the dough until about ¼ inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Place on greased cookie sheet or parchment paper. Bake for 6-8 minutes at 375 degrees. These will not brown unless you over bake them.

Frosting:

Melt butter or margarine. Add vanilla and about 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar. Mix with a whisk. Add about ¼ cup milk. Keep adding confectioner’s sugar and/or milk until you get the consistency that you want. It’s a little tricky because I don’t actually have a recipe for it. My mom just makes it without a recipe and so I just eyeball it like her. Feel free to call me if you have questions!

Makes 2-3 dozen depending on size. May be doubled.

Notes: I usually double these because the recipe is small. I roll them out on a jellyroll pan lined with parchment paper sprinkled lightly with confectioner's sugar. Then I cut the shapes, remove the excess dough and bake.

Think Young!

We have had a lot of family birthdays in the last couple of months and I keep hearing people say things like:

"I am getting so old."

"I can't believe you are 35! You are getting old."

(And yes, I am guilty of this myself.)

Upon reflection, I have decided that I don't like to think of 33 (my age and I'm not embarrased to share it) as being old because my life expectancy when I was born was 78 and the longer I live the higher my life expectancy gets. I survived childhood diseases, I avoided being in a fatal car accident as a youth, and I am doing well!

If I start thinking of myself as old then I am going to be OLD for a very long time. I don't want to be old for that long so from this day forward I will be thinking of myself and those around me (yes, you too) as young.

Among Friends

John looks at this image and he sees a girl who disobeyed the "Only two friends to bed" rule.

I look at this image and see a girl who loves to be surrounded by her friends.

How do you pick just two when you have so many wonderful friends? You don't want to hurt the feelings of your other friends. You don't want them to miss you or you to miss them.

I hope that Abby will always be surrounded by good friends.

I am thankful for my many friends. They have helped me through the tough times, laughed with me through the fun times and listened when I needed to talk.

Thank you friends.

A Salute to National Poetry Month

Little wand slim and gray
I wait five minutes to see what you say.

Will you pronounce a big change in our lives?
Will we soon be the parents of five?

I’ve been so tired and gained some weight
And if allowed will sleep in late

I asked Jen what this all meant
She replied, “Could you be pregnant?”

Shocked and surprised by her suggestion
I quickly said, “No, it’s out of the question!”

Jen smiled and asked, “How do you know?”
I replied that I’d had my monthly flow.

“I'd had three,” she said with a grin.
“But I’m on the pill,” I said for the win.

Not convinced, Jen replied, “So was I.”
Surprised again, I gave it one more try.

“Did you take it at the same time everyday?”
“Yes, I followed the directions in every way.”

“There is only one way to know for sure
Without a test from the store.”

Quickly thinking “What does she mean?”
Then blushing with defeat and understanding

I quietly responded “Oh, I see.”
She had finally convinced me of the possibility.

Days go by and I still feel strange
Often thinking of our exchange.

It was true I didn’t know for sure.
So I got a test from the store.

I was mostly hoping for a negative
But part of me wanted a positive.

I love little babies soft and sweet.
I love their tiny hands and feet.

But with no income and a body that ails me
I feel we are not ready and may never be.

Of course, I would not argue with Our Father who knows best
If He decided with another we should be blessed.

Little wand slim and gray
I’ve waited five minutes to see what you say.

With no further ado, I will say
I do not have another baby on the way.

Couch Cuddling

I love to cuddle on the couch.

I cuddle with John.

I cuddle with my children.

I cuddle with a warm blanket.

I even cuddle with Daisy.

Everyone needs to cuddle sometimes.

Cuddle with a sister who reads to you until you fall asleep.

Cuddle with a family pet who licks your face to show she cares.

Cuddle with Daddy on movie night.

Everyone needs to cuddle sometimes.

Ah, Memory Lane

My mother cleaned out her attic and found a big Rubbermaid tub I had put up there ages ago. She asked me to take it or trash it. It was full of old letters and some trinkets. While going through some of the letters, I found this jewel:

I don't quite remember what "promises break crosses" means but I think it was my way of saying that a promise is a promise whether you cross your fingers or not.

I probably kept this as "evidence" but now it will certainly be filed under "humor." Love it!

Under Construction Again

I'm in the process of changing my blog. I'm hoping to change it into a three column template and I want to add my own paper and header. We'll see how it goes!

Wish me luck!

Well, It's Been a Long Time...Time Changes Things!

What's changed?

My hair! Don't you just love it?

I had been meaning to get it cut for over a year but I never made time for it. When I realized I was going to have to start looking for a job, I decided it was time to start taking better care of my appearance.

I love my new hair style so much that I've found myself actually enjoying getting made up for the day. It does take me awhile to blow dry and then straighten my hair but it's so worth it when I'm done.

I have received so many compliments and don't we ALL love when someone actually notices that we cut 8 inches of our hair off?

And the best part of all...

I can actually make it look good all by myself! What a big girl I am!

Now I just need to know one thing...

what product would you recommend for the short flyaways on the top of my head?

Ja!

Ethan has been saying "no" for awhile now but is just now learning how to answer to the affirmative. He says, "Ja!" It's my German coming out in him. On Sunday, I called him my little german boy after he said, "Ja" and then asked him to say, "Nein" (No in German). Ethan replied, "TEN!" very excitedly.